TEFSCBSS Chapter 83

Chapter 83: The Political Marriage Plot Arrives Late, But It Arrives

In the academy, the room was silent except for the sound of pages turning as the princes and students read their books.

Seated on the platform, Grand Tutor Wang’s face was dark with anger as he graded their essays, so furious that he had already pulled out several strands of his beard.

No, the more he read, the angrier he became! He took a deep breath, lifted his head, and looked around for someone to take his frustration out on. Squinting, he spotted a few students secretly passing notes.

Outrageous!

Unacceptable!

He grabbed his ruler, stood up, and bellowed, “Third Prince, Fifth Prince, Ninth Prince!”

“Wang Bokao, Qi Dong, Jiang Shulin…”

One name after another, nearly two-thirds of the academy had been called.

Those named immediately broke into a cold sweat.

Grand Tutor Wang clasped his hands behind his back and stood up. “It seems that all of you are exceptionally gifted, so brilliant that you’ve already completed the assignments I just gave you?”

“Come, Wang Bokao, recite your essay for me.”

Wang Bokao felt a sense of impending doom but had no choice but to stand up, trembling.

Back when Zhao Wen was beaten by the Minister of Justice, he had, of course, betrayed Wang Bokao as well. Although Wang Bokao had tried to argue his case, he was still forced to keep the “special weapon” under the guise of borrowing it for study, but he had been handed over to the academy under Grand Tutor Wang’s watchful eye.

Now, his life was fully occupied: arriving at the academy at dawn to clean, studying with the others during the day, running to the script shop after lessons, and spending his evenings feeding pigs and cleaning their pens. His once-bright future was now thoroughly packed with responsibilities.

The dark circles under his eyes and his sluggish demeanor spoke volumes. He took every chance to doze off when other teachers were lecturing, only to act like the perfect student whenever Grand Tutor Wang was present.

He thought he had been behaving well these past few days—Grand Tutor Wang hadn’t scolded him once! But today, he made the fatal mistake of joining in on some note-passing, thinking the tutor had let his guard down. And just like that, he got caught red-handed!

A single misstep, and now he was doomed!

He stood there, head hung low, not daring to speak.

“Oh? Weren’t you just so lively a moment ago? I thought you had the whole essay memorized. What’s this? Forgotten already?”

“Grand Tutor… I was wrong. Please punish me,” Wang Bokao said sincerely, quick to admit fault. In a situation like this, the last thing he wanted was to anger Grand Tutor Wang further—otherwise, he’d be bedridden for half a month.

He knew the drill. He was used to it.

“Hah! And what about the rest of you? Have you memorized it?”

The others all shook their heads in unison, stood up, lowered their heads, and held out their hands, obediently awaiting their punishment.

Grand Tutor Wang had them line up outside the academy to be disciplined one by one.

As was tradition, Wang Bokao was the first to be punished—his strikes were always the harshest, delivered at full force. Those who followed would receive slightly lighter blows.

But even his grandson stood in line and took his punishment without complaint, so who else could argue?

Even after disciplining them, Grand Tutor Wang was still fuming.

His gaze landed on the princes, and as he examined the notes they had been passing around, a smirk appeared on his face.

He couldn’t truly punish the princes, but he could certainly report them!

Gathering up all the notes, he turned and strode toward the emperor’s Wen De Hall.

The emperor, pushing aside a pile of memorials, looked up to see the elderly tutor and sighed. “Teacher, what have those unfilial brats done this time?”

Grand Tutor Wang handed over the notes. “Your Majesty, the Jin Kingdom’s envoy will be arriving in a few days, and the topic of a political marriage is already stirring discussion. Today, it was just idle chatter within the academy. Tomorrow, it will spread to teahouses and taverns. I fear that someone might use this to manipulate the situation and disrupt Your Majesty’s plans.”

The emperor rubbed his temples in frustration. The matter of the Jin envoy had already been discussed in court over the past few days.

The two nations had maintained peace for thirty years, with only minor border skirmishes—nothing significant. But out of nowhere, the Jin Kingdom was now insisting on a political marriage.

Internally, the emperor was seething. They had already stopped fighting, and back then, it was the Great Yin that had won the war. Why hadn’t Jin proposed a marriage alliance then? Why now?

Ridiculous!

However, even though he was reluctant about the matter, he couldn’t outright refuse. If the subject was never brought up, then fine—but now that it had been, he had to give it serious consideration. Should he agree or not? If he refused, how could he maintain the dignity of both nations? And if he accepted, who would be chosen for the marriage?

He was exhausted. He didn’t want to be emperor for even one more day.

With a deep sigh, he slumped in his seat. The head eunuch standing nearby couldn’t help but sigh as well—this was the 101st time today that the emperor had shown his frustration.

The emperor gestured for someone to bring Grand Tutor Wang a seat. “Teacher, I understand what you’re saying. But while I can control what is said in court, I can’t stop the gossip behind my back. Besides, various regions are suffering from disasters—floods, earthquakes, wildfires… I’m overwhelmed. This marriage alliance, though significant, isn’t my top priority.”

“We’ll deal with it when the envoy arrives in a few days.”

Grand Tutor Wang understood the situation. Seeing the emperor—his former student—so troubled made his own heart heavy as well.

Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind. He thought of Su Li and that script shop, and his eyes lit up.

“Your Majesty, I have a plan…”

The emperor raised an eyebrow. “Huh? That could work?”

He looked skeptical. “Are you sure we won’t get into trouble for handling the envoy this way?”

…

No one knew what was said between the emperor and Grand Tutor Wang in the palace that day. But outside, in court and beyond, people were already gathering in secret, whispering among themselves, trying to seize the opportunity to gain benefits for their factions and eliminate their rivals.

Prime Minister Su had even summoned Su Yao.

“Yao’er, Consort Rong has invited you to the palace tomorrow. She is the mother of the Second Prince—you should know what that means.”

“I know you have feelings for the Third Prince, but some matters are more important than romance.”

“The First Prince died young, leaving only four remaining. Among them, the Second Prince has the strongest backing. He is exceptionally talented, with many scholars and strategists in his circle. Even among the court ministers, he has considerable support. He is the most likely candidate for the crown prince.”

“You must conduct yourself well tomorrow. Do you understand?”

Su Yao bit her lip, looking troubled. But after a moment, she took a deep breath and nodded. “I understand, Father. As the prime minister’s eldest daughter, it is my duty to shoulder this responsibility. I will do my best.”

Prime Minister Su nodded in satisfaction—his daughter was obedient, as expected.

“However…” Su Yao hesitated, concern flickering in her eyes. “If my sister and I both marry princes, won’t that seem… inappropriate to Consort Rong?”

The unspoken question was clear—which side should they support? The Second Prince or the Third Prince?

If both daughters married into the imperial family, each as a main wife, others might see it as a neutral stance. But what would Consort Rong think? Would she be suspicious?

Prime Minister Su understood immediately. He sneered. “Don’t worry about her. Su Li has been resisting the future I arranged for her—she’s of no use to me. Just an abandoned pawn. If she happens to be found in some remote wilderness one day, well… that won’t be my problem.”

His lips curled into a cold smile as he waved Su Yao away.

However, as Su Yao turned to leave, her eyes flickered with disdain.

The Second Prince?

Heh.

…

A few days later, on South Street, in front of the West Tower Script Shop—

A large red banner was hanging at the entrance, with bold white lettering:

“Exciting New Recruitment! Open Competition!
The Final Winner Will Have the Chance to Intern at the Government Office, Military Command, and More!
Don’t Miss This Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity!”

The announcement sent the entire city into an uproar.

Huh?! What was this?!