Chapter 617

First Volume, Chapter 617: The Grand Tutor Returns to Court

The Grand Tutor's sudden return to Beijing took everyone by surprise.

According to protocol, the Grand Tutor should have first reported to the Ministry of Personnel before entering the palace for an Imperial Audience; he should never have come straight to the Dali Temple.

Unless there was someone in the Dali Temple whom the Grand Tutor absolutely had to see.

Instantly, every pair of eyes in the room turned unconsciously toward Li Yong.

Could it be that Li Yong was not as isolated as he seemed—that the Grand Tutor's shadow loomed behind him?!

"The Grand Tutor arrives!"

Amid a loud, piercing announcement, a man in deep crimson official robes, with narrow eyes and a long beard, stepped into the Shen Xing Yuan DaTang.

The Grand Tutor was over fifty, yet his body remained robust, standing like an ancient pine, radiating the solemn dignity of a man at the pinnacle of power.

The Grand Tutor surveyed the room without expression; seeing Xie Bi kneeling on the ground, he bowed deeply, every gesture brimming with respect.

"During my absence from Beijing, I never imagined so much had happened—the Duke of Ning, the very backbone of Liang, has been thrown into prison? It breaks my heart."

The Grand Tutor and Xie Bi belonged to the same generation; in their youth, both had been pillars of Liang, and they had once shared personal ties.

Thus, the sorrow he showed at Xie Bi's unjust plight was unmistakably genuine.

Xie Bi gave a slight nod in return.

"I regret that I was unable to personally welcome you back, Grand Tutor. Once I have cleared my name, I shall come to your residence to apologize."

At these words, the Grand Tutor's expression darkened. He turned to Li Qian and Lin Taibao, his voice low and tinged with anger.

"So the Duke of Ning's suspicion has still not been cleared?"

"Master Cheng, though the Dali Temple has its own procedures, the accused is none other than the Duke of Ning—why has this case dragged on so long without resolution?"

The Grand Tutor spoke these words to the Minister of the Dali Temple, but his gaze locked onto Li Qian and Lin Taibao.

His eyes carried an unmistakable threat.

As if to tell them: as long as I am here, you will never be allowed to monopolize power and frame loyal ministers.

Li Qian's eyes were already hollow, slumped lifelessly in his chair.

Lin Taibao was no better; from the moment the Grand Tutor appeared, Lin Taibao's heart had turned to ice.

If only Lin Taibao had been the sole member of the Three Dukes in Beijing, only the Liang Emperor could have checked him.

But now, Lin Taibao's political goals aligned perfectly with those of the Liang Emperor.

In other words, with the Liang Emperor's backing, Lin Taibao had no rival—not even Qin Feng.

Without the Liang Emperor's restraint, Lin Taibao could fully exploit his authority and elevated status to coerce every department into serving his ends.

He had become a man who could cover the sky with one hand.

But now, the situation had changed drastically: the Grand Tutor's return meant another force, besides the Liang Emperor, now stood to check Lin Taibao.

And judging from the current situation, the Grand Tutor clearly sided with Qin Feng.

With the Grand Tutor's backing, Li Yong and Qin Feng—with his iron-fisted methods—had reached an unspoken understanding, complementing each other perfectly.

Li Qian and Lin Taibao could no longer shake either Qin Feng or Li Yong.

The Minister of the Dali Temple no longer hesitated. He rose at once and declared:

"After investigation, the case of Xie Bi's treason is proven to be a frame-up."

"I hereby declare Xie Bi innocent and release him!"

The Minister knew full well that the Grand Tutor's sudden appearance at the Dali Temple was not merely to clear Xie Bi's name.

It was aimed squarely at Li Qian and Lin Taibao.

As Minister of the Dali Temple, he needed to favor no side—only follow procedure.

His gaze swept over Li Qian and Lin Taibao, his voice sharp and resolute.

"Your Highness, Lin Taibao—you two, in your bid to crush political rivals and eliminate dissent, resorted to framing the Duke of Ning."

"According to the Great Liang Code, both of you are guilty of death penalty!"

"But Your Highness's noble status forbids me from passing sentence. Soldiers! Take Prince Li Qian into temporary custody and transfer him to the Zongzheng Temple!"

"As for Lin Taibao—evidence of framing a loyal minister is conclusive. Arrest him immediately!"

At these words, the Temple Soldiers surged forward, seizing Lin Taibao on either side and stripping off his official hat.

The enforcing soldiers barked: "Lin Taibao! Proceed to the Hou Tang—remove your official robes!"

Lin Taibao stared blankly at his fallen hat, as if waking from a grand dream.

Throughout the entire process, Lin Taibao offered no resistance—only sat there, dazed.

Perhaps the sudden fall from the heavens had drained him utterly.

Meanwhile, Li Qian, surrounded by soldiers, suddenly flushed crimson, his face ashen moments before.

He leapt to his feet, bloodshot eyes fixed on Li Yong, screaming hysterically:

"Brother Seven! You've played your part too well!"

"Today I lose, but I do not blame you—I blame only myself for not being ruthless enough!"

"I held back because of brotherly bonds—I never wanted to strike you from behind. Now I see: I offered my heart to the bright moon, yet the moon shone only on the ditch."

Saying this, Li Qian turned to Qin Feng.

His gaze held no hatred—only sorrow.

"Qin Feng, today you allied with Li Yong to bring me down—I do not blame you."

"But let me warn you: Li Yong has endured for years for the Crown Prince's seat, and when the moment came, he stabbed me without hesitation."

"If he can treat his own brother this way, he will treat you ten times worse!"

Qin Feng did not doubt the truth of Li Qian's words.

Man's plans are no match for Heaven's design; Qin Feng's greatest fear was the next ruler, like the Liang Emperor, knowing only the Hedging Art.

If he had to choose one ruler, Qin Feng would of course choose Li Qian!

Li Qian may not be a good man, but for Qin Feng, his threat level is far less than Li Yong's.

But Qin Feng had no choice but to side with Li Yong—after all, it was Li Qian who forced his hand.

All along, Qin Feng's intentions had never changed.

He only wanted to make money, take his family and friends along, eat well and drink well, and live a carefree, happy life.

Yet the various factions in Jingdu insisted on dragging him into the Shu Wei Zhi Zheng.

Whether Qin Feng fought for the Crown Prince or not was unimportant.

What mattered was whether, in the eyes of Li Qian and Li Yong, Qin Feng was suspected of fighting for it.

Clearly, both Princes adhered to the principle of "better to kill by mistake than let one go," and without distinguishing right from wrong, they dragged him into this most extreme vortex of self-interest.

For now, Qin Feng only wanted to end this power struggle as quickly as possible, take Xie Bi and leave Dali Temple, and go back to living his carefree life.

"Second His Highness, thank you for the reminder."

"I'll give you a word in return."

"I, Qin Feng—past, present, or even future—will never be interested in the fight for Authority."

"I only grew stronger out of necessity, just to survive."

"Whoever provokes me, I will spare no effort to make them pay a hundredfold!"

These words were not only a gift to Li Qian.

They were also a reminder to Li Yong that he did not like being schemed against and used. If Li Yong, after gaining power, wanted to repeat the old path of Li Qian and the Liang Emperor—

He would absolutely not submit easily, and would only make today's scene play out once again!