This palace examination happened to coincide with a case in the southwest. Ning Yan was busy dealing with the case and did not participate. Of course, he did not go home last night and waited for the results of the palace examination in the yamen.
It was already night when the palace examination ended and the roll call results had been reported back. However, the new number one scholar Ning Yunzhao did not want to go home. Going home would also be a sleepless night, so he simply brought the paper he had written today to Ning Yan to discuss it.
The people didn't know who the number one scholar was yet, and the number one scholar had already forgotten his own identity. The uncle and nephew discussed the essay and the official position that Ning Yunzhao was about to get. They were happy and relaxed, and before they knew it, it was dawn.
Because they already knew the outcome, the uncle and nephew no longer cared and fell asleep at dawn. They slept until this moment and only woke up and went home at the urging of their companions.
The uncle and nephew were fast asleep and had no idea what was happening outside. Their followers had been watching the excitement for half a day.
"The prince of Chengguo and Lu Qianhu started fighting, and the Five Cities Army who came to persuade them to stop also joined in the fight." An attendant said with a beaming smile.
Ning Yan had no good feelings towards the Prince of Chengguo and Captain Lu.
"What a disgrace," he said.
The followers quickly stopped dancing with joy.
"Lord Bai has already stopped them, and His Majesty has also sent someone to reprimand them." He said with a straight face.
Ning Yanrong walked away without saying anything, but Ning Yunzhao just looked at her without moving.
"Why are they fighting?" he asked.
No matter why they fight, fighting is absurd. What's there to ask? Ning Yan glanced at Ning Yunzhao.
The follower couldn't wait to answer this question.
"Because of Miss Jun from Jiulingtang." He lowered his voice and spoke again with a beaming smile.
Miss Jun from Jiulingtang.
Ning Yan's face became even uglier, and Ning Yunzhao frowned.
Miss Jiulingtangjun has always been the focus of the people in the capital city. First it was because of acne, and then it was because of her entanglement with Lu Yunqi.
Miss Jun's identity, Lu Yunqi's identity, and the matters between men and women, these three key points made the entire capital lively, and people were talking about it everywhere. Not only the people on the streets, the wealthy families, but also the officials in the government offices were talking about it endlessly.
Even if Ning Yan didn't want to know, he had to know.
Although the follower only said this one sentence, it made people guess what happened.
Ning Yunzhao's gaze passed through the crowd and vaguely saw carriages and horses with the Jiulingtang logo, as well as boxes scattered on the ground and red silk being stepped on.
Lu Yunqi sent betrothal gifts to Jiulingtang every day, and it was said that there was also a handwritten letter from Princess Jiuli, but Jiulingtang threw the betrothal gifts back outside the Lu residence every time.
There was no quarrel between the two sides, just a tug-of-war between them.
Obviously, the silent tug of war was broken by the return of Prince Chengguo.
"This isn't the first time." A clerk in the crowd whispered, "There was a fight because of Miss Jun before."
"I've heard about it too. It seems that Miss Jun offended Lu Qianhu, so Lu Qianhu went to smash the Jiuling Hall, and then the Prince of Chengguo couldn't stand it anymore, so he started fighting with Lu Qianhu." Someone came over and laughed in a low voice.
This attracted more people to come over.
"So, Lu Qianhu and Miss Jun didn't know each other until they fought?"
"Which one does Miss Jun like?"
"It seems that she likes the Crown Prince, after all, the Crown Prince is not married yet."
"No wonder you didn't agree."
Noisy and stealthy laughter spread out from behind the crowd.
Ning Yan frowned and looked at Ning Yunzhao in front of him. He seemed to notice his gaze, and before he could say anything, Ning Yunzhao turned his head.
"With all this commotion," he whispered, "it's possible that both of them will be punished?"
The prince of Duke Chengguo is arrogant and domineering, and keeping him in the capital is also a warning to Duke Chengguo.
However, Lu Yunqi secretly acted as a treacherous minister.
The actions of these two people are despised by the upright officialdom.
In official affairs, both of them are good at making excuses and it is impossible to find fault with them. What if it comes to personal affairs? It may not work at other times, but the woman involved this time is Miss Jun, and Miss Jun's reputation is extraordinary now.
Ning Yan understood what Ning Yunzhao meant, but shook his head.
"Your Majesty knows." He just said one sentence.
Ning Yunzhao also understood the meaning of these four words, which meant that His Majesty didn't care. He frowned and took a few steps forward again, as if he wanted to see clearly how the eunuch would deal with these two people.
Ning Yan opened his mouth but ultimately did not stop him. As an official in the court in the future, he would inevitably have to deal with these two people, so it was normal to pay attention to them.
The eunuch in the field was a little frightened by Zhu Zan's entanglement, but he still held on tightly.
"My Lord, His Majesty will not see you, and His Majesty will not care about your affairs. You are causing trouble in public, so you should explain it to everyone," he shouted.
"How can such a thing be explained?" Zhu Zan said, "Of course it was Lu Qianhu who did something that angered heaven and people. Everyone knows this."
"I don't understand." Lu Yunqi's voice rang out.
Lu Yunqi, who had been silent all this time, came over and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but the bruises were more obvious, looking a little eerie on his porcelain-like face.
Zhu Zan raised his brows and his face darkened.
Ning Yunzhao, who was standing in the crowd, also looked gloomy.
"I don't understand why the prince came to cause trouble." Lu Yunqi said with a dull expression, "He smashed the door of my prison."
He looked towards the boxes scattered on the ground.
"It's still my betrothal gift."
He looked at Zhu Zan again.
"How did my betrothal gift offend you, Your Highness?"
The crowd became a little agitated.
Lu Yunqi seldom spoke, and almost never spoke in front of others. It was the first time that the people present heard him talk so much, and it seemed that he was going to continue talking.
And what I want to talk about is the relationship between men and women.
"I am attracted to Miss Jun and sincerely propose to marry her. What is your reason, Prince?" Lu Yunqi's voice continued.
It’s out. It’s out.
I want to tell everyone about my affair with Miss Jun.
The crowd's commotion died down in an instant.
If someone like Lu Yunqi dares to say this, does the Prince of Chengguo dare to say it? What would the Prince of Chengguo say?
Everyone looked at Zhu Zan with excitement.
Will you tell us about the relationship between the three of them? How did they know each other? Who likes who?
Will the Prince of Chengguo also say that he is pleased and asks to marry Miss Jun?
Lu Yunqi has no father or mother, and he is the only one who decides his marriage besides the emperor. No matter if the girl is a prostitute or someone else's wife or concubine, he can do whatever he wants, and no one in his family cares. But it is different for the prince of Chengguo.
With the presence of Duke Cheng and his wife, and the arrangement of the parents and the matchmaker, many families came to propose marriage to the Crown Prince from the moment he was born. Over the years, Duke Cheng and his wife rejected countless marriage proposals, even those proposed by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
With such a strong parent around, is it possible for Zhu Zan to make the decision on his own?
No matter how much the Duke Chengguo and his wife indulged him, their marriage would certainly not be a hasty one. After all, Zhu Zan was to inherit the title of Duke Chengguo, which was related to the continuation of the Zhu family.
If the Prince of Chengguo said so, and the Duke and his wife disagreed in the future, Miss Jun would become a joke.
If the Prince of Chengguo refused to speak, how could he explain his current behavior? Was it like fighting for the most beautiful courtesan in a brothel?
No matter what he said, it was a joke for a girl to be used as a target of fight between two men.
Chen Qi's face turned pale.
Lu Yunqi would absolutely not care about the young lady's reputation. To him, it would be better to ruin the young lady's reputation so that it would be more difficult for her to escape from his clutches.
It's so vicious, despicable and shameless.
The stagnation in the field was broken by a loud "Pah".
"What's wrong with you asking for marriage out of pleasure?" Zhu Zan said sneerily, "If you do such a thing, everyone will spit on you."
Lu Yunqi looked at him blankly.
"Why spit?" he said.
Zhu Zan looked at him and smiled, his eyes becoming sharp, and he let go of the eunuch.
"Because she..." he said.
As soon as the words came out, a clear male voice was heard.
"Because she is my fiancée."
fiancée?
The scene was frozen in place, and everyone subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a young man slowly walking out from the crowd.
He had a full forehead, a high nose bridge, outstanding features, and a warm expression. He was wearing a long green gown, and stood tall and slender in the sunlight, looking handsome and unrestrained.
"Lord Lu may not know." He smiled at Lu Qianhu, "Miss Jun and I have been engaged since childhood, so your behavior is really inappropriate. Don't blame the prince for being upset."
Zhu Zan raised his eyebrows, huh...
Chen Qi opened his mouth, ah...
Ning Yan, who was standing in the crowd, was at a loss for a moment.
Is he dreaming now?
Are you still sleeping soundly in the government office?
Otherwise, why would we see and hear such absurd things?