Guide to the Sickly Strategist’s Death Seek - Chapter 6

On the journey back from Qingshuang Palace to the Palace of Ultimate Bliss, it was obvious that Yan Yan’s mood had soured significantly.

Initially, Ruan Jinyu was a bit confused, but upon further reflection, he realized that Yan Yan never had a pleasant expression when facing the late Emperor’s other sons. Take Prince Xian, for instance, who had requested a private audience recently; the Emperor hadn’t given him an ounce of face, dismissing him before he could even finish a sentence.

It was understandable. Yan Yan truly harbored no affection for his brothers. When the late Emperor was alive, they certainly hadn’t treated him with any kindness either—they were simply strangers who shared a father. Now that the tides had turned, it was only natural that Yan Yan found their very presence loathsome.

Upon reaching the Palace of Ultimate Bliss, the two dismounted the carriage. The Emperor left him with a single instruction: “Teacher, return and rest well.” With that, he turned and walked straight into the main hall of the Palace of Ultimate Bliss, rather than returning to the Hall of Supreme Vitality.

Doubts lingered in Ruan Jinyu’s mind, so upon returning to his room, he immediately had Qian Qi gather information. Qian Qi reported that the Emperor would henceforth handle all state affairs within the Palace of Ultimate Bliss instead of the Hall of Supreme Vitality. While the latter would still be used for formal morning court sessions, all documents, administrative tasks, and memorials had been moved to the Palace of Ultimate Bliss.

No wonder Yan Yan had summoned him there today. It meant that from now on, anyone wishing to see the Sovereign outside of court hours would have to come to this palace.

With much of the day still remaining and Yan Yan not yet seeking his assistance in governance, Ruan Jinyu found himself with no pressing matters. He took a nap at noon and woke up shortly after, only to be met with news from Qian Qi.

“My Lord,” Qian Qi said, standing before him, “Prince Xian came by earlier. You were dreaming at the time. I intended to wake you to report his arrival, but the Prince stopped me, saying I should not disturb your rest. He said he would return later.”

Ruan Jinyu, who had been awake for less than fifteen minutes, felt his vision go blurry again. Prince Xian? What could he possibly want with me?

In truth, a moment’s thought provided the answer, but it left him in a bind: to see him or not to see him?

“Forget it,” Ruan Jinyu sighed, his hair a bit disheveled from his nap. He let out a low breath. “If he comes again, invite him in.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Sure enough, a short while later, Ruan Jinyu received word that Prince Xian had returned. Since he was a Prince, Ruan Jinyu followed protocol and stepped outside to greet him before ushering him into the main sitting room of the side hall.

“Your Highness, please do not take offense. This servant was indeed remiss,” Ruan Jinyu began, politely taking responsibility for being unavailable during the Prince’s earlier visit.

Prince Xian appeared affable, waving his hand with a smile to indicate it was no trouble. Then, Ruan Jinyu got straight to the point. “Does Your Highness have a matter that requires this servant’s assistance?”

There was no point in beating around the bush. They were both “thousand-year-old foxes” each knew the other was wearing a mask. Asking directly was far more efficient and useful than circling the issue. Besides, if Prince Xian had come seeking him so openly, he clearly wouldn’t mind a direct approach.

Prince Xian was indeed not surprised by his bluntness. He set down his teacup. “Imperial Preceptor, your parents are both in the outer provinces, correct?”

Ruan Jinyu blinked, not expecting the Prince to bring up his parents. He nodded. “Yes.”

“If I remember correctly, you have been separated from your elders for five years now,” Prince Xian said with a faint smile. “I imagine those remote provinces cannot compare to the Capital. Imperial Preceptor, what if I were to help you bring your parents back to the Capital so you could fulfill your filial duties?”

“I thank Your Highness for your kindness,” Ruan Jinyu replied, his smile fading just a fraction, though he remained perfectly composed. “However, my parents chose to leave the Capital of their own accord. I believe that while the outer provinces are remote, they are happy there. I wish to fulfill my filial duties, which is why I previously petitioned His Majesty for permission to resign and join them. But His Majesty did not agree. Could Your Highness… perhaps help me with that instead?”

Help me convince Yan Yan to let me go.

Prince Xian was momentarily speechless. He had planned to use their slight past acquaintance and his knowledge of the parents’ situation to persuade the Imperial Preceptor to join his faction. He thought that if his power eventually eclipsed the others, he could simply order the parents back to the Capital and provide the family with immense wealth and status.

He never expected Ruan Jinyu to respond this way. The Preceptor wasn’t looking for a path to more power; he was asking for help to strip himself of his current status and retire from court life entirely. It felt like the roles had been reversed.

“Is the Imperial Preceptor truly being sincere?” Prince Xian asked, somewhat incredulous. Who in their right mind would voluntarily walk away from the center of power? Had he simply never tasted the sweetness of true authority?

“Your Highness, I do not joke about such things.” The curve of Ruan Jinyu’s lips had long since vanished. As he looked into the Prince’s eyes, his expression was as calm as ever, but to the observer, it appeared profoundly sincere.

This made Prince Xian seem rather shallow by comparison. Ruan Jinyu had always enjoyed a reputation for being humble, solemn, gentle, and intelligent without being arrogant. Coming from him, these words felt entirely earnest. Even if he had said them in a joking tone, no one would have doubted him; they would simply believe his words were a reflection of his true heart, not a fabrication to reject the Prince’s invitation.

Prince Xian eventually took his leave.

Qian Qi had not excused himself during the conversation. Having followed Ruan Jinyu for so long, he was privy to many of his master’s secrets, but he couldn’t help asking: “My Lord, Prince Xian’s influence at court is currently much greater than Prince Wu’an’s. Aside from those two, there is very little power left. Why not…?”

“Better not,” Ruan Jinyu shook his head indifferently. “Being too greedy for power is not good. I believe living a long life is more important.”

His master valued his life above all else; Qian Qi knew this better than anyone, so he dropped the subject. “However, My Lord,” Qian Qi added, a new worry surfacing, “how could Prince Xian come so directly to your hall?”

If Prince Xian dared to visit the side hall of the Palace of Ultimate Bliss so openly, he clearly wasn’t afraid of Yan Yan finding out. Ruan Jinyu understood the reason as well. In the current court landscape, the Prince already held a massive amount of influence. Yan Yan, by contrast, had only the Imperial Preceptor as his visible ally. Prince Xian wasn’t worried about the Emperor knowing; in fact, he likely wanted to flaunt his authority. If he could successfully turn the Preceptor, it would be a golden opportunity to humiliate the Emperor.

Even if he failed, the visit itself was a blatant display of power. By coming to see the Emperor’s Preceptor right under the Emperor’s nose, he was essentially announcing to the world that he did not fear the Son of Heaven.

Naturally, word of this visit would reach the Emperor’s ears. Ruan Jinyu had realized this the moment he stepped out to meet the Prince. He just hadn’t expected Yan Yan to arrive so quickly.

Prince Xian had barely left before Yan Yan personally graced the small side hall with his presence. Upon hearing of the Emperor’s arrival, Qian Qi’s face turned pale as he scrambled to think of what to do. Ruan Jinyu, the master, remained entirely unruffled.

“What do we do, My Lord? Perhaps you should jump out the window and I’ll say Prince Xian never saw you?” Qian Qi suggested, clearly panicking. He couldn’t be blamed for his terror; everyone knew the blood between the Emperor and the two Princes was boiling.

“That… shouldn’t be necessary,” Ruan Jinyu said with a sigh, trying to calm his subordinate. “Go on out. I will receive him.”

Qian Qi didn’t want Ruan Jinyu to face Yan Yan alone, fearing imperial suspicion, but he had to obey and withdraw. As Qian Qi left, Yan Yan entered.

Ruan Jinyu rose to greet him, his face a mask of calm as if nothing were amiss. “Your Majesty.”

Yan Yan sat in a chair, dispensing with formality. He had come into the room alone, without a single servant or attendant. “Whom did Teacher see today?”

Having received a glance of permission, Ruan Jinyu sat down as well. “Your Majesty already knows. To ask is meaningless.”

“And if I didn’t know, would Teacher hide it from me? Would you lie to me?” Yan Yan ignored the deflection and pressed further.

“I believe that question is also meaningless, Your Majesty,” Ruan Jinyu replied with gentle composure.

“The Imperial Preceptor simply refuses to tell me the truth.” Yan Yan’s eyes darkened a fraction; clearly, Ruan Jinyu’s perfunctory answers were beginning to irritate him.

“I am telling the truth,” Ruan Jinyu said. Sensing the shift in the Emperor’s mood, he steadied himself and looked away. “If Prince Xian truly intended to persuade me to betray you, he wouldn’t have done so with such blatant openness.”

“If Your Majesty didn’t know, the situation would be entirely different. Then, my thoughts would be—”

He had intended to give a serious explanation of the political nuances. However, Ruan Jinyu suddenly remembered exactly who he was talking to. Reputation and logic were secondary; survival was paramount. He immediately changed his tune: “Whether there is a distinction or not is unknown. I will not weave lies for Your Majesty. As it stands, I am heart and soul loyal only to Your Majesty.”

These words seemed to work. Yan Yan stopped dwelling on the matter and changed the subject. “Is Teacher feeling unwell today?”

Ruan Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief. “No, Your Majesty.”

“From now on, my study for state affairs will be here in the Palace of Ultimate Bliss,” Yan Yan said, rising to his feet. “Since Teacher is not unwell, you shall come to me after the court is dismissed… to handle the affairs of state with me.”