“I don’t know. When I was very young, I think I heard my grandfather mention it, but I can’t remember clearly.”

Seeing everyone’s eyes turn toward him, Zhu Yuanzhao quickly added:

“I just heard Miss Yan mention Empress Xiaoxian, and it suddenly came to mind.”

Yan Sanhe shifted her gaze to Tang Jianxi. “Continue.”

“What Miss Yan just said is correct. My teacher had a heart full of poetry and principles for governing the nation, but didn’t understand that everything serves the state, everything bows to royal authority.”

Tang Jianxi smiled bitterly. “The second time I saw the Crown Prince was in the Eastern Palace.”

That year, the Crown Prince’s secondary consort gave birth to a male child. For the hundred-day celebration, the Crown Prince sent invitations, so his teacher brought him and Chu Yanting along.

The Crown Prince at that time was even more spirited than he’d been several years earlier.

The hundred-day banquet was packed with distinguished guests, congratulatory gifts arriving wave after wave. Princes, nobles, generals, and civil and military officials—more than half of the capital’s elite came.

Even though the three of them sat in a corner, people still came over frequently to toast and curry favor with their teacher.

In just a few months would be the spring examinations, and their teacher had been nominated by the Ministry of Rites to serve as chief examiner. So many wanted to ingratiate themselves.

He and Chu Yanting, fearing their teacher would drink too much, had to step forward to intercept the toasts on his behalf.

But their teacher still drank too much.

The Crown Prince invited him to rest in the study. He and Chu Yanting followed to attend him.

Thus, the four of them—teacher and students—gathered together once more.

Their teacher was only mildly intoxicated. After drinking a few sips of strong tea, he sobered up and, grasping the Crown Prince’s sleeve, carefully admonished him.

“A raging fire cooks with oil, flowers bloom in splendor—Rongyu, this is when you must be most careful.”

The Crown Prince had clearly also drunk quite a bit. Without avoiding us in the slightest, he grasped our teacher’s hand and sighed:

“After Mother Empress departed, he changed somewhat.”

Empress Xiaoxian had passed three years earlier.

The Emperor was devastated, suspending court for three days. Dozens of posthumous titles were proposed, and ultimately the characters “Xiaoxian” were selected.

The Crown Prince said no more, but they understood clearly what about the Emperor had changed.

In the three years since Empress Xiaoxian’s death, two major cases had occurred in the capital. Tens of thousands were executed, over a dozen noble families confiscated, including strategists and generals who had always followed the Emperor.

After a long silence, their teacher said, “His Majesty’s recent actions have been too ruthless. As his son and as Crown Prince, you should offer appropriate counsel from the sidelines.”

The Crown Prince lowered his eyes and smiled bitterly. “Each time I counsel, I kneel. These knees have knelt so much they’ve developed chronic pain.”

Those people had all watched the Crown Prince grow up. When incidents occurred and they came begging, the Crown Prince’s heart softened, and he would plead with the Emperor.

The Emperor’s intentions were known throughout the realm.

When the birds are gone, the good bow is stored away. Without executing a batch of meritorious officials, how could the Zhao family’s empire sit secure?

But grinding the donkey to death after it’s finished working—such actions chill people’s hearts.

Moreover, the Zhao family’s success today depended entirely on these meritorious officials.

Their teacher patted his shoulder, saying helplessly, “Just live up to your conscience. As for the rest, don’t force it.”

“This was my first time visiting the Eastern Palace, and also my last.”

Tang Jianxi recalled: “As I helped our teacher into the carriage, I turned to look at the Crown Prince seeing us off at the gate. He stood in the night, wearing a black winter robe, jade crown on his head, hands clasped behind his back.

Behind him loomed the deep palaces of the Eastern Palace, so deep you couldn’t see the end.

At that moment, I felt his kindness toward Junior Sister wasn’t because he particularly liked her, but because he wanted someone nearby he could talk to.”

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe felt an inexplicable pain in her heart.

But compared to that slight pain, her greatest feeling was: “Your teacher wronged him again.”

To secure that position firmly, one cannot lack an iron fist.

Grandfather once told her: when the ruler is weak, ministers bully; when the ruler is strong, ministers are weak. Court politics is like a balance scale—many things require equilibrium.

When His Majesty wants to execute people, one may counsel once, counsel twice, but not thrice.

Counsel too much, and you lose the Emperor’s heart.

“So when my teacher’s spring examination cheating case emerged, His Majesty showed no mercy and directly confiscated our family estate. Ultimately, it was also a lesson for the Crown Prince, though the lesson was far too harsh.”

Tang Jianxi frowned, silent for a moment before saying:

“When our teacher was imprisoned, he regretted his actions too late. When the Crown Prince visited, he grasped his hand and said: ‘Your Highness, wolves circle all around—you must learn to be ruthless.'”

“How do you know these words?”

“Much later, Yanting told me.”

Tang Jianxi sighed. “Unfortunately, our teacher understood too late. The Crown Prince’s nature was already set. However ruthless he tried to be, as long as his heart remained benevolent, how ruthless could he truly become?”

“He was also too fortunate. From legitimate eldest son to Crown Prince, everything went smoothly. He was certain that position would be his, never imagining someone was already watching from the sidelines with hungry eyes.”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze turned to Zhu Yuanzhao.

“Similar to your Zhu family. The Grand Old Master, Fifth Old Master, even the Old Matriarch all assumed the Zhu family estate belonged to the first branch, never calculating that they’d overlooked the illegitimate son Zhu Xuanjiu.”

Zhu Yuanzhao’s lips moved, but he had nothing to say.

But Tang Jianxi couldn’t help adding: “Miss speaks with such piercing accuracy.”

It wasn’t just piercing accuracy—she’d gained insight from Zhu Xuanjiu himself.

For just the position of Zhu family head, Zhu Xuanjiu had reached the point of utter madness. How much more so for those competing for the paramount position under heaven?

The benevolent nature hidden in the Crown Prince’s blood, the scholarly righteousness instilled by Tang Qiling’s teachings—these virtues of character became fatal weaknesses in brutal competition.

They were lethal.

After a long silence, Yan Sanhe asked, “Later, did you see the Crown Prince again?”

“Once.”

That time when he returned to the capital, he went to the Ministry of Rites to submit his resignation papers and official seal. After completing all procedures, as he walked out of the Ministry, the Crown Prince’s carriage happened to be stopped at the entrance. The Crown Prince descended from the carriage.

Their four eyes met. Everything had changed.

He had grown a beard, white hair appeared at his temples, the nasolabial folds beside his nose had deepened considerably. Without thinking hard, one knew his days had been difficult.

“I stepped forward and knelt in salutation. He looked down at me for several moments without saying a word, then walked away.”

Tang Jianxi: “My heart felt rather dejected. Thinking of all that had passed, I suddenly felt it was all utterly meaningless. I didn’t even take a carriage, just walked off on my own.

After walking several alleys, someone caught up and pressed something into my hand.”

Tang Jianxi untied the pouch at his waist, extracted a small, thin piece of white jade, and placed it in Yan Sanhe’s palm.

Yan Sanhe looked down—it was a fish carved from white jade, lifelike.

“He gave this to me. Can Miss Yan guess its meaning?”

Tang Jianxi’s expression showed considerable emotion. Without waiting for Yan Sanhe’s answer, he said:

“Clear waters see the stream, within the stream swim fish—how carefree fish are in water. I was unwilling to follow him like Chu Yanting did, so he released me and let me spend my remaining years freely.”

Pausing, he sighed again. “Freedom for the rest of one’s life—Miss Yan, how rare that is in this world!”

Indeed rare!

Yan Sanhe held that small piece of white jade, silent for a long time.

Actually, for Tang Zhiwei, Lu Shi, and Tang Jianxi to survive safely, there was an invisible hand secretly helping them from behind.

The owner of that hand was none other than the former Crown Prince, Rongyu.

Based on this alone, he could never claim that position—too devoted to relationships and righteousness.

—