"Brother He, what do you an by this? Have you thrown your lot in with the Second Prince?" He Jisheng’s eyes sparkled sharply; he felt Yin Kun might very well already be part of the Second Prince’s faction.
Yin Kun imdiately realized He Jisheng’s misunderstanding, "Not at all, it’s rely a matter of discussing things as they are!"
However, He Jisheng remained skeptical, his eyes filled with suspicion, causing Gu Chengyu to furrow his brow tightly.
Could it be that Brother He has already sided with the Eldest Prince? Perhaps he’s here to probe the First Brother’s intentions.
"Jinyu! What do you think?" He Jisheng shifted his gaze to Gu Chengyu, who was closely connected with the teacher and First Brother, potentially having aligned their objectives long ago.
As for the Second Brother, he wasn’t too concerned. The Second Brother was rather diocre, and without the help of the old madam from the Wu Mansion, he might have long been eaten up without a trace.
Besides, based on how he refuted the teacher just now, it seed he hadn’t chosen a side yet.
"Ahem! Third Brother, I think the teacher’s words are not without reason; the Second Prince is, after all, the legitimate son! Yet, should the Emperor decide to appoint the Eldest Prince as Crown Prince, it would also be possible, since the Eldest Prince is quite formidable."
He Jisheng sneered, clearly dismissing Gu Chengyu’s statent with disdain.
It seems this junior either isn’t living up to his reputation or simply doesn’t wish to speak the truth to him; who is he trying to deceive with such words?
"Junior, speaking this way is pointless. There are no outsiders here, are you still wary of your senior brothers?"
He Jisheng’s mocking expression caused Liang Zhirui to frown.
Liang Zhirui was just about to speak when Gu Chengyu took over the conversation, "Third Brother, it is not that I’m wary of the senior brothers, but I’ve only recently entered the court and am not yet clear on the current situation, so I may not be able to make an accurate judgnt. If I misled the senior brothers, wouldn’t that be my fault?"
Gu Chengyu didn’t want the relationship between Liang Zhirui and He Jisheng to beco further strained, so he offered a slight explanation to avoid difficulty for the teacher.
"Surely all you senior brothers have unique insights, and I, as a junior, can only listen and will undoubtedly benefit greatly."
Gu Chengyu was no less adept than others at speaking formally.
At this point, even if He Jisheng still felt dissatisfied, he couldn’t continue targeting Gu Chengyu, or else the other senior brothers might beco displeased with him.
"Brothers, we belong to the sa sect; we should be helping each other. The junior feels we should reach a consensus on the issue of appointing the Crown Prince to avoid future conflicts that could harm the bond between brothers."
He Jisheng smiled, looking at the two brothers, and spoke with apparent sincerity.
But he gave Gu Chengyu one last glance, seeing him savoring tea, which left him sowhat displeased.
If it weren’t for that certain person insisting on involving the brothers, he wouldn’t have co here today to face resentnt.
It’s obvious that when he ca, discussions on court matters were suddenly guarded, were they not wary of him?
In fact, how could he not know that person’s intentions? Firstly, it was because of Yin Kun’s position in the bureaucracy, but also because of Gu Chengyu.
Indeed, he thought that person intended to bring the currently Standard Sixth Rank Gu Chengyu into their camp.
That person had repeatedly said in front of him that Gu Chengyu was profound in his sches and capable of great things.
If Gu Chengyu could be brought over, it would be like adding wings to a tiger; would there still be a worry about not reaching that position in the future?
Initially, there were only hints, but later, seeing no action was taken, the other day it was an outright order to bring Gu Chengyu into their faction.
Yet, it was lantable that he and Gu Chengyu rely had surface-level interactions before, and when Gu Chengyu was in trouble, he offered no assistance, not even through any connections.
This matter made the teacher quite displeased with him, although he didn’t show it, he felt the teacher had beco much colder than before.
Whenever the brothers gathered, he always felt out of place.
With the relationship like this, how could Gu Chengyu possibly listen to him and join that person’s faction?
Thinking about it now, He Jisheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of powerlessness.
The room suddenly fell into silence, with no one willing to speak.
Liang Zhirui sighed quietly, thinking these were ultimately his students, so he spoke up first to break the silence.
"Liying! Have you already joined the faction of a certain Prince?"
Liang Zhirui’s question struck He Jisheng with a jolt. Had the teacher heard so news, knowing he had joined that faction?
"Teacher, what do you an by that? Had the student already chosen a side, I would have reported it earlier, not kept it hidden till today."
He Jisheng’s gaze flickered, ultimately not speaking the truth.
Liang Zhirui absolutely did not believe He Jisheng’s words; this third disciple must have co today to test their intentions.
"Liying, since we’re student and teacher, I’ll speak plainly with you; have you joined the Eldest Prince’s faction?"
Liang Zhirui didn’t want to beat around the bush; he wanted to persuade He Jisheng.
He had discussed the appointnt of the Crown Prince with Gu Chengyu several tis before, and like him, Gu Chengyu favored the Second Prince.
He trusted Gu Chengyu’s judgnt, as Gu Chengyu had a unique knack for discerning people’s thoughts, not to ntion his intelligence and capability.
In fact, Gu Chengyu had already hinted at his choice earlier, but He Jisheng, not understanding Gu Chengyu and being inherently suspicious, insisted on Gu Chengyu explicitly stating it before believing.
"Ah? Ah!" At first startled, He Jisheng then let his eyes flash and eventually replied affirmatively.
Gu Chengyu observed his expression, closing his eyes slightly to conceal his surprise—did he really choose that one?
"When did this happen?" Liang Zhirui fixed his gaze on He Jisheng, speaking urgently.
It took He Jisheng a mont to answer, "Just about half a year ago."
His left hand circled the thumb ring once, then stopped again.
Gu Chengyu gave him a glance, then shifted his gaze back to his teacup.
Today wasn’t likely to yield any results; the previous conversations were aningless. He Jisheng, accusing them of dishonesty, but what about himself?
Wasn’t he also concealing the truth? Could one expect honesty from others without being honest oneself?
"Teacher, have you already decided on the Second Prince?"
He Jisheng ceased discussing the Eldest Prince; he needed to ascertain this matter, or else there would be no explanation when he returned.
"Third Brother, none of us have chosen a side yet! The Emperor’s health has already improved, and the juniors serve only the Emperor."
Gu Chengyu had expressed his stance; he didn’t want to choose a side during such uncertain tis.
The other two brothers also expressed their intentions, saying they hadn’t made up their minds yet and needed more ti to observe.
"Junior, as you know, the Emperor will eventually appoint a Crown Prince. Furthermore, the Emperor is nearing sixty; the junior should plan early!"
He Jisheng’s words were quite sincere; if the Emperor were in his pri, there’d be no need to rush.
It’s a pity that the Emperor is already advanced in age; how many more years could he sit on the Dragon Throne? Everyone understood this; it’s just that no one dared to say it outright.
Gu Chengyu smiled and shook his head; it seed He Jisheng ca today as a lobbyist.
Unfortunately, he seed to have reservations, keeping things hidden and probing continuously; it can only be said that birds of a feather flock together!
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