Chapter 833: Change of Conduct (I)

September 7th was the forty-ninth day after Zhao Yuan's death and also the day he was buried.

As dawn approached, the sky over Lin'an City was covered with dark clouds, and the stars and moon were dim. Then a strong wind blew up, thunder and lightning struck, and a heavy rain poured down without warning, waking the people of Lin'an who were caught off guard from their sleep.

Before dawn, the funeral procession for Zhao Yuan had already braved the storm and slowly left the Tianji Pavilion, heading straight for a cemetery on the outskirts of the city. This was the burial place granted to Zhao Yuan by the emperor himself. After all, Zhao Yuan was not only a second-rank official of the court, but also a royal relative. Although he died with a guilty conscience, the dignity of the royal family was different from that of ordinary people.

There were not many people accompanying the bride, only about thirty or forty in total, led by Qin Wei and Liu Xunyi. Most of the people in the team were newly recruited "strangers", and only a few were "old ministers" of Tianji Pavilion.

From burial to covering the coffin and sealing the earth, Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei did it all themselves and were busy for the entire morning.

When Zhao Yuan's tomb was properly settled, the two men were soaked by the heavy rain like drowned rats, with their faces, hands and legs all covered in mud. They looked depressed and embarrassed.

"My Lord, the past is like smoke, gone with the wind. May you rest in peace in the underworld!"

Liu Xunyi stood blankly in front of Zhao Yuan's tomb. No matter how windy and rainy it was, or how dark the sky was, he remained motionless and was unwilling to leave for a long time.

"Brother Liu, it's time to go back..."

"No!" Facing Qin Wei's persuasion, Liu Xunyi was still stubborn, "You go first, I want to... spend more time with the Marquis."

"Ugh!"

Seeing Liu Xunyi's firm attitude, Qin Wei couldn't help but sigh and nodded slowly: "Well! I have official business to attend to and can't stay any longer, you..."

"Don't worry, just go!"

Liu Xunyi gave Qin Wei a bitter and bleak smile, her wet hair stuck to her face in clumps, she could no longer tell which was rain and which was tears, her distraught and dazed look was so heartbreaking.

"You stay and protect Lord Liu. If he makes the slightest mistake, I will never let him off easily."

"As ordered!"

After giving the order, Qin Wei, accompanied by two burly men, walked quickly towards the carriage outside the cemetery.

"Dragon slayer, tiger slayer, change my clothes quickly."

"Yes!"

When Qin Wei got into the carriage, a man hurriedly handed him a handkerchief and helped him take off his clothes and boots. After wiping the mud off Qin Wei's body, another man carefully changed him into new clothes that he had prepared in advance.

Tulong and Tuhu are twin brothers, and are also the newly recruited Golden Sword Captains of Qin Wei.

"My Lord, where are we going?"

"The Privy Council!"

……

Half an hour later, Qin Wei's carriage stopped in front of the gate of the Privy Council in a dignified manner.

"Master Qin is really a very busy man. Even Master Qian has a hard time meeting you."

Accompanied by a sarcastic laugh, Bai Jin strode forward and took the initiative to bow to Qin Wei.

In the past, the two had similar ranks and could call each other brothers when they met. Now Qin Wei is a third-rank official, and his status is far beyond Bai Jin's. Therefore, even if he was resentful, he did not dare to be rude on the surface.

"Master Bai, are you making fun of me?" Qin Wei stared at Bai Jin, who was smiling but not really smiling, and said meaningfully, "No matter how busy Qin is, he can't be as busy as Master Qian, who is busy with all kinds of things. However, I am not as leisurely as Master Bai, who can be called at any time."

Qin Wei's sarcasm made the smile on Bai Jin's face gradually freeze. If it weren't for Qin Wei's current identity, he would have probably burst into cursing.

In Bai Jin's mind, Qin Wei today is a complete "villain who has succeeded".

"Master Qin, please come in!" Bai Jin suppressed his inner anger and said stiffly, "Master Qian has been waiting for a long time. I will lead the way for you..."

"No need, this is not the first time I come here."

Qin Wei ruthlessly interrupted Bai Jin's greeting and walked towards the Privy Council without waiting for his response.

Looking at Qin Wei's defiant back, a hint of cruelty suddenly flashed in Bai Jin's eyes, and his fists clenched in his sleeves made a crackling sound.

"Haha, Lord Qin is such a rare guest. I am very grateful that you can take the time to come here." In the study, facing Qin Wei who was kneeling to salute, Lord Qian sat leisurely behind the desk, holding a teacup in one hand and a book in the other. Although his words were very polite, he actually didn't even look at him.

"Your Excellency's words make me feel extremely terrified!" Qin Wei behaved very humbly in front of Lord Qian, even more respectful than before, "The little fame I have today is all thanks to your kindness and support. Without you, there would be no Qin Wei today. No matter if I am the Junior Guardian of Tianji Pavilion or the Marquis of Tianji, in front of you, Qin Wei will always be a Wuxia Amon, a Gaoyang drunkard. I will always be mediocre and ordinary. I will always be a young man with little knowledge, little virtue and little ability. If you want me to live, I will live. If you want me to die, I will die. My life has always been in your hands. No matter whether it is wealth, fame and fortune, it is all given by you. I will never forget this even if I die."

"Hey!" Lord Qian waved his hand and smiled, "As the saying goes, 'A man should be looked at with new eyes after three days of absence'. Your soaring to the sky is no less impressive than Lu Meng back then. I was just joking just now, you don't have to take it seriously."

"No matter whether what you said was a joke or not, I will always take it as the golden rule!"

Qin Wei solemnly expressed his loyalty to Lord Qian again and again. Although Lord Qian did not seem to care on the surface, he was actually very happy in his heart.

"That's all!" Lord Qian put down the book and waved gently at Qin Wei, "In the future, you don't have to be so reserved in front of me, lest you lose the dignity of a senior official of the court."

"I have long regarded you as my father and teacher. A son worships his father and a disciple worships his master. How can I not be solemn and serious?" Qin Wei kowtowed to Lord Qian again and again in a serious manner, and then stood up tremblingly.

Lord Qian put down his teacup, slowly stood up, personally pulled Qin Wei to sit aside, and said meaningfully: "I know what you are thinking and what you are worried about. You can rest assured that since I have decided to cultivate you, I will definitely support you to the end and will never hinder you because of your rapid rise. As long as you are loyal to the emperor and the court, I will be satisfied and have no regrets."

"grown ups……"

"I am old now. I don't have the ambitions of you young people, and my desire for fame and fortune is not as strong as before." Lord Qian said with a smile, "I am not jealous of your youth and achievements. On the contrary, I hope you can get better and better. If you can be in charge of the East Palace in the future, I believe it will be of great benefit to the harmony between the East and West Palaces and the stability of the Song Dynasty. Qin Wei, now not only the Privy Councilor and I have high hopes for you, but even the emperor thinks highly of you. I hope you will not disappoint him."

"I will always remember your kind words."

"You are still a young man, and there are still many things in the court that you need to study carefully and comprehend slowly. Don't rush. When I was your age... I was just a small clerk in the West Palace. Haha, compared to most officials in the court, you have achieved success at a young age and have achieved great things at an early age. If you encounter something you don't understand in the future, feel free to ask me. I will tell you everything I know."

"Your kindness is as deep as the sea, I could never repay you even if I die a thousand times!" Qin Wei's eyes were filled with excitement, and he kowtowed to Lord Qian again.

"Okay, okay!" Lord Qian nodded with satisfaction, and then changed the subject, "How was Zhao Yuan's funeral handled?"

"The Marquis was buried this morning." Qin Wei's eyes couldn't help but become a little dim when Zhao Yuan was mentioned.

Mr. Qian raised his eyebrows and asked nonchalantly, "How many days has Liu Xunyi been back?"

"He returned to Lin'an on the first day of the new year. Today is the seventh day."

"Oh!" Lord Qian seemed to be thinking about something, and then he groaned again, "How did he react to Zhao Yuan's death?"

"The death of the Marquis made Liu Xunyi feel so grief-stricken that she wanted to die."

"As you should!" Lord Qian replied with a half-smile, "After all, it was Zhao Yuan who raised you and trained you to be talented."

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. Lord Qian's words sounded extremely harsh to Qin Wei, as if he was using Liu Xunyi's "grief of grief" to mock his own "cold-heartedness".

"How does Liu Xunyi react to the changes in the East Palace?"

"The death of the Marquis was a huge blow to him, and he has no time to think about other things right now. Moreover, the change in the East Palace was ordered by the Emperor, so even if he has some ideas... it will be useless."

"And to you?"

"What?" Qin Wei was stunned, as if he didn't understand what Master Qian meant. "What do you mean, Master?"

"According to the original intention of the Prime Minister and Zhao Yuan, Liu Xunyi is the ideal candidate to inherit the Tianji Pavilion. For so many years, Zhao Yuan has always treated him as his own son, and has taken special care of him in terms of training and promotion." Lord Qian smiled, "Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. A huge change in the East Palace not only ruined the Prime Minister and Zhao Yuan, who were in great glory, but also brought Liu Xunyi, who had a bright future, back to his original form. On the other hand, you... went from being an unknown young guard to the new owner of the Tianji Pavilion. To put it nicely, Liu Xunyi was unlucky. To put it bluntly... you are the one who usurped his position. Doesn't Liu Xunyi have any grudges about this?"

"He and I are brothers who share life and death. Others may be jealous of me, but he won't."

"He regards you as his brother, so of course he won't. But if..." At this point, a treacherous look suddenly appeared in Lord Qian's eyes, and he asked with a hint of meaning, "If he regards you as a traitor who sells out his master for fame and fortune, will he turn a blind eye?"

"This..." Lord Qian's words made Qin Wei flustered and at a loss.

Looking at Qin Wei who was hesitant to speak, Lord Qian suddenly realized: "It seems... he still doesn't know the real cause of Zhao Yuan's death, nor does he know the relationship between you and the West Mansion."

"I……"

"When are you going to tell him the truth? Or... never tell him?"

……

(End of this chapter)