It was not until he stepped out of the courtyard that Yan Zhiyu belatedly realized his heart was beating a little fast. Aside from shyness, there was also the lingering tension he was just now calming down from.
Ling Dong was truly far too similar to Ling Lie. Not only in the image preserved within his memories, but even the tone of voice he used in everyday speech was strikingly alike.
Could there truly be such bizarre and inexplicable phenomena in this world? Ling Lie had died; could he truly bear to leave him, to leave their son behind? If he could not bear it, would he turn into a ghost, attach himself to Ling Dong, and return to help him?
This wild notion was like fiercely growing vines, wrapping around a flicker of hope he had not even noticed within himself and rapidly invading the patch of garden in his heart that had begun to lie fallow. Even if it was only a very brief spring, at least in this single instant, he genuinely believed it.
Or rather, he wanted to believe it.
Walking away in a daze, it was not until he had spent some time catching the breeze in the floral pavilion that Yan Zhiyu finally calmed down. That momentary burst of madness instantly seemed both laughable and somewhat bitter.
His family had protected and doted on him meticulously since childhood. The greatest grievance he had ever suffered in his youth was merely getting into an argument with someone, and after marrying Ling Lie at the age of eighteen, his life had been entirely carefree. His biggest daily annoyance was nothing more than the little Crown Prince’s homework. He never imagined that the price for more than twenty years of such smooth days would prove to be this heavy.
He missed Ling Lie far too much.
It was also possible that, unwilling to admit his own incompetence, he was using this yearning as a shield. In the end, he simply wanted Ling Lie back to continue shielding him from the wind and rain.
“Why the long face?” A deep male voice rang out, pulling Yan Zhiyu abruptly from the quagmire of his melancholic thoughts.
Yan Zhiyu lifted his gaze to see that Ling Lie had arrived at some point, looking at him with a full face of smiles, accompanied by two estate servants trailing behind.
Yan Zhiyu let out a very faint hum of disapproval, turning his head slightly away. “What business is it of yours?”
Ling Lie raised an eyebrow. It seemed taking the time to visit the Grand Tutor was the right move after all. His Empress was indeed far less guarded against him now, though this temperament was somewhat different from before, yet still rather endearing.
“This subject has overstepped.” Ling Lie smoothly took the blame onto himself, offering a bow to Yan Zhiyu. “I wonder if this subject might request a seat from the Empress Dowager?”
Yan Zhiyu gave a slight nod.
Ling Lie immediately seated himself, signaling the servants behind him to set down what they were carrying: a plate of pastries and a tea set.
“These are all items from the estate, and I did not let them pass through any other hands, so the Empress Dowager may rest assured.” Ling Lie spoke as he began to move, skillfully brewing tea for Yan Zhiyu with fluid, graceful motions that were remarkably pleasing to the eye.
Whether due to that earlier fleeting thought or not, Yan Zhiyu felt that this set of movements was also overwhelmingly like Ling Lie’s.
This notion made Yan Zhiyu faintly disgruntled, dragging his expression down as well.
As for why he was disgruntled, he could not quite articulate it right now, so he simply kept his mouth shut, wearing a tight expression as he watched.
Once the tea was brewed, Ling Lie looked up to find his Empress looking unhappy once more for reasons unknown. With a look of innocent ingratiation, he presented the cup of tea: “Would the Empress Dowager care to try this subject’s craftsmanship?”
Yan Zhiyu took it and took a small sip, his brow furrowing slightly.
His grandfather always said tea was a fine thing, sweet and lingering in the aftertaste, but to him, it tasted mostly like bitter water. He rarely drank it under normal circumstances, except for the tea brewed by Ling Lie.
Ling Lie would always add a little something extra to his tea: sometimes milk, sometimes fruit, or sometimes just a tiny hint of sugar to neutralize the bitterness of the tea while leaving behind its pure fragrance.
“Did you add sugar?” Yan Zhiyu asked. “When did you add it?”
“When you were spacing out,” Ling Lie replied casually. “Do you like it?”
Yan Zhiyu pressed his lips together and remained silent.
Of course he liked it. The proportions were struck to absolute perfection, tasting precisely identical to the tea Ling Lie used to brew for him.
Seeing this, Ling Lie knew his objective had been achieved, and swiftly steered the conversation elsewhere: “Why did you not bring His Majesty along as well?”
Merely saying it himself was useless; he still needed his Empress to slowly come to this realization on her own.
“We had matters to discuss, bringing him along would not have been appropriate.” Yan Zhiyu took a few more sips of tea before setting the cup down. “What did you and the Grand Tutor talk about?”
“Naturally, it was about the Empress Dowager’s affairs.” Ling Lie watched him unblinkingly. The person he could never look at enough even when facing him every single day was now constantly on his mind; now that he was finally seeing him, he could not help grinning foolishly.
Yan Zhiyu did not speak, merely raising his chin slightly to look at him with a cold expression, making him look rather like a haughty cat.
Ling Lie’s heartstrings were given a gentle tug, and the gaze he fixed on Yan Zhiyu carried a rising wave of warmth.
He had never seen this side of Yan Zhiyu before, and he found it rather refreshing.
Yan Zhiyu felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze, but since he still had things to discuss with Ling Dong, he could only keep his lips tight and do his best to suppress the urge to walk away.
“You do not need to be so nervous,” Ling Lie said with an amused smile upon seeing his demeanor. “If you do not like me looking at you like this, just say so. If you want to scold me, then scold me. You are the Empress Dowager, standing above ten thousand people with only one person above you; there is no need to accommodate me like this.”
Hearing this, Yan Zhiyu immediately turned his head away to avoid looking at him, though he still said nothing.
With a beaming smile, Ling Lie withdrew his gaze, picked up his own tea cup for a sip, and asked, “How does the Empress Dowager plan to deal with Official Liang?”
Yan Zhiyu frowned, turning his face back to look at him. “How do you know about Liang Shanbai?”
“I accidentally saw it last time.” Ling Lie lowered his head to continue drinking his tea. He read quickly and possessed an excellent memory; before returning the memorials last time, he had already read quite a few, among which was the memorial impeaching the Magistrate of Jingdu, Liang Shanbai, for abusing power for personal gain.
Liang Shanbai had a pretty good relationship with him. Although his background was not particularly high, he was smart, smooth in handling affairs, and enjoyed a solid reputation in the capital. His biggest flaw was a fondness for money. Normally, he would not commit outright bribery or corruption, at most fabricating various pretexts to squeeze a bit of silver out of him. Since the amount was never large, he had turned a blind eye to it, and the other officials were more or less aware of it as well. Compared to the actual achievements Liang produced, this minor vice truly amounted to nothing. In the past, no one would have bothered him about it; he must have offended someone this time to receive an impeachment memorial.
His Empress was someone who could not tolerate a single grain of sand in his eyes, so he would likely not deal lightly with him.
“Dismissal from office,” Yan Zhiyu stated. “I have already investigated, and what the memorial stated is not false. Naturally, we cannot keep him.”
“Then have you thought of a replacement?” Ling Lie asked. “A position like that cannot remain vacant for too long.”
The question caught Yan Zhiyu off guard, causing him to furrow his brow once more.
He truly had not thought about it, knowing only that those who did wrong must be punished. Liang Shanbai abused power for personal gain and was not a good person, so he could no longer continue occupying that post. Yet what the Prince Regent said was also true; while the Magistrate of Jingdu was not an inner court official, he was a vital position responsible for the security and civil affairs of the capital region, as well as the public face right beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet. It was not a role just anyone could fill. Even if he dismissed the man right now, he could not instantly find a more suitable candidate to take his place.
Hesitating, Yan Zhiyu looked at the man before him, only to find him maintaining that same leisurely demeanor, once again bringing forth a sense of familiarity.
If it were Ling Lie, this expression meant he already had a plan in mind.
Pondering for a moment, he asked, “What are the Prince Regent’s thoughts?”
Ling Lie put down his tea cup and smiled. “Since the late Emperor entrusted this post to Official Liang, he must have given it thorough consideration. What Official Liang committed is not some heinous crime; the Empress Dowager should just issue a light punishment to warn others, and why resort to such harsh measures?”
Actually, there were some other things he left unsaid, but saying too much might instead displease his Empress.
Yet even these few remarks were enough to displease Yan Zhiyu: “Nurturing a tiger brings trouble.”
“A clear stream has no fish; the Empress Dowager need not be so high-strung.” Ling Lie sighed, leaving him with no choice but to spell it out more carefully.
Yan Zhiyu pursed his lips and remained silent; he did not like this style of handling matters.
Finding him helpless, Ling Lie could only suggest, “Why not think about how the late Emperor would have handled this?”
The late Emperor.
Yan Zhiyu pressed his lips together slightly, his expression showing signs of loosening.
If it were Ling Lie, he truly would not have made a big deal out of it. Ling Lie used to be just like that, so when palace attendants made mistakes, he would either deal with them leniently or not punish them at all. He was far too benevolent, yet Grandfather had never criticized him for it. As for Liang Shanbai’s affairs, he had been doing those things for more than a day or two, and Ling Lie might not have been entirely unaware. Since he kept him on anyway, he naturally had his considerations.
Seeing him fall into deep thought, Ling Lie did not rush him, quietly sipping his tea while mentally calculating what to do if Yan Zhiyu refused to agree. At this point, the only person who might be able to persuade him was probably the Grand Tutor.
Fortunately, Yan Zhiyu did not completely veto his proposal, instead stating, “Then dock his salary.”
Ling Lie instantly burst into laughter: “That will make him feel even more miserable than getting beaten with planks.”
Hearing this, Yan Zhiyu felt somewhat more at ease inside, and his attitude toward Ling Lie improved noticeably. “Since Grandfather trusted you, I can trust you this once. From now on, I will listen to your judgment.”
“From now on, I will help you.” Ling Lie took over his words, a tender smile spreading across his brows. “I said it when we first met: you can come find me at any time.”
Yan Zhiyu’s heart skipped a beat, and he awkwardly turned his head away. “Then the remaining matters can be discussed this afternoon. I will go check on His Majesty first.” With that, he immediately stood up and briskly walked away from the floral pavilion.
Watching his retreating figure from afar, Ling Lie chuckled softly a few times, then picked up a piece of pastry and popped it into his mouth.
Way too sweet. No wonder the Empress did not touch a single bite.