dognovel Chapter 456 Xie Qizheng Enters Beijing
Chapter 456 Xie Qizheng Enters Beijing
On the first day of the first month of the first year of the Qianhe era, the new emperor held a banquet at the Deer Cry Terrace to entertain officials and prominent families.
The banquet was attended not only by court officials but also by the heads of prominent families from various prefectures of the Great Zhao Dynasty.
Early in the morning, Yu Wan waited with Yun Shang at the city gate.
Xie Qizheng will also be attending the banquet at Lumingtai tonight.
Since parting ways in Huizhou, Yunshang has not seen his teachers and classmates at Bailu Academy for two whole years.
Two years ago, Yun Shang was a penniless scholar when he first arrived in Shengjing. Two years later, Yun Shang is now the second-highest-ranking official after Xie Shifu, and he also serves as the commander of the palace guards, with the power to mobilize all troops inside and outside the imperial city.
In truth, Yunshang's current power is no less than Xie Shifu's.
The new emperor's heavy reliance on Yun Shang had drawn criticism from many officials, but whenever a memorial criticizing or impeaching Yun Shang was seen, the emperor would throw it into the fire. Over time, no one dared to openly oppose Yun Shang.
The only consolation for the court officials was that although Yun Shang held great power, he never abused his power for personal gain and had never done anything out of line.
As the sun rose higher, clouds of dust rose from the distant official road, and carriages slowly made their way toward the city gate.
Yun Shang held the horse's reins in one hand and Yu Wan's hand in the other, his posture upright and his eyes cool and aloof as he looked at the carriage.
Yu Wan leaned closer and whispered, "You've been receiving letters from Dean Xie scolding you for half a month, and you still dare to wait for him at the city gate?"
Ever since Xie Qizheng left Huizhou, Yun Shang has received letters from him for half a month.
The letter conveyed only one message over and over again.
Yun Shang is currently too powerful. Even if he and the new emperor were brothers when they were still princes, and their relationship was very good, he should not take on such a heavy power.
The new emperor is ambitious, has aspirations, and cares about the world, but he is also physically weak. Such a person is most likely to become suspicious when he sits on a high position.
Yun Shang turned to look at Yu Wan, her eyes gentle, and replied softly, "That's precisely why I had to come."
“Master Xie has been so angry with me that he has written letters to scold me for half a month. If I don’t come to greet him today, I will be accused of disrespecting my teacher.”
He gently squeezed Yu Wan's hand, tilted his head, and his lips brushed against Yu Wan's ear. "Don't worry, Teacher Xie will only scold me, not you."
Yu Wan: "..."
In front of everyone, this vixen started again.
Yu Wan smiled and reached out a hand to push Yun Shang aside a little. She raised her chin as she looked at the carriage that was so close by. "Master Xie is watching."
Yun Shang paused.
He turned his head and met a pair of eyes that had become calm and still with the passage of time, like a bottomless pool of water, unfathomable yet capable of revealing everything without making a sound.
Yu Wan looked up and inadvertently met Xie Qizheng's gaze, and for a moment felt as if he had seen right through her.
There's a feeling of having nowhere to hide.
She quickly looked away, inwardly sighing.
No wonder they are Yun Shang's teachers, one a vixen and the other an old fox.
From a distance, Yun Shang calmly called out, "Teacher."
Xie Qizheng did not respond, but only looked at him and Yu Wan for a few moments before lowering the carriage curtain and being helped down from the carriage.
Xie Qizheng's appearance was pretty much what Yu Wan had imagined.
He was slender and quite tall. Although he was over seventy years old, his back was not bent by the years. Whether sitting or standing, he was as straight as a pine tree.
Today, Xie Qizheng was wearing a dark blue cross-collar robe, his full head of silver hair neatly tied under a jade hairpin, and his clothes were wrinkle-free, just like his personality, meticulous and conscientious.
As they got closer, Yu Wan could feel Xie Qizheng's imposing and oppressive aura.
She suddenly felt a little panicked.
For some reason, she felt like she was the student with the worst grades in the school who was suddenly kept behind by the most authoritative old professor, so nervous that she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
Yun Shang seemed to sense Yu Wan's nervousness and subtly stepped half a step in front of her, shielding her from some of the oppressive feeling brought by Xie Qizheng.
"Was your journey smooth, teacher?" Yun Shang asked respectfully.
Xie Qizheng remained expressionless, his slightly drooping eyes adding to his seriousness. "You still remember that I'm your teacher?"
Yun Shang slightly raised his eyes, meeting Xie Qizheng's expressionless face. He smiled slightly and said calmly, "Teacher, what are you saying? A teacher for a day is a father for life. I will always remember your teachings."
Upon hearing this, Xie Qizheng's expression darkened further, feeling that even glancing at Yun Shang was an eyesore.
He ignored Yun Shang and turned his gaze to Yu Wan. His expression suddenly became gentle and kind, as if he had become a different person.
"You're Yu Wan?"
Yu Wan felt a sudden sense of nervousness, as if she had been called on by the teacher. She almost raised her hand, but she quickly suppressed it and forced a stiff smile. "Yes, junior greets Elder Xie."
When Xie Qizheng was with him, he seemed to have suddenly become a different person, transforming from a stern and unsmiling teacher into a kind and loving elder.
His eyes were full of tolerance. "There's no need to be so reserved."
He said, "The environment of Shengjing is very fertile. You look completely different from before, after two years apart."
Upon hearing this, Yu Wan suddenly remembered that Xie Qizheng had met the original owner of this body before.
As mentioned in the original novel, Yun Shang was valued by Xie Qizheng because of his outstanding talent, and Xie Qizheng personally visited the Yun family in Shijia Village.
At that time, Yun Shang was reading in the study, while the original owner stood beside him grinding ink. When he saw Xie Qizheng, the original owner seemed to obediently lower his head, but his eyes never stopped moving.
Xie Qizheng didn't have a good impression of the original owner.
In his view, Yun Shang was exceptionally talented and far from ordinary, while the original owner of this body was a slave with impure thoughts, using his cleverness for opportunism.
Later, when Xie Qizheng learned that Yun Shang had married Yu Wan in accordance with Shen's wishes, he personally intervened to persuade Shen to change her mind.
But who could have imagined that in just two years, Yu Wan not only got rid of her slave status, but also transformed into the eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo's mansion.
Such a huge change even made Xie Qizheng sigh.
When Xie Qizheng learned that Yu Wan was actually a noblewoman from a high-ranking family, he was worried that Yu Wan would become a threat to Yun Shang because of her changed status, so he secretly had the Xie family members keep an eye on her.
But in the past two years, Yu Wan has undergone a complete transformation. She has not become spoiled because of her change in status. On the contrary, she has become more polite, sensible and lovable.
Unlike other noble ladies, she was not ashamed to show her face in public and boldly went out to do business, demonstrating her extraordinary intelligence.
The Xie family learned that Yu Wan had opened many shops in Shengjing City in the past two years and made a fortune, but she was not extravagant at all. She also donated money and goods to various charitable organizations in the capital many times to help the poor and needy.
In Xie Qizheng's heart now, no one else is worthy of his prized student, Yun Shang.
However, Xie Qizheng never said these words aloud; he simply kept that recognition in his heart.