After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes tightly, looking as if he was waiting to die.
But after waiting for a long time, the emperor did not order the execution; he merely gave a cold laugh.
"How could I bear to kill someone as stubborn and obstinate as you, a stinking rock in a latrine? I want to keep you around to annoy Sima Lie!"
"Um?"
Song Zhenglian froze on the spot, looking at the emperor with a heart full of doubt.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?"
Qin Yu took out the test paper she had prepared beforehand and threw it directly in front of him.
"You'll see once you open it!"
With curiosity and skepticism, the latter slowly opened the exam paper.
Immediately, his eyes widened, his face filled with shock!
"This is?"
"This is a sealed roll!"
"The so-called sealed exam papers are pre-assigned with exam numbers, names, and exam rooms. All the answers on the exam papers are copied by a designated person in a uniform handwriting. In this way, even if someone wants to cover up, they won't know which exam paper belongs to which person, thus fundamentally preventing cheating!"
For a modern person from a later era, such anti-cheating measures are commonplace, but they are still insufficient to prevent more cheating methods.
But for the present era, that's far too advanced!
Upon hearing this idea, Song Zhenglian exclaimed with excitement and disbelief, "Your Majesty, who is the genius who came up with this ingenious plan?!"
Anfu, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but explain.
"This person is both far away and right before my eyes."
"You don't need to ask any more questions. His Majesty has already thought of a way for you to escape!"
"At the morning court tomorrow, you should say that you invented this sealed scroll. In this way, you can not only avoid death, but also be promoted and enter the core circle of the imperial examination examiners!"
Listening to his words and looking at the emperor before him, Song Zhenglian trembled.
strangeness!
It's so unfamiliar!
Is this still the incompetent ruler he knew? Or even the incompetent ruler known to the world?
"Your Majesty, I still don't quite understand."
"What don't you understand?" Qin Yu smiled, seemingly not intending to explain further.
He had observed Song Zhenglian and, considering his background and life experiences, found him to be quite worthy of use.
He was well-versed in the classics, capable in his work, and extremely honest and incorruptible as an official.
However, he has one drawback: unlike Sun Jiachen, he is not as well-rounded; he is too strong-willed and prone to impulsiveness.
Everyone has flaws; if you reflect on yourself more, you can correct them.
"What you mean by 'unclear' is probably something you don't understand about me, isn't it? I don't want to explain it; figure it out for yourself!"
Qin Yu refused to believe that the man lacked intelligence, given his level of education.
Sure enough, the latter's eyes started to dart around, emitting a faint light.
People say that the emperor is incompetent, lecherous, and tyrannical, but considering his current situation, if he wants to survive, he can only pretend to be that way!
Sima Lie seized power so extensively that the palace was practically infiltrated. If the emperor dared to make any sensible move, how could the prime minister let him off the hook?
This young emperor before us is not just intelligent, he is absolutely brilliant!
Immediately, a chill ran through Song Zhenglian's heart. He suddenly felt that this vast court and even the entire palace were a huge chess game.
Beneath the surface of what appears to be a game between only two players, there lies an even more terrifying opponent!
He is subtly manipulating both forces!
Thump!
Thinking of this, Song Zhenglian broke out in a cold sweat and knelt down.
"Your humble servant Song Zhenglian swears to protect the Great Xia, to fulfill the duties of a subject, to wholeheartedly assist Your Majesty, and to eliminate treacherous officials!"
"Very good, get up!"
Qin Yu was quite satisfied with this thin, middle-aged man.
Looking at the dimming candlelight on the table, he waved his hand.
"The palace is still a dangerous palace. You should not stay there for too long. In the future, when you do things, pay more attention to my instructions and remember not to be rash or impulsive."
"yes!"
Now is certainly not the time to turn against Sima Lie completely. In the palace, this tunnel is the only place that can be considered safe.
To prevent the secret location from being revealed, Qin Yu could only order, "Minister Song, you'll have to go out in a sack."
"I'm not wronged!"
Following Da Hu's movements, Song Zhenglian crawled straight into the sack.
Everything went smoothly on the way out of the palace, with Anfu following beside them, and no one aroused suspicion.
But right in front of the palace gate, Zhang Shirong came up close, staring intently at the sack that was clearly shaped like a human, and cautiously asked questions.
“Eunuch An, it’s getting late, but I still need to conduct my routine check.”
Anfu had already prepared his explanation, and his old face beamed with joy.
"Her? She was just a palace maid. This dog of a servant didn't serve the Emperor well, so she was beaten to death!"
"The corpse is naturally in a terrible state, so let's not open it to look at it, lest it offend General Zhang's eyes."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shirong secretly felt contempt.
This tyrant is not only lustful and indulges in wine and meat in his harem, but he is also so tyrannical. The palace maids are servants, how could they know so much etiquette? They rarely even see men, how could they serve men well?
Moreover, this is just Anfu's version of events. Who knows if this tyrannical ruler is insatiable in his lust and uses all sorts of perverse methods to torture people to death?
Zhang Shirong kicked the sack and shook his head. "In any case, this is my duty. It's just a routine matter. Please cooperate, Eunuch An."
Anfu immediately frowned.
That bastard is so troublesome.
Even after I've already made myself clear, he still insists on investigating.
Just as things were getting tense, Zhu Fei's urging voice came from not far away.
"I'm fucking looking for you! Hurry up, those military brats have won several thousand taels of silver from me again. Stop guarding the palace gate like an idiot and come with me to slaughter them."
Anfu knew that Zhu Fei was deliberately trying to exonerate him, so he quickly seized the opportunity and said, "General Zhang, I see you also have things to do, so you should go quickly. I'm here on His Majesty's behalf, so there's no need to investigate so thoroughly."
"Well, Zhang Shirong was also tempted to gamble for a moment. After pausing for a second or two, he turned around and left without even saying goodbye."
"General Zhu, you must wait for me!"
After exchanging a glance with Zhu Fei in the distance, An Fu hurriedly left.
The latter affectionately put his arm around Zhang Shirong's shoulder and said in a brotherly tone, "We've been waiting for you! Stop dawdling, what are you checking? How many taels of silver do you make a month anyway!"
Upon arriving at the guard tower, Zhu Fei had indeed arranged for a group of people to gamble. Just as he was about to pretend to start, a report came from outside the door from a member of the Imperial Guard.
"Reporting to General Zhu! Consort Yu says she has important matters to discuss with you!"
Jade beads?
Zhu Fei immediately became cautious and stepped out of the building repeatedly.
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