Chapter 16 (16) Both of them are in trouble
Lian Ye was quite obedient and walked over to stand behind him. Lian Zhi tried to pull his arm, but Lian Ye immediately dodged in panic: "Master, if you need anything, just tell me."
His respectful tone greatly pleased Lianzhi. Lianzhi liked this kind of love and obedience, so she asked, "Are you doing odd jobs in the warehouse now?"
Lian Ye nodded, his eyes gleaming. Unlike Lian Hua, who was obsessed with making a name for herself and didn't want to be a servant, and Lian Zi, who had a secret crush on Master Bai, he was quite satisfied with the current situation.
A few years ago, after the current emperor ascended the throne, he secretly searched the common people for handsome young men. Every senior official who emerged from the palace held a portrait in his hand. The person in the portrait bore a resemblance to him, dressed in brocade and finery, pillowed on silk and satin, and riding in a golden carriage. He was clearly a nobleman.
When he was taken from his home, he thought his appearance had offended the nobles and he was about to be beheaded. Instead, he was taken to the capital, where he was provided with delicious food and drink. It was during this time that he met Lianzi and Lianhua. Back then, he wasn't even called Lianye. The master who brought them to the capital said everything was determined by the emperor's will. Those ultimately chosen would be eligible to meet the emperor.
To meet His Majesty, doesn't that mean entering the palace?
Wouldn’t that mean I would become a eunuch?
Lian Ye didn't want to be a eunuch at all. Fortunately, His Majesty had allowed him to come to the Shangshu Mansion. He was already very satisfied to stay here and be a servant.
He hadn't gone to Liangzhou with them, so he didn't know how Lianzhi and Baikang met. The warehouse was quiet, with little to do, but he rarely interacted with anyone else in the mansion. When Lianye heard about the rumored imperial decree granting the marriage, he naturally assumed that Lianzhi had also been chosen from the common people and sent to Baikang.
But Lianzhi was more fortunate than them, and she was able to become a wife. He carefully sketched Lianzhi's eyebrows and eyes, and felt that he really looked more like the person in the painting than anyone else.
"Young Master, what was your name before?" Lian Ye unconsciously felt a sense of familiarity as if they were fellow villagers meeting each other.
Lotus branch:?
Wasn't he so respectful just now? Now he's asking this kind of question. Also, how did he know my name wasn't Lianzhi before? Did he discover something?
Lianzhi and Eunuch Wen looked at each other and replied, "That's the name."
"Didn't His Majesty give you the name?" Lian Ye's eyes widened in surprise. "No wonder you became the wife! You really are the one who looks the most like her!"
Which one is the most similar?
Also, what does it mean that Your Majesty bestowed the name?
Lianzhi couldn't help but feel alert. He took Lianye's hand and asked with a smile: "Lianye, what was your name before?"
"I..." Lian Ye blushed and said shyly, "My last name is Liang. I didn't have a real name before. My family called me Sanwa."
"Did you, Lianzi, and Lianhua all change your names this way?" Lianzhi asked, with genuine confusion and curiosity in her eyes. "From the accent you used when you said your name, you don't seem to be from Beijing. Are you busy now? Tell me about your family."
He was younger than Lianye, looked innocent, and his disguise of kindness was flawless, easily earning the trust and favor of others. Although Lianye had heard others in the mansion talk about his domineering behavior, she had never seen it with her own eyes, so she thought it was just a rumor.
After all, the lotus branch in front of him is very cute!
He immediately told Lianzhi his life story in detail, pouring out his life story in a clear and detailed manner. He told her where his hometown was, how many people were in his family, and how he came to the capital city. Lianzhi listened quietly and patted his arm to comfort him.
After hearing the last part, Lian Ye's eyes were filled with tears. "I miss home so much. I've been in the capital for several months and haven't had time to send a letter to my brother and his wife. They must miss me very much."
"I have several brothers at home, and it seems we would get along well." Lianzhi said, "Do you want to come and stay with me? The people assigned to me by the Minister don't talk to me much, and I only have Xiaowen to serve me. It's very boring on weekdays. Why don't you come and keep me company?"
Lian Ye was taken aback for a moment, and quickly agreed with a blushing face. Lian Zhi then said that she would go and tell the housekeeper to transfer Lian Ye over and let him go first to deliver the things.
As soon as the others left, Lianzhi immediately sat down with a cold face, and his gloomy face was reflected on the calm surface of the pond.
"Master, why did you transfer him here?" Eunuch Wen was puzzled.
"He's stupid. Transfer him here and ask him about what's going on in the palace." Lianzhi's voice was icy cold, her tone flat. "As for those two, we need to find a chance to question them too. Xiao Wenzi, tell me, why is Chen Fengke so desperately looking for someone who looks like me?"
Why?
Eunuch Wen bent over, silent. He was deeply puzzled, unable to think of the reason. Ever since he was deposed and imprisoned in the cold palace, His Majesty had posed no threat to him.
Could it be that even though someone died, he didn't feel relieved, and instead singled out someone who looked like him for abuse? He said that Chen Fengke and the Empress Dowager were both black-hearted people from the same lineage! His Majesty was truly pitiful!
He thought so and said it out loud. Lianzhi shook his head. He thought more deeply than Eunuch Wen, "You said, I can come back from the dead, is there anyone else who can do it?"
Eunuch Wen looked at him blankly.
"Could it be that Chen Fengke also knows that some people can be resurrected from the dead? Is he searching for these people who look like me in order to find me and kill me to eliminate any future trouble?" Lianzhi said, sneering and throwing the stone in his hand into the water. The cool breeze brushed his hair, making him shiver.
If Chen Fengke had known about this earlier...
No, it wasn't that bad. The fact that Chen Fengke had issued the imperial decree granting the marriage showed that he hadn't yet connected the two people, "Lianzhi" and "Chen Fenglian."
For now, he is safe.
"Bai Kang hasn't been home for two days. He must be tired," Lianzhi muttered to herself. "I remember I used to drink a white fungus soup to calm my nerves. Ask the kitchen to make a bowl and we can send it to the Imperial College."
The marking has entered its third day.
There aren't many students on the shortlist, and now there's only one final batch of exam papers left, so they'll be able to finish grading them. Then they'll pick the best candidates and submit another list...
There are still so many things to do, I'm so exhausted.
Bai Kang stood up and stretched his muscles, flipping over the nonsensical essay in front of him. He felt deeply that as a guard who had passed the military examination, he should be watching the military examination. Wouldn't it be better to watch those students riding horses and shooting arrows than to read a mess of poetry and prose?
Turning to the next paper, Bai Kang's eyes lit up. He had seen so many things written by uneducated young masters before, but this one was really eye-opening. He couldn't help but exclaim, "What a brilliant essay!"
This essay, citing classics and quotations from poetry and prose, also analyzed the exam questions thoroughly from the perspective of the current government and economy, and was written with great literary talent. Bai Kang hadn't seen such a good essay in a long time. Even if he were to write one himself, it wouldn't necessarily be better than this one. After praising the essay, he was about to ask the Imperial College Master to come and see this talented person, but the Imperial College Master next to him suddenly said, "Well written! Excellent!"
"What's the matter? Lord Li also encountered a good article?" Bai Kang asked with a smile.
The Imperial College's chief academic officer stroked his beard with a smile, his eyes filled with the joy of discovering a talent. Bo Kang waved at him, "I have a good one here too. There are quite a few talented candidates this year."
The Imperial College's chief academic officer, who greatly admired talent, walked over to examine the test paper in his hand. However, the smile on his face wasn't what Bo Kang had envisioned. Instead, his brows knitted, his lips curled, and his expression grew increasingly serious. By the end, he nearly tore up the paper: "Ridiculous!"
"What's wrong?" asked Bo Kang.
"Come and see for yourself!" the Imperial College Priest shouted, clearly furious. Bo Kang walked over and saw that the essays on the two papers were written in exactly the same way! A closer comparison revealed that the prose sections at the end were also very similar!
It's okay if they are similar in form, but it is impossible for two people to have exactly the same ideas and opinions.
"Pull out the papers!" Bo Kang ordered instantly, "Everyone, stop what you're doing. Find out if there are any other papers like this!"
Although the Imperial College selection was not a large-scale test like the imperial examination, the talents selected were all future officials. Those who won the first place were more likely to be directly recommended to serve in the court.
The list was selected by the Ministry of Rites. Let’s not talk about how they cheated and how many people were involved. Once this matter gets out, the entire Ministry of Rites will be implicated!
It’s unclear whether he can keep his official position as the Minister of Rites!
Bai Kang cursed softly, pulled out this single paper, and continued searching for the papers behind him. The clerks below panicked, frantically following him in their search. Amidst the chaos, one man remained calm. After arranging the papers in his hand, he took the papers from the stunned adults nearby and handed them to Bai Kang.
"Master Bai, everything is here."
Bai Kang took it distractedly. The voice sounded familiar. He looked up and saw a familiar face, startled. "Are you that... Jiang Yong?"
"It's you." Jiang Yong, dressed like a runner, looked energetic and had changed his name. Bai Kang frowned at him, "Why are you here?"
"I'm currently working as an errand boy at the Ministry of Rites," Jiang Yong said. Chang Yuzhu had recommended him for this errand, and Jiang Yong was deeply grateful to Chang Yuzhu and Bai Kang for saving him. He had been working diligently at the Ministry for a while, doing little more than serving tea and water. For this selection, he was simply a servant, marking the papers as usual.
Bai Kang waved his hand and let him go. The atmosphere in the room finally relaxed a little. Bai Kang counted the papers and found that there were nearly ten of them.
This was no small number. The number of people on the shortlist was small to begin with. Fortunately, they discovered it in time. If they hadn't, they would have submitted the final results... No, he still had to think about how to smooth things over and get to the bottom of this. Otherwise, he would probably have to return to his hometown in Rongcheng tomorrow.
Bai Kang walked into the courtyard and took a deep breath. He was so upset that a few drops of sweat fell on his forehead. The servant came over and reported, "My lord, Master Lianzhi is here."
"What's he doing here?" Bo Kang asked. No matter how annoyed he was, he wouldn't lose his temper with anyone. He told Lianzhi to wait for him over there. He wouldn't leave until he had finished grading the remaining papers.
"If he can't wait, just let him sleep. Don't run around, don't send anyone over here, just stay out there." After giving his instructions, Bo Kang went back to marking the papers. He didn't put down his work until daybreak.
Aside from the few copies he'd found, no other identical papers were found. But just because there were no duplicates didn't mean there wasn't cheating. He looked at the roster in his hand, his eyes bloodshot.
These people are all students recommended by King Longxi.
This wasn't just a simple case of cheating. Seriously, someone with ulterior motives could even accuse him of secretly associating with the King of Longxi—he was involved in the preparation of the exam papers, and personally oversaw the selection process. It seemed perfectly reasonable for Lord Bai to accept bribes from the King of Longxi and recommend his people.
Even though he didn't know the King of Longxi at all.
The last cheating case was that of an official in the previous dynasty who abused his power to bribe the examiner for his son's sake. All those involved were exiled. Not to mention, this incident involved a clan member.
"Sir, you look very unwell," the servant said worriedly, "Please go and rest first."
Bai Kang nodded and went to the next room to rest. The best approach now was to identify those implicated before the results were released, and then quickly resign. By using this as a pretext for retreat, there might still be a way out.
He returned to the side room, where Lianzhi lay sprawled on the soft couch, hugging a pillow. He was wearing only a thin undershirt, his hair loose, and sound asleep. When he entered the Imperial College, he had been asked to remove all his clothing and jewelry to prevent him from smuggling any information. He even lost his lunch box, bringing only a bowl of soup, and entered alone.
Hearing footsteps, Lianzhi woke up and rubbed her eyes to look at him: "You're here? Are you okay? I heard your voices."
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