Chapter 667: Fear of Contrast

The emperor was happy, Rongchuan's expression was one of closeness and trust from the bottom of his heart. Even though they had not recognized each other, the child trusted in his heart that his biological father would not annoy him. The emperor was in a good mood, as it turned out that his biological son was different.

Afterwards, the emperor began to select people. This time he did not call Zhou Shuren's third son. He just called Rongchuan. It would be a bit too much to teach Zhou Changlian again, as these two people are currently from the Zhou family.

The emperor called many people, and finally called Shen Yang, "Come forward."

Shen Yang just thought this was an opportunity. He had to show his best to leave a good impression. Besides, the emperor didn't pick Zhou Changlian. He won this round. "I have seen the emperor."

The emperor didn't ask him to stand up, but the man came forward. He felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart, "Stand up."

Shen Yang stood up. He wanted to straighten his body, but he couldn't. He felt the pressure from the emperor and now he didn't even dare to look him in the face.

The emperor asked, "Is the engagement ready?"

Shen Yang was delighted, "Your Majesty, I am not engaged yet."

The emperor sneered in his heart, "No engagement yet."

Shen Yang was stunned for a long time without any follow-up. He was a little confused. What did the emperor mean?

The emperor was drinking and wanted to say a few more words, but the feeling of having his own son by his side was too obvious to have a fake by his side. He didn't want to say a word and said, "Go down."

Shen Yang felt disappointed. He wanted to say a few more words, but could only retreat unwillingly.

Rongchuan became particularly honest and didn't even drink much. No matter whether he was the runner-up or the first place in the imperial examination, Rongchuan knew to sip the wine with his mouth and would never drink it down his stomach. He was afraid that he would drink too much and be too bold. This was the palace, not his home.

The banquet finally ended, and the emperor left first, drinking happily, "Let's go to the harem."

Eunuch Liu, "Yes."

Eunuch Liu calculated in his mind that for the past six months, the emperor had only gone to the empress's palace. In the past, he would at least go to other concubines' palaces to sit at noon, also for the prince's face. Now, however, the emperor is not young anymore.

Eunuch Liu touched his hair. He was not young anymore.

The queen heard the voice and came out to greet him. She personally helped the emperor sit down and handed him the tea for hangover. "Your Majesty, you drank a lot today."

The emperor drank the tea and said, "Yes, I am very happy today. Qingran, don't call me emperor, it's just you and me here."

The queen took the teacup and signaled the palace ladies to leave. She took the handkerchief and said, "I'll wipe it for you."

The emperor closed his eyes, "I saw my son today. He is very brave. He is not afraid of me and even dares to criticize me in his heart. I think I will never annoy him. Later, he got scared and even dared not drink. Haha, he trusts me very much!"

The queen listened in silence. She could feel that the emperor was really happy, happy that his son trusted him. None of the princes nowadays, even the crown prince, would trust the emperor too much, let alone the other princes. The emperor would analyze every word he said!

The emperor looked much more relieved and opened his eyes. "Today I tried to ask about the engagement, and this guy almost pointed to the sky and said that he would not marry anyone other than the Zhou family girl. As soon as I started, he knelt down and explained everything clearly."

The queen smiled secretly, "My son is sentimental, that's good."

The emperor stared at the queen and said, "I wish I could find someone who loves me and stay with me till we grow old together."

The queen was silent. This was what she said when she first met the emperor. At that time, they were in a bookstore. She didn't know there was someone behind her, otherwise she would not have said it. Unfortunately, her inner wish did not come true. "The emperor still remembers it."

The emperor nodded. He got married late, and married a wife who was much younger than himself. At first, he just thought this girl was interesting, "She's old."

The queen changed the subject, "It's getting late, let's go to bed early."

The emperor stopped talking. "Hmm."

In the carriage outside the palace, Rong Chuan sat limply without any image. Chang Lian's alcohol tolerance was trained, but Chang Lian knew a lot of people and drank a lot of wine. "Why, you drank too much?"

Rong Chuan yawned, "I'm not drunk, I was just a little scared. Now I'm exhausted and just want to go home and rest."

Chang Lian fanned himself with a fan and said, "You are really brave. The emperor only said one sentence, but you responded with many answers. I was really worried about you at that time. Fortunately, he didn't blame you. Don't think too much. If you are tired, just close your eyes and rest for a while. We will be home soon."

Rong Chuan was very nervous after being tense all night. He was really tired. He hummed and closed his eyes, "I'll take a nap."

Chang Lian also closed his eyes. He was indeed exhausted after this night. He couldn't say the wrong thing and he also had to deal with the people around him.

At the Fifth Prince's residence, Zhang Jinghong was in the study. He left the study only after hearing the news that the banquet was over.

Ever since the accident, he would not go out unless it was necessary. He would go back and forth between the two places every day, to the Wang Mansion and follow his second brother. He had been keeping an eye on Shen Yang. After thinking it over, he realized that ever since Shen Yang appeared, he had a sense of crisis. Later, when he found a way out, he stopped paying attention to him. It was not until he got into trouble that he became more clear in his mind.

Now Shen Yang has stayed in Beijing and is still a scholar-official. This is interesting. The emperor has not given him any instructions, which means that he is still the fifth prince.

All he could do was to be a good target and an obstacle, so all the strength he had accumulated in the past was used to save his life. Now that the test was over, his real danger had come.

Zhang Jinghong stopped after passing the garden, looking towards the main courtyard. He used to think that the Fifth Prince's wife was of low status, but now that he was the scapegoat, he was not as good as her. "Let's go to the main courtyard."

The next day, Zhulan got up early in the morning and asked Mrs. Song to pack her luggage so that they could return to Jinzhou.

Rongchuan and Changlian both have vacation time and will start work in two months. Jinzhou is so close to the capital, so it is convenient to travel back and forth.

Rongchuan and Changlian also got up and packed their luggage, which they had packed yesterday.

Changzhong was so excited that he jumped up and down, "I'm home, I'm home, I can see my daddy again."

Zhulan felt relieved. It was good to be home. She had been tense in Beijing. "Go slowly. Be careful not to fall."

Chang Lian picked up his younger brother and said, "Just be quiet for a while."

Changzhong hugged his brother's neck and said, "Third brother, you are an official now. Are you the same official as daddy?"

Chang Lian weighed his brother, and found that he was much heavier. "No, I still have to wait many more years to reach my father's level."

Changzhong said, "Brother San, put me down. I won't mess around anymore."

Chang Lian tapped his brother's nose and said, "No."

Zhulan watched the two brothers quarreling. Despite the big age gap between them, they could still quarrel together. Chang Lian had passed the most difficult first step and felt relieved. Chang Lian would not be so cheerful before.

(End of this chapter)