"Izz Ye sneered, 'Does the Grand Princess perhaps forget that when you entered, this Grand Tutor already told you that Ah Han and I are assisting the populace not on our own accord, but on the Great Emperor's decree?'"
Zande, the Grand Princess, looked at Izz Ye in surprise, "When did the Grand Tutor arrive here?"
Izz Ye paused slightly, then replied, "I forgot."
"Was it after the snow disaster?"
"Naturally, it was not."
Hearing this, Grand Princess Zande smiled, "Since it wasn't after the snow disaster, the Grand Tutor must not have left here after the snow disaster either, right?"
"Naturally, I did not."
"Then, Grand Tutor, how did you communicate with the Great Emperor? And how did you receive the Great Emperor's oral command?"
After asking, Grand Princess Zande looked at Izz Ye with full confidence.
She couldn't believe that after everything had been said, Izz Ye could still produce any evidence to prove that the disaster relief was the Great Emperor's will.
Izz Ye showed no signs of nervousness or fear. Instead, he looked at Grand Princess Zande curiously, "When did this Grand Tutor ever say it was the Great Emperor's oral command?"
"Since it wasn't an oral command, then..."
"This Grand Tutor naturally began the disaster relief after seeing the Great Emperor's imperial decree."
Izz Ye's statement was astonishing, not only to Grand Princess Zande but also to Shen Xiaoyan and the others, who looked at Izz Ye in disbelief.
Shen Xiaoyan was puzzled. They had only discussed doing this, hoping that their actions would eventually reach the Great Emperor's ears and earn them favor.
Yet now, Izz Ye claimed to have seen the Great Emperor's imperial decree.
How could an imperial decree possibly arrive from tens of thousands of miles away?
"Where is the imperial decree? Please, Grand Tutor, present it for us to see."
Compared to the surprise and shock of Shen Xiaoyan and the others, Grand Princess Zande appeared remarkably calm this time.
Since he claimed there was an imperial decree, let's see it first.
Izz Ye was unconcerned by the sarcasm in Grand Princess Zande's tone. He extended his right hand.
Then, a roll of bright yellow silk cloth appeared out of thin air in his hand.
When Grand Princess Zande saw the suddenly appearing silk cloth, her pupils contracted sharply.
Still, she thought that Izz Ye, having been Grand Tutor for so many years, had had countless opportunities to obtain an imperial decree. This might just be something he conjured up to deceive people.
"Could the Grand Tutor please let this Grand Princess see it?"
Grand Princess Zande's voice, though seemingly casual, betrayed her, revealing her current tension.
Izz Ye was indifferent to this. He flew towards Grand Princess Zande with the imperial decree.
Disregarding Grand Princess Zande's shocked expression, he directly dropped the imperial decree onto her.
If Grand Princess Zande had any doubt before, all of it vanished at this moment.
This Izz Ye was one hundred percent the Izz Ye of that time.
Picking up the imperial decree, Grand Princess Zande did not open it immediately.
After hesitating for a long time, Grand Princess Zande finally opened the imperial decree.
The imperial decree was not long; it could be read quickly. However, Grand Princess Zande instinctively looked at the date and the seal first.
Upon seeing the date was three days prior and the seal was the familiar one, she then proceeded to read the contents.
After reading the imperial decree several times, she closed it.
It was real.
However, she couldn't understand how this imperial decree could have reached Izz Ye in such a short period.
"Why was the Grand Tutor able to receive the imperial decree so quickly?" Grand Princess Zande asked earnestly.
Hearing this question, Izz Ye smiled. Had this Grand Princess's mind gone blank?
"This has nothing to do with the Grand Princess. Everything the Grand Princess needs to know, she already knows. If there's nothing else, this Grand Tutor must go and carry out the task mentioned in the imperial decree."
Grand Princess Zande was so taken aback that she didn't know how to respond.
After much thought, Grand Princess Zande tentatively asked, "Is the Grand Tutor truly unwilling to agree to what this Grand Princess proposed earlier?"
Izz Ye did not speak. He simply smiled and shook his head, indicating his resolve.
Grand Princess Zande was furious and wanted to curse, but outwardly she said, "Won't the Grand Tutor reconsider? After all, the current Emperor has changed. The present Emperor greatly admires the Grand Tutor's talents. As long as the Grand Tutor is willing, the position of Grand Tutor will surely be yours in the future."
Upon hearing this, Izz Ye burst into laughter. After laughing, he said, "If I truly had such ambitions, do you think it would be you who was sent by the Emperor to assist with disaster relief today?"
Izz Ye's words were quite blunt. No matter how hard Grand Princess Zande tried, she couldn't maintain her stiff smile.
"I believe the Grand Princess has said all she needs to say and asked all she needed to ask. The Grand Princess is a busy person, and we also have matters to attend to. We shall not be keeping the Grand Princess for dinner," Sima Han said at this moment.
Shen Xiaoyan cast a chiding glance at Sima Han upon hearing this, then smiled apologetically at Grand Princess Zande, "Please do not mind, Princess. Ah Han is generally clumsy with his words and sometimes speaks without thinking."
Initially, Grand Princess Zande was indeed angered by Sima Han's attempt to dismiss her.
However, Shen Xiaoyan's tone of speaking to her and her apology on Sima Han's behalf truly astonished Grand Princess Zande, filling her with a sense of pleasant surprise.
"It's nothing, this Grand Princess understands..."
"Your Highness is of noble birth. We have only simple fare. How could we dare to let Your Highness eat? What if Your Highness's stomach is upset?"
Grand Princess Zande's unfinished words were abruptly swallowed back upon hearing Shen Xiaoyan's subsequent remark.
Indeed, she must have lost her mind earlier.
To think that she had considered Shen Xiaoyan to be someone who was easy to talk to and polite.
Perhaps everyone else in this room was more polite than Shen Xiaoyan.
"There's no need for dinner. This Grand Princess doesn't lack a meal," Grand Princess Zande said, stunned.
She then looked at Sima Han again, "Since the Grand Tutor is unwilling and holds the Great Emperor's imperial decree, this Grand Princess will say no more. However, if the Emperor should later hold you accountable, do not blame this Grand Princess for not reminding you."
Izz Ye nodded with understanding, appearing completely unconcerned.
Seeing that Izz Ye was completely disregarding her words, Grand Princess Zande's chest heaved with anger several times.
However, the matter of disaster relief was a dead end, so let it be.
After all, she hadn't taken it seriously in the first place. The most important thing now was to get her hands on the glazed screen.
Thus, Grand Princess Zande put on a smile and looked at Izz Ye again.
"Since the matter of disaster relief is concluded, this Grand Princess would still like to discuss the previous matter with the Grand Tutor."
Izz Ye looked at Grand Princess Zande curiously, "The previous matter? What matter? Weren't we just discussing disaster relief? Is it not all concluded now?"
Grand Princess Zande knew very well that Izz Ye was feigning ignorance. However, since she was seeking a favor, she could only endure it and maintain her smile.
"It's about the glazed screen from earlier. It's understandable that the Grand Tutor is forgetful, given your status."
Upon hearing this, Izz Ye seemed to realize, "You're talking about the glazed screen."
Grand Princess Zande smiled even more heartily, "Yes, yes, yes, I'm talking about the glazed screen. Please, Grand Tutor, name your price."
"What price?"
"How much money does the Grand Tutor intend to ask for in exchange for the glazed screen? Just name your price, and I absolutely will not haggle."
As Grand Princess Zande said this, her back straightened considerably. Her demeanor indicated that she was full of confidence.
As a Grand Princess who had been married for several decades, to possess such confidence suggested that she had been living very well all these years, even if she hadn't returned to the imperial capital.