Qin Shaoqing's eyes suddenly lit up.
He was naturally very concerned about that girl.
If he hadn't mistaken her for someone else, he wouldn't have gotten entangled with Jiang Tian anymore.
"Your Majesty, where is that girl?"
Xuanyuan Ye observed his expression and realized that he was genuinely looking forward to it, which made her feel a little better.
If Qin Shaoqing were to develop feelings for Jiang Tian, one would be his childhood best friend, and the other would be someone he cherished deeply... He didn't want things to come to that.
Speaking of this girl, Xuan Yuan Ye's eyes darkened slightly.
He didn't reveal her identity immediately, but looked at Qin Shaoqing with a probing gaze: "Are you on good terms with the son of the Minister of Works?"
Qin Shaoqing was momentarily at a loss for words when he asked the question.
But he still nodded frankly: "Yes, our two houses are next to each other, and I have known him since I was a child."
Xuanyuan Ye carefully observed his expression and realized that he was not lying before slowly speaking.
"Did you know that she has been disguised as a boy since childhood, and even participated in the imperial examination not long ago?"
Qin Shaoqing's expression was blank.
For a moment, he didn't even understand what Xuanyuan Ye was saying.
A woman dressed as a man?
Seeing that he was truly unaware, Xuanyuan Ye decided not to hide it from him.
Originally, finding Qin Shaoqing's sweetheart was just a small favor, and Xuan Yuan Ye didn't intend to pursue it any further.
Qin Shaoqing's painting skills were superb; he could always find the person by looking at the portrait.
But his men told him that the person who looked nine-tenths like the portrait was actually Liu Hanyan, the son of the Minister of Works.
He couldn't help but take it seriously.
The imperial examination was held not long ago, and Liu Hanyan was the new top scholar. Xuanyuan Ye had seen his writings.
To be honest, his writing skills are only so-so, not quite up to par.
However, the selection of the top scholar was significant. Xuan Yuan Ye, considering the power dynamics of the imperial court, appointed him as the top scholar.
Who would have thought that the Liu family would be so audacious as to have their daughter impersonate a young master, raise her for over a decade, and even have her participate in the imperial examinations?
The imperial examination process was complicated and rigorous. If Liu Hanyan was a woman, then someone must have cheated on her behalf.
Xuanyuan Ye cannot tolerate any flaws.
He hates nothing more than others forming cliques and engaging in self-serving activities.
The humiliations he suffered as a child, and the widespread famine caused by those aristocratic families, made Xuan Yuan Ye hate such behavior to the core.
Originally, he wanted to find Qin Shaoqing's sweetheart, but this also involved the inside story of the imperial examination, which Xuan Yuan Ye could not ignore.
When he told Qin Shaoqing everything he had found out in the past few days, Qin Shaoqing was speechless for a long time.
He had only ever read about such daring and deceitful acts in storybooks; who would have thought he would encounter it in real life?
A terrible suspicion surfaced in his mind.
Qin Shaoqing couldn't help but ask, "So the woman the Emperor found was Liu Hanyan?"
Xuanyuan Ye nodded.
He didn't say much.
But Qin Shaoqing's heart sank immediately.
He was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, always thinking ten steps ahead. Otherwise, Xuanyuan Ye wouldn't have felt comfortable placing him as an undercover agent in the Southern Kingdom.
What Xuanyuan Ye could think of, he could naturally think of as well.
The woman who made his heart race had undoubtedly broken the law.
At that moment, his attraction to her became irrelevant.
A woman managed to evade various searches, successfully participate in the scientific expedition, and even become the top scholar.
It's impossible to count how many people were involved, or how many turned a blind eye.
"Your Majesty, what should we do next?"
Qin Shaoqing's tone returned to calm at this moment.
To be honest, he only saw that woman by chance and became interested in her.
Having never met her and not knowing her personality, that unforgettable feeling at first sight will fade away with time.
As the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, this case was what he cared about most.
Seeing that he immediately returned to normal, Xuanyuan Ye felt a greater appreciation for him.
As expected of the person he has always valued, he has always been extremely accurate in judging right and wrong, big and small matters.
"It's not that simple for a woman to become the top scholar. I've been guarding against their collusion every day, but I still can't stop them. Since that's the case, when we return to court, we'll clean up the mess again. If they dare to collude to get a woman into the palace examination today, they'll dare to embezzle disaster relief funds tomorrow, leaving corpses strewn across the fields. Shaoqing, you'll be very busy then."
"It is my duty, and I will not shirk it."
Qin Shaoqing cupped his hands in greeting.
The investigation into a woman led to a major case, and Xuan Yuan Ye's desire to go hunting had almost completely faded away.
Fortunately, he brought many warriors with him, and arranged for them to accompany the ministers on hunting trips every day, which they enjoyed.
Xuanyuan Ye finally had some free time, so naturally he wanted to spend some quality time with Jiang Tian.
When he was in the palace, if he wanted to see her, he had to do so under the cover of night and hide from people.
Now we can see it all the time.
Xuanyuan Ye sometimes asks himself why he doesn't get tired of seeing her every day, but feels lost when he doesn't see her.
He had never made a mistake in matters of the court, yet he couldn't control his own heart.
"What is Your Majesty thinking now?"
Jiang Tian was helping him roast sweet potatoes.
In fact, the two of them had similar childhoods.
When Xuanyuan Ye was at his lowest point, he survived on sweet potatoes, and when Jiang Tian couldn't afford to eat, she also drank sweet potato porridge every day.
As they chatted, Jiang Tian told him she wanted to eat a roasted sweet potato.
Even if she wanted to eat dragon liver and phoenix meat, Xuanyuan Ye would go through fire and water to get it for her, let alone the food of ordinary people.
What he feared was that Jiang Tian never made any demands of him and always seemed indifferent to him.
That would make him feel fear, as if he couldn't hold onto her.
As the two discussed, Xuanyuan Ye asked someone from the imperial kitchen to bring over a stove, intending to personally bake something for Jiang Tian.
Jiang Tian reminded him that the sweet potatoes were almost burnt.
He quickly flipped it over.
When the sweet potatoes were ripe, he peeled them for her himself, and then fed them to her so as not to get her hands dirty.
Seeing her obediently eat bite by bite, Xuanyuan Ye couldn't help but cup her head and kiss her again.
If only time could stand still at this moment.
No, you can't.
That night, Xuanyuan Ye took Jiang Tian out.
He remembered that today was her birthday.
Even if she herself couldn't bear it, he would still try to bear it for her if he knew.
There are too many eyes and ears during the day, which is always inconvenient. It's much better at night. As long as there are guards watching, he can take Jiang Tian to do some other things.
Xuan Yuan Ye never figured out what Jiang Tian liked.
At first, she seemed to really like the little fox, but not long after, she had it released.
He asked her why, and she simply said she was tired of seeing it.
At that moment, Xuan Yuan Ye's heart sank uncontrollably.
He was always able to read people's minds, but he lost his composure when it came to Jiang Tian.
She didn't actually like the little fox at all; he only told her because he forced her to say something she liked.
He still doesn't know what she truly cares about.
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