Chapter 193 The Princess's Personal Expedition
On February 20th, Du Qinglan took a half-month leave from school and took the train back to Qingyuan County with her only daughter Gu Yajun to take the county exam.
Two days later, the county examination began.
Unlike previous years, this year's candidates included both men and women, all wearing thin white linen robes, carrying exam baskets, and shivering in the cold wind.
Du Qinglan was sending her child to take the exam and met Li Wei unexpectedly.
"I haven't seen you for many years. Sister Yan has grown a lot taller and become more beautiful." Du Qinglan looked at Li Wei's daughter and said with a smile.
Especially her scholarly air, elegant manners and extraordinary conversation, which were no worse than the young ladies from official families in Xiajing City.
Huang Xunyan's cheeks flushed slightly as she bowed gracefully to Du Qinglan and said, "My student greets Teacher Du."
——Since the establishment of Xia Sheng Academy, terms such as Mr., Professor, and Instructor have all become a thing of the past. Anyone who imparts knowledge is called a teacher.
Du Qinglan asked the two girls to go play aside and talked to Li Wei: "How is Sister Li these days?"
Li Wei smiled and said, "Everything is fine. I'm currently teaching at the girls' school. Sister Yan is taking the county exam this time, and I'm worried about her, so I asked for leave from the headmaster and came back with her."
"It's more reassuring to have someone accompany you." Du Qinglan looked at the girl who was slightly taller than Gu Yajun. "Sister Yan has been very intelligent since she was young. She will definitely be able to win the first battle."
"Jun Jie'er will definitely be successful and make the list." Li Wei gathered her clothes. Although she was wearing a wool sweater, she still felt a little cold. "It's all thanks to Mei Jie's good teaching. She laid a solid foundation, which made the rest of the learning much easier."
Li Wei changed the subject and said, "By the way, you should all be teaching at the girls' school now, right?"
Ever since the eight sisters of the Du family followed Du Qingtang to settle in Xiajing, their contacts with Qingyuan County have become much less frequent.
Li Wei didn't know their current situation, but she thought about the other members of the Qiongying English Society, especially the sisters Du Qingmei and Du Qinglan. They were famous female teachers in northern Zhili back then. Even people in northern Zhili paid them a lot of money to teach their daughters.
Now that the girls' school has been built, they will certainly not miss this great opportunity.
Du Qinglan's smile paused for a moment. Fortunately, it was dark at night and Li Wei didn't notice. "Yes, they are all here."
"That's great! You finally got what you wanted." Li Wei sighed sincerely. "I'm able to achieve what I have today thanks to the hard work of Master Du and Master Fu. The students of the Beizhili branch are very grateful to you for giving them the opportunity to study."
The same is true for the school in Xiajing.
Du Qingtang is the headmaster of the girls' school, and Fu Ci is the deputy headmaster. Whenever the two of them appear in the school, the students look at them as if they were saviors, full of gratitude and admiration.
"boom--"
The signal gun sounded and the examination room door opened.
The candidates spontaneously lined up in a long queue, with men on the left and women on the right. After their names were called, they began to be searched.
Du Qinglan watched Gu Yajun enter the examination room, chatted with Li Wei for a few words, and then they went their separate ways.
......
The county examination consists of five sessions, each lasting one day.
Five days passed in a flash, and the examiners spent another five days marking the papers.
On the first day of March, the county examination results were announced, with Gu Yajun ranking first and Huang Xunyan ranking third.
Du Qinglan and Li Wei were ecstatic and told the good news to their relatives and friends, which made countless people envious and jealous.
"Back then, the youngest son of the Du family won the case at the age of thirteen. Her niece is only ten years old this year, and it seems she has even surpassed him."
"Her biological father is the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, and her biological aunt is the Grand Secretary of the current dynasty, a super-rank duke. In fact, she doesn't need to do anything, and her wealth and glory in this life are guaranteed. In the future, she can marry a good man and become a royal consort. People will respect her wherever she goes."
"There's a difference between being successful on your own and relying on a man. Even if the former marries into a wealthy family, she still has a strong position and more say. But the latter is not necessarily the case. It's like the peony flower: although it's beautiful and wealthy, it's just beautiful and wealthy."
"A woman must be able to stand on her own two feet. Last year my eldest daughter went to school. My youngest daughter is four years old this year. In two years, I will send her there too. After six years of study, even if she doesn't pass the imperial examination, she will be able to make a living and live a comfortable life."
The spring breeze blew the women's conversation into the carriage. Gu Yajun pursed her lips and smiled: "Mom, the girls' school has saved many girls."
If there were no girls' schools, women would still be trapped in the small world of "supporting their husbands and raising their children". If they wanted to gain glory, the only way was "a wife is honored by her husband, a mother is honored by her son".
But now it's different.
Although there are still many pedantic and feudal people in the world who insist that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, at least the imperial court has given women the same rights as men.
Women could study, take the imperial examinations, become officials, and even be granted titles.
They can gain glory on their own and no longer need to rely on others.
Gu Yajun's eyes flashed with a moist light, and she looked up at Du Qinglan: "Mother, if I become like my aunt in the future, focusing on my career and not wanting to get married, will you blame me?"
Du Qinglan shook her head: "Your life is not lived for the purpose of getting married, and you should not get married just for the sake of getting married."
"You need to do more meaningful things, things you enjoy doing." Du Qinglan stroked her daughter's hair. "Jun Jie'er's happiness is the most important thing."
Over the years, Gu Tai's parents have asked her more than once to have more children, preferably sons, and her sisters-in-law have also repeatedly hinted that Gu Tai should adopt their sons.
Du Qinglan ignored all of it, but Gu Tai always respected her decisions.
Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Gu Yajun has her own life, and they, as her parents, cannot walk the whole journey for her.
Gu Yajun raised the corner of her mouth and threw herself into Du Qinglan's arms: "I love mother the most."
Du Qinglan smiled and hugged her daughter.
She didn't say that there was a time when she felt that studying was useless. In fact, in the very beginning, she was forced to learn to read and write under the "tyranny" of the youngest brother. She even said nonsense such as "studying is to have something to talk about with my future husband."
Not only her, but her fifth sister also had the same idea as her.
Thinking about it now, it seems like a lifetime ago.
......
Du Qinglan took Gu Yajun back to the Gu family, and then went to Du Dahang's grave to clean up the new green weeds.
"When you were still alive, you always said that your daughter was a waste of money. You beat and scolded us at every turn and didn't treat us as human beings."
"To be honest, when you left, we sisters all breathed a sigh of relief. We were finally out of your clutches."
"If you knew about this, you would surely see that we are living a good life now, being loved, respected, and having a huge fortune."
"But I know you won't regret it, and you still want a son."
"But I don't care."
"I came here today just to tell you that not only are my sisters promising, but our daughter will also be very promising in the future."
"Are you very angry?"
"It's okay to be angry. When you're angry, I feel relieved."
Du Qinglan smiled complacently, without kowtowing or burning incense, she brushed off the dirt on her fingertips and left without looking back.
Before leaving for Xiajing, Du Qinglan visited Yao Xuan and Wen Boqing again and delivered the gifts prepared by Du Qingtang and Fu Ci.
"Xianyu said that Wen Jing will return to the capital this year and will be promoted to the third rank at least."
Yao Xuan was silent for a moment, then twirled his beard and sighed, "Xianyu is thoughtful."
Fu Ci wanted to repay his master's teachings, but Wen Boqing had no sons, only two daughters, who were already married and had children.
Fu Ci would probably have to wait until their children became officials in the court before he would have the chance to repay them.
Du Qinglan returned to Xiajing and went to Lianhua Temple alone before the vacation was over.
In March of that year, Du Qingmei escaped death and went to Lianhua Temple to practice meditation after she gained enlightenment.
In the blink of an eye, two years have passed.
Du Qinglan lives her own small life, preparing lessons and teaching every day, and occasionally getting together with her sisters. Her life is busy but fulfilling.
If Li Wei hadn't mentioned it, Du Qinglan would have been surprised to find that she hadn't thought of Du Qingmei for a long time, and she could even hardly remember Du Qingmei's every frown and smile.
Realizing this, Du Qinglan felt mixed emotions.
They are twin sisters, born on the same day, and have lived and eaten together for the next eighteen years. Their relationship is much closer than that of other sisters.
Unfortunately, fate played a trick on them, and they eventually parted ways and drifted further and further apart.
Du Qinglan sighed softly, suppressed her sorrow, opened the car door and got out.
She suddenly wanted to see Du Qingmei.
So she came.
......
Lianhua Temple is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with a tranquil environment and pleasant scenery, making it a great place for spiritual practice.
Du Qinglan asked the nun in the temple about Du Qingmei. The nun was stunned for a moment: "You mean Madam Du? She's probably teaching at this hour. Go along this road and turn left at the end and you'll see her."
Teaching?
A hint of surprise flashed across Du Qinglan's eyes. She thanked her and walked in the direction the nun pointed.
After walking along the narrow path for a while, we arrived at the east side of the nunnery.
“Man is born good…”
The sound of reading books came into her ears. Du Qinglan stopped and looked towards the source of the sound.
Under the thatched hut, there were no less than thirty or forty boys and girls sitting in a crowd.
They were wearing patched clothes, their faces were dirty, and their eyes were clear and focused as they looked at the woman in light gray cloth. They were like hungry baby birds, reciting the "Three Character Classic" with the woman like parrots.
The woman had her back to Du Qinglan, but she recognized the owner of the figure at a glance.
"What this sentence means is..."
Du Qingmei's voice was like a gurgling stream, delicate and moving. The children were fascinated by her voice, and so was Du Qinglan.
Half an hour passed in a flash, and Du Qingmei closed the book: "That's all for today, let's go back quickly and be careful on the road."
The children stood up, clasped their hands together, and bowed. Their movements were not quite standard, and it felt a bit awkward. Their skinny bodies staggered from side to side. "Thank you, Mr. Du."
After the ceremony, they left in groups of three or five, jumping and chattering as they recited the "Three Character Classic" they had just learned, with joy in their eyes and eyebrows.
Du Qingmei packed up her books and prepared to go back to the nunnery to cook dinner. When she turned around, she saw a face that looked 70% like hers.
Du Qingmei was stunned for a moment, and asked uncertainly, "Xiao Liu?"
"Fifth sister." Du Qinglan paused, stepped forward, and said casually, "Jun Jieer just came back from the county exam and happened to be free, so I came to see you."
Du Qingmei was in the nunnery, but she had heard about the imperial court opening up the imperial examinations to women, so she asked, "How did Sister Jun do on the exam?"
Du Qinglan told the truth, and Du Qingmei couldn't help but laugh: "Jun Jie'er has been smart since she was young, and she is willing to work hard. She will definitely pass the imperial examination and bring honor to our family."
Du Qinglan's brows relaxed: "Thank you for your good wishes."
After the words were spoken, the two sisters looked at each other in silence, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.
Du Qinglan coughed lightly, as if she suddenly remembered something: "Oh, those children just now..."
Du Qingmei breathed a sigh of relief. "Those are children from nearby farmers, too young to attend school. I happened to have nothing to do in the nunnery, so I decided to teach them. It can be considered a good deed."
Du Qinglan's uneasiness subsided a lot, and the two sisters walked west side by side: "How have you been lately?"
Du Qingmei nodded. "I grow some vegetables in the nunnery. There's a small market nearby, and Steward Meng delivers things every month. I have no worries about food and clothing, and everything is fine."
Du Qinglan hooked her fingers on the forbidden step at her waist, looked sideways, and said in an inexplicable tone: "I thought... you would not teach anymore."
Du Qingmei chuckled softly, a hint of bitterness laced within her smile. "I used to think so too. I initially only saw those children looking pale and thin, so I gave them some food. Later, I overheard them talking about studying, their words filled with envy, and that's when I made up my mind."
As she spoke, Du Qingmei looked at Du Qinglan: "What about you? You should be teaching at the girls' school now, right?"
Du Qinglan responded, "Not only me, Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba went there too. Now the Female Doctor Bureau is on the right track. Concubines in the harem and noble ladies in the capital all seek out female doctors for treatment whenever they have a headache or a fever. The Food Fragrance Pavilion is always crowded with guests, and the franchise business is doing very well."
"And my eldest sister and the others, their shops are doing very well, and most of the girls and boys have achieved success..."
"That's great." Du Qingmei turned her head and looked at the fresh green branches. A fleeting look of melancholy flashed across her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. "Everyone has found their own path."
Du Qinglan looked at her: "What about you?"
"Me?" Du Qingmei pondered for a moment, "I quite like the environment here. There are a lot of children nearby, so being a leisurely teacher wouldn't be bad."
She once went astray and only turned back after hitting a wall. Now she has finally found her original intention.
Du Qinglan heard the hidden meaning in Du Qingmei's words and gently held Du Qingmei's wrist: "This is also good, isn't it?"
Du Qingmei was slightly startled, then said firmly, "Yes."
Since coming to Lianhua Temple, she has been meditating and thinking all day long. Her mind has been purified as never before, and her heart is as clear as a mirror, peaceful and harmonious.
The love and hate of the past have become a thing of the past, and it’s nice to live like this for the rest of my life.
The two sisters smiled at each other and walked away along the narrow path.
-
In April, the provincial examination began.
Gu Yajun performed steadily and became the top scorer in Qingyuan County.
Looking across Daxia, there were more than 40,000 women who registered for the county examination, and more than 10,000 of them were on the list, of which 92 won the top spot.
The relevant data was summarized in the Ministry of Personnel and spread in the court. All officials were speechless and felt extremely complicated.
Before the 23rd year of the Qingyuan reign, no girl had ever studied in a private school or academy. At most, she had studied in the Qiongying English Society for a few years.
Before the imperial examination began last year, officials did not take women seriously for this reason.
It was not until the results of the provincial and palace examinations were announced that the number of women on the list gave them a slap in the face, awakening them from their arrogance.
This data made them realize that women's potential is far more terrifying than they imagined, and they must never look down on women as they did in the past.
"Instead of focusing all your energy on targeting the ladies-in-waiting, it would be better to focus on your duties. If you end up becoming a stepping stone for them, it would be truly a laughing stock."
"It's a foregone conclusion that women will serve as officials. There's nothing much to say. Compared to this, I'm more concerned about why His Majesty insisted on letting Princess Zhaoyang enter the court. What exactly is his intention?"
"You and I have lived through two dynasties. Over the years, we've watched His Majesty grow from enduring burdens to wielding great power. While we don't completely understand him, we at least have a good grasp of him. You should understand that His Majesty isn't someone who acts on impulse. Everything he does has a purpose. Over the past year or so, countless people have urged His Majesty to adopt a member of the imperial family, but His Majesty has repeatedly put it off. Now, first by allowing a woman to serve as an official at court, and now by letting Princess Zhaoyang head the Ministry of Revenue, the meaning couldn't be clearer, isn't it?"
"But doesn't Your Majesty know that a woman in power would bring chaos to the world? Furthermore, Princess Zhaoyang only knows how to indulge in pleasure and has an overbearing and domineering personality. She is truly unfit to handle this important task!"
"Master Wan's words are somewhat biased. Judging from Princess Zhaoyang's performance over the past few months, she is undoubtedly decisive and ruthless. Even the previous princes could not match her in terms of tactics."
"No matter what, I will not agree with Your Majesty appointing her as the heir. If Your Majesty insists on doing so, I will crash into the throne room and die!"
Compared with the radicalism of a small number of officials, the vast majority of officials are waiting and watching.
Wait and see the attitude of Emperor Qingyuan.
Wait and see what Princess Zhaoyang's abilities are.
But before Emperor Qingyuan could make the issue of appointing a crown prince public, a young man suddenly appeared and claimed to be the prince.
......
In mid-May, a young man knocked on the drum at the gate of the imperial palace, accusing Emperor Qingyuan of abandoning his wife and children.
Lord Fang, who was guarding the drum for reporting news, was so frightened that he crawled into the palace.
At that time, Emperor Qingyuan was summoning important officials from the court to discuss state affairs.
After being informed, Lord Fang entered the imperial study and told the story in a trembling voice.
There was dead silence in the imperial study, and you could hear a pin drop.
The officials looked at each other, shocked and delighted.
His Majesty explicitly rejected the selection, was unwilling to acknowledge the third prince, and intended to make Princess Zhaoyang the crown prince.
Even though Princess Zhaoyang was capable and resourceful, many officials were still unwilling to let a woman become the head of the Eastern Palace and sit on the supreme throne.
They would rather the heir to the throne be a member of the royal family than Princess Zhaoyang.
Recently, they have been investigating the royal family members one by one and found that most of them are just living a life of idleness and waiting to die. Those who have a little ambition do not meet the standards of a wise king in their minds.
He was just planning to pick a general from the short men and pick a decent one to propose to His Majesty to adopt him and raise him as a proper prince. Then he heard from Lord Fang that a prince who was suspected to have been lost among the people had beaten the drum to file a complaint against His Majesty.
Shi Zishan looked at the person behind the imperial desk with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, this is about the heir to the throne. Do you want to summon this person?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the officials spoke one after another.
"Of course he must be summoned! Beating the drum to appeal for justice is no small matter, and it concerns Your Majesty and the heir apparent. Word will soon spread among the people, and we must reach a conclusion soon to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Since he is the heir to the throne, he must be recognized as soon as possible. Your Majesty has no children now, so you should devote all your energy to nurturing him and teaching him how to govern the country. Only then can he become a wise ruler, stabilize the country, and benefit the people."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on having a successor!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on having a successor!"
Yan Tiande listened to his colleague's excited words, and his eyebrows jumped as if he had already confirmed the identity of the person beating the drum.
She glanced at Du Qingtang and saw her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was thinking about something.
Du Qingtang did not expect that Princess Zhaoyang had already entered the court and was only one step away from being appointed as the crown prince, but Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared halfway.
Emperor Qingyuan had only one wife, who had died long ago. The grass on her grave was three feet high. How could he abandon his wife and children?
Or did Emperor Qingyuan suddenly lose his mind one day and, in order to take revenge on Cao Yuan and the deposed empress, he married another woman outside the palace and even caused a murder?
Based on Du Qingtang's understanding of Emperor Qingyuan, it is unlikely.
Since it is a dormant period, why do we need to do stupid things that would anger Cao and only end up shooting ourselves in the foot?
Even if the person beating the drum was a real prince, Emperor Qingyuan had already decided that Princess Zhaoyang would be the next emperor, and was willing to sacrifice several princes to help her ascend the throne. He should have also eliminated this trouble once and for all and gotten rid of this exiled prince instead of letting him come to his door and make it known to the world.
Du Qingtang looked up and saw Emperor Qingyuan with his eyes lowered, his expression difficult to discern.
Her sixth sense told her that the old fox was plotting something bad again, but she didn't know what exactly he was up to.
Lord Fang glanced at the elated court officials, his lips twitching as he raised his voice and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to summon this person?"
The congratulations stopped abruptly, and everyone looked at the imperial desk with burning eyes.
"Xuan."
Just one word made everyone feel at ease and smile unconsciously.
They never considered the possibility that someone might impersonate the prince.
This is a crime of deceiving the emperor. Once it is exposed, you will lose your head.
Lord Fang bowed in response and quickly led the man beating the drum to the imperial study.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the young man in a coarse shirt fell to his knees and kowtowed twice: "Your humble servant Yang Xu pays homage to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!"
Emperor Qingyuan looked down at Yang Xu from above, his voice low and majestic: "Raise your head."
Yang Xu paused and slowly raised his head.
More than ten eyes converged on his face, and the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace was the first to exclaim, "Resemble! So similar!"
The Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace had served in three dynasties, so naturally he had seen the young Emperor Qingyuan.
The person in front of him was almost carved from the same mold as Emperor Qingyuan in terms of facial features and contours.
"I can't believe that His Majesty actually has a prince living abroad. Didn't our previous worries go to waste?"
"But why does Your Majesty favor Zhao...that person?"
"Most likely, he was unaware of her existence and didn't want the throne to fall into the hands of a member of the royal family, so he chose her reluctantly."
"Master Qiu is absolutely right. It coincides with my guess!"
Du Qingtang looked at Yang Xu steadily and narrowed his eyes slightly.
When he looked up again, his eyes met with Emperor Qingyuan's.
Emperor Qingyuan glanced at Yang Xu, then locked eyes with Du Qingtang, then looked away. "You claim I abandoned my wife and children. Do you have any evidence?"
"Of course I do." Yang Xu took out a jade pendant from his bosom. With a flick of his wrist, the jade pendant dropped straight down. "This is the token you gave to my mother back then."
When everyone looked closely, they saw that it was a jade pendant with a dragon pattern.
"Eighteen years ago, Your Majesty traveled to Jiangnan and was unexpectedly assassinated. Your mother saved you. The two of you spent time together day and night, and gradually fell in love. You gave this jade pendant to my mother, saying it was a token of your love."
When Yang Xu said this, everyone suddenly understood.
"Eighteen years ago? Your Majesty did go to Jiangnan, and was assassinated and fell into the water. He was not found until two months later."
"I remember that incident very clearly. The assassin claimed to be from Qi, but I've always suspected it was a plot by Cao Cao. He wanted to eliminate... but also to pin the blame on Qi, provoking a dispute between the two countries. He could then take advantage of the situation and seize control of the country."
Yang Xu continued, "Mother said that when you left, you promised her that you would send someone to pick her up after everything was settled."
"But until Caomin was born and my mother died of depression, you never showed up."
Du Qingtang's eyes flickered, and he suddenly asked, "Since your family is in Jiangnan, you should have never seen His Majesty. How did you know my identity?"
Yang Xu answered fluently, "To be honest, Your Excellency, I took part in the prefectural examination not long ago. The prefect saw my appearance and told me his suspicions about my identity."
Du Qingtang asked again, "Has anyone seen His Majesty and your mother together?"
Yang Xu nodded. "Everyone in Yangjia Village can testify to this. They all know that my mother once rescued a man of extraordinary character."
Du Qingtang shook his head. "What I mean is, has anyone from the imperial court—for example, the imperial guards, officials, etc.—seen His Majesty and your mother together?"
Before Yang Xu could reply, an official spoke up impatiently, "Your Majesty returned alone that year, and the Imperial Guards did not come looking for him."
Du Qingtang raised his eyebrows slightly. "In other words, no one can prove the truth of your mother's relationship with His Majesty?"
Yang Xu frowned and said in a resounding voice: "The villagers of Yangjia Village can..."
"That doesn't count." Du Qingtang interrupted him ruthlessly, "Who knows if you will collude and forge a fictitious identity as a prince?"
"Lord Du! This young man is obviously the heir of His Majesty. Why are you being so aggressive? What is your intention?"
Du Qingtang glanced at the official who questioned her, but remained silent. She simply bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is a matter concerning who will inherit the throne in the future, and whether or not that person is your bloodline. This cannot be taken lightly, and we must proceed with utmost caution."
Yang Xu took over the conversation: "I know that you gentlemen do not believe my words. I am willing to test my relationship with Your Majesty by dropping blood."
The Grand Secretary of the Dongge was the first to speak out in support: "To be on the safe side, I think it would be best to use a blood test, which would be more convincing."
As soon as these words were spoken, they were unanimously recognized by the officials present.
Only Du Qingtang objected again: "Your Majesty, I think the blood test is inappropriate."
Emperor Qingyuan frowned, his tone slightly lowered, as if he was displeased: "What's wrong?"
Du Qingtang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know that the blood of any two people can mix together. Therefore, blood tests are not accurate, and cannot verify your relationship with this person."
"I have lived for most of my life and have never heard of this."
"Master Du, please don't exaggerate. Blood testing has been around for so many years, so there must be some basis for it. How is it possible that the blood of two unrelated people can mix?"
Du Qingtang said calmly, "We'll know whether it's true or not once we try it."
Emperor Qingyuan pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Approved."
Fu Rui summoned two eunuchs, cut their fingers, and dripped the blood into a bowl.
In full view of everyone, the two drops of blood merged together.
Just like a drop of cold water falling into a pan of hot oil, the Golden Throne Hall instantly exploded.
"It actually merged?!"
"Those families who used blood tests to prove their identities in the past were very likely deceived, weren't they?"
Du Qingtang looked at Yan Tiande, who understood what he meant and said sternly, "May I ask, Lord Du, if the blood test is inaccurate, how can we prove the relationship between Your Majesty and Young Master Yang?"
Du Qingtang turned his head to look at Yang Xu. His tone was gentle, but his words were chilling. "I once read about a method of testing paternity in my sister's medical book. It involves opening the spine of one person, extracting bone marrow, mixing it with the blood of the other, and adding a certain herb. If the color turns blue, it means the two are blood relatives."
"Your Majesty is a body worth millions of gold, so naturally, you cannot extract his bone marrow. In that case, I will have to inconvenience Young Master Yang."
Du Qingtang smiled faintly and soothed him, "Don't worry, Young Master Yang. The Imperial Hospital has many high-quality medicinal herbs, and the imperial physicians are highly skilled. If all else fails, there's His Majesty's private vault, which contains even more excellent things. We'll definitely be able to restore you to your former self."
Emperor Qingyuan: “…”
Officials: “…”
Yang Xu's face turned pale and he cried out incoherently, "I'm a living person. How can I open my spine and extract my bone marrow?"
Du Qingtang said calmly, "Aren't you here to recognize your relatives? This is the only safe way."
Yang Xu's jaw trembled, and he kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, if you don't want to recognize me, just say so. Why let this gentleman humiliate me?"
After saying that, he stood up and pretended to walk out.
At the critical moment, Emperor Qingyuan spoke: "Wait."
Yang Xu paused.
"Now that I'm here, I have to get to the bottom of this before I leave. It just so happens that I have no children. If you are truly my son, I will appoint you as Crown Prince this very day." Emperor Qingyuan raised his hand, his tone brooking no room for argument. "Come here, bring Young Master Yang back, and then go to the Imperial Hospital and call in a few doctors."
The imperial guards appeared like ghosts, clamped Yang Xu's arm, and "invited" him back.
Another eunuch received the order and went straight to the Imperial Hospital.
"Your Majesty! Please let me go back. If my spine is broken, I will die, Your Majesty!"
"I simply want justice for my mother. I've never considered returning to my roots, let alone dreaming of the throne!"
Emperor Qingyuan turned a deaf ear and waved, "Child, come here."
The imperial guards looked at each other and sent Yang Xu away.
Yang Xu staggered a few steps, and after steadying himself, he climbed the stairs and knelt beside the imperial desk, lowering his head with a look of trepidation.
Emperor Qingyuan leaned over, lifted Yang Xu's chin, looked at him carefully, and said in an ambiguous tone, "It is your honor to be able to resemble me a little bit."
Yang Xu lowered his eyes, not daring to meet Emperor Qingyuan's gaze. He only said in a trembling voice, "Mother once said that I look a lot like my father."
Emperor Qingyuan withdrew his hand and leaned back on the dragon throne. A mocking look appeared on his usually gentle face. "It's really hard for your master. In order to make me believe that I have a son, I changed your face."
Yang Xu's pupils contracted.
"What a pity! I have no children living abroad, and I have never done anything beyond the pale with the woman who saved me."
The officials' expressions also changed.
"What? This person is not the heir to the throne?"
"Who is his master?"
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
Amidst the terrified screams of Grand Secretary Qi, Yang Xu suddenly jumped up, a dagger appeared out of thin air in his hand, and he stabbed straight into the chest of Emperor Qingyuan.
"Go to hell, dog emperor!"
"His Majesty!"
"Protect the emperor!"
The imperial guards rushed towards Yang Xu as fast as they could, their eyes bloodshot.
Unfortunately, it was still a step too late.
The dagger was getting closer and closer, only a few inches away from Emperor Qingyuan's heart.
"His Majesty!"
Everyone screamed, despair sweeping over them.
At this critical moment of life and death, a black shadow fell from the sky and knocked Yang Xu's dagger away with lightning speed.
Another black shadow fell and kicked Yang Xu out.
"Bang!"
Yang Xu slammed his body heavily on the long table where the memorials were placed, causing the table to fall over and the memorials to scatter all over the floor.
Although Yang Xu failed in his first attack, he still did not give up and planned to assassinate him a second time.
However, just as he jumped up, he was kicked out by two men in black. He fell from the jade steps and stopped only after hitting the Panlong Pillar.
Yang Xu only felt a fishy and sweet taste in his throat and vomited blood on the spot.
He looked at the man sitting high behind the imperial desk and laughed heartily, with a sinister glint in his eyes: "You have slaughtered tens of millions of my Great Qi soldiers. One day, my Great Qi cavalry will trample through the Great Xia Imperial City and take the dog emperor's head to use as a urinal, hahahahahaha!"
After saying this, he bit the poison sac hidden in his back teeth, killing the person instantly.
The officials stared at the corpse with its eyes open, feeling shocked and angry.
"Da Qi? This person is not the heir to the throne, but an assassin sent by Da Qi?"
"It was a close call just now. He almost succeeded."
Shi Zishan took a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart: "Your Majesty, are you okay?"
Emperor Qingyuan shook his head. "Last night, I received a message from Zhaoyang that a group of Daqi spies had infiltrated Xiajing City and were planning to assassinate me. I've been on guard since the beginning, so I won't let them succeed."
Shi Zishan was stunned: "Your Highness?"
"Zhaoyang is in charge of the Imperial Secret Guard on my behalf. No disturbance in Xiajing City will escape her eyes."
Emperor Qingyuan seemed to be saying it casually, but it made the officials' eyelids twitch wildly.
Princess Zhaoyang?
Royal secret guard?
It is known that the Royal Secret Guards only obey the orders of successive emperors, and Princess Zhaoyang was ordered to take charge of the Royal Secret Guards.
Doesn't that mean...
Everyone's breath was held, their faces turned pale, then red, it was more exciting than a dyeing factory.
Du Qingtang and Yan Tiande looked at each other inconspicuously, their eyes looking at their noses and their noses looking at their hearts, pretending to be wooden men.
She was right. The old fox was really plotting something bad and was planning to make Princess Zhaoyang's identity public.
Shi Zishan gathered his thoughts and managed to calm down. "Your Majesty, what should be done with those Da Qi spies?"
Emperor Qingyuan smiled calmly, "I asked Zhaoyang to handle it. It should be over by now."
Officials: “???”
Officials: “…”
I don't want to talk, I want to die.
From dealing with the royal secret guards to dealing with the spies of the Great Qi, it seems that His Majesty is determined to let Princess Zhaoyang succeed to the throne.
Someone still refused to give up and bravely asked, "Your Majesty, the Yangjia Village that the Daqi assassin just mentioned..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Emperor Qingyuan: "Don't worry, my dear ministers, I have never had any casual relationship with any woman, let alone any children left behind."
Officials: “…”
What are you worried about?
Their hearts have long been shattered to pieces and cannot be put back together.
Your Majesty has no prince, and is unwilling to adopt a member of the royal family. He has almost made his preferred candidate for the crown prince public. What should we do?
At his wit's end, Emperor Qingyuan spoke calmly, "Great Qi has gone too far. I intend to lead an army to attack Qi. I wanted to lead the army myself, but due to my busy state affairs, I will have Zhaoyang lead the army on my behalf. What do you think, my dear ministers?"
What do you think?
Not a big deal!
"Your Majesty, the battlefield is fraught with danger. How can a woman like you personally fight for you?"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider!"
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
Du Qingtang couldn't stand hearing this and stood up to refute, "So what if she's just a woman? Don't you see that heroines have existed since ancient times? Your Highness is the son of His Majesty. With the protection of dragon energy, you will surely lead our Great Xia soldiers to victory and conquer every battle!"
Yan Tiande hesitated for a moment, then echoed, "Master Du is absolutely right. With Li Jin and two thousand other women defeating a larger force and routing thirty thousand rebels, your Highness's presence will surely boost the morale of our hundreds of thousands of soldiers and allow us to march straight to the capital of Great Qi and capture the Imperial City!"
"But......"
"No buts!" Emperor Qingyuan said firmly, "I am only informing you that your opinions are not important."
Everyone: “…”
Emperor Qingyuan asked again, "I would like to lead the army in person, but due to my busy state affairs, I would like to have Zhaoyang lead the army in my place. What do you think, my dear ministers?"
After a long silence, everyone bowed their heads and said, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. I have no objection."
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