Sure enough, as soon as Emperor Deming made the flashy announcement appointing Zhao Yan as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, the expressions of certain officials in the court shifted instantly. Zhao Yan felt numerous resentful gazes fixed upon him from behind, but he had long since perfected the art of feigning complete ignorance.
There were no small number of people green with envy over the position he had attained. A good many of them were officials hailing from elite noble clans. Having always won at the starting line thanks to the knowledge and wealth accumulated by their families over generations, these scions of noble houses possessed fiercely stubborn pride. No matter what, they refused to admit that someone like Zhao Yan, born of peasant stock, could possess abilities superior to their own.
"Brother Zhao, those fellows are huddling together again. They're definitely whispering about you—classic sour grapes," Yang Yizhi said, casting a look of disgust in their direction.
Chapter 710