Xie Jiayan remained unhurried, his expression calm and composed. "Some things must be done by someone, some paths must be walked by someone first."
Yu Mingjing gazed silently at the person before him, then rose from the stone bench and bowed deeply to Xie Jiayan. "Brother Jiayan's righteousness is commendable, but with Prince Han's rebellion this time, the Wang family will likely be implicated."
If the Wang family was involved, then all the families of the Five Great Clans would share the blame. The Sage would not hold only the Wang family accountable for this.
It wasn't that he was indispensable for retrieving Wang Ningqing and his son that night, yet the Seventh Prince had still personally sent him.
It was true that he and the Seventh Prince had a good relationship, but when it came to the issue of the Five Great Clans, the Seventh Prince was also clear-headed.
Compared to the suspicion lurking behind the scenes, he found Xiao Che's straightforward calculations to be more sincere.
Xie Jiayan looked up at Yu Mingjing, bathed in the clear moonlight. "The road ahead is treacherous. Brother Mingjing, are you willing to lend your assistance?"
Yu Mingjing was accomplished at a young age and highly valued by the head of the Cui family. With his help, things would undoubtedly be twice as effective with half the effort.
Personally, the Cui family was his maternal clan. If he could help preserve it, it would be beneficial and harmless to him.
For so many years, the Yu Mansion seemed to stand aloof, yet it was constantly in the midst of the vortex.
The Sage's current deployment of the Yu father and son also served another purpose: to sow discord within the Five Great Clans.
When the Sage eventually spoke, it would not be a request like Xie Jiayan's, but rather handing him a sharp blade, a blade to pierce the heart of the aristocratic clans.
"It is my honor!" Yu Mingjing also raised his cup of wine.
Yu Mingjing had always felt that the young man before him was like a riddle, impossible to fathom, making him hesitant to confide. Even now, he couldn't fathom him, yet he could entrust his life to him.
As human beings, who doesn't have secrets? If he didn't speak, he wouldn't ask.
Everyone had their own selfish desires. His selfish desire was to protect the common people and his family.
The aristocratic clans indeed threatened the stability of Great Wei, but having benefited from the Cui family since birth, he had no right to speak ill of them.
If there was a way to reconcile the conflict between the court and the aristocratic clans, he would naturally do so without hesitation.
Under the moonlight, the two youths looked at each other and laughed heartily, like friends drinking together with shared aspirations, tethering their horses by the weeping willows near the tall building.
...
Great Wei had been founded for only a little over a decade, and everything was in its nascent stages. The Sage had always been frugal, but this time, the Seventh Prince's triumphant return was unprecedentedly celebrated with a grand banquet in the palace.
The protagonist of the day was the Seventh Prince, full of pride and vigor. As the son cultivated by the Sage, the Sage's face also showed a hint of pride.
Consort Yao was exceptionally grand today, wearing a long red dress embroidered with peacocks, her hair styled in a flying immortal bun, adorned with golden hairpins on either side, exuding both charm and nobility.
Although the noble ladies of the capital had always respected Consort Yao, their enthusiasm today surpassed all previous occasions. It was widely rumored in the capital that the day the Crown Prince would be appointed would also be the day Consort Yao would be crowned Empress.
Consort Yao had been a consort for over ten years and was finally about to ascend to that position.
However, Xiao Che did not feel much joy. Everything was as expected. If there was any surprise, it was the great defeat of Xiao Changgong at Mount Mang.
What puzzled him was his father's attitude. Not only had he not thrown Prince Han into prison, but he had also invited him to the royal villa. Although his freedom of movement was restricted, he was still well-fed and housed, and his crimes were not pursued.
And what about the Wang father and son? His father had invited them into the palace, and they were now residing in the very palace where the Empress Dowager had once lived.
Xiao Che's gaze shifted towards the seating arrangement of the Zhenguo Duke's mansion. Yu Mingjing noticed his gaze and raised his cup to the Seventh Prince, inadvertently blocking his line of sight towards his sister.
On the battlefield, he was willing to fight for Great Wei, but he did not wish for his sister to enter the palace. He wanted his sister to live freely and unrestrained, not as a caged songbird.