How the Crown Prince and the Emperor played their game of chess was not a matter for Zhao Yan to interfere in. He quietly focused on his own duties, consulting Minister Cao whenever he encountered a problem. During this period, he made such rapid progress that even Minister Cao began to view him with new respect. Every time Zhao Yan handed him a "project proposal," Minister Cao would be left stunned; he discovered that writing things this way was much clearer than his own previous, long-winded documents.
A month passed. Xiaotangyuan’s one-month-old celebration had come and gone, yet the Crown Prince’s marriage remained unsettled. The rumors about Miss Sun, which had previously sounded so credible, had fizzled out into nothing. Minister Sun himself seemed unchanged, still smiling and exchanging pleasantries with everyone he met.
"Brother Zhao, don't be deceived by appearances," Yang Yizhi said, stripping away the truth about Minister Sun without mercy. "In the Ministry of Rites, no matter who speaks to Minister Sun now, they have to tread very carefully. Outside, he’s just putting on a show for you people." Yang Yizhi had seen it clearly in the ministry; the look on Minister Sun’s face when he first learned that the Crown Prince had directly rejected his offer was terrifying—as dark as an approaching storm. For several days after, he had made sure to avoid Minister Sun, terrified of being used as cannon fodder for the man’s venting rage.
Chapter 607