Apologize (Part One)
After Yin Shuo took over the position of prime minister, his first order of business was to visit Marquis Gu’s Manor and apologize.
“My aging father is old and muddled, which led him to do something like make an attempt on the life of the eldest young sir. He personally confessed this, and His Majesty has handled it. Although my father has already resigned and returned to the Min Province, the guilt is not so easily cleared. The son is responsible for their father’s crimes. This is perfectly aligned with the heavenly principles. It’s a given that I, as the son of the guilty, should come and apologize.”
He confessed to Yin Yan’s guilt without concealing anything and came to kneel outside Marquis Gu’s Manor to apologize without showing any concern for his status as Eastern Ling’s prime minister.
Emperor Ning and the officials in court were quite moved, and any trace of suspicion toward Yin Shuo that carried over from Yin Yan’s case had instantly vanished.
It was not just them, as even Gu HuaiJiang was extremely shocked by Yin Shuo’s words.
“This person is by no means average, knowing when to stand tall and when to bow down. With Yin Yan having been forced to resign from his position, I fear that he will focus even more on establishing himself. It really is hard to imagine.”
Gu ShuBai furrowed his brow. He thought about how Yin Shuo was kneeling outside to apologize, which meant that he would need to go outside, feign ignorance, and help him up with a smile.
He remembered what was important and said: “The previous prime minister is the previous prime minister, and you are you. The guilt is not shared. I hope that general and prime minister will be able to reconcile in the future for the sake of the prosperity of Eastern Ling and its people.”
The guilt is not shared. His, Yin Shuo’s, guilt was improperly attributed to Yin Yan.
However, Gu HuaiJiang told him that Eastern Ling’s general and prime minister working in harmony was of the utmost importance. Before there was conclusive evidence, they could not voice their suspicions of Yin Shuo.
He reached out and helped him up from the ground, and the two shook hands briefly before kindly letting go.
Outsiders talked about how responsible Yin Shuo was. This was clearly a crime committed by his father, yet he did not try to hide from it and actually took the initiative to bring it up.
They also spoke of how magnanimous Marquis Gu’s Manor was. The heir was nearly assassinated, yet they did not hold any grudges and worked with the prime minister’s manor to improve their relationship.
The prime minister and general were now united, and Eastern Ling would become even more prosperous.
Nobody knew just how estranged they were when they shook hands. After that, the way that they looked at each other, it was as if they were separated by a vast river.
Yin Shuo cupped his hands and bid farewell, a cold light flickering in his eyes when he turned around.
Gu ShuBai already knew.
Gu ShuBai watched him climb into his carriage and leave, and his smile slowly began to fade. Turning around, he walked back toward the manor.
Yin Shuo knew that he already knew…
With a new prime minister appointed, the turbulent atmosphere in court that everyone had expected went was almost non-existent.
Yin Shuo was a kind and amiable person but acted swiftly and resolutely in handling court affairs. He was able to establish himself in this position very quickly, which earned him repeated praise from Emperor Ning.
Even all of the bad practices that had been around while Yin Yan was in this position were being uncovered and taken care of.
The general and prime minister were getting along, and all of the officials, civil and military, were satisfied. The atmosphere in court was at an all-time high.
“ChengZhi, We did not choose the person that you recommended to become prime minister. Do you have any complaints for Us?”
After the arrival of spring, the weather started to get warmer. The second prince had been called into the palace and accompanied Emperor Ning on a stroll.
This year’s winter had multiple heavy snowfalls, and Emperor Ning felt a sudden cold. The imperial physicians advised him to go out and take a walk while it was clear out. It would be good for his health.
The second prince respectfully followed behind him, “What sort of thing is father Emperor saying? Son would not dare to have any complaints about father Emperor’s decisions.”
Emperor Ning remained silent, and the second prince thought to himself that this was not good. He must have heard some rumors to ask him such a thing.
He hurriedly took a couple of steps forward, “When son heard that father Emperor wanted Yin Shuo to succeed the position of prime minister, there was indeed some unhappiness, but son was not complaining about father Emperor. Instead, I felt that the previous prime minister’s guilt was too much. No matter how much father Emperor favors his son, wouldn’t uncle Gu feel quite hurt? In the end, our Eastern Ling should rely more on Marquis Gu’s Manor!”
Emperor Ning slowed his pace before stopping and looking at him. Only after a while did he reveal a smile.
“On this, there’s no need for you to worry. For something as important as the prime minister’s position, it’s natural that I asked for your uncle Gu’s thoughts. For you to have such apprehensions is a show of filial piety. Why not tell Us directly? If you don’t say anything, others will try and sow discord between us, and it made Us think that you resented Us.”
The second prince felt a chill in his heart, “Who was it that tried to sow discord between us?”
“As a prince, there are plenty of people with their eyes on you. You can’t blame others for trying to sow discord. If you wish to blame someone, blame yourself for showing any resentment.”
Emperor Ning did not say it openly, but the second prince could guess who it was without even thinking.
Aside from the eldest prince and his faction, who else would try and sow discord between him and Emperor Ning?
He hastily cupped his hands and said: “Yes, son will learn from father Emperor’s teaching. Second did not come directly to father Emperor because son was also uncertain, fearing that father Emperor would laugh at my foolishness. It has been many years since mother Empress passed away, and son’s manor is away from the palace, thus there is not much reason to come into the palace. I am also unlike my brother, the eldest prince, who has his imperial consort mother in the palace to visit from time to time…”
Emperor Ning furrowed his brow, “Nonsense. Your mother Empress is no longer here, but your father Emperor is still here. What, would others dare to say anything if you came to visit your father Emperor from time to time?”
The second prince lowered his head and fell silent.
Emperor Ning changed his tone, “Forget it. What you said is not wrong. An adult prince who frequently visits the palace and stays with Us will inevitably invite wild speculation from outsiders. But you must know that it’s because your and DanYang’s mother Empress is no longer around that We dote on you two a little more. That We did not promote a second empress after all of these years, you should understand the reason.”
He dotingly patted the second prince’s hand, and the second prince raised his head, looking at him in shock.
Apologize (Part One)
After Yin Shuo took over the position of prime minister, his first order of business was to visit Marquis Gu’s Manor and apologize.
“My aging father is old and muddled, which led him to do something like make an attempt on the life of the eldest young sir. He personally confessed this, and His Majesty has handled it. Although my father has already resigned and returned to the Min Province, the guilt is not so easily cleared. The son is responsible for their father’s crimes. This is perfectly aligned with the heavenly principles. It’s a given that I, as the son of the guilty, should come and apologize.”
He confessed to Yin Yan’s guilt without concealing anything and came to kneel outside Marquis Gu’s Manor to apologize without showing any concern for his status as Eastern Ling’s prime minister.
Emperor Ning and the officials in court were quite moved, and any trace of suspicion toward Yin Shuo that carried over from Yin Yan’s case had instantly vanished.
It was not just them, as even Gu HuaiJiang was extremely shocked by Yin Shuo’s words.
“This person is by no means average, knowing when to stand tall and when to bow down. With Yin Yan having been forced to resign from his position, I fear that he will focus even more on establishing himself. It really is hard to imagine.”
Gu ShuBai furrowed his brow. He thought about how Yin Shuo was kneeling outside to apologize, which meant that he would need to go outside, feign ignorance, and help him up with a smile.
He remembered what was important and said: “The previous prime minister is the previous prime minister, and you are you. The guilt is not shared. I hope that general and prime minister will be able to reconcile in the future for the sake of the prosperity of Eastern Ling and its people.”
The guilt is not shared. His, Yin Shuo’s, guilt was improperly attributed to Yin Yan.
However, Gu HuaiJiang told him that Eastern Ling’s general and prime minister working in harmony was of the utmost importance. Before there was conclusive evidence, they could not voice their suspicions of Yin Shuo.
He reached out and helped him up from the ground, and the two shook hands briefly before kindly letting go.
Outsiders talked about how responsible Yin Shuo was. This was clearly a crime committed by his father, yet he did not try to hide from it and actually took the initiative to bring it up.
They also spoke of how magnanimous Marquis Gu’s Manor was. The heir was nearly assassinated, yet they did not hold any grudges and worked with the prime minister’s manor to improve their relationship.
The prime minister and general were now united, and Eastern Ling would become even more prosperous.
Nobody knew just how estranged they were when they shook hands. After that, the way that they looked at each other, it was as if they were separated by a vast river.
Yin Shuo cupped his hands and bid farewell, a cold light flickering in his eyes when he turned around.
Gu ShuBai already knew.
Gu ShuBai watched him climb into his carriage and leave, and his smile slowly began to fade. Turning around, he walked back toward the manor.
Yin Shuo knew that he already knew…
With a new prime minister appointed, the turbulent atmosphere in court that everyone had expected went was almost non-existent.
Yin Shuo was a kind and amiable person but acted swiftly and resolutely in handling court affairs. He was able to establish himself in this position very quickly, which earned him repeated praise from Emperor Ning.
Even all of the bad practices that had been around while Yin Yan was in this position were being uncovered and taken care of.
The general and prime minister were getting along, and all of the officials, civil and military, were satisfied. The atmosphere in court was at an all-time high.
“ChengZhi, We did not choose the person that you recommended to become prime minister. Do you have any complaints for Us?”
After the arrival of spring, the weather started to get warmer. The second prince had been called into the palace and accompanied Emperor Ning on a stroll.
This year’s winter had multiple heavy snowfalls, and Emperor Ning felt a sudden cold. The imperial physicians advised him to go out and take a walk while it was clear out. It would be good for his health.
The second prince respectfully followed behind him, “What sort of thing is father Emperor saying? Son would not dare to have any complaints about father Emperor’s decisions.”
Emperor Ning remained silent, and the second prince thought to himself that this was not good. He must have heard some rumors to ask him such a thing.
He hurriedly took a couple of steps forward, “When son heard that father Emperor wanted Yin Shuo to succeed the position of prime minister, there was indeed some unhappiness, but son was not complaining about father Emperor. Instead, I felt that the previous prime minister’s guilt was too much. No matter how much father Emperor favors his son, wouldn’t uncle Gu feel quite hurt? In the end, our Eastern Ling should rely more on Marquis Gu’s Manor!”
Emperor Ning slowed his pace before stopping and looking at him. Only after a while did he reveal a smile.
“On this, there’s no need for you to worry. For something as important as the prime minister’s position, it’s natural that I asked for your uncle Gu’s thoughts. For you to have such apprehensions is a show of filial piety. Why not tell Us directly? If you don’t say anything, others will try and sow discord between us, and it made Us think that you resented Us.”
The second prince felt a chill in his heart, “Who was it that tried to sow discord between us?”
“As a prince, there are plenty of people with their eyes on you. You can’t blame others for trying to sow discord. If you wish to blame someone, blame yourself for showing any resentment.”
Emperor Ning did not say it openly, but the second prince could guess who it was without even thinking.
Aside from the eldest prince and his faction, who else would try and sow discord between him and Emperor Ning?
He hastily cupped his hands and said: “Yes, son will learn from father Emperor’s teaching. Second did not come directly to father Emperor because son was also uncertain, fearing that father Emperor would laugh at my foolishness. It has been many years since mother Empress passed away, and son’s manor is away from the palace, thus there is not much reason to come into the palace. I am also unlike my brother, the eldest prince, who has his imperial consort mother in the palace to visit from time to time…”
Emperor Ning furrowed his brow, “Nonsense. Your mother Empress is no longer here, but your father Emperor is still here. What, would others dare to say anything if you came to visit your father Emperor from time to time?”
The second prince lowered his head and fell silent.
Emperor Ning changed his tone, “Forget it. What you said is not wrong. An adult prince who frequently visits the palace and stays with Us will inevitably invite wild speculation from outsiders. But you must know that it’s because your and DanYang’s mother Empress is no longer around that We dote on you two a little more. That We did not promote a second empress after all of these years, you should understand the reason.”
He dotingly patted the second prince’s hand, and the second prince raised his head, looking at him in shock.
