"Fifth brother is really promising." After sighing, Prince An turned around and saw the other three brothers looking at him. He asked in confusion, "What did I say wrong?"
"No." Prince Huai said dryly, "It would be better if you didn't speak."
Having said that, he turned and left.
"Brother, aren't we going to see our father?" Prince An called him, "Why are you going back again?"
Prince Huai stopped and said with a fake smile, "Father, you must be tired after reciting books for so long. How can we disturb you?"
Yun Yanze glanced in the direction where Yun Duqing was standing, and followed Prince Huai silently. Prince Jing hesitated for a moment, and whispered to Prince An, "Second brother, let's go too."
Without waiting for Prince An to react, he quickly followed Prince Huai and walked away without looking back.
Why are you leaving? Only a fool would leave when there is such a good opportunity to flatter someone.
Prince An straightened his outer robe and strode towards Yun Duqing. As he approached, he heard these officials whispering to his fifth brother to go back and have a good rest, saying that his health was the most important thing.
Were fifth brother reciting or moving books in Taiyang Palace just now?
"Your Highness Prince An." Ming Jingzhou raised his eyes and saluted Prince An.
"Lord Ming." Prince An returned the greeting politely. This was the biological father of his fifth brother's wife, so he had to be more polite.
The gentlemen then discovered the existence of Prince An. After some greetings, they decided not to talk too much about private matters with Prince Chen in front of the other princes, in order to avoid being accused of forming a clique.
"Your Highness, I cannot stay in the palace any longer. I will take my leave now." Ming Jingzhou looked at Jiuzhu and hesitated for a moment. "Spring is here and your mother has learned how to make flower cakes. If you have time, come to your house with Your Highness."
"Father." Jiuzhu followed Ming Jingzhou for two steps. She remembered that when she just returned to the capital, she saw a kind of cake made of flowers in a book.
Her mother told her that flower cakes are most delicious when made with spring petals, and she would make the flower cakes mentioned in the book for her in the spring of the following year.
She thought her mother had forgotten about this matter long ago, but it turned out that she had always kept it in her heart.
Ming Jingzhou stopped and turned to look at her: "Go back to the palace with His Highness as soon as possible."
"Father-in-law, I will take Jiuzhu back to my parents' home the day after tomorrow." Prince Chen walked to the father and daughter and said, "Please make a few more, mother-in-law. I also want to try them."
"Okay." Ming Jingzhou smiled and said, "I will be waiting for your arrival at my humble residence."
After Ming Jingzhou left, Prince An looked at Prince Chen in confusion: "Fifth brother, I remember that you didn't like fresh flower cakes in the past, and you said that they were not refreshing enough..."
"Second brother." Prince Chen wanted to cover Prince An's mouth: "People's tastes change."
"But you said that last year."
"The me of last year is no longer the me of today." Prince Chen said expressionlessly, "If you have nothing to do, you can go home and read more books."
Prince An saw that his fifth brother seemed a little angry, so he quickly shut up.
Why is Fifth Brother angry again?
He wants to curry favor with someone, why is it so difficult?
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu understood that the prince did not like to eat fresh flower cakes, but told his father that he wanted to try his mother's cooking. Everything was for her.
"Don't listen to what my second brother says." Prince Chen smiled at her, "We haven't lived together since we were young. Who can know what I like and what I hate better than I do?"
"Mother can not only make flower cakes, but also other dishes. The chefs in the mansion are also very good." Jiuzhu smiled sweetly at the Prince of Chen: "Your Highness, come and try them together when the time comes."
"Okay." Seeing Jiuzhu's sweet smile, Prince Chen felt relieved: "Let's go back to Qilin Palace."
"Ah..." Prince An sighed as he watched his fifth brother and his wife leave.
Oops, today's plan to please has also failed.
Maybe he came at the wrong time?
"You just said in the palace that I read by lamplight every night?" Halfway through the journey, Prince Chen thought of this. He remembered that in the past few nights, he would wait until Ming Xiaozhu fell asleep before getting up and secretly reading.
"Every night, as soon as Your Highness left, I knew it." Jiuzhu didn't think much about it: "But seeing that you were reciting very seriously, I didn't disturb you."
Prince Chen: “…”
He just wanted Jiuzhu to feel that even if he didn't read the book seriously, he could still recite the whole book.
Unexpectedly, the secret had already been revealed.
"But Your Highness is really amazing. He has memorized the entire book after only reading it for a few days." Jiuzhu looked at him with shining eyes: "I wish I could be as good as you at memorizing when I was a child."
"That's nothing. A copy of 'Agriculture and Mulberry Records' isn't that difficult." Prince Chen raised his chin and said, "As long as your prince wants to do it, there's nothing he can't do."
Jiuzhu looked at King Chen with even more passion.
Your Highness, you are truly a god-like man.
As soon as the news of the additional imperial examination spread, scholars throughout the capital were excited. Countless people happily reported the matter and prepared for the next examination this year.
"The imperial court really opened an additional imperial examination?"
"Could it be that the Prince of Chen memorized the book?"
"I have memorized it. I have memorized it. My classmate is Lord Wang's nephew. He said Lord Wang was present when Prince Chen was reciting the book. Prince Chen recited the whole book backwards without any mistakes, which shocked everyone."
"Really?"
"How could the words of the nephew of the king be false? But I heard from the grapevine that after the prince of Chen finished reciting the book, he was almost beaten. In the end, it was the princess of Chen who stepped forward and stood in front of the prince of Chen, so that His Majesty stopped."
"Why is that?"
"I don't know. Maybe His Majesty didn't intend to hold an imperial examination."
"So that's how it is. Your Highness, it's not easy for you to do this for the scholars of the world. Even for scholars like us, it's extremely difficult to memorize the "Agriculture and Mulberry Records" within five days."
"Yeah, it's not easy."
Amidst all the sighs, Prince Chen's reputation among scholars reached an unprecedented height.
The next day after he finished memorizing the book, Yun Qirong and Yun Yizhi, dressed in the clothes of the former guards, huddled beside the Prince of Chen and asked, "Did you really memorize the whole book?"
"How can I lie in front of so many officials?" Prince Chen yawned lazily: "That's it, I feel something is wrong."
"What's wrong?" Yun Qirong was puzzled. Now many scholars outside are praising His Highness, so what's wrong?
The Prince didn't say anything.
At first, his father-in-law only asked him to propose adding special examinations, but did not ask him to endorse it.
However, when he arrived at the main hall of Taiyang Palace, his father immediately placed him on a high seat, and he did not even have a chance to step down from the stairs.
At that time, he just thought that it was not difficult to memorize a book. Now that he had memorized the book and done with Enke's work, he finally figured out that something was wrong.
Could it be that... his father-in-law and his father tricked him into endorsing it?
Seeing that the prince looked upset, Yun Qirong became worried: "Is there a conspiracy? Who dared to plot against you? Let's go and get revenge."
"You dare not go." The Prince continued to sigh: "You have never liked studying since you were young. You should be good guards in front of the emperor. In two years, you can find some real vacancies and plan a way for future generations."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. We know it in our hearts." Yun Yizhi smiled innocently, "In the past, the other imperial guards looked down on us royal relatives, but now they are all very polite to us."
Half of it was because the good deeds they did in the capital reached the ears of their colleagues, and the other half was because of the prince.
They had been companions to the prince, so their status was naturally different from that of others.
"Prince, where are you?" Liu Zhongbao found Prince Chen hiding in a corner behind the rockery and said with a smile, "It was easy for me to find you. Your Majesty, please go to the main hall of Taiyang Palace."
Looking at Liu Zhongbao who suddenly appeared, Prince Chen was speechless for a long time.
When he got up early this morning, he felt that something was wrong, so he found a secluded corner to stay in. Unexpectedly, he was still found by Eunuch Liu.
As expected, there are no secrets in this harem.
He stood up, patted his clothes, and sighed, "Eunuch Liu, my father asked me to come over. Is he asking me to endorse or review memorials?"
"Your Majesty's intentions, I dare not guess." Eunuch Liu smiled even more cordially: "Your Highness, please trouble me, please come with me."
Prince Chen rubbed his forehead and said, "Please lead the way, eunuch."
As soon as he stepped into the gate of Taiyang Palace, before he had time to salute, his father spoke.
"Zizhi Tongjian says: 'The ruler must be trustworthy. If he is trustworthy again, who will not be close to him?' What is the meaning of this sentence?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know." Emperor Longfeng of Chen Dynasty bowed and approached him shamelessly: "Your Majesty, I don't have the interest to read these boring books on weekdays."
"Han Feizi says: 'If you don't have wings for three years, you will grow feathers; if you don't fly or make sounds, you will observe the people's example. Although you don't fly, if you fly you will reach the sky; although you don't make sounds, when you make sounds you will startle people. What's the meaning of this?"
"Father." Prince Chen looked at Emperor Longfeng and said, "Look at me, do I look like someone who knows these things?"
Seeing him like this, Emperor Longfeng was not angry. He took half of the tall memorial and put it aside: "I heard from your mother that you want to take the princess out of the palace tomorrow?"
"Father, is this true?" Prince Chen looked at him in shock: "You actually use this matter to threaten your son?"
"I am a benevolent monarch, how could I threaten you?" Emperor Longfeng smiled kindly, "If you don't even understand these questions, then stay in the palace and read books. When you understand them, it won't be too late to go out and play."
Prince Chen was silent for a moment, then stepped forward and took the half of the memorial to the side: "Father, between father and son, we can speak directly if we have anything to say, and you can give us instructions directly if you have anything to say. I can bear it."
Emperor Longfeng chuckled and said, "Liu Zhongbao, prepare writing materials for Prince Chen."
"If you finish reviewing these memorials, leave the palace tomorrow and relax." Emperor Longfeng put down his red brush and leaned back in his chair lazily: "As a father, how can you not love your son?"
The Prince of Chen did not respond, but opened the memorial and started reading it.
What does it matter if he wants his princess to eat the fresh flower cakes made by his mother-in-law?
A mature man should provide a solid foundation for his woman.
What about "Zizhi Tongjian" and "Han Feizi"? Are they things a prince should know about?
"The tax paid by Lizhou this year seems to be more than 20,000 guan less than in previous years?" Emperor Longfeng casually said, "The governor of Lizhou is not doing a good enough job."
"Several counties in Lizhou have suffered from floods, so it is normal that taxes are lower than in previous years." The Prince quickly read a memorial and wrote a few words on it: "The local governor is named Liu. He is a pragmatic and good official, but he is a bit stubborn and not very likable. Other problems are not serious."
Emperor Longfeng smiled and nodded: "I have grown old and have forgotten such an important thing."
"Father, you should look in the mirror when you say this." Prince Chen looked at him and said, "If you were old, most of the officials in the court would have retired and returned home."
"Oh?" Emperor Longfeng smiled: "Is it possible that in your heart, your father will never grow old?"
The Prince paused with his pen in his hand, and he looked at Emperor Longfeng seriously: "In the eyes of this son, your father will always be the father who roasted sweet potatoes for him in the middle of the night and ran around the yard with him on his back."
"As long as you are here, I am not afraid of anything." He put down his pen and said, "Father has a rosy complexion, thick black hair, strong feet, and is in the prime of his life."
"Wait a few decades before asking this question again." Prince Chen smiled and said, "Anyway, if you ask now, I can only give you one answer."
"You are not old. You are the greatest, wisest and most powerful father in my heart."
"You are also the best emperor in Dacheng."
The hall was silent for a long time. Emperor Longfeng walked up to Prince Chen and patted him on the shoulder.
"I am deeply touched that you can say these words."
"However, these memorials still need to be reviewed and approved."
"I didn't say I wouldn't approve the memorials." Prince Chen patted his hand on his shoulder and said, "I just hope that your Majesty will not ask this question again."
No son wants his father to grow old.
Liu Zhongbao noticed that there seemed to be some tears in His Majesty's eyes when he smiled.
He quickly lowered his head.
He was afraid that his gaze would disturb the warmth between father and son.
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