Chapter 53

As everyone knows, His Majesty is his preferred type of top-notch man with broad shoulders and narrow waist, noble bearing, who can ride horses and hunt.

Then, he also sleeps with the oriented cloak covering him, which makes it impossible for him not to fall into deviate at night.

Even though he had experienced all kinds of information flow in modern times, Xie Ling felt a little embarrassed when he woke up in the morning. Fortunately, he was alone at this time in the morning, and no one noticed that he was wrong.

Thinking of the messy scenes in his dream, he took a deep breath.

Xie Ling thought he was just embarrassed by himself, but he didn't expect that Xiao Huan saw all the golden light above his head. Xiao Huan seemed to be choked for a moment, and when he saw Xie Ling say "I actually had such a dream", the water in the teacup shook and almost spilled out.

That kind of dream... Could it be that Xie Ling had the same dream as me? Thinking of himself who couldn't sleep at night because of wearing the pajamas that Xie Ling had sewn by himself, Xiao Huan's throat rolled for a moment, and when he closed his eyes, the hot feeling he had felt before surged up again.

This guy also fantasizes about me in his dreams?

The scene when he first thought of Xie Ling flashed through his mind, and his heart tightened.

As an emperor, Xiao Huan had never been shy about anything, but this kind of thing made him feel a little uncomfortable. His throat tightened, but apart from feeling uncomfortable, he himself didn't even know what the feeling was.

It just made him feel itchy inside and unable to control himself.

After Xie Ling finished speaking, he saw that the emperor did not speak for a long time, but just stared at him with an unfathomable expression, which was a bit strange.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"Um, do you need me to clean it again?"

After all, he slept with it covered all night. Could it be that Emperor Wu had mysophobia again?

Xie Ling thought of this for a moment and felt that he had made a mistake. He knew that His Majesty was obsessed with cleanliness, but he still took it so carelessly. He had made a wasted trip. Just as he was about to apologize, he heard His Majesty's voice slightly unnatural: "No need."

"This cloak..."

Xiao Huan paused, thinking of Xie Ling covering him at night, and said, "I will give you this cloak."

"I'm not that stingy."

Hmm? Your Majesty is so kind? Xie Ling immediately raised his head.

I don’t know what material this cloak is made of, but just from how comfortable it is you can tell it’s definitely not made of anything. I didn’t expect that His Majesty would be willing to give it to him?

This is simply awesome!

I picked up a cloak for free without doing anything. It's really a good thing in the world. So it turns out that there was an extra hidden surprise in yesterday's reward for passing the imperial examination.

Xie Ling tried hard to lower the corners of her lips, but when she blinked, the dimples on her cheeks were still surprisingly sweet.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty."

“I will definitely wear it every day.”

Wear it every day...

Doesn't that mean you dream about me every day, or that kind of dream?

Xiao Huan's eyes deepened slightly, and for a moment he didn't know whether this guy did it on purpose.

If he didn't know that this guy didn't know that he could see the top of his head... Xiao Huan pursed his lips and took a sip of tea under the pretext of covering up.

…

Xie Ling came to return the clothes, but he ended up getting a piece of clothes for himself. The eunuchs serving in front of the emperor were no longer surprised. His Majesty had never rewarded others with things he had used before, but he had rewarded Master Xie countless times. No one thought much about it this time, not even Wang Bao.

When he saw Master Xie coming out with the cloak in his arms, he just smiled and congratulated him.

"This is the best tribute from Youzhou. Congratulations, Master Xie."

"Your Majesty has always liked this cloak the most. He gave it to Master Xie because he thinks highly of him."

Xie Ling also thought so. After all, he was the most loyal lackey of His Majesty!

Xie Ling happily came back with the cloak in his arms, hung it on the hanger next to him, and coughed lightly.

"Tongzi, it turns out that passing the imperial examination can bring so many benefits."

system:……

I'm afraid that ordinary candidates who pass the imperial examinations are not like you. How could ordinary candidates know the emperor? However, seeing Xie Ling's motivated look, the system swallowed its words.

Xie Ling came back to his senses: "Tongzi, where is my homework?"

"Don't disturb me, I want to continue studying!"

system:……

"Host, didn't you just finish the exam?"

Xie Ling sighed: "You don't understand, this is just the provincial examination, there are also the metropolitan examination and the palace examination."

He must start early and work hard as soon as possible.

System: ??? Why does this sound so familiar?

"So who was outside the examination room that day and reminded me that it was too early?"

Xie Ling: …

The system choked when it saw the host's hypocritical look.

…

Even Xiao Huan didn't expect that Xie Ling would suddenly start studying after returning... Normally, this guy couldn't be urged, so why was he acting so abnormal today?

He paused slightly and looked over.

Wang Bao bowed and said with a smile: "Master Xie, you must be excited about the cloak Your Majesty has bestowed on you, so you are moving forward immediately."

Xiao Huan lowered his eyes and when he heard Wang Bao's words he thought: Yes, this guy just took my clothes, so it's normal for him to be excited and a little self-conscious.

He was overthinking it.

This time, Xie Ling said he would study and he studied without any hesitation. He was immersed in his schoolwork the whole morning and was unaware of it by noon.

It was not until the sun was setting that Xie Ling stretched lazily and realized, huh?

Why is it so late? The sun is almost setting.

Qian Ming saw him raise his head and asked, "Master Xie, do you want to eat?"

"Some were reserved in the imperial kitchen for Master Xie."

Xie Ling nodded, then came to his senses and felt a little embarrassed.

"Thank you very much, but let's not eat in the palace. Can I go out of the palace today?"

"There are still some things I didn't understand when I was studying just now, and I want to ask Zheng Daru for more advice."

Leave the palace? Qian Ming looked at the time. It was still some time before the palace gates were closed, so he still had time to leave.

He sent someone to report this to His Majesty.

Xiao Huan paused for a moment while holding the military book, then raised his head with a complicated expression:

"Why doesn't he come to me when he encounters something he doesn't understand?"

Wang Bao: …

Wang Bao laughed dryly: "Perhaps Master Xie thought that he had just disturbed His Majesty today, and it would be inappropriate to come and bother His Majesty again while he was handling government affairs."

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the reason, and Wang Bao's tone became more certain.

Xiao Huan glanced at him, but didn't say whether he believed it or not. He just said, "Forget it, let him go."

The eunuchs outside retreated upon hearing the order, and soon Xie Ling got the token to leave the palace.

This was the first time he went to see his teacher since he passed the imperial examination. He went hunting with His Majesty right after the results came out, and he hasn't told his teacher the good news yet. But the teacher should have known about it by now, right?

The two were sitting in the carriage, and as soon as they left the palace, they heard the noisy sound of gongs and drums coming from the opposite side.

Um?

"What's going on over there?" He leaned his head out to take a look.

Qian Ming also looked over, and after seeing the red silk in the restaurant, he said, "Master Xie, it seems someone has passed the exam and is celebrating now."

The results of the provincial examination were just announced recently, and there were many students who did well in the capital, so it was normal for some of them to book a restaurant to celebrate. But this aura seems to be quite rich, right?

Xie Ling looked up from below and found that the entire three-story building was decorated and looked very festive. However, it was none of their business, so he and Qian Ming only took a glance and then looked away.

The carriage slowly arrived at the entrance of the alley. As soon as Xie Ling got off the carriage with his homework, he saw the teacher sitting in the yard.

Zheng Wanyun didn't expect him to come over at this time and was a little surprised. But after seeing that both he and Qian Ming were holding books in their hands, his brows softened a little.

"Did you come across something you didn't understand while reading today?"

Xie Ling nodded and chuckled twice: "So I came to see the teacher."

Zheng Wanyun twirled his beard. He thought Xiao Xie would rest for a few days, but it was a good thing that he didn't forget to study at this time.

"I heard that the eldest son of the Ningguo family won first place in the provincial examination this time. He is currently studying at home and preparing for the beginning of next spring."

"You're doing very well."

Getting first place actually puts a lot of pressure on you. After all, the difficulty of the imperial examination is much higher than that of the provincial examination. If you want to maintain your results, you have to work harder.

Xie Ling didn't expect Zhang Jing to be so hardworking. He had already been studying for the past few days. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty at this moment.

Well, if he hadn't been stimulated by the cloak today, he would have rested for a few more days. How could he think about studying? Facing the teacher's gaze, Xie Ling could only blink: "A man as hard-working as Prince Zhang will definitely get good results in the imperial examination."

Zheng Wanyun nodded at him, but when he mentioned Zhang Jing, he remembered something.

"By the way, when the results came out, Zhang Jing saw you on the list and said he was happy for you, so he wrote you a letter and asked Dr. Sun to pass it to me."

"You young people..." Zheng Wanyun found it a little funny. Since he didn't have Xie Ling's address, all the things that were needed for him were sent to Zheng Wanyun.

He was still thinking about when to find an opportunity to give Xie Ling a chance, and Xie Ling came today.

Xie Ling took the envelope with a lot of questions in his mind. He was still wondering what Zhang Jing would write to him. After opening it, he saw a sincere congratulation, which made his eyebrows fly.

Tsk, he is worthy of being the first place winner in the provincial examination, his literary talent is beyond reproach.

Xie Ling coughed lightly, thinking that Zhang Jing was just being modest when he said he was not good at writing poetry. There was nothing wrong with getting first place.

But after he finished reading it, he was confused for a moment, because Zhang Jing also gave him a test paper at the end and invited him to discuss it together.

Xie Ling: ... "Tongzi, are you inviting me to do homework together?"

And it’s a telepathic version?

System: "Probably."

"As expected of a top student, this is how you make friends."

Zheng Wanyun didn't know what he saw that made him look so strange, but after Xie Ling took out the things, he was a little surprised, and then he said with a smile:

"This Prince Zhang is quite interesting."

"Xiao Xie, it's boring for you to review alone. If you're bored, why not pass the book with him?"

Xie Ling thought about it and thought, isn't this just like studying with a top student online? He looked strange for a moment, thinking that this was too advanced for a poor student like him.

"I'll send it back if I'm done, teacher."

"But I haven't fully understood this book yet." Xie Ling pointed to the book in his hand. He came to the teacher today because he couldn't understand it.

Seeing his disciple's slightly aggrieved expression, Zheng Wanyun coughed, suppressed his laughter, and motioned Xie Ling to come over.

Xie Ling leaned over to listen to the teacher's explanation. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly remembered something after having fooled the teacher:

"Teacher, is there any food at home?"

This was not the first day that he had been craving for food at his teacher's house, and he even came out on an empty stomach for this purpose.

"Yes, yours is indispensable. Go to class first." Zheng Wanyun shook his head helplessly.

Xie Ling chuckled and successfully ate and drank for free at the teacher's house. He stayed there until it was almost dark before he was ready to go back.

…

Xiao Huan was having his evening meal as usual, but just after he took a bite, he saw Wang Bao, who seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong?"

Turning back to take a look, Wang Bao lowered his head and was somewhat afraid to look at His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, the Eagle Guards just sent a message that the Prince of Ningguo, who won first place in the provincial examination, seems to have asked Zheng Daru to give a letter to Master Xie."

Xiao Huan paused for a moment: "A letter?"

Wang Bao: "Yes, Your Majesty."

"It's just that I don't know exactly what's in the letter yet."

Thinking of the fact that His Majesty had once asked the Eagle Guard to steal the invitation, Wang Bao did not dare to hide the letter. After he finished speaking, he looked at His Majesty cautiously.

"When Master Xie returns, he will tell His Majesty, right?"

Xie Ling didn't know that His Majesty had found out about the letter he had received. After returning, he looked at the "Xueba Video Call Letter" on the desk and sighed.

It’s not that he didn’t want to reply to Zhang Jing, it’s just that he wasn’t qualified yet. He looked at the questions Zhang Jing wrote and could only answer two of them.

It's over.

After seeing the first place's daily practice, Xie Ling knew it was over. What he wrote was totally different from what he wrote. The candidates in the imperial examination were all geniuses. If he didn't work harder...

"Tongzi, no!"

"I'm going to work hard tonight!"

system:……

Are you trying so hard? It doesn't even look like a salted fish host. It hesitated for a moment and made a pertinent suggestion: "Why don't you go find Emperor Wu?"

"Sleep and rest with His Majesty the Emperor at night?"

He remembers that Emperor Wu went to bed very late every day, right?

The host can just hold on for a while, otherwise the system will think that the host fell asleep the moment he said this, which is not credible at all.

Xie Ling: ...Well, it seems so.

"But won't this bother His Majesty?"

System: "Believe in this system, it won't happen." Considering that Emperor Wu could tolerate the host even after eating dark food, the system felt that the host's current disturbance was not a disturbance at all.

So just when Xiao Huan had a gloomy face, as if he was unhappy about the letter but did not show it, he heard Xie Ling's voice asking for a meeting again.

After a slight pause, Xiao Huan just raised his eyes and asked, "What is he doing here so late?"

Wang Bao, who knew that His Majesty had actually been waiting for Master Xie, said: …

"Master Xie said he came to accompany His Majesty."

Normally, Xie Ling would have gone to bed at this time. Why is he here to accompany me now? It turns out that he has other intentions.

His brows relaxed a little and he asked someone to let Xie Ling in.

The guy was holding a stack of things in his hand. He saw the envelope on top at a glance and frowned slightly.

"You're not feeling comfortable staying outside the palace, why did you come here at this time?" No matter how turbulent his heart was, Xiao Huan just sneered.

Xie Ling didn't realize anything was wrong and just smiled obediently.

"Well, no matter how good it is outside, it's certainly not as good as being with His Majesty."

He raised his eyes innocently.

When Xiao Huan looked into those beautiful almond-shaped eyes, he looked away for a moment.

Oh, sweet talk!

Xiao Huan snorted coldly.

I want to see what he has to say.

He looked at Xie Ling expressionlessly as he moved the things over and tested them a little.

"His Majesty?"

His Majesty Emperor Wu, who was reading a book, did not react, which obviously meant that it was possible.

Xie Ling moved closer: "Can I read here, Your Majesty?"

Seeing him raise his eyes, Xiao Huan frowned.

"what ever."

Xie Ling took out a book and started reading. After flipping through two pages, he suddenly remembered the questions sent by the top student. He put down what he was holding and opened the envelope.

hiss.

The hall had been quiet ever since the sound of paper creaking began.

Wang Bao lowered his head and did not dare to look at His Majesty's expression.

Xiao Huan held the book and tried to hold it in. After Xie Ling had stared at the letter inside for a long time, he said coldly, "If you want to read, read it. Don't read anything else."

"This is not a place for entertainment."

Xie Ling was stunned by these words. Then he reacted and raised the paper in his hand to try to explain.

"Your Majesty, this is a test question."

"I heard that it was written by Master Zhang's teacher. He sent it to me so that I can study it together. It's not something messy, right?"

Test questions?

Xiao Huan was skeptical, so he took it and took a look, and found that it was indeed a test paper.

However, he glanced past these and narrowed his eyes when he saw Xie Ling flipping through the book, making his appearance even more obvious.

"You can't?"

“This question is not difficult.”

Isn’t this... difficult?

Xie Ling was confused. From the tone of His Majesty, why did it seem so simple?

But he obviously can't!

Without the time to refute His Majesty in his heart, Xie Ling felt that he had suffered a major blow. Xiao Huan had already said it, and naturally he could not take it back at this time.

Seeing Xie Ling's frustrated look, he had no choice but to put down the book and raise his eyebrows: "What don't you know?"

Xie Ling took a deep breath and pointed out several questions one after another.

The emperors at the top wrote down everything smoothly.

Under the candlelight, the writing on the paper was vigorous and powerful. Xie Ling went from being incredulous at first to gradually being attracted by the content and began to read it carefully.

Xiao Huan put down his pen, looked at the guy who was looking thoughtful, and suddenly gave him a suggestion.

"I'm still not familiar with the book. I'll have an impression of it in my mind after reading it a few more times."

He paused and said calmly:

"If I have time for simple questions like this in the future, you can come to me."

As if realizing that this was too much preferential treatment, Xiao Huan added another sentence.

"Of course, I also took into consideration your good performance in the provincial examination."

Xie Ling came back to his senses and was slightly shocked. Wait, the Yu Ze of the provincial examination is not over yet.

No! He must also pass the examination!

Xiao Huan only saw that the guy's eyes lit up instantly after he finished speaking, and he thought it was because of his guidance. The subtle displeasure in his heart finally faded away.

One of them was reading a book while the other was doing homework. They persisted until the hour of Hai, when Wang Bao looked at the time reminder.

"Your Majesty, Master Xie, it's time to rest."

Xiao Huan came back to his senses and realized that he didn't notice that Xie Ling had been watching so late without him noticing.

And Xie Ling...

This guy was still doing his homework even though his eyelids were fighting. He finally made it to the hour of Hai, when he felt the string above his head snap and he could finally relax.

"Tongzi is OK."

"Finally I can sleep."

Preparing for the exam is really not something a human should do, Xie Ling complained, shaking his head quickly, fearing that he would fall on the table if he was a second late. But even so, he was still very sleepy, and after standing up, he felt dizzy.

It would take some time to walk back to the side hall from here. Xiao Huan looked at this guy who couldn't even stand steadily, frowned slightly, and looked at Wang Bao.

"Go and ask someone to add another quilt."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Wang Bao realized what was happening, he responded immediately, knowing that His Majesty was probably going to sleep side by side with Master Xie again.

Well, this is probably a way to show the deep affection between the monarch and his subjects.

Wang Bao looked at his nose and his heart, and quickly went down to prepare.

Xie Ling had just pinched himself to sober up a little and was about to leave when he heard the emperor's words.

"Your Majesty, do you want me to stay?" He subconsciously looked across.

Xiao Huan looked him up and down and sneered, "Why, can you walk back?"

Xie Ling immediately shook his head, and then heard His Majesty say calmly: "I don't want to waste the sedan chair."

"Just stay tonight."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xie Ling was so touched that he didn't expect His Majesty to be so kind and consider this.

Wang Bao brought all the things in a short while, and the dragon bed was re-made with an extra quilt.

Xie Ling raised his head obediently: "Then Your Majesty, I will go wash up first?"

"Um."

Xiao Huan pressed his brows and watched them leave. He waited until Xie Ling finished washing up before returning to the back hall.

The eunuchs outside had already retreated, and the two of them slept on the same bed. Perhaps because they were really tired tonight, Xiao Huan didn't think much about it at first. But after a while, he felt sleepy after realizing that Xie Ling had fallen asleep beside him.

Forget it, go to bed early, you have to go to court tomorrow.

His brows relaxed slightly, and he slowly closed his eyes as he smelled the faint magnolia scent on Xie Ling.

It was just that he was clearly a little sleepy at that time, and after adjusting himself, he couldn't fall asleep. After Xiao Huan closed his eyes intermittently for a while, the fragrance at the tip of his nose seemed to become stronger and stronger.

For some reason, he recalled Xie Ling's words in the morning.

I dreamed about myself at night...

So what is this guy doing now? Is he also dreaming about himself?

Almost out of control, Xiao Huan wanted to open his eyes and look to the left, but he restrained himself by taking a deep breath.

I don't know how much time had passed, but when it was already late at night he suddenly sat up.

The eunuchs who were on guard outside originally thought that the situation should have calmed down tonight, but they didn't expect that His Majesty would come out at three o'clock in the morning. They were all surprised.

Xiao Huan waved his hand and closed his eyes: "Go and get me a cup of cold tea."

The eunuch obeyed the order and left.

When the eagle guards on the beams outside saw His Majesty coming out to avoid Master Xie, they thought His Majesty had an order to give. After all, the place where His Majesty was standing was exactly where Master Xie put his homework, and on the pile of books - there was a familiar envelope.

The Eagle Guards looked at each other, waited until the eunuch left, then jumped down silently and knelt to salute.

"His Majesty."

Xie Ling had just fallen asleep for a short while and was awakened by thirst after having a bunch of messy dreams.

There was no way. I had a spicy meal in the afternoon and didn't drink much water at night, which caused my throat to be dry and itchy even in my dream. He woke up in a daze and wanted to take the cup of water in front of the couch to drink. As a result, he stretched out his hand and touched nothing before realizing that this was not his side hall.

Oh, by the way, it seems that he is sleeping in His Majesty’s palace tonight.

Xie Ling came to his senses but was too lazy to withdraw his hand and closed his eyes again.

But he delayed for a long time, and his body was still thirsty. He was clearly dizzy and wanted to sleep, but his mouth just wouldn't work. Xie Ling sighed, secretly cursed his body for not listening to his commands, and had to get up like a boneless person.

Well, I was too lazy to put on my boots most of the night.

He got up barefoot silently, wondering if Eunuch Wang was outside. When he turned around, he found that even His Majesty had disappeared without a trace.

Um?

Is Your Majesty thirsty too?

His mind was in a daze for a moment, and Xie Ling walked out subconsciously. From afar, he saw His Majesty talking to someone behind the screen.

He poured a cup of hot tea and gulped it down. Suddenly, he heard the man kneeling in front of him ask in a low voice: "Your Majesty, was this envelope of Master Xie also stolen like the previous birthday invitation?"

The Eagle Guard thought he had guessed His Majesty's thoughts, but he didn't do what he thought. After all, this was not the first time His Majesty had done such a thing.

Xiao Huan had not thought about it at first, but was reminded of this. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a sudden choking cough behind him.

Xie Ling: ???

Ahem, what did he hear?

The envelope was the same as the previous birthday invitation... After going over Eagle Guard's words in his mind, Xie Ling finally reacted vaguely with a shocked expression.

Wait, so…case solved.

The invitation letter that Wu Shanlai sent to him that he lost last time was actually... stolen by someone ordered by His Majesty?