The Eighth Prince clasped his hands together, pleading pitifully.

I couldn't bear to see her suffer.

She should be the one who understands the Eighth Prince's feelings the most.

Because the Emperor couldn't do anything to Xie Jingyan, he also went to great lengths to find her indirectly.

Shen Wan looked at Xie Jingyan and said, "The Emperor summoned you for the autumn imperial examination. Why don't you try to take on the position of chief examiner?"

Xie Jingyan's forehead creased with annoyance.

The position of chief examiner—does he think he can just ask for it and have his father give it to him?

"At most, my father will make me a scribe," Xie Jingyan said.

The imperial examination consisted of one chief examiner, two deputy examiners, and eighteen supervising officials.

There are eighteen supervising officials. It wouldn't be difficult for him to get one or two. He wouldn't even need his father's permission. He could just ask the Minister of Rites to do it.

Shen Wan said, "I know my father won't appoint you as the chief examiner, but you can recommend your own people."

The eldest prince and the Prince of Jin are both fine, and Xie Jingyan is certainly an option as well.

Xie Jingyan said, "I don't have a suitable candidate, unless—"

His words came to an abrupt end.

"Who says you can only say half of what you mean?" Shen Wan looked at him and asked, "Unless what?"

Xie Jingyan didn't say much. He stood up, pinched Shen Wan's nose, and said, "I'm going to the palace now. You stay in the mansion and prepare some medicine for your injuries."

Shen Wan, “…???”

"Why prepare medicine for injuries?" Shen Wan asked, puzzled.

"I think I'll need it."

"..."

The Eighth Prince stood to one side.

I can neither see nor hear.

I've seen people flirting, but I've never seen anyone flirt about risking being punished by their father.

The Eighth Prince was genuinely curious: who would his Sixth Brother recommend that would get him punished by their father?

He couldn't understand why his sixth brother would do something like this, knowing it would displease their father.

Filled with doubt, the Eighth Prince followed Xie Jingyan out of the Ling Prince's residence and rode into the palace.

The Eighth Prince was extremely satisfied with the horse that Young Master Wei had given him. However, with so many people on the street, even a thoroughbred horse couldn't run very fast, and he couldn't see the difference between it and Xie Jingyan's horse. He hoped to have a chance to have a competition.

After entering the palace, the two went to the Imperial Study. Normally, the Eighth Prince would avoid going if he could, but today he wanted to see how his Sixth Brother was asking for a beating.

The Eighth Prince, "..."

The Eighth Prince followed Xie Jingyan into the Imperial Study. Then, the Eighth Prince saw his mother bringing food to his father, and he almost had a heart attack.

His mother shouldn't have entered the palace to be a concubine for the emperor; she should have gone to the imperial kitchen to be a cook.

It's all thanks to Father Emperor. He has the Imperial Kitchen to cook delicious food for him, but he also has a bunch of concubines who send him soup one day and pastries the next. Their food isn't as good as what the Imperial Kitchen makes, yet they send them so frequently. Why don't they have any self-awareness?

The Eighth Prince had a lot of complaints.

When Consort Wang saw the Eighth Prince, she couldn't help but glare at him. She had come to bring food to the Emperor because she was worried that he wouldn't complete the tasks assigned by the Emperor and that the Emperor would reprimand him. She had come to offer some advice, but he was completely ungrateful.

The Eighth Prince had an expression that said, "If my mother doesn't come to the Imperial Study a few more times, I'll be thanking my lucky stars."

Xie Jingyan stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor. The Emperor asked, "Is this the memorial you wrote for the Eighth Prince?"

Xie Jingyan said expressionlessly, "With Father's wisdom, didn't you guess it?"

emperor,"……"

The Eighth Prince said, "Father must have guessed it; he's asking a question he already knows the answer to."

emperor,"……"

Consort Wang, "..."

Consort Wang also suffered a heart attack.

How could she have given birth to such a dim-witted son? He has the heart to please the emperor, but he doesn't have a silver tongue to flatter him. It would have been better if he hadn't said anything at all.

Consort Wang hurriedly said, "My son is clumsy with words, so let him go and stay there, lest he say something wrong and anger Your Majesty."

Consort Wang took her leave and dragged the Eighth Prince away.

The Eighth Prince protested in a low voice, "I came here specifically to see Sixth Brother get beaten up!"

Consort Wang glared at him, "I think you're the one who's really asking for a beating!"

She dared to say that the Emperor was asking a question he already knew the answer to. She kept telling him to listen more, observe more, and speak less, but he hadn't listened to a word she said.

Consort Wang and the Eighth Prince withdrew, and Eunuch Yuan waved his hand to dismiss all the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the Imperial Study.

Xie Jingyan looked at the Emperor and asked, "What does Father want to ask me, Eighth Brother?"

The Emperor wanted to take a roundabout approach, but Xie Jingyan wouldn't allow it and directly exposed the truth.

The Emperor asked several questions based on the memorial Xie Jingyan had written that day, and Xie Jingyan answered them one by one fluently, which pleased the Emperor greatly.

The Emperor picked up his teacup, gently stirred it, and said, "Left Prime Minister and Hanlin Academician Zhao, who do you think is more suitable to be the chief examiner for this autumn imperial examination?"

"Father, it's clear that neither of them is suitable for the question."

emperor,"……"

Eunuch Yuan, "..."

The emperor himself didn't know whether he should be angry or not.

Eunuch Yuan wanted to laugh but couldn't; he was incredibly frustrated by the suppressed laughter.

The Emperor taught Prince Ling the art of imperial strategy from a young age, so Prince Ling was always able to guess the Emperor's thoughts accurately.

In the past, Prince Ling would directly confront the Emperor; now he's a little better, but only a little.

The Emperor was used to his subjects speaking to him tactfully, knowing when to advance and when to retreat. So when Xie Jingyan spoke so directly and without leaving any room for maneuver, the Emperor was quite unaccustomed to it.

The Emperor didn't even drink his tea. He simply put down his teacup and said, "The two of them are not suitable. Who do you think is suitable to be the chief examiner in the court?"

Xie Jingyan said, "Don't ask me. You won't agree to the person I recommend."

The Emperor frowned, genuinely curious about who his son had recommended, and why he was so certain that his son wouldn't agree.

The Emperor said, "Why wouldn't I agree? As long as he is suitable, capable of serving as the chief examiner, and will not engage in favoritism or fraud, I will consider him."

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