Chapter 25: The Mandate of Heaven Reveals, Talent Condenses, and Strange Phenomena Stir

Wenxin Study Hall.

Wangxia Terrace.

The appearance of two figures broke the tranquility of the place.

Gu Jinnian stood on the Wangxia Terrace, quietly gazing at the rosy clouds in the sky, appearing particularly calm.

Yang Hanrou, who had always been gentle and frail, now exuded a high and cold demeanor.

The pride in her bones.

She was the daughter of the Minister of Rites of the Great Xia Dynasty. Although she was not as precious as a princess, she was still a lady of noble birth.

Since childhood, she had been raised in luxury, how could she be gentle and simple?

Not to mention the complexity of the imperial court, it was all the same.

A second-rank official, one of the six ministries, could almost be called a celestial official. The mansion was filled with servants and maids. Even if the Minister of Rites, Yang Kai, preached righteousness, he still had four concubines besides his main wife.

With such a family background, could there be a simple-minded woman?

"You said the four conditions, theoretically, I can agree to them."

"But a thousand taels of gold is a bit difficult for me."

"My father is a clean official, earning only three thousand taels of silver a year. I can't come up with a thousand taels of gold."

Yang Hanrou said this while looking at Gu Jinnian.

The Minister of Rites, after all, was a capital official, with a modest salary and no integrity silver, unlike provincial governors or provincial inspectors.

A thousand taels of gold is equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver, which she couldn't afford.

"Hanrou, you're overthinking it."

"You may not have it, but many people around you do."

"I imagine even Zhang Yun could come up with a thousand taels of gold, right?"

Gu Jinnian didn't say it outright.

But that was the meaning.

Beautiful women never lack money, after all, there are always men willing to give it to them.

Upon hearing this, Yang Hanrou immediately understood. After a moment of contemplation, she looked at Gu Jinnian.

"If I agree, will these matters truly be over?"

Yang Hanrou's voice sounded, she calmly looked into the distance, not at Gu Jinnian, but asked this question.

But she was smart, never admitting anything outright, only hinting at it.

"It depends on your performance."

"A little reputation doesn't bother me. As long as Minister Yang doesn't continue to pursue this matter, it won't be long before no one cares."

"Then everyone will be happy."

Gu Jinnian seemed indifferent.

He had four reasons for doing this.

First, to annoy Zhang Yun.

Second, to control Yang Hanrou.

Third, to investigate his drowning incident through Yang Hanrou.

Fourth, to get some gold and silver. The Gu family had gold, but it couldn't be taken out easily.

To get silver, he would have to go to the treasury. Asking for a few hundred taels would be fine, but a thousand taels of gold would definitely raise questions.

Others might not care, but his father would definitely ask, and not being able to answer would cause trouble. It was better to get some from Yang Hanrou.

As for who ultimately provided the gold, that wasn't his concern.

Of course, the mention of silver was just a side note; the main focus was on the previous matter.

Drowning wasn't a big deal.

The real issue was who wanted to harm him, why, and for what purpose.

That was the real big deal.

Reputation couldn't be erased in a day or two. It was better to investigate the situation rather than waste time on it.

"The public opinion in the capital is not solely caused by my father. Many people are involved."

"Initially, my father mentioned it, but didn't say much after that. The Gu family is influential, but has also offended many people."

"But rest assured, I will talk to my father today. However, please understand, as some things are unavoidable."

Yang Hanrou explained the rumors in the capital.

At the same time, she showed weakness, trying to use the same tactics against him as she did against Zhang Yun.

Hearing Yang Hanrou call him "Brother Jinnian," Gu Jinnian couldn't help but feel a sense of irony.

Fortunately, having lived two lives, such tactics no longer affected him.

"Since I've come to talk to you privately, it means I don't want to continue this matter."

"Let's put it to rest, for the best of both of us."

"But there is one thing I really want to ask you."

"Who exactly ordered you to push me into the water?"

Gu Jinnian's tone was calm at first, but his last words were serious and stern.

He stared at Yang Hanrou.

However, she remained calm.

"No one ordered me."

"It was just a farce."

"Brother Jinnian, are you overthinking it?"

Yang Hanrou answered without a hint of panic.

But Gu Jinnian didn't speak, just continued to stare at her.

She didn't resist, her beautiful eyes meeting his.

After a moment,

Gu Jinnian's stern expression softened.

Yang Hanrou was a deeply scheming person, but she liked to pretend otherwise.

Logically, such a smart person, if she really wanted to harm him, wouldn't use such a poor excuse. It didn't fit her character.

In other words, Yang Hanrou definitely knew something, but not much.

It needed to be slowly extracted.

Otherwise, Gu Jinnian wouldn't have come to see her.

"Alright."

"Since it was just a farce, let's put it behind us."

Gu Jinnian didn't continue the topic.

She didn't speak, just slightly turned away from him.

Looking at the scenery, Yang Hanrou's gaze was somewhat strange, deep in thought, but not obviously so.

She did know something.

But not much.

She couldn't say it, didn't want to say it, and it wasn't easy to say.

If this matter could be put behind as Gu Jinnian suggested, she would be happy.

After a moment,

The bell rang.

Gu Jinnian stretched, looking at Yang Hanrou.

"Hanrou, it's time for class. Let's go."

He smiled, without a trace of his previous sternness.

"Okay."

"The Great Xia Academy is about to start. Brother Jinnian now has a direct admission. If I also enter the academy, I will need your help in the future."

The two walked side by side, Yang Hanrou spoke, showing weakness while also seeking an opportunity to control Gu Jinnian.

In her view, Gu Jinnian was just wary because of the drowning incident.

As for why he was so focused on her, it was simply because he was attracted to her beauty.

Men, after all, were all the same.

And for Yang Hanrou's flattery, Gu Jinnian wasn't annoyed. Without any real conflict, she was just a good sister to him.

Thinking about it, if Yang Kai saw this scene, wouldn't he be furious? It could be considered a form of revenge.

"You don't need to worry."

"Your big brother is strong and will protect you."

Gu Jinnian smiled.

Yang Hanrou was slightly taken aback, finding his words somewhat strange, but couldn't pinpoint why.

"By the way."

"Hanrou, I heard that many people in the Great Xia Academy are already targeting me. Do you know about this?"

Gu Jinnian continued to ask.

"Yes."

"I've heard about it."

"But it's not related to my father, nor to the drowning incident."

"Mainly it's due to your family."

Yang Hanrou answered.

"My family?"

This time, Gu Jinnian was curious.

He had been in this world for half a month, and for the first half, he was in a daze. While he knew the general situation of the Gu family, he didn't know much else.

"Brother Jinnian has been too relaxed, and hasn't paid attention to many things."

"A few months ago, the emperor casually mentioned the border thirteen cities, which sparked a debate between civil and military officials."

"Just in September, four generals were demoted, six commanders were dismissed, and the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Revenue jointly investigated the three camps of the Ministry of War."

"Among the civil officials, one vice-minister, three deputy ministers, seven secretaries, and twelve scholars were dismissed."

"And half of them were investigated by the Gu family."

"Can Brother Jinnian expect the scholars of the Great Xia Academy to let you off?"

"Unfortunately, I am just a weak woman. If I were a man, I could help you."

Yang Hanrou clearly had a hint of schadenfreude, but her words absolved her family of any involvement.

After hearing this, Gu Jinnian understood.

Indeed, everything was about interests.

There were no baseless enmities in this world. With this understanding, the city-wide rumors made sense to Gu Jinnian.

It was reasonable for these civil officials to target him.

The Gu family was the core of the military faction, advocating for war.

The scholars were the core of the civil faction, opposing war.

After all, war brought many complications, and the most significant was the rise in status of military officials.

During this period, military officials could do many things, whether for their descendants or to amass wealth. In short, the vast empire had to be structured around the military.

No matter how powerful these civil officials were, they had to yield.

After all, losing a war wasn't just embarrassing; it affected the fate of the nation and its territory.

Of course, for civil officials, the biggest impact was the disruption of the balance.

Understanding this, Gu Jinnian didn't say more.

But seeing Yang Hanrou's schadenfreude, he didn't want to be at a disadvantage.

"It's not without a solution."

"I'll go to my grandfather today and tell him that Hanrou has feelings for me. We can turn enemies into friends, and I'll have my grandfather propose to the Yang family. If you agree, even if your father doesn't, it won't matter."

"Then we will have a civil-military alliance, growing stronger and achieving glory. It will protect me and benefit you, Hanrou. What do you think?"

Gu Jinnian said seriously.

Yang Hanrou's smile froze, her face turning sour.

She had no particular fondness for Gu Jinnian, nor any particular dislike. She preferred men of literary talent.

To her, Gu Jinnian was just born into a good family. If the Gu family remained powerful, he could enjoy a good life; if the Gu family fell, what was Gu Jinnian worth?

So, she had no interest in his proposal, and even feared he might take it seriously.

Seeing the faint resentment on her face, Gu Jinnian felt satisfied.

"Brother Jinnian, the head of the Great Xia Academy is not my father. You don't need to worry too much."

Yang Hanrou spoke, fearing he might really propose.

"Who is it?"

Not Yang Kai? This was intriguing. Yang Kai was the Minister of Rites, and it made sense for him to be the head.

"I don't know. My father said they will invite a true great scholar, someone with the potential to be a sage."

Yang Hanrou replied.

"A sage?"

Gu Jinnian was indeed curious, but didn't ask more, continuing to walk.

After a while,

The two entered the study hall.

Many people were surprised to see Yang Hanrou and Gu Jinnian walking together.

Gu Jinnian's friends were shocked and gave him a thumbs up.

Only Zhang Yun's face was dark.

Once inside, Yang Hanrou once again transformed into a frail beauty, seamlessly.

The next class was still calligraphy practice.

Gu Jinnian didn't think much about it.

He focused on practicing.

Two hours later,

The bell rang, and everyone left.

A figure appeared in the study hall.

It was Zhang Yun's father, Zhang Yunhai.