Prime Minister's Concubine
In a blink of an eye, it was the day for the announcement of the results.
Before the time came, the building where the notice was posted was already crowded with students and people who came to watch the fun.
In this situation, wealthy families usually send a servant to wait in advance.
The same was true for the Bai family. Mr. Bai sent two servants to watch over the announcement of the results early in the morning.
Bai Miaoke also went there. She was more excited than the candidate himself. She asked Bai Yongsi many times how her brother did in the exam. After asking again and again, she got a passable answer.
She decided to go and see for herself so that if her brother got the top spot she could tell him the first time. She was much faster than the servants in the mansion.
However, she did not squeeze into the crowd. Instead, she found a big tree and jumped up, finding a position with the best view.
Mid-September is the most comfortable time in Beijing.
The wind already brought some of the crisp autumn air. Bai Miaoke leaned lazily against a thick branch, waving a leaf in her hand. The warm morning sun shone through the dense branches and leaves and fell on her.
“Here it comes!”
As the voices of the crowd below gradually became excited, she squinted her eyes and looked towards the city wall where the notice was posted.
Three officials came up there. Two of them were holding a scroll as tall as a person. They should be the name list. The other one looked very familiar. It was Lu Yu.
The three of them walked to the top of the city wall. In addition to the excited students, there were also many girls whispering.
"Lord Lu is really a handsome man, young and promising."
"I heard that the Prime Minister has never married. I wonder if he has someone in his heart."
"Hey, he's looking at me!"
"Nonsense, Lord Lu is clearly looking at me."
Several girls gathered together and chattered.
A man who looked like a servant interrupted the girls' fantasies and said coldly, "You don't know, Master Lu already has a concubine."
The attention of the women around was immediately attracted and they all looked at this man.
He was so pleased that he raised his voice: "I saw it with my own eyes at Zuichunlou, Lord Lu was hugging a stunning beauty."
"Lord Lu is not interested in women, so why would he go to Zuichunlou? I have never heard of him having any concubines." A woman retorted excitedly.
The other women echoed.
At this time, another man in gorgeous clothes spoke up: "What he said is true. I also saw it in Zuichunlou that day. His concubine is really top-notch."
The person who was speaking was a famous playboy in the capital, and a frequent visitor to Zuichunlou.
Another playboy beside him continued, "I remember that when I was having dinner at Lanyue Tower, I also saw the Prime Minister taking a woman to the side room."
When he said this, several playboys burst into laughter.
The girls on the side stopped refutation and just looked at each other.
So many people saw it, so it must be true. For a moment, I felt disappointed and heartbroken, but some even felt happy. Since Lord Lu was not as uninterested in women as the rumors said, then I might have a chance too.
For a while, the discussion about the prime minister's private life surpassed the list of names that was about to be made public.
Bai Miaoke was close by, so she naturally heard the discussion below.
She listened with great interest, as if the heroine was not herself, but indeed no one knew that the stunning beauty who had attracted the cold prime minister was actually her.
The other protagonist that people were discussing was standing on the city wall, looking at the time with a serious face.
When the time came, Lu Yu raised his hand, and the officials on both sides loosened the ropes, and the long list fell down.
The people waiting below immediately stopped discussing and looked up.
All of a sudden, some students on the list burst into tears of joy. After years of hard work, they finally succeeded. The students spontaneously bowed in the direction of Lu Yu to express their gratitude.
The servant who got the good news ran very fast, anxious to report the good news to his master and get the reward money.
The students who did not make the list either sighed silently or broke down in tears. For a moment, everyone felt mixed emotions.
Bai Miaoke, who was listening to the story on the tree, also sat up straight and saw Bai Yongsi's name at the top of the list at a glance. Her brother actually got the top spot!
She was so happy that she didn't get down from the tree. Instead, she used her lightness skills to fly towards Bai's house.
Her action was not noticed by the crowd below who were immersed in their own emotions, but Lu Yu on the high city wall clearly saw the pomegranate-red figure flying away like a little bird.
A smile appeared on his expressionless face, and he thought to himself, what a girl who loves to join in the fun...
After a few breaths, Bai Miaoke returned to the Bai Mansion in a hurry.
"Brother! Brother! You're on the list! And you're at the top!" Bai Miaoke shouted before she even reached the backyard.
When Master Bai heard the voice, he rushed out first, excitedly dragged his little daughter and asked, "Xiao Ke, is your brother really the top of the list?!"
Bai Miaoke nodded exaggeratedly: "Dad, it's true! My brother is so awesome!"
While the father and daughter were talking, Bai Yongsi also walked out of the room. He looked at his excited father and sister with a smile.
Bai Miaoke saw him coming out and walked up to him: "Brother, you are going to be a high-ranking official, that's great!"
Bai Yongsi patted her head lovingly: "Yes, when your brother becomes a high-ranking official, our Xiao Ke will be his sister."
Bai Miao's eyebrows curved funnyly and she responded sweetly with "OK".
Mr. Bai was also in a very good mood, and called the housekeeper Lao Wang: "Today my son passed the imperial examination, and the whole mansion is celebrating. Everyone can go to the accounting office to collect an extra share of the monthly interest."
Bai Miaoke then added: "The same goes for the shopkeepers and clerks of the Bai family's stores!"
For a moment, the entire Bai family was filled with joy, and the kitchen began preparing a celebratory banquet in the morning.
Not long after, two officials sent by the court to announce the good news arrived at the Bai Mansion with the imperial edict to participate in the palace examination. They said a lot of congratulations and naturally received a big red envelope from the Bai family. The two of them smiled so hard that their eyes were covered, and were respectfully seen off by the servants of the Bai Mansion.
Being on the list is just the beginning. Whether you will be valued or not depends on your performance in the palace examination.
The emperor would personally examine the students in the palace examination and assign specific official positions based on their answers. There was a month between the announcement of the results and the palace examination, allowing students to prepare.
Now that her brother's matter had been settled, Bai Miaoke had nothing better to do and carefully read through the letters she had looted from King Kang.
Apart from the monetary transactions between some officials, several of the notes were unsigned, but they mentioned the Northwest, and there were several names that Bai Miaoke did not recognize, and they looked like people from the Northwest.
She mobilized the power of Yueying Pavilion to investigate, and the news soon came back that Agulang mentioned in the letter was the current king of the Northwestern Wuheng Kingdom.
When it comes to the Northwest region, Bai Miaoke can't help but think of the Northwest War twenty-six years ago.
It is said that it was this Agulang who personally led the troops to surround and kill General Yu. With this great victory, Agulang was highly recognized by King Wuheng and important officials in the court. He ascended the throne the following year and became the King of Wuheng.
These letters were clearly not communications between King Kang and Wuhengguo, but more like a conspiracy between him and another official.
There was also a small piece of paper rolled into a tube that caught Bai Miaoke's attention. There was only one line of words on it: Pick up the goods in Jiangnan at the end of the year.
"Pick up the goods in Jiangnan? What kind of goods are they?" Bai Miaoke muttered to herself.
Thinking of Jiangnan, which was mentioned at the end of her mother's letter, she vaguely felt that there was something very important in Jiangnan.
She carefully put away these potentially useful letters and sent two assassins from Yueying Pavilion to Jiangnan to gather information.
In addition to the people who were previously arranged to keep an eye on the Grand Tutor, several more people were arranged to keep an eye on King Kang's movements.
However, most of the people in Yueying Pavilion are professional killers, and they are not good at this kind of investigation-related matters. The people she sent out have not sent back any useful information.
At the same time, Lu Yu was also investigating the mission assigned by the emperor.
After the imperial examination results were announced, his task was basically over, and the remaining stages such as the palace examination were handled by special officials from the Ministry of Rites.
He began to investigate the case from twenty-six years ago.
Because it involved royal secrets and was a serious crime of treason, most of the palace maids who were involved in the incident were executed or sent out of the palace. His secret guards searched many places before finding a nanny who had served in Concubine Li's palace.
Her hair was already gray, and she bowed to Lu Yu with a hunched back, "This old woman pays respects to the Prime Minister."
Lu Yu reached out and helped her up, and said gently, "Madam, there is no need to be polite. I asked you to come here to ask about Concubine Li's past."
Hearing Concubine Li's name, the old woman bent her waist even lower, and her cloudy eyes were covered with tears.
"How long have you served Concubine Li?" Lu Yu asked.
"Before the young lady got married, this old woman served her. Later, I accompanied her into the palace, until... until the young lady passed away..." The old woman's voice was hoarse and choked.
Lu Yu didn't expect that this nanny was actually the nanny who came with Concubine Li as a dowry.
He then asked: "Then you should have stayed in the Yu family for a while. How did the Yu family treat Concubine Li?"
When the Yu family was mentioned, the old woman's answer was somewhat incoherent: "God is so unfair. The Yu family is all good people. Why did they suffer such a disaster? The young lady should have listened to the master and should not have entered the palace... My poor young lady."
As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.
Lu Yu took out a clean handkerchief and handed it to the old woman, saying, "Mammy, did Concubine Li come to the palace voluntarily?"
"Yes, of course..." the old woman replied.
But Lu Yu clearly saw her momentary hesitation and vigilance.
He continued in a slow tone, "There may be other hidden stories behind the Yu family incident. If you know anything, you can tell me and I will tell His Majesty."
Hearing this, the old woman became excited: "The Yu family is being wronged, Your Majesty, Your Majesty is the young lady's child, he must speak for the young lady and the Yu family."
As she spoke, she suddenly raised her voice: "It's him, it must be him! He wanted to destroy everything about her because he couldn't get her."
Lu Yu then asked, "Who is it?"
"Ma Hongzhe! He fell in love with the young lady at first sight when he was in Jiangnan. Later, he came to the young lady many times to ask for her hand in marriage. The young lady did not like him. Later, for the sake of..." The old woman seemed to be lost in memories, and suddenly fell silent when she said this.
After taking a breath, he continued, "After the young lady entered the palace, he must have been unwilling to accept it, so he framed the Yu family to this extent!"
After that, she suddenly knelt on the ground and shouted at the top of her lungs: "I beg the Prime Minister to investigate and clear the Yu family's name as soon as possible. Only when the young lady knows about this can she be at ease in the afterlife, and only then can I rest assured to accompany the young lady."
Lu Yu bent down and lifted up her arm as she was about to kowtow: "You stand up first. Your Majesty and I will do our best to investigate what happened back then and we will definitely get to the bottom of the truth."
Lu Yu knew that she was so emotional that he would not be able to get anything out of her today, so he asked Fugui to help her down and find a secluded courtyard in the Lu Mansion to accommodate her.
After sending the person away, Lu Yu sat at the desk and fell into deep thought.
If the old lady was not lying, Ma Hongzhe fell in love with Concubine Li at first sight when he met her in Jiangnan. Later, when Concubine Li entered the palace, Ma Hongzhe turned love into hate and participated in framing the Yu family.
Lu Yu thought that it was logically reasonable. The only problem was what Ma Hongzhe did in Jiangnan back then. Besides, he was only a minister back then. There must be other masterminds behind the scenes...
Lu Yu felt that Jiangnan was right in the center of the fog.
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