AMBTMS Chapter 34

He Yuan still remembered that he had mentioned another disciple to Qi Mingxuan before. At that time, Qi Mingxuan wanted to help him find the person. Now, the person was in the study room. Had he found the person?

Maintaining the same half-bowed posture, He Yuan looked at the young man not far away in a daze.

The young man was dressed in a crimson court robe, his graceful figure like jade. Compared to when they first met, he looked much better. The illness was gone, and he appeared even more handsome and spirited.

“Teacher?” Qi Mingxuan asked in confusion.

Returning to his senses, He Yuan stood up straight and asked, “Who is this?”

“This is Li Shu. It’s good that you’re here, Teacher,” Qi Mingxuan turned and introduced the two, “Zi Shu, this is the teacher I often mentioned to you, Master He Yuan from Zhu Mountain.”

“Hello, Master He.” With both hands raised to his forehead, Li Shu bowed respectfully.

Li Shu always showed the utmost respect to knowledgeable and virtuous individuals like Master He.

“Good…” Looking at the young man who had shed his childishness and become mature and steady, He Yuan’s eyes moistened slightly. He eased his breath before saying, “After I left years ago, have you been doing well?”

He knew that the identity of his junior disciple was extraordinary, and he guessed that the young man might have had a difficult time at home. He just hadn’t expected the young man’s background to be so remarkable.

He had heard of the name Li Shu, especially in the past six months when Li Shu’s reputation had grown significantly. Even without actively seeking information, He Yuan could piece together a rough idea of the truth from the bits and pieces he heard from others.

The only legitimate son of Left Prime Minister Li Cheng, the top scholar designated by the late emperor, and the official the late emperor favored the most. Having served as an official for only half a year, he had already handled numerous cases, big and small.

Moreover, he had handled these cases exceptionally well, leaving no room for criticism. He Yuan had once sighed to Qi Mingxuan, saying that this was a man of extraordinary means. If they were ever to stand on opposite sides, Li Shu would undoubtedly be a formidable opponent.

Later, when Li Shu had a falling out with the Left Prime Minister’s Residence, his past experiences in the Li family spread throughout the streets. Upon hearing about it, he also lamented. Even tigers do not eat their own cubs. How hard-hearted must Li Cheng be to treat a child like that?

Knowing the true identity of his junior disciple, and recalling the days when the two were master and disciple three years ago, He Yuan looked at Li Shu with more heartache and admiration in his eyes.

He felt heartache for his disciple’s experiences over the years and admiration for his achievements. Born into such a family, he could still continue his studies, achieve the top spot, and not be bound by the past. It was evident that he was a person of strong character.

He Yuan was filled with joy at finding his junior disciple, so much so that he ignored the other disciple standing beside him.

“Teacher, everything is fine,” Li Shu replied.

‘What’s going on?’ Qi Mingxuan was puzzled by the attitude of the old man and Li Shu. Wasn’t it the first time that Zi Shu and the teacher were meeting? Why was the Teacher asking such questions?

“Teacher, do you know Zi Shu?”

He Yuan was even more surprised than him. “Didn’t you bring him here specifically to see me?”

No, Qi Mingxuan was baffled by the Teacher’s attitude. He had wanted to take the opportunity to introduce the two to each other, but not at this moment.

“I just asked Zi Shu to come here for a discussion. Teacher, you happened to come at this time.”

“Well, this turned out unexpectedly well.” It seemed that his two disciples still didn’t know each other’s identities. No, it should be that Qi Mingxuan was unaware. His junior disciple didn’t seem clueless.

“Teacher means…” Qi Mingxuan had a bad feeling about this.

“This is the disciple I mentioned to you before, the one I took in three years ago while in seclusion on Yunshan Mountain. He used an alias at the time, calling himself Jingran. I didn’t expect him to be the renowned Master Li.”

As expected, his bad feeling had come true. Li Shu had indeed become the Teacher’s junior disciple, his little junior brother.

“However, back then, Jingran didn’t complete the formal ceremony to become my disciple. He can only be considered a registered disciple, he’s different from you who went through the proper disciple ceremony.”

At the time, both of them had used false identities, and both had other concerns. Moreover, the conditions on the mountain didn’t allow for the formal process of becoming a disciple, so they had only gone through a simplified procedure.

Li Shu had the memories of the original owner and knew that when the original owner left, he had bowed respectfully three times behind the tightly closed door before resolutely leaving with his belongings. He didn’t look back, so naturally, he didn’t see that shortly after he left, the door that had remained closed to him for so long was pushed open from inside, and the old man stood in the doorway, watching him leave until his figure disappeared.

The original owner had always remembered this mentor and the poor yet happy days in the mountains. It was one of his few fond memories, which he had carefully hidden deep in his heart and never mentioned to anyone.

Both of them were in the capital, but they always managed to miss each other perfectly. It truly seemed like they had no fate.

He Yuan sighed, “I originally wanted to wait until these matters were settled before looking for you.”

As for whether to silently observe after finding the person or to step forward and acknowledge them, it depended on the specific situation.

He Yuan had considered various situations that might arise when the two met again, but he had never expected it to happen so suddenly and unexpectedly. It could be said that their reunion was entirely accidental, a pleasantly surprising accident.

For He Yuan, it was more joy than surprise, but for Qi Mingxuan, it was more surprise than joy.

He had intended to help his teacher find this little junior brother. At the time, he had thought that if this little junior brother had good character and knowledge, he would transfer him to the capital to fulfill his teacher’s wish.

After dealing with the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince, he had sent people to Yunshan Mountain to search for the person’s whereabouts. However, three years had passed, and many traces had been erased by time. The people he had sent still hadn’t found much.

Knowing that his junior brother might have changed his name and identity, he had ordered people to search around Yunshan Mountain, focusing on those who had visited the mountain about three years ago, around the age of sixteen or seventeen, with poor health, and accompanied by an old doctor.

It had only been a few days since the order was issued, and the person had not been found over there, but the two people had already met directly here due to a strange combination of circumstances.

“Teacher means, Zi Shu is the disciple you took in at Yunshan Mountain?” Qi Mingxuan confirmed again.

“Although I’m getting old, my eyesight hasn’t deteriorated to the point where I can’t recognize people!” He Yuan’s tone rose slightly, apparently dissatisfied with Qi Mingxuan’s question. But when he looked at Li Shu, his tone softened, and he said somewhat nostalgically, “Indeed, Jingran, no, Zi Shu, has changed a lot in these three years.”

Back then, he had been a somewhat melancholic boy, but now he had grown into a handsome and refined young man. The gloominess between his brows had disappeared, highlighting his handsome features even more.

“This old man once said that Zi Shu’s future is promising. Zi Shu, you haven’t disappointed your teacher.” He Yuan looked at the little junior disciple he hadn’t seen for many days, his eyes filled with relief.

“Thanks to the teachings of the teacher back then.” Li Shu bowed again. This bow was to repay the debt of the original owner. Without the old man before him, how could the original owner have passed the provincial examination by self-study alone? The old man’s temper might not be very good, but his knowledge was genuine.

This was the famous Zhu Mountain Scholar, Master He Yuan, who didn’t accept disciples even for a fortune. The original owner was extremely lucky to be accepted by him.

“It’s your own effort. I’ve heard about your affairs. You’ve handled them well, so there’s no need to belittle yourself.”

“Teacher found his little junior disciple, but neglected this senior disciple?” Qi Mingxuan deliberately spoke with grievance.

Indeed, He Yuan had come to the Imperial Study for official business, and this matter was not trivial, otherwise he would not have made such a trip in person However, from the moment he entered until now, He Yuan’s entire attention had been focused on Li Shu, with no intention of discussing official business.

“Look at you, you’re an adult but you’re getting jealous over such a small matter. Let me tell you, Zi Shu is much more mature than you.” Who knew how much hardship this little disciple had gone through to get to where he was today.

“Yes, yes,” Qi Mingxuan pleaded for mercy. “Zi Shu is indeed superior to me. Teacher, what brings you here this time?”

“I didn’t disturb your discussion of official matters, did I?” At this time, Qi Mingxuan had kept Li Shu in the Imperial Study, so there must be something to discuss.

“No, we were just discussing disaster relief with Zi Shu, and Teacher happened to come. Please, have a seat, Teacher.”

Li Shu glanced at Qi Mingxuan in surprise, not expecting him to lie so seriously. Qi Mingxuan remained composed and continued to explain the situation of the disaster-stricken areas to He Yuan.

With the chaos in the capital, there was naturally no time to worry about the situation outside. The Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince were busy fighting for power, and they didn’t care about the lives of others. Although the late emperor had sent people to provide disaster relief, he was seriously ill and bedridden. He couldn’t attend to the affairs of the capital, let alone those of the disaster-stricken areas.

“Indeed, this matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible. Do you have someone in mind?” He Yuan stroked his beard. He had come to see Qi Mingxuan for this matter because the people were the foundation of a country and couldn’t be neglected.

“I do have someone in mind, but I don’t know if he can handle this responsibility.”

Disaster relief seemed simple, but it involved too many interests. Local officials, county gentry, and wealthy merchants… To implement disaster relief thoroughly, all those who had stretched their hands where they shouldn’t have had to be solved.

Once this job is completed, it would be a ladder to the sky. It was easy to reach the sky in one step. Similarly, it carried great risks. A slight failure would result in total ruin.

So, this was an extremely dangerous task. The person to take it on had to have excellent character and abilities, be ruthless in their methods, and be even harsher on themselves.

“Is the person you have in mind Zi Shu?” He Yuan asked.

He didn’t ask on a whim but based on the current situation. After morning court, Qi Mingxuan had summoned Li Shu alone, presumably to assign him a task. Plus, Qi Mingxuan himself had said that he was discussing the situation in the disaster-stricken areas with Li Shu, indicating that this was the case.

Qi Mingxuan didn’t expect his casually fabricated excuse to make the Teacher think so. He turned and saw Li Shu looking at him with a smile in his eyes, clearly amused.

It was truly hard to explain now.

He Yuan felt proud that his little disciple had been noticed like this, but he also couldn’t help but feel concerned about sending him to complete such a task. From the moment he entered officialdom, he had been doing thankless tasks. Although he advanced quickly, he made many enemies. In the long run, it would certainly be very detrimental to him.

After all, he was his disciple. While others might not care about him, he had to. Thinking of this, he cast a slightly reproachful glance at the new monarch.

“Teacher, what are you thinking?” Qi Mingxuan was glared at for no reason and he had no choice but to explain helplessly, “Someone else will be taking on this task, not Zi Shu.”

If Zi Shu was really sent out, he would be the first one unable to bear it, not the Teacher.

In the past, he had no choice but to watch Zi Shu put himself in dangerous situations, but now he wouldn’t let the young man do such risky things anymore. With him around, the young man didn’t need to resort to such methods to climb up.

“If it’s not Zi Shu, then who else could it be? This matter is of great importance, you can’t be foolish at a time like this,” He Yuan said sternly.

Although he didn’t want his newly recognized little junior disciple to be in danger, He Yuan also didn’t want to see countless people suffering. With the court in chaos, there were few officials he could use. Apart from Zi Shu, He Yuan couldn’t think of another suitable candidate. This was one of the reasons why he thought Qi Mingxuan would send Zi Shu out.

“Speaking of which, Teacher should have heard of this person’s name. His surname is Yu, and his other name is Rongxiu. He was the second place in the same examination as Zi Shu and is now serving in the Hanlin Academy.”

It turned out that he wanted to send Yu Rongxiu to do this. Li Shu lowered his eyes, hiding the smile in his eyes. By calling him here, Qi Mingxuan must have been afraid that this matter would upset him.

The Imperial decree was delivered to the Hanlin Academy that afternoon. Like Li Shu back then, Yu Rongxiu was promoted two ranks at once. Amidst the envy and jealousy of his colleagues, he packed his bags and left the place where he had worked for most of the year.

After stepping out, he turned around and saw a young man in a light blue robe standing with his back to him under the corridor.

Hearing footsteps, Li Shu turned around.

The orange-red sunset was imprinted on the young man’s exquisite and flawless face, giving it a kind of elusive beauty.

“Master Yu, congratulations.”

“Zi Shu, it’s been a long time!” Yu Rongxiu stepped forward with a smile and hooked his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s celebrate together. I got promoted today. Let’s go for a drink.”

Li Shu smiled, “I’m afraid it’s not enough to just invite me. I also brought a friend here today.”

“It’s okay, a few more people are fine.” Yu Rongxiu patted his chest indifferently, but he was a little doubtful in his heart. His friend had always been a lone wolf, so how could he suddenly have a friend?

But thinking back to the “fate” between him and Li Shu, he wasn’t with his friend day and night, so it was normal for his friend to have other friends.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bring too many people and drink you bankrupt. Just one person, I hope you can handle the hospitality.” Li Shu’s words were meaningful. He casually glanced at a certain corner, and his smile deepened.

“You’re making me even more curious now. Is your friend’s drinking capacity better than yours?” Yu Rongxiu leaned closer and suddenly felt a piercing gaze on his back, as if it could pierce through him.

‘Who was it?’ Yu Rongxiu turned around in confusion, but there was no one behind him, and the piercing gaze disappeared.

Could it be that he felt it wrong? With this distraction, Yu Rongxiu no longer stuck close to Li Shu, just standing side by side with him.

“Come on, tell me, is your friend’s drinking capacity better than yours?” He remembered that he had thought Li Shu, who was so cold and aloof like an exiled immortal, wouldn’t drink. Who would have thought that his drinking capacity was so good? No matter how many cups of wine he drank, his face remained unchanged.

“It’s not fun if I tell you now. It will definitely be a surprise when the time comes.”

“Alright, since you said so, I won’t ask anymore. Surprises are only surprises when they’re unknown.”

The two teased each other for a while, and Yu Rongxiu bid farewell and left. He needed to hand over his work at the Hanlin Academy to his superiors.

“See you tomorrow, bring your friend with you. We won’t return until we’re drunk.” Yu Rongxiu walked away, then suddenly turned around and shouted loudly, “We won’t return until we’re drunk, don’t forget!”

‘Not return until they’re drunk?’ Qi Mingxuan who was hiding around the corner felt sour all over. He was glad he had followed along. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known that Zi Shu had made a pact with someone else not to return until drunk, nor would he have known that this Yu Rongxiu was so touchy-feely. If he hadn’t been watching nearby and given him a glare, wouldn’t Yu Rongxiu have hugged him?

It seems that transferring Yu Rongxiu out of the capital was indeed a correct decision.

It would probably take several years to deal with the affairs of the disaster-stricken areas. Where should he send him after that?

Qi Mingxuan was lost in thought when suddenly, a shadow descended in front of him and he came back to reality. Looking over, he met the young man’s smiling eyes.

“Your Majesty, what are you doing here?” Li Shu asked knowingly.

Why was he here? Of course, it was for Li Shu. Since knowing that Li Shu had left early to meet Yu Rongxiu, Qi Mingxuan couldn’t bear to sit still and followed quietly.

Now he was caught in the act.

“I just heard that Zi Shu was planning not to return until he is drunk, drinking harms the body, and you…” Qi Mingxuan abruptly stopped and looked away in a panic. He wanted to slap himself. Wasn’t this incriminating himself?

He thought the young man would be angry and leave in a fit of anger, but after waiting for a long time, he didn’t see any reaction from the young man.

Turning his stiff neck back to meet the young man’s gaze, he found that the young man wasn’t angry because of his words, and still had the same smiling face.

“Well then, may I have the honor of inviting Your Majesty to drink together tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Joy surged through him, and Qi Mingxuan answered without even thinking.

The smile in Li Shu’s eyes deepened.

1314 couldn’t help but speak: [Host, the male protagonist really fell deep.]

[How did you handle the task I gave you?] Li Shu didn’t respond to 1314’s words, and asked about another matter.

[I’ve already passed on the information to the people on the female protagonist’s side as the host instructed. Host, do you really want the female protagonist to know about this now?]

The female protagonist has been through a lot recently, and who knew if she could handle it after knowing this news.

[I’m about to take action, and now is the best time.]

Any later, and the scar in her heart will never heal.

“What did you say?” Li Xinuo suddenly stood up, knocking over the teacup on the table. Water poured from the table and soaked the floor in no time.

But now no one cared about whether the cup was knocked over or not.

“Miss, please be clear. Even if this old servant had ten times more courage, he wouldn’t dare to joke with you about such news!”

Yes, but Li Xinuo now only felt it was absurd. How could this be possible? She was clearly the legitimate young lady of the Left Prime Minister’s Mansion, favored by many. Even her elder brother, who was born of the legitimate line, was far less favored than her. If she wasn’t her parents’ biological child, how could all of this be explained?

Yet, she faintly felt that this news was true.

The deeper she looked, the more shocked Li Xinuo felt. She couldn’t imagine that within this small Left Prime Minister’s Mansion, there were so many secrets.

Peeling away the veil of shame, what was revealed was filthy and disgraceful. She finally understood why, in her past life, after Prince Qin ascended the throne, he targeted the Li family. It was because the crimes of the Li family were unforgivable. Why did her elder brother, who was born into the Li family, personally take action? It was to maintain the last vestiges of dignity for the Li family.

All sins were buried with the destruction of the Left Prime Minister’s Mansion. The world knew that the Left Prime Minister was killed as a warning to others for standing on the wrong side during the struggle for succession. But they didn’t know that it was because of a young man shouldering all the sins with his frail body, giving the Left Prime Minister a final shred of dignity.

If these truths were revealed to the world, her father, Left Prime Minister Li Cheng, would surely be condemned for eternity.

At this moment, Li Xinuo felt only confusion. The parents she thought she had were actually her family’s mortal enemies. Yet, they had raised her well, treating her better than their own biological children from childhood to adulthood, never mistreating her in the slightest.

Should she hate them? Shouldn’t she hate them?

She didn’t know.

Why had everything changed so drastically? What she thought she owed was actually owed to her, and what she thought she should resent had never wronged her. Now, what should she do?

Did her elder brother know the truth?

Emperor Qin had already ascended to the throne, much earlier than in her past life. Would the fate of the Left Prime Minister’s Mansion also come to an early end?

After dismissing all the servants, Li Xinuo paced back and forth in the room where candles were lit, her shadow stretched long by the candlelight, trailing behind her like a lurking beast.

She unfolded the calligraphy model she usually copied. Because her heart was restless, she made several mistakes in a single sentence. The paper she had practiced on was torn off mercilessly by the owner, crumpled into a ball and thrown to the ground at her feet.

She got up restlessly, thought for a moment and then sat back down. Pulling out a fresh sheet of stationery, she spread it out, and her delicate and graceful handwriting leaped onto the paper.

She wanted to invite her elder brother out to meet her. She couldn’t afford to continue avoiding it now.

As the sun set in the west, Qi Mingxuan changed into his casual clothes and left the palace with Li Shu.

Since knowing that Li Shu would take him along for the drink, Qi Mingxuan looked at Yu Rongxiu much more favorably. This morning, he even encouraged him in court.

Assigning such a task to Yu Rongxiu was partly because he trusted Li Shu’s judgment. Since Li Shu recommended him, he must be confident in the other party’s abilities. On the other hand, there really weren’t any suitable candidates under his command.

The carriage left the spacious main road and turned into a narrow alley before stopping.

“Don’t judge by the location, the wine brewed by this shop is truly extraordinary.” Seeing the flash of surprise on Qi Mingxuan’s face, Li Shu explained.

Qi Mingxuan lowered his eyes in embarrassment, “I didn’t expect you to arrange to meet here.”

Li Shu took Qi Mingxuan and lifted the door curtain. The door was narrow and only allowed one person to pass through at a time, so Li Shu entered first.

“Zi Shu really made me wait. Huh, where’s the friend you brought?” Seeing only Li Shu entering, Yu Rongxiu looked behind him, but unfortunately was blocked by Li Shu and didn’t see anyone.

“It can’t be just you coming, right? It’s meaningless for just the two of us to drink. Today, I specially asked the shopkeeper to bring out the best wine that has been stored for many years…”

Li Shu interrupted him with a smile, “Why are you in such a hurry? Do you think I would deceive you? The person is behind me, you’ll see them immediately.”

“That person…um…”

Seeing the familiar figure emerge from behind Li Shu, Yu Rongxiu almost choked himself.

The Emperor!!!

Was he seeing things correctly?