Chapter 27#

Spring ended and summer arrived. In the blink of an eye, it was almost summer, and the wind in the air carried a hint of heat, the burning temperature roasting the earth like a charcoal fire.

The entire Huaxia was enveloped in tiredness and fatigue, but the only thing that made people happy was that the Emperor of Great Yong had finally started attending court again. Even though those wanted posters had never been taken down from beginning to end, the civil and military officials didn’t care about those things anymore; as long as Su Yang was willing to return to court and handle political affairs, they were deeply grateful.

As for whether he had moved on from Lin Huaiyu’s death, no one would care about Su Yang’s thoughts; no one could guess the Emperor’s heart.

In the Golden Hall, Su Yang sat at the desk, looking at the delivered memorials, and said: “Have you all thought of a solution for the flood in Jiangnan?”

An official stepped out: “Your Majesty, in the past, the Jiangnan flood was always handled by the Ministry of Revenue allocating silver and having local officials build embankments. This time, we should do as usual?”

Su Yang glanced at him, making no decision, and instead asked: “Is there anyone else who wants to speak?”

Only then did Zhao Xiangyi step out: “Your Majesty, this year’s Jiangnan flood shows signs of sweeping the land. If we don’t take precautions, it may lead to a great disaster. According to the usual method, it probably won’t be enough.”

Su Yang then looked at Zhao Xiangyi and spoke: “Does Lord Zhao have any good solutions?”

Zhao Xiangyi thought for a moment and said, “Lord Fang Zhixu is from the south; I wonder what Lord Fang’s opinion would be?”

Su Yang then shifted his gaze to Fang Zhixu, who stepped out and said: “I believe that for the Jiangnan flood, besides precautions and building embankments, we must also channel the water.”

Su Yang opened a memorial at hand; it was the one Fang Zhixu had submitted, with some insights into the Jiangnan flood written on it. He said: “Since you understand the Jiangnan flood so well, this matter will be handed over to you; prepare a complete memorial and submit it to me.”

Fang Zhixu said hurriedly: “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Looking at the Jiangnan flood in the memorial, a thought quietly grew in Su Yang’s heart.

He dismissed the court, gave Fang Zhixu a deep look, and said to the De Fu beside him: “Have someone keep an eye on him.”

De Fu responded: “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Fang Zhixu and Zhao Xiangyi left the palace together, and he said: “Many thanks to Lord Zhao for recommending me in front of the Emperor.”

Zhao Xiangyi smiled. Fang Zhixu wasn’t a blockhead; although he was somewhat lacking in worldly wisdom, at least he wasn’t too stupid: “It’s just that for the flood matter, if it’s not handled well, I’ll also be implicated. You must put in a lot of effort.”

Fang Zhixu nodded seriously: “Does Lord Zhao feel there is any good strategy for this flood?”

Zhao Xiangyi thought about Su Yang’s expression just now and reminded him: “The Emperor doesn’t want to use the usual methods. Moreover, this flood truly shows signs of a great disaster. Although the Emperor hasn’t set limits, you must also think of a proper solution as soon as possible, lest it cause irreparable losses.”

Fang Zhixu nodded: “I know. However, my teacher has many insights into flood matters; his method will surely save the Jiangnan people from disaster.”

Zhao Xiangyi heard him repeatedly mention his teacher and couldn’t help being curious: “Your teacher is so capable?”

There was a hint of pride in Fang Zhixu’s tone: “Of course, my teacher is the most capable person in this world. His insights are unique and his ideas novel, yet he takes the overall situation into account. Previously, I also discussed the flood with him; Teacher’s method was already very complete. If it can help the Jiangnan people, Teacher will surely be very happy.”

Zhao Xiangyi said sincerely: “Your teacher sounds like a person who truly cares about the common people; if he were an official, it would be a blessing for the people.”

But Fang Zhixu shook his head: “Teacher won’t come; he doesn’t like the capital. Teacher’s health is poor, and the capital is too cold; he can’t stand it. However, he said that if I encounter a problem I can’t solve in court, I can ask him.”

Zhao Xiangyi nodded, lost in thought: “I see.”

It sounded like Fang Zhixu’s teacher truly was somewhat similar to Lin Huaiyu. Although he hadn’t seen the person, just hearing these descriptions couldn’t help but make him think so.

After chatting with Zhao Xiangyi for a while, Fang Zhixu returned to his own manor. The steward immediately handed him a letter: “A letter from Jiangnan has arrived.”

Fang Zhixu’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly took the letter, asking: “Is it a letter from Teacher?”

The steward smiled: “I wouldn’t dare open it; you’d better look for yourself.”

While asking, Fang Zhixu’s hand was already opening the letter. On it was his teacher’s handwriting, writing three pages in a free and easy manner—two and a half pages were about the Jiangnan flood, and the last half-page was praising him for becoming the top scholar and how to conduct himself in officialdom.

Looking at the letter, Fang Zhixu couldn’t help laughing. Teacher was still Teacher, his heart set on the common people. He tucked the letter into his robes, returned to his study, and began writing the memorial.

Su Yang was sitting in the Imperial Study, holding Lin Huaiyu’s death-exemption gold token in his hand. The sunlight shone on that gold token, warm and bright, as if Lin Huaiyu were standing in front of him with a shallow smile.

But ever since Lin Huaiyu entered the palace, he hadn’t smiled again.

At the thought of this, Su Yang’s heart felt as if countless pins were being stuck into it, hurting beyond measure.

Although Lin Huaiyu was cold and always indifferent to outsiders, he would also often wear a shallow smile—either distant or cold, so vivid that one could see his temper at a glance.

But he had personally wiped away the few smiles on Lin Huaiyu’s face, turning the person into a cold shell…

Su Yang endured the heartache while feeling it carefully, and listening to the guard’s report.

The guard knelt below, sensing that the person sitting above had a dark face and the pressure was a bit low, knowing the Emperor was in a bad mood.

It’s over; he didn’t seem to have brought back any useful news either. He hoped the Emperor would let him off.

He said with his head lowered: “Lord Fang returned to his manor and received a letter, seemingly sent by his teacher.”

Su Yang immediately raised his eyes and asked: “What was written?”

The guard shook his head: “I couldn’t see clearly. On it was written ‘Zhixu Open personally,’ and the rest couldn’t be seen. Lord Fang has been in his study, and the letter couldn’t be obtained.”

Su Yang’s mind moved, and suddenly thinking of something, he hurriedly said: “Write down those four characters.”

He didn’t know that at this moment he had ignited hope again, his heart beating violently.

For some reason, since Fang Zhixu came to the capital, whether it was him or his teacher, both gave him a sense of inexplicable familiarity—that illusion of perhaps knowing him led him to mistakenly believe it would be Lin Huaiyu or news of Lin Huaiyu.

Again and again he ignited hope only to have a basin of cold water poured over it, yet he was still willing to go explore that truth.

He too much wanted to have news related to Lin Huaiyu, stumbling and bleeding, yet not regretting it.

De Fu hurriedly brought pen and paper to the guard. The guard imitated the handwriting he saw on the envelope and presented it to Su Yang.

Seeing the handwriting, Su Yang’s heart, which had been pounding wildly, instantly stopped, losing interest, and he waved the guard away.

It wasn’t Lin Huaiyu’s handwriting.

Why every time he had some suspicion, the other would always wipe away that suspicion in his heart.

Figure, name, even now the handwriting—it was as if he were playing a game against him, or had anticipated he would have this suspicion and thus made him even more suspicious.

That person was playing against him; he made a move, and the other blocked it.

Even if all the suspicions were eliminated by the other, this feeling made him feel even more that the other side was Lin Huaiyu.

He rubbed the death-exemption gold token, missing Lin Huaiyu. After a while, he heard De Fu say: “Your Majesty, Lord Fang has submitted a memorial about the Jiangnan flood.”

“Present it.”

Su Yang looked at Fang Zhixu’s memorial, but his thoughts were on another matter.

If he used the Jiangnan flood matter to take a trip to Jiangnan, a micro-visit, he could go find out for himself.

He was truly curious whether this person was Lin Huaiyu; the style of handling affairs, step-by-step calculation, were too similar to Lin Huaiyu’s.

Even if the name was wrong and the handwriting different, it still made him suspicious.

What if it really was Lin Huaiyu…

He could not miss any news related to Lin Huaiyu.

While thinking, he opened the memorial Fang Zhixu had submitted.

Fang Zhixu indeed had quite a bit of research on the Jiangnan flood matter—either because he was from Jiangnan or he really had that talent.

Su Yang unknowingly read it thoroughly. This person’s talent was on par with Zhao Xiangyi’s. Before Lin Huaiyu left, he had highly favored Zhao Xiangyi; if Fang Zhixu wasn’t taught by Lin Huaiyu, he would likely have spoken words of praise upon seeing him.

At the thought of this, Su Yang couldn’t help being jealous again. Since he ascended the throne, Lin Huaiyu hadn’t praised him much, yet wasn’t stingy in praising others. He once asked Lin Huaiyu whose article was better, his or Zhao Xiangyi’s, yet Lin Huaiyu wouldn’t give him one more word of praise.

Now… even scolding couldn’t be heard.

He had asked Lin Huaiyu at that time if he wanted to take Zhao Xiangyi as a student, and Lin Huaiyu said no. Then what about now?

If the teacher behind Fang Zhixu truly was Lin Huaiyu, then now he was no longer Lin Huaiyu’s only student.

Lin Huaiyu truly… didn’t want him anymore.

Su Yang squeezed a corner of the memorial tightly and only after a long time resumed reading.

Just as he was about to finish reading the memorial, his gaze stopped abruptly.

In the next second, Su Yang’s eyes were nearly splitting, and his hand holding the memorial trembled.

At the end of this memorial, there were three blank lines between the last sentence and the signature, and the signature was Fang Zhixu.

But this habit was unique to Lin Huaiyu. He was taught by Lin Huaiyu and had spent more than ten years with him day and night; he knew every habit of Lin Huaiyu’s.

Lin Huaiyu always liked to leave two or three blank lines at the end of a memorial before signing. Su Yang had once asked him why he did this.

Lin Huaiyu said it was because of his personal habit; he always had more thoughts come up, and every time he finished writing a memorial, he was afraid he would want to add something, so he thought of leaving two or three lines at the end, lest he had something he wanted to write.

Although this habit of Lin Huaiyu’s wasn’t only known to him, no one would specifically imitate another person’s habit like this, unless…

Unless… it was a student personally taught by Lin Huaiyu!

For a moment, the wild joy in Su Yang’s heart overwhelmed him. He stared intently at the three blank lines left at the end, as if he wanted to stare through this page.

“Summon Fang Zhixu into the palace immediately!” Su Yang raised his eyes to look at De Fu, his tone carrying some urgency and excitement.

De Fu hurriedly responded.

Strange, it was rare to see the Emperor so excited. Even when Master Lin was here before, he hadn’t seen the Emperor like this…

It was like, a glimmer of hope after everything seemed lost?

Could it be that there was news of Master Lin!