Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 219 Willing to be a sharp blade

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

At this moment, Old Lin was kneeling in the hall, and Emperor Sheng was standing behind the desk.

On the desk, a pile of notebooks were spread out.

If Jiang Xun and Cui Mingjue were here, they would recognize at a glance that what was placed on the table was the official calendar of Qingping City.

Eunuch Fushun stood by, not daring to make a sound.

"Are all the officials in Qingping City your disciples?"

Emperor Sheng's voice was cold and deep, and at this moment his eyes were fixed on Elder Lin with a hint of urgency.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Lin shook his head.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Sheng's brows relaxed slightly and his expression brightened slightly.

However, the next moment, Elder Lin said respectfully, "Your Majesty, that's not entirely true."

Emperor Sheng's face suddenly froze.

Mr. Lin's words undoubtedly admitted that there were indeed his people among the officials of Qingping City.

Emperor Sheng slowly clenched his hands on the table, then sneered, "Not all of them? How many are there? Besides Qingping City, what about Pingxi City? What about Shun'an City?"

"Under the emperor's feet, among all the civil and military officials in the court, how many are the teacher's disciples?"

The last part of his words became heavy and urgent, and Emperor Sheng flicked his hand, and the calendar on the table fell to the ground with a crash.

Despite such a loud noise, Old Lin still knelt respectfully with his eyes lowered, not moving a muscle.

Emperor Sheng took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling a little slower. He said in a deep voice, "In the second year of Yong Zhao, not long after I ascended the throne, did you, Master, already begin burying the threads then?"

"I trust you so much, teacher. I personally appointed you as the chief examiner to select the best talents in the world. Is this how you treat me?"

If Cui Daoyuan heard this, he would be dumbfounded and horrified.

He had just guessed that this situation was set up by Emperor Sheng, and every aspect of it made sense, but he didn't know that even Emperor Sheng was confused at the moment.

Yesterday, an old woman brought her grandson to the Dali Temple to appeal for justice, and specifically asked Jiang Xun to preside over the case.

Emperor Sheng was already paying more attention to Jiang Xun, and immediately sent people to Qingping City to find out what was going on.

This is also the reason why the people from the Dali Temple, although they caught Qingping City off guard, were still obstructed at every turn.

Because Emperor Sheng's men had already gone there, no matter whether Xie Hui wanted to retrieve the files or the Jia calendar, Emperor Sheng's men were copying them, so the Jia library naturally could not give them out for a while.

The people sent by Emperor Sheng returned to the capital even faster, which is why Emperor Sheng sent someone to summon Mr. Lin as soon as the people from the Dali Temple returned.

Upon hearing this, Elder Lin touched his forehead to the ground, his face filled with shame as he said, "Power has blinded my eyes, and greed has blinded me. I have committed such a heinous act. It is too late to regret it now. I hope Your Majesty will punish me."

"nonsense!"

Emperor Sheng slammed the table so hard that Fu Shun jumped in shock. He quickly whispered, "Your Majesty, calm down."

But Emperor Sheng had already walked around the jade table, walked quickly to Lin Lao, and said sternly:

"Others may not know that when I ascended the throne, my teacher had already made up his mind to leave. If I hadn't repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay, he would have resigned and returned home."

"After only one year, the teacher has become obsessed with convenience?"

The hem of the black brocade robe suddenly touched Elder Lin's hand which was resting on the green jade brick. It turned out that Emperor Sheng slowly squatted down in front of Elder Lin.

"Teacher, who are you doing this for? For Ji'er back then, or for Ye'er now?"

"Teacher, you've gone to so much trouble to build up your power. Are you planning to rebel against me for them?"

Emperor Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression still as calm as water, without any ripples, as if what he had just said was just an insignificant chat between the monarch and his subjects.

But when Eunuch Fushun saw this scene, he was worried about Mr. Lin.

What happened today? Elder Lin, please don't offend the emperor again.

Old Lin was still wearing plain clothes. After listening to what Emperor Sheng said, he finally raised his head slowly, and his slightly cloudy eyes met Emperor Sheng's cold gaze.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was as thick and tense as frost.

Just when the atmosphere was so tense that it seemed like it was about to explode at any moment, Mr. Lin suddenly smiled lightly.

That smile was like a ray of warm sunshine penetrating the thick dark clouds, making the wrinkles on his face appear even deeper and revealing a hint of kindness.

Emperor Sheng was stunned for a moment, and a hint of surprise flashed across his cold face.

"Your Majesty."

Elder Lin's eyes became softer and softer, he just looked at Emperor Sheng quietly, as if the person before him was no longer the emperor who ruled the world, but the ignorant boy who was listening to his teachings at his knees.

"I, this old minister, have long known what happened. Your Majesty's painstaking efforts to ascend the throne were inseparable from the unwavering support of... Minister Cui."

"For such meritorious service, it is only natural that the emperor promised to make him the crown prince."

When Emperor Sheng heard this, his eyes widened instantly and he stared straight at Elder Lin. His usually dignified face was cracked like porcelain, and a trace of disbelief was revealed.

Elder Lin did not pause and continued, "It is said that a king never jokes with his words, but after His Majesty got what he wanted, he broke this promise."

"Given Minister Cui's scheming and tactics, Your Majesty, how could he possibly be willing to do that?"

Emperor Sheng suddenly stood up and took a step back. Unexpectedly, not only did Old Lin not stop, but he raised the corner of his mouth and said something that made Eunuch Fushun tremble with fear.

"Your Majesty, the one you like in your heart is His Royal Highness Prince Rui, right?"

"But now that the Cui family is so powerful, and Prince Rui is very close to the Cui family, this is not a good thing."

"Your Majesty needs a knife, a blade that is heavy enough but will not harm the father-son bond between you and Prince Rui. I, your humble servant, am willing to be that blade in your Majesty's hands."

"Your Majesty, this old minister has been doing this from the beginning to the end... all for you."

Having said this, Mr. Lin bowed again, and his forehead touched the green jade brick, making a thud sound.

Emperor Sheng could no longer maintain his composure on his face. He lowered his eyes to look at Elder Lin's graying hair, and his thoughts became confused for a moment.

"Did the Queen tell the teacher about that incident?"

Elder Lin shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, this is just my guess."

"After all, Prince Rong was at the height of his power back then, and Your Majesty's chances of success were slim. Yet, Minister Cui was willing to contribute his entire fortune to help Your Majesty."

"And the Crown Prince at that time, Prince Ji, was born with a deficiency. Even the imperial physician said that he would not last long."

"Your Majesty, everything has a traceable path."

"Back then, Your Majesty repeatedly asked me to stay, and every word was sincere. I thought it was time to prepare for the future for Your Majesty to repay your kindness."

When Emperor Sheng heard this, his expression changed again and again. For a moment, he could not tell which of Lin Lao's words were true and which were false.

at this time--

"Your Majesty, Dali Temple Junior Official Jiang Xun is requesting an audience outside the palace."

The voice of Wen Chengye, commander of the Imperial Guards, rang out outside the palace.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Sheng slowly raised his head. He ignored Wen Chengye and said in a deep voice, "I heard that on the day Xiuzhi got married, he and his bride knelt down and kowtowed to the teacher in the wedding hall."

"Teacher, you've done this with good intentions by removing Xiuzhi, but you've also gone to great lengths to help me raise the Second Brother. Aren't you afraid that the Second Brother won't be able to tolerate Xiuzhi when he ascends the throne in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Lin said respectfully, "In the heart of this old minister, helping His Majesty to fulfill his wish is my top priority."

"As for Xiuzhi, such a capable minister, I believe Prince Rui has the courage to use him wisely."

When Emperor Sheng heard this, he curled his lips in a sarcastic manner.

"The teacher's answer was truly perfect."

"Since you have such good intentions, please go to the Imperial Prison and endure the grievances for a few days for my sake."

When Emperor Sheng said this, his eyes were fixed on Elder Lin's reaction.

But Mr. Lin looked relieved and bowed respectfully to express his gratitude.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Sheng closed his eyes and waved at Fu Shun.

Fushun was shocked, but he didn't dare show it. He hurried forward and bowed, saying, "Emperor, please come in."

Elder Lin knelt again and said, "I, your humble servant, shall take my leave."

Then he stood up and followed Eunuch Fushun out of the imperial study.

Emperor Sheng watched Old Lin's figure go away, walked to the desk and sat down, his expression gloomy and unclear, unable to hide his annoyance.

The moonlight was like water, sprinkling coldly on the palace road, as if the vermilion palace walls and the gray floor tiles were coated with a layer of silver frost.

Mr. Lin's figure remained upright, each step he took was steady and powerful, and his face was calm without a trace of emotion.

Fu Shun on the side opened his mouth several times but didn't say anything. For some reason, he seemed to see a determination to disregard life and death from Lin Lao's calm appearance.

A gentle breeze blew by, lifting a few strands of gray hair on Lin Lao's temples, but he seemed unaware, his eyes looking deeply towards the direction of the palace gate.

——Xiuzhi, you must understand what it means to be a teacher.

As soon as this thought came to mind, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of Mr. Lin's mouth.

He continued to walk slowly, his figure stretched out in the moonlight, gradually blending into the night of the palace.