Chapter 21 Call Me Brother
Ye Jianshan's carriage was not stopped at the palace gate, but instead drove directly into the palace as an exception.
The road was very quiet, with only the sound of rolling wheels.
Who is this?
Suddenly the carriage stopped, and a voice could be heard.
Ye Jianshan raised an eyebrow and sat up straight, listening to the palace servant driving the carriage reply: "Reporting to the Prince, he is the top scholar from Qingyang."
"Qingyang Jieyuan? Who is this? A mere Jieyuan with such airs, doesn't he even get off his carriage before entering the palace?"
Prince Ming was the emperor's younger brother. He lived a carefree life for decades and was doted on by the empress dowager, but the emperor disliked him very much.
Because this fool sided with his rival when he was vying for the throne, the fact that he was spared his life and the title of Prince was entirely due to the Empress Dowager's influence.
The emperor was somewhat relieved that his foolish younger brother hadn't sided with him, otherwise he really wouldn't have been confident of taking the throne.
Prince Ming went to the palace early in the morning hoping to plead his case with the Empress Dowager and ask for some money, but little did he know that the Empress Dowager had gone to his brother's palace.
He dared not ask his elder brother for money; he was too old to ask.
So he could only leave in a huff.
He himself walked into the palace, exhausted, and now seeing others comfortably riding in carriages made him instantly resentful.
Is this just a minor scholar who has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations, yet he can ride in a carriage into the palace?
He had been spending all his time in the Fragrant Garden and was unaware of what was happening outside.
I didn't know that Ye Jianshan looked like the Crown Prince and was actually the Crown Prince's biological son.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jianshan, sitting in the carriage, instantly perked up. Had he encountered a villain preventing him from entering the palace?
The palace servant quickly explained, "It was granted by His Majesty."
"Is this a special permission from the Emperor? What does this top scholar look like? Why doesn't he come out and greet me? He clearly doesn't respect me at all."
Prince Ming was still in a bad mood and had no intention of accepting it easily, so he continued to argue relentlessly.
Ye Jianshan didn't understand. Guo Yu lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage, bowing to Prince Ming: "Greetings, Your Highness. It was by special permission of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. The Emperor is waiting in the palace. We will go ahead first."
As he spoke, he forced Prince Ming aside and let the carriage pass first.
He bowed once and followed behind.
Even carriages don't move fast inside the palace; it's just like walking normally.
Prince Ming saw Guo Yu's expression change, but he was also a little embarrassed and annoyed by Guo Yu's lack of respect.
After the carriage left, he asked the palace servant behind him with a gloomy face, "What is the identity of that top scholar?"
He was starting to panic. He had thought there would only be one top scholar in the carriage, but he hadn't expected that Guo Yu, the Crown Prince's right-hand man, would also be there.
The one who usually stayed by the Crown Prince's side was now appearing beside a mere provincial graduate.
Before the palace attendant could answer, he asked again, "Wasn't the imperial examination over? What exactly are you going to the palace for?"
He really couldn't understand it.
The palace servant waited until he finished speaking before having a chance to speak, and whispered, "The scholar in the carriage looks very much like His Highness the Crown Prince."
Prince Ming's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed: "This is Ye Jianshan."
"Yes, the top scholar from Qingyang."
Prince Ming only overheard it and never expected that the Qingyang Jieyuan and Ye Jianshan were the same person.
The crown prince's son is so accomplished.
"Are they really exactly the same?"
"This servant has never seen it before."
The palace servants lowered their heads and remained silent.
Prince Ming stroked his beard and strode quickly out of the palace. He needed to find out what was going on.
Moreover, he was afraid that if he walked too slowly, the emperor would call him back.
There's always a sense of guilt when you do something wrong.
When they had gone far enough, the carriage stopped, and Guo Yu went forward to help Ye Jianshan down.
Ye Jianshan jumped down immediately: "It's okay, I can get down. Third Uncle, let me help you."
Ye Lei's legs felt a little weak; this was the imperial palace.
That's really impressive.
It was more magnificent than any building Ye Lei had ever seen.
"Thank you, Dashan."
Ye Lei followed behind Ye Jianshan, not daring to glance around. He had heard that going into the palace to look around recklessly could cost you your head.
There are many rules in the palace.
Ye Jianshan was nervous sitting in the carriage, but he was no longer nervous after getting in.
He patted Ye Lei's hand reassuringly. Ye Lei, not wanting to embarrass his nephew, stood up straight and followed behind him without looking to the side.
"Ye Jieyuan, be careful."
Eunuch Zhang, the chief steward of the emperor's court, didn't even go to court today, just to wait here for Ye Jieyuan.
He was stunned when he saw Ye Jieyuan's face.
He was surprised to find that they looked so alike, but after a moment of hesitation, he went up to greet Ye Jianshan.
Ye Jianshan returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute: "Greetings, Father-in-law."
"Just call me Eunuch Zhang."
Eunuch Zhang looked at Ye Jianshan with a kind expression.
Ye Jianshan was somewhat afraid of him; Zhang Gonggong's smile was a little too radiant.
"Eunuch Zhang."
Ye Jianshan repeated his words, and then Zhang Gonggong responded loudly, "Hey, come in quickly, Her Majesty the Empress and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager are waiting for you."
Ye Jianshan was a little frightened and quickly followed.
Who knew that when they arrived at the palace gate, a dark-skinned creature ran out first, heading straight for Ye Jianshan without even turning around.
Ye Jianshan was startled.
Guo Yu instinctively stood in front of Ye Jianshan to protect him, but when she saw what it was, she smiled and stepped aside: "Ye Jieyuan, it's Tuantuan, the black cat kept in the Crown Prince's palace."
Although the Crown Prince had no children, he had many pets in the palace, and Tuan Tuan was a fluffy black cat.
As soon as Guo Yu stepped aside, the cat jumped directly into Ye Jianshan's arms, startling him so much that he lost control of his expression: "Ahhh!"
He'd never owned a pet before, only pigs, and now, holding this furry little bundle, he was finding it a bit overwhelming.
The Empress and Empress Dowager followed Tuantuan out and saw this hilarious scene. They couldn't stop laughing: "Dashan must be scared. Tuantuan, get off your brother!"
"elder brother?"
Ye Jianshan didn't understand.
Guo Yu smiled and explained in a low voice, "Tuantuan is the Crown Prince's cat son."
Ye Jianshan: ...
He was truly impressed.
Tuantuan, however, was quite excited, meowing and rubbing against him incessantly.
The Empress suddenly remembered something: "Oh dear, is Tuantuan mistaking you for the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince has been gone for several days, and Tuantuan has been clinging to him like a leech..."
Ye Jianshan adjusted the position of the chubby cat in his arms, and the cat immediately took advantage of the situation and rubbed against his neck.
When the Empress saw that Ye Jianshan was frozen, she hurriedly went forward to pick Tuantuan up, but Tuantuan didn't cooperate at all, hugging Ye Jianshan's head and resting on his shoulder.
The Empress sighed helplessly. Ye Jianshan patted Tuan Tuan's bottom and said, "Grandma Chen, just leave it like this. It's alright."
He likes this cat too.
"Alright, alright, that's settled then. Come in quickly. Oh, by the way, this is your great-grandmother."
The Empress Dowager was quite old, and she was somewhat stunned when she suddenly saw a great-grandson appear in front of her.
"So alike, so alike, so much like Jian'er."
The Empress Dowager, leaning on her cane, stepped forward and reached out to touch Ye Jianshan's little face.
Ye Jianshan blinked, resisting the urge to dodge.
"Good child, good child, come in with your great-grandmother."
The Empress Dowager grabbed Ye Jianshan and tried to pull him inside.
"Mother, please slow down."
Seeing the Empress Dowager in such a hurry, the Empress quickly helped her up.
Ye Jianshan also reached out to support the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was almost in tears. At her advanced age, all she wanted was for the royal bloodline to continue. The Crown Prince was stubborn, and the Empress Dowager couldn't do anything about it. But now that a little grandson had suddenly appeared, the Empress Dowager's anger immediately subsided. Her backache and leg pain disappeared, and she could now speak to her great-grandson with a strong voice.
Ye Jianshan hadn't expected the Empress Dowager and the cat to be so enthusiastic, and for a moment he was almost overwhelmed.
The Empress Dowager held his hand, and a cat was perched on his neck. He seemed a little lost. The Empress stepped forward, picked up the cat, and let him sit down and chat with the Empress Dowager.
Tuantuan was unwilling to give up, and jumped into Ye Jianshan's arms again. Ye Jianshan stroked it and saw that it did not crawl around randomly this time, but nestled obediently, so he said, "I will hold Tuantuan."
Seeing that Tuantuan was not causing trouble this time, the Empress sat down opposite her and had someone bring food to Ye Jianshan.
Ye Lei sat down behind Ye Jianshan.
After the group finished exchanging pleasantries, the Empress Dowager had Ye Jianshan stand up and turn around: "Not bad, not bad. Your mother raised you well. I heard you were even the top scholar in the provincial examination."
Ye Jianshan humbly replied, "It was just an accident."
“What an accident? Great-grandmother has heard about it. People say you can get the top score in the imperial examination. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Great-grandmother believes in you. I never thought I would see my great-grandson get the top score before I die. This is the first time.”
The Empress Dowager was incredibly proud; if he really won the top scholar title, he would truly be remembered in history.
Not only did he achieve the highest score in the imperial examination, but he was also the first member of the royal family to participate in the imperial examination and achieve such a good result.
"Great-grandmother, the results of the imperial examinations haven't come out yet. After the results are released, we have to take the palace examination organized by the Emperor. Only those who get first place can become the top scholar."
Ye Jianshan patiently explained.
The Empress Dowager patted him on the shoulder: "Great-grandmother believes in you."
Ye Jianshan: ...
This is not something that can be solved by belief or disbelief.
He spent half an hour talking with the Empress and the Empress Dowager before the Emperor returned from court.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I took Dashan to the Imperial Study to check his studies. The children of the eldest, third, and fourth sons are all here. I let them all meet him and inquire about his studies."
The Emperor spoke.
Even if the Empress Dowager was reluctant to part with him, she wouldn't worry about the child's studies. She patted Ye Jianshan's hand and handed him a gold medal: "If you miss your great-grandmother, come to the palace to visit her."
Ye Jianshan immediately felt a bit hot on his hands. He looked at the Emperor and Empress, and only after they both nodded did he accept the gift: "Thank you, Great-Grandmother."
"Good boy."
After saying goodbye, Ye Jianshan, carrying the cat, led his third uncle and Guo Yu to the imperial study with the emperor.
Lord Sun was already waiting. He saw Ye Jianshan as soon as he entered the door and was so surprised that he stood up.
Ye Jianshan was already familiar with this expression and could predict their reactions.
No need to guess, it definitely looks like it.
Who knew that Lord Sun would say so, “Your Majesty, I have studied physiognomy, and Ye Jieyuan looks like the reincarnation of the God of Literature.”
Ye Jianshan: ? ? ? ?
He is indeed a modern reincarnation, but he wasn't that outstanding in his studies in modern times.
How can he be considered a literary genius?
However, the Emperor was pleased to hear this, but still humbly said, "Minister Sun, you flatter me. My child is just a good student. It is already a great fortune that he achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination."
The Emperor also hoped that Ye Jianshan could achieve the highest rank in the imperial examination, as this would be a great honor for the royal family.
Moreover, Ye Jianshan's status could attract more scholars to serve the royal family.
Lord Sun quickly replied, "I have spoken too much. Did Scholar Ye bring the essays for the imperial examinations?"
Ye Jianshan took out the test paper he had already written from his pocket: "I would like to trouble Grandpa Chen and the adults for guidance."
"It's alright, it's alright, please sit down first, this old minister will take a look first."
When Lord Sun opened it, his eyes lit up: "Wow, the calligraphy is beautiful."
Ye Jianshan humbly replied, "My mother taught me."
Neither Lord Sun nor the Emperor spoke.
Everyone knows that more than a decade ago, the Crown Prince and his wife had a good relationship. The Crown Princess was illiterate, and it was the Crown Prince who taught her to read, stroke by stroke.
No wonder Lord Sun's eyes lit up; upon closer inspection, the handwriting resembled that of the Crown Prince.
He couldn't help but think to himself, "This is what father and son are like. Not only do they look alike, but their handwriting is also similar."
Ye Yun, who was far away in the suburbs of Beijing, sneezed. Her grandmother called her back with concern, "Wait until the weather gets warmer before you leave."
Ye Yun caught a cold from being exposed to the wind these past few days and was forced to rest for a few more days.
Fortunately, as they approached the capital, the accommodations improved, and the group was able to relax and get some rest, no longer feeling so anxious.
"Okay, let's set off in a few days. We just need to see the mountains before the notice is posted."
Ye Yun planned.
A note from the author:
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