This made Li Shimin anxious, and he wanted to trade one for one with me.

Inside the Taiji Palace, as Li Tai walked with Zhang Anan back to the Wei King's residence, a smile would occasionally appear on his lips.

As he approached the palace gate, he slowed his pace, a smile spreading across his plump face, and said:

“Eunuch Zhang, may we wait outside for a moment? My teacher has arrived, and I wish to inform him of this matter personally.”

"promise."

Zhang Anan immediately stopped and bowed.

Li Tai strode into the living quarters and then ordered the doors to be closed.

Inside the living quarters, the middle-aged man whom Li Tai referred to as his "strategist" had been waiting for some time. Upon seeing him approach, he immediately went to greet him and asked:

"Your Highness, how is the situation?"

Li Tai said irritably, "You still have the nerve to ask, Qu Yu? I shouldn't have listened to you and gone to the Emperor to plead for Cheng Jun."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten myself into all this trouble!"

The middle-aged man named Qu Yu asked without changing his expression, "Has Your Highness been reprimanded by His Majesty?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing Li Tai's answer, Qu Yu remained calm and showed no surprise whatsoever.

This answer was exactly what he expected.

Qu Yu knew very well that King Wei would not gain anything by pleading for Cheng Jun.

Although his design was ingenious, it couldn't withstand scrutiny, especially in terms of weighing the pros and cons, which made it extremely unpredictable.

Whether it's Cheng Jun, his father Quan Wanji, or even His Majesty, whoever it is, if you ask him a few questions, Quan Heng will probably tell you everything.

By then, they will all notice something amiss.

However, because Qu Yu had made ample preparations beforehand, no matter how they investigated, they would not be able to trace it back to the King of Wei.

Unless, the King of Wei himself steps forward...

Qu Yu never intended for the King of Wei to intervene.

After all, if the King of Wei were to intervene, it would mean complete failure, and all the previous preparations would be in vain.

The King of Wei will also become a suspect.

However, when Qu Yu realized that the King of Wei actually wanted to recruit Cheng Jun, he knew that he had no choice but to take the risk.

Only by pushing the King of Wei to the forefront and making him the object of everyone's suspicion can Cheng Jun naturally avoid becoming friends with him.

After all, no one wants to be friends with someone who might be plotting against them.

Of course, Qu Yu believed that she had done it perfectly, and no matter how much people suspected King Wei, they could not find any evidence.

Even if His Majesty issues an order to thoroughly investigate this matter, nothing will be found.

His true purpose was only one thing: to make King Wei give up on recruiting Cheng Jun.

When the King of Wei pleaded for Cheng Jun's life, he was met with suspicion instead. His efforts to recruit Cheng Jun were met with a cold shoulder, and he was forced to abandon any thought of doing so.

Qu Yu was very satisfied with her masterpiece, but remained outwardly calm, and asked, "How did His Majesty reprimand His Highness?"

Li Tai said, "Get rid of the seven teachers, including you, from my side!"

"..."

Qu Yu's calm face suddenly showed a hint of surprise, which quickly turned into astonishment, her eyes widening in disbelief:

"How could this happen?"

Li Tai said, "My father said that there are treacherous villains around me. It was one of you seven who took it upon yourself to frame Cheng Jun."

Qu Yu asked, "They can't produce any evidence, yet they claim it was His Highness who did it?"

Li Tai shook his head and said, "I wasn't talking about me, I was talking about you all."

Qu Yu retorted indignantly, "If you say it was me, you should at least provide evidence!"

Li Tai immediately seemed to understand and said, "You're right..."

"Father is the most reasonable man. Without a suitable reason, Father would never drive you away from me..."

Qu Yu also calmed down, pondered for a moment, and said, "Then, who gave His Majesty a reason?"

Li Tai thought for a moment and said, "When I went to see my father, there were three people with him."

"They are Hu Yan, Quan Wanji, and Cheng Jun."

Qu Yu's eyes flickered, and she instantly made a judgment, saying:

"His Majesty favors His Highness the most, and his favor and rewards for His Highness surpass those of all the princes. Hu Yan and Quan Wanji do not have the courage to tell His Majesty that there are villains around His Highness."

"Only Cheng Jun has the guts; he's incredibly bold!"

Qu Yu said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, this matter is crystal clear. It must have been Cheng Jun who offered slanderous words and persuaded His Majesty!"

"Your Highness, you must go to His Majesty immediately and beg him to change his mind, rescind his order, and allow us to continue teaching Your Highness!"

Li Tai looked at him, shook his head and said, "I think it's no longer necessary."

Qu Yu said urgently, "How could there be no need for this? If Your Highness doesn't plead with His Majesty, we will be driven away!"

Li Tai sighed and said:

"It's not that I don't want to keep you, but my father's mind is made up, and there's no point in me saying anything."

"Moreover, Father has already found seven new teachers for me."

"They'll be here this afternoon."

Hearing this, Qu Yu's heart sank, knowing that there was really no turning back. Somewhat unwillingly, she asked, "Your Highness, didn't you try to persuade us again, for example, to talk to His Majesty about how our talents are far superior to those seven new teachers?"

Li Tai shook his head and said, "I cannot say such a thing."

"The seven new teachers that Father Emperor has chosen for me are Quan Wanji, Wei Zheng, Li Gang, Changsun Wuji, Kong Yingda, Du Ruhui, and Cheng Jun."

"Leaving aside Cheng Jun, among the other six, who can you compare to?"

Li Tai asked.

Upon hearing this, Qu Yu was completely disheartened; apart from Cheng Jun, he couldn't compare to anyone else.

To be precise, he couldn't compare to Cheng Jun. After all, Cheng Jun had genuinely reformed corrupt practices for the court, and his reputation in Chang'an was far greater than his.

"Cheng Jun..."

Qu Yu pondered the list of teachers, frowning as she said, "Your Highness, the seven teachers His Majesty has chosen for you are a bit too many. With their qualifications, they are more than qualified to serve as tutors to the Crown Prince."

Li Tai smiled and said, "This shows that Father Emperor values ​​me."

No... there's a problem... If His Majesty truly values ​​the Prince of Wei, he wouldn't have summoned these seven people, especially Cheng Jun... Qu Yu opened her mouth, but swallowed the words back. If she said these things now, the Prince of Wei probably wouldn't believe her; instead, he would think she was just jealous.

"Your Highness, how are your preparations going?"

At this moment, Zhang Anan's voice rang out.

Hearing his urging, Li Tai said to Qu Yu, "Dr. Qu, you should return to the Imperial Academy first. When the time is right, I will transfer you back here. I will not forget your contributions."

Qu Yu was moved upon hearing this and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Tai spoke kindly to him again, escorted him to the outside of the palace, watched him leave, and then sat comfortably on the couch inside the palace to wait.

At this moment, Qu Yu followed Zhang Anan out of the palace.

Before he could even return to the Imperial Academy, a middle-aged man dressed as the head of the imperial guards, accompanied by two guards, suddenly approached and blocked his path.

The middle-aged man at the head solemnly said:

"I am Li Junxian, the Left Guard General. I request that Dr. Qu accompany me on this imperial mission."