Chapter 212 Entering the Palace (Second Update)

The Zhuang Mansion.

A list of rankings was sent to Grand Tutor Zhuang and Prince An.

Grand Tutor Zhuang already knew the results of the top two candidates. Apart from Prince An, there were no outstanding candidates from the Zhuang family's faction this time, so the list of successful candidates was put aside by Grand Tutor Zhuang.

Prince An didn't look at it either.

He was absolutely confident that he would get first place.

He simply asked, "Is there anyone named Xiao Liulang on the list?"

Wu Yang said, "Yes, he is ranked first, along with the Prince."

"Oh?" Prince An glanced at him slightly.

Wu Yang handed the list back over.

Prince An's gaze fell on Xiao Liulang's name, and he raised an eyebrow slightly: "This Xiao Liulang is somewhat unexpected."

Just as Wu Yang was about to speak, the maid outside the door said, "Master, you've arrived?"

Wu Yang quickly stepped aside and bowed to Grand Tutor Zhuang, who had stepped inside.

Grand Tutor Zhuang waved his hand, and Wu Yang respectfully withdrew.

Prince An stood up and greeted him with a friendly smile: "Grandfather!"

"Hmm," Grand Tutor Zhuang replied in a deep voice.

Prince An walked around the desk and waited until Grand Tutor Zhuang sat down on the official's hat chair before sitting down on another chair to his left.

A maidservant served tea and then quickly withdrew.

The room was so quiet that only the sound of Grand Tutor Zhuang sipping tea could be heard.

Prince An asked, "Grandfather, why haven't you rested yet, it's so late?"

"I came to see you." Grand Tutor Zhuang put down his hot tea and looked at him without a smile. "Have you seen the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations?"

"Yes." Prince An nodded. "I just looked at it."

Grand Tutor Zhuang asked, "Is that Xiao Liulang your classmate at the Imperial Academy?"

"Yes." Prince An nodded again.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for many years, Grand Tutor Zhuang could discern astonishing information with a single glance. He looked at his grandson with suspicion: "You know him?"

Prince An smiled and said, "Grandfather, do you still remember why I insisted on advising you to reopen the Imperial Academy?"

Grand Tutor Zhuang frowned: "You said that the Empress Dowager was staying at the home of a candidate, and that as soon as that candidate entered the Imperial Academy, he would bring the Empress Dowager to the capital as well... Could it be this person?"

Prince An said, "That's right, it's him."

Grand Tutor Zhuang's eyes turned cold.

Prince An said, "Grandfather, please don't be anxious. He doesn't know my great-aunt's identity. I guess my great-aunt accidentally fainted at his doorstep when she wandered into that village. Someone in his family knew medicine and recognized my great-aunt's leprosy. Fearing that she would be sent to the leprosy mountain, they secretly hid her and cured her."

"Can it cure leprosy?" Grand Tutor Zhuang expressed his doubt.

Prince An said, "I have seen my great-aunt, and her leprosy has indeed been cured."

Grand Tutor Zhuang did not believe that anyone in the world could cure leprosy. Rather than that, he preferred to believe that the information at the time was wrong: "Perhaps the Empress Dowager did not have leprosy at all, but only looked like it."

Prince An did not refute Grand Tutor Zhuang's conjecture. None of that mattered anymore. The Empress Dowager had recovered. They were just waiting for them to make arrangements for the situation in the capital and for the Empress Dowager to regain her memory. Then, the Zhuang family could once again rise to prominence.

Grand Tutor Zhuang pondered and said, "This candidate is no ordinary person."

Prince An said nonchalantly, "It's just a mere top scholar title. Grandfather, you don't need to take it too seriously. I didn't put much effort into this exam anyway."

That's the truth; he really didn't give it his all.

Xiao Liulang must have given it his all, and even so, it takes Xiao Liulang's ability to be ranked first alongside him.

Prince An had never encountered anyone who could rival him since he was a child.

Although that young Marquis of Zhaodu had a great reputation, in his opinion, it was only because he hadn't met him. If he hadn't gone to Chen Kingdom as a hostage for nearly ten years, who knows who would be the number one genius in Zhaodu?

Prince An then said, "I intend to recruit this man for my own use, so please do not touch him, grandfather."

It would be best to recruit him for our own use, since he knows too much, and if he were to join another camp, it might be detrimental to the entire company.

Grand Tutor Zhuang hummed in agreement: "If that's how you see it, then I can leave him alone for now. But you must understand that you absolutely cannot lose to him again during the palace examination."

The bookmaker doesn't want just any scholar, but the top-ranking scholar in the first class!

“I understand.” Prince An, confident of victory, smiled faintly and said, “I will do my best in the palace examination.”

Grand Tutor Zhuang had said everything he needed to say. This eldest grandson had always been a worry-free person for him, so he said no more and got up to leave.

Suddenly remembering something, he turned around again. In the darkness, his seemingly cloudy eyes revealed a shrewdness and sharpness that even young people couldn't match: "Do you have someone you love?"

Prince An was taken aback: "Grandfather, what makes you say that?"

Grand Tutor Zhuang said, "You're not young anymore. Your aunt says it's time to find you a husband."

Prince An's eyes flickered slightly: "I haven't even reached adulthood yet, what's the rush?"

In the Zhao Kingdom, men reached adulthood at the age of twenty, and wealthy families often married after the age of twenty.

Grand Tutor Zhuang said, "I'm not asking you to get married right now. Let's choose someone first. Originally, I planned to ask Princess Hui for your hand in marriage, but after her accident, your aunt gave up on that idea. If you find a woman you like who is a good match in terms of social standing and appearance, then tell your aunt."

A small figure in blue carrying a basket flashed through Prince An's mind, but he said without changing his expression, "No."

Grand Tutor Zhuang turned and left the room.

Prince An sighed softly.

Marrying someone of equal social standing?

The Marquis of Ding'an's mansion appears to be neutral, but the old Marquis, like the Marquis of Xuanping, is the emperor's right-hand man. She and he will never be a good match.

As for appearance...

He didn't care about her appearance, but his aunt wouldn't allow him to marry a girl whose appearance was disfigured and who had been married before.

"Ha." Prince An laughed self-deprecatingly. "What's the use of asking me?"

While the entire capital was immersed in the enormous impact of the apricot ranking, Gu Jinyu of the Ministry of Justice was completely unaware of any outside news.

She was trapped in the interrogation room, unable to eat or sleep properly.

His Majesty seemed determined to break her will, never allowing anyone to interrogate her, but also ignoring her completely.

She was all alone and was finding it increasingly difficult to hold on.

She hadn't showered for many days. Unlike Gu Jiao, who grew up in the countryside and could go ten or fifteen days without showering, she was very clean!

Fortunately, it was Granny Qi, who served Consort Shu, who arrived.

Upon seeing Granny Qi, Gu Jinyu immediately burst into tears of grievance.

"Alright, alright, Princess, please stop crying. If Her Majesty finds out, she'll be heartbroken." Granny Qi wanted to step forward and hug her to comfort her, but the smell emanating from Gu Jinyu was unbearable for Granny Qi.

Granny Qi cleared her throat and ultimately just stood beside Gu Jinyu, handing her a clean handkerchief.

Gu Jinyu took the handkerchief and said, choking back tears, "Thank you for coming to see me, Granny."

Granny Qi said, "Her Majesty asked me to ask you, what exactly happened to you? Did you really break the Imperial Seal, or... did you do something else to anger His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinyu's eyes flashed: "Your Majesty... have you heard any rumors?"

Granny Qi came here to get to the bottom of things, so she spoke frankly: "There are rumors in the palace that the bellows was not invented by you, but by someone else."

"Who...who is it?" Gu Jinyu asked cautiously.

Granny Qi pondered, "I don't know, the rumors didn't say who it was."

Gu Jinyu lowered her head guiltily.

Who started the rumor? His Majesty, or the old blacksmith and carpenter? Don't all three of them know about that girl?

Gu Jinyu didn't understand what was going on. She composed herself and asked, "Then, does Your Majesty believe it?"

Granny Qi then asked, "Can Her Majesty believe it?"

Gu Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her efforts over the years had not been in vain.

Granny Qi sighed, "However, these messages are suspicious. Think carefully, has anyone touched your blueprints, or have you mentioned the bellows to anyone?"

It seems that Father hasn't told Consort Shu about how she and Gu Jiao "invented" the bellows. He hasn't said it for so long, so he probably won't.

Gu Jinyu hesitated whether to reveal Gu Jiao's identity herself.

Consort Shu did not have a good impression of Gu Jiao. Firstly, Consort Shu disliked Yao Shi and consequently disliked her two children. The reason she gained face in front of Gu Jiao was mainly because of her intelligence and the many favors she had done for the Fifth Prince.

Secondly, Gu Jiao did not return to the Marquis's residence, showing no respect for Old Madam Gu, nor for her aunt, Consort Shu.

Logically, she should have gone to see Consort Shu after returning to the capital, but that girl didn't.

Gu Jinyu dared not gamble that Consort Shu would trust him as much as her father did.

If Consort Shu were to seek confirmation from Gu Jiao, and if Consort Shu were to discover that His Majesty actually favored Gu Jiao, would Consort Shu still be able to stand up for herself?

After careful consideration, Gu Jinyu finally abandoned the claim that Gu Jiao had stolen her inspiration.

She shook her head: "I don't know, I haven't mentioned it to anyone."

Granny Qi stared intently at Gu Jinyu: "Then tell me, did you really invent the bellows?"

So your aunt still doesn't believe her?

After doing so much homework for the Fifth Prince and taking so many exams for him?

Gu Jinyu smiled self-deprecatingly to herself, but on the surface she said aggrievedly, "Granny, is it you who doesn't believe me, or does Auntie not believe me? I swear to God, I invented the bellows! If I've told even half a lie, may I be struck by lightning—"

Granny Qi quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and scolded, "You can't say things like that! Her Majesty trusts you. I was just being nosy and asking. You don't need to take it to heart."

Gu Jinyu said softly, "I understand that the nanny is doing this for my aunt's own good."

Granny Qi sighed again: "Her Majesty has already investigated. The imperial seal was broken long ago, by the Seventh Prince. The reason His Majesty is angry with you is probably because he believed those rumors that someone else invented the bellows. The most urgent thing is to prove that you are the true master, but unfortunately, Her Majesty can't do anything about it..."

These words woke Gu Jinyu up. She could no longer use the bellows incident to turn the tide, but she could use other things.

She thought of what she had seen in Bishui Hutong that day.

Gu Jinyu narrowed her eyes: "Granny, the bellows incident happened too long ago, and I didn't keep a more solid blueprint back then, so it's probably impossible to say for sure. But I have more than one skill."

Granny Qi was immediately startled: "You...you have others? Why didn't you take them out sooner?"

Gu Jinyu smiled and said, "I only thought of it these past few days. While I was locked up here, I didn't give up on myself. Instead, I calmed myself down and asked myself what else I could do for the court. Then, I remembered something I had done unintentionally in the manor."

"What is it?" Granny Qi asked excitedly.

“Glutinous rice mortar.” Gu Jinyu had not actually witnessed its effects firsthand, but she couldn’t care less about that now and had to take a gamble. “Mortar made from thick glutinous rice soup is incredibly strong and is the best building material. If you don’t believe me, you can go back to the palace and try it. My aunt loves me, and I should repay her properly. I am willing to give this credit to the Fifth Prince.”

Granny Qi returned to the palace without stopping and told Consort Shu about the glutinous rice paste, especially emphasizing that this credit could be given to the Fifth Prince.

Consort Shu smiled with delight: "Is this really true?"

Granny Qi said, "The princess said it herself, how could it be false? Your Highness, this is a great achievement!"

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Academy's elementary school, Xiao Jingkong finished his day's lessons and arrived at the place he had arranged to meet with his friends.

Last time, Qin Chuyu promised to take his two friends to visit the palace. After getting in touch with his sister-in-law, the Crown Princess, she finally agreed to let him bring his friends into the palace.

If it were an adult, they would be curious about how he was able to enter the palace; a child wouldn't.

Xu Zhouzhou told the servant who came to pick him up that it was the prince's invitation. The servant knew Qin Chuyu's identity and dared not refuse.

Xiao Jingkong went to the clinic and told Gu Jiao that he was going out to play and would come back in the Xu family's carriage later.

Gu Jiao had no objection.

Xu Zhouzhou and Qin Chuyu often come to the clinic to play.

The three of them happily boarded Qin Chuyu's carriage.

Jiaojiao's number one fan, Xiao Jingkong, is here!

(End of this chapter)