Chapter 386 There is a simplest explanation
Bianxiufang, next to Qinggefang, is also a prosperous place.
A three-story house with white walls and green tiles. Several tall ginkgo trees in the courtyard are already filled with autumn colors.
Golden leaves occasionally swirl down and silently spread on the bluestone slabs.
Li Xuan, the young master of Wan'antang, a pharmacy in Zhuque South Road, was sitting in the flower hall having breakfast.
The results of the provincial examinations in other areas were announced ten days earlier than those in Zhongchendao, and he passed without any suspense.
On the day the results were announced, he packed his bags without hesitation and rode straight to Fengjing. He only settled down in this newly bought house two days ago.
Crab roe steamed buns, Hu-style meat pie filled with mutton, fried glutinous rice flour wrapped with red bean paste, and steamed chestnut flour cakes made from fresh chestnut flour;
There are also wontons, apricot porridge, sesame porridge, spicy feet, sugarcane jelly...
The carved mahogany table was filled to the brim.
Li Xuan picked up a crab roe dumpling. The skin was golden and crispy. He took a bite and it was full of crab meat and crab roe.
It is a seasonal snack and tastes naturally good.
But he still curled his lips and said, "I always feel that it is still not as good as the one made by the chef back home."
Uncle Gong and his bodyguard Lou Wu were also dining at the table.
Li Xuan doesn't have so many strict rules, and he is not used to eating alone.
Lou Wu was holding a bowl of apricot yogurt porridge, slurping it. He looked up at the words, his cheeks still puffed up:
"Master, there are so many delicious foods in Fengjing, and you are still picky?"
Li Xuan rolled his eyes in annoyance, "You know nothing, just eat your food."
He is now 28 years old. He has performed the ceremony of coming of age and has just passed the imperial examination. He feels that he is an adult.
He put down his chopsticks and looked aside: "Uncle Gong, is there still no news from the Sixth Prince's residence?"
After settling down in Beijing, the first thing he did was to submit a visiting card to the Sixth Princess's Mansion.
But he was told that His Highness had been staying in the palace since the provincial examination.
Uncle Gong nodded. "It's said it's about the provincial examination, but the results are posted today, so it probably won't be long before His Highness leaves the palace."
"Finally, some good news."
Li Xuan had just breathed a sigh of relief when the guard "Chansi" hurried over with a serious look on his face.
"Master, something has happened. There seems to be a case of fraud at the Imperial Examination Hall."
"puff……"
Li Xuan nearly spit out a mouthful of porridge and coughed repeatedly.
“You…what did you say!?”
He had never taken the proper boy's exam, and the provincial exam papers were even worse...
When it comes to cheating in the imperial examination, how could he not be shocked?
Chansi naturally knew the inside story, and immediately lowered her voice and quickly explained the whole story.
Li Xuan touched his chest, feeling apprehensive: "I was so scared..."
"Under the Emperor's feet, under the watchful eyes of the masses, how could such a mistake be made?
Writing that kind of thing is considered cheating? This is clearly rebellion."
Uncle Gong suddenly shuddered, his face turning pale: "Master! Be careful with your words!"
Li Xuan also knew that he had said something wrong, so he shut his mouth silently and didn't dare to say anything more.
He looked at Chansi nervously: "Then my..."
"Master, don't worry," Chansi said firmly, "From beginning to end, every process is foolproof, and there is absolutely no involvement."
Li Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back.
It’s okay, as long as it doesn’t burn him.
I really don't understand why his family insists on him passing the imperial examination.
The provincial examination is fine, but the subsequent metropolitan examination...
The thought of taking a real test made his scalp tingle, as he would probably be embarrassed.
Uncle Gong reminded him at the right time, "Young Master, it's better for you to concentrate on your studies these days. You should be able to read well after all."
In order to avoid attracting attention, Li Xuan's ranking in the imperial examination was originally low, and he only managed to make the list by writing an unconventional policy essay.
It would be reasonable to fail the examination at that time, but if the results were too bad, it would be embarrassing.
Therefore, when he went to Beijing this time, he brought with him the teacher that his family had hired at a high price.
The first day was spent on sightseeing, and according to the plan, classes would begin from today.
The breakfast was tasteless.
There was a lot of commotion outside, and when Li Xuan thought about the hard study that was about to come, he felt that his future was bleak.
What is even more regrettable is that after this incident, it may be even more difficult for the Sixth Princess to leave the palace, and I don’t know when I can see her again.
At this gloomy moment, the guard came hurriedly at dawn, "Master, the master is here!"
"real?"
Li Xuan stood up suddenly, surprised and happy.
The old father has always been reluctant to give up Wan'antang's foundation, and many patients also rely on him. He never thought that he would come to Beijing in person?
He couldn't wait to go out to greet him, but when he saw the person striding towards him in the yard, the smile on his face froze instantly.
The first man was about forty years old, with a face that was about five to six points similar to Li Xuan, but more elegant and steady, with a neatly trimmed short beard on his chin.
She wore a navy blue silk gown, a dark blue brocade bodice with dark patterns on the outside, a belt of the same color around her waist, and a high-quality mutton-fat white jade pendant hanging from her waist.
There are not too many patterns on the whole body, but the materials are extremely exquisite and the tailoring is well-fitting.
The visitor was none other than the owner of Yutai Trading Company, the wealthy businessman Li Dajing, who was also Li Xuan's biological father.
Li Xuan put away the remaining smile on his face, and his tone became distant and flat: "Why are you here?"
Li Dajing seemed to be unaware of it and laughed out loud.
"My son passed the imperial examination, which is a great joyous event that will bring honor to our family. As his father, shouldn't I come to Fengjing to see the excitement?"
Li Xuan curled his lips. Whose clan is shining? Whose ancestors are glorious?
The biological father married into the Yutai Trading Company, so even his children were not allowed to take the surname Li.
As the son of a concubine, he had been born under someone else's name since he was young, and had met his father only a few times.
In his heart, Li Dajing was just his "biological father" who gave birth to him but did not raise him.
"Aren't you afraid of being discovered over there?"
His nominal "legitimate mother", the real eldest daughter of Yutai Trading Company, was ruthless to his concubines and killed them all.
Otherwise, Li Dajing would not have placed him far away.
Li Dajing smiled calmly, as if he didn't care at all:
“It’s okay, I came to Beijing this time under the pretext of investigating the affairs of the imperial merchants.
Besides, you are now a successful candidate in the imperial examination and no longer a commoner, so it is not easy to touch you.
Besides, this is the Emperor's territory, and Yutai is just a trading company after all, so my son can rest assured."
Li Xuan wanted to roll his eyes when he heard that.
But it's just a business?
Which ordinary business firm would help an uneducated guy like him cheat in the imperial examination and do it perfectly?
He actually didn't want to take this path, knowing that he wasn't cut out for studying or becoming an official, but for the sake of a secret thought in his heart...
You can't always be a white person, right?
To enter and exit the princess's mansion, you must have a somewhat respectable identity, right?
Joining the Sixth Princess's army is the simplest and most direct way at the moment.
Li Xuan glanced at his strange biological father and asked, "Did you really come here just for me?"
Li Dajing still smiled and said, "Of course."
"Fengjing, the best place in the world, where the winds and clouds gather.
My son is making great achievements here, so naturally as a father I have to come and see the fun."
…
In the imperial study, it was so quiet that one could hear the subtle ticking of a copper clock.
Empress Qin Minghuang sat behind the imperial desk, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the polished rosewood tabletop.
Standing below was Chu Xinglan, the official in charge of Ziwei Terrace. Her dark purple official robe made her look tall and straight, and her face looked cold and stern.
"Your Excellency must have heard about the swapping of the provincial examination papers."
Chu Xinglan nodded slightly: "Yes, I have heard a little bit about it, but I don't know the details."
The empress paused tapping the tabletop.
"During the entire examination and marking period, I dispatched a third-rank Divine Martial Realm captain from the Xuanji Guard to monitor in secret.
Inside and outside the examination hall, there are elite Xuanji guards deployed, which can be called a dragnet.
Commander, tell me, what kind of exquisite method did that person use?
How could they have quietly replaced the exam papers through this network, without anyone noticing until the exam papers were posted publicly?"
Qin Minghuang paused, raised his eyes and looked at Chu Xinglan, "I have thought of the simplest method."
He slowly uttered three words: "Second Rank Realm."
Chu Xinglan lowered his eyes, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.
Hearing these three words, his expression did not change at all, and he calmly continued, "Your Majesty, are you suspicious of Jiang Wuya?"
"I know you once said that Jiang Wuya was obsessed with cultivation and had long since ignored external affairs.
But after all, so many years have passed, and you know the sorcerer's methods better than I do."
Chu Xinglan nodded again, his tone as calm as ever:
"Your Majesty, I understand what you mean. I will personally go to Jiang Wuya to verify this matter."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Officer." The Empress reminded him, "Be careful."
Chu Xinglan's mouth twitched upwards slightly, but with a strong sense of confidence:
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have been settled in Fengjing for fourteen years.
At least here at the foot of the imperial city, I... am not afraid of him."
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