"Sir!" The figure glanced at Mr. Hua sitting in the pavilion, paused slightly, and then quickly came to the pavilion.
"Your Excellency, are you here to see His Highness Prince Duan?" Mr. Hua was not surprised by the figure's behavior. On the contrary, he showed a faint smile.
"I would like to ask His Royal Highness Duan Wang for his opinion on some lock breaking matters." The figure nodded.
"Can such a matter as determining the results of the imperial examination also be called a matter of breaking the lock?" Mr. Hua's tone was calm, but there was a faint brilliance in his eyes.
The figure moved slightly, and then slowly took off the cloak covering his head, revealing a young face. It was Su Qing who was standing behind Prince Lin Tianrong during the preliminary examination.
"Sir, what he said is really impressive. I don't know what your views are on this matter. Su will definitely follow your advice and regret it." Su Qing said while applying the technique to Mr. Hua. A gift.
"Master Su, you're welcome. I have no official position in the court. At most, I am just a diner in the palace of His Highness Prince Duan. How can I talk about repentance to you? I would like to hear your opinions." Mr. Hua smiled slightly, but But he didn't return the favor.
"Sir, he has been working for His Highness Prince Duan for several years and has made countless achievements. How can I, who holds a lowly public position like me, dare to talk in front of him? However, since you asked, I will explain it bluntly. I hope you can give me some advice! "Su Qing was not unhappy at all because of Mr. Hua's actions and continued to salute him respectfully.
"No need, His Highness Prince Duan has been waiting in the study for a long time. Please follow me in, sir!" Mr. Hua waved his hand, and then walked towards the study.
Su Qing looked at Mr. Hua's back and lowered his head slightly, just. There was a gleam in his eyes, and an imperceptible sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
…
In the study room, Duan Xinjue was not sitting on the chair. Instead, he was pacing back and forth in the study, frowning. He seemed to be thinking about something.
At this moment, the door of the study room was gently pushed open, and Mr. Hua stepped in with a food box in his hand. However, he did not take a second step. He just stood quietly in front of the door, waiting for Su Qing's greeting. Enter.
Su Qing walked to the door and stood level with Mr. Hua. No further progress was made.
Duan Xinjue, who was pacing back and forth in the study, saw the two people coming in, and his eyes lit up: "Su Qing is here, sit down quickly, Mr. Hua is here too, hurry up, come in!"
Just as Su Qing was about to give in, Mr. Hua had already turned around and closed the door. In desperation, he could only step into the room first, while Mr. Hua followed Su Qing and put the food box in his hand on the table. From beginning to end, not a word was said.
"The king is thinking about the matter of determining the results of the imperial examination. You two came at the right time. Let's talk about your opinions." After Duan Xinjue finished speaking, his eyes subconsciously looked at Su Qing.
Su Qing did not give in anymore at this time, but walked to the middle of the study room, bowed and bowed to Duan Xinjue: "With the power of a humble minister, it is really inappropriate to discuss the matter of determining the results of the imperial examination. It's a bit overstepping my bounds, but since His Highness Prince Duan asked, I will tell you my opinion."
"Yeah. Tell me!" Duan Xinjue nodded and finally sat back on the chair.
"The matter of determining the results of the imperial examination. The Holy Majesty leaves it to His Highness to make the final decision. In fact, it represents the Holy Majesty's trust in His Highness. However, this matter is not as simple as it seems. It not only involves the Sacred Heart, but also involves the people in the imperial court. In the fight between the aristocratic family and the humble family, His Highness’s decision today actually represents his position.”
"That's right, I know this too." Duan Xinjue nodded slightly after hearing Su Qing's words.
"What His Highness Prince Duan has to do now is to choose and give up!"
"How to say?"
"What do you think of the Sacred Heart's direction, Your Highness?"
"Of course it's Yan Xiu."
"Yes, if I dare to ask Your Highness again, which one is more serious in the dispute between the two parties in the court?"
"This must be an aristocratic family. Do you mean to ask me to give Yan Xiu the top spot in the imperial examination?" Duan Xinjue frowned slightly when he heard this.
"His Highness is the one who makes the final decision on the imperial examination. I have no opinion, but I am just thinking about it. If the matter is really that simple, then His Highness will not be worried, right?"
"That's right."
"Wei Chen would like to ask Mr. Hua to make a hypothesis. What will happen if His Highness gives Yan Xiu the first place in the imperial examination?" After Su Qing heard Duan Xinjue's words, he also turned his attention to Mr. Hua sat quietly aside.
Mr. Hua was drinking tea by himself when he suddenly heard Su Qing's words. The tea cup in his hand swayed slightly, and then he took another sip unhurriedly.
"It seems that Mr. Su has already made up his mind on this matter, and Mr. Hua has taken advantage of it. As Mr. Su said, if His Highness gives Yan Xiu the top spot in the imperial examination, then the ministers will naturally want His Highness Duan Wang to comply with the people's will, and the same will be said by His Majesty. I will accept King Duan's proposal and give the top spot to Yan Xiu, but..." Mr. Hua stopped after he finished speaking.
"Just how?"
"Most people have overlooked one thing, and that is Yan Xiu's own thoughts." Mr. Hua's eyes lit up, which was a sign of extreme confidence.
"What Mr. Hua said is exactly what I am thinking about. If Yan Xiu is determined and Yan Xiu refuses to follow and refuses to reason, things may be counterproductive. But if he directly decides to be upright, regardless of my unwillingness to do so. , from the perspective of the court situation, he has lost his sacred heart and lost the will of the disciples of the aristocratic family. This king is in a dilemma after thinking about it!" Duan Xinjue nodded.
"Your Highness has far-reaching ideas, which really pleases me. As the saying goes, choose the lesser of two evils, and choose the lesser of two evils. Why don't Your Highness avoid the more serious and choose the less important?" Su Qing spoke again at this time.
"Master Su, which one of these two is more important?" Duan Xinjue asked.
"On the surface, there is no distinction between the two, but the deeper meaning of avoiding the important and choosing the lighter does not lie in the choice of priority, but in the word avoidance!"
"Oh? Mr. Su, please speak!"
"Of course everyone knows what the Sacred Heart wants, but if we talk about it, who does His Highness think should be at the top of the list in this test?" Su Qing did not speak immediately, but asked rhetorically.
"If we talk about it, it should be... Fang Zhengzheng." Although Duan Xinjue was a little reluctant, he still admitted.
"That's right, Fang Zhengzheng made the history of the Great Xia Dynasty in the literary test, and none of the six test papers were wrong. Even Chi Guyan and Nangong Hao did not have such brilliance in the literary test, and in the martial arts test In the middle, he was not as powerful as Yan Xiu. He dragged Yan Xiu down to the ring at the same time, and knocked Yan Xiu unconscious. Fang Zhengzheng should be considered the winner. Even if he takes 10,000 steps back, this martial arts test can only be regarded as a victory at best. It’s a draw.”
"That's the truth." Duan Xinjue nodded.
"His Highness forced Yan Xiu to be the top one, so he naturally obeyed the Sacred Heart, but the Sacred Heart is always unpredictable. The most taboo thing about the king's power is for the princes to speculate on the holy will. Although His Highness's move was satisfactory, he broke his promise. Having a virtuous reputation will bring a hundred harms but no benefits!" Su Qing said the last word, her tone unknowingly getting thicker.
"What do you think, Mr. Hua?" Duan Xinjue's face changed slightly, but he did not immediately answer Su Qing's words, but turned to look at Mr. Hua.
"What Mr. Su said is exactly what I meant. However, Mr. Su just mentioned the word "avoidance", which makes me a little confused. I wonder how Mr. Su can avoid being a child of an aristocratic family?" Mr. Hua turned his gaze at this time. Turning to Su Qing, there was a faint smile on his face.
"This is the purpose of my coming here today!" Su Qing's face was full of confidence.
"What do you want, Mr. Su?"
"This matter seems complicated, but in fact it is extremely simple. Your Highness only needs to use some means to lead this matter to another person."
"who?"
"Ninth Prince!"
"Ninth brother? I see. Ninth brother is indeed the most suitable candidate to supervise the exam with me this time. I almost forgot about him."
…
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.
As the oldest teahouse in Yanjing City, Tingxiang Pavilion has always been a gathering place for talented people and beauties from all over the world. Especially during morning tea time, people come and go. There was an endless stream.
As for the most exquisitely decorated elegant room in Tingxiang Tower.
But not everyone has the ability to enter, however. For a tyrant in Yanjing City, it would be a disaster. For Pingyang, who no one dares to mess with, this has never been a problem.
In the elegant room, Pingyang was wearing a bright red cloak. He put his two slender and round legs casually on the tea table. He held a piece of snack in his hand and slowly put it into the pink mouth. Taste it slowly.
Opposite Pingyang, there was a young man in rich clothes sitting, cutting the snacks for Pingyang with a knife, while looking at Pingyang eating the snacks with expectation on his face.
It was none other than the Ninth Prince Lin Yun.
A prince and a princess were sitting in the Tingxiang Pavilion, drinking morning tea and eating snacks. This was a normal thing. However, the appearance of the ninth prince at this moment was somewhat pitiful.
"Brother Ninth invited me to drink tea so early and specially brought my favorite snacks. He didn't just want to chat with my sister, right?" Pingyang swallowed the snacks in his hands and leaned back. Damn, he said casually.
"Haha, actually nothing happened. You know, talented people from all over the country flock to Yanjing City at this time every year, so..."
"Oh? Is there anything fun?"
"In previous years, gatherings were usually based on literature and were freely organized by all parties. However, there were too many people coming to Yanjing City this year. Moreover, almost all the people who ranked within the top twenty on the Shenglong List gathered together. Even my father had to pay attention to it, so..."
"That's it?"
"I opened the Eastern Suburbs Hunting Ground and personally set up rewards!"
"Eastern Suburbs Hunting Ground? Hahaha... That would be fun. The reward my father brought out must not be ordinary. Thank you Brother Ninth for telling me about this. I have to prepare it!" Pingyang immediately became excited when he heard this. stand up.
"Hey, wait!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun shouted as soon as he saw Pingyang was about to get up.
"Brother Ninth, is there anything else?"
"Well, you know, those people who come from various cities all have some wealth. Ninth Brother only has a purple electric black dragon colt in his hand..." Ninth Prince Lin Yun hesitated to speak.
"No!" Pingyang refused without thinking.
"Can I borrow it for one day? I'll return it to you immediately after borrowing it!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun looked depressed. He originally owned this Purple Lightning Black Dragon Colt, but now he has to borrow it from Pingyang.
It's really embarrassing.
…
In a uniquely decorated inn.
Fang Zhengzheng had a very comfortable sleep this time. Doctor Li was worthy of being Doctor Li. In just one day, Fang Zhengzheng felt that he was very energetic and seemed to have fully recovered.
As the saying goes, people are like iron and rice is like steel. If you don't eat one meal, you will be hungry.
Of course, the first thing Fang Zhengzheng did after waking up was to look for food. However, before looking for food, he decided to go see Yan Xiu first.
Yan Xiu's room is right next to his.
Of course, this is not accidental, but inevitable, because the room Fang Zheng is sleeping in is the room Yan Xiu booked for him long ago.
To paraphrase Yan Xiu himself, he is not short of money.
Fang Zhengzheng had always known this, but he was too embarrassed to be polite to Yan Xiu.
The moment he walked out of the room, Fang Zhengzheng saw a burly man with a beard standing at the door, looking prepared.
"Master Fang!" The bearded man saw Fang Zhengzheng walking out of the room and immediately shouted respectfully.
He is not as upright as Fang Zhengyi, not because he has a higher official position in the court than Fang Zhengyi, but because he also addresses Yan Xiu as son.
Of course Fang Zhengzheng knew the person in front of him.
When he first met Yan Xiu, this person was by Yan Xiu's side, and then, when he was in Xinhe Mansion, he was also by Yan Xiu's side.
However, since Fang Zhengzheng and Yan Xiu walked together, the other party has disappeared. When we meet again today, Fang Zhengzheng can probably guess the reason for the other party's appearance.
"Uncle Tie!" Fang Zhengzheng didn't know the real name of the strong man with a beard. He only knew that Yan Xiu called him Uncle Tie, so he called him that too.
"Master Fang, are you going out?"
"Yes, how is Yan Xiu?"
"Master Fang woke up last night and is still resting now. Do you want Master Fang to go in?" Uncle Tie said as he backed away from the door of the room.
"Still sleeping? Then we won't go in." Fang Zhengzheng thought for a while and decided not to disturb Yan Xiu. After all, Uncle Tie is already here, so there should be no problem in Yan Xiu's care.
"Okay." Uncle Tie nodded and stood back to his original position.
Fang Zhengzheng didn't say anything more and went straight out of the inn. He walked leisurely on the street while looking left and right for delicious snacks.
After a while, I had five or six snacks in my hand.
So, while talking, he was enjoying the morning sunshine. At this moment, Fang Zhengzheng also noticed a guy in a roadside alley wearing a black short shirt and a sinister look on his face.
There was also a huge thing wrapped in black cloth on his back, which looked like a box.
Fang Zhengzheng had never been very interested in men, but the way the other man kept winking at him still made him a little uncomfortable.
So, he decided to give this guy a punch.
Let this guy know the consequences of ogling men randomly.
"Oh, Master, please show mercy!" When the young man saw Fang Zhengzheng's waving fist, he immediately knelt down and begged Fang Zhengheng.
"Tell me, why do you look so ugly and scare people?" Fang Zhengzheng asked sternly.
"Ah?!" When the young man heard Fang Zhengzheng's words, he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. His dark eyes turned rapidly: "Of course, the young man can't compare to the gentleness of the young master. The young master is a human being at first glance. I wonder if the young master is interested in treasures?"
"Treasure? What treasure!" Fang Zhengzheng's eyes lit up. Could it be that he was lucky? When you go out, you meet a thief who wants to sell something
"Master, please come with me. This is a first-class treasure. Be careful not to be seen by others!" When the young man heard Fang Zhengzheng's words, he immediately showed a fawning expression.
"Okay!" Fang Zhengzheng nodded.
Soon, under the leadership of the boy, Fang Zhengzheng also came to a remote place in the alley. A big tree blocked the light, which could be regarded as a hidden place.
"What treasure, take it out!" Fang Zhengzheng urged.
"Sir, please take a look!" The boy didn't mean to delay at all, and took out the things wrapped in cloth from his back.
It turned out to be a wooden box.
It looks a little delicate, made of mahogany, with some patterns carved on it.
"This is a treasure, its name is Sun Shooting Bow!!" (To be continued.)