Actually, before Cui Yingshu left for Hubei, he had already come to see her once. That was when Cui Yingshu had just heard that the Prince of Dongping would be going with him to Hubei for disaster relief. Cui Yingshu’s first words were: “Wolves are circling all around.”
By now, Song Chuyi could no longer accurately gauge Emperor Jianzhang’s thoughts. The mind of someone who had endured setbacks before ascending to high position was easier to guess—toward their own children, they always harbored an indulgent attitude of compensating for their past self. But the thoughts of an emperor whose sons treated him as if he were nothing, who began fighting for power while their father was still in high position and alive and well, were much harder to fathom.
Although he clearly regarded Zhou Weizhao as his only heir, and had even said that after Zhou Weizhao’s wedding he would bring him to make offerings to Heaven and announce to the ancestral temple, formally conferring upon him the golden册 and imperial seal of Crown Grandson, yet at the same time he had begun elevating Dongping.
She didn’t know what this meant, but suspicion had certainly arisen—otherwise he wouldn’t have repeatedly admonished Song Chengru and the others in turn.
At this critical juncture, even Song Chuyi didn’t dare act rashly. As she had always maintained, her past invincibility had largely been due to borrowing light from her foreknowledge of the previous life. Once these advantages were exhausted, she could only be ten thousand times more careful and cautious than ordinary people to preserve what she now possessed.
Therefore, looking at her uncle, she gently pressed her lips together: “Uncle, don’t worry too much. The Prince of Dongping is still the Crown Prince’s son.” Because he was the Crown Prince’s son, now that he no longer had the Crown Prince’s help, he couldn’t do many things so openly and brazenly, and in many matters his interests aligned with Zhou Weizhao’s.
For instance, in this trip to Hubei, Cui Yingshu’s primary task was to deal with Jiang Tianping and the Wei father and son. The Prince of Dongping would only turn a blind eye, and might even make the first move before Cui Yingshu.
As for the disaster relief work, after all these years navigating the official circles, Cui Yingshu wouldn’t be held hostage by a mere prince. After a moment of silence, Song Chuyi looked at Cui Yingshu and added: “Let’s wait until after this period passes.”
Cui Yingshu didn’t say anything more at the time, but he eventually had Princess Duanhui bring over a letter. The general meaning was that if Qingfeng Xiansheng and Song Yan were to go to Hubei together this time, they could make something of it.
It was from that moment on that Song Chuyi’s decision to agree to Song Yan going to Hubei began to waver.
Song Chuyi naturally understood all the reasoning that Qingfeng Xiansheng and the others had explained. She had never planned to keep Song Yan tied to her side for life—otherwise she wouldn’t have painstakingly selected renowned teachers for him, nor would she have felt at ease letting him go to Jinling alone to find Qingfeng Xiansheng.
But again, circumstances were different now. Previously, the Song family had few concerns, and at that time the Chen family was already a turtle in a jar. As long as they were implicated in anything, Emperor Jianzhang, who had long grown weary of them, would naturally dispose of them without even bothering to ask questions.
But now Emperor Jianzhang had made it clear that he was elevating the Prince of Dongping. If they really made an issue out of the Prince of Dongping, would Emperor Jianzhang still be as easy to deal with as before? Who could say for certain?
Now Song Yan was so eager to go to Hubei, and Qingfeng Xiansheng had come to act as persuader several times, even convincing Zhou Weizhao. After a moment of silence, Song Chuyi asked him: “Are you going to Hubei truly only for traveling and gaining experience?”
Song Yan fell silent, looking at Song Chuyi for a long while before lowering his head.
Song Jue, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke: “This matter doesn’t require A’Yan’s involvement.”
Song Yan was already so anxious he cried out “Elder Brother!” and hurriedly interrupted him: “With Uncle there, and Teacher by my side, I won’t cause any trouble!”
“It’s not that we’re afraid you’ll cause trouble.” Zhou Weizhao considered for a moment and shook his head at him. “It’s just… now isn’t the time. At least, you’re not needed.”
Song Yan did indeed want to go with his uncle and find a way to deal with the Prince of Dongping first. Now hearing Zhou Weizhao and Song Jue speak this way, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow—he was going to Sichuan to study, which would take at least three years. After three years, he would return to take the provincial examination. Who knew what would happen in those three years? He truly wanted to do more for his sister while he could still help.
Zhou Weizhao had already stood up: “You can go to Hubei to travel and observe, to see the state of the world and do what you can within your abilities—that’s a good thing, and it will accumulate merit for your future. But as for other matters, A’Yan, forget it.”
Song Jue shared the same opinion. He raised his hand and patted his fourth brother’s shoulder: “It’s not that we look down on you, nor are we afraid you’ll cause trouble. It’s as His Highness said—it’s just not the right time yet. You can only go after the sixth day of the tenth month. After you arrive there, how long can you stay? At most you’ll remain in Hubei through the New Year, lingering for a month or two, and then you’ll need to head to Sichuan. At that time, His Highness and Xiaoyi will have just married, and if Dongping immediately encounters trouble, it will seem too deliberate. Grandfather and Uncle have both been admonished—even without Qingfeng Xiansheng explaining, you know why, don’t you? A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Whether His Majesty is deliberately elevating the Prince of Dongping to clear the path for the Crown Grandson, or whether he truly suspects His Highness, we cannot go against His Majesty’s decisions.”
After a long silence, Song Chuyi finally spoke as well: “A’Yan, I’ve never thought you were young, nor do I think you would cause trouble. Even that matter with Han Zhi wasn’t your fault to begin with. Qingfeng Xiansheng said something very right—what you lack is merely the experience and knowledge that years bring. If you want to go to Hubei to travel, taking Doctor Yan and Qingfeng Xiansheng, plus the people Uncle provides for you, I won’t stop you. But as for other matters, it’s not yet time for you to involve yourself.”
The Song family had always maintained clear hierarchical order by seniority. Song Jue had already made the decision for Song Yan: “I’ll personally go speak with Qingfeng Xiansheng and Uncle. If you truly want to help, you’d be better off studying earnestly with Grand Tutor Tang and gaining more knowledge from Qingfeng Xiansheng. Are you afraid there won’t be opportunities to fulfill your ambitions in the future?”
With Song Jue speaking thus, Song Yan could only bow his head in acknowledgment.
Since the decision was made and Song Yan had no objections, Song Jue indeed personally went to find Qingfeng Xiansheng: “It’s not that we think your ideas are wrong, it’s just that now truly isn’t the right time. If you want A’Yan to practice his skills, there are actually plenty of opportunities.”
Qingfeng Xiansheng was an extremely perceptive person. With this explanation, he immediately understood that Cui Yingshu’s idea of striking preemptively had been rejected by these people. He smiled and let it go: “Young Master is right. If I want A’Yan to practice his skills, I have many methods.”
Since he couldn’t stir up winds and clouds to let Song Yan learn the art of making waves, he could take another path and let Song Yan witness the warmth and coldness of human nature, observe the official circles of Hubei, and learn how to govern a county or prefecture—that was equally valuable experience.
He had never liked dull-headed, foolish young men, but he also didn’t want to raise a gloomy, obsessive madman like the heir of Marquis Jinxiang. Song Yan was still young now. Having him first learn to pity the poor and cherish the weak wasn’t a bad thing at all. Taking him on a tour through Hubei—although he couldn’t accomplish anything earth-shattering, at least he could earn a good reputation, couldn’t he?