Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 483 He understands the importance of progress.
Ganquan Palace.

After retiring, Xiao Yan lived in Ganquan Palace outside Luoyang City, and continued to use the etiquette of an emperor in his daily life.

However, Xiao Yan's retirement life did not become peaceful as a result.

Even if he were not emperor, he was still a writer, calligrapher, and poet, well-versed in the essence of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. His achievements were so high that few in his time could match them. Scholars of the Northern Dynasties often sought to meet him but could not, and even spent thousands of gold coins to obtain literary manuscripts written by Xiao Yan.

Simply put, even if the Luoyang court did not allocate funds to Xiao Yan's Ganquan Palace, the Ganquan Palace could be completely self-sufficient in its daily expenses, and even have more than enough to cover them.

Ganquan Palace was not large. Compared with the imperial palace in Luoyang, it was at most the size of one of its main halls, not to mention the size of the imperial palace in Jiankang.

However, the area around Ganquan Palace is scenic, with mountains and water, and the palace is surrounded by dozens of acres of land to provide for the daily expenses of the palace staff living there.

Yuan Ji, carrying freshly picked fruits and vegetables, walked along the corridor of the palace with two palace maids.

Upon arriving at Xiao Yan's secluded retreat, they met Xiao Bing, who was guarding the gate, and the latter shook his head slightly.

When Yuan Ji saw Xiao Bing, her breathing became rapid. She lowered her head, knowing that Xiao Yan had not finished reciting the sutra. She stopped outside the hall, but she couldn't help but steal glances at Xiao Bing, who was standing straight not far away.

This imperial garden was not decorated with many luxurious ornaments, but was instead full of pastoral charm.

The scenery inside and outside the palace is gentle and warm, so even after a long wait, one will not feel monotonous or tired.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yan finished his meditation and was discovered by Yuan Ji, who then led her entourage into the palace.

"Your Majesty, these were just picked."

Emperor Xiao Yan treated all palace servants equally, both in Jiankang and Luoyang.

"Good work!"

Xiao Yan picked up a slice of cucumber, chewed it slightly, and immediately felt a refreshing coolness in his mouth. He nodded unconsciously.

After the meal, Yuan Ji left, and Xiao Bing entered and bowed.

"Your Majesty, someone outside the palace requests an audience!"

"who?"

"Zu Ting of the Zu family of Fanyang!"

After listening, Xiao Yan said leisurely:

"We are all just travelers in the world of troubles, so why should we meet?"

After listening, Xiao Bing was about to leave when Xiao Yan said something.

"She's a good woman!"

For the first time, Xiao Bing, who always maintained composure in front of Xiao Yan, showed emotional fluctuations and said sarcastically:

"Your Majesty knows everything around you without ever leaving the palace. This kind of intelligence may not be a good thing."

Xiao Yan, however, showed no anger whatsoever, even though he knew that this beautiful palace was in reality a prison. But within this prison, Xiao Yan was not alone. In fact, if he wanted to know, he could know about events happening throughout the land.

Li Shuang did not cut off information from the outside world; he would also send a copy of what was happening in various parts of the world to Ganquan Palace, just as he had sent it to Yuan Baoju.

"When I was in Jiankang, I was the most honored person in the country, standing above everyone else. Some things were just blinding me to the bigger picture. But now that I'm here and looking back, I realize that I really did make some mistakes."

"Your Majesty, don't you think it's too late to say these things now?"

"No, I'm not referring to our past. When I first arrived, I harbored deep hatred, but now, that hatred no longer strikes at my heart like it used to..."

Xiao Bing assumed that Xiao Yan's words were merely to show that he posed no threat, and before Xiao Yan could finish speaking, he interrupted:

"I will convey Your Majesty's words to the King of Qin."

Watching Xiao Bing leave in a hurry, not wanting to stay in the palace any longer, Xiao Yan sighed and clasped his hands together.

"I haven't let go yet, so how can I ask others to let go!"

……

The Mansion of Duke of Liang.

What are you going to Ganquan Palace for?

“Lord Liang, you are not well-read and do not know the status of Lord Liang among us scholars.”

"So you went, did you see Xiao Yan?"

Zu Ting shook his head, took out a manuscript from his sleeve, and said:
"Although I have not seen it, it is a great fortune to have obtained this handwritten manuscript."

Hou Jing didn't care. Seeing how much Zu Ting treasured it, he snatched it away. "I have plenty of these in my mansion."

Zu Ting was stunned; his instinct was to disbelieve it.

"impossible!"

"What's impossible? I'll give you a box when you leave later."

"A box?"

"The warehouse is piled high with them, and they're all hard to store."

Seeing such heartless words, Zu Ting felt a pang of heartache, as if his outlook on life and the world had been shaken.

"May I ask, Lord Liang, how did you obtain it?"

"Moved from Taicheng."

"..."

Zu Ting opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything, only cursing sourly in his heart.

A monkey wearing a crown!

Hou Jing stared at Zu Ting and said coldly:

Are you cursing me in your heart, kid?

"how come!"

Zu Ting was startled. Despite Hou Jing's seemingly rough appearance, he was actually quite perceptive, and his intuition was sometimes surprisingly accurate.

I wonder how they trained like that?
Zu Ting quickly changed the subject, saying:
“Lord Liang, the matter has been settled, and we are just waiting to close the net.”

Hou Jing became serious upon hearing Zu Ting mention serious matters and asked:

"how?"

“Cui Ling is meticulous in his work. He left no trace of his embezzlement. However, he has a favored concubine who is just as greedy as him, but without his methods. I cast some bait, and she took the bait.”

As he spoke, Zu Ting looked around and whispered a few words in Hou Jing's ear.

After listening, Hou Jing nodded slightly and smiled.

"This Cui Ling was a hero in his own right, but he never expected to fall into the hands of a woman."

After Hou Jing finished sighing, he looked at Zu Ting and said:
"After this, Hyojeong will surely gain the King's favor, enter the Kimyong Palace, and be received by the King."

……

Hou Jing and Zu Ting chatted amiably. Hou Jing saw him off to the door again, and watching his retreating figure, Hou Jing turned to Wang Wei beside him and gave him an order:

"Do you know what we should do next?"

"Gather our forces and take down Cui Ling."

"No rush. Go and investigate whether my woman is like that spendthrift Cui Ling. If she is, we need to deal with her immediately."

Why is Lord Liang so cautious?

“This is called nipping a problem in the bud! If this kid can deal with Cui Ling like this today, he can deal with me like this tomorrow. Besides, even without Zu Ting, there's no guarantee that a treacherous minister like him won't emerge.”

Hou Jing, with his hands behind his back, sighed:

"Everyone talks about me, but who knows how rare it is to find a loyal minister like me!"

"I understand!"

……

After leaving the Liang County Duke's mansion, I glanced westward and saw the towering Hundred-Foot Tower disappear into the clouds.

At this moment, Zu Ting had never felt that Jin Yong City was so close.

"Just one step away!"

Zu Ting murmured softly to himself.

This is the pinnacle of the world, and I must come to learn from you!
……

(End of this chapter)