Chapter 15: Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's Heartbreak

A few days later, the Crown Prince, using the pretext of seeking instruction on the profound mysteries of the I Ching, invited Lord Lu to stop by the Eastern Palace after court adjourned the following day to resolve his doubts.

Lord Lu suspected nothing, agreed, and arrived at the Eastern Palace the next day as promised.

Unexpectedly, not long after the lecture on the I Ching began, the Crown Prince steered the conversation to the matter of the imperial seal and even provided a concrete price quote, detailed down to the single digit, leaving him astounded!

Having navigated the officialdom for so long, Lord Lu also suffered from the paranoia common among officials!

Fearing the Crown Prince had already infiltrated the Ministry of Works with spies, he dared not argue, immediately knelt, bowed his head in apology, and admitted that the amount the Crown Prince possessed was indeed true, down to the last coin!

Seeing Lord Lu kneel and answer thus, the Crown Prince was instantly stunned!

He truly never expected that the amount Jiang Jiang Mingyu had uncovered in less than half a month was absolutely accurate!

"Eighteen thousand taels, minus seven thousand two hundred thirty-six taels, leaves ten thousand seven hundred sixty-four taels..."

The Crown Prince's face darkened, and he asked sternly, "Where did this money... go?"

"Replying to Your Highness, this subject..."

Lord Lu was seen kneeling on the ground, not daring to lift his head, stammering, "The main officials handling the Ministry of Works, eighteen in total from top to bottom... including this humble subject, each received five hundred ninety-eight taels!"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince suddenly understood!

He spoke plainly, "A common household's annual income is merely thirty-three taels; and you lot, with a single stroke of your hand, nearly six hundred taels enter your accounts. This deal... is very profitable!"

After mocking and ridiculing Lord Lu, the Crown Prince did not intend to investigate further, for he also understood the principle that clear water harbors no fish.

After all, three feet of ice does not form in a single day; pursuing this matter to severely punish corrupt officials would not only involve many people but also embarrass the Emperor, benefiting no one; if not handled well, even the Crown Prince's own position might not be safe!

Finally, the Crown Prince made this incident a sword of Damocles hanging over Lord Lu's head, making him wholeheartedly serve him, becoming the most loyal and reliable member of the Crown Prince's faction.

Lord Lu's transformation was also reflected in the classroom. His attitude toward teaching the Crown Prince was clearly different from before, becoming gentle, respectful, and humble!

Forming a stark contrast with the strict attitudes of Prime Minister He and Prime Minister Mei; even Jiang Jiang Mingyu, who was not good at reading the air, could sense the difference.

After entering summer, the weather grew gradually hotter; before the Dragon Boat Festival, officials had already automatically changed into summer robes.

Butler Lord Murong had two brand-new summer court robes custom-made for Jiang Jiang Mingyu; they were still the Grade 8 green robes, but compared to the winter court robes, they were obviously much lighter and thinner, and very breathable, though a plain undergarment was required inside, otherwise outsiders could see right through them at a glance.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu arrived at the court and saw that most officials had already changed into summer robes.

Red robes paired with red undergarments, blue robes paired with blue undergarments; although there was no written regulation, once established by custom, it became an unwritten rule of the court.

In today's court, a new face appeared, a young official Jiang Jiang Mingyu had never seen before.

Judging by his age, he was comparable to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, perhaps slightly older; his fair skin and the pair of grey-green eyes beneath his thick eyebrows were typical features of a Western Region person.

His high nose bridge and slightly thin red lips also displayed strong Hu ethnic bloodline.

More importantly, his thick, jet-black long hair and the small beard beneath his chin were all marks distinguishing Hu people from those of the Central Plains.

In the eyes of the ancients, handsome men mostly had thick, jet-black long hair, fair complexions, and high nose bridges.

He possessed all three; hair like ink, skin like snow, nose straight as a pine branch. Adding a pair of bright eyes and lips red as rouge, nothing failed to conform to ancient aesthetics.

Listening to his accent, it had a distinct Hu tone; eighty percent likely from beyond the passes. He wore a blue court robe, embroidered with egrets and clouds on the vest, and the cuffs were decorated with white woolen thread.

This court robe was quite exquisite, the fabric also of superior quality, with a rank above Jiang Jiang Mingyu, possibly between Grade 5 or Grade 6.

After court adjourned, the Crown Prince sent a messenger to tell Jiang Jiang Mingyu to go to the Eastern Palace.

In the afternoon, Jiang Jiang Mingyu came to the Eastern Palace alone; as per custom, if nothing unexpected happened, he would have to finish his meal at the Eastern Palace tonight before returning home.

Following the wind's footsteps, Jiang Jiang Mingyu arrived at the Eastern Palace's rear garden; at this time, the Crown Prince was sitting in the pavilion by the pond.

Sitting with the Crown Prince in the pavilion was also that strange official met in court that morning; like Jiang Jiang Mingyu, he had come directly to the Eastern Palace after court adjourned to meet the Crown Prince.

But awkwardly, that person was wearing only a single blue summer court robe, without a matching undergarment; one could see the thin, cicada-wing-like blue summer robe could hardly conceal his body; the nipples on his chest and the muscle lines were faintly visible, appearing and disappearing! Although everyone present was a man, seeing it, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but feel a bit embarrassed.

"Jiang Xingqiu, you're here! This King will introduce you..." the Crown Prince said excitedly, "Jiang Xingqiu, this is 'Lord Murong Murong Yunhai', courtesy name Duanmu."

"Murong Yunhai, this is 'Jiang Jiang Mingyu', 'Jiang Jiang Xingqiu', the current Crown Prince's attendant reader."

Upon hearing him say "Lord Murong Murong Yunhai", Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately remembered, he was the former Crown Prince's attendant reader.

Once the Crown Prince finished the introduction, Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Lord Murong Murong Yunhai both clasped their hands and bowed, thus acknowledging each other.

The Crown Prince: "Murong Yunhai was originally the magistrate of Xueying County in Sifeng Circuit; he had not even been in office for a year before unfortunately suffering his father's death! Today he has returned to the capital to report on his duties, exactly to hand over the work. Next... Murong Yunhai must return to his native place to observe mourning for three years."

"May I ask Lord Lord Murong... where is your native place?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked.

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai: "This official is not a person of the Central Plains, but from Yasmo Regional Military Commissioner beyond the passes, of the Yin Si tribe."

"Murong Yunhai is a northerner; during these three dog days... the midsummer season, the heat is stifling..." the Crown Prince explained opportunistically, "I asked Murong Yunhai to remove his undergarment, which made him feel much cooler."

Having finished speaking, the Crown Prince also signaled to Jiang Jiang Mingyu that he might as well remove his undergarment for greater comfort.

But Jiang Jiang Mingyu did not agree, saying he was a southerner and less afraid of the heat, feeling that the current weather was not too hot for him, and thus politely refused to remove his undergarment.

The Crown Prince did not force him, but instead invited the two to drink wine and compose poetry together. Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Lord Murong Murong Yunhai accompanied the Crown Prince, playing by the pond pavilion until nightfall; finally, they simply held a banquet in the pavilion and dined together.

Although Lord Murong Murong Yunhai interacted with Jiang Jiang Mingyu occasionally, it was not warm.

During the meal, the Crown Prince also made several attempts, deliberately trying to bring Lord Murong Murong Yunhai and Jiang Jiang Mingyu closer.

The honest and simple Jiang Jiang Mingyu also went along with the Crown Prince's wishes, attempting to communicate with Lord Murong Murong Yunhai.

But Lord Murong Murong Yunhai consistently kept a deliberate distance from Jiang Jiang Mingyu; even after the three had drunk several pots of white wine until their faces were already flushed red with drunkenness, their words did not match, and the atmosphere could not heat up, simply could not heat up.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought: Perhaps Lord Lord Murong is suffering from the grief of his father's death, causing his low spirits; the purpose of this banquet by the Crown Prince was likely to comfort him.

Since Lord Murong Murong Yunhai was not a capital official and had no residence in the capital, as per custom, he could lodge at the Hanlin Academy.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu originally intended to visit Lord Murong Murong Yunhai to inquire about more details regarding the work of the Crown Prince's attendant reader, but after Butler Lord Murong searched and reported back, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai was not lodging at the Hanlin Academy!

Thus, Jiang Jiang Mingyu also inquired around on his own, and finally learned from Feng'er that for several days, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai had been staying at the Eastern Palace, going nowhere.

Three days before the Dragon Boat Festival, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai suddenly came to Jiang Jiang Mingyu's residence to pay a visit!

Jiang Jiang Mingyu originally wanted to keep Lord Murong Murong Yunhai and even planned to hold a banquet to entertain him, but Lord Murong Murong Yunhai did not wish to stay too long, citing the need to observe mourning as a reason, and had to hurry back beyond the passes.

Although Jiang Jiang Mingyu was not good at reading the air, anyone could see Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's low spirits at this moment.

His haggard face and the sorrowful tone he could not hide were silently telling of the sorrow within his heart.

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai took Jiang Jiang Mingyu's hand, then gently let it go; this gesture was full of an indescribable melancholy.

He clearly had words he wanted to say, but they remained stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken for a long time. This strange behavior left Jiang Jiang Mingyu completely baffled, utterly unable to understand Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's intentions.

It was the butler Zhang nearby who quickly saw through the situation.

He spoke to comfort Lord Lord Murong, saying, "My lord Lord Murong, you may return home to mourn your father in peace; regarding the Crown Prince's affairs, you need not worry, everything remains as usual, serene and at ease."

Hearing this, Lord Lord Murong finally set his mind at ease, turned, and left Jiangfu, striding away with long strides.

Afterwards, butler Zhang told Jiang Jiang Mingyu that Lord Lord Murong had originally been close to the Crown Prince; learning the Crown Prince had a new attendant reader made him feel distressed; coupled with the grief of his father's death, he felt even more sorrowful!

Butler Zhang phrased his words very tactfully, but Jiang Jiang Mingyu heard but did not understand; he even naively believed that Lord Lord Murong's sorrow was due to his father's death, having absolutely nothing to do with the appearance of him, this newly appointed attendant reader.

In his past life, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was merely an ordinary university student who had not yet stepped into society.

His understanding of human affairs was shallow, and he knew nothing of hidden meanings; this naivety might be his greatest trouble, but it was also precisely his most endearing quality.