Chapter 330 A Big Gift for Zhou Ru'an!
This time, it was Shen Lanxi who patiently and earnestly persuaded them.
"Father, all those years you've spent serving in the court have been for naught, and you've never been given a position of importance by His Majesty. You simply don't understand how to read His Majesty's mind!"
Shen Congwen: "..."
"Is His Majesty a man without a plan? You truly don't understand at all why he put me in charge of the civil service examinations!"
Why such a disappointed tone?
Shen Congwen was stunned.
Shen Lanxi patiently instructed him: "His Majesty has long been fed up with the pedantic scholars in the court. He neither wants the Grand Tutor to be the chief examiner nor wants the people from the Wenyuan Pavilion to interfere. He chose me because I know nothing. Father, do you understand?"
Shen Congwen was puzzled: "That's the imperial examination! How can it be done so casually?"
Shen Lanxi was too lazy to let him guess anymore, since he only guessed useless things.
“I am a military officer and know nothing about the imperial examinations. The fact that His Majesty uses me instead of anyone else shows that His Majesty is truly eager for talent and wants capable people.”
Shen Congwen was first taken aback, then felt annoyed.
How could he not have thought of His Majesty's deeper meaning? No wonder Lanxi was so composed; it turns out His Majesty had already told her.
"Since this is a task assigned by His Majesty, you must handle it properly. Do not bend the law for personal gain just because your sons are going to take the imperial examinations," Shen Congwen warned calmly.
Shen Lanxi: "Of course, Father should still supervise the studies of the children in the family more!" She was afraid that if she were to show favoritism, the children in the family would not give her the opportunity.
With the crisis over, Old Madam Shen returned to the Shen residence the day after Shen Lanxi woke up.
Upon learning that His Majesty had appointed Shen Lanxi to an official position and bestowed many gifts upon her, he even sent people to purchase firecrackers to hang in both residences to ward off bad luck.
Since Shen Lanxi missed the martial arts exam, all eyes were now on the civil service exam.
In other words, everyone's attention in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty was focused on Shen Lanxi.
It doesn't matter if the people in the small mountain village don't know who Shen Lanxi is; just mention two things, and they'll all know.
First, they called for water three times in one night. Second, they recaptured Dongchuan and the Northwest.
Regardless of Shen Lanxi's achievements, her ex-husband Zhou Ruyuan will always be the first person brought up for scrutiny.
Wei Dongzhu left the day after Shen Lanxi woke up. The task of building the high platform to deal with the tyrannical king was almost completed.
Before leaving, Wei Dongzhu handed something to Shen Lanxi again.
"Wait for me to come back!"
After Wei Dongzhu left, Shen Lanxi stared blankly at the tiger tally in her hand.
Although the unrest in the Northwest had ceased, Emperor Renxiao's hidden worries remained.
Ten days after Shen Lanxi was cured of her poison, Liang Shao and Shen Yuanjing led the Zhenbei Army to the Northwest.
Shen Lanxi stood on the city wall and watched them leave, with Ban Sicao and Che Mingyuan following on either side.
"We've found out. The person who accused you of fifty crimes in the main hall was acting on the orders of the eldest princess, Zhou Yunshang."
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow: "Zhou Yunshang?" This surprised her somewhat.
Che Mingyuan: "Those ministers were very close to the prince consort, and they often drank together."
Shen Lanxi asked in confusion, "Did I offend her?"
Che Mingyuan said ambiguously, "You'll have to ask yourself that."
Is that how you say it?
"Back then, I was favored by the Empress Dowager in the palace. She treated me better than her own grandchildren. I vaguely remember stealing the princesses' clothes and jewelry, playing tricks on the princes and making them suffer punishment, and even stealing their swords and competing for rewards... There are too many things to list."
Che Mingyuan and Ban Sicao: "..." in a stunned state.
They could already sense from between the lines how arrogant Shen Lanxi was back then.
In short, he has made many enemies!
"My lord, why don't we talk about Zhou Qiwu instead? There aren't many days left before His Majesty orders her to leave the capital," Che Mingyuan quickly changed the subject.
Shen Lanxi seamlessly followed up: "We can't just let her leave like this!"
Che Mingyuan: "That's what I think too."
Shen Lanxi thought carefully: "I heard Zhou Ruan is coming back, and I think I should give him a big gift!"
The next day, the affair between Zhou Ru'an and the third princess, Wang Xiangyi, spread throughout the capital. Before noon, more than ten versions of the story had already emerged.
The most fascinating thing is that Zhou Ru'an and Zhou Qiwu had a son and a daughter, who were very close to each other, and the news that the three of them lived together in one bed spread like wildfire.
Zhou Qiwu was already in a bad mood after learning that Shen Lanxi was not dead, and he scolded his servants to pack their bags and leave the capital. Now, upon hearing this news, he almost fainted from anger.
Fortunately, Yuan Lang stayed by his side the whole time, offering comfort and reassurance.
"Yuan Lang, it must be that little bitch Shen Lanxi spreading rumors. Back in Tianjin, we should have killed their whole family!" Zhou Xiwu tore her handkerchief to shreds, her eyes filled with hatred.
Yuan Lang sensed that this matter was not simple.
“Princess, after Shen Lanxi returned to the capital, our people did not attack her. She would not target us.”
Zhou Qiwu's eyes flickered, and he said vaguely, "If she didn't spread this, who else could have?"
Yuan Lang pondered for a moment, wondering if it was at the home of her husband who had been killed by Wang Xiangyi.
Before he could even list them out, the old woman announced from outside the door that Wang Xiangyi and her brother had arrived.
Zhou Qiwu quickly stood up from Yuan Lang's lap, but the latter was reluctant to let go and pulled him back onto his lap for a while before finally leaving.
The two siblings rushed in and burst into tears.
“Mother, it must be Shen Lanxi. There’s no one else but her!” Wang Xiangyi accused while shedding tears.
Wang Xiangrong glared at her with murderous intent, gritting his teeth as he said, "Shen Lanxi, I am her sworn enemy."
Zhou Qiwu had already decided on Shen Lanxi, and after hearing what his children said, his resolve became even stronger.
"Mother, please think of a way to cure Shen Lanxi!" Wang Xiangyi kept shaking Zhou Qiwu.
"Mother, I want to make Shen Lanxi suffer a terrible death!" Wang Xiangrong thought of the humiliation he suffered while recovering from his injuries, and his dark and twisted heart wanted Shen Lanxi to taste that same pain.
"I can't let her die in vain. I want her to die a torturous and humiliating death!"
Seeing his son's pained expression, Zhou Qiwu felt a surge of anger.
She couldn't just leave the capital like this; she had to stay and watch Shen Lanxi suffer a humiliating and painful death.
Zhou Xiwu went to the palace that very day and cried to Emperor Renxiao.
"Your Majesty, this concerns the innocence of the prince and the innocence of the princess's two children. We implore Your Majesty to find the culprit who spread the rumors and clear the three children's names!"
Emperor Renxiao was also furious. No matter how incompetent Zhou Ruan was, he was still his son. How could he allow someone to slander and fabricate such things?
Royal dignity must not be compromised!
Zhou Qiwu successfully remained in the capital.
...
Emperor Renxiao, showing consideration for Shen Lanxi's recent recovery from a serious illness, exempted her from attending court and allowed her to rest at home while preparing for the imperial examinations.
Shen Lanxi made a special trip to the palace to express her gratitude. When she left the palace, she saw that Grand Tutor Mei Nanhua was still kneeling at the palace gate. She looked up at the scorching sun, then got into the carriage and left without stopping.
Just a hundred meters from the palace, a subordinate came to report.
"My lord, there is a person claiming to be Princess Yuxue waiting outside the Marquis's residence!"
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