This was when the prince’s ambitions grew, and his desire to replace the emperor intensified.  

Gao Zhen smiled, saying that the combination of these events was interesting.  

After reprimanding the crown prince, the emperor rewarded Prince Rui, making him stand out.  

Although Prince Rui didn’t intend to, his actions ended up hurting the crown prince.  

Furious, the crown prince killed a palace maid he had sent as a goodwill gesture.  

Now, the feud between them was completely established.  

Tao Sheng recalled that in the original story, King Rui stayed hidden early on and didn’t oppose the King of Chu or the Crown Prince until later when he took advantage of their fall from power to ascend the throne.  

With Ji Yanming’s involvement, Prince Rui’s early conflict with the crown prince seemed unintentional.  

Perhaps the King of Chu was just lucky. In this life, the crown prince and Prince Rui were at odds, which could benefit the King of Chu in the end.  

_  

After the two university secretaries left, Tao Sheng finished playing the zither for the emperor, enjoyed some snacks and tea, and left the Xuanzheng Hall. 

She had to wait an extra hour today. When she left the palace, it was past 3 p.m., almost time to finish work.  

She realized another benefit of being the emperor’s personal musician: she could leave work over an hour early, which was great for someone like her!  

Mr. Wei was always efficient. When Tao Sheng got home, she learned that he had not only reached the capital but also quickly found Ji’s house after some inquiries and was now sitting in the reception room drinking tea.  

Wei Liyou had arrived in the capital two days ago and heard from his old colleagues about Tao Sheng’s strong reputation in the music world. When he saw her, he smiled: “When I taught you zither in Qin County, you were just a little kid, but now you’ve grown into such a graceful young lady. You always said you’d take over my job, and now you work in the Imperial Music Bureau, so you kept your promise.”  

“You finally came back!”  

Tao Sheng was surprised to see Wei Liyou. After years of traveling, he looked older, but still in good spirits.  

After arriving in the capital, Wei Liyou had heard many rumors about Tao Sheng’s zither skills. He eagerly invited her to the zither room to play a few songs.  

After six years, Tao Sheng was nervous playing for her teacher again, even more so than when she played for the emperor.  

Others praised her zither playing a lot, but that was due to exaggerated views.  

However, Mr. Wei was an expert and fair. Tao Sheng worried he might be disappointed after she played.  

After she finished, Wei Liyou stroked his beard and nodded: “Ah Sheng, your zither skills have really improved. No wonder everyone says you’re good.”

Is there really no rational and objective person in this world?

After listening to his master’s words, Tao Sheng fell into deep self-doubt again.

“Oh, I have something important to tell you.”

“What?”

“Your parents missed you very much. They came back with me, but they are outside the city and can’t come in because they don’t have a pass. When we went to Qin County that day, they heard you were in the capital and followed you. You should get a pass quickly to bring them back.”

Wei Liyou came to the capital first to get a pass for Luo’s parents. However, he realized that Tao Sheng was more influential than him, being a favorite of the emperor, so she could handle it more easily. It was unfortunate that at over sixty years old, he had to rely on others for such things.

Tao Sheng was shocked!

Her adoptive parents were alive after their carriage crashed and fell off a cliff!

Mr. Wei is so patient, only mentioning something this important now!

She received a lot of news today, making her feel dazed all night and unable to enjoy dinner. However, Mr. Wei praised Mrs. Liu’s cooking, saying he had never eaten such delicious food while traveling and had three bowls of rice in a row.

Ji Yanming had many official duties today and returned home at dusk. He was surprised to hear that Tao Sheng’s beloved teacher, Wei Liyou, had returned.

After changing into his official uniform and freshening up, he appeared in the reception room and greeted the legendary Mr. Wei politely.

Wei Liyou sat on a Huanghuali wood armchair with a longevity pattern on its back and looked carefully at the young man in front of him.

Tao Sheng’s cousin was tall, graceful, gentle, and elegant. His style of dress was clean and neat, low-key yet stylish.

Wei Liyou had heard about Ji Yanming and his achievements. This newly crowned top scholar serving in the Hanlin Academy was very talented, having ranked in the top six in the imperial examinations, a true scholar.

Wei Liyou was impressed by Ji Yanming’s grace and temperament.

“I heard from Xiao Sheng that you work in the Hanlin Academy and are about to go to the northwest as a deputy envoy. Are you busy with government work?”

“I’m about to go on a diplomatic mission to Ling State, so I am indeed busy. I apologize for not welcoming you sooner,” Ji Yanming replied. “I’ve heard a lot about you, sir, and I know you are knowledgeable about calligraphy and stone tablets ^[1]are inscribed stones often used for memorials or records.. I will invite a colleague from my department who deals with this to my house to chat. I hope you will join us and share your insights.”

“What’s the point of teaching or not? We are just learning from each other,” Wei Liyou said, touched. “Child, we are all family. Why be so polite?”

Tao Sheng: …

Wei Liyou was truly talented, always thinking highly of himself. When he was teaching music theory in Qin County, he only acknowledged himself as her master, never mentioning that the Luo couple were family.

How could he suddenly act like a happy family with Ji Yanming after such a short time?

After starting the conversation, Wei Liyou looked at Ji Yanming with even more affection: “What do you enjoy doing when you’re free at home?”

“I’m not very interesting. I just read books, write, play the zither, and paint in my spare time. I’ve also written a few music reviews for Ah Sheng. But I’m a latecomer and not as accomplished as you two. If you’re interested, I would appreciate your advice.”

Wei Liyou was surprised and delighted. He didn’t expect this young man’s interests to be so similar to his. He immediately stood up, saying, “I was thinking the same thing. Let’s go take a look.”

Tao Sheng never expected that Mr. Wei, known to be difficult in the entire Taiyue Bureau, could become familiar with Ji Yanming in just one night.

The next morning, when Mr. Wei came to the main courtyard for breakfast, he smiled widely at Ji Yanming, looking friendlier than when he met his own son-in-law.

Tao Sheng remembered that Ji Yanming, the villain in the story, had no emotional intelligence at all, often saying things that could offend others. But she didn’t expect him to be so capable in front of Mr. Wei.

This person, about to go on a foreign mission, had received professional training in recent days and was indeed different from before!

Tao Sheng thought to herself.