This kindred spirit wrote another line.
“If the Grand Tutor cannot help me, I will perish together with Prince Zhongshan and his son, doing my part to help the Grand Tutor more quickly usher in peace.”
“Although I wish to strive to live, I have never feared death.”
“From the moment I stepped into Prince Zhongshan’s estate, I went there ready to die.”
“This death of mine holds no regrets for the nation, for the people, for myself, and for Lord Deng, it also holds no regrets.”
“Chu Zhao bids farewell here.”
She was right—if he didn’t help her, she was certainly dead.
No regrets? Then why write so many words? At such a young age, candid yet practiced, self-serving yet righteous—wasn’t this using death to threaten him?
Was he, Deng Yi, someone who cared about others’ life and death?
Deng Yi put down the letter and looked at the tea in his hand. This girl seemed to have been gone for a long time—he couldn’t even remember what she looked like.
“Deng Yi, why are you here too!”
He vaguely recalled their first meeting, the girl calling out his name in shock—clearly their first meeting, yet he could clearly sense that girl’s familiarity with him.
She feared him, was wary of him, but also tried to please him, praised him, and even in certain moments, trusted him immensely.
“Lord Deng is the most formidable.”
“Lord Deng is the most formidable.”
Deng Yi seemed to hear that girl’s voice in his ears. Formidable—he was indeed formidable. His becoming the person the late Emperor entrusted everything to was indeed a heaven-sent opportunity, but why did this opportunity fall to him, Deng Yi? It was because he had planned and cultivated it step by step.
He, Deng Yi, had obtained the opportunity and hadn’t failed it, gripping it tightly, stabilizing his position in the court in a short time.
He was so formidable—what in this world did he not dare do, what could he not accomplish?
Deng Yi put down his tea and said: “I will draft an imperial edict.”
The hall, which had been lively with joking, drinking tea, and eating pastries, instantly fell silent. The officials looked shocked, thinking they had heard wrong.
“Grand Tutor,” several officials stood up. “Be cautious!”
Deng Yi surveyed the hall: “Are you all no longer daring to assist me?”
Seeing his gaze, some officials dodged, some looked helpless.
Deng Yi looked at them and smiled again, swirling the tea in his hand.
“Everyone, think about it—what benefit is there for us in eliminating Prince Zhongshan?”
“His Majesty is young. Who can say what accidents might occur in the future?”
These words were so bold! The officials in the hall were startled—
“Prince Zhongshan is after all of legitimate Xiao clan lineage,” Deng Yi said. His gaze swept across them without saying more, then changed the subject: “The Prince was quite friendly to you all before, wasn’t he?”
Even he, a minor official, had received generous gifts from Prince Zhongshan. Had these court officials not received gifts from Prince Zhongshan?
Sure enough, these words made the seated officials’ expressions shift even more dramatically.
After a moment of silence, an elderly official smiled bitterly.
“Grand Tutor, if we do this, infamy will attach itself to us,” he said. “How will we maintain face?”
Deng Yi said: “This Grand Tutor has a past connection with Prince Zhongshan—you all know this in your hearts. Haven’t you still associated with this Grand Tutor, living quite respectably?”
The officials in the hall felt somewhat embarrassed.
“We can’t reason like this,” an official said helplessly. “Before was before. Now you are the Grand Tutor chosen by the late Emperor.”
Deng Yi said: “Then as long as Prince Zhongshan confesses his crimes, he remains a prince of Da Xia. If Prince Zhongshan wants to rebel, the court dares to fight. If Prince Zhongshan wants to confess his crimes, why would the court not dare to accept?”
He looked at everyone again.
“You needn’t worry—the infamy will be borne by this official. You need only be helplessly unable to prevent it.”
Helplessly unable to prevent it, unable to stop it—that would make them pitiful, and the infamy would be lessened. The officials looked at each other. Now that they were united with Deng Yi, not only could they not let him fall, they had to gather strength with him. The Emperor was young—this was a good opportunity for aristocratic families to govern. Everyone bowed and saluted: “We respectfully follow the Grand Tutor’s decision.”
Deng Yi put down his teacup and nodded: “I thank you all.”
With this matter settled, the atmosphere in the hall eased.
“Grand Tutor, you’re also doing this for the Empress, aren’t you?” a young official couldn’t help saying.
Since her enthronement, the Empress had also engaged in many behaviors that violated regulations, yet Deng Yi had indulged her, turning a blind eye and deaf ear.
Now, regarding Prince Zhongshan’s matter, he had originally let it go, allowing the Xie clan to control it. After reading one letter from the Empress, without consulting the Xie clan, he wanted to reconcile with Prince Zhongshan—
The Grand Tutor naturally had his own considerations, but surely the Empress must be part of those considerations?
It was said the Empress and Deng Yi had a past connection. Private messages circulated that on the night of the palace chaos, the Empress had shouted at Deng Yi about what he owed—
The officials in the hall had complex, flickering expressions.
Deng Yi’s expression was calm as he glanced at that official: “The Empress acts for the world, and this official also acts for the world.”
He looked again at the Grand Tutor’s seal on the desk, and the imperial seal.
“This world is currently under this official’s authority. If I don’t speak now, perhaps later I won’t have the chance to speak.”