Jun You Ji Fou

Chapter 81

In the tenth year of Yonghe, in the second month of spring, the ninth prince of the Xiongnu, Yuwen Sun, raised his troops, attacked the royal tent at night, killed his father, and usurped the throne, proclaiming himself as the Great Khan.

Upon hearing the news in Chang'an, Chu Mingyun sneered, "They let a useless person become the Khan. Is this the end of the road for the Xiongnu?" He dismissed it casually.

At the same time, Yue Yuxuan, the Minister of Works, also received the news and, after a brief preparation, entered the palace.

In the imperial study, Li Yanzhen was carefully examining a wooden carving of a woman, seemingly oblivious as Yue Yuxuan placed documents on the desk, not even sparing a glance.

The wood carving had reached perfection, with an elegant figure, embroidered clothes, and slender, jade-like hands. Although the face was still missing, one could imagine it to be an extremely beautiful woman.

"Has the Emperor not decided on her appearance yet?" Yue Yuxuan also looked at the wooden carving.

"Yes, I always feel that I need to consider it carefully." Li Yanzhen gazed at the statue with a gentle and almost affectionate expression. "Sometimes, I have a vague feeling, thinking that I'm about to remember her face, but when I try to focus, I can't recall it."

Yue Yuxuan couldn't help sighing, "What a pity."

"A pity?" Li Yanzhen raised an eyebrow, but his gaze remained fixed on the carving.

"It's nothing. I just lament that Your Majesty has such a remarkable talent. If you were a craftsman, you would undoubtedly be the best in the world." Yue Yuxuan smiled, "I'm just indulging in wild thoughts."

"If I were a craftsman?" Li Yanzhen couldn't help shaking his head with a smile. "I did have such thoughts. When I was just prepared to be the Crown Prince, I was forced to learn many things and catch up with the books my imperial brothers had been reading since childhood. It was exhausting. I couldn't help complaining to Su Aiqing, the attendant at the time. I said it would be great if I could leave the palace and become a carpenter. Being an emperor is tiring and boring."

Yue Yuxuan chuckled in agreement. Seeing that Li Yanzhen showed signs of getting lost in memories, he quietly approached, swept his hand over the teacup on the table, and fine white powder gently fell into the tea, dissolving without a trace.

Li Yanzhen, completely unaware, continued his recollection with a smile, "Just didn't expect that the palace maids close to me would tell this to others, and it reached my father's ears. Father was furious, punished me and Su Aiqing, confining us to the East Palace to copy books. It was New Year's Eve that night. I implicated Su Aiqing, preventing him from returning home. I felt guilty, unable to say a word. Instead of being angry, he comforted me. It seemed like he never got angry naturally. We copied books all night, and my wrists were sore. I couldn't stop yawning. Su Aiqing asked me to take a break and rest for a while. After a cup of tea, he would wake me up to continue copying. When I woke up, the day had already dawned, and he had finished the rest of the work on the table. Even the table was tidied up."

Li Yanzhen paused for a moment before continuing, "At that time, seeing Su Aiqing asleep at the desk, I couldn't help but think that he was probably the only person who treated me well besides my mother."

After a considerable pause, Li Yanzhen continued, "At that time, I looked at Su Aiqing sleeping at the desk and couldn't help but think that besides my mother, he was probably the only one who treated me kindly."

"No wonder Your Majesty trusts and favors Minister Su so much." Yue Yuxuan, now back in his original position, showed a respectful demeanor.

Li Yanzhen finally turned around, picked up the teacup, and took a few sips, smiling, "In my heart, Su Aiqing is no different from my elder brother."