Because the people Song Yan wanted were all cultivated by the Cui family over many years, they couldn’t be transferred in a moment. Cui Yingshu specially instructed Princess Duanhui to prepare in advance and gather everyone together—Song Yan would need to work with these people first, to get accustomed to each other. Even Song Chuyi had taken considerable time to win over Ma Changjiang, Ma Yongfu, and the others, let alone Song Yan. Although Song Yan’s performance in Jinling this time was indeed stunning, in Cui Yingshu’s eyes he was still just a child.

Princess Duanhui’s hands arranging his clothes couldn’t help but pause. She thought she had misheard. After a long while, she repeated the question: “So many people? Yan’er is still young…” Song Chuyi was so capable because she was extraordinary, but Song Yan—he was just an ordinary, somewhat clever child. Starting to cultivate his own forces so early, wasn’t it a bit too eager for quick success, and also too soon? She hesitated for a while, feeling that her husband was indulging these two nephews excessively. She couldn’t help but remind him: “I know you favor them somewhat, but you can’t accommodate them in everything. Xiao Yi is already different from ordinary people, so being special is acceptable. But Yan’er doesn’t have Xiao Yi’s capabilities… Don’t force growth prematurely.”

“It’s precisely because he’s not as special as Xiao Yi that he needs to learn everything even more.” Cui Yingshu deeply felt Song Yan’s considerations were reasonable. He turned to look at his wife and patiently explained: “You say Yan’er is still young, but Elder Chen fell at his hands. Song Jue has been deliberately taking him around since the Han Zhi affair. He’s no longer the unlearned youth he once was—he has his own insights on everything now. As his uncle, naturally I’ll help whenever I can.”

He knew his wife was worried. After thinking, he told her: “It was Master Qingfeng who taught him to do this.”

Princess Duanhui was somewhat surprised. She naturally knew Master Qingfeng was Cui Yingshu’s teacher, though Master Qingfeng never acknowledged it—he always said that neither Cui Yingshu nor Cui Shaoting were his students. After being stunned for quite a while, she came to her senses and asked Cui Yingshu: “Master Qingfeng has truly decided to take Yan’er as a disciple? Not like you…” Princess Duanhui wanted to say, not like you and Shaoting, where he only casually taught a few things and then left without anyone able to stop him? But she thought, if Master Qingfeng truly accepted Song Yan, then asking this question would somewhat embarrass her husband.

Cui Yingshu seemed to know what Princess Duanhui was thinking. He admitted with a smile, straightforwardly: “Yes, in the future Yan’er will care for Master Qingfeng in his old age and see him to his end. After drifting for so many years, the Master has finally chosen someone who suits his eye. This is very rare.” Seeing Princess Duanhui’s mouth open, he added: “The Master’s concerns are right. After all, Yan’er is Xiao Yi’s only brother. Even Shaoting and I have people constantly plotting against us—what more for him? If he doesn’t become strong, he’ll only be a burden to Xiao Yi. And Master Qingfeng won’t allow himself to follow someone who isn’t strong enough.”

To have Master Qingfeng personally teaching by his side, this was truly… Even Princess Duanhui couldn’t help but click her tongue: “Xiao Yi has managed to secure both Great Scholar Tang and Master Qingfeng for Yan’er…”

Cui Yingshu finished arranging his clothes and strode toward the front courtyard study to receive guests. In the Jiujiang case this time, he bore no responsibility. After completing the handover at the Ministry of Personnel, he would continue working at the Ministry of Works in a few days. During this period, he had quite a few visitors—some from the Imperial Guard returning his belongings, some officials from Jiujiang coming to plead cases. Today’s visitor was Right Vice Minister Ji Huai from the Ministry of Works, who, like Cui Yingshu, was a student of Chief Minister Chang.

After Cui Yingshu sat down with him as host and guest, he heard Ji Huai say: “Yang Yunyong has completely fallen. Landing in the Imperial Guard’s hands, Lai Chenglong stripped several layers of skin off him. He confessed everything. All these years, do you know how much silver he embezzled?”

Cui Yingshu had calculated this account with Song Chuyi. Zheng Sansi had once compiled a complete table of all the silver allocated by the Ministry of Revenue over the years to Jiujiang for flood control, disaster relief, pacifying the people, and building embankments. He and Song Chuyi had reviewed it—in total, just this one place of Jiujiang alone required four to five hundred thousand taels of silver annually. And of this silver, what actually reached its intended purpose was merely a drop in the ocean. One could see just how severely this group of Jiangxi officials had been embezzling.

He nodded, then heard Ji Huai let out a cold laugh, tinged with mockery: “All that isn’t the most important thing. The most important thing is, I heard from our teacher that Yang Yunyong also confessed some unknown matters…”

Hearing these words, Cui Yingshu felt something was off. His right eyelid couldn’t help but twitch. Ji Huai’s next words had already left his mouth: “Just in gifts to the Crown Prince alone, he sent about one hundred thousand taels of silver every year…”

One hundred thousand taels! Every year! Cui Yingshu’s right eyelid twitched even more violently. When he was in Jiujiang before, he knew Yang Yunyong had some connections with the Eastern Palace. It was precisely because of this that he had always been cautious, not daring to tear away the fig leaf of those corrupt officials in Jiujiang. But he hadn’t expected this connection to be even deeper and more troublesome than he’d imagined. He slowly sighed, finding it quite unbelievable. Just how short of money was the Eastern Palace? First making moves on Yangzhou, wanting to grasp the southern salt and sea transport in their hands, while also receiving silver from Xibei—even so, he still dared to accept silver from high local officials, serving as a protective banner for these local officials…

His heart gave a thud, and he felt it sink straight down. After a moment, he opened his mouth to ask: “Does His Majesty know about this matter?”

Since even the Cabinet had caught wind of it, His Majesty’s side couldn’t possibly receive no word at all—even if Chief Minister Chang was willing to conceal it from above while not from below, they couldn’t withstand Elder Du being there.

Sure enough, Ji Huai nodded affirmatively: “The Jiujiang case was considered closed some time ago, but Yang Yunyong himself had too many problems. His Majesty detested him extremely and strictly ordered the Imperial Guard to interrogate him layer by layer, which is why it’s dragged on until now without disposition. I only heard this news yesterday myself. Since even I know, Elder Du has no reason not to know…”

If Elder Du knew, there was no reason he wouldn’t facilitate His Majesty knowing.

Cui Yingshu couldn’t quite tell whether he felt more disappointment or more frustration at failing to meet expectations. The Crown Prince clearly already possessed enough, yet his appetite seemed endless, his desires infinite. No matter how much he possessed, it never seemed enough—his reach extended longer and longer… This truly wasn’t a good thing.

His brow twitched again. He exchanged a glance with Ji Huai, and they smiled bitterly with mutual understanding.