Chapter 13, everyone knows Chapter 13
"The mountains!"
Ye Lei carried the person on his back and ran towards the carriage, saying to the coachman, "Hurry home and see a doctor."
Ye Jianshan was among the first to arrive. There were many people waiting outside, but there weren't many examinees, so it wasn't crowded, and they quickly and smoothly made their way back to the small courtyard they had rented.
Ye Lei was extremely anxious as he touched Ye Jianshan's head in the carriage: "Why is his fever so high? We've already called a doctor at home, Dashan, just bear with it."
He had prepared the medicine in advance, but since there was a doctor present, he let the doctor take a look first.
He also hired a doctor on his side, just in case.
Ye Lei had booked several doctors, but none of them showed up. He was almost frantic with worry when an old man appeared next to him and said he knew medicine.
He could tell from the old man's distinguished attire that he was sent by the "grandparents" who wanted to kidnap his nephew.
He must have been an official. He left in a hurry that day, so he didn't know what high-ranking officials Da Shan's grandparents were, but they must have held a high position.
Ye Jianshan is burning up with fever, and Ye Lei is thankful that his grandparents, who suddenly appeared in the mountains, have arranged for a doctor. Otherwise, he would have been like a headless fly, anxiously waiting in Beijing where he has no connections.
We can't afford any accidents in the mountains.
Ye Lei was incredibly fast. Guo Yu tried to stop them but couldn't. The main reason was their special status; their every move was being watched. Wearing the Imperial Guard uniforms, they chased after Ye Jianshan, making others think he was cheating and about to be caught.
I can only go to see Ye Jianshan on 14th Street after I'm done with my work.
The street where the manager of Qingyang Guild Hall rented the courtyard for Ye Jianshan and his group was called Fourteenth Street. All the empty courtyards on the street were guarded by the Emperor and Empress's men, and there were also many hidden guards in the trees, all to ensure the safety of Ye Jianshan and Ye Lei.
While Ye Jianshan was busy with the examinations at the Imperial Examination Hall, the Emperor and Empress were busy with other matters outside. They even bought the nearest courtyard for Imperial Physician Zhao to live in.
Physician Zhao was an old man who had watched the Crown Prince grow up. Now that he heard that there was a promising young grandson of the Emperor living outside, he immediately packed his bags and came over with his apprentice.
He planned to give the young prince a thorough medical check-up.
"Master, does the Crown Prince really have a son?"
When Zhao Taiyi's apprentice Xiaoman heard the news, he was stunned. The Crown Prince, who was all alone and had no wife or children, suddenly had a sixteen-year-old top scholar son.
It's like a dream.
Others have come to our door pretending to be relatives before, but none of them have been as certain as this time.
They didn't know what the little prince looked like, yet the emperor and empress recognized him even though they had never seen him, and they even sent his tutor to come and treat the little prince's illness.
Ye Jianshan was delirious with fever. He was glad that he had finished all the questions a day early. On the last night, he coughed all night and didn't sleep at all.
I endured the day until the examination hall opened its doors to let you roam freely, and I felt like I was about to be cooked through.
He glanced at the carriage in a daze: "Third Uncle, you rented such a nice carriage?"
The carriage was large and spacious, and its interior decorations were quite unusual, looking very expensive.
His third uncle, a person with mediocre taste, would never choose such an extravagant carriage.
"Your grandparents brought it."
Ye Lei didn't want to either, but the carriage he rented looked terrible next to this one. So, to make his nephew more comfortable, he shamelessly used it.
They offered it to him eagerly, not the other way around.
Ye Jianshan woke up with a start: "What? My grandparents? I just saw someone who looks a lot like me at the examination hall, and I even thought he was my dad. How come you've seen my grandparents? Cough cough..."
As he spoke, he coughed again.
Ye Lei quickly fed him some warm water; the child's lips were chapped and he looked pitiful.
While drinking, Ye Jianshan urged his third uncle with his eyes to explain what was going on with these suddenly appearing grandparents.
Ye Lei then recounted what had happened that day.
Ye Jianshan put down his water glass: "They've only been here for one day?"
"I don't know what will happen next, I'll wait for you somewhere else."
Ye Lei shook his head. He didn't pay attention to it in the following days, but his neighbors were getting restless, and many moved out.
He bumped into several people when he went out to wait at the entrance of the examination hall.
After Ye Lei finished speaking, he asked Ye Jianshan what had happened with the biological father he had met: "Tell me quickly, weren't you going to take an exam? How did you meet your father? He really looks like you?"
To be honest, Ye Lei had never seen what Ye Jianshan's father, who died young, looked like.
Ye Jianshan first gave his uncle a heads-up: "Ahem, it's like this, Third Uncle, you know about those times when people mistook me for the Crown Prince, right?"
A bold guess popped into Ye Lei's mind, and his eyes widened: "The chief examiner is the Crown Prince..."
The most common thing he heard while waiting at the entrance of the examination hall every day was that today's spring examination was special because the chief examiner was His Highness the Crown Prince.
Ye Jianshan nodded: "Yes, I am not the Crown Prince's enemy. My father might be the Crown Prince. We look too alike. Or my dead father might be the Crown Prince's twin."
The driver, sitting on the frame, couldn't help but cough.
The conversation between the uncle and nephew is so interesting.
The Crown Prince has no twin brothers.
Knowing that there were eavesdroppers behind the door, Ye Lei didn't dare to say anything more. He was terrified and told Ye Jianshan to lie down properly: "You should rest and not talk anymore, sigh."
Could the middle-aged couple he met be the Crown Prince's biological parents, the current Emperor and Empress?
Ye Lei suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
If only he hadn't spoken so forcefully that day, he would have offended the Emperor and Empress by directly meeting with them.
Ye Jianshan patted his third uncle reassuringly, but his uncle's hand trembled with fear: "Don't worry, I haven't acknowledged them. They're all strangers."
Ye Lei covered his mouth: "Shh, let's wait for your mother to come. We can't keep our word."
Ye Lei was afraid that the driver would overhear and complain, since Da Shan had just said that his dead father had been overheard, so he had to be careful with his words now.
Ye Jianshan pried his third uncle's hand away: "Yes, listen to my mother. I slept with my third uncle and couldn't hold on any longer."
He was already at his limit just trying to muster the energy to talk to his third uncle about these things; he hadn't had a good night's sleep in the past nine days.
"Go to sleep. I'll wake you when it's time to take your medicine. You absolutely have to take it, don't try to cheat."
Ye Lei covered him with a blanket.
Ye Jianshan hummed a few times and then fell fast asleep.
Ye Lei carried everyone down from the carriage; the coachman offered to help but was refused.
When Physician Zhao heard the noise at the door, he came out to greet them. He was shocked to see Ye Lei carrying a person who looked exactly like the Crown Prince and whose face was flushed with fever.
Xiao Man was so shocked when he saw the face that he was speechless. No wonder the Emperor and Empress were so sure and sent his master over without any doubt. This Ye Jianshan had the same face as the Crown Prince.
They look so alike.
He almost knelt down and called out "Your Highness the Crown Prince" just now.
"Stop standing there, bring me my medicine box."
Physician Zhao also became anxious, but fortunately everything had been prepared in advance. After taking his pulse and examining him, he found that it was just a common cold and cough, which put his mind at ease.
"Xiao Man, go and brew the medicine."
Ye Lei asked anxiously, "Is Dashan alright?"
"It's nothing, just a common cold and cough. The reason you haven't gotten better is because you've been too tired these past few days. You'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
The doctor's confident demeanor reassured Ye Lei considerably.
"That's good, that's good."
When Ye Jianshan was woken up to drink his medicine, he didn't even open his eyes. Ye Lei had to feed him the medicine and coax him to drink it.
He wore a pained expression and said in a hoarse voice, "It tastes awful."
"One dose of medicine, one candied date."
Ye Lei was already prepared; back home, his mother had always spoiled him like this.
Ye Jianshan barely managed to finish the drink, then fell into a deep sleep again.
Seeing Ye Lei's appearance, Physician Zhao knew that although the young prince was dressed plainly, he was very much loved.
I don't know when I'll be able to reunite with them.
The fake emperor didn't give them a friendly look and immediately arrested them and threw them into prison.
They have indeed sent people over, but they are being very cautious and have not made a big show of it to claim kinship.
It seems this time it's for real.
Only a true imperial grandson would be treated with such care and caution; if he were to refuse to return to the palace even unto death, the emperor and empress would truly be at a loss.
This young imperial grandson is quite promising; he even achieved the top rank in the provincial examination.
I wonder if I can win the title of top scholar in the imperial examination.
At the entrance of the examination hall, Yan Shengchu had been tormented for nine days. Although he did not fall ill, he had lost a lot of weight.
My eyes lit up when I saw his family; I didn't expect his father to be there too.
As soon as they got into the carriage, his father asked in a low voice, "I heard that one of the candidates in your year of the imperial examination looks a lot like the crown prince? What's the story behind that?"
Yan Shengchu: ...
No wonder they came to pick him up; they were just here to watch the drama unfold.
“It’s been around for a while. I told you before, but you didn’t believe me.”
Lord Yan suddenly remembered: "It's that same person."
"Yes, he's the top scholar in Qingyang. He might even get the top six in the imperial examination this time. He's much better than that kid from the Cui family."
Yan Shengchu felt relieved just thinking about how Cui Jianbing was being suppressed.
Lord Yan stroked his beard: "I see. You should stay home and not go anywhere."
Yan Shengchu was almost falling asleep when he heard this, and he woke up with a miserable cry: "Why?"
"Because of what you just said, the Emperor forbids it from being spread."
He had only come to pick up his son because he had heard news of the Emperor and Empress's recent incognito visit to the Imperial Examination Hall, as well as some rumors circulating in the palace. He just wanted to be the first to know what was going on.
Yan Shengchu wished he could faint, but Lord Yan emphasized, "Did you hear me? Stay home and prepare for the palace examination."
"I'm not even sure I'll pass the exam."
Madam Yan was also startled when she heard about the melon. Before she could recover, she heard her son say something discouraging. She quickly spat three times and said, "Pah, pah, pah, children say the darndest things. It will definitely be a hit."
Yan Shengchu: ...
He knows his own level.
When Cui Jianbing left the examination hall, he overheard some people talking. When he returned to the carriage, he saw his grandfather sitting inside. He sat up, supporting his tired body, and heard his grandfather tell him some news that he could hardly believe.
"Is it true that the top scholar from Qingyang looks exactly like His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Chief Minister Cui had never met Ye Jianshan in person, so he could only ask his grandson, who was taking the same exam.
Cui Jianbing's face darkened: "My grandson didn't see him in person; his seat was in the first row."
"That makes sense. His Highness the Crown Prince is sitting face to face with him... I heard they look alike. There's never been a case of a member of the royal family taking the imperial examinations before..."
Chief Minister Cui was unaware of Ye Jianshan's abilities; the previous literary gathering had also failed, and he hadn't been able to test Ye's capabilities.
"How did this story get out? Is it true or false?"
Cui Jianbing was a little flustered. He had been full of confidence after the exam, but now he felt a bit uncertain.
Chief Minister Cui sighed: "Everyone who needs to know knows, but they just haven't broken the silence yet. The Emperor has even sent Imperial Physician Zhao to wait for the top scholar in Qingyang..."
Cui Jianbing was speechless, feeling a tightness in his chest.
Even if he achieves the title of "Sixth Scholar in the Imperial Examination," the limelight will no longer be on him.
Ye Jianshan will always be the focus of everyone's attention, no matter what.
The grandfather and grandson returned to the Cui family in silence.
The other princes also gathered together to discuss the news.
"Brother, the men I sent saw the top scholar from Qingyang come out of the examination hall, and he looks exactly like Second Brother. Second Brother has a biological son..."
A note from the author:
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