Mo Chen grinned mischievously. "Hehe, I've noticed. Your and your senior brother's ideas are always tinged with scheming! Especially towards Princess Qingge. One minute you were acting all indifferent, and now you're going to such lengths to fawn over her?"
Gu Liyan glared at Mo Chen and said irritably, "The way you ask questions when you already know the answer is really annoying!"
Mo Chen just chuckled; he was always the first to guess the secrets in Gu Liyan's heart.
So, following Gu Liyan's plan, the two of them went to the inn. Gu Liyan used the life-and-death contract to save the unconscious Li Hao, and Mo Chen left a note.
As dawn broke, the two, wearing masks to conceal their identities, headed towards the palace gate.
City gate
"Since you've taken the general's money, you should know what to do, right?" A lewd-looking man spoke to the young general guarding the city.
"Understood, understood. As long as the people who come are among the top ten on the list, we will not let them enter the city easily!" The young general guarding the city said with a smile.
"It's good that you know..."
Soon, the first person to surrender arrived at the city gate.
"Zhang San, listed on the Sage's List, has come to surrender!"
"Go in, go in!" The young general guarding the city let him into the city without even glancing at him...
——
When Gu Liyan and Mo Chen arrived, they were already far behind in the queue.
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect so many people to make it onto the list of Sages! When will we ever finish this queue?" Mo Chen couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
Gu Liyan did not answer his question, but instead kept an eye on the conversation at the pass:
"What did you say your name was?"
"My name is Zhang San, what's up?"
"Guards! Arrest this Zhang San!"
"What? Why are you arresting me?! What crime have I committed?!"
"Hmph, daring to impersonate Zhang San, drag him away!"
"I really am Zhang San! I didn't impersonate anyone! You can't arrest me! I'm innocent!"
A commotion broke out in the front row. Mo Chen asked curiously, "What's going on?"
Gu Liyan chuckled, "Heh, so the competition actually started right here!"
Mo Chen thought for a moment and then smiled, realizing something. "So the test has already begun!"
It was impossible to tell who the real Zhang San was anymore; everyone knew that this name would never be associated with the wise again…
—The news quickly reached the palace.
“Princess Qingge, I really can’t stand it anymore! Those soldiers are taking such serious bribes, why did you just recall us all? Aren’t you going to do anything about it?” Huang Xi asked coldly, looking puzzled.
Chengxi, Lüxiu, and Lanying were also in Qingge's bedroom.
At this moment, Qingge stood by the window, leisurely holding a pot of tea, gazing at the lush flowers in the back garden, and smiled slightly, "Because I transferred you back, I can know who dares to play tricks under my nose!"
“But Your Highness, if we allow such a villain to gain power, most of the wise men will probably be afraid and unwilling to enter the palace. Wouldn’t that be a loss?” Cheng Xi asked with a serious expression.
Qingge narrowed her eyes and sneered, "If one cannot even pass the first hurdle of authority, how can one be worthy of being called a sage? Do not worry, those who fear authority are not allowed to enter the sage competition, those with bad luck are not allowed to enter, and there is more..."
Those who do not wish to join will never be allowed to join!
——
"Greetings, sirs. I am Mo Han," a middle-aged man with narrowed eyes greeted with a smile.
Hearing this from not far behind, Mo Chen couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "See? Someone's impersonating you!"
"Heh, he's impersonating my senior brother!" Gu Liyan's lips curled up.
Upon hearing the name Mo Han, the soldier squinted and scrutinized the fake Mo Han. "You say you're Mo Han, ranked second?"
"No, that's right!" The swindler gritted his teeth and spoke. There was no turning back now, so he could only grit his teeth and speak.
"There's an order from above that the top ten are all exceptionally talented and good-looking, so everyone in the top ten must hand over ten thousand taels of gold to prove their identity!" The soldier revealed a wicked face. "If you can't produce it, you're a fraud!"
The fake Mo Han was stunned, and a hint of panic appeared in his eyes. Without thinking, he pushed aside the soldiers beside him and ran towards the outside of the city.
"Grab him!" He was quickly apprehended by the patrolmen and dragged away.
Mo Chen glanced at Gu Liyan and nudged his elbow. "Hey, did you bring any money?"
"I brought it, so what?" Gu Liyan asked with a smile.
"Then lend me some! I don't have any money with me!" Mo Chen said with a chuckle.
"Why should I?" Gu Liyan smiled wickedly.
Mo Chen's face immediately darkened. "Hey! Are you kidding me? We agreed to participate in the competition together, why didn't you even pay my entrance fee!"
Gu Liyan shrugged and grinned mischievously, "Why should I pay for you? We'll be competitors after we participate in the competition!"
"Gu Liyan, you..." Mo Chen was so angry that he almost cursed out loud.
"Hey, I'm talking to you two! You're wearing masks!" Just then, it was their turn to enter the checkpoint.
Gu Liyan smiled and said, "My name is Mo Han. This is my younger brother, Mo Chen."
Mo Chen glared at Gu Liyan with annoyance, "Who's your brother? How can you be so shameless!"
"Are you two Mo Chen and Mo Han?" The soldier sized up Gu Liyan and Mo Han.
Seeing that the two of them were wearing the same kind of mask, I was already somewhat convinced.
"Well, since that's the case, you should know the rules, right?" The guard at the gate stretched out his hand.
Gu Liyan smiled as she looked at his hand and said, "Your fortune is on the rise! Young man, your career path is smooth sailing, but your marriage path has some issues. If you give me ten thousand taels of gold, I guarantee you'll soon marry a beautiful woman!"
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