Chapter 57

As dusk fell, hundreds of Confucian scholars, dressed in washed-out robes, knelt on the cold stone slabs on the long bluestone street outside the vermilion-painted gate of the Imperial Examination Hall.

"I implore Your Majesty to hold the imperial examination as scheduled..."

The sound waves were getting louder and louder.

Soldiers patrolling the city in the distance stopped and watched, holding lanterns.

The taverns and teahouses along the street had long since lost their former bustle. Shopkeepers and customers alike leaned on the windows to peer out. Someone sighed softly, "It's already the third day, and I hear there's still no movement from the palace..."

As dusk deepened, the last ray of sunlight on the horizon disappeared behind the clouds. Only countless pairs of eyes staring at the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall still had lights that refused to go out.

——

The next day, the sandalwood incense in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was burning slowly, and the smoke condensed into a light mist above the gilded bronze censer, making the expression of the man on the dragon throne even more difficult to discern.

His Majesty stroked the jade paperweight on the table with his fingertips, his brows slightly furrowed, and his expression was hesitant.

He was silent for a moment, his eyes passing over the bustling figures of court officials and falling on the prince in a dragon robe standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Ji Ke, who was standing among the court officials, saw the subtle change in expression. He took a step forward and stepped out of the line. He did not look at His Majesty first, but turned sideways and looked directly at the Crown Prince. His usually calm eyes were now filled with undisguised eagerness.

"Your Highness," Ji Ke's voice was low, but sharp, almost interrogative, "Can't you sense the resentment of those students who are so focused on the imperial examinations?"

The moment the words fell, the hall was so quiet that one could hear the sound of dripping water from a clepsydra.

Ji Ke's eyes were like thorns, fixed on the prince, waiting for his answer.

The prince ignored the question and stepped forward, saying, "Since the road has been opened, the door at the end should also be opened."

He glanced at Ji Ke nonchalantly and continued, "The qualified candidates have already been selected, so where's the chance?"

Ji Ke did not continue speaking, but signaled with his eyes to other court officials to stand up and oppose.

After receiving the look, Xu Jiang stepped out of the line with a discerning eye and said to the Crown Prince earnestly, "Your Highness, please be cautious! Your decision affects the future of hundreds of young people."

As soon as he finished speaking, other court officials echoed him.

The Crown Prince's expression remained unchanged. His attitude spoke volumes. He was telling the Prime Minister's faction, "If you interfere with the Imperial Examination again, he won't mind a fight to the bitter end..."

The morning court session in the Hall of Supreme Harmony ended in a bad mood, and Li Yin went straight back to the East Palace. Eunuch Ma thoughtfully brought him some exquisite snacks, which happened to be exactly the same as the snacks that Luo Sanying had brought him in the library that day.

Li Yin half-leaned in the cushioned rosewood armchair, his right hand casually resting on the armrest, his knuckles tapping lightly on the cold wood grain.

His eyelids drooped slightly, as if he was attracted by the snacks on the table. He picked up a piece, turned it on his fingertips, and then slowly put it into his mouth.

When the soft and sweet feeling spread, he raised his eyes and asked casually in a voice neither too loud nor too low, "Why haven't you seen Luo Neiguan yet?"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Ma couldn't stop talking and said in confusion, "That's what I was going to say! You used to love him so much, I don't know what you did to him?"

Li Yin swallowed the snack and asked, "Why? He said he didn't want to come to the East Palace?"

Eunuch Ma stole a glance at Li Yin's face, seeing no sign of anger, and replied quietly, "Yes."

He then added: "He only does the dirty and tiring work and is always running outside..." to prove that Luo Sanrong was not lazy.

Li Yin interrupted him, leaned forward slightly, and asked directly: "So, where is she now?"

Luo Sanrong had no idea that Li Yin was on his way to find her. She had taken the initiative to take on the task of delivering writing materials to Princess Yongning at Jingren Palace this morning. Unfortunately, when she arrived, Princess Yongning and several palace maids were playing hide-and-seek.

Luo Sanrong had no choice but to find an old locust tree to sit under.

The swaying shadows of the trees cast dappled sunlight across the ground, which did help to keep out the heat. Bored, she reached out and fiddled with the grass until her fingertips touched a furry spike. Pulling it, she found a dogtail grass.

She held the grass stem between her lips and bit it gently. The fine hairs on the grass leaves rubbed the corners of her lips, making them slightly itchy.

When I looked up, the sun was hanging in the sky, and the golden light shone through the layers of locust leaves, making people dizzy.

She simply squinted her eyes, letting the warm light flow across her cheeks. The tip of her nose seemed to still be lingering with the scent of gardenias that she had just smelled when she ran through the flower garden with the princess.

The sound of maids counting came from afar, mixed with the princess's silver bell-like laughter. Luo Sanrong held a dogtail grass in his mouth, and the corners of his lips curled up unconsciously.

The grass stems were gently ground between the teeth, with a hint of green and astringent grassy aroma.

She just leaned against the locust tree, lost in thought.

About an incense stick of time later, a voice came from behind Luo Sanying. He turned around and saw it was Li Yin.

Li Yin looked at her suddenly tense expression, and his heart ached. He concealed his inner anger and said calmly: "I heard from the warm man, are you avoiding me?"

Luo Sanrong lowered his head and admitted directly: "Yes."

Li Yin asked, "Why?"

Luo Sanrong took a step back, looked up and looked directly into Li Yin's eyes, and said, "I am the sinner who deceived the Eunuch Department and the entire palace. Your Highness knows everything. I don't know how to face you."

After a pause, he continued, "I have no confidence."

"Don't you understand yet?" He took a step forward, his voice filled with suppressed urgency. The last syllable trembled slightly as he spoke anxiously, "Don't you understand yet? I think you don't have to pretend to be a man. If you face me with your true self, you can get closer to me."

Luo Sanrong said, "Your Highness, you really don't know?"

Li Yin looked puzzled when he heard this.

Luo Sanzhen explained, "I am so humble, disguised as a man, and disrupting the order of the palace. If I were not an eunuch, how could I stay by His Highness's side?"

Li Yin was about to speak when he was interrupted by a maid who came running over.

The maid had no time to salute and said hurriedly: "Your Highness, it's bad, the princess is missing!"

Luo Sanrong spoke first: "What's going on?"

The maid explained, "Usually, when I play hide-and-seek with the princess, I just have to tell her I've lost and she'll come out. But today, I've been telling her I've lost and I've been telling her to come out. I've called her several times, but she won't come out."

Li Yin asked, "Where was the last time you saw Her Royal Highness the Princess?"

The maid took Li Yin and Luo Sanrong to the place where they last saw the princess.

They searched around this place, and finally Luo Sanrong found the purse that the princess had accidentally left behind, and then found Princess Yongning in a warehouse not far away.

But when they found Princess Yongning, they discovered that something was wrong with her. When she saw Luo Sanrong, she looked terrified, as if she had seen something terrible and fainted from fright.

Luo Sanrong quickly took her back to Jingren Palace. Concubine Shu sent an imperial physician to diagnose her, who said it was a coma caused by excessive shock. Concubine Shu did not think much about it, thinking that Yongning was locked up in a dark warehouse, and just stayed by her side with concern.

Li Yin looked at Concubine Shu's worried expression and stayed by her side silently.

Li Yin looked at Yongning lying in bed and said, "You can't shout for help, so you must be scared!"

Shu Fei wiped Yong Ning's forehead and said thankfully, "Thank goodness that Luo Neiguan discovered it, otherwise it would have been a disaster."

Li Yin: "He was originally a cheerful child, chirping like a lark..."

Concubine Shu looked at Li Yin with gratitude and said, "It's all thanks to Your Highness that he sent someone to teach her sign language. This is how she, who couldn't speak at such a young age, can still smile now."

Li Yin recalled that Yongning used to be a small child, curled up in a small corner. Because he could not speak, he could not make friends freely and could only play by himself. So he found a teacher outside the palace to learn sign language and taught Yongning sign language. Since then, Yongning has become much more cheerful.

Li Yin smiled and didn't take it to heart. He changed the subject and said, "She still can't remember anything about that day?"

Concubine Shu replied, "Yes, it might be because I was young. Just resisting the pain was already very strenuous, so after the high fever subsided, I don't remember anything about those few days."

Li Yin touched Yongning's forehead with heartache and said nothing more.