“Minister Qin intends to… resign and return to his hometown?”

Qin Shiyu sighed. “To put His Majesty’s mind at ease, this is the only path I can take. There is no other choice. Minister Qi, as Director of the Office of Transmission, I must trouble you with this memorial.”

“Why not reconsider?”

“My mind is made up. Minister Qi, please don’t try to persuade me further.”

“Since that’s the case, very well. I’ll submit this memorial tomorrow.” Minister Qi felt somewhat reluctant and tugged at his sleeve. “Then when does Minister Qin plan to leave?”

Qin Shiyu clasped his hands behind his back and walked to the hall entrance, gazing at the lantern hanging in the corner outside. After lingering for a few seconds, his gaze shifted to the pitch-black night sky. After contemplating for a moment, he said.

“Probably within the next few days.”

“Once Minister Qin leaves, who knows when we’ll meet again.”

He smiled and turned to the side. “I’m getting old anyway. Taking this opportunity to return home couldn’t be more suitable. It’s just that Minister Qi must be cautious in everything while in the capital!”

Minister Qi nodded. “Naturally I understand.” As he spoke, he had already walked to Qin Shiyu’s side and said worriedly, “However, what His Majesty is currently doing in the court will probably soon reach Prince Rong’s ears. Given Prince Rong’s temperament, he will definitely return to the capital. At that time, the court will surely be thrown into great turmoil. With Minister Qin absent, who knows how the situation will be controlled?”

Worrying!

But—

Minister Qin furrowed his brow. “Actually, I’ve already sent someone to Prince Rong’s residence to notify Lu Jiang to deliver a letter before leaving the capital, telling Prince Rong that he need not return.”

“Oh?”

“Although the emperor has brought the court under control, at least he hasn’t harmed the innocent. The new officials selected to enter the court are all virtuous people, not corrupt or treacherous officials. As long as they are used well in the future, they will naturally become pillars of the state. As the saying goes, ‘With each new emperor comes a new court.’ The late emperor has passed, the new emperor has ascended the throne—reinstating officials in the court is unavoidable. Prince Rong naturally understands this principle. If he enters the capital because of this matter, the consequences would be unthinkable.”

Minister Qi nodded, suddenly understanding. “Minister Qin’s considerations are still thorough.”

Although all of Prince Rong’s faction had been replaced, Wei Yi still retained his conscience and intended to be a wise ruler. Therefore, he did not employ treacherous officials but used moral character as the criterion for promoting officials for his own use. He was simply suspicious by nature and disliked court officials having divided loyalties—replacing them one by one was reasonable. If Jingrong chose to return to the capital to argue because the court officials who supported him were replaced, it would instead seem like protesting too much, confirming that Jingrong indeed had ambitions to secretly control the court administration and turn His Majesty into a puppet.

At that time, even if Jingrong had no such intention, Wei Yi would certainly not think so.

Therefore, what Minister Yu had said before was correct—for Jingrong to return to the capital would undoubtedly be seeking death.

Not returning to the capital was the wise choice.

Qin Shiyu said in a deep voice, “To put people’s minds at ease, avoiding and staying far away is the best strategy.”

Late at night, light rain fell.

Minister Qi did not stay long to avoid gossip. After bidding farewell, he carried the exhausted Qi Li home.

The next day, he delivered the memorial that Qin Shiyu had given him to the emperor.

Wei Yi looked through the “resignation letter” in his hands. It was densely covered with writing, listing three reasons for resigning from office.

First, Qin Shiyu felt deeply guilty about this official transfer matter and truly had no face to continue serving in this position!

Second, he was advanced in years and his health was poor—he wanted to return to his hometown to enjoy his remaining years in peace!

Third, he had no desire to manage court affairs anymore. The younger generation was surpassing their predecessors, and it was appropriate to yield to them!

The three points were stated clearly and plainly.

Just like the three points of doubt he had listed when overturning the case for Duke Yuguo years ago—well-reasoned and well-founded, so much so that the late emperor could not refute them.

Today’s three points were also reasonable and well-founded. The new emperor had no way to refute them either.

After Wei Yi finished reading, his eyes grew moist. Finally, with a bold stroke of his brush, he wrote the character “Approved” on it. At the same time, he added a sentence beside it—”Never hasten your homeward journey!”

Never hasten your homeward journey!

He closed the memorial and handed it to Minister Qi.

“On the day Minister Qin leaves the capital, you shall see him off on my behalf.”

Minister Qi: “Your subject obeys the decree.”

Wei Yi said with regret, “Over these years, Minister Qin has worked tirelessly for the court. Though I am reluctant about his return home this time, I cannot go against his wishes. I know that Minister Qin has always loved rare flowers and plants. Some days ago, I happened to obtain a Heartlink Orchid. When you leave the palace later, deliver it to him on my behalf.”

“Yes.” Minister Qi held the memorial and bowed. “Then your subject takes his leave.”

He retreated backward, about to leave—

“Wait!”

Wei Yi called out to him.

Minister Qi’s expression remained calm as he stopped in place, head lowered. But the hand inside his robe couldn’t help gripping his clothes tightly. At this moment, he rather hoped His Majesty would demote him too, so he could return to his hometown with his son to serve as a county magistrate and enjoy freedom and ease.

But instead—

Wei Yi said with a smile, “Minister Qi has been in the court for more than half a year now, hasn’t he? Under your management, the Office of Transmission runs orderly. The memorials submitted are not a confused mess, nor have you filtered out the bad and kept only the good. This shows Minister Qi’s merit! With you at my side to share my burdens, I am greatly reassured. I hope Minister Qi will continue to serve the court loyally in the future. I will not treat you poorly.”

Full of praise!

With these words, Minister Qi felt a stone pressing on his heart instead.

Why don’t you scold me or beat me!

Why don’t you dismiss me!

What is the meaning of this praise?

Minister Qi could only accept it and bow, saying, “Your subject will certainly do his utmost to ease Your Majesty’s burdens.”

“With Minister Qi’s words, I am at ease.”

Coming out of the palace, Minister Qi held in his hands a pot with a flourishing Heartlink Orchid. The flower was bright red and looked extremely similar to a rose, except the petals were not thin and soft but rather resembled succulent plants, with layers wrapped together. However, although this flower was beautiful, it had no fragrance at all. Instead, those large green leaves, when blown by the wind, emitted a faint, delicate fragrance—like the scent of milk mixed with honey that rushed into the nose, refreshing the heart and mind.

He did not personally deliver the approved memorial and the pot of Heartlink Orchid to the Qin residence but instead sent someone to deliver them.

Two days later, Qin Shiyu left the capital.

He sat inside the carriage, the bestowed pot of Heartlink Orchid placed beside him.

Taking off the official robes he had worn for decades, withdrawing from officialdom, with fame and fortune no more—from now on he would return to a simple life. But in the end, there were gains and losses; no need for lamentation.

The carriage had already reached the outskirts of the city. The weather today was excellent, with a gentle breeze blowing.

He lifted the curtain, and the light from outside streamed in, warm and pleasant.

Looking up at the azure blue sky, he drew in a breath.

A smile on his face.

Extraordinarily relaxed.

He said a phrase: “Never hasten your homeward journey; the old horse knows the way.”

Suddenly—

“Thud!”

The carriage wheel seemed to have hit a large rock. It shook violently and came to an abrupt stop.

Qin Shiyu’s body couldn’t help but jolt backward violently. His back ached with pain, then he lurched forward, nearly toppling over and falling out of the carriage.

At the same time—

The pot of Heartlink Orchid placed beside him fell over. With a “crash,” it shattered into pieces. The flower stem broke, lying on the carriage floor, mixed with soil. When illuminated by the light from outside, it appeared even more blood red. Like fresh blood, blindingly vivid…