Chapter 434: Dig Three Feet Deep, Don’t Waste It

At the beginning of the first hour of the lunar calendar, everything is quiet.

The light in the imperial study was dim, with only a few long-burning lamps emitting faint light, casting shadows on the huge space.

All the royal heirs had been put to bed, but Qin Zhaoyue was still forcing himself to stay awake.

Tomorrow's court session is the highlight, and the three older sisters and brothers need to be well rested to cope with it.

The three younger ones were clamoring to stay up late with their sixth sister, but were unceremoniously sent to bed by Qin Zhaoyue.

They are all teenagers. They may be energetic now, but they will be sleepy later. Don’t try to make yourself sleepy too.

Anyway, the people in the Mo Group have long been accustomed to the two-shift shift, so guarding the night curfew is not a difficult task for them.

The one who really has a problem has always been Qin Zhaoyue himself.

Regardless of whether it is the fifth or third grade, it is already past one in the middle of the night. The power of the biological clock is stubborn and strong, and it is the time when people are most likely to feel sleepy and tired.

Qin Zhaoyue only felt that his eyelids were heavy as lead blocks, and his consciousness seemed to be floating in lukewarm water, sinking continuously.

The one who is responsible for using her own "domain" to help suppress the toxins in His Majesty's body at this moment is Ling Muxue.

She sat cross-legged not far away, her eyes slightly closed, her breath long, as if she had entered a state of meditation.

Tsk... I don't know how I practiced, but I can actually stay awake with my eyes closed...

Qin Zhaoyue's eyes were straight and he stared blankly at somewhere in front of him. His head was like a chicken pecking at rice, about to fall down hard.

Just at the last moment, a pair of hands reached out at the right moment, gently but firmly holding her head and straightening it.

Not far away, Ling Muxue, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, had an almost imperceptible curve at the corner of her mouth.

It's fleeting, so fast that it seems like an illusion.

Qin Zhaoyue suddenly came back to his senses and gave the owner of the hand a cold look.

Sui Mo's face was calm, as if he had just done something very ordinary.

She calmly withdrew her hand, lowered her eyes and stood aside, as if the person who had just helped His Highness stay awake was not her.

She has long been accustomed to the fact that her prince rolls his eyes ten or eight times a day.

Now in the imperial study, the only one who dares to be so bold and not afraid of being retaliated against afterwards is probably Mo Yi, besides her.

Therefore, the two of them were deliberately divided into two groups to ensure that there would always be someone to "pay special attention" to Her Highness to prevent her from falling asleep.

Qin Zhaoyue opened his mouth, but although no sound came out, his clear lip movements clearly revealed a few dirty words.

Sui Mo looked at his nose and his nose at his heart, with no expression on his face. He stood aside with his hands hanging down and his head lowered, looking extremely well-behaved and submissive.

Qin Zhaoyue gritted his teeth secretly.

Damn it, was she too indulgent with these women? They were almost riding on her head.

Yes, she knew that she absolutely could not sleep, but this physical sleepiness could not be completely resisted by willpower.

The six people on duty at the moment have a clear division of labor:

The two of them specifically stared at the hand she was pressing on the Queen Mother's heart to ensure the steady flow of Qi;

The other four people's eight eyes were like searchlights, always focused on her to prevent her from falling asleep.

That's really an all-round defense, leaving no loopholes at all.

Just as Qin Zhaoyue was struggling hard against sleepiness, the door was gently pushed open, bringing in a hint of cool night air.

Yinzhe walked in quickly, with a look of fatigue and frost between his brows from the long journey.

He walked straight to Qin Zhaoyue, lowered his voice, and spoke very quickly:

"News came back from the four great families that the operation has been completed.

All strongholds and mansions have been captured and the situation is under control.

But...something unexpected happened."

Qin Zhaoyue was finally cheered up a little by the news, her eyes regained some spirit, and she nodded slightly, motioning her to continue.

Yinzhe paused and added solemnly:

“Although the operation went smoothly, a number of the most important members of the four core clans were replaced by disguised individuals.

It's as if he has vanished from the face of the earth. He must have been hiding beforehand, and now his whereabouts are nowhere to be found."

"Moreover, the huge amount of silver notes that were easy to carry in the treasury, as well as the finest jewelry and antiques, also disappeared.

It was obvious that he had been prepared and disappeared along with those people."

Qin Zhaoyue didn't show much surprise on his face when he heard this, but he actually had some guesses in his mind.

Because the merit book in his mind, the page representing the "Four Great Families", had indeed seen a sharp increase in merit value starting from noon.

However, the increase did not reach the expected level and soon stagnated.

It can be seen that although this action dealt a heavy blow to the aristocratic family, it did not achieve complete success.

In contrast, after it was clearly announced that the original rankings of the Zhongchendao County Examination would be maintained and the "culprit" was put forward to take the blame, the merit value of the "Yin and Yang" page ushered in a wave of continuous and stable growth.

Qin Zhaoyue guessed that it was probably Pei Xiang who started to exert his strength.

His influence as the leader of the literati and the head of civil servants is by no means undeserved.

This is indeed the case. In addition to stabilizing the overall situation in the court, Pei Xuanyun really regarded the subsequent promotion of the women's imperial examination as a top priority.

He even used his connections and influence to have his two sons lobby in person.

Many influential academies in Beijing have agreed to open women's classes, and even the Imperial College, which has always had extremely high entry requirements, seems to be showing signs of loosening up.

Only in the area of ​​"peace and prosperity for the country", since it was calculated that there might be changes in the war in the north, the growth of merit value has almost completely stagnated, like a stagnant pool of water.

Yinzhe carefully observed Xiaoliu's expression, and seeing that she was not too disappointed or angry, he couldn't help but frowned slightly.

"You... aren't disappointed?"

Qin Zhaoyue waved his hand, his tone calm,

“Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone a giant creature that has been entrenched for thousands of years.

Besides the numerous tentacles that crisscross the land, the most fundamental thing about the aristocratic families is the vast amount of land they control..."

At this point, she paused.

Land policy involves a wide range of issues and is a major national policy that concerns the foundation of the country.

It is difficult to say which is more important, universal education or reform of the imperial examination system.

How to strike a balance and move forward is something that cannot be figured out in a short period of time.

"Has the Queen Mother ever mentioned her plans regarding the land to you before?"