The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"Get up."

"I beg Your Excellency to punish my crimes as a warning to others."

This time, Vice Minister Ning did react, but he still said the same thing as before and remained lying on the ground, refusing to get up.

"Get up—you are innocent."

These words finally made Minister Ning, whose head was still drooping, move slightly. He raised his forehead, which was already oozing blood, and looked at the Grand Tutor.

"If loyalty is a crime, then wouldn't everyone in my Great Yan be a convict?"

The Grand Tutor wearily rubbed his temples, no longer looking at Minister Ning.

“I already know the reason—if His Majesty gave the order, as the descendant of the Duke of Ning, you would naturally not be able to refuse, nor would you be so resolute, and would you be willing to take all the blame upon yourself?”

"It was not His Majesty's order; I merely..."

“I know, it’s not His Majesty—it’s the late Emperor.”

Vice Minister Ning still made no move.

"No need to hide it anymore. You are someone I taught—unfazed even if Mount Tai collapses before you, unmoved even if a deer runs past on your left. You have learned the meaning of composure quite well."

"But there are many things that others won't know just because you don't say them... Get up."

These words immediately silenced all of Minister Ning's attempts to argue. He remained silent for a moment before standing up, but even after standing, he remained silent.

The Grand Tutor no longer wanted to look at him; he turned his head and looked at Qiao Yelan beside him.

Qiao Yelan's actions and behavior today were very strange—not abnormal, but rather too normal.

He acted like a normal Vice Minister of Rites of the Great Yan Dynasty, occasionally glancing at some documents, discovering a problem by chance, reporting it to the Grand Tutor, and afterwards, every action he took was in accordance with the rules, without the slightest transgression.

But here's the problem—

Is Qiao Yelan a normal Vice Minister of Rites in the Great Yan Dynasty?

The Grand Tutor was deep in thought, and in the long silence, Vice Minister Ning finally spoke again.

"My lord, let's leave it at that for today. I beg you to punish me severely for my crimes—but please do not speculate further about my motives and reasons, nor investigate them any further..."

These words instantly ignited the Grand Tutor's pent-up anger—

The old man roared in fury.

"Shut up! The late emperor is gone! He's gone! Your Majesty is Your Majesty—the late emperor is the late emperor!"

Even after hearing these words, Ning Shilang's face still showed a blank expression.

The gap between people can sometimes be as large as an insurmountable chasm.

The second thing Qiao Yelan said to the emperor when he first met him was something that Ning, the Vice Minister who was highly regarded by the Grand Tutor and regarded by the court officials as the future Minister of Rites, still could not understand even now, after his teacher's guidance.

[Your subject, Qiao Yelan, pays his respects to Your Majesty. However, I am unwell and unable to perform the full ceremony. Please forgive me.]

[It's alright. I've heard my father mention that he once bestowed upon you the privilege of wearing a sword and shoes to court, without kneeling or bowing.]

"The late Emperor's grace is not the grace of Your Majesty; I would not dare to act presumptuously without it."

What belongs to the late emperor belongs to the late emperor, and what belongs to Your Majesty ....

Chapter 135 Actors and Audiences

Seeing that the other party was still oblivious, the Grand Tutor almost slapped him.

He had genuinely groomed Vice Minister Ning as his successor, but unexpectedly, after all these years working under him, Ning had absolutely no understanding of the current emperor.

"You! Don't think you're truly loyal to the Great Yan just because you're carrying out the late emperor's orders every day! Let me tell you! If His Majesty discovers what you've done today—do you know what will happen to you!"

Ning Shilang's expression hardened again.

"This was ordered by the late Emperor. Your Majesty will understand once I explain it briefly—"

"fart!"

The Grand Tutor unleashed a torrent of vulgar insults at Vice Minister Ning.

"Understand? What would His Majesty understand? Let alone whether there is any kinship within the royal family, with the throne now changed, do you really think His Majesty will let you off just because you are acting on the orders of the late emperor?"

"Let me tell you, if His Majesty finds out about this, don't even talk about listening to your explanation. Even your death wouldn't be enough to vent His Majesty's anger! At that time, whether it's the Ning family, the court... or even the entire capital, they will all face a bloodbath because of your late emperor's decree!"

"This—how is this possible?"

Ning Shilang looked astonished. Clearly, he had not thought about this in a similar way, or rather, he had thought about it, but did not think it would be so serious.

"His Majesty is not the Crown Prince. It was only after the Duke of Wei fled the capital with the princess from another tribe that the late Emperor had no choice but to appoint His Majesty as the Crown Prince. At that time, the late Emperor was already seriously ill and nearing the end of his life. Therefore, His Majesty did not receive much of the late Emperor's favor and guidance, and naturally, His Majesty's feelings for the late Emperor were even more indifferent!"

"When His Majesty first ascended the throne, he encountered Chancellor Cai Yan, who secretly colluded with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel to form cliques and engage in corrupt practices in the court, suppressing His Majesty's prominence and preventing him from wielding the power of the Son of Heaven. As a result, His Majesty had very few people he could trust, and thus became increasingly suspicious."

The old man raised his hand and activated the array within the archives, sealing off the archives area to ensure that no one else could hear what he was saying.

"Let me ask you, at this moment, who does His Majesty regard as an enemy and who as an ally?"

"His Majesty naturally regards the Cai faction as enemies and those who oppose the Cai faction as allies."

"wrong!"

The Grand Tutor roared angrily.

"His Majesty will see those who oppose the Cai faction as allies—but will see all those who are not allies as enemies!"

Vice Minister Ning was suddenly taken aback.

"Do you think maintaining neutrality in the imperial court is so easy? Throughout history, no matter what kind of power you are, a fence-sitter will never get ahead! Because by not taking sides, you've already offended the side that will ultimately prevail!"

The Grand Tutor's words were like a resounding bell, leaving Vice Minister Ning dizzy and disoriented.

"I'll ask you again, what was the Ministry of Rites doing when Cai Yan formed his faction and wreaked havoc in the court?"

Ning Shilang's voice was unusually hoarse.

"The Ministry of Rites is...is maintaining neutrality..."

"Now that the Cai Party has been in power for more than half a year, the court officials all follow His Majesty's lead. They have already tasted the sweetness of power. If His Majesty were to discover at this time that there is another organization within the Great Yan Dynasty, and that this organization, like the Cai Party, is also trying to deceive him—how do you think His Majesty would react?"

The Grand Tutor continued to press for answers.

"This...we did this not to deceive His Majesty!"

"Does His Majesty know that you have done this?"

The old man's quiet words shattered all of Minister Ning's struggles.

"Tell me, tell me yourself, given His Majesty's current suspicious nature, coupled with his elation after the great victory over the Cai faction, and the allure of power in the court. If His Majesty discovers what you've done, even if the net doesn't actually revolve around Him—what will your fate be?"

Ning Shilang's face finally turned deathly pale.

The Grand Tutor sighed softly.

"It seems that all these years, you really haven't thought about why, after I suddenly promoted you back then, making you the Vice Minister of Rites, I haven't moved you out of your position for years, and I haven't even said anything about letting you take over the position of Minister. I've just let you stay in my shadow all this time?"

"That's because it will make His Majesty think that you are just a quiet, hardworking person with real talent who can get things done, but I'm just using you as a mouthpiece! That way, even if His Majesty is hostile to the Ministry of Rites, he will only be hostile to me, and it won't affect you!"

Minister Ning's lips moved. The previous words had not moved him, but when he got to this point, his eyes reddened.

"Thank you... thank you, teacher."

The old man simply shook his head.

"Your behavior has shown me why you were manipulated by others—your sincerity is admirable, but unfortunately, others can also exploit it..."

"Do you still remember Gao Cheng, who was stripped of his position as Minister at the grand court assembly at the end of last year? Where is he now?"

After a moment's thought, Vice Minister Ning found the verdict.

"...After being demoted to the position of Vice Minister, the Court of Judicial Review discovered that his family had a large amount of assets of unknown origin. The Emperor was furious and ordered the confiscation of his family property. Gao Cheng's entire family was beheaded and their heads were displayed to the public. Within three degrees of kinship, all family property was investigated and those with unexplained assets were exiled."

"Then why do you think he died?"

"He... he used to be a member of the Cai faction, colluding with Cai Yan and others, and showing no respect for his superiors."

"wrong!"

The Grand Tutor gave a cold laugh.

"He died because he was incompetent!"

inability?

This answer caught Vice Minister Ning completely off guard.

"If someone who was once a member of Cai's faction is to be purged like this, then what about Chen Fan—a person who relies on betrayal to save his life, how can he still sit comfortably in his position as Minister of Revenue?"

"If disrespecting the emperor leads to such a purge, then what about Cai Yan—an ambitious man whose arm was merely severed, yet he still sits in the position of prime minister and continues to be trusted by His Majesty?"

Ning Shilang could not answer either of these two questions.

"Both of them are still in the imperial court, still sitting in their seats. Although they have somewhat restrained their power, they still hold the position of prime minister and the power of minister!"

The Grand Tutor snorted coldly.

"I'll ask you one more time—how exactly did that mediocre Gao Cheng die?"

Ning Shilang broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

"Your Majesty can forgive Cai Yan and let Chen Fan go, so how could you not tolerate me? Therefore, I am not worried that Your Majesty will hold a grudge against me, at least not before I die—but after I die, Your Majesty may open my coffin and mutilate my corpse, but that doesn't matter."