Jinwu Palace.
"Don't harm my child."
Consort Yi woke up from her dream again. Hearing the noise, Pei Lan immediately ran into the room. "Your Highness, did you have another nightmare?"
"Peilan, I dreamt that the First Prince harmed my child, and I... bled a lot." Consort Yi's eyes were red. The Emperor hadn't come to Jinwu Palace for several days.
Last time at the Empress's place... the Emperor must have been angry.
"If Your Highness is really worried, then stay in Jinwu Palace and don't go out. Who can harm Your Highness that way!" Peilan gently comforted Consort Yi. "Your Highness, please don't worry. It's not good for the prince in your belly either."
"I won't go out, yes, I won't go out."
Pei Lan helped Consort Yi lie down again. Pei Lan left the house after seeing Consort Yi close her eyes and sat under the eaves to keep watch, but her gaze was always on the direction of Da Ning.
The situation in the Daqing Palace was changing very quickly, and she didn't know how to decide whether or not to give birth to the child in the Empress's womb.
......
The Palace of Eternal Life was burned down again, and public opinion reached its peak.
Previously, Jiang Yu had sent people to spread rumors that the late emperor preferred Gu Lin to succeed to the throne. These rumors resurfaced among the crowd, and within a few days, Deng Yu led his men to arrest many people and imprison them in the imperial prison.
For a time, the people of the capital were filled with fear and unease.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Gu Heng's face was extremely grim, and the officials kneeling below him dared not utter a single word.
"You're all a bunch of people, with so many brains, and you can't come up with a single good idea?"
Gu Heng's voice was filled with anger: "A bunch of useless good-for-nothings!"
“Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to repair the Hall of Longevity as soon as possible,” He Yu said, forcing himself to speak. “The autumn imperial examinations are approaching, and other matters can be postponed.”
Gu Heng snorted coldly upon hearing this, determined to select a few promising talents from this autumn imperial examination.
"Repair the Hall of Longevity?" Gu Heng's tone suddenly rose. "If it catches fire again after I've repaired it, should I issue an edict of self-reproach?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
The ministers didn't even dare to raise their heads. The edict of self-reproach... How many emperors throughout history have been willing to issue an edict of self-reproach?
"Everyone must be on your guard for this autumn imperial examination. If there is even the slightest mistake, I will not let it go lightly!"
When the officials left the Hall of Supreme Harmony, they were still somewhat shaken.
"Lord Zhong, judging from His Majesty's words just now, does he intend to promote some new talents in this autumn imperial examination?" A minister quietly approached Zhong Wuyi, the Minister of Rites.
"His Majesty attaches great importance to this autumn examination, so we should do our best to select promising talents for him."
Hearing Zhong Wuyi's watertight reply, the ministers around him left, realizing they had made a fool of themselves.
Zhong Mansion.
"Godfather".
A clear, pleasant voice rang out, and Zhong Wuyi immediately smiled.
In the sunlight, a man in a white robe smiled faintly, his skin was fair and translucent, he held a book in his hand, and the purple veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible.
"Ruo'er, how's your homework going?"
"Don't worry, Godfather." Wei Ruo said calmly, "If I pass the autumn examination this time, I will try again in the spring examination next March."
Zhong Wu also sighed, "If you hadn't been wandering outside for so many years, you would have passed the imperial examination long ago."
"It is my honor to be under my godfather's protection."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wei Ruo returned to her own courtyard.
“Young Master, there has been much discussion outside recently about the Changsheng Palace being burned down again,” a servant-like man said. “These are the main theories.”
Kui Ruo glanced at her a few times and let out a light, cheerful laugh, looking innocent and harmless.
"It's good that the Empress wasn't involved."
With her well-defined knuckles, Wei Ruo took out a small portrait from the purse at her waist, which looked exactly like Jiang Yu.
He gently brushed his fingertips across the small statue. Just wait a little longer, and he will soon be able to enter the imperial court to repay the kindness of yesteryear.
He wants to climb step by step to the position of being second only to the emperor.
Then, wherever the empress pointed, he would charge there.
......
A few days later, at Zhaoning Palace.
"Your Majesty, there is a promising candidate for this autumn imperial examination."
Wanji's words made Jiang Yu pause as he wrote large characters. "A promising talent?"
“Yes, I heard that the chief examiner personally presented the exam questions to the Emperor, who praised them highly after reading them.” Wanji said respectfully, “Now, people from all sides are trying to find out the identity of that candidate.”
"Has anyone found out who it is?"
"He is the adopted son of Minister Zhong of the Ministry of Rites, named Wei Ruo."
"Kuiruo?"
Thud—
A drop of ink fell onto the paper. Jiang Yu stared at the ink drop for a moment, a strange look flashing in her eyes.
A few breaths later, Jiang Yu wrote the two characters "隗若" on the paper.
Are these the two characters?
"Your Majesty, those are indeed the two characters." Wanji's eyes narrowed. This surname was not common. Did Your Majesty know this examinee?
"I understand."
Jiang Yu's voice was tinged with nostalgia, and a smile appeared in the corner of her eyes.
This kid actually has such great fortune.
He's no longer the boy who nearly froze to death outside.
As her thoughts drifted, Jiang Yu seemed to see the vast snow at the end of that year.
The end of the year should have been a time of celebration, but the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence was draped in white cloth, devoid of any joyful laughter.
Her elder brother was away fighting a war, and she, dressed in plain clothes, guarded the empty Dingyuan Marquis's mansion alone.
"Miss, a frozen boy has been found outside."
As Jiang Yu followed the servants to the entrance of the Marquis's residence, she saw a young man with a flushed face and limbs that were clearly frozen stiff.
"It's snowing so heavily and you're still dressed so lightly, bring it in."
Because of the strict separation between men and women, Jiang Yu did not specifically see the young man. She only instructed the physician of the manor to take his pulse and had the embroiderers in the manor quickly make two cotton-padded clothes.
Three days later, the boy recovered and insisted on seeing Jiang Yu.
"I heard you wanted to see me?" Jiang Yu's eyes were red, clearly indicating that she had been crying.
The boy glanced at the white-clad mansion, pursed his lips, and said, "My name is Wei Ruo, and I'm thirteen years old."
He had no parents and no place to shelter from the wind and rain.
He ran with all his might to the gate of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, wanting to take a gamble.
He won his bet.
“Kui Ruo?” Jiang Yu murmured the name, and the light in the boy’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Picking up a branch from the ground, Wei Ruo neatly wrote his name on the snow, saying, "I will repay this life-saving grace a hundredfold one day."
Before leaving, Wei Ruo took a deep look at Jiang Yu and thought that Jiang Yu's eyes were incredibly beautiful, the most moving eyes he had ever seen in his life.
Wrapped herself in a warm cotton coat, a seed began to take root and sprout in Wei Ruo's heart.
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