Chapter 124 – Imperial Academy

Hulu Street, Fuzhao Courtyard.

The morning air was still cold, frost had coated the eaves outside, yet inside, Ye Beizhi sat bare-chested with his clothes laid aside.

Chi Nanwei moved a chair next to him, carefully unwrapping the bandages around his wound.

"Granny Yu wants us to go to her house for lunch," Chi Nanwei said as she continued unwrapping the bandages.

"

Hmm

?" Ye Beizhi tilted his head and looked at Chi Nanwei.

Chi Nanwei shrugged and said, "Granny Yu already went grocery shopping early this morning, so we can't refuse."

Ye Beizhi lifted his arm to make it easier for Chi Nanwei to remove the bandage. "We've gone to her house three times already these past few days..."

"

Hai

, I know." Chi Nanwei pouted. "Granny Yu's son, that guy Su Yi, hasn't been home for dinner for several days. Actually, she probably doesn't like being alone all the time either."

"Su Yi?" Ye Beizhi turned his head to look at Chi Nanwei.

"Yeah, I think they said he got promoted again, so he's busy with official duties or something." Chi Nanwei removed the last loop of the bandage and tossed it aside.

With the bandage removed, the ugly scar underneath was exposed. The wound had already started to scab over, and in some places, fresh pink skin could be seen.

Chi Nanwei took out a new roll of bandages from the medicine box, cut off a long strip with scissors, applied some medicine to Ye Beizhi's wound, and rewrapped it.

"Alright... give it a few more days, and it'll heal completely," Chi Nanwei said. She picked up the clothes beside him and helped Ye Beizhi put them on.

Ye Beizhi stood up, stretched a bit, and started walking toward the door. Before stepping out, he turned back to Chi Nanwei and said, "Head over a bit earlier at noon... help Granny Yu out."

"I know what to do, no need for you to remind me." Chi Nanwei smiled at Ye Beizhi.

Ye Beizhi nodded and then walked out of Fuzhao Courtyard.

"Hey, Dummy!" Just as Ye Beizhi was about to leave the courtyard, Chi Nanwei called out from behind.

"

Hmm

?" Ye Beizhi turned around to see Chi Nanwei leaning against the doorframe, looking at him.

"You..." Chi Nanwei bit her lip, hesitating to say more. "You better come back soon."

"Alright."

Ye Beizhi blinked and, without another word, turned to leave.

Just as Ye Beizhi's figure was about to turn the corner, Chi Nanwei hurried to the courtyard gate and shouted after him, "You... you better not go and find the External Prime Minister again!"

Ye Beizhi paused and stopped but didn't turn back. After a long while, he nodded and disappeared around the bend, out of Chi Nanwei's line of sight.

Chi Nanwei stared in the direction Ye Beizhi left, biting her lip, eyes filled with a mix of worry and helplessness. After a long moment, she turned and went back into Fuzhao Courtyard.

***

The Imperial Palace, Imperial Academy.

Su Yi, dressed in his crane-embroidered official robes, was seated at a table in the Imperial Academy Hall. Across the table from him sat the Crown Prince, Chen Xun.

The Imperial Academy Hall was where the imperial book collection was stored. Since Su Yi's promotion to the role of Crown Prince's tutor, he often came here to give Chen Xun private lessons.

During most days, the Crown Prince still had to attend classes at the Hanlin Academy, studying alongside the sons of other royal and noble families.

Originally, Su Yi no longer needed to serve as a Hanlin scholar at the Hanlin Academy. Chief Cao had intended for him to rest at home and only focus on teaching the Crown Prince in the future, but Su Yi refused and requested a teaching position so he could continue teaching the other students as well.

Whenever he had free time, he would come to the palace to give private lessons to the crown prince. After the initial adjustment period, Chen Xun’s impression of this teacher had changed considerably.

The sharp opposition from the beginning had eased. The Crown Prince found this man named Su Yi had stories that were interesting. At least they weren’t like the dull Four Books and Five Classics lectures that put him to sleep.

"Su Yi, Su Yi? Hey!"

A raised voice brought Su Yi back to his senses.

It turned out Chen Xun had noticed Su Yi was distracted and couldn’t help but call out to him.

"What is it?" Su Yi opened his eyes wide, looking somewhat dazed as he turned to face the crown prince across from him.

Little Chen Xun blinked curiously and leaned in. "Su Yi... what are you thinking about?"

Su Yi glared at him, picked up a golden ruler from the table, and waved it. "Show some respect! Refer to me as your teacher!"

Chen Xun was not to be outdone and glared right back. "No way! What kind of teacher spaces out during a lesson?"

Su Yi was momentarily speechless.

Little Chen Xun, like a victorious general, shook his head and said, "Careful, or I’ll tell my father and have him punish you.

Hmph

! You’ll be in trouble then!"

Su Yi shook his head helplessly, then suddenly seemed to remember something. His eyes shifted as he tried to act casual as he asked, "Speaking of your father, did you hear if there’s going to be a war?"

Chen Xun, being a child, had his attention diverted immediately. "Of course I know! I’m well aware!"

"Oh? You’re well aware?" Su Yi looked at Chen Xun with disbelief. "I’m not talking about the usual little border skirmishes..."

"Hah, of course I know!" Chen Xun became anxious, thinking that his teacher didn't believe him. "My father scolded Minister Qi for a long time because of it!"

"Minister Qi?" Su Yi furrowed his brow slightly. "You mean...the External Prime Minister?"

"Yes." Chen Xun nodded. "Minister Qi proposed the plan for this war, and initially, my father was very opposed to it. It wasn’t until Grandpa Fan came to persuade him that my father finally relented."

Su Yi knew he had reached a critical point and couldn’t help but get excited. "What exactly is the plan?!"

Chen Xun was startled by Su Yi's intensity but still replied, "I think...I think it’s something like using three refugee towns near the border desert as bait to trap the Northern Qiang's barbarian army inside..."

"Refugee towns at the border..." As an official in the court, Su Yi was quite familiar with the geography of his country, but the young prince's vague explanation left him unable to grasp the details of the plan.

Su Yi furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before he asked the key question. "What will happen to the people in those three towns?"

Speaking of this, even little Chen Xun couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

"According to Minister Qi's original plan, the towns must have their civilians... Only then can the Northern Qiang army be lured into the trap—"

"What?!" Su Yi slammed the table, his eyes wide with shock and fury. "How dare Qi Zongbi do such a thing?!"

"But my father didn’t agree." Chen Xun rested his chin on his hand. "He ordered Minister Qi to disguise soldiers as civilians and send them into the towns in batches, replacing the real civilians... But why are you so worried? Military matters aren't your responsibility."

Su Yi let out a breath in relief and sat back down again. "So that's how it is..."

However, his brow could not relax. He felt troubled and uneasy. There had to be more to it