Chapter 543 Death of Liang Youyi (Part One)
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In the past, the founding emperor had built a school in a very auspicious place in the palace, where the imperial princes and royal children studied, taught by the most talented Grand Tutors of the court, occasionally supplemented by young and talented Hanlin scholars.
Yuwen Bai used to attend school with his younger brothers, but later, as his relationship with the Great Empress Dowager became increasingly strained, he stopped coming. Now, besides the royal children, the highest-ranking person in the school was the County Prince Sien, Yuwen Fu, and his two little brothers.
These two brothers, because they were young, had not been enfeoffed until the Great Empress Dowager forced Yuwen Bai to make a statement, allowing them to be enfeoffed. Yuwen Guang, the third son, was titled County Prince Yanping, and the fourth son, Yuwen Nuo, was titled County Prince Xiangcheng.
Yuwen Nuo had contracted an epidemic during the New Year’s period. Although he had recovered with the meticulous care of his birth Royal Mother and aunt, he had developed a chronic illness and often fell ill. As he was young, he frequently skipped school. Yuwen Guang was a silent and reserved person, rarely interacting with others. Even when he was close to Yuwen Fu, he only responded lightly.
The royal children were even more cautious, all of them having received instructions from their elders. They didn’t dare to get too close to these three princes with delicate identities, nor did they dare to keep their distance, always maintaining a proper distance.
As a result, Yuwen Fu, who was raised under the Great Empress Dowager’s knees, appeared particularly prominent. He sat alone in the middle of the first row of the school, lowered his eyes, and quietly listened to the teacher’s lecture.
Today’s teacher was not a great scholar or one of the Grand Tutors in the court, but last year’s newly appointed champion, Liao Guang. Liao Guang had a deep academic background, especially skilled in poetry, and was very talented. Because the Great Empress Dowager wanted to win him over, she not only gave him the position of Seventh Rank Imperial Secretary, but also arranged for him to be betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Left Minister of Revenue, Peng Liang. Seeing his steady conduct, she also had him come here every other day to teach Yuwen Fu and the others for half a day, giving him everything he could offer.
Yuwen Fu had been reminded by the Empress Dowager. Peng Liang was completely on their side. Although Liao Guang was currently only a Seventh Rank Imperial Secretary, his position was sensitive and critical, making it the best place for grooming. Given time, Liao Guang would surely become a great asset. Letting Liao Guang teach him was precisely to cultivate his relationship with Liao Guang.
He had to survive, so he must strive for the support of these ministers and royal family members favored by the Great Empress Dowager. Otherwise, even if the Great Empress Dowager raised him high, they would still ignore him if they didn’t like him.
Liao Guang on the stage noticed that Yuwen Fu was distracted and coughed lightly. Yuwen Fu suddenly woke up, a blush on his face, and quickly focused on the class. But Liao Guang, displeased, said, “An Yandong, what are you doing?”
An Yandong was Yuwen Fu’s study companion, also the youngest son of Yue Guo Gongguo, An Xiaogu’s younger brother. Although he had come to the palace under pressure from the Great Empress Dowager to accompany him in his studies, he was here to pass the time. He often fell asleep or got distracted during class, and looked sickly and listless after class.
Yuwen Fu, feeling uncomfortable as the one who was being looked down upon, heard Liao Guang scolding An Yandong, but couldn’t be bothered to intervene. He continued to lower his head and look at his book, pretending as if there was no study companion beside him. After all, Liao Guang had a good temper and was inexperienced. No matter how angry he was, he wouldn’t punish the students.
Who knew that today, Liao Guang was very angry. He stood up from his chair with a “swish,” grabbed a ruler, and came down, looking like he wanted to beat someone. The schoolroom buzzed with countless whispers, and Yuwen Fu realized that he couldn’t continue to feign ignorance. He had to turn around and look at An Yandong. Upon seeing him, even he was angry.
An Yandong’s seat was by the window, so he could see the scene outside by turning his head. It would have been fine if he had just glanced back casually, but today he had left his seat and was leaning on the window sill, craning his neck to look outside. Even when Liao Guang came up to him, he couldn’t snap out of it.
“An Yandong!” Although Liao Guang had a good temper, it didn’t mean he was a pushover. If he didn’t deal with An Yandong properly today, he wouldn’t be able to enter this classroom again in the future. So he was stern.
An Yandong was at least startled back to his senses by this scolding, but when he turned around, instead of showing fear or guilt after the incident, his eyes sparkled mysteriously. “Teacher Liao, look!”
Liao Guang, with a stern face, said, “It’s class time now, please return to your seat immediately!” Although he said so, he couldn’t help but glance out the window.
Just this one glance made him unable to retract his gaze.
The Grand Steward of Changxin Palace, Liang Youyi, was being grabbed by two burly guards, dragged out of the tea room where he usually stayed, as if he were a dead dog. Ying Wang, Yuwen Chu, dressed in a green prince’s attire, sat calmly under the grape arbor on the east side of the courtyard, holding a tea bowl in his hand, his face unreadable. A group of elite guards with knives surrounded him, their expressions extremely serious and cold.
This… Ying Wang brought people here to arrest Liang Youyi?
Liao Guang couldn’t believe his eyes. Although Ying Wang had become more arrogant and domineering since he shot down the Vice Chief Steward of Chongzheng Hall in front of the young emperor, it was mostly manifested in political matters. For the inner palace, he still maintained a certain degree of decorum. He seldom entered the palace, and even when he did, he maintained the manners of a subject before the two dowagers and the young emperor.
What’s going on today?
Before Liao Guang could figure out the meaning behind Yuwen Chu’s actions, Yuwen Fu had already rushed past him and out. Liao Guang instinctively reached out and hugged Yuwen Fu, whispering, “Your Highness, it’s class time now. You shouldn’t be concerned with outside affairs.”
Yuwen Fu was trembling all over. Because the Great Empress Dowager was afraid that he would get into trouble, she often had Liang Youyi accompany him and protect him. Although Liang Youyi didn’t have much of a smile, he was loyal and capable, and had helped him out several times in front of Yuwen Bai. Now, was Ying Wang going to take Liang Youyi away too?
Liao Guang saw that Yuwen Fu was struggling incessantly, so he whispered in his ear, “Your Highness, you’re just a child and shouldn’t get involved in adult matters. The Great Empress Dowager will handle this matter, so you should focus on your studies.”
After saying this, Liao Guang sent Yuwen Fu back to his seat, pressed him down to sit properly, and calmly instructed An Yandong, “Come to receive ten lashes after class.” He glanced at the chaotic students in the room and said, “Let’s continue the class.”
Seeing him like this, the students stopped gossiping and sat down obediently to study, but none of them could concentrate. Ying Wang came with people to arrest Liang Youyi, which was such a big deal!
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