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墨書 Inktalez
Gentle rarely spoke during the hearings, but whenever he did, his words struck right at the point, a stark contrast to his sycophantic demeanor before the Emperor. Qi Xiaomian thought he had a knack for reading people, or more accurately, for catering to their preferences and understanding what style of conversation they favored. He possessed keen insight and sharp wit; he was quite a character.
Qi Xiaomian felt a twinge of concern. As time passed, it seemed that he might not be a match for this person and decided it was necessary to investigate further.
At that moment, Gentle was seated just below Qi Xiaomian, observing Old Vine as he prepared a prescription. Qi Xiaomian noticed that Gentle only occupied half of his chair, adhering strictly to the rules of hierarchy wherever he went. He was cautious, clear-headed, and somewhat intimidating.
On the other side, the Coroner had only provided vague information thus far. Wen was curious about where this prescription had come from. Not overly concerned, Gentle carefully folded the prescription and placed it on Qi Xiaomian's table. After all, who didn’t have their own sources and connections? As long as they were united in purpose and worked together to get things done, there was no need to fuss over minor details.
Wen was indeed an understanding person. In such an environment as the palace, if one lacked clarity of mind, they would have been picked apart by others long ago. Interacting with court officials required one to focus solely on their own affairs while navigating through the cracks to survive; it was essential to live well above all else.
Was this person trying to curry favor? He had heard from the Chancellor that Gentle had made several overtures toward Cai Zhuo. That night when Cai Zhuo fell ill with a high fever and in a precarious state, it was Gentle who first noticed and took action—summoning the imperial physician and caring for him throughout the night until Cai Zhuo's fever subsided.
Cai Zhuo spoke of him with a complex expression, admitting that he found Gentle hard to read. Although it was clear that Xuande Emperor intended for Gentle to gradually take his place, Cai Zhuo often found himself softening in his presence, reluctant to compete further.
From Gentle's behavior, it was evident that he consistently positioned himself beneath Cai Zhuo. Whenever Xuande Emperor would occasionally scold Cai Zhuo without regard for feelings, Gentle would effortlessly redirect the conversation to preserve Cai Zhuo's dignity. He even seemed to understand Cai Zhuo's thoughts well enough to subtly push him forward in discussions with Xuande Emperor, helping him achieve his desires.
If this man were an ally, he would be a formidable asset; however, if all of this was merely an act, he could prove to be a challenging adversary.
Setting aside thoughts of the prescription, Qi Xiaomian organized and handed over the latest relationship records from Foreign Group for Gentle's review. After examining them closely, Gentle quickly identified an issue.
This prince seemed to retire rather early—he went to bed around the hour of Xu (between seven and eight in the evening). Qi Xiaomian agreed; at this hour, the sun had barely set for half an hour. If they waited another hour, members of Foreign Group would set out together and cause chaos in Jingjing City during the night.
"I also have some investigative information on Prince Dayu," Qi Xiaomian continued. "This prince appears simple-minded on the surface but is quite reckless behind closed doors. When he gets rowdy, there are no limits; he's involved in quite a bit of bloodshed. While not every night is filled with revelry, it's close enough."
"I even specifically asked Xing Wu about Prince Dayu's health; he's been rather weak lately, which corroborates these investigation records."
"Once we got involved here," Qi Xiaomian concluded, "he seems to have turned over a new leaf."
The Marquis must have questioned Foreign Group regarding this matter.
He asked, and they replied that with the examination approaching, the prince was diligently studying during the day and going to bed early at night, conserving his energy to greet the Imperial Examination with the best spirit.
Gentle couldn't help but chuckle. On the day of the prince's Imperial Examination, how would he fare? Not particularly well, it seemed. He could only be considered average; he wrote from morning until afternoon, while others were nearly finished with the last question, he had just begun the second question. His writing showed pauses, clearly indicating a lack of inspiration—he was not doing well.
Were all the Foreign Groups on the same page? The Huayang Master had been on good terms with both the Marquis and Miss Sang, hadn't he?
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