Zhao Jingzhou shook his head.
They don’t want others to know that Zhao Lin is the real young master of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion for the time being.
The three years that Zhao Lin spent in the Marquis' Mansion were unknown to anyone, and there was no need for anyone to know about it now.
Zhao Jingzhou said calmly, "The imperial examination is a serious matter, and no one is allowed to cheat. If it is true, I will report it to His Majesty, and even Zhu Zhongyan will be removed from office."
Li Jingzhong exclaimed, "Father-in-law is truly a model of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism."
Zhao Jingzhou said, "Jingzhong, follow me. The others go to the front hall and wait."
Zhao Jingzhou took Li Jingzhong into the study.
Zhao Jingzhou got straight to the point: "Your Majesty is not in good health."
Li Jingzhong said, "That's why my mother-in-law wrote to me and told my father-in-law to come back no matter what. My father listened to slander, took elixirs, and played with women, ruining his health."
Li Jingzhong lowered his voice and said, "I heard from the imperial physician that the poison has already penetrated into the emperor's lungs, and he refuses to give up the elixirs. He will live for three to five years at most."
Zhao Jingzhou sighed, "I have advised Your Majesty a long time ago, but unfortunately Your Majesty did not listen."
Li Jingzhong sneered, "Men, all they care about is power and women. If you can't play with women, what good is it even if you have boundless power?"
Zhao Jingzhou nodded.
The emperor was a lustful man when he was young.
But he was still restrained at that time. Now he is old and can no longer play. In order to prevent the beautiful concubines in the palace from being widows, he listened to Zhu Zhongyan and asked a Taoist priest to make elixir.
The elixir was indeed effective, and the emperor immediately regained his virility after taking it.
But all medicines are poisonous, let alone those pills made with lead and mercury.
The more the emperor ate, the more virile he became, but his health also deteriorated.
Now it only has three years to live.
"How are your preparations going?" Zhao Jingzhou asked.
Li Jingzhong glanced outside and saw the door was closed. He then reassuredly whispered, "We've already won over quite a few ministers and generals, but the Crown Prince is the legitimate heir, and he hasn't committed any major offenses. He has more people on his side, so we can't let Father depose him."
Li Jingzhong suddenly laughed and said, "This has to do with Zhao Lin. If he hadn't brought up the matter of Guo Maoliang's death, Li Xingye wouldn't have kept pursuing him, and my father wouldn't have asked me to reinvestigate the embezzlement of disaster relief funds. This, in turn, would have exposed the Crown Prince's actions and caused several ministers who were dissatisfied with him to start leaning towards me."
When Zhao Jingzhou heard Zhao Lin's name from Li Jingzhong's ears, his expression changed slightly: "Do you know this Zhao Lin well?"
"I can't say I know him well, but from the information I've received, he is indeed a capable person."
Li Jingzhong carefully considered his words and said, "It is said that he has done well in Qingzhou and is very satisfied with Li Jingzhong. It is very likely that after the palace examination, Li Jingzhong will ask him to go to the Shengjing government office."
Zhao Jingzhou's heart moved slightly: "Can I win over Li Xingye through Zhao Lin?"
Li Jingzhong looked at Zhao Jingzhou in surprise and said, "Let's not talk about the fact that my cousin has never been involved in matters concerning the throne. Even if he had such intentions, we have no relationship with Zhao Lin, so it would be better for us to go directly to Li Xingye instead of going through him."
Zhao Jingzhou nodded.
Li Jingzhong suddenly laughed and said, "I heard that my aunt is also interested in Zhao Lin. She allows him to come and go freely in the Princess's Mansion. Maybe he can even become my uncle."
This is just a joke.
Who would become a prince consort after passing the imperial examination?
The Daqi Law stipulated that the son-in-law of the emperor was not allowed to serve as an official in the court.
Once you become a prince consort, you will no longer have any power.
Zhao Jingzhou was tempted: "It wouldn't be bad to have Zhao Lin be your consort. His Majesty is very fond of this sister, maybe she can speak for you with His Majesty."
Li Jingzhong said thoughtfully, "My father-in-law is trying to help Zhao Lin become my aunt's husband, and then use this as a condition for him to persuade my aunt to speak on my behalf? But my aunt has always had high standards, so she may not be interested in Zhao Lin."
Zhao Jingzhou said, "It's just an idea. Let's wait until after the palace examination. As long as Han'er wins the first place and wins the favor of His Majesty, it will be much easier for us."
This is also the reason why Zhao Jingzhou hurried back.
Zhao Chenhan must be allowed to win the top spot in the imperial examination and enter the Hanlin Academy, so that he can become someone close to the emperor.
This makes it easier to move.
"It's a pity that old dog Zhu Zhongyan never agreed to my request." Li Jingzhong sighed.
…
Time flies.
The day of the palace examination soon arrived.
Yun Zhiyi got up in the middle of the night to help Zhao Lin and Su Di prepare everything.
That’s right, Sudi also successfully passed the examination and will take part in the palace examination with Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin and Sudi got on the carriage and prepared to go out.
As soon as I opened the door, I found two people waiting outside.
Look at the dew on their bodies, they have been waiting for a long time.
"Qing'er? Why are you outside?"
Zhao Lin quickly jumped off the carriage road.
Fu Liqing said, "Today is the palace examination, I came here specially to see you off."
Lan Er interjected, "In order to rush to see you before you go for the palace examination, I stayed up all night. I sneaked out in the middle of the night while the master was still in the palace, and I didn't even dare take a carriage. I didn't want to disturb you, so I didn't let you knock on the door. I just waited here and almost froze."
Zhao Lin was moved and said, "Just ask Lan'er to pass on the message. You don't have to come in person."
"No," Fu Liqing said, "I don't know why my father has been keeping a closer eye on me these days. I haven't had a chance to come out yet, and I haven't even congratulated you on winning the first place yet. Besides, today is the big day of the palace examination, and delivering a message is no match for coming in person."
Zhao Lin was so moved that he hugged Fu Liqing into his arms without caring about the people around him.
Fu Liqing's pretty face immediately showed signs of sadness.
Yun Zhiyi and Lan'er turned around quickly.
Sudi snorted coldly in the carriage.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com