As soon as the news that the Spring Examination would be held as scheduled came out, the candidates immediately rushed to tell each other, and the solemnity of the past few days was swept away. In fact, many people had already made preparations to return home, and they were really surprised that the Spring Examination was not postponed.
"I think it's to be expected. The Hua family has always been protective of students, and the eldest lady is now the Grand Tutor, so she will naturally take care of us in every possible way."
The inn was packed with candidates because they had all gathered in the capital. There was not a single empty seat in the lobby. Everywhere one could see were scholars in Confucian robes and square scarves. They all looked excited, and even their voices were much higher than usual.
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere became more heated. The first female official of the Daqing Dynasty was the eldest daughter of the Hua family. They inexplicably felt a sense of honor. Of course, not everyone felt this way. Someone immediately said, "As a woman, she is an official in the court and lives in the same room with a group of men. Isn't it inappropriate?"
"I think the eldest lady deserves it and deserves it."
"I think so too. The prince has been taught by the young lady for more than a year. You only think that the young lady is a woman, but have you seen how courageous the prince is? Isn't this all due to the young lady's efforts?"
Although the incident of breaking into the palace was not considered to bring honor to the royal family, after weighing the pros and cons, the empress dowager still agreed to Hua Zhi's suggestion through the mouth of Qi Su Si to use this incident to build momentum for the prince. The prince broke into the palace because he was worried about the late emperor who had not appeared for several days, and later his courage to take on the matter alone had spread throughout the city. The original concerns about the young prince have now turned into expectations. No matter whether it is a minister or a citizen, there is no one who does not hope that the new monarch is a wise monarch, the people want to live and work in peace, and the court officials want to fight for power and profit. This is all based on the premise of national stability.
Along with this matter, word spread that Hua Zhi had been teaching the Crown Prince for more than a year and had long been a true teacher of the prince. If it happened to anyone else, it would be hard to believe, but when it came to Hua Zhi, no one found it strange. A daughter raised by the Hua family would naturally be different from others, and the eldest girl had proved this with countless facts over the past two years.
It's just that some people can't help but feel weird, as if a woman is riding on their necks. Fortunately, this man's surname is Hua, otherwise it would probably be more than just a matter of public opinion.
But overall it's still good.
Hua Zhi listened to the reports from the people below and thought for a while, then ordered: "Guide them more, don't bring up the topic about me, spread more things that are beneficial to the prince, you can make a fuss about his handling of the flood in Xiangyang, and there is no need to cover up the things in Jinyang, it will spread one day, we might as well get ahead of them, you can ask the people who went to Jinyang with us how the prince behaved at the time, you can also put some of the things that Yan Xi and I did on him, and add a few more layers of golden bodies to the prince, and try to keep the people's hearts stable during this transition of imperial power."
"Yes." Chen Qing glanced at the tired girl for a few seconds, "Now that this matter has come to an end, there is no rush to teach. You might as well take a few days to rest. I'm afraid I will need you in many areas in the future."
"Let's wait for Yan Xi to come back. If he doesn't come back, I won't be able to sleep well."
Chen Qing couldn't persuade him any more, and was about to leave tactfully when he heard the eldest girl say, "I won't go to the prince's mansion for the time being. Tell the old man that the prince is concerned about his injury and asks him to rest and recuperate. There is no need to move to another place. Doctor Yu lives over there, so it's convenient."
"yes."
"Also, Prince Ling's Mansion is keeping a close eye on them."
"Yes." Chen Qing agreed, and then asked, "Do you suspect that there are remnants of Chao Li in Prince Ling's mansion?"
"Anything is possible, but evidence is needed."
"Yes, I understand."
The day Yan Xi returned to the capital was the seventh day after the death of the late emperor. Upon learning that he had returned, Hua Zhi immediately went to the palace to ask for an audience. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to enter the palace. She was familiar with Yan Xi's habits and knew that the first thing he would do after returning to the capital was to go back to the palace to report. At this time, she hoped to be with Yan Xi.
Gu Yanxi got the news as soon as he entered the city. He ignored all the rules and rode his horse straight to the palace.
The palace was dressed in mourning everywhere, and the mourning hall was even more solemn. It was the time for rituals, and the sound of monks chanting filled the world. Led by the crown prince, except for the fourth prince who had been imprisoned in the sky prison, even the eldest prince who had been demoted to a commoner was allowed to enter the palace. At this time, several princes knelt behind the master and kowtowed to the ground reverently.
Gu Yanxi seemed to be completely oblivious to all this. He walked past everyone step by step to the coffin, looking expressionlessly at the person inside who seemed to be just sleeping. He once worshipped his uncle who was as mighty as a god, and later was disappointed and almost broke up with the King of Daqing... Just gone like that
Xiaoliu hesitated several times before finally speaking openly, "The late emperor has issued an order, ordering the prince to be the regent and assist the crown prince in becoming a wise ruler. Prince, accept the order."
Gu Yanxi turned around. The leader of the Qixiu Division, who always acted omnipotent and majestic, had a blank look in his eyes. He seemed not to understand and stared at Duke Dingguo.
Duke Dingguo sighed, the late emperor was confused, the Crown Prince’s affection for the late emperor was probably even higher than that of all the other princes, alas!
"Please accept my condolences, my prince."
"What happened!"
Duke Dingguo was unable to speak of this matter. Just as he was in a dilemma, the Queen Mother appeared and said, "The ritual continues. Yan Xi, follow me."
Gu Yanxi felt upset, but he knew very well that no matter how upset he was, it was never as bad as his grandmother's. He turned around, knelt down, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times toward the coffin, saying a belated goodbye, then immediately chased after him, supporting his grandmother who had obviously become much thinner.
The Queen Mother patted the back of his hand, feeling somewhat comforted, fortunately God still left two people for her.
"Your Highness, please wait a moment."
Hearing Lai Fu's voice, the grandfather and grandson turned around at the same time. Without Lai Fu saying anything, they understood what he meant by looking at the people around him.
Hua Zhi stepped forward and bowed, "My daughter greets the Queen Mother."
The queen mother's stern expression eased, she stepped forward to hold her up, put her hand in Yan Xi's hand, and said softly: "You know all about this, so you can tell Yan Xi."
Gu Yanxi subconsciously clenched his hand. Hua Zhi moved slightly and changed to a handshake with him. She squatted towards the Queen Mother again and said, "Yes, I will take the person away now."
"Go ahead."
Looking at the two people walking away together, the Queen Mother lowered her head and gently pressed the corners of her eyes. Her tired expression showed a hint of relief. "Finally, you're back. I can finally put my heart at ease."
Yuxiang stepped forward to support the man and said softly, "Yes, the prince is now the pillar of our Daqing. With him here, you can rest assured and take a rest."
The Queen Mother raised the corner of her lip, "Give the order, no matter what Yan Xi wants to do next, no one is allowed to stop him."
"yes."
PS: I feel a little better now.