“Senior, do you know Second Prince Yun Tianyi?”
Sage Su was surprised. “How do you know that name? Even your father, Marquis Zhenyuan, should not know it, right?”
Du Heng nodded.
“My father truly does not know. He told me he has never seen such a person in the royal family.”
“But such a person does exist. Yun Tianyi is my respected master, the former Sect Leader of Ruo Xian Pavilion.”
Sage Su pondered for a moment.
“You came to me because you want to know about your master’s past?”
“Exactly. I want to know why my master, as a member of the Great Luo royal family, was so obscure in Great Luo, yet became the Sect Leader of Ruo Xian Pavilion.”
Sage Su fell silent for a moment.
“I do not know whether it is appropriate for me to speak of this, but since you have already passed the Stele of the Heart, this old fellow will take the liberty just this once.”
“However, there are many details and hidden secrets that even this old fellow does not know. You will still need to investigate them yourself in the future.”
As the Imperial Tutor to several emperors, Sage Su had always lived in seclusion. Unless Great Luo had some major matter that required him to come out of retirement, he would not get involved. Naturally, there were many things he did not know.
“No matter. Thank you, Senior.”
Sage Su began to recall the events of the past.
“About two hundred years ago, the late emperor and your master were still young, full of youthful spirit and elegance.”
As soon as he heard the opening, Du Heng understood. No wonder his own father did not know.
Events from two hundred years ago… only the censors and a few old-timers in court would remember them, right?
At that time, Yun Tianyi and the late emperor Yun Tianlan, who was still the crown prince, had been very close since childhood. They supported each other and had already agreed to govern Great Luo in an orderly manner in the future.
But good times did not last long. A few years later, during the annual autumn hunting expedition, they parted on bad terms. For some reason, a rift developed between them, and they had a huge fight.
“The two Highnesses even fought in the Martial Arts Hall. In the end, they parted unhappily, and I never saw the Second Highness again.”
Yun Tianyi thus disappeared without a trace, and before anyone knew it, had become the Sect Leader of Ruo Xian Pavilion, which was tens of thousands of miles away from Great Luo.
Meanwhile, a woman suddenly appeared at Yun Tianlan’s side. That was the late empress Xia Baijun.
After that, more than a hundred years passed. The late empress Xia Baijun never bore any children, yet the late emperor Yun Tianlan also never took any consorts.
Fortunately, cultivators ran rampant in this world, and even the royal family was a cultivation clan. An Emperor could live for a very long time. But it had long been tradition for the royal family to have many descendants. With no heirs for so long, the pressure Yun Tianlan faced in court could be imagined.
Fortunately, more than twenty years ago, the Eldest Princess was finally born, and a few years later, the crown prince was finally born as well. The royal family finally had an heir. Unfortunately, not long after that, Yun Tianlan passed away.
Sage Su sighed with emotion. The most ruthless of imperial families had somehow produced a romantic fool.
Yet brothers, once close as flesh and blood, had become strangers?
“I never expected the Second Highness… no, the Second Prince would actually go to Ruo Xian Pavilion and become Sect Leader.”
“In recent years, I heard that the Sect Leader of Ruo Xian Pavilion was named Yun Di. I suppose that was just your master’s alias.”
After hearing this, Du Heng thought about it. It must be that he had never once gone out with Yun Tianyi, so naturally he did not know that his master used an alias.
The other disciples in the sect did know that Yun Tianyi had two names, but within Ruo Xian Pavilion, the only Great Luo people were Du Heng and Yun Tianyi. They had no way of knowing Yun Tianyi’s true identity, and could only wonder why he used two names.
Having said that, Du Heng helped Sage Su clear away the Go board.
Sage Su had originally wanted to ask Du Heng what poem he had written for Her Highness the Eldest Princess, but then felt that it was not quite appropriate.
It was a matter between the young couple. One of them was already extremely hard to provoke; if he now asked about the poem the other had composed in the boudoir, his future days would probably become difficult. So he suppressed the thought.
“Young Master Du, is there anything else you want to ask?”
“Not for now…”
“Not for now? What, you still want to come bother me from time to time?”
“Senior surely won’t mind, right?”
Sage Su glanced at the Go board from earlier.
“It’s not impossible.”
“Go on. I’ll keep in mind the request you won.”
“Thank you, Senior. I’ll be going now.”
Du Heng turned to leave, then turned back and asked one more question.
“Senior, is His Majesty in the academy today?”
Sage Su smiled. “You certainly are well-informed. How did you know His Majesty is here?”
“I heard that Senior is the Imperial Tutor. Since the court is in recess today, I assumed His Majesty would come here to study.”
Sage Su nodded. This person was indeed meticulous. What a pity.
“You guessed correctly. His Majesty is in the room next door on the left.”
“May I be so bold as to meet His Majesty?”
Sage Su said slyly, “You have already met someone with even higher rank and power, and now you are afraid of His Majesty? Go on.”
Du Heng was stunned. How did this little old man know so much? And he really dared to say anything.
Du Heng left the room, turned left, and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
“I am the son of Marquis Zhenyuan, Du Heng. I request an audience with His Majesty.”
Yun Zhao looked at the tightly shut door, his mind blank.
How did Du Heng find him?
Yun Zhao had been timid by nature since childhood. After hastily ascending the throne and taking residence in the Golden Luan Hall, he was even more on edge. The civil and military officials below were all veteran foxes and seasoned actors; he was so frightened he could not sleep well.
But after Eldest Princess Yun Shuyu returned, the situation reversed. No one dared to say one thing to his face and another behind his back anymore.
Even though imperial power was not in his hands, he was happy with that.
The late empress had died early. As the eldest sister who was like a mother, Yun Shuyu, who protected Yun Zhao, was naturally very close to him.
But ever since Du Heng returned to the capital these past few days, Yun Zhao had been terribly unsettled.
Take that day, for example. As usual, he had sent someone to invite Yun Shuyu over for a meal, preparing his imperial sister’s favorite food.
But before long, he was left eating breakfast alone.
“My imperial sister actually refused me…”
“This was the first time since her return to court.”
“Xiao Guizi, did something happen in Phoenix Cry Hall?”
“This servant was unable to enter the hall and does not know. I heard from Mingzhe that an honored guest had arrived.”
Later, Yun Zhao’s heart only grew more bitter.
After Yun Shuyu stopped coming, he took the initiative to go to her.
And so he learned about the marriage between Yun Shuyu and Du Heng, and watched and listened as Yun Shuyu’s eyes lit up while praising how wonderful Du Heng was.
Yun Zhao’s heart ached bitterly. It was not that he wanted to monopolize his imperial sister; he also knew that his imperial sister should have a proper home.
But judging from the information submitted by the servants, Du Heng was not a good choice.
Besides, Yun Zhao was afraid of being left behind. In childhood, his mother had died early, his father was busy, and he was terribly lonely. He hated the feeling of being alone.
Back to the present, Yun Zhao had already been silent for a long time, but Du Heng outside was still knocking on the door. It seemed he had made up his mind and was certain Yun Zhao was here.
Yun Zhao clenched his fist. I am the emperor of this dynasty. Why should I be so afraid of him?
“Ahem, come in.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Yun Zhao sat upright behind the desk, very properly seated, and indeed had quite the bearing of an emperor.
“Rise. Young Lord, you are the son of Marquis Du, so there is no need for too much courtesy.”
Du Heng studied Yun Zhao. He did not seem like the timid, powerless Emperor from his previous life.
“Young Lord Du, what brings you to seek me out in person?”
The hand Yun Zhao had placed on his lap had started pinching the flesh of his thigh.
This person was not here to ask me for a marriage decree for him and my imperial sister, was he?
Then should I agree or not?
If I refuse, will my imperial sister get angry?
Well… actually, if my imperial sister is eager to marry and wants a proper marriage decree, even if she bypasses me and drafts the edict herself, that would be fine. My worry is unnecessary.
Halfway through his nerves, Yun Zhao remembered that he currently held no real power.
“I have one matter and wish to ask His Majesty for help.”
The corner of Yun Zhao’s mouth twitched. No way, is he really that eager?
“Young Lord Du, actually, there is no need to rush. You only returned to the capital a few days ago. You should rest a few more days, perhaps?”
Du Heng was baffled after hearing this.
Rest? Rest for what? If he kept resting, the next time he went out he feared he would be drowned by the saliva of the enthusiastic citizens of Luodu.
“Your Majesty, I have already rested enough. This matter is of great importance. Please hear me out first.”
Yun Zhao’s palms were sweating, and he sighed inwardly. What could he do?
Who told his imperial sister to like him? He could not make his imperial sister unhappy.
Let me placate him first. Later, once I return to the palace, I will talk to my imperial sister again. Maybe there will still be room to turn things around. For now, it would be best to be more polite to this cheap soon-to-be brother-in-law.
“Very well, go ahead.”
“This matter concerns the Eldest Princess’s reputation. I beg Your Majesty to promise me one thing…”
When Yun Zhao heard the word reputation, his vision went black. He instantly stood up and grabbed Du Heng by the collar.
“What did you say? Du scoundrel, say that again! What did you do to my imperial sister? I knew that day my imperial sister did not come to have breakfast with me in the morning… it wasn’t just to have breakfast with you, was it?”
“What did you do to my imperial sister that night?”