Before Jiang Zhaorong entered the hall, the fragrance from his body had already reached everyone's nose.

[Wow, that's a lot of work.]

Jiang Zhiyu was laughing in his heart.

The emperor couldn't help laughing.

Jiang Zhaorong knelt and saluted. After the emperor said "Stand still," Jiang Zhaorong did not stand up. Instead, he bowed deeply and prostrated himself on the ground: "I am guilty, Your Majesty, please punish me."

Emperor: "What crime have you committed?"

"I requested to enter Jinzhou, but I have not made any contribution to the people of Jinzhou. Everything depends on Jiang Shishu and his group. I am truly ashamed."

Since Gao Hong knew everything that happened in the Governor's Mansion, he must be well aware of the affairs in Jinzhou. He took so long to wash and must have told the emperor everything.

Instead of waiting for the emperor to ask me where I have been, it is better to take a step ahead and stop him from talking.

Jiang Zhaorong looked at the ground and thought to himself.

The emperor listened to Gao Hong talk a lot about Jiang Zhiyu, but he didn't mention Jiang Zhaorong at all.

Now that the real owner has brought it up, he'd like to listen to it.

The emperor remained calm and said, "Why are you being so modest, Prime Minister? You haven't achieved anything at all. That's really an exaggeration."

Jiang Zhaorong thought the emperor was making a subtle mockery of him, and he lowered his head even lower.

"Your Majesty, please do not forgive me. I was stopped by the guards when I entered the city. I made a mistake. After that, every step I took was wrong. The only thing I did was to help the county magistrate and appease the people."

【Huh? How can he be so honest? 】

The emperor's eyes were dark.

Jiang Zhaorong continued, "It was also due to my incompetence that I was kidnapped by bandits. It was only thanks to Secretary Jiang and Master He that I was rescued."

The emperor took a deep breath.

So what did this prime minister do when he asked to go to Jinzhou?

The emperor looked at Jiang Zhaorong with immediate dissatisfaction.

"According to what you said, you should indeed be punished for dereliction of duty. In my opinion, I will fine you three months' salary and leave you alone."

It was just three months' salary. Jiang Zhaorong took a deep breath and stood up obediently.

The emperor did not allow him to sit, and Jiang Zhaorong did not dare to sit either. He could only stand and watch the emperor patiently question Jiang Zhiyu.

Listening to Jiang Zhiyu's brief account of what happened in Jinzhou and seeing the emperor's flattering reaction, and seeing that the emperor knew nothing about the bandits, Jiang Zhaorong suddenly felt something was wrong.

If Gao Hong had told the emperor earlier, the emperor would not have reacted like this.

Could it be that Gao Hong only told the emperor about Jiang Zhiyu and didn't mention him?

Then, weren't those words I just said self-destructive?

He knew Jiang Zhiyu. If he didn't offend her, she wouldn't expose his secrets like others.

So if I don't tell anyone, won't I even be fined three months' salary?

Jiang Zhaorong took a deep breath, his heart full of regret.

After hearing about their trip to Jinzhou, the emperor's mind was in turmoil. He then said, "Zhiyu, you have performed a great service in this matter. I have already decided to appoint you as a Bachelor of the Imperial Academy, in charge of the imperial examinations. This is a matter of great importance, so Zhiyu must treat it with caution."

Jiang Zhaorong's eyes were filled with astonishment, and his back teeth were slightly clenched.

Just because of this one thing, he was promoted from the ninth rank to the fifth rank. Throughout the history of Tianqi, he is the only person who has done so!

The emperor doesn't hide his preference at all!

Jiang Zhaorong didn't know what to feel in his heart.

He knew that it was best for him to listen quietly at the moment, but he opened his mouth for some unknown reason: "Your Majesty, the imperial examination is a matter of great importance. Zhiyu is still young and may not be able to take on the task..."

The emperor glanced at him sideways and interrupted, "Whether she is capable of the job depends on herself. Is she still young? Prime Minister Jiang is older. If you were to go to Jinzhou, could you achieve the same feat as Zhiyu? If not, then just stand aside and listen. You don't have to be the one to point fingers at people. You're quite good at it!"

Jiang Zhaorong blushed after hearing these words. He lowered his head in shame and dared not make another sound.

[Wow! I haven't seen you for a few days. Has the Emperor evolved? Great job!]

The emperor raised his chin with some pride.

That is.

"When you go to the Hanlin Academy, you will have your own scholars to guide you. Only Jinshi can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin can enter the cabinet. This shows how important the Hanlin Academy is to Tianqi. Zhiyu, I entrust the imperial examination to you, which means I am entrusting the future of Tianqi to you. I trust you so much, please don't let me down."

These words were in stark contrast to his usual gentle tone; he spoke in an extremely serious and solemn tone.

Jiang Zhiyu naturally knew the importance of this matter, and nodded vigorously upon hearing this.

"I obey your orders."

The emperor nodded with satisfaction, but then he heard Jiang Zhiyu say, "Your Majesty, although, I can still get up at noon, right? I don't have to go to the Hanlin Academy so early in the morning, right?"

You'd better say yes, otherwise...

The emperor already understood what she said next, otherwise he would have sent himself to see the grandmother.

She didn't understand why getting up early was like taking her life.

It was not until that day when I thought about experiencing her daily routine that I realized how easy my life was that day.

Do I really have to go to the court this time?

The emperor looked at the table full of memorials and sighed softly.

"Of course."

She can do it, but I can't. After all, I am the king of a country. How can I govern the country well if I only get up at noon every day?

Wait a little longer, until I have trained a son who is good enough to take over my position, then I will abdicate!

When the emperor thought about who would be his successor, he couldn't help but worry.

In the past, he thought that Lao Liu was heartless, cruel, and decisive in killing people, and that he was a good candidate to be the emperor, so he tolerated the rebellious things he did again and again.

I hope he can also inspire the passion of other brothers.

But what about now?

He and the second brother were arguing endlessly over a woman!

How could two people like this take on such a big responsibility?!

He couldn't help but sigh and looked at Jiang Zhiyu.

If she were a man, if she were her own child...

Forget it, why think about these impossible things?

"Alright, I've already sent the rest of the rewards to the Xu residence. Do you have anything else to report? If not, go back and rest."

Naturally, there was nothing to report, so they bowed and left one by one.

Jiang Zhiyu and He Yanting walked side by side, with Jiang Zhaorong following behind them.

During this time, Jiang Zhaorong called Jiang Zhiyu several times, but Jiang Zhiyu pretended not to hear.

After leaving the palace, the Xu family's carriage was already waiting outside the palace gate. Xu Youran waited anxiously in the carriage, lifting the curtain to check from time to time.

After finally seeing Jiang Zhiyu's figure, Xu Youran was overjoyed and called her hurriedly.

Jiang Zhiyu trotted over, and Xu Youran handed her the hot water bottle she had been carrying all the way, while looking at her quickly.

Jiang Zhiyu was already used to it. She turned around and said, "Mom, don't worry. I'm fine."