The Xiangyun Hall is elegantly decorated, and the air is filled with a light scent of sandalwood, which brings peace of mind.
Old Madam Hong Yingrong sat upright in the main seat, her dark blue brocade dress making her look majestic and dignified. Her eyes swept over the three people in turn, finally settling on Yan Boxi.
Yan Boxi felt the old lady's gaze and his heart tightened slightly, but he quickly calmed down and bowed respectfully: "Junior Ningcheng Yan Boxi, greetings to the old lady."
Hong Yingrong nodded slightly, indicating that he didn't need to be polite. She looked at Yan Boxi, and a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes. Although this young man was dressed simply, he had a calm demeanor and elegant temperament, and was obviously not an ordinary person.
"There are several large families with the surname Yan in Ningcheng, Ganzhou. May I ask which family Mr. Yan comes from?" Hong Yingrong was quite familiar with the family genealogy of the noble families, and seeing that Yan Boxi had an extraordinary character and appearance, she asked this question.
Yan Boxi bowed his head slightly and replied humbly, "To be honest, I am a descendant of Princess Xiangnan of Emperor Taizong, who moved to Ningcheng. Now that my family's glory has faded, I only hope to pass the imperial examinations and live up to the expectations of my ancestors."
When Hong Yingrong heard this, her expression changed slightly, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly calmed down.
This subtle change in expression did not escape Yan Boxi's eyes, but he did not feel embarrassed.
Ever since he arrived in the capital, everyone would be surprised to hear that he was a descendant of Princess Xiangnan, which is understandable.
After all, even now, when a royal princess gets married, she will repeatedly remind her husband not to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Taizong's Princess Xiangnan - not only was she willful and capricious, she even violated the court laws and minted copper coins privately, which eventually brought disaster to her husband's family.
But Yan Boxi didn't know that what surprised old lady Hong Yingrong was not his background, but another reason.
Because Hong Yingrong remembered that in the Spring Examination in her previous life, six candidates were exposed for secretly purchasing leaked exam questions.
After the merchant was arrested and gave out the list of names, the six people were immediately stripped of their titles, taken out of the examination room, and beheaded in public.
Among them, the most eye-catching one was a tribute student named Yan. Because he was a descendant of Princess Xiangnan of Emperor Taizong, he was talked about a lot in Beijing. People said that "it is difficult to change one's nature and it is unfortunate for the family to produce such a scum."
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