Chapter 4: Meeting the Prince Consort

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the imperial examination.

The imperial examination of the Tianfeng Dynasty was held every three years, and it brought together talented scholars from all over the country. Anyone with a reputation as a scholar could take the imperial examination, regardless of age.

There were three examination sites in the capital, and students in the capital would take the examination at the Royal Academy, which was not far from the imperial palace. The chief examiners of this imperial examination were the current prince consort and the Grand Scholar.

Qin Xixi woke up in a luxurious carriage. Because she was worried, Qin Shu, who rarely went out, personally sent Qin Qixuan to the examination room, and Zhou Yiyang also went with her.

[It's not written in the book, this matter should have something to do with the scum father. I remember that my eldest brother's good friend seemed to have become a high-ranking official in the future, and he was also respectful to the scum father. He must have some handle in his hand. 】

Qin Xixi didn't close her eyes, thinking quietly there. There was no way to remind her elder brother, so she could only take one step at a time. It was still early, even if she couldn't take the imperial examination, when her strength recovered a little and her elder brother found the evidence, those people wanted to deal with him, and she would help them, which should be able to change the outcome.

In the past few days, she felt the love from her mother, and her brothers also treated her sincerely. Qin Xixi would never allow anyone to destroy such a home.

The entrance of the academy was crowded with people, all of them were students who came to take the imperial examination and their elders. As soon as the Qin family's carriage appeared, a man who looked a few years older than Qin Qixuan came to greet them.

"Brother Xian, you are here."

The man was Qin Qixuan's good friend Zhang Zongxian, who was four years older than Qin Qixuan and only took part in the imperial examination this year. He was outstanding in literary talent and won the first place, and was also a hot candidate for the top three in this imperial examination.

"Yeah."

Qin Qixuan nodded, and his attitude towards Zhang Zongxian was not enthusiastic. He remembered Qin Xixi's words clearly, that he was framed because of his careless friendship. He didn't have many friends in Beijing, and the only one he could talk to was Zhang Zongxian. If someone really wanted to harm him, it could only be him... The investigation in the past few days has confirmed this. Although they couldn't tear each other apart for the time being, they couldn't be as enthusiastic as before.

"Xuan'er, have you checked everything carefully?"

Qin Shu's figure was too eye-catching, and she didn't get off the carriage. She couldn't help but remind him, feeling a little worried. The imperial examination would last for three days, and she had been preparing things these days. No matter whether it was food, drinks or other things, she had checked them all personally, and none of them had passed through the hands of others. However, she was still a little worried.

"Don't worry, mother, there will be no problem."

Qin Qixuan nodded to Qin Shu, and walked towards the gate of the academy side by side with Zhang Zongxian.

At the gate of the academy, several guards were checking everyone's packages to prevent anything from being hidden in their packages.

Qin Qixuan stood in front, and Zhang Zongxian followed him closely, and the two of them lined up in the queue.

Soon, it was Qin Qixuan's turn. Qin Qixuan handed the package to the two officials and let them check it with a calm face.

The officers were very dedicated. They checked the writing first, and then the food. The imperial examination was very intense, so they could only bring some cooked food. The steamed buns and snacks that Qin Qixuan brought were all prepared by Qin Shu herself. They were not delicate but very filling.

"Hey, what is this?"

The pattern on a snack caught the officer's attention. He looked at it carefully and his face changed drastically.

"How dare you cheat in this way!"

One of the officers shouted, and the officers around him surrounded him and looked at Qin Qixuan with unfriendly faces.

"What's going on?"

The students in the queue all changed color, not knowing what was going on. In the carriage, Qin Shu's face also turned ugly in an instant. She had clearly prepared it herself, and nothing had happened just now, so why did it still go wrong?

"Oh my god, there's something on this heart!"

Zhang Zongxian, who was following Qin Qixuan, suddenly cried out in surprise and took a few steps back.

"Qin Qixuan, I didn't expect you to do such a thing. I was wrong about you!"

Pretending to be heartbroken, the words she spoke were suggestive, making those people think that Qin Qixuan had done something.

"No way, he cheated. Did he pass the exam three years ago in the same way?"

"I was wondering, how could he be that talented? Passing the exam at the age of eleven is impossible. He cheated."

"Bah, that's disgusting. However, the Qin family is the richest family in the dynasty, so some of their methods are normal. I just didn't expect that they would be discovered."

...

People couldn't help but talk about it, and the voices were loud and there was no cover-up.

"Come on, arrest him!"

The officer in charge of the inspection gave an order, and two people came forward to catch Qin Qixuan.

"Wait a minute!"

A warm voice came, and two figures, one big and one small, walked out of the academy. The current son-in-law Fu Qian, who was the chief examiner of this imperial examination, followed a boy who looked only four or five years old and had a delicate appearance.

"Greetings to the Prince Consort..."

Everyone saluted in unison. Although Fu Qian did not hold any official position, he was deeply trusted by the emperor and was also the teacher of several imperial grandsons. He had a very high status.

[Ah, he is indeed the most handsome man in the world. He is so handsome. The one following him, could it be that the little imperial grandson who was born smart, almost the favorite of the royal family, but died young? ]

A soft voice came into Pei Xuanyi's mind. He looked around subconsciously and met a pair of big eyes. In the carriage, Qin Xixi was trying hard to stretch her little head to the window and looked around.

"Whose carriage is that?"

The six-year-old Pei Xuanyi retracted his gaze and frowned at his uncle. It was the first time someone dared to say that he died young. He wanted to know how he died!

"It's from the Qin family."

Fu Qian saw Zhou Yiyang standing next to the carriage, and showed some displeasure. He explained and said no more.

"Qin Qixuan, do you have anything to say?"

His eyes fell on Qin Qixuan, and he didn't believe that he would cheat. Although he was not his student, he had seen him several times. Fu Qian admired Qin Qixuan's knowledge. He had also read his papers that year. People with such a mentality would never cheat.

"Mr. Fu, can you take a look at the words on the snacks first."

Qin Qixuan didn't explain much, as if he had expected it, his expression was calm.

Fu Qian picked up a few snacks and handed a few to Pei Xuanyi. The two looked at each other and their faces instantly became serious.

"Sir, Qixuan must be too nervous, that's why he behaved like this. He is still young, I beg you to be merciful and let him go."

Zhang Zongxian knelt down with a plop, looking worried about his friend, and begged for mercy for him.

"Oh? Brother Zhang, you haven't even seen the snacks yet, how can you be sure that I'm cheating?"

Qin Qixuan turned his head to look at Zhang Zongxian, and for some reason he suddenly became a little flustered.

Suddenly, Fu Qian and Pei Xuanyi laughed at the same time.