Chapter 18: The Emperor's Consort (II) The Emperor has three sons, one of whom is moody,

The palace examination was moved to May instead of the spring examination. When the day came, all the tribute students entered the hall one by one, bowed and took their seats. They could only start writing after receiving the order.

Compared with the Spring Examination, the Palace Examination takes less time and only consists of policy essays.

Sitting at the desk, Xiao Wangshu opened the test paper and saw the words "The emperor has three sons. One is moody, the second is ambitious, and the third is too smart will lead to harm. What should the ministers say?"

Sure enough, the emperor's thoughts remained the same as in his previous life.

Picking up his brush and dipping it in ink, Xiao Wangshu wrote: "I am a minister of the emperor and a minister of the people. As the ancient sages said..."

The policy essay itself is not difficult. Although the emperor is over fifty years old, he does not look old and is in good health. If his son is stupid, the emperor will be worried, but if his son is smart, the emperor will also be worried.

It is difficult to make a choice. The emperor grows old and the princes grow up, time will eventually pass, but the court officials are helpless in the court, just like duckweed in the sea being swept by the waves. These waves are the family, the future, the years of hard study, and the blinding desire for wealth and power, which cannot be seen clearly and cannot be escaped.

Among the three princes, Xiao Wangshu chose to be the "loyal minister" that the emperor wanted.

Indeed, he does not look like and is not a loyal minister. He was the Crown Prince's study companion when he was young, was respected and trusted by the Fourth Prince, and was considered a friend by the Sixth Prince.

But the key is whether he is a pure minister. No.

The key is what the emperor wants. If the emperor wants him to be a loyal minister, he can be a loyal minister. If the emperor wants him to be a treacherous minister, he can be a treacherous minister. If the emperor wants a sharp blade, he can be that sharp blade.

The more his articles were praised, the sharper the blade became. A minister who was the target of public criticism would only be loyal to His Majesty. The emperor understood this truth, and Xiao Wangshu also understood it.

Therefore, in both lives, the title of top scholar would only fall on Xiao Wangshu.

The setting sun shines on the earth like blood, and the green tiles and red bricks are all covered with floating light.

The students will stay overnight in the palace today. This is a rare experience for them and is destined to be a sleepless night.

There were guards on duty outside the hall, and students inside the hall. There were many people and eyes everywhere. Xiao Wangshu never thought that the prince would come to see him at this time.

Following Eunuch Wei who was leading the way, we walked around the main hall and passed through the archway. In the shadows under the corridor wall stood His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The moonlit night was cold and silent, and no one spoke. Eunuch Wei bowed and left the corridor. Xiao Wangshu then stepped forward and sighed:

"Your Highness, why did you go all this way?"

"I came when I wanted to."

The ending tone was lingering, and Xie Xuanhui's tone was full of playfulness, like a naughty child, innocent and cruel. He looked straight into Xiao Wangshu's eyes, approaching slowly and firmly.

"Your Highness!"

He scolded, his voice low and his brows slightly furrowed. Xiao Wangshu leaned back with his upper body, showing his displeasure.

"Why avoid me like a snake or scorpion?"

Standing there, it was the prince who looked away first. The shadow of the moonlight cast a shadow on his face, and his expression was vague as if covered by a layer of white gauze.

"Your Highness, you are joking. The Imperial Palace is such a privileged place that we cannot afford to play with it."

He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly, his expression as usual.

"I haven't seen you get close to me anywhere else."

Xie Xuanhui spoke with a nasal tone. He put one hand behind his back, walked out of the shadows, walked around to the left, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Wangshu on his right. He looked up at the moon again, and before Xiao Wangshu could speak, he asked first:

"How sure are you?"

With a deep sigh, Xiao Wangshu did not move this time. He just looked up. It was the new moon in the sky, and the sky was bright. His tone was like the spring breeze, neither hot nor cold.

“Now I have half of it.”

"That's not right. What's the reason?"

After not getting an answer for a long time, Xie Xuanhui turned his head to look at Xiao Wangshu's face under the moon, a little dazed.

Suddenly he recalled his childhood birthday, when this person had asked him to go out and watch the moon. The moonlight was bright at that time, and the two of them were laughing and talking. Ah Shu raised her hand to brush away the loose hair on his temples, and his body was covered with frost. He was panicked and moved.

"Your Highness, why do you have to ask me this? It is already midnight, so it is best for Your Highness to return to the East Palace as soon as possible."

When he spoke of the second half, Xiao Wangshu retracted his gaze from the moon and looked at Xie Xuanhui. The other party was looking straight ahead, but he looked quite unnatural. He also coughed halfway to pretend to be calm, which made people wonder.

"Alright, Master Xiao will go back first..."

The serious address made Xiao Wangshu frown even more. He suddenly grabbed Xie Xuanhui's wrist, which made Xie Xuanhui tremble in surprise.

"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"

Perhaps out of worry, Xiao Wangshu leaned very close to her, and the lingering fragrance from his body, as clear as the cedar in winter, came over her lightly, making her feel infatuated for no reason, not to mention Xie Xuanhui who had already been deeply in love with her.

"Gu, Gu is fine, Ah Shu will go back."

He pretended to be calm and was deliberately intimate, only the hair on the side of his ear covered the red tip of his ear, so no one noticed.

As expected, Xiao Wangshu let go of his hand and said indifferently:

"Your Highness, it is more polite to call him Young Master Xiao."

"What a joke! Those guys can still call you Wangshu, but why can I only call you Young Master Xiao? Ah Shu said that he would treat everyone equally and would never show favoritism."

This is just nonsense.

"It's late at night and the weather is cold. Your Highness, please take care of yourself and go back."

Xiao Wangshu simply turned cold, left a few words, and left.

"Ah Shu, I was wrong."

Having said this, knowing that the person was not really angry, Xie Xuanhui did not chase after him. He just raised the corner of his mouth and stood there for a long time after the person walked away.

"Your Highness?"

It was Eunuch Wei who spoke first. When he called His Highness, His Highness had lost his joy and his eyes were gloomy, which frightened him.

"Let's go."

With a rising tone, Eunuch Wei understood that His Highness was in a good mood. He did not speak, but was waiting for His Highness's next instruction.

"Call Xiao Weizi over. I'm going to the dungeon. You should go to bed early."

After years of service, Eunuch Wei was surprised to know that His Highness could show concern for others. But then he thought that Xiao Wangshu understood what was going on, and he calmed down in an instant, still following the etiquette.

"promise."

Noticing Eunuch Wei's expression, the prince felt strange. Eunuch Wei died early in his previous life and passed away too hastily. For a period of time, he had no one satisfactory to serve him. Therefore, he transferred little Wei Zi here early in this life, so that he could enjoy his retirement earlier and live a few more years, so that he would not be left without anyone to serve him.

He felt that he was doing this entirely for himself and didn't understand why Eunuch Wei was so moved.

Unable to figure it out, he simply pretended not to see it.

Eunuch Wei took his errand and left. His Highness was still gazing at the hall with flickering candlelight, until he heard rustling footsteps coming from the corner of the wall, and he looked in the direction of the sound.

The person who came was wearing a dark-colored long skirt with a few fluttering silver butterflies painted on the hem. The silver ornaments in her hair trembled, making her look even more solemn. Her eyes and eyebrows had a sense of otherworldliness that was not tainted by this world. It was Princess Duanyang.

Duan Yang, who was walking close to the shadow of the corner, met Xie Xuanhui's gaze. She took a deep breath and took a few steps back, accidentally bumping into Zi Chai behind her. Zi Chai groaned, looked up, and immediately knelt on the ground.

"Your Highness, I apologize to you."

Without much hesitation, Xie Xuanhui frowned and rushed straight towards Duanyang. Zichai looked at this and that, feeling anxious and afraid. Seeing that the prince was about to approach, Zichai closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and rushed forward, blocking Princess Duanyang. After performing a series of formal greetings, she said in a trembling voice:

"Your Highness, this servant pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

This made Xie Xuanhui stop. Before she could calm down, Zichai looked up and found that Xie Xuanhui's face was terribly gloomy. She was so scared that she almost screamed. With only a few traces of rationality left, she grabbed her back tightly.

"Idiot, are you trying to lure the Imperial Guards here?"

Hearing this, Zi Chai panicked and subconsciously looked to the princess for help. Duan Yang was also frightened by Xie Xuanhui's sudden move. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and then timidly continued:

"Does Prince have any ideas?"

"Come with me."

As he said this, he looked at Zi Chai with a look as if he were a dead person, then turned and walked towards another corridor.

The master and servant at the wall over there looked at each other, not knowing whether to follow or not, but they heard the noisy sound of soldiers' footsteps gradually approaching, and immediately trotted to catch up.

But in a moment they arrived at an empty palace. The courtyard was relatively clean, but the houses showed signs of time. Before they even walked inside, a layer of dust was raised, causing Duanyang Zichai to cough several times.

Zichai took a few steps back and closed the door.

There was no light in the house, but it was illuminated by the moonlight.

After finally stopping her cough, Duan Yang looked up and met Xie Xuanhui's eyes that were looking at her.

Like jackals, tigers, leopards, ice swords, and vengeful spirits from hell.

Sweat seeped out of her palms and she shivered.

The smell of rotten wood drifted from somewhere in the house, lingering at her nose. Duan Yang suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe.

"Brother Prince,"

She struggled, and fortunately she read from the eyes the message that she would die here.

He took a step, and Duan Yang retreated suddenly with a heavy feeling in his chest. Zi Chai behind her didn't know what was happening.

"Brother Prince!"

She suddenly called out a little louder, as if to wake up the other person or herself, and there were still two steps.

It’s too late!

But within a few seconds, Zichai just felt something was wrong but hadn't reacted yet.

"Is my prince feeling better now?"

Just one step is not enough, this is not enough.

She had never racked her brains as much as she did today.

Zi Chai, who was behind him, came to her senses and seemed to be about to move, but was stopped by Duan Yang.

She suddenly lowered her voice.

"With the Imperial Guards outside, is it possible that the Crown Prince can escape safely?"

We are so close, there is no way to retreat. Should we fight to the death?

Zichai finally blocked Duan Yang's way, but Xie Xuanhui's hand still fell on Duan Yang's head.

One second, two seconds.

Tap it twice and it will be retracted.

"Ahem."

But he coughed violently twice, and blood fell on Xie Xuanhui's palm. Zichai and Duanyang could see clearly that the blood was so red that it was almost black.

"Duan Yang, why aren't you in the palace so late at night?"

Taking out a handkerchief and wiping the blood, Xie Xuanhui looked like a considerate and good brother.

His body suddenly lost strength, and the purple hairpin fell to the ground. Duan Yang was still able to maintain his body shape. The smell of blood was strong. The prince was indeed ill, but the murderous intent was also real.

Murder to silence? Or simply evil? Duan Yang couldn't tell.

"It's just that I can't sleep. Is it the same for my prince brother?"

Pretend to be innocent. Now is not the time to fall out.

"It's getting late. If Father knew, he would probably punish me."

Without responding to her, Xie Xuanhui continued to wipe the bloodstains carefully with his head down, his expression focused.

"No one else will know about this."

She shook her sleeves and said firmly.

"Indeed, if this matter gets to the fourth person, and spreads from one to ten, and ten to a hundred, then Duan Yang might not be able to find a good family."

Threat, this is a threat!

"Duan Yang knows the seriousness of this, and will definitely behave himself in the future."

She couldn't gamble yet, at least not before she married that man.

Without saying anything else, Xie Xuanhui looked at her, opened the door and left.

The two women who survived the disaster were left alone in the house, sitting together.

The author has something to say:

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Xie Xuanhui: He told me to take care of my health, he has me in his heart!!!