The freshly awarded top scholar was brought home.
The house was inevitably bustling with activity once again.
The maids, cooks, and servants all gathered around to congratulate the mistress.
The mistress was so happy that she not only gave away lots of celebratory money, but also doubled everyone's monthly allowance.
The housekeeper, Qian, and his men made arrangements, decorating the house in a very festive manner.
Ahri is a sensible child.
After He Youyou finished her work, she suggested, "Mother, now that I have achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, we should pay respects to our ancestors to comfort their spirits in heaven."
Upon hearing this, He Youyou exclaimed, "Of course!"
Logically, we should offer sacrifices.
Today was so chaotic that she completely forgot about it, but luckily Ah Li reminded her.
He Youyou immediately instructed Steward Qian to take people out to purchase sacrificial items and set them up in the small ancestral hall.
With everything prepared, Ah Li straightened her clothes, washed her hands, and stepped into the ancestral hall.
Just as he picked up the three incense sticks to light them on the candle, his gaze suddenly froze.
Immediately, he became flustered.
"Mother! Mother!"
He Youyou was standing nearby, and she was surprised to hear him shouting in a panic.
He hurriedly asked, "Ah Li, what's wrong?"
Ah Li strode up to her and pointed behind the offering table: "Mother, where is Father's memorial tablet?"
The ancestral tablets for more than a dozen members of the Han family are still there, but...
Han Silang's memorial tablet has disappeared.
He Youyou remained expressionless, only gently patting his shoulder: "My child, the reason why Han Silang's memorial tablet disappeared is something that Han Silang himself needs to explain."
Ahri was dumbfounded: Huh?
To explain in person?!
Seeing his terrified expression, He Youyou had no choice but to put the ancestral worship ceremony aside for the time being.
He then took Ah Li out and went to the Yue King's Mansion next door to find Zhao Changqing.
As soon as Zhao Changqing saw her arrive, he immediately became energetic.
Before he could even finish celebrating, He Youyou shoved Ah Li in front of him and said, "You'd better explain Han Silang's matter to the child yourself."
After saying that, he sat down to the side and started eating sunflower seeds.
Zhao Changqing looked at her, then at Ali.
The child stared at him with a mixture of confusion and anxiety.
Zhao Changqing cleared his throat.
He reached out and loosened his collar.
His expression seemed somewhat unnatural.
While cracking sunflower seeds, He Youyou comforted him, "The child is growing up, and he should know what he needs to know. Don't have any worries, just tell him."
Zhao Changqing's handsome face changed several times.
She said those words herself.
OK.
He stood with his hands behind his back, facing Ah Li, and said slowly, "Ah Li, I am actually your father."
"my father?!"
He Youyou couldn't help but interject, "Hanzhang, what you said is ambiguous, the children are confused. Don't say it like that, just say you're Han Silang, okay?"
Ah Li: "You are Han..."
Zhao Changqing had no choice but to nod: "I am Han Silang, and that's a long story..."
He Youyou waved to the two of them: "Come on, sit down and talk. It's tiring to talk standing up."
As he spoke, he grabbed two handfuls of sunflower seeds and placed them in front of the two of them.
Zhao Changqing sat down and slowly began to tell the story.
Emperor Taizu committed atrocities by eliminating his meritorious officials.
The late emperor, being sentimental, buried the entire Han family in Jizhou. To atone for his sins, he even gave his own son to another family to carry on the family line.
When the current emperor came to power, he could not bear to see his brothers separated, so he used a fake death to escape and brought his younger brother back.
However, the Han family line cannot be broken, so an adopted son must be found to support the family.
And so, Ahri became the chosen one.
Ah Li listened to all of this in a daze, and when she looked at Zhao Changqing again, she seemed somewhat bewildered.
What should we call him from now on?
He looked helplessly at He Youyou: "Mother?"
He Youyou noticed his unease and comforted him, "Ali, don't worry. Now that the Prince has gone to great lengths to extricate himself from the Han family, he has no connection with the Han family or with the two of us anymore. From now on, he is the Prince of Yue, and he is no longer part of our family."
Ah Li felt relieved upon hearing this: "Yes, I understand. I will treat Your Highness with courtesy from now on and will never cause you any trouble."
Zhao Changqing murmured, "There's no need to sever ties so cleanly. From now on, if you encounter any trouble in court, I will definitely protect you with all my might. Youyou..."
Just as he was about to say something, He Youyou interrupted him.
"No, don't. If you protect her like this, she won't be able to grow up independently. Ah Li is already eighteen years old this year, it's time for her to make her own way in the world. Even if she encounters trouble, she needs to learn to find solutions on her own. Ah Li, just keep going. Although I can't be there to protect you, I will definitely support you from behind."
"Yes! Your child will certainly live up to your expectations, Mother."
Looking at the mother and son, Zhao Changqing felt a pang of unease.
Do we need to distance ourselves from him so much?
After the announcement of the winners, the emperor would host a banquet.
By His Majesty's grace, a banquet was held in the Imperial Garden.
As the top scorer of this year's exam, Ahri naturally attracted the attention of the entire audience.
The emperor sat on his throne, looking lovingly at the young scholar he had chosen.
"Wenzheng, do you still remember me?"
Ahri was completely baffled by that one question.
He hurriedly bowed and said in a panic, "Wenzheng dares not look up at the Emperor's face."
"You are innocent."
Ah Li then got up and mustered up her courage to glance at the dragon throne.
I took one look and it looked familiar.
I looked again, and I couldn't believe it.
The emperor on the dragon throne was clearly the young master Huang who had dined with him that day.
yellow……
Emperor?
Ah Li immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive my disrespectful behavior before the Emperor!"
The emperor chuckled and said, "Ignorance is no excuse. Rise."
The court officials attending the banquet couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves upon seeing this.
What? This newly appointed top scholar has a connection with the emperor?
The Minister of Rites immediately felt an overwhelming sense of superiority.
Hehe, among everyone here, who knows better than him?
The young man had a difficult time getting into the Imperial Academy.
The Emperor and the Second Prince even went so far as to invoke the Imperial Observatory to pressure the Ministry of Rites into agreeing to change the age limit for admission to the Imperial Academy.
How could their background not be impressive?
Looking at the top scholar's exquisite and beautiful face, Xie Zhihong, the Vice Minister of Revenue, couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he thought of another handsome face.
The current emperor is relatively approachable to his officials.
This banquet is a rare opportunity, and everyone can enjoy the fine wine and delicious food to their heart's content.
The more scheming courtiers seized this opportunity to launch wave after wave of attacks on the newly appointed top three scholars.
Those with unmarried daughters in the family were especially enthusiastic.
Even those who don't have daughters but have granddaughters, nieces, or distant nieces all harbor some thoughts about it.
For a time, the young top scholar became the most sought-after person on the field.
People kept coming to offer toasts.
Ah Li, this child, grew up at the dinner table.
Regardless of his alcohol tolerance, he has far more experience than others in making guests happy at the dinner table.
Moreover, he lacked the intellectual's aloofness and disdain for bowing to the powerful and wealthy.
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