Was it already time to light the lamps?
The moon had risen above the branches. Had that man returned to his residence yet?
Lou Yun moved faster than she had expected, grabbing an outer robe and racing toward the Imperial Preceptor's residence.
Ying Yi, who looked up only to find his master gone: ...
Certain the young man would get hungry in the middle of the night, Lou Yun bought a bowl of wontons on the way.
When she arrived, Pei Qing had only just returned. It would not do for Lou Yun to enter as the crown prince at such a late hour, so she climbed through the Imperial Preceptor's window instead.
The moment she climbed inside, she saw Pei Qing bent over his desk, his brush flying. Dim lamplight fell over the young man's intent features. In the quiet night, the only sound was the rustle of his sleeves against the rice paper.
The exhaustion between Pei Qing's brows was plain to see. When he grew tired of writing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose a few times before picking up his brush again. After finishing each sheet, he would check it over, only setting it aside once he was certain nothing needed adding.
Lou Yun had initially sat on the windowsill, quietly waiting for Pei Qing to notice her. Eventually, she felt he had been working far too long. Even the wontons in the food box were going cold.
"Pei Qing," Lou Yun called, jumping down from the windowsill.
Only then did Pei Qing look up, as though waking from a dream. The moment he saw Lou Yun, he asked in disbelief, "When did Your Highness arrive? Why didn't you call out to me?"
Lou Yun set the food box down before him and said helplessly, "A while ago. You were so absorbed that you never noticed me."
Pei Qing's eyes lit up at the sight of the food box, and his voice grew more buoyant. "Did you bring this for me?"
Lou Yun found his hopeless reaction to food amusing. She gave the Imperial Preceptor a resounding flick on the forehead and said tartly, "Who else? Is there a third person in this room?"
"Then I'll finish my work as quickly as possible." Having received his answer, Pei Qing promptly lowered his head and flexed his wrist, ready to tackle the remaining work.
Was he really going to finish all this before resting?
Lou Yun's hand paused as she opened the food box. Frowning, she swiftly caught his wrist and said coldly, "No."
Pei Qing looked up blankly, but Lou Yun had already cleared his desk, warmed the wontons again, and set them before him. "Eat first."
"But..." Pei Qing tried to argue, only for Lou Yun to force a pair of chopsticks into his hand.
"I'll help you with your work. You eat first."
As she spoke, Lou Yun naturally sat down beside him. The moment she picked up the first memorial, her brows furrowed.
She skimmed through it at a glance without a word, then picked up the next, only to toss it down impatiently. After reading several in succession, Lou Yun's expression grew colder and her brows drew tighter.
The Imperial Preceptor, who had been enjoying his wontons beside her, sensed the oppressive mood as well. He stole a glance at her and asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"
Lou Yun picked out the policy essays she considered utter gibberish and tossed them before him. "With writing like this, they have the nerve to submit it for your guidance?"
Pei Qing glanced at the handwriting on the sheets and understood. "These students are indeed not very accomplished, but since they have the will to write, it's only right that I offer them some guidance as their teacher."
"And these?" Lou Yun tossed out several more policy essays. Not only was their content abysmal, but half of it was devoted to flattering Pei Qing. It was obvious they had no desire to study by honest means and wanted to take a crooked path instead. Yet even these, Pei Qing had painstakingly corrected word by word.
The young man fell guiltily silent for a moment before saying quietly, "They do have some desire to learn, after all. Although they've taken the wrong path, with a little guidance... they might still turn their efforts toward the right one."
Under Lou Yun's gaze, his voice grew softer and softer. By the time even he could no longer hear it, he looked back into his bowl as if to cover it up.
"Is... is there a spoon? It's a little hard to eat with chopsticks..." His fingertips curled against the edge of the bowl, while his grip on the chopsticks loosened and tightened.
"A spoon? No. Right now, I'd rather use these people's heads as spoons." Lou Yun stared furiously at the stack of policy essays, scarcely one of which was fit to read.
Pei Qing nervously bit his lower lip, turning several possible responses over in his mind. When he finally mustered the courage to offer a word or two in their defense, Lou Yun shot him down without mercy.
"From now on, every policy essay sent to your residence must be reviewed first. Otherwise, any stray cat or dog can win the Imperial Preceptor's attention."
"Your Highness." Pei Qing tugged at Lou Yun's sleeve, gazing at her with pleading eyes, hoping to ease her anger a little this way.
"Not negotiable," Lou Yun rejected him mercilessly.
Seeing no room for compromise, Pei Qing instantly slumped. The sight stoked Lou Yun's anger again. She had kindly reduced his workload, and he was already pulling a long face, unhappy about it?
She pinched his chin and lifted it to meet her eyes, demanding, "What? You don't want me interfering with your work?"
This time, Lou Yun did not hold back her strength. Her grip hurt badly enough that Pei Qing's brows knitted together, yet he did not dare pull away. He struggled to open his mouth and defend himself. "That's not it."
"Then do you truly think this will help those good-for-nothings?" Lou Yun indicated the policy essays with a glance.
"..." The young man fell silent for a moment, his eyes lowered, his thoughts unknown. Only after a long while did he say, "Great Yan has no one left, Your Highness."
Pei Qing suddenly looked back at her and repeated himself. "Great Yan has no one left, Your Highness. Great Yan has prospered for three hundred years, so long that its people have forgotten the road their forebears traveled. The scions of great clans and the powerful dignitaries are still immersed in the aloof pride of receiving homage from every nation, without realizing that the gap between foreign nations and us is no longer the gulf between heaven and earth it once was."
"But you don't have to sift through shit for gold." Lou Yun released him.
Pei Qing sighed. "The chancellor has controlled the imperial examinations all these years. Most of the students selected for the Imperial Academy are ignorant, unskilled sons of noble families. Although I wish to intervene, the chancellor is still the head of the civil officials. All I can do is put more effort into my daily teaching and see whether I can unearth a few useful talents."
"Shouldn't the candidates traveling to the capital for the examinations be arriving soon?" Lou Yun asked.
Pei Qing nodded. "Judging by the time, they should be here soon."
"Was the Ministry of Rites implicated in Li An's case?" Lou Yun took Pei Qing's hand and played with it, looking elsewhere.
Drawn into her train of thought, Pei Qing did not notice her little movements. "Yes. The minister of rites was on that list."
Lou Yun kneaded his knuckles. "It will probably be impossible to lead this case back to Lou Xun. Too many people are implicated; they're bound to put forward a scapegoat. I was wondering who I should lead Zhang Dequan to name. Now it seems we might as well target this minister of rites."
"But we still can't give Miss Xie and the others a full accounting," Pei Qing said apologetically.
"There's no hurry. I'll pick these woodworms out of Great Yan's pillars one by one. But our most pressing task is to find Great Yan's next pillars of support." Lou Yun stacked up the policy essays on the desk and said disdainfully, "Send all these back and make them rewrite them."
Pei Qing looked at her disdainful expression with amusement. "All right."
As for how panicked those receiving their first demand for a rewrite from the Imperial Preceptor would be, that was not a question the two of them needed to consider.
After moving the policy essays aside, Lou Yun saw the memorial beneath them.
"Is this about Lin Bian?"
"Yes. I've already reported it to His Majesty. It will be raised at morning court tomorrow," Pei Qing replied.
"That fast? Then let's settle the Li residence case at the same time."
"Your Highness already knows who the murderer is?" Pei Qing's eyes widened abruptly, and he turned halfway toward Lou Yun.
His curiosity was so intense that Lou Yun nearly told him everything in one breath, but the last trace of mischief in her heart held her back.
"Want to know?" Lou Yun deliberately kept him in suspense.
"Yes." The young man was terribly curious and even edged closer to her.
Lou Yun leaned forward, pretending she was about to say something, enticing him to lean another half-body closer.
She lingered beside Pei Qing's ear for a long while, then finally tapped his head. "You'll find out tomorrow."
"Lou Fangyi!" In his annoyance, Pei Qing actually called Lou Yun by name.
Lou Yun looked at him in surprise. By the time Pei Qing realized what he had shouted, it was too late. In an instant, his furious expression became one of helpless conflict, wanting to apologize yet not knowing how to begin.
Lou Yun was not angry. Rather, she was quite pleased to see him looking like a rabbit driven into a corner.
"You're getting bolder." She rubbed the Imperial Preceptor's head and coaxed him, "You'll find out tomorrow. Get a good night's rest tonight, hmm?"
Rubbed until all his temper was gone, Pei Qing nodded dazedly. "Mm."
Chapter 36
At court the next day, Pei Qing's presentation of the case stirred up towering waves.
Ministers from the various offices dropped to their knees in droves. However angry Lou Qing was, he could not punish so many ministers at once and could only punish the minister of rites whom Zhang Dequan
had named in his confession, along with more than twenty accomplices implicated along the way.
The escort team headed by A Tu, which had transported and trafficked for Lin Bian across the country under the guise of delivering goods, was also thrown into prison. Only then did the case reach a temporary conclusion.
With Lin Bian's affair finally settled for the time being, Lou Xun and the others breathed a sigh of relief, only to turn immediately to making trouble for Lou Yun and Pei Qing.
Chancellor Xu, Xu Lin, stepped out of the ranks and questioned Lou Yun. "The task His Majesty assigned Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Imperial Preceptor was to investigate Lord Li's case. Now the two of you have diverted yourselves into another case midway through, while Lord Li's case has made no progress whatsoever. Surely that is unacceptable?"
Sure enough, having lost an arm, he couldn't help stamping his feet.
Lou Yun stepped calmly out of the ranks and bowed to Lou Qing. "Reporting to Imperial Father, this child has already uncovered the truth behind the attack on Lord Li."
"Cough, cough, cough..." Lou Qing's coughing came from behind the curtain. "In that case, Crown Prince, explain it clearly."
"Yes." Lou Yun straightened. "Bring them in."