Before Huo Qinghe fell asleep, she was actually a little worried.
What I'm worried about is that Consort Zhou, who is currently enjoying great popularity in the main hall, will be put in a difficult position.
After all, Zhao Jian's men in the first three days were all old faces, and Huo Qinghe was the only newcomer.
It's naturally difficult to attract attention or notice someone like that.
Since the news of the Emperor summoning Huo Qinghe last night spread, there has been no shortage of criticism in the palace.
In the past, it could be said that the Emperor was doing this out of consideration for Consort Yi.
Almost half a year has passed, and people naturally have eyes to see clearly.
This clearly shows that the Emperor truly dotes on young Huo.
Indeed, with her cloud-like hair and beautiful face, Xiao Huo is not only the most outstanding among the newcomers, but also unforgettable among all the concubines in the palace.
He's still a bit green now, and who knows what the future holds.
In the main hall of Yanxi Palace, Consort Zhou was naturally extremely jealous. She had received a reward from the Emperor earlier, and with her aunt's approval, she naturally had something to rely on.
The Empress and the Imperial Concubine were one thing, but Consort Cao, relying on her pregnancy, was no good either. However, it was Xiao Huo from her palace who was more memorable to the Emperor.
Consort Zhou felt humiliated and was so angry last night that she couldn't sleep soundly until midnight.
However, she didn't dare to confront the Emperor; she wasn't a fool like Consort Cao.
Naturally, all the anger in his heart was to be vented on Huo Qinghe.
However, before Huo Qinghe could return this morning, something happened that tripped up Consort Zhou.
What could possibly hold Consort Zhou back was certainly no small matter.
The fact that Huo Qinghe was able to return to Yanliang Pavilion so easily meant that something truly serious had happened.
However, Huo Qinghe had already fallen asleep. It was Wang Mama and He Yunzhong, who had been in the palace for many years, who noticed something was wrong in the main hall and quietly went to inquire about the situation.
When Huo Qinghe finally woke up after a good night's sleep, it was past noon. However, at this time, the only place in the entire palace where people could sit was probably Yanliang Pavilion.
Huo Qinghe was awakened by hunger. Fortunately, Lvhuai and the others had prepared a meal, and as soon as she woke up, the maids quickly set out the food.
Before she finished eating, she stirred slightly and said, "It smells like chrysanthemums."
Green Cloud nodded in agreement: "Yes, isn't the Double Ninth Festival in a few days? The Imperial Kitchen even sent over some chrysanthemum wine, saying it won't make you drunk, so the ladies can have some fun. There's also Double Ninth cake today, but we'll put away the little colorful flags for now."
In Bianjing, the popular Chongyang cakes were decorated with small colorful flags inserted into their round shape, which were a favorite among children.
However, Huo Qinghe rarely ate hot Chongyang cake when she was a child.
After listening to Green Cloud's story, she was reminded of some of her own memories.
She then tried two Chongyang cakes, and they tasted much better than the ones she had eaten at the Huo family's house before.
With a sweet taste in her mouth, Huo Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief and drank two more cups of chrysanthemum wine. The taste was indeed sweet and pleasant.
But she knew her own alcohol tolerance and didn't drink much.
She had just finished drinking when she remembered that some people were missing: "Where is Granny Wang?"
After lunch, the maids cleared the octagonal table. Green Heart and Green Willow went to eat first, leaving only Green Locust and Green Cloud to serve them.
"Reporting to your question, Madam, the head maid noticed something amiss with the commotion around Madam Zhou's place in the main hall, so she sent someone to investigate. They haven't returned yet."
Huo Qinghe had also felt something was off before going to bed, and after hearing this, she nodded and said, "Alright, let's wait for Granny to come back and let her give us an answer."
Having eaten and drunk her fill, Huo Qinghe felt more energetic. She moved to the soft couch and leaned against it to read a book. She had really neglected her studies these past few days.
Yesterday, I struggled to read the military texts aloud in front of the emperor, but now I'm reading them even more carefully.
She had already read two of the boxes of books that the emperor had sent earlier. Although it wasn't very fast, Huo Qinghe was still satisfied.
Huo Qinghe had been reading for about half an hour when Luyi came in and brought her a cup of cassia seed tea to soothe her eyes. Huo Qinghe put down her book and rested for a while to relax her eyes. Then Wang Mama and He Yunzhong returned.
Huo Qinghe lowered her head and drank her tea, letting them in.
"What happened?"
Only Granny Wang came in. He didn't ask for credit, but instead went to take care of the peonies under the corridor.
"Replying to your question, Madam, it is indeed true that something happened to Madam Zhou in the main hall. The autumn examinations have just ended, and it has already been discovered that someone in Lingnan committed cheating."
Lingnan? Huo Qinghe's memory was not bad. If she remembered correctly, the current Grand Tutor Zhou, the Empress Dowager's father, and Consort Zhou's grandfather was from Lingnan.
In the past, scholars who passed the imperial examinations had to return to their hometowns to take the exams in the autumn. If there were relatives in their family who were examiners, they had to avoid the taboo and take a separate exam called the "Bie Tou Kao" (別頭考).
In a flash, Huo Qinghe vaguely guessed something.
"Are there any descendants of the Zhou family participating in this imperial examination? Are the ones who cheated descendants of the Zhou family?"
That's really... quite a joke.
Everyone knows that the chief examiner for this autumn imperial examination in Bianjing is none other than Grand Tutor Zhou Yuzhong. The Zhou family probably originally wanted to use this opportunity to win over students, but after the autumn imperial examination, this happened. Isn't this a slap in the face?
This is undoubtedly a huge irony for the Zhou family.
After Wang Mama nodded, Huo Qinghe understood. No wonder Consort Zhou didn't have time to deal with her; the whole Zhou family was probably busy cleaning up the mess.
Granny Wang took a breath: "Now everyone in the palace with any connections knows about this, and I'm afraid the rumors outside are even more widespread. I've even heard that the one involved in the cheating... is the youngest son of the Zhou family member who is about to be promoted..."
A family with a refined and scholarly atmosphere was ruined by a cheating scandal.
With his grandfather serving as the examiner, it's no wonder he was laughed at.
Huo Qinghe sighed for a moment, then asked, "Who found out?"
Granny Wang shook her head: "I only heard that it was someone from the Ministry of Justice. The young master has already been detained, but we don't know how the Emperor will deal with him. I heard that the Empress Dowager invited the Emperor to Cining Palace for a talk at noon."
Huo Qinghe was slightly taken aback after hearing this.
Was it the Empress Dowager who invited the Emperor, or was it not the Empress Dowager who went to the Funing Palace?
This doesn't look like someone begging at all!
She rested her chin on her hand and started guessing again.
"The emperor probably didn't go?"
Wang Mama nodded: "His Majesty said he was too busy with state affairs to go. He only sent Jinyang, who was by his side, to Cining Palace."
The depths of this affair are unknown, but from the Emperor's feigned illness to his delegation of power to the Zhou family, and his manipulation of the Empress Dowager and Consort Zhou in the harem, it is clear that the Emperor had planned this all along.
Now, the Zhou family is not entirely at the mercy of the authorities, but their life and death are indeed in the hands of the officials.
The imperial court valued the imperial examinations highly, and those who dared to cheat during the autumn examinations were caught.
Whether this is true or not, it's enough to make the Zhou family suffer for a while.
The Zhou family's reputation alone is enough to cause them a lot of trouble.
Originally, the Zhou family had already declined after the emperor ascended the throne, and they were only able to hold on thanks to Grand Tutor Zhou and Empress Dowager Zhou in the palace, but they had to be able to hold on.
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