Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

County Magistrate's Residence

After a few pots of warm rice wine, Liu Yanzhi's face was already flushed, and his eyes were no longer as sharp and clear as usual, but seemed a little vague. He would occasionally pick up a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and it was obvious that he was already about 70% drunk.

Seeing the time seemed ripe, Zhang Jingwei's mind shifted, deciding to seize this opportunity to inquire about some long-buried secrets. He carefully weighed his words and asked, "Teacher, you... you are profoundly knowledgeable and well-connected. There's something I've been unable to understand. Back then... when my father left the palace, he was said to have been carrying a secret decree... Do you know what that decree was about?"

Liu Yanzhi waved his hands drunkenly, his tongue slurring as he spoke, "Secret... secret decree? I've never heard of him carrying any such thing as a secret decree when he left the palace... I do remember clearly that he was accompanied by... a Rong woman. She was extremely beautiful, but her eyes were like those of a frightened deer..."

Zhang Jingwei's heart skipped a beat, and his voice became tense: "That...that's my mother?"

Liu Yanzhi nodded and burped, "Yeah... yes. Your father was really bold back then..."

Zhang Jingwei pressed the issue, "Sixth Uncle Zhang told me that my mother was executed by her family... because she insisted on marrying my father, a Central Plains man. This violated clan rules. Is this true?" His voice trembled slightly.

Liu Yanzhi's drunkenness seemed to be somewhat alleviated by this question. He was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Yes... that's true. Your mother... has a special status. She's no ordinary warrior woman, but the daughter of a prominent Borjigin family. According to the hierarchy of generations on the grasslands... she's even the aunt of the current Borjigin Khan."

"Oh my god..." Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but sigh, a little stunned by this sudden information about his life. "Bohan... is my cousin? I'm an orphan, all alone, and after all this fuss, I actually have such a prominent relative outside the Great Wall?"

Liu Yanzhi scoffed and poured cold water on him. "I advise you...don't rush into this marriage. The Borjigin tribe and our Central Plains, especially your good father-in-law, have a vengeful relationship! Your father-in-law beat them into a frenzy, driving them all the way deep into the grasslands. He also took advantage of the situation to disperse their tribe, greatly reducing their power and forcing them to be swallowed up by other tribes with their eyes on him. With such a deep blood feud, do you think your 'cousin' will recognize you?"

Zhang Jingwei was immediately deflated upon hearing this. He smiled bitterly and said, "So there's this grudge... Teacher, you really know everything about the Rong people outside the Great Wall."

Liu Yanzhi's face flickered with nostalgia, and he laughed drunkenly, "Haha... I was a so-called 'second-class citizen' for a while in Yunzhou, barely making a living by teaching aristocratic children how to read and write and reciting stories from the Central Plains."

Zhang Jingwei praised sincerely: "Teacher, this move is really subtle and effective."

Liu Yanzhi waved his hand, but his tone was filled with far-reaching consideration: "The culture of the Central Plains is profound and extensive, and it has its own power of assimilation. If in the future... in the future the imperial court is still unable to recover the homeland of the Sixteen Prefectures of Beiyun, then I will try another way - to 'Centralize' them little by little. Let their nobles learn my writing and admire my etiquette. Over time, the foreign races will be no different, and they can all become the king's land and subjects." These words were a bit treasonous, but they also revealed his extraordinary vision.

Zhang Jingwei exclaimed, "Teacher is truly an educator. His vision and strategy are beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Liu Yanzhi, drunkenly, said modestly, "I dare not call myself a great man...right and wrong, merits and demerits, will be decided by future generations...future generations will judge..."

Zhang Jingwei took the opportunity to ask, "Teacher, you were once a distinguished student at the Imperial College. Logically, wouldn't your future be brighter if you stayed in the capital? Why did you choose to serve in this border county of Yunzhou?"

Liu Yanzhi raised his head and took another sip of wine, breathing out the alcohol as he said, "The capital is a place of disputes, with factions forming to attack those who are different and the infighting going on... It's better to be in the countryside here, where the emperor is far away and the sky is high. Instead, I can enjoy peace and tranquility. Whatever I want to do, there will be fewer constraints..."

Zhang Jingwei laughed and said, "It turns out that the teacher is also a bohemian and freedom-loving person."

"Bohemian and free-spirited?" Liu Yanzhi squinted his eyes, savoring the word. "That's a brilliant use! Is there a historical reference to it?"

Zhang Jingwei's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly covered it up: "I didn't know, I just made it up, please forgive me, teacher."

Liu Yanzhi seemed quite satisfied, muttering, "Random talk... Yeah, that's true. Many of the world's classic truths were originally just casual remarks made by the ancients, and later generations took them as the golden rule..."

As the conversation deepened, Zhang Jingwei, determined, asked the most sensitive question: "Teacher, do you think... Li Zaizhi's school of 'Xinxue' will eventually lead to rebellion?"

Liu Yanzhi's drunken eyes suddenly focused for a moment, then softened again. He lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard: "Who knows...it's true! Li Zaizhi is a true lunatic! His head is full of immoral thoughts...But I think I heard that he later became disillusioned with the world and became a monk? He's been out of touch for so long, no one knows whether he's dead or alive."

Zhang Jingwei pressed on, "Teacher, if you see him again in the future, will you...will you capture him?"

Liu Yanzhi gave a wry smile and shook his head. "Yes! As an official appointed by the imperial court, how could I not arrest such a criminal? But... I can't catch him. Don't underestimate him because he's just a scholar. He's a master of martial arts, especially combat. Even more terrifying, he's also well-versed in military tactics and an expert at leading troops in battle! Back then... he was even appointed Grand Tutor, his power swirling across the court! His influence far surpassed that of our teacher, Lord Bing!"

Zhang Jingwei was surprised and asked, "Was he also implicated because of Lord Bing's resignation?"

"Him?" Liu Yanzhi sneered. "He should have died long ago! 'Reform the old and establish the new'! He wasn't trying to overturn corrupt policies, he was trying to overthrow the entire literary world and the entire orthodox tradition! The court couldn't tolerate him, and the Confucian scholars of the world hated him to the core!"

Zhang Jingwei asked in confusion, "But doesn't the School of Mind also originate from Confucianism? Why are they so incompatible?"

Liu Yanzhi put down his wine glass heavily and said sternly, "No! The School of Mind advocated by Li Zaizhi is absolutely not the righteous path of 'unity of knowledge and action' and 'cultivating conscience' as Master Bing advocates! His doctrine is extremely immoral! In his view, men have no etiquette or rules, women have no chastity or shame. Imperial authority and moral principles are shattered, and the order of heaven and earth is destroyed! It is utter chaos!"

Zhang Jingwei was struck by this and blurted out, "Teacher... you must have read the book 'Burning Books', right?" (referring to Li Zaizhi's banned book)

Liu Yanzhi's wandering eyes suddenly fixed, and he looked straight at Zhang Jingwei. He seemed to sober up a little. He was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "...an old thing...you...you actually know this book?"

Zhang Jingwei couldn't contain his curiosity. "Just how shocking is what's written in the book? I'm... I'm dying of curiosity!"

Liu Yanzhi seemed to have been struck by these words. He stood up shakily, his body swaying slightly. He pointed at Zhang Jingwei with a finger and said with a deep warning, "Curious? I'm afraid that in the end... you won't die of curiosity, but from seeing something you shouldn't have seen!"

He leaned closer, staring at Zhang Jingwei with cloudy eyes. "I noticed that you were particularly concerned about Li Zaizhi's affairs today... Jingwei, tell me honestly, did you... secretly look at any forbidden objects?"

Zhang Jingwei's heart trembled, and he was instantly sober. He lowered his head and denied it quickly: "I dare not! I would never dare to touch the forbidden items of the imperial court! It's just... I just heard the name and I'm curious."

Liu Yanzhi stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to find a flaw in his face. Finally, he sighed and said in a heavy voice, "There's no best! Remember, never read Li Zaizhi's books! His stuff may seem tempting, but it's actually utterly poisonous! If the world were truly as he claims, with everyone absolutely equal and no distinction between high and low, it would be like the earth without mountains, rivers, lakes, or seas, without ups and downs, leaving only a dead, silent desert! No rules, no order, no law. That would be a doomsday scene more terrifying than any tyranny!"

Zhang Jingwei sensed the serious warning in his teacher's words and responded solemnly, "Student... understands. I will definitely keep your teachings in mind."

Liu Yanzhi seemed to have exhausted all his strength. Drunkenness and fatigue surged over him again. He held onto the table and staggered, "Alright... Help... Help me to rest... This wine... It's better to drink less in the future... It's not only harmful to the body... It will also cause sexual disorder and damage the mind... I said too much... too much..."

Zhang Jingwei quickly stepped forward to support him, but his heart was like a lake with a huge rock dropped into it, surging and turbulent, unable to calm down for a long time. What he had heard tonight was too much, far beyond his imagination.