Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Meeting an old friend
Seeing the two preparing to drive out, Zhou asked, "Li Niang, where are you going?"
Yu Li said: "Let's go out for a walk."
Seeing how anxious they were, Zhou laughed, thinking that the young people were playful and wanted to go out for a walk today as they had nothing to do. She didn't say anything, but just reminded them to keep warm and not catch a cold.
After the carriage drove out of Liuwen Lane, Yu Li said to the driver, "Let's go to the Imperial Examination Hall."
Although the driver was puzzled, he did not ask any more questions and went to the Imperial Examination Hall.
The carriage stopped on a street near the Imperial Examination Hall.
Now that the imperial examination has begun, the Imperial Examination Hall is heavily guarded and outsiders are not allowed to approach casually. The two men did not want to go over either.
Yu Li and Chu Shaoyu got off the carriage and went to a nearby restaurant.
This restaurant has a very resounding name, called Zhuangyuanlou, and it happens to be near the Imperial Examination Hall, which has an excellent metaphor and attracts many people. Even though they know that there is only one top scholar in each imperial examination and not everyone can become one, many students are willing to come here because of its good omen.
The Zhuangyuan Building is three stories high, with doors and windows wide open. Sitting by the window upstairs, you can just see the Imperial Examination Hall.
Because it was the period of the imperial examination, there were not many people in the Zhuangyuan Building. Only a few scholars were sitting here, discussing the content of this year's imperial examination.
Yu Li and Chu Shaoyu chose a seat with an excellent view and sat down. They ordered a pot of tea and some snacks, and sat there looking in the direction of the Imperial Examination Hall.
Chu Shaoyu asked: "Cousin, what are you going to do?"
Yu Li: "What can I do?"
He looked at Yu Li and always felt that his cousin's wife was a ruthless person who would rather take action than speak. As she was one of his own, this made him feel very safe.
Yu Li really didn't want to do anything, he just came over to take a look.
The restaurant is quite a distance away from the Imperial Examination Hall. When sitting there, one can only see the walls of the Imperial Examination Hall and the strict guards outside, and nothing else.
Although she could visit the Imperial Examination Hall at night, forget it, it was really unnecessary.
Yu Li looked for a while and asked the examiners about the situation in a low voice.
Chu Shaoyu actually went out of his way to find out more about this and talked to her about it.
As the son of a prince, he did not need to take the imperial examination to succeed, nor did he need to understand matters related to the imperial examination. This time, because of Fu Wenxiao, he made a special effort to learn about it.
Chu Shaoyu had only been back in Beijing for a few years. As he had been recuperating in Jiangnan, he did not know much about the situation in the capital.
So he went to ask his father about these things.
In the twelfth month of last year, when Prince Rui found out that the "Brother Fu" who came to Beijing with his son was the eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo, he strictly stopped his son from having any contact with Fu Xiao.
He was worried that his innocent son would be deceived by Fu Xiao and get into trouble.
It was not that he was overly suspicious, because the facts were before him. After his son came back, he kept talking about his "Brother Fu". He knew that Fu Xiao was a scheming and eloquent man, and he had tricked his son into doing things.
Unfortunately, no matter how strict the father was, he could not stop his son from growing taller and running to the Fu family to pay New Year's greetings by himself.
When Prince Rui learned about this, he was furious.
Want to teach him a lesson? Concubine Rui and Princess Rui are protecting the child together. What can he do when facing his mother and wife? He can only clean up the mess for his son.
It was not until after the Lantern Festival that the sage suddenly sent someone to bring back Princess Yuan'an from the western suburbs palace. Prince Rui vaguely understood the sage's thoughts and turned a blind eye to his son's behavior of running to the Fu family.
As for his son asking him about the examiners in the Imperial Examination Hall, he revealed a little.
Although Chu Shaoyu felt the change in his father's attitude, he didn't take it to heart.
Anyway, he now recognizes Fu Wenxiao as his biological cousin, so of course he will be on his side.
Chu Shaoyu and Yu Li analyzed the situations of the examiners, trying to figure out which examiner might make things difficult for Fu Wenxiao.
He also had a plan. After the trial, if he found out who dared to make things difficult for his cousin, he would cause trouble for the other party. As the prince of Rui and a dandy young man in the capital, it was acceptable for him to cause trouble for an official.
At this moment, a man entered the Zhuangyuan Building.
The other person was dressed in a dark suit, with an upright posture and a sword hanging from his waist. From his attire and his fierce and imposing aura, one could tell that he was of a noble status.
The waiters at Zhuangyuan Building had long developed a pair of sharp eyes, and as soon as they saw someone coming, they would greet them attentively.
"Sir, may I know that you..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw the other party wave his hand and go to the second floor.
When he reached the second floor, he turned his gaze and saw two people talking by the window. He was stunned for a moment, then strode towards them.
Noticing someone coming, Chu Shaoyu closed his mouth and turned to take a look.
When they saw the person coming, they were both stunned.
The man's originally stern face broke into a smile, and he said, "Hey, what are you doing here?" He looked at the two of them and thought it was strange that they could get together.
Chu Shaoyu looked puzzled, "Lord Fang, why are you here?"
Naturally, he knew Weiyuan Hou Fang Bihe, who was a favorite of the Saint and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial City Division. Although he was often too busy to be seen, every time he showed up, it meant there was some trouble.
In short, he was not very happy to deal with Fang Bihe.
Sure enough, Fang Bihe said, "Come and handle the case."
Chu Shaoyu showed a defensive look on his face, "We will not disturb Lord Fang, Lord Fang, please do as you please."
Fang Bihe did not leave. Instead, he pulled out a chair and sat down, then said to Yu Li, "Miss Yu, what are you doing here?"
The prince of the Rui Palace was whispering here, and he always felt that she seemed to want to do something.
Thinking of what she had done in the South, how she and Xuan Huaiqing had solved the bandit problem in Nanjun Province, he became more concerned.
Yu Li said calmly: "Look at the Imperial Examination Hall."
"What's the point of visiting the Imperial Examination Hall?" Fang Bihe wondered.
Yu Li paused and said truthfully: "Xiao Ge'er is taking part in the imperial examination. I wonder if anyone will make things difficult for him."
Chu Shaoyu didn't expect Yu Li to tell Fang Bihe about this. He was stunned at first, but he quickly reacted.
The two knew each other.
Not only do they know each other, but they probably have a good relationship privately.
Fang Bihe almost wanted to laugh out loud when he heard this, especially when he saw Chu Shaoyu's expression, he immediately understood why she thought so.
He smiled and said, "You don't have to worry. The imperial examination is of great importance. No one will deliberately do anything during the imperial examination."
If any scandal were to break out, I'm afraid the officials presiding over the examination would have a hard time.
Chu Shaoyu grumbled, "You make it easy. Cousin Fu is just a scholar from the south, powerless. What if they deliberately make things difficult for him? In this kind of weather, they don't have to do anything. They can just do something with the charcoal fire and make him suffer in the Imperial Examination Hall."
There are so many places where you can make changes.
Fu Wenxiao is now in a desperate situation. Who knows if there will be a few mad dogs trying to make things difficult for him.
Fang Bihe glanced at him, feeling somewhat puzzled. How did Prince Rui teach his child to be so naive?
Even if Prince Rui grew up in Jiangnan, he has been back to Beijing for several years. Didn't Prince Rui teach him well?
Seeing Yu Li looking at him, he knew that she had listened to Chu Shaoyu's words. Thinking of her ability, Fang Bihe's scalp tingled and he was really worried about what she would do.
Fang Bihe tried his best to comfort the two, saying that the emperor was paying close attention to this year's examination and would definitely not allow anyone to deliberately make things difficult for the scholars during the exam.
"Is the Saint also concerned?" Chu Shaoyu frowned.
He did not have a deep impression of the saint. When he returned to Beijing, his father took him to the palace to meet the saint, but the saint only met him casually, said a few words of encouragement, and let him go.
Fang Bihe paused and said, "The imperial examination is related to the selection of talents for the imperial court, so the saint naturally attaches great importance to it."
I won’t say more.
Chu Shaoyu was a little naive, but not stupid. Seeing that he didn't want to say more, although he still wanted to ask, he held back.
As for Yu Li, she has never been a talkative person. Besides, there is no need for Fang Bihe to lie, so she felt more at ease after hearing his words.
Fang Bihe sat for a while, then stood up and said goodbye.
Before leaving, he said, "Miss Yu, when you are free in the future, I will treat you and Brother Fu to a meal."
Yu Li responded.
After he left, Chu Shaoyu asked curiously, "Cousin, how do you know Weiyuan Hou?"
Yu Li said: "My sister and I saved him."
Chu Shaoyu suddenly realized that it was a life-saving grace, which made sense.
No wonder Fang Bihe, who always appears cold and majestic in front of others and acts ruthlessly, would come over to say hello, and his attitude is quite good.
The grace of saving a life is extraordinary.
Chu Shaoyu couldn't help but think, his cousin's wife had saved him before, wasn't he very grateful to her?
The two sat in the Imperial Examination Hall for most of the day, tasted the signature dishes of Zhuangyuanlou, and then left.
After parting with Chu Shaoyu, Yu Li went to the princess's mansion.
When I arrived at the princess's mansion and just got off the car, I heard that there would be guests coming to the mansion today.
"Who is it?" Yu Li was a little curious.
Ever since Princess Yuan'an returned to Beijing, the princess's mansion has been closed to visitors. The explanation given to the public is that Princess Yuan'an is in poor health and needs to rest. Normally, no one comes here. It can be seen that those people are also avoiding the current Princess Yuan'an.
The maid who came to greet her said, "It's Princess Fuhui."
Yu Li suddenly realized.
Ever since she met Princess Fuhui at last year's calligraphy and painting conference, she had made a point to learn more about this princess who was the old emperor's favorite.
Perhaps because she was deeply favored by the emperor, Princess Fuhui acted extremely arrogantly. She did everything a princess should and should not do, and lived a flamboyant and unbridled life.
He also lives a life that makes all the women in the world envy him.
People have mixed opinions about her, but this does not affect anything. Princess Fuhui continues to do her own thing.
Princess Yuan'an and Princess Fuhui were in the warm room. When Yu Li went over, he heard Princess Fuhui's clear laughter from afar.
When she walked in, she saw Princess Fuhui sitting on a low couch, talking to Princess Yuanan with great interest.
Princess Yuanan sat upright, with elegant manners, and listened with a smile.
When she saw Yu Li, Princess Fuhui's eyes lit up. She got off the couch and rushed towards her.
Yu Li moved slightly, leaving Princess Fuhui empty-handed. Seeing that she was about to fall, Yu Li reached out and grabbed her sleeve, gently pulling her up.
All this happened in an instant. The people around only saw Princess Fuhui's body shaking halfway and had no idea what was going on. Only Princess Fuhui herself could feel what happened in that instant.
She took the opportunity to grab Yu Li's sleeve and said with a smile: "Cousin, we meet again."
She called her "cousin-in-law" very naturally, and unlike Chu Shaoyu's cheerful and joyful voice, it carried a hint of teasing.
Yu Li nodded, went over to pay his respects to Princess Yuanan, and sat down next to her.
Princess Fuhui also sat over and said to Princess Yuanan with a smile, "Aunt, I came here today just to look for my cousin's wife. It's not easy to see her."
Princess Yuan An drank her tea calmly and asked, "Why are you looking for Li Niang?"
"Of course, I want to thank her for saving my life on the night of the Lantern Festival." Princess Fuhui said cheerfully.
Princess Yuan'an paused and asked about this matter. After Princess Fuhui finished speaking, she frowned and said, "Who is so bold?" He actually dared to murder the princess of the current dynasty.
Princess Fuhui said nonchalantly, "They are just some people who don't like me and are jealous of my father's favor."
Hearing this, Princess Yuan'an looked at her carefully, then looked away.
Yu Li sat there eating, not caring about what the aunt and nephew said.
However, Princess Fuhui was obviously very interested in her and said, "Cousin, I heard that you stepped on the lanterns on the river to save me. How amazing..."
In fact, not many people saw this scene. It was dark at the time and everyone's attention was on the person who fell into the water, so they didn't pay much attention to these things.
Princess Fuhui didn't quite believe it in her heart, and she brought it up specifically at this time just to test him.
However, seeing that Yu Li didn't say anything, Princess Fuhui's heart skipped a beat. Realizing that it might be true, she widened her eyes.
Princess Fuhui said jokingly, "Cousin, if you were not Cousin Fu's wife, I could ask you to be my guard."
There are also some women among her guards. After all, sometimes female guards are much more convenient than male guards.
Moreover, Yu Li’s powerful strength really makes people feel safe.
Princess Yuan An raised her eyes, looked at her coldly, and said, "Don't talk nonsense."
Princess Fuhui's heart trembled slightly, and she soon laughed, "I was indeed talking nonsense, cousin, don't take it to heart."
Then she pulled Yu Li aside and asked him questions. Yu Li's reaction was very cold, but she didn't care.
"By the way, the imperial examination will start today. Cousin Fu will also take part in it, right?" Princess Fuhui asked suddenly.
Yu Li raised his eyes to look at her and finally responded, "Yes."
Princess Fuhui smiled and said, "With Cousin Fu's literary talent, there will definitely be no problem. The great scholars who taught him in the past have praised him, saying that he is a pillar of talent. The imperial teacher also said that his literary talent and knowledge are excellent. If he participates in the imperial examination, he will be bullying others."
Princess Yuan An smiled, "There is no other way. Xiao'er has gone through this ordeal and lost his status. He dares not return to the capital. He can only take the imperial examination. Only when he has achieved fame and honor can he live up to the saint's teachings."
After hearing this, Princess Fuhui also praised: "Cousin Fu is really amazing. If he were an ordinary person, he would probably have to stay in the South for the rest of his life and waste most of his life."
"He made himself proud."
“…”
Yu Li listened to the conversation between the aunt and niece, but didn't understand any deep meaning. He just felt that they seemed to be praising Fu Wenxiao.
She looked at Princess Fuhui again. This princess was quite talkative.
Princess Fuhui stayed in the princess's mansion for most of the day before she said goodbye and left.
Before leaving, she said, "Cousin, when I'm free some other day, I'll invite you out to play. You must show me your favor."
Yu Li showed little interest, "Let's talk about it later."
Princess Fuhui didn't care about her coldness and got into the carriage with a smile.
When the carriage left the princess's mansion, the smile on her face fell and her expression looked a little cold.
The maid next to her was a little indignant: "Princess, why do you have to give her a cold shoulder? This country girl really doesn't know what's good for her..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw Princess Fuhui's stern face, his face turned pale, and he quickly knelt down.
Princess Fuhui said, "I don't like to hear this, please don't say it again in the future."
"yes……"
Princess Fuhui played with the cloisonné hand warmer in her hand and said slowly, "In this world, there are many people who are incompetent but boastful. People with ability are rare, and there are even fewer people who are capable but not arrogant. Such people do not need to flatter the powerful. Most of them have no desires, so it is right for them to be a little indifferent."
The maid was startled when she heard this, and she somewhat understood what the princess meant. She asked in surprise, "Princess, could it be that Master Fu's wife is really some extraordinary person?"
She looks like a thin and weak girl, and she is always eating like a glutton.
Of course, it is an indisputable fact that she saved the princess that night, and she was indeed quite capable. As for the claim that she came from the shore on the lanterns in the river, most people don't believe it.
The lanterns in the river are so light, how can they bear the weight of a person? They will surely fall into the river.
Princess Fuhui snorted and laughed.
This time she came to Princess Yuan'an's mansion, in addition to visiting her aunt, she really wanted to meet Yu Li.
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