Fu Yueli smiled politely, stood up, picked up his wine glass, and said, "Okay, I wish you and sister Jinyao a happy marriage and eternal love." Then he drank it all in one gulp.
Sheng Jing toasted Fu Baiheng, Fu Fenglin, and Fu Qinglang one by one. Fu Baiheng laughed out loud and said, "Then I wish you and sister Jin Yao a harmonious and happy life together, and a life together like the phoenix. The colorful thread ties the heart together, and the red string ties the feet together, wishing to taste it for the first time. The mountains and rivers sing together in joy tonight, and the deep longing for each other is like Meng Guang."
His words of blessing formed a sharp contrast with Fu Yueli's, making Fu Yueli's words of "a happy marriage for a hundred years" and "a lasting love" seem perfunctory. Fu Yueli just looked at Fu Baiheng and Sheng Jing with a smile, and he was too lazy to care about such a small matter. Fu Baiheng and Fu Fenglin sat beside him respectively. Sheng Jing stood behind him and turned to Fu Fenglin and said, "Third brother, please have a drink."
Fu Fenglin stood up with a smile, raising his wine glass in both hands. At that moment, his left sleeve slid down a bit, revealing his left wrist wrapped in a white gauze. A flash of alarm flashed through Fu Yueli's mind. He remembered that he had cut the masked man's left wrist that night.
Fu Fenglin didn't seem to care that his left wrist was exposed. After saying the blessings and drinking the wine, he sat down calmly without any special reaction.
Fu Yueli thought back to the past encounter between Fu Fenglin and Shi Mingji. He had only mediated the conflict between Fu Baiheng and Shi Mingji at Yicui Tower, and there was nothing unusual. Could it be that masked man? Fu Yueli felt that he might be overly sensitive. After toasting a table of people in Shengjing and leaving, Fu Yueli looked up at Shi Mingji at a table not far away, turned around and asked with concern, "Third brother, what's wrong with your wrist? I just saw that your left wrist is wrapped in gauze."
Fu Fenglin replied: "I was accidentally injured while practicing martial arts. It's nothing serious, big brother, don't worry."
Fu Yueli noticed that his attitude was normal and there was no evasion or hesitation in his eyes, so he must not be lying. So he continued to admonish him in the manner of an elder brother, "You should be more careful in the future."
"Yes." Fu Fenglin said obediently.
The wedding banquet was almost over, and the emperor and his concubines had already left for the palace. The remaining people had to stay a little longer. Shi Mingji had been feeling rather down since that day, and he wouldn't rest until he'd caught the man. Shengjing had joined their table again. This table was filled with Jinshi who had graduated in the same period the previous year, most of whom served in the Hanlin Academy, though their careers varied. A genius like Shengjing, who had achieved the highest score in the imperial examinations, was highly valued by the emperor and naturally had a promising future. His second-place finisher, Xu Huan, had also recently been promoted and was now enjoying a period of high self-satisfaction.
Seeing Sheng Jing being flattered by everyone, dressed in a bright red wedding dress, full of energy and spirit, having achieved the two great joys of life: a wedding night and passing the imperial examination, Shi Mingji thought of his own life, which had not even begun, but had already become a mess. He hated that person so much that he could not help but turn to alcohol to drown his sorrows.
As they drank and chatted, his vision suddenly blurred and he lost consciousness, falling onto Xu Huan. Xu Huan was startled and cried out, attracting everyone's attention.
When Shi Mingyue saw that it was her brother who fainted, she stood up almost at the same time as Fu Yueli and rushed over.
"Mingji must be drunk." Sheng Jing also came over.
Fu Yueli helped Shi Mingji up and checked him out. He found that Shi Mingji was indeed drunk, so he and Shi Mingyue helped him leave the table first.
Outside the mansion, Shi Mingyue got on the carriage and quickly spread a blanket on the ground. Fu Yueli then dragged Shi Mingji up and placed him on the carriage.
The carriage began to move. Shi Mingyue saw that his brother had drunk so much that he had lost consciousness. He sighed softly, "Brother, did the sight of Shengjing remind you of your own affairs?"
"Maybe." Fu Yueli thought that the man had disappeared again. It seemed that if he was not caught, Shi Mingji would probably be devastated. Although he and Shi Mingji did not have a deep friendship, he was Mingyue's brother, so he also regarded him as a brother. Shi Mingji had encountered such a thing, and he had to find a way to help him.
Shortly after the eldest princess's wedding, the emperor assigned Fu Yueli a rotation of studies at various court departments. This move sparked private discussion among the court officials. Traditionally, after completing their studies at the palace academy, the emperor assigned them to rotate through various court institutions, indicating that they were among the emperor's preferred candidates for crown prince. Therefore, the court officials were certain that the emperor highly valued the first prince, Fu Yueli. However, everyone knew that the second and third princes had also been rigorously trained from childhood as heirs. Furthermore, the emperor was now in the prime of his life, and the process of appointing a crown prince would likely be lengthy and bloody.
Since ancient times, to prevent princes from fighting over the throne, dynasties have strictly adhered to the system of primogeniture. However, even with primogeniture, it was not uncommon for princes to fight for power and the throne, often to the point of mortal conflict. Examples include the conflict between Yang Guang and Yang Yong during the Sui Dynasty and the Xuanwu Gate Incident during the Tang Dynasty. As a result, the expressions of court officials have become even more grim these days.
It was not until late at night that Fu Yueli and Lu Lingyan returned to the mansion. Lu Lingyan had planned to stay in Beijing for a long time, so he stayed with Fu Yueli.
It was June, and the provincial examinations would be held in August. Time was running out, and the Ministry of Rites was always incredibly busy during these times. The imperial examinations were crucial to the nation's selection of talent, and had been held in high regard throughout the dynasties. The emperor initially assigned Fu Yueli to the Ministry of Rites, along with Fu Baiheng and Fu Fenglin. Due to the leaked exam questions from the previous year, this time, stricter controls were required to ensure fairness and impartiality.
The two men worked hard all day at the Ministry of Rites. Returning late at night, they didn't bother to rest, but instead retreated to their study to discuss official business. For the provincial examinations in August, both the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites would dispatch representatives to each prefecture. The examination questions wouldn't be revealed until the Hanlin Academy representatives arrived, to prevent leaks. During the day, the Ministry of Rites would draw lots to determine who would be sent to each prefecture, but the decision wasn't final. For example, if someone drew their own hometown, this violated the principle of recusation and was invalidated, requiring a new draw.
Fu Yueli, Fu Baiheng, and Fu Fenglin also participated in the lottery, and had to accompany the test setter, examiner, and others. Fu Yueli drew Xinzhou. When he opened the paper with the place name written on it, he was surprised to see the word Xinzhou, because that was where Mingyue lived in her previous life.
Lu Lingyan sighed upon learning he'd been drawn to Xinzhou. Xinzhou wasn't a place for scholars; over the centuries, there had been very few successful Jinshi scholars from Xinzhou. Meanwhile, the places Fu Baiheng and Fu Fenglin had drawn were blessed with natural beauty and outstanding people. The real purpose of their trip wasn't to learn how the imperial examinations worked, but to be the first to discover talent and cultivate their own. That's why Lu Lingyan sighed.
Fu Yueli unfolded the list of people traveling with him, looked up and said to Lu Lingyan, "Since you've been chosen to go to Xinzhou, then make preparations first. There's no point in worrying about it any further."
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