Chapter 412 Too Late, What Will A-Chu Do?
Pei Yuan rubbed his fingers together, looking at Emperor Longqing with some nervousness.
Ling Ce is going to have a martial arts competition today, but he didn't bring A Chu's human skin mask.
If the Emperor were to send someone to the Ning'an Marquis's residence to summon A-Chu at this time, A-Chu's true identity as a woman disguised as a man would be completely exposed.
Emperor Longqing gave Prince Heng a deep look.
"Does Prince Heng think we should summon Minister Shen to the palace?"
Prince Heng felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that his father's question had a somewhat ambiguous and unclear meaning.
Does the Emperor not want Shen Chu to enter the palace?
He gritted his teeth and avoided the main issues.
"Lord Shen Zhixing's Ode to Mountains and Rivers is famous throughout the world. I believe it is no less magnificent than the Ode to Mountains and Rivers of Nanyue."
Your subject believes this concerns the honor of the Great Wei, and should therefore request that Lord Shen bring the "Ode to Mountains and Rivers" to the palace.
Emperor Longqing stroked his beard and suddenly looked at Pei Yuan.
"Sixth Brother, what do you think?"
Pei Yuan couldn't figure out what Emperor Longqing was thinking, but A Chu absolutely couldn't enter the palace.
"Lord Shen has taken sick leave. I think it would be bad if he were to come to the palace while he is sick and spread his illness to everyone."
"How about I send someone to the Marquis of Ning'an's residence to fetch the 'Ode to Mountains and Rivers' for everyone to enjoy?"
Prince Heng retorted, "The great scholars of the South not only want to see the ode to mountains and rivers, but also want to see the demeanor of the descendants of Master Shen Zhixing."
Lord Shen has only caught a minor cold. The Southern Yue delegation is a guest from afar; how can we neglect them?
The two men each presented their own version of events, and the Longqing Emperor frowned, remaining silent.
King Jing of Nanyue suddenly chuckled.
All eyes turned to Prince Jing.
King Jing was the younger brother of the King of Nanyue. He looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in a black brocade robe, with fair skin and a handsome face, but his eyes were very indifferent.
His face was smiling, but his eyes remained cold and mocking.
"I have long heard that Shen Zhixing is a man of extraordinary talent, and his son is the top scholar in the imperial examination of the Great Wei this year."
It's just a matter of meeting people and reading articles. Why is His Majesty the Emperor of Great Wei hiding things like this? Could it be that the "Ode to Mountains and Rivers" is all talk and no action, and the young man from the Shen family is all show and no substance?
Why don't we each send someone to compose a poem on the spot and have a competition?
If the scholars of Great Wei cannot surpass those of Southern Yue, then the brilliance of Great Wei scholars is nothing more than that.
Everyone in the hall gasped.
He wrote a poem on the spot.
Even if they did possess the extraordinary talent of Shen Zhixing, they wouldn't dare to write it on the spot.
If my writing is inferior to others, not only will I be embarrassed, but I'll also be severely punished by His Majesty.
The group exchanged glances and unanimously made a request to the Longqing Emperor.
"Your Majesty, please summon Lord Shen to the palace."
"Young Master Shen comes from a family with a long history of scholarship and is also the newly appointed top scholar. He is certainly capable of undertaking this great task."
The crowd chimed in, each urging the emperor to summon Shen Chu to the palace.
Pei Yuan's expression darkened slightly.
Li Chengxuan, who was standing next to him with a bruised and swollen face, whispered, "These people are clearly putting Achu on the hot seat."
What should we do? Achu can't go to the palace!
Ling Ce, who was standing behind Pei Yuan, also looked anxious.
"If I had known, I would have worn a mask and entered the palace under the name of A-Chu today."
Pei Yuan closed his eyes, but he knew in his heart that at this point, A Chu had no choice but to enter the palace.
"It's useless. Even if you wear a human skin mask, can you write a poem on the spot?"
Ling Ce...
He cannot.
While his junior sister was studying, he spent all his time practicing martial arts. He couldn't even recite many poems, let alone write articles.
"What should we do now? Are we just going to let them expose our junior sister?"
Pei Yuan's thoughtful gaze swept over Prince Heng and Prince Jing.
It's not hard to understand why Prince Heng wanted Achu to enter the palace; he simply wanted to take the opportunity to expose Achu's true identity.
But why did King Jing of Nanyue insist on bringing Achu into the palace?
Looking back now, was it really an accident that Shangguan Yi deliberately injured Li Chengxuan at the Huitong Hall yesterday?
Li Chengxuan was injured and unable to play, so he had to let Ling Ce play.
When Ling Ce appears, he can no longer wear Shen Chu's human skin mask.
Only A-Chu and Han Feng remained at home.
It all seemed like a pre-planned scheme, forcing A-Chu to reveal herself.
Could it be that Prince Jing and Prince Heng are secretly colluding together?
Various guesses flashed through his mind in an instant, but before he could reach a conclusion, he heard the voice of the Longqing Emperor.
“Cai Chong, you personally go out of the palace and summon Chen Chu to the palace for an audience.”
Pei Yuan's expression changed slightly, and he quickly whispered instructions to Li Chengxuan.
"You should leave the palace immediately and tell A-Chu what's going on there."
He gritted his teeth and said, "Have Han Feng come in wearing a human skin mask, and then claim that his hand is injured and he can't write."
Ling Ce whispered, "What if they ask Senior Brother to dictate? Senior Brother only knows how to play with embroidery needles, how could he write anything?"
Pei Yuan clenched his fists but didn't say anything.
Li Chengxuan grew anxious. "There's no time to lose. I'll go out of the palace and see Achu first. Achu is so clever; maybe she has another way."
He slipped away quietly when no one was looking.
Pei Yuan took a deep breath, only to see Emperor Longqing beckon Cai Chong to step forward and whisper a few instructions to him.
Cai Chong looked surprised.
Emperor Longqing then said, "Take a squad of imperial guards and escort Minister Shen into the palace as quickly as possible."
Pei Yuan frowned, a bad feeling inexplicably rising in his heart.
Xuan A has only just entered the palace, why does he need to bring the Imperial Guards?
What exactly does Father want to do?
Now, all we can hope is that Li Chengxuan can arrive at the Ning'an Marquis's residence a little faster than Eunuch Cai.
Looking up, he saw Prince Heng across from him raising his wine glass in a gesture of respect.
Luo Heng, who was originally sitting behind Prince Heng, was nowhere to be seen.
Pei Yuan's heart sank.
Where did Luo Heng go?
Luo Heng stopped Li Chengxuan at the palace gate.
"Chengxuan, where are you rushing off to? What happened to the injury on your face? Who did you fight with?"
When Li Chengxuan saw him, his expression was somewhat complicated.
"I need to leave the palace for a while. I'll talk to you when I get back."
In the instant they brushed past each other, Luo Heng grabbed Li Chengxuan's arm and pulled him into the alleyway beside him.
Li Chengxuan looked up and saw Cai Chong leading the Imperial Guards toward the palace gate. He was furious. "What are you doing?"
Luo Heng's voice was deep and resonant.
"Chengxuan, you know everything, don't you?"
Li Chengxuan understood the meaning of that seemingly random sentence instantly.
He clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Luo Heng, are you deliberately blocking my way here? Do you know you're harming A-Chu?"
Luo Heng's face turned cold, and he said sternly, "I didn't want to harm A Chu, I was helping her."
Li Chengxuan sneered, "Colluding with Prince Heng and exposing her identity, is this helping her?"
Luo Heng pursed his lips tightly, "Didn't you think that this is also an opportunity for A Chu?"
Her disguise as a man will be exposed sooner or later. If she can win the competition against Nan Yue today, His Majesty might consider her contribution and punish her leniently.
Li Chengxuan, unable to bear it any longer, punched Luo Heng in the face.
"I think you're talking nonsense."
A punch landed squarely on Luo Heng's eye, causing him to gasp in pain and cover his eye with one hand.
His other hand, however, was still holding back Li Chengxuan.
Li Chengxuan pushed him aside and ran towards the palace gate, giving instructions to the imperial guards there.
"Lord Luo has gone mad! He actually tried to assassinate me! You all stop him!"
He was the young master of the Duke of Huguo's mansion, so the Imperial Guards naturally gave him some face.
They went straight to Luo Heng and blocked his way.
Li Chengxuan took the opportunity to leave the palace and ran towards the Ning'an Marquis's residence via a side road.
Even so, when he arrived at the entrance of the Ning'an Marquis's residence, he happened to see Cai Chong leading the Imperial Guards inside.
Damn it, he was still a step too late.
What should Ah Chu do?
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