Chapter 29
Rong Rong's letter to Du Shaofeng was very simple. It was a recollection of the good old days (which was fake). She also said that she hadn't taken good care of Du Shaofeng, which caused him to fall off a cliff. She claimed that she only ran away because she was afraid of being punished.
Then Rong Rong added fuel to the fire, saying how cruel Prince Yu was, that she still had feelings for Du Shaofeng, and that she hoped he would take her back to his residence.
The letter was written with great emotion and feeling, but it's unclear how much of it Du Shaofeng believed.
Having resolved her major concern, Rong Rong finally had the interest to watch the candidates' speeches downstairs.
Rong Rong was in a great mood, unaware that the topic of conversation next door was related to her.
"Princess! This servant has seen someone from Prince Yu's residence." Yinghong entered from outside and excitedly reported to her mistress, "It's a woman wearing a veil, most likely Princess Yu!"
Yinghong and Qingluo were from the same hometown. They were sold to the capital together, one going to the Prince Yu's mansion and the other to the Prince Ming's mansion.
Yinghong had just gone out to prepare some snacks for Ronglu County when she happened to see Rongrong and Qingluo in the corridor.
"They're sitting in the top-tier room right next to ours!"
"So it was her!" Princess Ronglu's eyes were filled with malice. Her father had already promised to ask the emperor to grant her and Yang Yan a marriage, but Yang Yan was persecuted by Prince Yu and forced to flee Daqian. All of this was because of a woman.
Princess Ronglu had long ago sworn to tear him to pieces!
Unfortunately, the other party became the Princess Consort of Yu, and she had no way to make a move. But now, the person had run into her, and in such a setting no less.
"Hmph, you have a path to heaven but you choose to barge into hell!" Princess Ronglu gritted her teeth; she had been waiting for this day for a long time.
She can't touch Prince Yu, but she can't easily deal with this woman either.
Princess Ronglu beckoned and whispered a few instructions in Yinghong's ear. Yinghong nodded and quickly left the room.
Princess Ronglu smiled fiercely, her eyes shining as she looked downstairs, her face full of anticipation.
She had long planned how to deal with Princess Yu, and was just waiting for the right opportunity, which today was just the right day.
Princess Ronglu was somewhat smug. If everything went smoothly, she might be able to cause Prince Yu a lot of trouble!
Down in the lobby, the person speaking was Pei Li, the top scholar from Xunyang Prefecture, who was also the most popular candidate for the top scholar in this autumn imperial examination.
Pei Li lived up to his reputation, delivering a unique, insightful, and brilliant speech that won him thunderous applause.
He neither supported state-run nor privately-run salt and iron industries, but rather a combination of both, adapting to the changing times.
Pei Li is indeed exceptionally intelligent; his thinking is ahead of his time, and his views are closest to those of modern people.
Many scholars on the second floor watched with fascination, and Du Shaofeng's eyes also shone brightly. Pei Li's words were his truest thoughts, but to deal with Prince Yu, he first had to stand on the opposite side of Prince Yu, and deal with the rest after the others fell from power.
Just as Du Shaofeng was about to send someone to invite Pei Li, who had finished his speech, a young eunuch from the palace walked into his room.
His Majesty requests your presence!
Du Shaofeng's brow twitched, guessing that Prince Yu had made another move.
The current emperor wants to rule in his own right and has long been secretly building his own faction. Du Shaofeng is the emperor's biggest bargaining chip, and Du Shaofeng's primary goal is to bring down Prince Yu.
Faced with the emperor's summons, Du Shaofeng dared not delay and immediately got up and left in a hurry.
Rong Rong watched Du Shaofeng's retreating figure with anticipation, praying in her heart that someone would quickly get her out of the Prince's mansion.
"What if he doesn't bail me out?" 666 wondered.
"Then let's use Prince Yu's secrets as a pledge of loyalty?" Rong Rong said cautiously, twisting her fingers.
666 suddenly cupped her round face in her hands, her small body trembling slightly in surprise, "Host, are you really that brave?"
Ever since that cliff-jumping incident, Rong Rong felt that there was nothing she couldn't do.
Don't mess with him! He's crazy!
While Rong Rong and 666 were talking, the topic downstairs changed again.
A young examinee rushed onto the platform, roaring like a madwoman, "A demoness has appeared! Disrupting the court! Should she be killed?"
"A vixen?" Rong Rong asked in surprise, turning to look at Qing Luo. "Does our Emperor have a favored concubine?"
"Tell me the details quickly!"
Rong Rong was eagerly waiting to see what was going on, her obsidian-like eyes shining brightly. Qing Luo, however, had a strange and reluctant expression, unsure of how to speak.
"Insolence!" Ping An roared, then gave a wink to someone behind him, who immediately bowed and left the room.
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. I will order them to change the subject immediately." Ping An clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice suppressing his anger.
"I'm angry?" Rong Rong was puzzled, and soon she heard people downstairs speaking with righteous indignation.
"This vixen has bewitched Prince Yu and plotted against General Yang, who is loyal to the emperor and the country, causing chaos in the court. She deserves to die!"
"Because of that witch, the Southern Frontier, which we finally managed to sign a treaty with, has attacked our country again, causing hundreds of thousands of displaced people to be displaced! That witch is a jinx! She brings disaster to the country and its people!"
"His wise and intelligent Prince Yu was deceived by a vixen, which is why he did dozens of absurd things!"
Those who bring chaos to the country deserve to die!
"That ominous monster should be killed!"
"kill!"
......
One tirade after another, the roar of which nearly lifted the roof off.
The people were outraged! Their anger was boiling over!
Emotions are contagious and easily swayed. In the blink of an eye, the entire lobby was filled with shouts of violence and condemnation of the so-called demoness.
Even the people looked excited and frenzied, as if they wanted to devour anyone they could.
The chaotic scene at this moment is beyond what Ping An can easily handle.
Someone is up to no good! Ping An came to this conclusion immediately.
Rong Rong was first surprised, then incredulous, and finally expressionless.
She was watching an absurd play, seeing a chaotic scene below, like a group of wild beasts in human skin reveling.
"Your Highness!" Qingluo called out worriedly, "Don't listen to their nonsense, I know you're not!"
Rong Rong didn't react; she just stared fixedly downstairs.
Indeed, women were treated particularly harshly in ancient times. It was the men in power who made the decisions and did the most outrageous things, yet people only dared to vent their anger on women.
Rongrong wanted to laugh, but also felt bored; one cannot discuss ice with a summer insect.
"How could the Princess Consort possibly sway Prince Yu's thoughts or make decisions for him?"
Suddenly, a loud male voice pierced the chaos of the hall and reached everyone's ears.
"The conflict between Prince Yu and General Yang is clearly a power struggle, so what does it have to do with Princess Yu? Are they using Princess Yu as a fig leaf or a shield?"
The scene fell silent instantly as everyone turned to look. The speaker was none other than Pei Li, the top scholar from Xunyang Prefecture.
Pei Li stood tall and composed, his gaze clear and unwavering, unfazed by anyone's scrutiny, a mocking smile on his face.
Rong Rong smiled. So there were clear-headed and upright people in ancient times too. Pei Li, no wonder he is a top candidate for the top scholar!
The crowd looked at Pei Li with a mixture of admiration, confusion, anger, and disapproval. Ren Wu, standing next to Pei Li, was terrified. He couldn't believe that his timid friend would contradict everyone at such a time.
"Are you crazy?" Ren Wu grabbed Pei Li's sleeve and growled in a low voice.
Isn't Pei Li afraid of ruining his reputation? Being torn apart by an angry mob? At this time, the wisest course of action would be to remain silent and protect himself!
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