Chapter 36, ostensibly a friendly exchange, is actually a revenge plot.
When Zhou She returned to the side hall, he saw the Sixth Prince lying in front of him, and his vision went black instantly.
Although the Sixth Prince is in poor health and is not a very easy child to take care of, he should not be abandoned or handed over to him under any circumstances.
The emperor should have known this, but since he did it, he must have had his reasons.
After daybreak, Zhou She finished his shift and left the palace to visit Xie Chaoxian again.
Xie Chaoxian, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, was a middle-aged man in his early forties. As far as Zhou She knew, Xie Chaoxian came from a humble family and passed the imperial examination in the seventeenth year of the Hong'an era, enjoying a relatively smooth official career.
Xie Chaoxian was transferred to the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture a few years ago. He has repeatedly performed well in assessments and has won the emperor's praise.
As for why Zhou She knew...
Because his mother mentioned this person when she was disappointed in him.
Of course, Princess Zhaoping's original words were: "Xie Chaoxian, the son of a minor clan, now holds a high position and wields great power, enjoying His Majesty's deep trust. Look at you, spending your days indulging in debauchery; what should I ask you to do?"
Zhou She recalled the person he had seen at the government office yesterday, suppressed his unease, and strode into the government office.
Xie Chaoxian had received the message in advance and was sitting in the main hall waiting for him.
"I understand Your Majesty's meaning." Xie Chaoxian was refined and courteous, always greeting people with a smile. "If Lord Zhou needs anything, he can come to me. In fact, the examination hall was closed three months ago. It was rained on a recent day and looks quite damaged. It is currently under repair."
Zhou She was fairly familiar with the content of the imperial examination. Just like in his previous life, the examination hall was simply unbearable. Xie Chaoxian's consideration for the students was truly commendable.
Thinking this way, he said it too.
"That's not the case." Xie Chaoxian smiled, but there was a hint of insincerity in his words. "If the exam paper is accidentally soiled, it would be inappropriate to submit it. But coincidentally, I was worried about a shortage of manpower, and Lord Zhou is a timely help."
“It is my honor to be able to help you, sir.” Zhou She thought for a moment and then asked, “With the imperial examinations approaching, the arrival of students from all over the country to the capital is likely to cause some chaos. Moreover, with so many people coming, I see many will have nowhere to stay, and inn expenses will skyrocket, which is not good for you, Lord Xie. Does the Ministry of Rites intend to remain completely indifferent to this matter?”
Xie Chaoxian stared at him intently, took a sip of tea, and as he lowered his gaze, his eyes flickered slightly: "So Lord Zhou noticed that too."
Zhou She responded with a sincere smile: "After all, students from all over the world study for decades before they have this opportunity. If we can prepare more thoroughly, it will benefit both the students and us."
Xie Chaoxian nodded slightly after hearing this: "Indeed, I have always hoped that the Ministry of Rites would prepare more post stations for students from all over the country. However..."
Xie Chaoxian's expression was complicated. He paused for a moment and said to Zhou She, "Minister of Rites Ming has always kept these matters very clear. The Ministry of Rites only sets the exam questions and doesn't concern itself with anything else. The funds allocated each year are not quite enough."
Zhou She always felt that Xie Chaoxian had something left unsaid, but he ultimately did not say it.
“Lord Ming will be retiring in a few years, so it’s normal for him to be short of energy.” Zhou She didn’t delve into the matter, but thought of another solution: “I see that quite a few people are temporarily staying in temples outside the city. If that’s still not enough, we can ask Lord Shen of the Imperial Academy to see if we can distribute the accommodations more evenly.”
After saying this, he stood up, cupped his hands in farewell, and prepared to take his leave.
However, Xie Chaoxian sat quietly behind his desk, clearly having made up his mind; he had something to say.
Zhou She's posture as he stood up froze.
Xie Chaoxian was silent for a moment, then leaned forward. Even across the large table, Zhou She could almost see every shift in his eyes: "There's one more thing we need to be aware of. One of the chief examiners for this year's imperial examination, Ren Huayang, is over seventy years old and probably can't see clearly anymore. We can't expect him to be of any help. Therefore…"
He leaned forward, his smiling eyes turning serious, and said, word by word, "If the exam questions are leaked, the chief and deputy examiners will naturally be held accountable, and neither you nor I... will escape punishment."
Zhou She sensed a storm brewing in Xie Chaoxian's cold expression.
He knew that cheating cases were always strictly guarded against during the imperial examinations, and that no one dared to let anything go wrong.
All the examiners jointly set the questions, and the two chief examiners selected the questions. After the questions were packed and sealed, they were supervised by the Shuntian Prefecture and the Imperial Guards and sent to the Ministry of Rites for filing.
If the exam questions are indeed leaked, whose responsibility is it?
In the past, there have been ministers who died violent deaths due to cheating in the imperial examinations.
"Thank you for your guidance, sir," Zhou She said solemnly. "I will keep this matter in mind."
Xie Chaoxian naturally agreed with a smile. After seeing Zhou She off, he slowly relaxed and sat down on the soft chair.
Someone slowly entered the room and asked softly, "Lord Xie, is this the one?"
Xie Chaoxian remained silent.
He lowered his eyelids and blew away the floating tea leaves in his teacup. It wasn't a particularly expensive tea, but he treasured it and carried it with him like a precious gem. Whenever he felt restless, he would brew a cup to calm his mind.
The same applies now.
The man approached Xie Chaoxian and lowered his voice: "Sir, Fang Jingruo's whereabouts have been ascertained. He set off from Datong yesterday."
Xie Chaoxian responded absentmindedly.
The visitor waited quietly for a while, and seeing that Xie Chaoxian remained silent and seemed distracted, he softly reminded him, "Sir, that person has come again."
*
As Zhou She left the government office, his hand unconsciously rubbed the corner of his sleeve.
Xie Chaoxian hesitated and stammered halfway through his sentence, clearly indicating a problem.
fraud?
This matter benefits no one. If someone is really sabotaging things behind the scenes, they shouldn't have told Xie Chaoxian.
However, it's always good to prepare early.
Having made up his mind, he returned to the Imperial Guard Headquarters.
The Imperial Guard originally only had Cheng Rong as its deputy commander, and the other position had been vacant. Now that Zhou She had taken the post, he had gotten a good deal—being close to the emperor was something everyone coveted.
Today, Huai Leju was on duty, while Cheng Rong was sparring with someone in the training ground. Suddenly, a muffled thud was heard, and a figure crashed heavily to the ground.
Zhou She was just passing by when he saw this, and a pang of heartache shot through him. He quickened his pace to leave. But then Cheng Rong raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and suddenly noticed him.
"Lord Zhou," Cheng Rong called out from his elevated position, "Since we are colleagues, why don't we come up and have a contest?"
Zhou She suddenly stopped in his tracks. Cheng Rong stood against the light, his face obscured.
Countless eyes were on him.
Zhou She remained silent.
Although the Imperial Guards were mostly composed of noblemen, they were not immune to military habits.
Being aggressive and ruthless is not excessive most of the time; the more provocative you are, the less you should back down.
Cheng Rong assumed he was scared and wanted to provoke him. However, Zhou She quickly agreed, casually changed into a pair of tight-fitting clothes, and walked up to the platform in a few steps.
Cheng Rong rubbed his hands together, and with a hint of probing, said with a smile, "Lord Zhou, be careful!"
Cheng Rong looked strong and robust, completely different in physique from him. But he probably didn't know that when Zhou She and Huai Leju fought each other and both were seriously injured, Zhou She wasn't actually that afraid of him in a real fight.
Zhou She smiled. The only problem was that his arrow wound hadn't healed. He gently patted his injured leg and asked, "Is the army doctor here?"
"Here!" someone quickly answered loudly.
Following the sound, Zhou She looked in the direction of the voice and saw the doctor who had treated his injuries last time standing in the crowd.
His expression was one of helplessness as he stamped his foot and said, "You can't use force now..."
Zhou She didn't bother with him. To ensure that either he or Cheng Rong would be taken down, he immediately decided to go all out.
He's definitely a professional fighter.
"Bang—!!"
With another heavy thrust, Zhou She used all his strength to hold Cheng Rong down firmly. His adrenaline surged, and for a brief moment, he felt almost no pain.
A thunderous roar of cheers erupted behind them. These people loved to watch the excitement and Zhou She held a grudge, remembering how this guy had tried to kill him in the past. Neither of them held back, and they punched each other mercilessly.
It was ostensibly a friendly exchange, but in reality, it was a revenge plot.
Cheng Rong was strong, while Zhou She was an stamina monster. When Cheng Rong finally stopped struggling, Zhou She climbed off Cheng Rong and wiped his mouth with his other hand.
His lips were slightly cracked and bleeding.
His hands trembled uncontrollably, covered in fine bruises from a fight. Zhou She clenched his fists tightly, trying to stop the uncontrollable shaking and feign composure.
He felt as if his hands and legs no longer belonged to him. A sharp pain shot through his thigh, from the arrow wound he had sustained earlier. His trousers gradually became wet, leaving a water stain on his dark trousers.
Damn Warley!
Zhou She mentally added another mark against Huai Leju, then asked breathlessly, "Do you submit?"
The two men had disheveled hair and rumpled clothes; they looked more like enemies than colleagues.
Cheng Rong propped himself up on one side of the ground. Zhou She looked down and immediately clenched his fist: "Again?"
"..." Cheng Rong stared at him speechlessly. After a long while, his arm loosened, and he fell heavily to the ground, saying in a muffled voice, "You're something else. Where's the doctor?"
Zhou She was also exhausted. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, used one hand to support himself on the platform, and leaped off. The soldiers watching were stunned, silently watching him push through the crowd and smoothly make way for him.
He remained remarkably calm and limped toward the edge of the crowd. Someone rushed up behind him and grabbed his hand: "Doctor, take a look at him too!"
Zhou She was pulled so hard his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground. The previously noisy martial arts arena seemed to be paused, falling silent for a moment, until his vision went black, at which point someone cried out in alarm, "Doctor!!!"
Perhaps due to staying up too late, Zhou She was extremely dizzy and had no time to pay attention to what was happening outside. He let the doctor rush forward with his medicine box and begin cleaning his wound.
Cheng Rong dispersed the crowd and squatted down in front of Zhou She, looking at him.
"What are you doing sitting in front of me?" Zhou She opened his eyes and asked stiffly.
Seeing that he was conscious, Cheng Rong quickly stepped back, feeling extremely embarrassed: "You, your injuries haven't healed yet, why did you have to fight?"
Zhou She: ? ? Weren't you there when I was injured?
He almost laughed in anger, and with a smirk, he said sarcastically, "It's normal for Lord Cheng to have a bad memory."
Cheng Rong: "Why are you being so sarcastic?"
He thought for a moment, and considering the wording used by Tianmu, he chose a more palatable one: "A bit of a green tea."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou She's face turned dark.
He reflected on it for a moment, realized that it was somewhat inappropriate, and changed his words, saying, "...I didn't insult you."
Zhou She was too lazy to argue with him. He reached for his clothes, casually draped them over his arm, and looked up, saying, "Don't come looking for me to fight next time."
Cheng Rong corrected: "It's 'exchanging skills'."
He felt guilty after saying that, scratched his face, and added, "You're pretty tough."
The sight of his trouser leg ripped open and covered in blood was painful to look at, but seeing Zhou She's nonchalant expression, he could only express his admiration.
Zhou She gave a slight smirk: "Thank you."
A light flashed in front of him, and Cheng Rong finally walked away, plopping down on the empty ground next to him: "I also want to thank you for yesterday."
Thanks?
Zhou She almost burst out laughing. Thank you, yet you still beat me so badly?
Cheng Rong stammered, "Actually... you know, our boss doesn't really like spoiled brats, and you look like..."
Zhou She admitted that he was indeed a playboy.
"But you're pretty good." Cheng Rong rubbed his palms together, unwrapped the bandage he had just wrapped, and rolled it up again, repeating this process over and over. "Brother, I have high hopes for you."
Zhou She chuckled and complained to the doctor beside him, "Sir, look at him."
The medic had just finished dealing with Zhou She when he turned around and saw Cheng Rong. He immediately flew into a rage and slapped Cheng Rong on the head: "Tear him apart! If you fight again, don't come looking for me next time!!"
Despite the bumps all over his head from Zhou She's beating, Cheng Rong, after comparing them to the army doctor's loving caresses, chose to swallow his anger and said, "I understand."
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