Chapter 5 Kneeling even on New Year's Eve?
The secret letter was delivered by someone sent by Marquis Weiyuan.
Emperor Yuan of Jin and the Crown Prince have not left the palace recently and are unaware of what has happened outside.
Upon reading the secret letter, Emperor Jin Yuan's first thought was, "Here we go again."
I don't know how many times this has happened over the years.
This time, the matchmaker was Marquis Weiyuan.
The Crown Prince has been guarding his deceased wife for so many years, yet those people still haven't seen through his true nature. His heart has long since gone with her. If it weren't for the Emperor's insistence on not deposing the Crown Prince and keeping him in the palace to watch over him, the Emperor would have worried that one day he would never see him again.
Fortunately, the crown prince was raised by him and knew his responsibilities. He did not give up on himself, but he could no longer tolerate anyone else in his heart. He would not allow the topic of taking concubines or getting married to be mentioned in front of him, or he would give him a cold shoulder and not even give the emperor face.
The crown prince is outstanding, but unfortunately he's a womanizer who doesn't even want his offspring for a woman.
That's really unfilial.
But the Emperor also felt guilty and dared not interfere too much with the Crown Prince's thoughts. After all, he was the son he had raised, and he was just as stubborn as the Crown Prince. Oh well, let it be.
Emperor Jin Yuan thought back to how many times this had resulted in a family reunion blunder; he had no idea that the Crown Prince had so many blood relatives living outside the palace.
Others may not know the Crown Prince, but he does: he has never touched any woman other than the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess died young, making it impossible for her to have any children; this is obviously false without any investigation.
He put the letter away and sent someone back to Marquis Weiyuan: "Ignore it, it's fake."
The eunuch serving him immediately sent a message to Marquis Weiyuan.
After receiving the reply, Marquis Weiyuan called his son over and asked, "Tai'er, are you sure that person looks just like your second uncle, the Crown Prince?"
Marquis Weiyuan's heir, Chen Tai, said, "Father, would I lie to you? It's exactly the same. I've met Feng Xing twice already. He's just more than ten years younger than the Crown Prince's second uncle. They're exactly the same."
Marquis Weiyuan paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, pondering for a moment: "The Emperor said it was fake. You should keep a close eye on him. If you encounter him again, bring him to see me directly."
The heir of the Marquis of Weiyuan was surprised by the Emperor's words and was momentarily worried that this might be some kind of conspiracy.
"I understand, I will pay more attention."
Marquis Weiyuan sent another letter to Minister Feng, who thought it made sense; the Emperor certainly wouldn't believe it.
His Highness the Crown Prince is such a romantic, how could he possibly have other children? He called Feng Xing over: "Forget about that person you saw before, don't mention him again."
Feng Xing knew this was a serious matter, and quickly assured him, "Dad, don't worry, I definitely won't say anything carelessly."
"Um."
With things calming down on their end, Ye Jianshan also became much more well-behaved. Apart from the occasional harassment from the Gao family, he was able to focus on his exams until the first month of the lunar calendar.
On New Year's Eve, the students of the guild hall had a lively hot pot meal downstairs, which was suggested by Ye Jianshan.
The shopkeeper gave him face and immediately had someone prepare it. Unexpectedly, the hot pot turned out so delicious that their business improved significantly.
After finishing his meal, Ye Jianshan felt a bit full, so he dragged his third uncle out to watch the fireworks and digest his food.
The uncle and nephew found a quiet corner in a teahouse with a view of the fireworks and sat down to drink tea while watching the fireworks over the river.
"Third Uncle, I miss my mother, my maternal grandparents."
In such a bustling city like Beijing, Ye Lei and his group seemed all the more desolate.
"You can leave after you finish your exams in February."
Ye Lei also missed home. It was the first time he had been away from home for so long, but he was glad that he had come with Da Shan. Otherwise, what would Da Shan have done if he had encountered so many things all by himself?
Ye Jianshan shook his head: "No, Third Uncle, there's still the palace examination. I'm sure I'll be able to see what the Emperor looks like."
Ye Lei agreed, saying that it wouldn't be bad to come to the capital and meet the Emperor: "Then you must take a good look at your third uncle for him."
"Don't worry, Third Uncle, I've taken care of all the copies for my mother, my maternal grandparents, and my maternal grandparents."
The uncle and nephew chatted and became happier as they talked.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them: "You bumpkins, do you think you can just look at the Emperor like that? That's called offending the Emperor."
Ye Jianshan knew he was talking about him without even turning around; he just made a casual remark but didn't expect to be caught red-handed by the old man.
Ye Lei grabbed Ye Jianshan's arm, trying to calm him down: "Dashan."
They are unfamiliar with the capital city and should avoid conflict.
"Yan Er, what are you doing here? Isn't your dad keeping you at home studying anymore?" Feng Xing didn't expect to run into his childhood friend here.
He went out to set off fireworks with the heir of the Marquis of Weiyuan today. They had just finished when it got too noisy over there, so he came over to take a break.
"Who's still studying on New Year's Eve? My dad is driving me crazy. I should have never taken the imperial examination."
"Come on, everyone wants to pass the imperial examination, and you're showing off... By the way, what were you guys talking about just now? I overheard something I shouldn't have heard?"
Things like offending the emperor.
The man talking to Feng Xing was named Yan Shengchu. He barely passed the imperial examination and became a Juren, which made his father extremely happy. He was the only promising member of the family, so his father had kept him at home for three months in order to prepare him for the spring imperial examination. Only today, on New Year's Eve, when his father went to the palace for the banquet, was he able to come out and get some fresh air.
Yan Shengchu snapped his fan shut and pointed at Ye Jianshan's retreating figure: "He's bragging over there, saying he can pass the imperial examination and see the emperor. He's completely disregarding the emperor."
Feng Xing looked in the direction Yan Shengchu was pointing with his fan and met Ye Jianshan's angry turn around. Without saying a word, he was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt down again.
Ye Jianshan, who was about to explode in anger: ...
Here we go again!
It's this guy again. I've knelt before him three times already, haven't I?
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Before Feng Xing could react, everyone had already knelt down.
It was late at night, and even with the lights on in the teahouse, it was still difficult to see people clearly.
Just now, as the lights flickered on and off around Ye Jianshan, Feng Xing mistook the person for His Highness the Crown Prince.
Yan Shengchu was startled. He turned his head to look at the person and found that it was indeed His Highness the Crown Prince. His legs immediately went weak like noodles, and he slid off the stool and knelt on the ground.
He had just said "Your Highness the Crown Prince," but wait, the voice sounded like that of an unfamiliar young man.
His Highness the Crown Prince is over thirty years old this year; no matter how young he is, he couldn't possibly have this voice.
Yan Shengchu immediately looked up confidently, wanting to verify, but when he looked up and met that face that looked just like the Crown Prince's, he was so frightened by those piercing eyes that he fainted.
It is His Highness the Crown Prince.
He had just said something offensive and disrespectful to His Highness the Crown Prince, and now he was the one who was disrespectful and offended the Crown Prince.
Ye Jianshan was completely stunned. He knelt down again, and led this whole group of people to kneel down with him.
Seeing such a commotion, Ye Lei and Ye Jianshan didn't dare to say a word. They exchanged a glance and ran without saying a word.
Those who were kneeling heard the commotion, but did not dare to rise until they heard His Highness the Crown Prince tell them to get up. A bolder person looked up and saw the Crown Prince's face, then immediately knelt back down in fear.
What is His Highness the Crown Prince doing running out?
Could it be that I was disturbed by them while traveling incognito today?
That makes sense when you think about it, but who is that person accompanying His Highness the Crown Prince?
Feng Xing was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. He was in a slightly better situation than Yan Shengchu, who was so frightened that he was lying on the ground. Feng Xing only broke out in a few drops of sweat from nervousness.
The commotion as the Crown Prince ran out caught his attention. He noticed the man's height and back view, and suddenly realized something. He immediately said, "No, that's not His Highness the Crown Prince."
"What nonsense are you spouting about Feng San? We all saw it, it was His Highness the Crown Prince. Do you want to go to jail? Kneel down now, what if the Crown Prince comes back later?"
"Exactly, what do you mean 'not His Highness the Crown Prince'? Weren't you the first to call him that?"
"What exactly is going on, Feng San?"
Upon hearing that it wasn't His Highness the Crown Prince, Yan Shengchu, who had collapsed to the ground, felt a surge of strength returning to him. Not His Highness the Crown Prince? Then who was it?
He had seen the face; he and the others had met the Crown Prince several times. Although it felt strange, that face was definitely the Crown Prince's.
Feng San couldn't explain it clearly for a moment: "The person just now, apart from his face, height, clothing, and the people accompanying him, were not His Highness the Crown Prince's style."
Seeing that everyone was confused, and that the person who looked a lot like the Crown Prince had already run out, Feng San didn't explain further. He simply jumped onto the table and shouted, "Get out of my way!"
He was determined to catch the person this time; he wanted to see who was really playing tricks.
He had already lowered his guard after not seeing anything strange for the past two months, but he didn't expect that person to reappear on New Year's Eve.
To prove himself, Feng San led his men to search the surrounding area three times, but they couldn't find him.
"Useless. Can't even catch two people."
The guards remained silent, and the heir apparent of the Marquis of Weiyuan's face also turned ugly: "You really saw it again?"
“It’s not just me, Yan Shengchu saw it too. You can ask him if you don’t believe me. His Highness can now confirm that there really is someone in the capital who looks very much like His Highness the Crown Prince.”
This is not a rumor, it is a fact, a fact that many people have seen today.
Those who had seen His Highness the Crown Prince at the teahouse all said that the young man just now looked very much like His Highness the Crown Prince.
The heir of Marquis Weiyuan frowned: "Tell those people to shut their mouths and not spread rumors. Just imagine what will happen if these rumors reach the ears of the Crown Prince and the Emperor."
This matter is inherently unclear, and the person involved has not yet been apprehended.
If they spread rumors, they'll be slandering the royal family. They won't even need the emperor to punish them; their own fathers will break their legs when they get home.
"yes."
Everyone carefully guarded this secret.
However, the guards searching for Ye Jianshan's whereabouts continued.
Ye Jianshan and Ye Lei felt relieved when they returned to the clubhouse.
"Third Uncle, how about we move?"
Ye Jianshan had a feeling that he was going to get into big trouble.
Today, a bunch of people knelt down and called him Crown Prince. Wasn't that harming him?
He was just a top scholar in the imperial examination, yet he knelt before him and called him "Crown Prince." This wasn't to shorten his lifespan; it was to take his life.
Moreover, someone of his rank would never be able to see the Crown Prince. If he were beheaded for impersonating the Crown Prince, he wouldn't even know who to appeal to.
The blame was simply dumped on his head.
His name is Feng San, right? He'll definitely not let this person off the hook once he becomes an official. He'll try to trip him up time and time again.
Ye Lei had the same idea, and the news of the uncle and nephew moving also alerted others, and everyone silently helped them move.
"This is absolutely outrageous!"
They forced the top scholar from Qingyang to leave the guild hall.
"Why don't you go see Lord Wang, wish him a Happy New Year, and ask him what exactly happened?"
Luo Shaohui suggested.
Lord Wang is also from Qingyang. I wonder if he could help Ye Jianshan out of consideration for our shared hometown.
Ye Jianshan sighed: "No, I just want to focus on preparing for the exam now. I'll go see Lord Wang after the results are posted."
He didn't want to trouble others with things he himself didn't understand.
Tan Jingshan said, "That's fine too. Take good care of yourself."
"Don't worry, my third uncle is still here, and the shopkeeper found me the house, so I'm very at ease. Someone will definitely come looking for me in the next few days. You all need to protect yourselves and avoid any conflicts with them."
"good."
Several people almost burst into tears; it was so frustrating, so unfair.
That's absolutely outrageous.
Ye Jianshan also wanted to find a powerful backer as soon as possible, but he was completely unfamiliar with the capital. What if the person he found was in the same faction as the Crown Prince? He would still be finished.
Ye Jianshan looked in the mirror and was surprised that his face could cause him trouble.
It's all his father's fault for dying young.
Even in death, he couldn't rest in peace, leaving behind a mess.
What kind of trouble did he cause? Or is it just that he looks like the Crown Prince? Was he previously hunted down for impersonating the Crown Prince?
Ye Jianshan couldn't sleep and couldn't figure out why.
Meanwhile, the imperial palace also received news from Marquis Weiyuan.
The emperor burned the letter and knew that the newcomer was also a troublemaker. He had been well-behaved for two months, but on New Year's Eve he couldn't help but cause a scene.
"Don't worry about it."
The Emperor said confidently.
A fake is a fake. He won't acknowledge this grandson/prince, nor will he come knocking on his door.
Let him run around on his own.
A note from the author:
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