Chapter 423: You Understand Too?

Emperor Hongwu’s magnanimity naturally pleased Yin Zhaoxian, as his subject. However, if it were anyone else, an imperial decree would have mandated an audience with the Emperor. But the person in question was Ji Yuan.

To be honest, in Yin Zhaoxian’s mind, Ji Yuan’s subjective opinion was more important than the Emperor’s.

To put it bluntly, who exactly was Mr. Ji? There was really no need for him to care all that much about giving an emperor face.

However, Yin Zhaoxian believed that based on his understanding of Ji Yuan, asking Ji Yuan to meet Emperor Hongwu as a friend would be a favor Ji Yuan would be willing to grant him. But the problem was that Yin Zhaoxian himself was somewhat reluctant to do so. So after considering and hesitating for a while, he finally approached Emperor Hongwu.

“It is a rare honor for Your Majesty to meet a commoner, and I am also impressed by Your Majesty’s magnanimity. However… Mr. Ji is rather eccentric. How about this, I will go and teach him some basic etiquette later. After all, etiquette cannot be neglected, lest we truly offend Your Majesty…”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongwu became even more curious. What was wrong with Prime Minister Yin? Was his friend so shameful?

If it were anyone else, Emperor Hongwu Yang Hao might have thought it was jealousy and fear that his friend would be stealing his limelight, or even that the friend was a bad person. But since it was Yin Zhaoxian before him, there was absolutely no such possibility.

Emperor Hongwu actually had a little secret that he never told anyone, not even his very close concubines like the Empress and Consort De: around the time he ascended the throne, he had two strange dreams.

The first dream was about his father, the late Emperor Yuande.

This dream was relatively simple. Emperor Yuande had just passed away, and the dream occurred before the funeral.

At that time, Yang Hao was mostly in a state of excitement and sadness. Even his sadness wasn’t entirely due to his father’s passing; a significant portion of it was due to the death of his mentor.

In his dream, Yang Hao was sleeping in bed when he was woken up. When awoke, he saw his father sitting by the bedside. Since he did not remember that his father had passed away, Yang Hao was still a little frightened by his father was staring at him in his bedroom, so he wanted to get out of bed to pay his respects.

However, Emperor Yuande’s attitude at that time was very different from his previous impression. He seemed incredibly kind, and only spoke a few words to Yang Hao before telling him that he was leaving for a faraway place. He instructed him to take good care of the imperial family of Dazhen and to consult Yin Zhaoxian if he encountered any problems. He also told Yang Hao not to forget the last words he had spoken in his bed.

As soon as Emperor Yuande left, Yang Hao woke up in bed. It was just dawn, and he naturally remembered Emperor Yuande’s dying words — his insistence on not letting Yin Zhaoxian be harmed by treacherous officials.

In his second dream, he dreamt of his childhood. After leaving the Hongwen Academy, he became a student of Li Mushu’s, and gained a mentor who cared for him deeply and possessed great foresight.

That day in Li Mushu’s study, Yang Hao, who was only about fourteen or fifteen years old, was reading. Li Mushu listened with his eyes closed, occasionally pointing out the key points in the book, while patting a stack of books on the corner of Yang Hao’s desk with one hand.

When Yang Hao came to a passage about how a ruler should behave, Li Mushu suddenly interrupted him, his eyes still closed, and leaned closer to him.

“Your Highness, I am getting old and will leave you one day, either through scheming and intrigue or by old age and illness. But Your Highness, your life is still very long. You will surely ascend the throne and hold the great power in your hands!”

“Teacher, I also think I can become emperor. That’s just my feeling.”

Yang Hao replied with a smile.

The strange thing about the dream was that Yang Hao had almost forgotten about already becoming emperor; he seemed to still be the same boy he once was. Yet even so, he had a premonition, a strong one, of his ascension to the throne.

Li Mushu nodded and moved his right hand away from the stack of books.

“Your Highness, the author of these books is a man of unparalleled talent and wisdom, unseen since the founding of the country of Dazhen. Although I may not live to see Your Highness ascend the throne, I must ensure that he is there to witness it. This man is loyal to the country and to all its people, possessing a magnificent and righteous spirit admired even by ghosts and gods!”

Li Mushu pushed a stack of books in front of the young Yang Hao; they included words such as “On the Subject of Birds” and “Understanding Justice”.

“Read these books carefully, and read them often in the future. I must go back now!”

“Yes, Teacher!”

Young Yang Hao nodded in agreement, but just as he opened the book, a sudden realization struck him: he was in his teacher’s study, so where had his teacher gone?

Looking up, he saw a dark figure standing in the dim light outside the study door. The teacher bowed to the figure before leaving.

Yang Hao then woke up. When he woke up, every detail of the dream was still vivid in his mind. He remembered it clearly. It was very likely a dream from his deceased mentor.

These two dreams made Yang Hao, who already valued Yin Zhaoxian highly, pay even more attention to the Yin family. So even though Yin Zhaoxian was well aware of the Emperor’s trust in him, Yang Hao’s trust in Yin Zhaoxian was actually deeper than Yin Zhaoxian himself realized.

…

Yin Qing led Princess Changping out of the living room and along the corridor toward the garden. Yin Qing was always eloquent, and even though he knew the Emperor’s particular intentions of having the princess in front of him, he was not too nervous.

“Your Highness, let’s take a stroll around the corridor, walk through the two gardens to see the scenery, and then wait in the dining hall. Our Yin residence is not comparable to the palace; we’ll run out of things to see after a short stroll. If we go back too early, His Majesty and my father will probably blame me.”

Princess Changping looked at Yin Qing.

“Does Minister Yin dislike walking with me?”

Yin Qing quickly explained.

“Of course not, but His Majesty and my father probably just want us to be alone for a while. It’s freezing outside, and it’s ridiculous that my mother came up with this idea. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for us to sit and chat by the stove in the dining hall? We could even get some good food from the kitchen.”

Princess Changping was taken aback, then laughed. She couldn’t really say she liked Yin Qing, though she didn’t dislike him either, as he was still a relative stranger to her.

However, most women of marriageable age had no say in their own lives, especially those in the royal family. Even if they were favored by their fathers, they still could not make their own decisions about their destiny.

Fortunately, although Yin Qing was far inferior to Prime Minister Yin, he was still quite talented. At least, Princess Changping had seen Yin Qing’s paintings, and found his painting skills to be quite good.

“Then let’s do as Vice Minister Yin says. Let’s just stroll around and then head to the dining hall. But I’d also like to see the study in the Yin residence. It’s said to be the place with the strongest literary atmosphere in the world.”

“Very well, I will certainly grant your request. Your Highness, this way please.”

Yin Qing, with great poise, led Princess Changping on a tour of the Yin residence. They mainly strolled through the garden, then showed her the study that Princess Changping was so curious about.

The Yin residence had several studies, and Yin Qing and Yin Zhaoxian each had their own. Yin Qing could not take Princess Changping to Yin Zhaoxian’s study, but he could show her his own.

Upon entering Yin Qing’s study, Princess Changping became somewhat lost in thought.

The room was filled with portraits, some depicting rural life, others mountains and rivers, courtyards with large canopies and trees, animals like yellow dogs and foxes, scholars who wrote with a brush and bore a resemblance to Yin Qing, and even a hazy immortal riding the wind.

Each painting was incredibly lifelike, far surpassing any other works that were publicly displayed. Princess Changping could feel the unique artistic conception within each painting.

The bookshelves and desks in the study were piled high with books. Many books on several desks were open, covered in circles, dots, and annotations on every page, showing the owner’s dedication to reading.

After checking with Yin Qing, Princess Changping picked up a book at random to see what Yin Qing had written. What she saw was not merely a typical scholar’s interpretation, but also some allusions and satire. However, Yin Qing seemed to grasp the key points immediately, revealing the essence of the book’s content.

Books, paintings, unfinished paintings, unfinished writings… all of these should have left the study cluttered, but they somehow possessed a unique sense of order and charm amidst the faint scent of ink.

Princess Changping was also a wise and well-educated woman, and her heart couldn’t help but be moved.

‘He doesn’t seem like how many people claim, that he rose to power by virtue of his father’s influence…’

Princess Changping glanced at Yin Qing, who was finally showing some embarrassment.

“Minister Yin, you are so skilled at painting, when will you paint a portrait of me?”

“If the Princess commands, then Yin Qing will naturally obey. Well, we’ve been spending more time in the study than expected. Now we don’t need to go to the dining hall early. Your Highness, we really should go now, or we’ll miss our meal.”

“Yes, yes, I understand!”

Princess Changping put down the book in her hand in the same orientation as it had been before, and then stood up with a smile.

The two took another path to the dining hall, passing by the guesthouse where Ji Yuan was staying. As Princess Changping looked around, she saw a man in white sitting at a stone table in the courtyard, fiddling with a chessboard. She asked Yin Qing, whom she had become somewhat familiar with, about him.

“Minister Yin, who is that person? He doesn’t seem to be a servant in your household.”

Looking at Ji Yuan’s profile, Yin Qing explained as he led the princess away.

“This is an elder from my hometown. It’s rare for him to come to the capital to visit. He’s staying at my house for a while. He prefers peace and quiet, so we won’t go over and disturb him.”

“Hm!”

As the two passed by, Ji Yuan’s mind was no longer on the chessboard; he was just pretending to play with the pieces. The same was true for a fox crouching under the table and a paper crane that landed on Ji Yuan’s shoulder. Of course, the “Sword Intent Inscription” had not been brought out, otherwise it would have been even more lively around them.

Hu Yun peered into the distance, his face full of curiosity.

“Mr. Ji, who is the woman next to Yin Qing?”

“It must be a princess. Judging from the way he’s leading her around alone, the Emperor’s purpose in coming to the Yin residence is quite intriguing.”

Hu Yun paused for a moment, then looked up at Ji Yuan.

“This woman is going to be Yin Qing’s wife?”

These words stunned Ji Yuan, who looked down at the fox.

“You’re just a fox practicing cultivation in the mountains, how do you know so much?”

T/n: Damn, let’s just rename this chapter to “Everyone Loves Yin Zhaoxian”

HY: So they be f***ing

JY: who taught you that language???

Like Loading…