Chapter 305: The Lady of the Marquisate vs. the Younger Prince 48
The princess supported Ji Yunhuan, her face full of worry, "Huan'er! What's wrong with you? Why is your face so red? The alcohol content of this fruit wine is not high, how could you be so drunk? You can't even sit still."
Ji Yunhuan touched his burning cheeks and explained embarrassedly: "I'm not drunk, I just didn't sit still. This place is close to the stove, so I feel a little hot."
The princess quickly had the wine on the table removed and replaced with warm tea. "Still talking stubbornly! I don't know you, a drunkard who gets drunk after three cups of wine."
"Ah Yu, what are you still doing here? Do you want to force Huan'er to drink? Don't even think about it while I'm here!"
Jing Yu's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his mouth was extremely dry. He had just eaten a little meat yesterday, but today he couldn't even touch it. It was really hard to bear.
Sooner or later, Liang Wanzhou, this evildoer, will be killed. It is really troublesome to do things secretly!
Jing Yu's eyes were dark and unclear, and many thoughts flashed through his mind. When he raised his eyes again, he put on a bright smile and raised his glass to Sister Huan and said:
"I dare not let Sister Huan drink too much. Ah Yu can have one cup and Sister Huan can have tea."
The two of them toasted each other solemnly, and Jing Yu went to the emperor to show his courtesy.
Pei Ci Fu was chosen as the chief examiner, and several deputy examiners were also decided. The remaining examiners were not that important, so they would not be discussed in front of the emperor. The chief examiner would only draw up a list for the emperor to review.
"Today is Father's birthday. Instead of trying to cheer him up, you bother him with these things. Father, let me offer you a toast. Father is diligent in his work and loves his people. He never forgets to select talents for the country. This is a blessing for all the scholars in the world."
The emperor enjoyed his son's flattery. He took a sip from the wine glass and suddenly said with a smile:
"Ayu is old enough. Although he is not married yet, he should have some experience. Ayu is well-read. Although his knowledge cannot be compared with that of you, my dear ministers, it should be enough for him to be an inspection ambassador for me. Ayu, are you willing to share my worries?"
[No matter what faction or stance these ministers belong to, they are all urging me to appoint a crown prince, openly or secretly! ]
[I am not dead yet, I am in good health, and they are already thinking about following the emperor! How abominable! Fortunately, Ji Shoufu is loyal to the emperor and has never disobeyed me. As long as I am alive, he will be the chief minister, so naturally he does not need to bother to please the princes.]
[After Jinghui got married, I let him get in touch with the Ministry of Rites. Jinghui is honest and loyal, and he has never had any ulterior motives. If Jingyu also interferes in government affairs, he will definitely collude with court officials and will definitely not be as obedient and sensible as he is now.]
Chief Minister Ji lowered his head and said nothing. He could say a few words to ease the atmosphere as a son was showing filial piety to his father, but he would never say much when it came to the prince's participation in politics.
Pei Ci Fu was the eternal second in command, so he just wanted to follow the emperor. Unfortunately, the third prince, who had the greatest hope of taking the throne, ignored his advances, so he quietly switched to being a disciple of the second prince.
He had finally won the position of chief examiner, and he could take this opportunity to recruit talents for the Second Prince's faction and strengthen the Second Prince's power. He couldn't let the Third Prince interfere.
The Inspection Ambassador is not an examiner, does not participate in the preparation and marking of examination papers, and cannot influence the ranking of the examination. However, he can supervise the examiners, inspect the examination rooms, check the examination papers, and advise the emperor at any time if there are any abnormalities.
He originally wanted to arrange his own people in this position.
Pei Ci Fu stood up in a hurry and said loudly: "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't trust the Third Prince, but the Third Prince has never participated in government affairs and has no experience. The imperial examination is held every three years and it concerns the fate of many candidates for their entire lives. It really cannot be taken lightly. I hope Your Majesty will think twice!"
The emperor sighed, "But Ayu will have to enter the court sooner or later, and I can't think of a better position for the time being. Why not let Ayu gain some experience first? With you, my dear ministers, I am still very relieved."
[If there are one or two mistakes, you can't blame me for not allowing A Yu to participate in politics]
Ji Yunhuan thought of his previous life. After the Spring Examination, Jing Yu was disliked by the emperor. The second prince must have framed Jing Yu, but the emperor might have done it on purpose, taking this opportunity to completely make the third prince lose the support of the people.
Ji Yunhuan looked at Jing Yu.
[No! I can't agree to this! If I give it to the Second Prince, His Majesty will definitely be happier. The enemy is in the open while I am in the dark. Wouldn't it be easier to operate with the convenience of Penglai Restaurant?]
The second prince was quite unwilling and kept winking at Pei Ci Fu.
[Why can that idiot interfere in the imperial examination, while I can only do trivial things in the Ministry of Rites? I don't accept it! Father is really partial! If I don't hurry up, the position of crown prince will be further away from me.]
Many voices rang in Jing Yu's mind. All the people today gathered together, as if fighting in his mind.
Fortunately, he was used to mind reading and was able to figure out the key points.
He and Sister Huan really have a tacit understanding!
Sister Huan thought the same as he did. It was Sister Huan who discovered that some people with ulterior motives had sneaked into the Penglai Restaurant. However, they did not alert the enemy. They only hinted to Prime Minister Ji not to participate in the imperial examination next year.
Penglai Restaurant is his property. If someone reveals that someone in the restaurant is buying and selling examination papers, whether it is real cheating or a frame-up, the emperor will definitely take this opportunity to suppress him, and the chief examiner will also be implicated.
Jing Yu felt scared just thinking about it. Fortunately, Sister Huan was very observant and she could indeed hear the Second Prince's thoughts. However, this matter might have been planned by Concubine Liang, and the Second Prince was not aware of the inside story. He was like a hidden chess piece, and it would be difficult to detect if he did not move.
Pei Ci Fu was still trying hard to persuade the emperor to change his mind, but he did not dare to ask the emperor to use the second prince instead. He did not want to reveal that he was the second prince's man.
Jing Yu acted like he was deeply moved, even his eyes were red.
"Your Majesty, you are only thinking about me. I am really ashamed! Pei Ci Fu is right. I am young and not suitable for this important task. I just want to stay by your side and listen to your teachings. I don't want to be an inspection ambassador, nor do I want to join the six ministries like my second brother. I hope your Majesty will grant me your wish."
Jing Yu spoke so sincerely that even the emperor believed him to some extent. "Why are you still the same as when you were little? Now that you have grown up, you should share your father's worries."
[This child Jingyu has indeed been brought up to be a bit naive and spoiled. He is quite fond of me. This is a good thing. It saves me a lot of trouble.]
Jing Yu pointed at the second prince and said loudly, "Second brother is older and has been in the Ministry of Rites for two years. He is hardworking, loyal and honest. It would be most appropriate for him to be the inspection ambassador. I don't want to do such a troublesome thing."
"I heard that during the imperial examination, the Imperial Examination Hall was stinking and quite indecent. I have never suffered such hardships before, and I am sure I will not be able to do well. I do not want to delay my father's important work, so I will let my second brother go."
The Second Prince was overjoyed. He had not expected Jing Yu to be so stupid as to throw away the power he had obtained. He immediately knelt down and shouted:
"I am not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and I am willing to share your worries."
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