"Your Majesty, I trust Lord Li's character. With him around, no villain will be allowed to get close to Lord Ning."

The Prefect of the Capital had no choice but to step in and smooth things over, but this was tantamount to putting Li Jijiu on the hot seat of the fire.

In the past, Li Huai-ren would certainly have been able to face Emperor Jing with equanimity.

But now he has a hunched back and silently bows his head.

In just half a month, he had aged more than ten years, and his temples had turned much whiter.

He was tormented by guilt, feeling he had failed Emperor Jing's trust, but his daughter, son-in-law, and unborn grandson were all in their hands, and he had no choice.

As long as my daughter and her family are safe, I am willing to give my old life.

[Haha, it seems that Chief Minister Li has been completely controlled by the brothers of the Prefect of the Capital. Let me see what's causing Chief Minister Li to worry so much that his hair has turned white.]

Jing Le clapped her hands, took a sip of sweet soup, and mentally reviewed the script.

Emperor Jing glanced at Li Jijiu and indeed, the white hair at his temples was almost as much as that of another minister in his sixties.

Third Prince, Fourth Prince: What has my sister found out this time?

So that's how it is. Headmaster Liu sent men to imprison Li Jijiu's son-in-law, and then Li Jijiu's daughter, searching for her husband, also fell into their hands.

[Miss Li is already six months pregnant; no wonder she could threaten Chief Minister Li.]

[Haha, they actually hid someone here. We'll have Shadow Three and the others rescue them later. Chief Instructor Li will be a great witness then.]

Jing Liao's idea was exactly the same as Emperor Jing's.

He is both brave and resourceful, making him a good candidate for emperor.

Looking at the Third Prince and Fourth Prince in the main hall, and the First Prince and Second Prince in their fiefdoms, all four of them combined are not as good as Jing Le.

Emperor Jing: It seems I can bring Lele along to handle government affairs more often in the future, laying the foundation for the future.

Third Prince and Fourth Prince: The Li family has some big gossip going on. Why is Father looking at me like that? And with such disdain in his eyes...

Jing Le had no idea that Emperor Jing had already set his sights on her.

Communicate with the White Tiger in your mind.

[Xiao Bai, have Ying San send men to the deep mountains behind Moon Bay to rescue Li Jijiu's daughter and son-in-law. Note that Miss Li is six months pregnant, so remember to protect her well.]

White Tiger: Yes, Master.

The atmosphere in the main hall was somewhat oppressive because Emperor Jing had been silent for so long; those who were timid were already trembling with fear.

"Actually, I sent someone to get the exam papers. I originally wanted to tell Minister Ning, but she was drunk at the time and didn't know that I had sent someone to find you."

Emperor Jing suddenly softened his tone and lowered his voice.

Upon hearing Emperor Jing's words, the Prefect of the Capital immediately thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

However, he still had doubts. Then, when he heard that Emperor Jing had spoken to Ning Pengtao, he breathed a sigh of relief but also broke out in a cold sweat.

They breathed a sigh of relief because it was Emperor Jing who took the exam papers, and there was no one else behind it.

They were on tenterhooks because their men almost ran into Emperor Jing's men.

"So it was His Majesty who took the exam papers. It's good that they weren't lost."

The Minister of Rites collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, as if he had just ridden a rollercoaster during the morning court session.

But thankfully, I survived.

"Xu Hai."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

At Emperor Jing's summons, Eunuch Xu immediately brought out the examination papers.

These exam papers were given to Yingyi and the others by Ying San last night, at Jing Le's request.

Of course, what Emperor Jing examined on-site were the dozen or so examination papers inside that wooden box.

Emperor Jing reviewed all of the dozen or so exam papers. Among them, three papers were covered with seals, which Emperor Jing paid special attention to, as they were indeed well-written.

Each of the three had their own strengths. These three were Yan Yongning, Wu Yan, and Ji Chun, and they all left an impression on Emperor Jing.

Jing Le also saw the names of these three people and mentally cursed them.

[The plot has picked up again. Yan Yongning, Wu Yan, and Ji Chun—weren't they the top three in the first round? They were indeed talented, but in the end, someone else took their place and they were killed.]

The last three imposters fared quite well in the court because they were also involved with the Liu brothers in buying and selling official positions.

Without the emperor's presence, this became the root cause of corruption in the court.

Emperor Jing: What? These three are actually the top three in the first-class ranking?

He was even impersonated, and lost his life!

It's outrageous! These people are constantly trying to disrupt the government of the Great Yong Dynasty. They're practically hoping for the Great Yong to collapse so they can seize power and establish a new dynasty!

Although the imperial examination has not yet taken place, the literary talent of these three individuals is already evident, and Emperor Jing will naturally not let the matter rest once he learns the truth.

He soon instructed Yingyi and the others to protect the person.

Third Prince and Fourth Prince: Sure enough, as long as my sister is around, melons will grow everywhere in the fields.

"The candidates this time are all excellent, with outstanding literary talent. Tomorrow, my beloved ministers, let's guess who will come out on top in the palace examination."

Although Emperor Jing was deeply depressed, he did not show it on the surface.

"Your Majesty, I have the highest hopes for Yan Yongning, Wu Yan, and Ji Chun."

At Emperor Jing's signal, the Minister of Rites finally stood up and immediately answered.

Their exam papers were almost covered in stamps, so naturally they had the best chance.

Upon hearing the names of the three men, the Prefect of the Capital fell silent.

These three were the most outstanding among the candidates I was following, but I didn't know how far they could go.

However, as long as it's not in the top three, it's easy to handle.

Now that the three of them have shown their faces in front of Emperor Jing again, he has no choice but to abandon them this time. Otherwise, if he slips up, he will lose his head.

The Prefect of the Capital had already decided to send someone to deliver a letter to his cousin after court.

...

The study in the Liu family mansion.

"Master, this is a letter from Master Han."

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