Qiao Lian'er was unaware that after she left the palace, the Emperor had Eunuch Qi find Mu Xinghe's handwriting and compare it with the one on the handkerchief before he fully believed it.
"Doesn't Your Majesty think the appearance of this snake is too strange?" Eunuch Qi asked doubtfully.
You should know that the climate in the north is dry, so there are very few snakes.
It wasn't that he suspected Qiao Lian'er, but the sudden appearance of a snake was puzzling.
The emperor also had some doubts, but when he looked at the windowsill, there were traces of snakes crawling there, slippery and faintly emitting a fishy smell.
Following the gaze, Eunuch Qi's confusion vanished.
It seems that the venomous snake crawled in silently from there.
"Lian'er and Xinghe saved my life, and I will treat them well. In the future, do not say things that should not be said."
Grandpa Qi quickly bowed and said yes.
The day before the results were announced, the birth date and time of the student who was said to bring misfortune to the imperial family were revealed. The information spread rapidly among the noble families and even reached the emperor.
"What's going on here? Weren't the students' birth dates and times already checked before the exam?" The emperor frowned, displeased at being disturbed by this matter.
There were rumors that several places in the capital were on fire, even affecting temples, because a scholar was considered unlucky and a harbinger of misfortune. The emperor saw that the fire hadn't reached the palace, and since the scholar's birth chart had already been reported, he didn't intervene.
Unexpectedly, the situation escalated and showed no signs of abating. This time, even the birth date and time of one of the students were released.
"According to those people, celestial phenomena are always changing. What was a suitable birth chart before may clash with it later. Your Majesty should take a look."
As he spoke, Eunuch Qi presented a small booklet containing only one page with a person's birth date, time, and name.
When the emperor saw that name, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Anger welled up on his face, growing stronger and stronger.
He then slammed his hand hard on the table: "Insolence! Xinghe saved my life. How could he be someone with an unlucky birth chart? I knew it. Some people have always wanted to get rid of Xinghe and ruin his career and future, so they have been making moves against him."
The emperor was furious: "What are the Imperial Astronomical Bureau doing? Summon the director here, I want to ask him what has been going on all this time."
Lord Tan, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, rushed over. Seeing that the Emperor was furious, he sensed something was wrong and quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
The emperor threw the booklet in front of him: "There have been rumors lately that a scholar has bad luck, is an unlucky person, and clashes with me. Take a look and see if it's true."
Lord Tan picked up the booklet, silently deduced it in his mind, and said, "Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with this birth date and time; on the contrary, it is a sign of wealth and nobility."
"As the Director of the Imperial Observatory, why don't you do anything about it?"
Lord Tan's heart tightened, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This birth date and time was only just released. There have been rumors about it for a while. I led the entire department to investigate, but we couldn't find out who spread the message. We didn't want to refute it at first because we were worried that if it really was an unlucky birth date and time, it might offend Your Majesty, which would be absolutely unacceptable."
"The Imperial Observatory only just received the birth charts, and I haven't even had a chance to look at them yet, when His Majesty summoned me."
"Mu Xinghe's birth date is auspicious, and it resonates with the Wenqu star. Perhaps he will have an outstanding performance in this imperial examination."
The emperor's expression softened slightly, and he said, "You have made a mistake, but it is understandable. Now, I entrust the task of dispelling the rumors to you. The Imperial Observatory must clear Mu Xinghe's name and prevent people from misunderstanding him."
Pang Da paced back and forth in the inner courtyard of the military headquarters. Mu Xinghe's birth date and time had already been reported to the emperor. Soon, his men would be arrested.
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