Chapter 96 The results of the civil and military examinations were announced simultaneously.

The Taoist priest, who claimed to be the eldest disciple of the True Man and whose Taoist name was Qingfeng, announced his purpose, and the guards at the palace gate immediately ran to inform him.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Emperor's decree was issued to welcome Master Qingfeng into the palace.

When the emperor first met this sorcerer, he was quite surprised, because although the man looked very ethereal and otherworldly, he was far too young. However, something was better than nothing, and even if he seemed problematic, it didn't stop the emperor from being eager to give it a try.

Master Qingfeng said to the Emperor, "These past few nights I have been observing the celestial phenomena and found that the imperial star is dim. So I cast a divination and calculated that Your Majesty is destined to face a life-or-death calamity. I then set up an altar and performed a ritual to specially refine a batch of Soul-Returning Pills, which I have brought to present to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor believed him to some extent and immediately ordered the young apprentice to test the medicine. After waiting for two full hours and seeing that the apprentice showed no abnormalities, the Emperor impatiently took a pill himself.

After only a short while, the emperor felt completely refreshed, and the excruciating pain that had gripped his heart for days finally subsided.

When the emperor looked at the Taoist priest again, he found him exceptionally pleasing to the eye. He concluded in his heart that Taoist Qingfeng was a savior sent by heaven.

Before he could rejoice for long, Master Qingfeng said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty of this small Taoist temple has a deathly aura between your brows. If we do not find a way to remedy this, I'm afraid your lifespan will come to an end."

These words struck the emperor like a bolt from the blue, causing him to tremble with fear. He immediately asked, "How much of my life do I have left? Does the Taoist priest have any way to remedy this?"

Master Qingfeng flicked his whisk, first chanting "Amitabha Buddha," and then said with a profound expression, "Judging from his appearance alone, he should have three more years to live."

As for a solution, I do have some suggestions. As the saying goes, "One blessing can ward off a hundred misfortunes," Your Majesty only needs to accumulate more good deeds, and that will help you overcome this calamity.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor pressed on, "Please tell me in detail, Daoist Master, what should I do to accumulate good fortune?"

Master Qingfeng smiled slightly and uttered only four words: "Abstain from killing and help the people."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned. What was going on? He had just been thinking about how to get rid of the Prince Yong and his son when a Taoist priest appeared, advising him to refrain from killing? Was there some kind of conspiracy involved?

The Emperor's ailment had subsided, and his mind had largely returned to normal. He began to scrutinize the Taoist priest before him. But no matter how he examined him, the Taoist priest remained completely calm.

Upon seeing this, the Emperor's suspicions subsided somewhat. After all, only he knew about his plan to eliminate the Prince Yong and his son; he had not revealed a word of it to anyone else.

For example, it's a bit illogical that someone would specifically send this Taoist priest to persuade him to abstain from killing.

The Emperor decided to put the matter aside for now. Although he wanted to get rid of the hidden danger in his heart, compared with his own lifespan, he felt it was better to believe it was true than not.

As for the Taoist priest's suggestion, he wasn't in a hurry to implement it. Since the tribulation wouldn't come for another three years, he might as well test the Taoist priest's abilities first and then see if he should listen to him.

Although the emperor had doubts, he was still very polite and invited the Taoist priest to the palace, where he stayed in the Star-Picking Tower, which was specially built for the sorcerers.

Then the sealed alchemy pavilion was reopened, and many fine medicinal herbs were selected for the Taoist priest to refine elixirs.

After a long absence, the emperor finally convened court. A mountain of official business had piled up, making today's morning court session two to three times longer than usual.

The emperor thought he might not be able to hold on, but unexpectedly, after taking only two pills yesterday and today, he had plenty of energy and strength.

He became even more convinced of Master Qingfeng's alchemy skills. In the past, he would also experience a brief feeling of comfort when taking pills.

However, the duration is usually very short, lasting only two or three hours, which is considered good. Moreover, since yesterday, he has not only been full of energy in handling state affairs, but he has also been able to enjoy the company of several women at night without feeling tired afterwards.

This morning at court, among the matters reported by the officials, besides the backlog of government affairs, there was another important matter: the upcoming autumn imperial examinations.

The Emperor also attached great importance to this. He wanted to counterbalance the powerful families and therefore needed to employ some scholars from humble backgrounds. The autumn imperial examination was undoubtedly the best opportunity to select talent.

Several princes wanted to take the opportunity to prove themselves, so the competition for the position of person in charge of the autumn examination was particularly fierce.

In the end, the third prince, who had been considered a favorite, failed to succeed to the throne, and the important task of presiding over the autumn examination fell to the second prince.

This immediately revived the Empress, who had been feeling down for some time. She had thought that she had completely lost the Emperor's favor because she hadn't handled things well last time.

Especially during the Emperor's serious illness, she was not allowed to visit him at all. She was filled with fear for so long, but unexpectedly, a glimmer of hope appeared.

After the Emperor's health improved significantly, the Empress Dowager took a day to invite him to dine with her at Cining Palace. She first reminded him to take care of his health.

Then, finding a pretext, he reprimanded the emperor for coveting his nephew's wife, saying it was extremely improper. He also said some mild words, warning the emperor not to repeat such foolish behavior.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face darkened, but he had no choice but to agree. However, his displeasure only intensified his desire to kill the Prince Yong and his son.

Before he could calm down, he was angered again by the incompetent King's remonstrance in the afternoon.

Prince Yong, unlike his usual weak and incompetent self, forcefully demanded that the Emperor not summon Yunxi to the palace in any form.

He said that Yunxi was his son's most beloved woman, and no one else could violate her.

The Emperor was so enraged by these treasonous words that the veins on his forehead bulged. If he hadn't failed to take command of the 300,000-strong Tiger Roar Army, he would have killed the father and son long ago.

After meeting the Emperor, Prince Yong went to Cixi Palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. He then left the palace in high spirits to return home, hoping to curry favor with his son.

As a result, the son of the Prince of Yong refused to see him afterward, citing important matters. This angered the Prince of Yong so much that he smashed two sets of teacups before gradually calming down.

In fact, Gu Nanxiao wasn't just going through the motions with Prince Yong; he and Yunxi were genuinely busy. Their opponent was too strong, time was limited, and their plans were still in their infancy.

To implement this step by step, every link must be flawless, which undoubtedly requires a significant investment of effort.

Therefore, Gu Nanxiao naturally had no time to listen to Yong Wang boast about that trivial matter that was sure to succeed. For him now, wasting time was wasting his life.

As the autumn imperial examinations approached, a large number of students flocked to Kyoto. All the inns in the city were full, and even some private houses set aside a portion of their rooms for rent, specifically for candidates who were struggling financially.

In previous years, the imperial examinations were overseen by the Third Prince, and were orchestrated by the then-Grand Chancellor and his cronies. The imperial examinations had long become a channel for them to promote their own people into officialdom.

Now that the Second Prince has suddenly interfered, all hope of bringing his own people up has been completely lost.

Even if they could still obtain the exam questions from their former subordinates, they wouldn't dare leak them. If this matter were investigated, it would easily uncover all their past misdeeds.

Moreover, the Third Prince's faction is now irreconcilably opposed to the Imperial Guard. Therefore, it is absolutely unacceptable to hand over any leverage against them at such a crucial juncture.

The seven-day autumn joint examination concluded smoothly without any major incidents. Many talented students expressed satisfaction with their answers after the exam.

Only a small number of people, feeling hopeless about passing the exam, left the capital early. The rest of the people waiting for the results to be released mostly gathered at the martial arts examination grounds to watch the excitement.

The results of the martial arts examinations were faster than those of the civil service examinations. As the saying goes, "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second." Skill level could not be faked, nor did it require repeated verification; the winner could be decided on the same day.

After layers of selection, the results of the military and civil examinations were announced simultaneously seven days later. The capital city was thrown into an unprecedented frenzy.