Doctor Amnesiac, but not completely amnesiac

"Since the Grand Master already has a plan in mind, I will not ask any more questions."

Qiao Yelan casually skipped over this topic and just patted Ace, asking him to bring all the documents in the boxes to him so that he could have a look.

The Grand Tutor did not stop him, as he had already guessed the contents almost correctly - they were all the same as the documents that Qiao Yelan had read before, which had been tampered with, erasing any information about Sui Xiang's actions or achievements, and all of them were grafted onto some possible existing Dayan person.

However, Qiao Yelan's reactions and actions once again made the strange feeling in the Taifu's heart become stronger.

Qiao Yelan couldn't guess what was going on? What was the point of watching it?

But Qiao Yelan was reading with great interest, as if he had got some new and strange fantasy novel.

Soon, hurried footsteps were heard outside the archives.

"You all should leave now. No one is allowed to approach me. I will go up alone."

An order was given, and a large number of footsteps left, leaving only one voice heading towards the archives.

The Master closed his eyes in some pain.

Although he had guessed who did it, he still felt sad after hearing the voice.

As Minister Ning stepped over the threshold, he saw the tutor with his forehead propped up and his eyes closed - and Qiao Yelan beside him.

This caught him off guard so much that he even paused.

"Meet Minister Ning."

Qiao Yelan put down the book in his hand and bowed in a friendly manner, breaking the awkwardness of the situation.

"...Meet Minister Qiao."

Minister Ning, whose plan was completely disrupted, could only be led to return a salute to Qiao Yelan, and then he seemed to recover and remembered what he should do.

"...Greetings, Master Taifu."

At this time, the tutor had already opened his eyes. His voice was old and tired, yet full of majesty.

"Minister Ning, how have I treated you since you joined the Ministry of Rites?"

Minister Ning immediately knelt down and saluted the old man.

"Master Taifu, I am so grateful for your support and support, and I have no way to repay you."

This is a sincere gratitude.

But the more sincere he was, the more disappointed the Grand Tutor became.

Because he had to look after the Sui Xiang and many matters of the Candle Holders had to be handled personally by him, he naturally spent most of his time in the Si Sui Tai and seldom even went to court.

However, due to the relationship between the Ministry of Rites and the Simaitai, in order to better command the Simaitai, the Taifu also held the position of Minister of Rites.

But he is not some Dayan superman who can clone himself and does not need to sleep, so the more energy the Taifu puts into Simaitai, the less energy he has to manage the Ministry of Rites - but for Dayan, the Ministry of Rites is also an important department and it also needs someone to take charge.

The Grand Tutor was not a man who would just sit there and do nothing, and he would not watch the court of Dayan go awry - so he chose someone to help him deal with the affairs of the Ministry of Rites.

The person who managed the Ministry of Rites for this incompetent Minister of Rites was none other than Minister Ning in front of him.

There is no doubt that at his age, it was impossible for him to have the power to be in charge of a department. It was thanks to the teachings of the Grand Tutor and his own abilities that he was able to gradually gain control of the Ministry of Rites.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see what the Grand Tutor meant - as the Grand Tutor grew older, he paid less and less attention to the affairs of the Ministry of Rites, and would eventually give up the position of Minister of Rites.

In other words, Minister Ning is now exercising the power of a minister in his capacity as a minister, and the position of minister of rites will definitely be his in the future.

This shows how popular this person is in the court—and how high the Grand Tutor's expectations of him are.

And he is so young. When he reaches a certain age, he will be one of the three highest officials in the country in the future, and he will most likely be able to get one of them.

But now, this expectation and future have been shattered by Minister Ning himself.

"I thought a lot of people would come, and I also thought it might be you - but the only thing I don't want to see is that the person who comes to see me is really you."

"I'm sorry, Master Taifu, this matter was all my own, and has nothing to do with anyone else. I have no intention of making a useless argument. The evidence is here. Master Taifu, whether you send me to the Ministry of Justice for trial or directly exile me to the frontier, I am willing to do it."

Minister Ning knocked his head heavily on the ground, showing a good and cooperative attitude of admitting his guilt and accepting punishment.

But his words not only did not make the Taifu show the slightest relief, but made him even gloomier.

Because it is impossible that Minister Ning did this alone.

It can even be said that Minister Ning is just a mere chess piece.

With his current status, even the dumbest person can see that his future is extremely bright - as long as he continues to work steadily in the Ministry of Rites, and even if he has nothing to do with the Simatai, he can embark on this bright future.

I have a semi-teacher relationship with him and have tried my best to help him. It can be said that, except for the position of [Grand Tutor] which cannot be given to him right now, Grand Tutor has given everything he can to Minister Ning.

But why did he still remove the original documents from Bao Simui's archives?

Why did he do these things without telling the Master?

Why did he become the most crucial chess piece in the big network of deceiving the Grand Tutor?

Except for Minister Ning, it would be impossible for anyone else to replace the questionnaire in the Simuitai so easily, and it would be even more impossible for them to avoid suspicion. Even the old Taoist priest who had been guarding the archives for decades had not discovered any abnormalities.

Because he is the Taifu's student, the Taifu's successor, and the future Shangshu whom the Taifu values ​​- so only he can accomplish this without the Taifu noticing and without anyone else suspecting anything.

He is an irreplaceable chess piece.

But what is the purpose?

Everyone has a purpose for doing things - Minister Ning must have a purpose for being willing to be a pawn.

The price has been so heavy, but why is Minister Ning so determined to give up his bright future, give up standing on the side of the Grand Tutor, and willingly participate in deceiving the Grand Tutor?

Even now, he wants to take all the blame on himself, and openly and secretly asks the master not to continue investigating...

The old man took a deep breath. He already had some guesses, but he was not giving up yet and wanted to ask again.

"...Your Majesty?"

Minister Ning had no reaction.

"Is it the commander?"

Minister Ning on the ground still showed no reaction.

The Master understood.

He just sighed and waved his hand somewhat desolately.

"Get up."

"Please, Grand Tutor, punish me for my crime to serve as a warning to others."

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

"Get up—you, innocent."

These words finally moved Minister Ning, who was still in a daze. He raised his forehead, which was already oozing blood, and looked at the tutor.

"If loyalty is a crime, then wouldn't everyone in Dayan be a prisoner?"

The Grand Tutor pressed his temple tiredly and no longer looked at Minister Ning.

"I already know the reason. If His Majesty ordered you, as the Duke of Ning, you would naturally not refuse, nor would you be so resolute. Are you willing to take all the blame on yourself?"

"It is not your Majesty's order, I just..."

"I know. It's not your Majesty—it's the late emperor."

Minister Ning still did not move.

"No need to hide it anymore. I taught you how to be cunning. You can remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses in front of you and keep your eyes fixed when a deer appears on your left. You have learned the word cunning quite well."

"It's just that there are many things that others don't know unless you tell them... Get up."

This sentence immediately suppressed all the words that Minister Ning wanted to say in rebuttal. He was silent for a moment, then stood up from the ground, but after standing up, he still remained silent.

The Master no longer wanted to look at him at this moment. He turned his head and looked at Qiao Yelan standing beside him.

Qiao Yelan's movements and behaviors today were very strange - not abnormal, but too normal.

He was just like a normal Minister of Rites of Dayan. He happened to look at some documents and found a problem. He then reported it to the Grand Tutor. After that, his every move was in accordance with the rules and he did not overstep the mark in any way.

But here’s the problem—

Is Qiao Yelan a normal Minister of Rites of Dayan?

The Grand Tutor was thinking, and during this long silence, Minister Ning finally spoke again.

"Sir, let's end today's matter here. Please punish me severely for my crime - but please don't speculate or delve into my motives and reasons..."

This sentence instantly ignited the pent-up anger of the Master.

The old man roared in rage.

"Shut up! The late emperor is gone! He is gone! Your Majesty is Your Majesty - the late emperor is the late emperor!"

But even after hearing these words, Minister Ning's face was still confused.

The gap between people is sometimes as big as an insurmountable chasm.

The second sentence that Qiao Yelan said to the emperor when he met him for the first time was something that Minister Ning, who was highly expected by the Grand Tutor and regarded by court ministers as the future Minister of Rites, still could not understand until now, after his teacher's reminder.

[Your Majesty, I am Qiao Yelan, here to see you. However, I am ill and cannot perform my duties properly. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me.]

[It’s okay. I heard from my father that he once granted you the grace to go to court wearing a sword and shoes, without kneeling or bowing.]

[The grace of the late emperor is not the grace of Your Majesty, I dare not act rashly. 】

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

Chapter 135: Actors and Audiences

Seeing that the other party was still unaware of himself, the tutor almost slapped him.

He really wanted to train Minister Ning as his successor, but he didn't expect that after working under him for all these years, he didn't know the current emperor at all.

"You! Don't just carry out the orders of the late emperor every day and think that you are truly fulfilling your duties for Da Yan! Let me tell you! If His Majesty finds out what you did today - do you know what the consequences will be for you!"

Minister Ning's expression became firm again.

"This is the order of the late emperor. As long as I explain it briefly, Your Majesty will naturally understand--"

"fart!"

The Grand Tutor used vulgar words to criticize Minister Ning.

"Understand? What would His Majesty understand? Let's not talk about whether there is any family affection in the royal family. Even now that the throne has been changed, do you really think His Majesty will let you go just because you are following the orders of the previous emperor?"

"I'm telling you, if His Majesty finds out about this, let alone listening to your explanation, even your death will not be enough to vent His Majesty's anger! By then, whether it's the Ning Mansion, the court... or even the entire capital, a sea of ​​blood will be raging because of your order from the late emperor!"

"How-how is this possible?"

Minister Ning's face was filled with astonishment. It was obvious that he had never given this matter any thought. Or rather, he had thought about it but did not think it would be so serious.

"Your Majesty is not the crown prince. It was when Duke Wei fled the capital with the foreign princess that the late emperor had no choice but to appoint Your Majesty as the crown prince. At that time, the late emperor was already seriously ill and his life was coming to an end. Therefore, Your Majesty did not receive much grace and teaching from the late emperor, and naturally your feelings for him are even more indifferent!"

"When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, you encountered Prime Minister Cai Yan, who secretly colluded with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel. In the court, he formed a clique to suppress Your Majesty's limelight and prevented him from tasting the power of the emperor. Therefore, there are very few people around Your Majesty that you trust, and because of this, you have become even more suspicious."

The old man raised his hand and activated the formation in the archives to seal off the archives area, ensuring that what he said could not be heard by a fourth person.

"Let me ask you, Your Majesty, who do you consider as enemies and who do you consider as helpers at this moment?"

"Your Majesty naturally regards the Tsai Party as enemies, and those who oppose the Tsai Party as helpers."

"wrong!"

The Grand Tutor shouted angrily.

"Your Majesty will regard those who oppose Tsai's party as helpers - but will regard all those who are not helpers as enemies!"

Minister Ning was suddenly stunned.

"Do you think it's so easy to remain neutral in the court? Throughout history, no matter what kind of power it is, fence-sitters will never be able to climb up! Because if you don't take a side, you have already offended the side that will win in the future!"

The words of the Grand Tutor were like the sound of a huge bell, making Minister Ning dizzy.

"Let me ask you again, when Cai Yan was forming a clique and causing chaos in the court, what was my Ministry of Rites doing?"

Minister Ning's voice was unusually hoarse.

"The Ministry of Rites is...remaining neutral..."

"It has been more than half a year since the Tsai Party fell from power. In the court, all the ministers follow your Majesty's lead. Your Majesty has tasted the beauty of power. What do you think if your Majesty finds out that there is another organization in Dayan, and this organization, like the Tsai Party, is trying to deceive him, how will your Majesty react?"

The Master continued to ask.