At the same time, as soon as Chen Jin left the Golden Palace, he ordered his men to prepare the horses. As the emperor's confidant, he was now shouldering the heavy responsibility of restoring the emperor's reputation.
He not only had to trace the source of the leaked test questions, but also had to try to reverse the threat posed by this crisis to the emperor's rule.
At this moment, the group led by Gong Yan, the captain of the Imperial Guard, were about to leave the Qianqing Gate when they found themselves in a dilemma.
Xue Zhongfu tightly grasped the dragon-patterned staff and stood in front of Gong Yan with a serious expression, "Sir Gong, wait a minute, please don't leave the palace for now." His voice was low and powerful, revealing an unquestionable momentum.
Gong Yan frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. As the captain of the Imperial Guard, when had he ever encountered such obstruction?
But he still said patiently, "Master Xue, I respect you as the son of the Xingyuan Marquisate, so I won't argue with you. But I have the emperor's order to deliver the Spring Examination papers to the Imperial Examination Hall on time. There must be no delay. Please move aside!"
"Master Gong, I don't mean to embarrass you." Xue Zhongfu still blocked his way. "This is a serious matter. I can't explain it clearly right now. Please wait a moment!"
Seeing that he had no intention of backing down, Gong Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in his heart. He rode his white horse and looked down at him, tightly grasping the red tasseled spear in his hand, and his tone became cold.
"Master Xue, I say again, get out of the way! As the captain of the Imperial Guard, it is my duty to not let this important matter be ruined because of you. If you don't get out of the way, don't blame me for being rude!"
A cold light flashed, and the red-tasseled spear was aimed at Xue Zhongfu. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the two men's eyes met in the air, as if sparks were flying.
Seeing this, the guards around nervously clenched their weapons, and a conflict seemed to be imminent.
"Sir Gong, I'm not stopped by personal matters," Xue Zhongfu said sternly, "If you trust me, please stay. If not, go ahead and strike. I, Xue Zhongfu, will have no complaints!"
"Then don't blame me for punishing you for disobeying the imperial order!" Gong Yan roared, and swung the red tasseled spear violently, with the sharp tip of the spear slashing straight towards Xue Zhongfu's face.
At the critical moment, Xue Zhongfu quickly raised the dragon-patterned staff and tried his best to block the fatal blow.
However, the opponent's strength was so great that it was like a mountain pressing down on his head, making it difficult for Xue Zhongfu to withstand it.
He only felt that his arms were numb from the shock. The powerful impact made him kneel on one knee, almost unable to keep his body steady. A strong smell of blood came out of his mouth, and even his breathing became disordered.
"Lord Gong, stop now! His Majesty has issued an order!"
Just then, a burst of hurried horse hooves sounded in the distance. Chen Jin came riding a fast horse. His arrival broke the stalemate.
Gong Yan was startled when he heard this and quickly retracted his red tasseled spear. He turned to look at Chen Jin, only to see that the other party was holding a bright yellow imperial edict with a serious expression.
"Your servant Gong Yan accepts the order." He quickly dismounted.
Chen Jin directly handed the imperial edict in his hand to him: "Lord Gong, please read it yourself." Then he hurried to help Xue Zhongfu who had fallen to the side.
Gong Yan took the imperial edict and glanced at it quickly. His face instantly became solemn, and his eyes flashed with complex light.
"Your Majesty asked me to withdraw the test questions immediately and return to the palace to see you?" he asked in a deep voice, with a hint of disbelief in his tone.
Chen Jin nodded. "That's right. Lord Gong, the situation is urgent. Please return to the Golden Throne Hall as soon as possible to report. His Majesty has already dispatched additional Imperial Guards to the Imperial Examination Hall."
The murderous look in Gong Yan's eyes just now had disappeared, replaced by a deep sense of apology.
"Master Xue, I'm sorry. This is my duty. I hope I'll forgive you if I've offended you."
As he said this, he bowed to Xue Zhongfu, then turned around and waved his hand, and the accompanying royal guards turned around and left together.
Xue Zhongfu watched their departing backs and felt relieved. Chen Jin came to convey the emperor's order, saying that it seemed that progress was going smoothly with his mother Hong Yingrong, and the emperor already knew about the leak of the Spring Examination questions.
Seeing blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, Chen Jin said worriedly, "Second Young Master, I'm afraid you have internal injuries. I'll have someone send you to the Imperial Hospital for treatment."
Xue Zhongfu's face was pale and he could only shake his head weakly. He handed the dragon-patterned imperial staff in his hand to the young eunuch who came forward, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
The young eunuch took the imperial staff doubtfully, not understanding what was going on for a moment.
Xue Zhongfu held his aching chest tightly with one hand and pointed towards the inner courtyard of the imperial palace with the other, trying hard to say something.
Chen Jin immediately understood and ordered seriously: "You must deliver this imperial staff to the old lady of Xingyuan Marquis as soon as possible, without any mistake." After that, he gave a few more detailed instructions, explaining the importance of it.
The young eunuch nodded in agreement, holding the imperial staff in both hands, and ran quickly towards the inner courtyard of the palace.
Chen Jin looked at Xue Zhongfu with concern: "Second Young Master, the old lady is fine. What happens outside the palace depends on us!"
The word "we" clearly defines the closeness of our stance.
Chen Jin's words undoubtedly showed that he was acting as an ally. Xue Zhongfu took a deep breath and had no time to ponder the reason. He asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, have you given any new test questions?"
"No!" Chen Jin answered decisively without any hesitation.
"Let's go to the Imperial Examination Hall!" Xue Zhongfu ignored his slight illness and resolutely walked towards the horse that Chen Jingang was riding.
An attendant eunuch was quick to react and immediately gave up his horse.
Chen Jin followed closely behind: "Second Young Master, your health is more important, don't force yourself!"
"It doesn't matter! I still have a long life ahead of me!" After saying that, Xue Zhongfu pulled the reins suddenly, and the horse neighed loudly and galloped away like an arrow.
Seeing this, Chen Jin also hurriedly whipped his horse and followed closely behind.
As soon as they left the Qianqing Gate, a cloud of dust rose on the wide imperial road, and two riders galloped away in a cloud of dust.
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