The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"What the hell? Just because he asks me a question doesn't mean I have to solve it for him!"

The old man started cursing loudly.

"Damn it, I've already done him a favor by handling two problems, what more do you want from me?"

"Don't rush, don't rush, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush—I don't need you to pledge your loyalty, because I only believe in self-interest."

Qiao Yelan comforted the Grand Tutor, who was already somewhat exasperated.

"Let me think, let me think... how should I arrange this matter...?"

A strange look appeared on the old man's face.

The other party's sincerity was truly touching—if you weren't putting yourself in the Grand Commandant's shoes.

Qiao Yelan was earnestly helping the Grand Tutor figure out how to act as if he were on the Grand Commandant's side opposing Qiao Yelan.

“I’m serious, I don’t have to fulfill every single condition he puts on me.”

"That won't do. The Grand Commandant has always felt that you've been getting too close to me. Isn't this clearly a pledge of allegiance? This is your best and last chance to gain his trust."

Qiao Yelan had no intention of letting the matter rest; she was determined to have the Grand Tutor kick her out of the Great Yan court.

“Ah, I’ve got it—I remember Her Majesty the Empress of Letania is about to celebrate her first anniversary of her ascension to the throne. It’s perfect that you, the old fellow who is acting as the Minister of Rites, can directly submit a memorial to Her Majesty, saying that Great Yan needs to be on good terms with Letania. Why don’t I, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, lead another delegation to visit Trinitylme and present congratulatory messages to the two empresses?”

"Hmm? Are you really going to leave the capital at this time?"

The Grand Tutor was somewhat surprised.

"Of course I'm leaving. The matter of the Lungmen Coin in the Great Yan is almost settled. I was planning to ask His Majesty for permission to resign and go home to take care of my own business. When the Lungmen Coin is issued, I will need to travel between countries. It wouldn't be appropriate to still hold the title of Minister of the Great Yan at that time."

Qiao Yelan nodded.

Although he was still only a third-rank official at this time, after discovering the Grand Commandant's attitude, he realized that he was really in the eye of the storm.

That's not good. Qiao Yelan has never liked being the one in the limelight—because people will notice him immediately.

"Is it a strategic retreat? Retreating at the height of His Majesty's trust in you may seem like giving up your future, but it is actually the only way, the only way to maintain the trust of our suspicious and terrifyingly paranoid Emperor."

The Grand Tutor saw through Qiao Yelan's plan at a glance.

The emperor's favor is like flowing water, fleeting and never to return.

Moreover, the Grand Commandant's side now regards Qiao Yelan as a thorn in their side, and will spare no effort to try to sow discord between the Grand Commandant and Qiao Yelan.

Although the Grand Commandant himself was not good at politics, there were definitely no shortage of such people on that side—not to mention others, the Duke of Ningguo was one of the best among them.

Therefore, they will soon discover that Cai Yan can still be used, and even Chen Fan is not someone they cannot rely on.

Don't be fooled by Cai Yan and Chen Fan's current respectful attitude towards Qiao Yelan—we're all seasoned foxes, why are we playing these ghost stories?

How could Prime Minister Cai, a seasoned court official who is arrogant in victory but not discouraged in defeat, possibly bow down to a mere Qiao Yelan?

Has he ever been so subservient to the emperor?

Nowadays, when the emperor holds court audiences, it is mostly Qiao Yelan, Chen Fan, and Cai Yan. Among them, the two old men look up to the young Qiao Yelan and praise him as a great talent. Does this seem normal?

Of course it's not normal—to put it bluntly, it's nothing more than a praising scheme to kill Qiao Yelan.

Why was Cai Yan regarded as a thorn in the emperor's side?

He secured the support of court officials for himself, rather than for the emperor's opinion, and then used this support to advance his plans.

What if all the officials in the court supported Qiao Yelan's opinion, instead of His Majesty's—

What kind of image will Qiao Yelan appear in His Majesty's eyes?

In the imperial court, loyalty and treachery are determined by the emperor's single thought.

Why did Chen Fan, knowing that Qiao Yelan only intended to issue a currency, still propose such an unrealistic plan as "currency hegemony" to His Majesty?

Using the principle of opening a window to lay the groundwork for Qiao Yelan's plan—this was only part of his plan.

Another part was to make the emperor understand that Chen Fan and Qiao Yelan were not on the same path, and that they had never communicated in private.

Cai Yan seized on this point, and while appearing to be opposed to Chen Fan, he also sided with Qiao Yelan's plan and fully supported it.

Within officialdom, opposition and taking sides are never the same thing.

His purpose in doing so was to lavish praise on Qiao Yelan and demonstrate his complete support for her—moreover, Qiao Yelan's opinion was correct in the first place, so no one could find fault with his actions.

And since Qiao Yelan's opinion is correct, how could the officials in the court not support Qiao Yelan when Cai Yan also supports him?

Cai Yan could no longer wield absolute power, but he could make Qiao Yelan appear to be able to.

Not to mention that Chen Fan offered a perfectly timed plan—an unrealistic plan, but one that suited the emperor's tastes perfectly.

This signifies a disagreement between the emperor and Qiao Yelan.

This time, because Qiao Yelan's momentum from wiping out the Cai faction was still strong, and the emperor's favor towards Qiao Yelan had just reached its peak, the emperor was still able to think rationally. Therefore, he readily supported Qiao Yelan's Longmen Coin plan.

What about next time?

What if the emperor's plans clash with Qiao Yelan's opinions again, and Cai Yan continues to lead the court officials in supporting Qiao Yelan?

Perhaps the emperor will bow his head again—but what about a third time?

At that time, will the emperor think rationally or with power?

Moreover, on three separate occasions, Qiao Yelan's opinions received support in the court, and he used this support to oppose the emperor.

Does she look very different from the Cai Yan of the past?

Cai Yan was confident that the situation would continue in this way—and this confidence came from Qiao Yelan's abilities.

Because he believed that Qiao Yelan's suggestions must be good.

However, for the emperor, good advice is not necessarily advice that will satisfy him.

Why did Qiao Yelan, despite having so many things to do in the Great Yan Dynasty, only mention many of them to the Grand Tutor to give him some preparation, without ever putting any proposals other than the Longmen Coin Plan on the Emperor's desk?

Because he could understand Cai Yan's actions and was also able to predict what the emperor would ultimately do.

Overt schemes have never been Qiao Yelan's exclusive domain.

Therefore, Qiao Yelan was willing to give up showing his face to the emperor in order to maintain his position in the Grand Tutor's heart—because some things are destined to be lost, and settling for second best is the best way.

The civil official group led by Cai Yan and the military official group led by the Grand Commandant are now both keeping a close eye on Qiao Yelan.

That's what you call being at the forefront of controversy.

Qiao Yelan never liked this position, but he had no choice. He had to return to the capital of Da Yan and sweep away the Cai faction with lightning speed. Only in this way could he take advantage of the opportunity and the emperor's trust to promote the Longmen Coin Plan.

He had to be this high-profile to complete this remedial plan—

This remedial plan was forced upon Ursus due to his betrayal.

That's why Qiao Yelan despises betrayal so much.

The Great Yan Dynasty paid off its debt for six years because of Wei Yanwu's illness, but Qiao Yelan has also been paying off its debt to this day because of Vladimir's betrayal.

The Lungmen Coin project, which should have been launched six years ago, has finally come to fruition today. Even Qiao Yelan himself has had to step into the limelight and become the brightest star in the Great Yan court.

So at this point, Qiao Yelan was really considering how to get out of this situation safely.

Of course, Qiao Yelan never hesitated to use every action to secure the greatest benefit for herself.

Just as the Grand Tutor said, if he had resigned at this time, all he would have gained was a fading "emperor's trust." But now, the Grand Commandant has come to him, which allows him to gain an additional "Grand Commandant's trust in the Grand Tutor."

Hmm, could we use this to squeeze some more benefits out of Prime Minister Cai?

As she pondered, Qiao Yelan involuntarily drifted off-topic.

"So I'll write it like this?"

The Grand Tutor's words interrupted Qiao Yelan's thoughts.

"Well, let's write it like this. You've already passed the buck to the Grand Commandant for the first two questions, which seems a bit opportunistic. He won't be satisfied with that answer. But if you handle this third matter yourself, it will be a great testament to your loyalty."

Qiao Yelan nodded.

The Grand Tutor continued writing furiously.

"That's it? That's all?"

"That's all, but I estimate that after I send these three methods back, we'll get another reply. We'll see then."

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now—by the way, give your candle-bearer a break, I've called my student back."

The old man's pen trembled, and a large drop of ink fell onto the paper.

It wasn't that his state of mind had become so bad—it was just that Qiao Yelan's words were truly terrifying.

He has a long criminal record.

After saying those words last time, the entire Eastern Kingdom delegation was wiped out, and then the Great Yan Kingdom uncontrollably fell into a deep pit.

We've only just climbed out of the pit, and you're already pulling this stunt again?

"This was an accident. After I discovered that group that was causing trouble behind my back, I thought you were in it too—that's why I chose to go to Si Sui Tai and expose this to you, hoping to alert them."

Qiao Yelan waved his hand.

"So, to prepare some backup plans, I called [Ji] back. If you really are causing trouble behind my back, I plan to have [Ji] take action and release [Wang] from your company's platform to give you a good hard time, so you won't have time to do anything to me."

The old man's face turned pale and then red, his facial skin twitching incessantly.

Sometimes, lies don't hurt; the truth is the sharpest knife.