"Your Highness, we..."
Hearing the flustered voices of Hong Wan and Zi Yun and seeing their drenched hair, Lu Mingyuan realized it would be awkward for them to receive a guest. He imdiately gave an order:
"I will attend to Miss Qi. You two may go inside."
"Yes."
The two won curtsied, their faces flushing red as they held up their skirts and hurried inside.
Lu Mingyuan stepped forward and opened the door. He imdiately saw a woman in a simple, elegant green dress standing on the stone steps outside. Her clothes were unadorned. Her hair was styled in a graceful, low-hanging bun, fastened with a silver flower hairpin. Since the door had taken a while to open, she had been observing her surroundings, her gaze sweeping over every plant and tree. Only when the main gate swung open did her beautiful eyes turn toward him.
It was Qi Muxue, whom he had not seen in days.
As she turned to look at him, Lu Mingyuan felt as if all the vibrant blossoms and lush, green trees in the world had suddenly lost their luster in her presence.
’I’m no country bumpkin who’s never seen the world,’ he thought. ’In my past life, technology was so advanced that plastic surgery, makeup, and photo editing could transform any ordinary person into a beauty rivaling a Celestial Immortal. With monthly social events, I went to plenty of clubs and bars. I’d seen my fair share of beauties. While I can’t say for sure that this woman is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, her kind of breathtaking, classical beauty is absolutely sothing no girl from the flashy modern era could ever possess.’
"Miss Qi! What brings you all the way to my humble courtyard?"
Lu Mingyuan smiled in greeting, but his heart pounded nervously as he couldn’t help but wonder.
’Did Mother really manage to talk Qi Muxue into this?’
’Is she here to marry ?’
"Ever since my father was dismissed as Pri Minister and resigned his post as Mountain Master, rumors have spread among the common folk, accusing him of plotting a rebellion. I am determined to clear his na. After investigating for several days, I’ve found so clues that are related to you, Your Highness."
Qi Muxue got straight to the point, her expression calm as she spoke.
Hearing her words, Lu Mingyuan knew at once.
’I was getting ahead of myself.’
Qi Muxue glanced around the courtyard. "This isn’t a good place to talk. Let’s go inside."
"Uh... it’s being cleaned inside. Let’s just talk here in the courtyard."
Lu Mingyuan blurted out an excuse and gestured toward the stone seats.
"Very well."
Qi Muxue nodded and took a step forward.
Walking behind her, Lu Mingyuan noticed up close how tall she was—nearly as tall as a man, and only half a head shorter than him. Her fra was long and slender, with a willow-thin waist.
"Please, have a seat, Miss Qi. What exactly were these clues you ntioned?"
Lu Mingyuan sat on a stone seat, poured her a cup of tea, and asked curiously,
"I recall you saying that night that you rarely concern yourself with matters of the Court, and are instead devoted wholeheartedly to teaching."
Qi Muxue shook her head, a complex look in her eyes. "The reason I avoid Court matters is because I worry they will interfere with my pursuit of the Confucian Dao."
"But I am the Pri Minister’s daughter. Though I wish to remain uninvolved, it’s not so easy. Before, with my father in his position, I feared nothing. But now, the Eldest Prince’s faction has crumbled. My father was not only dismissed, but he has been bedridden with a grave illness for three days. I’ve been affected as well; Shengjing Academy has dismissed from my post as a scholar. The one who must now support the Qi Family is , so I cannot simply sit by and do nothing."
"And hopefully, I can help my father recover."
After listening to her lengthy explanation, Lu Mingyuan grew even more curious, a perplexed look in his eyes. "Why are you telling all this, Miss Qi? We’ve only t twice."
Qi Muxue’s gaze was piercing. "A Gentleman is judged by his actions, not his heart. A person’s true character is seen in what they do, not in the thoughts they express. Even though we have only t twice, I can see the kind of person you are, Your Highness."
"Oh?"
Lu Mingyuan was genuinely surprised.
Of all the people he had ever t, only Qi Muxue was different. She was the only one who didn’t look at him with prejudice.
She didn’t believe the rumors or listen to hearsay; instead, she observed him carefully.
Only then did she form a judgnt.
’A person like that is a true Gentleman.’
Lu Mingyuan chuckled. "And what have I done to earn that? Isn’t my long list of misdeeds enough for you to judge by?"
Qi Muxue replied earnestly, "Sixth Prince, I used my father’s old connections at the Drumming Institute to look into your case files. I discovered that they were tampered with. The original case, the one accusing you of assaulting a commoner, was orchestrated by the Fifth Prince, Lu Mingkong. He deliberately arranged for a girl from a brothel to be with you, then went back on his word and had her accuse you. It was, as the common folk say, an Immortal Jump."
The Drumming Institute, unlike the other two major institutes, was primarily staffed by Confucian Scholars recruited by the Court. In addition to collecting suggestions from the common people of Great Yan and hearing the grievances of scholars, it had another crucial duty: to right injustices. Anyone who had been wronged, be they a Prince or a commoner, could strike the drum to plead their case. A Gentleman would then preside over the matter, using their Vast Energy to pass judgnt.
Lu Mingyuan was truly taken aback. ’This woman actually went and investigated .’
’Don’t tell she’s trying to clear my na?’
Qi Muxue continued, "As for your frequenting of brothels, that cannot be used as a standard to judge a person. As the saying goes, a Gentleman is judged by his actions, not his heart. If we were to judge by the heart alone, there would be no true Gentlen in the world. The principle is the sa."
Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but laugh. "Miss Qi, you truly live up to your title as a Female Scholar. When you defend soone, you’re so eloquent and full of sound reasoning. You really ought to be a Litigation Master."
"We are getting sidetracked."
Qi Muxue took a small sip from her teacup.
"I’m not saying all this to defend you, Your Highness. Rather, it’s because I’ve discovered that my father’s dismissal and the fall of the Eldest Prince’s faction both seem to be connected to the Second Prince."
Her words were a wake-up call for Lu Mingyuan.
’I really haven’t heard anything about what the Second Prince has been up to.’
’All I knew was that the Eldest Prince had thrown him in prison, but he was apparently released later. He never made an appearance from start to finish, as if nothing had happened at all.’
’Thinking about it now, it is strange.’
’First, there was the case with the Demoness of the Demon Kingdom, then the palace coup.’
’Lu Changfeng was the one who lost out, while Lu Guangjing reaped all the rewards. And yet, nothing bad happened to him. He took every advantage for himself.’
"What did you discover, Miss Qi?" Lu Mingyuan asked.
Qi Muxue replied earnestly, "As the Eldest Prince’s teacher, my father often strategized with him at the Academy. I would frequently overhear bits and pieces about the Second Prince, though I never paid them any mind. But after what my father told the day before yesterday, I now realize it was very likely the Second Prince who was scheming against my father. And he was scheming against you, too."
"My second brother... scheming against ?"
Lu Mingyuan mused on this, though he was already ntally prepared for such a possibility.
’I was controlled by Witchcraft and thrown into prison, without ever knowing who was pulling the strings.’
’Plus, when I was first sent to the Cold Palace, Lu Mingkong ca to probe . Sothing felt off even then.’
’Only now, with Qi Muxue and Qi Xingyan’s confirmation, could I be certain that the Second Prince was the most likely culprit.’
’But for Qi Muxue to take such a huge risk, revealing what she learned from Elder Mr. Qi...’
’What is her goal?’
Lu Mingyuan finished his thought, then raised his eyes to et hers, probing, "You’ve said so much. So, are you trying to exonerate the Eldest Prince?"
’If it could be proven that the Second Prince was behind the incidents with the Demoness of the Demon Kingdom, the palace coup, and the forged imperial edict, then the Eldest Prince would be the one to benefit. His na would be cleared, and he’d be released from the Cold Palace.’
"No. I just want justice for my father."
"My father chose not to remain at the Confucian Temple. Instead, he chose to enter service under the Great Yan Dynasty to benefit the people. He did it because he wanted to make a difference in this prosperous age, hoping every scholar in the land might achieve greatness. Seeing him in his current state... it pains ."
Qi Muxue rested her forehead in her hand, lost in thought, her fair and lovely face tinged with sorrow.
Students of the Confucian Temple can be found all over the Central Plains. Beyond the Great Yan Dynasty, there is the Great Frost Dynasty, and the small southern nation of Nan Zhou—predecessor to the Great Zhou Dynasty. With so many nations, there are many places for a scholar to find a position.
Lu Mingyuan’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious.
"I advise you not to do this, Miss Qi."
"Why?"
Qi Muxue was taken aback, looking at the Sixth Prince, whose expression was nothing like his usual self.
Lu Mingyuan said coolly, "This justice you seek is not easily won. In fact, you won’t win it at all. You’d be risking your life at every turn. Miss Qi, you may be an expert at teaching, but you are inexperienced in the ways of the Court. My maternal grandfather is the new Pri Minister, and he once told sothing."
’At a critical mont like this, I have to bring up my grandfather to add so weight to my words.’
"The struggle for succession is perilous beyond imagination. One careless misstep, and you’ll be drawn in, dood beyond redemption. This isn’t just a fight among Princes; it’s a battle between the various Immortal Cave Heaven factions and the Three Religions."
"Miss Qi, even though you are descended from a Confucian Saint, a thousand years have passed. If you look at the classics, you’ll see that Saints have never interfered in the affairs of mortal Human Dynasties. The power backing the Second Prince is no less than what the Eldest Prince had. If you provoke them, it will lead to the worst possible outco."
"Didn’t the Venerable Sage of Ren you all admire say, ’A Gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall’? He was teaching us to act within our limits and never place ourselves in a dangerous position."
Qi Muxue was taken aback. She never expected the rumored profligate Prince to be capable of articulating such sound reasoning.
"So what you an, Your Highness, is that a Gentleman should not intervene?"
"Precisely."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"You have a point."
Qi Muxue seed to have an epiphany. After a mont’s thought, she gave a self-deprecating smile. "Even though I have reached the Sixth Realm of the Confucian Dao and beco a Confucian Scholar, the Seventh Realm of the Gentleman still feels impossibly distant. It’s because my heart is weighed down by too many attachnts, holding back my progress. The Dao of a Saint is one of anonymity and fearlessness. A true Saint faces all the suffering in the world without a trace of fear, even if the sky is falling, even if their reputation is destroyed. I am far from achieving that, let alone becoming a Gentleman."
"It seems I must continue my studies."
"Thank you, Your Highness. Your words have awakened from my dream."
Did Qi Muxue truly not know how dangerous the battlefield of the Court was?
No, she knew. But as a scholar, she lived by the principle that jade can be shattered but not stained, and bamboo can be burned but not broken. She simply could not accept such a grim reality.
"Your Highness, we’ve changed our clothes."
At this mont, Hong Wan and Zi Yun walked out of the house, having changed into new dresses.
Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan took the opportunity to extend his hand and say: "Miss Qi, why don’t you co inside and sit for a while."
"Alright."
Qi Muxue nodded slightly.
Hong Wan, at the door, saw the woman in green, and her eyes couldn’t help but widen.
After the two passed by her, she whispered to Zi Yun:
"Isn’t that Qi Muxue, the most talented woman in the Imperial Capital? What is she doing here with His Highness?"
Qi Muxue, in the eyes of all the won in the Imperial Capital, was like an idol.
She had a Mastery of music, poetry, painting, and composition—indeed, all the scholarly arts. Her knowledge was profound, her status was Transcendent, and she was a Doctor of the Book House at the Imperial College.
"It seems she and His Highness are acquainted."
Zi Yun, however, seed unfazed.
But Hong Wan was baffled. "With His Highness’s personality, how could those two possibly find anything to talk about?"
...
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