248, different positions

248, different positions

After coming out of the Golden Throne Hall, Lu Mingfei was led by a young eunuch to a side hall to wait. After arriving here, he found that he was the only one there, and the others had not yet finished their papers and come out.

But now that he was relaxed, he realized he was feeling a bit anxious. He couldn't think about this kind of thing, because once he had this thought, he would become more and more anxious.

I don't know how long it will take to leave the palace today. I'm afraid it won't be too soon. After hesitating for two seconds, Lu Mingfei hurriedly called out to the eunuch who was about to leave: "Hello, is there a toilet here? Can you take me to..." a trip?

"Please follow me." The young eunuch understood and gestured to the tribute scholar to follow him.

As soon as the two men walked to the door, they met Fu Lianxin who was led here by another young eunuch.

[Fu Lianxin finished the paper so quickly?] Lu Mingfei was surprised to see Fu Lianxin here. However, considering that Fu Lianxin's rankings in the provincial and palace examinations were right behind his, his academic performance must be excellent. It didn't seem surprising that he finished a policy paper so quickly.

In fact, the really powerful person should be this Young Master Fu. After all, he has a cheat, while this Young Master Fu is a real native.

Meeting Fu Lianxin's gaze, Lu Mingfei smiled and nodded at Fu Lianxin, then signaled the eunuch to lead him.

"Where are you going?" Fu Lianxin asked when he saw Lu Mingfei was going with the eunuch.

Lu Mingfei gave Master Fu an awkward yet polite smile and said, "The eunuch and I will be back soon."

But when Fu Lianxin saw them leaving, he followed them silently.

"..." Lu Mingfei looked at Master Fu who was following him, lowered his voice and asked the Master, "Do you know where we are going? Why are you following us?"

"I know." Fu Lianxin glanced at Lu Mingfei and said two words.

Lu Mingfei turned his head to look at Master Fu, who was walking forward with his eyes fixed on the road. Master Fu seemed a little embarrassed. It seemed that Master Fu really knew where he was going, so he followed him.

It was just a trip to the bathroom with someone of the same sex, even though he and Fu Lianxin weren't very familiar with each other. Back when he was in school, during recess, half the classroom, boys and girls, would rush to the bathroom. The boys' bathroom didn't have cubicles, so everyone would just take off their pants and pee in the same place. It was nothing special, it was perfectly normal.

Thinking that the last palace examination was over, no matter what his ranking was, the imperial examination road that had lasted for more than ten years had finally reached the last stop. Therefore, he was in a very happy mood and walked with a relaxed pace.

Fu Lianxin felt that Lu Mingfei suddenly became happy. "What is he happy about?" he thought to himself.

At this time, Lu Mingfei was following the young eunuch, observing the environment of the palace along the way. He didn't know what Fu Lianxin was thinking, let alone that Fu Lianxin was thinking about him in his heart.

…

When the two of them returned to the side hall again, the other candidates had not yet finished writing their essays.

[From this perspective, the time it took them to complete the policy paper was much faster than that of the others.] Lu Mingfei thought to himself, feeling quite proud.

What Lu Mingfei didn't know at the moment was that Fu Lianxin was sitting next to him during the exam and was influenced by him, so the time he spent on writing the policy paper this time was much faster than usual, as he was catching up with his pace.

What Lu Mingfei didn't expect was that this time Fu Lianxin took the initiative to come and chat with him, and asked the same questions they had just asked in the palace examination.

"How do you think Dayan's current predicament should be resolved?" Fu Lianxin looked at Lu Mingfei. He was also curious about how Lu Mingfei would solve this problem.

Lu Mingfei naturally would not tell Fu Lianxin his true thoughts, because as far as he knew, the Fu family was an aristocratic family in Kyoto Prefecture. The Fu family must hold a large amount of land, and the entire Fu family and Fu Lianxin were the biggest beneficiaries.

If he dared to put forward slogans such as "A rich people means a rich country", "A strong people means a strong country" and "The people are the masters of the country", then he would be standing in opposition to the entire aristocratic family.

It is not certain that Fu Lianxin will give up the interests of himself and his family and stand on the side of the people with him. The two of them are in different positions.

It can be said that none of these people from aristocratic families would consider the country's problems from the perspective of the common people. They only think that they are the rulers of the country. If they allow the common people to become rich, wouldn't that mean that the common people will take away their wealth? If they allow the common people to become powerful, how can they rule over the powerful common people?

These aristocratic families only hope that the people are stupid. Only stupid and poor people can be better controlled.

Little do people know that hundreds of years ago, the ancestors of these noble families also started from the mud legs, and the descendants gradually walked up to their current positions. But now these people stand in the position of rulers, and their identities and ideas have long been changed.

After a moment's thought, Lu Mingfei said, "Your Majesty and so many other officials in the court haven't been able to resolve the current dilemma. I think my humble thoughts might be helpful."

"I wonder, Brother Fu, do you have any opinion on this matter?" He then threw the question back to Fu Lianxin, wanting to hear what this young man from a prominent family thought about the matter.

Fu Lianxin heard Lu Mingfei's defensiveness and evasion, and he frowned, but did not answer Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei also faced Fu Lianxin's gaze calmly, not feeling that their friendship would allow them to be frank with each other. Moreover, this was the imperial palace, with the emperor and his ministers next door. Anything they said here might reach the emperor and his officials' ears.

Just as the two of them looked at each other without saying anything, a third person came in.

"Brother Fu, Brother Lu."

Seeing the other party bow to them, Lu Mingfei also bowed, but he saw that Fu Lianxin only nodded to the other party, which was considered a greeting. However, this candidate did not think Fu Lianxin's attitude was disrespectful and even moved closer to Fu Lianxin.

Seeing that the other person was trying to make friends with Fu Lianxin, and that he was a bit of an eyesore here, he tactfully took two steps away, giving the other person the space and Fu Lianxin.

After the third person came in, others followed.

"Brother Fu."

"Brother Fu."

“…”

Almost every candidate who came in after the exam went to Fu Lianxin, and soon Fu Lianxin was surrounded by people.

No one was interested in Lu Mingfei, the Huiyuan. However, he didn't think much of it and just studied the structure of the pillars and roof.

In fact, he knew in his heart that he was a poor boy from a humble family with no support. In the eyes of his fellow examinees, even if he won the top prize, he would only be able to sit on the bench for a few years in the Hanlin Academy, a low-paying government office, and would be of no use at all. However, befriending Fu Lianxin, who came from a prestigious family, was different. Fu Lianxin not only had the Emperor's tutor behind him, but also the entire Taifu Mansion's connections and relationships. Befriending Fu Lianxin could bring many benefits.

Because he understood human nature and knew people's inclination to pursue fame and fortune, Lu Mingfei had grown accustomed to his situation. However, he felt more comfortable without anyone surrounding him. He didn't want to be treated like Master Fu.

He studied the pillar here alone for a long time until Zhang Lingxuan came to find him after finishing his exam.

"Ming Fei."

"Is everything going well?"

"Yeah, not bad." Zhang Lingxuan smiled easily and asked his friend, "Why did you come out so early?"

"It will come out naturally after the exam." Lu Mingfei raised a smile at the corner of his mouth and said in a very good mood.

Zhang Lingxuan was not too surprised that Lu Mingfei finished the test paper so quickly. They had studied together in the Imperial Academy for many years, and there were exams every now and then in the Imperial Academy. This good friend often handed in his paper and left early.

The point is, this friend often handed in his papers and left the exams early, yet his test rankings were quite good. He even topped the arithmetic chart for three consecutive years. While arithmetic wasn't a core subject at the Imperial Academy, Lu Mingfei was the first person to top the arithmetic chart for three consecutive years.

When the two met, they habitually avoided mentioning the exam.

Lu Mingfei covered his hungry stomach and said, "I don't know how long it will take us to leave. I'm so hungry. I only ate a bowl of rice this morning." They all left home very early and arrived at the palace gate to wait for the entrance examination.

It had been nearly twelve hours since he left home this morning. With his rumbling stomach, Lu Mingfei just wanted to go home and eat. The palace was so huge, why didn't they provide them with a drop of water or a bite of food?

This emperor is too stingy!

"Maybe, we can leave if we wait a little longer." Zhang Lingxuan also wanted to go back.

At this time, Fu Lianxin was surrounded by a crowd. He looked through the crowd in the direction of Lu Mingfei not far away. He saw Lu Mingfei talking and laughing with his friends. He felt uncomfortable when he remembered that Lu Mingfei was always on guard when she was with him.

Even he himself couldn't figure it out. He and Lu Mingfei were just strangers who had met a few times. Why should he care who Lu Mingfei was friends with?

Perhaps it was because Lu Mingfei ignored him, unlike those people around him who were so flattering to him, so he seemed particularly unique.

Just when Lu Mingfei and Zhang Lingxuan were whispering about when they could leave the palace, they finally heard a voice from outside the door, informing them that they could leave the palace.