The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

He looked at Wang and Ji across from him.

Wang was still completely bewildered, but like Ji, he didn't look at the person who spoke, but instead focused his gaze on the person drinking tea.

Damn it, am I really that worthless?

The old man cursed inwardly.

You really can't blame the two Year Ministers for their reaction—they've been dealing with the Year Minister for over a thousand years, and this old guy is an old adversary too. He's never compromised with any of the Year Ministers.

He's speaking to me so kindly now, he must have taken the wrong medicine—

It could be because of the man next to him.

"The Grand Tutor is right. This matter was discussed with you on behalf of the Great Yan government, but it cannot be made public or acknowledged. So don't look at me, just listen to what the Grand Tutor has to say."

Qiao Yelan casually absolved himself of responsibility.

Grand Tutor, please don't let the blood splatter on me.

Grand Tutor: You are a woman.

Chapter 144 The Self-Aware Grand Tutor

Although the Grand Tutor was very unhappy, he had no reason to refute it, so he could only avoid looking at Qiao Yelan to prevent his blood pressure from soaring further.

"Wang, I'd really like to know your attitude towards the Great Yan and the Sui Beast."

What is the problem?

Wang instinctively looked towards Qiao Yelan, only to see that Qiao Yelan seemed to find the teacup too small, and took out a black wine cup to pour himself a cup of tea—which the Grand Tutor happened not to see.

That wine cup looked very familiar.

Sui Xiang paused for a moment—wasn't that the one he had given to Qiao Yelan? He had said that once he put down the other black wine cup in his hand, it could begin.

Does Qiao Yelan mean to say...?

Is this game about to start ahead of schedule?

The reason why the Grand Tutor came to see me...

interesting.

Despite not showing any outward expression, Wang had already realized the message Qiao Yelan wanted to convey to him.

Then your own answer will have to be a little more artistic.

"I have no feelings for the Great Yan, neither love nor hate—but the Sui Beast, I will kill it as soon as possible!"

His voice was low and calm when he spoke the first half of the sentence, but the second half revealed his overwhelming anger.

The Grand Tutor felt somewhat relieved, as this was roughly what he had expected—if Wang had said that he loved this land deeply, he would have definitely turned around and left.

He then turned his gaze to Ji.

"And what about you, Ji? What's your attitude towards Da Yan and the Sui Beast?"

"Just like my second brother—except that besides killing the Sui Beast, I also want to protect my sister's happiness and keep her undisturbed."

Their answers were all the same.

However, Qiao Yelan was a little puzzled.

—Shouldn't you tell the Grand Tutor that you want to protect your sister's happiness from being disturbed?

What do you see me doing?

The Grand Tutor was very satisfied with their attitude, as this was the best possible outcome.

Apart from [Shuo], the other Sui's attitudes toward Da Yan were relatively indifferent, but it was clear that their attitudes toward Sui were basically the same.

"I want to discuss a deal with you."

The two ministers turned their gaze back to the Grand Tutor.

"You must do your utmost to assist the Great Yan in defeating the Year Beast. After that, I can grant you your freedom—all the Year Gods except those from the Great Yan can go anywhere and will no longer be subject to the constraints of the Year God's Office and the Ministry of Rites."

Ji's pupils dilated slightly, clearly showing his surprise.

Wang, however, remained unchanged, which was consistent with the information he had just received from Qiao Yelan.

"That's what I want—but can you convince others?"

Wang spoke again, meeting the gaze of the Grand Tutor.

“I don’t need to persuade them. Arrogant people won’t listen to anything. But that doesn’t matter. As long as the people carrying it out understand.”

The Grand Tutor said coldly.

Those who act may deceive their superiors, but they must not conceal the truth from their subordinates.

Because those below are the ones responsible for execution—to deceive them is to deceive yourself.

No matter how much the Grand Commandant and the late Emperor plotted and coordinated, they were ultimately just individuals; the key was the person who executed the plan.

The Duke of Ningguo has gradually faded from the court, but the Grand Tutor still has no problem keeping Ning Shilang, who will become the future Minister of Rites.

Another person who has been exposed, Zuo Xuanliao, the prefect of Yumen, is also making plans—he will simply pull one of his sons or daughters into the Sisuitai (a government agency) to act as a bridge, and that will be enough.

At that time, the Ministry of Rites, the Office of the Year, and the Jade Gate Fortress—these three most crucial entities responsible for dealing with the Year Beast—will all be under the Grand Tutor's control.

The old man was not worried about the other two not cooperating with him, because when facing [Sui], compared to the Grand Commandant, he, who had dealt with Sui Xiang for most of his life, would surely gain the trust of Zuo Xuanliao and Minister Ning more easily—because in this matter, the Grand Commandant was also selfless and willing to dedicate everything to the Great Yan.

Let me repeat myself: none of the old fogies in the imperial court are simple-minded.

Deceiving the heavens and crossing the sea, colluding and conspiring—this is a low-level tactic that only a military man like the Grand Commandant would use.

The Grand Tutor only needs to ensure that everyone cooperates with him when doing things.

"Since the Grand Tutor is so confident, then I will no longer question him."

Seeing that Qiao Yelan didn't react at all, Wang nodded.

"Then what is the Grand Tutor's intention in coming to confront us now?"

"Someone barged in without knowing anything and threw the entire Great Yan court into chaos, causing His Majesty's power to rise to unprecedented heights and his attention to expand in other directions—we need someone to help divert His Majesty's attention."

The Grand Tutor said in an annoyed tone.

Qiao Yelan shrugged.

Blame me?

Since he returned to Beijing at the end of last year, no one from this murky place has come looking for him—so don't blame him for getting his hands dirty.

"Understood—if we want to draw His Majesty's attention back to the awakening of the Year Beast, what better way is there than to have a Year Minister with a criminal record escape from supervision?"

Wang nodded slightly, his admiration for Qiao Yelan's abilities growing even stronger.

A year ago, when he borrowed that young man surnamed Li to meet Qiao Yelan for the first time in Longmen, he was already determined to die, planning to fight the Grand Tutor alone in exchange for Qiao Yelan's protection of his brothers and sisters.

Now, things are really messed up. Before he's even ready to start, Qiao Yelan has already completed the contract ahead of time—this is urging him to quickly become a pawn.

I thought I had to become your pawn for you to do these things.

I've already done my job, why aren't you becoming my pawn yet?

Oh no, I've turned reading into theoretical speculation.

He glanced at Ji, who had calmed down again, and felt a pang of regret for no reason.

If he had known this would happen, he and Jie would have done the same as Ji and Shu, following Qiao Yelan's advice, instead of choosing to rebel against fate alone.

There's no going back now—but he still has a chance to make amends.

"Grand Tutor, what do you require of me?"

"I need you to escape from Si Sui Tai, and to make a big fuss about it."

"It's difficult. If I were alone, it would take me a long time to plan."

"Let your younger brother help you. That should be faster."

It was Qiao Yelan who spoke.

"Yes, sir."

Without waiting for the Grand Tutor's words, Ji had already agreed to the statement.

This made the old man's face twitch again—there was no turning back now.

"What does the Grand Tutor mean?"

Instead, Wang asked the Grand Tutor a question again.

"...That's what I meant too."

The Grand Tutor, now at a loss, could only nod—even if he didn't nod, Ji would probably prepare according to Qiao Yelan's instructions.

“If Ji could help me, things would be much simpler—he could weave together the relationships between people, and through those relationships, I could easily find the flaws.”

Wang nodded.

As the second most wanted criminal after himself, he was also aware of the power of his position.

But this actually points to an even more terrifying problem—