Duan Changchuan and his friends were talking in the private room, while outside they could hear students discussing politics.
From the current court situation and the emperor's wedding to the Shaoguan spies, to last year's natural disaster in Huainan and Lord Chen's efforts to turn the tide, the people lined the streets to see him off.
Public opinion in Datong can be considered open, and all of the people present are students who are about to enter the government. When they graduate, they will become well-known figures in the future, so naturally their opinions will be more profound.
"If we say that Datong is at its peak now, then it is extremely prosperous. The Southern Xinjiang Army is feared by all, and the country is stable both inside and outside. The people are happy and prosperous, with warm clothes and enough food. This is a prosperous era that will last for thousands of years."
"Brother Su also said that it is [if said]. In Shaoguan, there is a sentry every hundred steps, but it is still penetrated by spies. What kind of person is the general? But he is in danger there, which shows the threat from Datong. Look at the imperial city. His Majesty has already turned 18, but he has not even had a proper birthday, and it is because the regent refused to return power."
"Brother Chen, you are wrong. The late emperor passed away twelve years ago, and Your Majesty was only six years old at that time. The country was leaderless. If it weren't for the regent who shouldered this burden, would Datong be what it is today?"
"Does it mean there is no merit if there is merit?"
"Everyone present here knows about the achievements of the past dynasties. May I ask where the mistakes were made?"
The person being questioned seemed to be furious and shouted: "Nothing is wrong, that's the biggest mistake!"
Later, he was mocked: "I didn't know that if you accuse someone, even if there is nothing wrong, it will become wrong. You are so unreasonable."
Then, there was a burst of laughter.
The four people sitting in the private room looked at each other after hearing the two people's argument...
Yun Xie covered his face with a fan and lowered his voice to introduce: "Jia He, ranked 17th in this examination. His father, Jia An, was a small county magistrate in Jingjiang in the north. He was considered a poor family."
The young man sitting in the main seat ordered in a steady tone: "Write down this man's name and tell the teacher to pay more attention to him during the imperial examination. After the examination is over, have Jiang, the Minister of the Dali Temple, hand over the token."
"Okay."
There are about twenty people in total, among which the top three in the examination have the highest reputation.
The first one is Lin Qing. His remarks so far have been quite conventional and he seems to be on neither side. The third one is Guangsui, the disciple of the Prime Minister. He calmly directed the topic to the Prime Minister as soon as he opened his mouth, and it was obvious that he was recruiting people for the Prime Minister. The second one did not participate in any discussion at all. He just sat at the table and drank quietly. On the surface, he was a playboy, but his mind was probably the deepest.
Of the remaining seventeen, fully half of them were friends with Guangsui. Of the remaining half, several spoke for the City King and were clearly on the side of the Regent.
The exam has just ended and the talents have almost been divided up...
Duan Changchuan looked at the few names written on the table and fell silent.
Yun Xie circled the name "Shu Ze" and said, "I found out that the second place and Lin Qing are very close. They often drink together and have a good relationship. So what if the two old men divide up the group below? If we can win these two over, we can also win this round of the Spring Examination."
After saying that, he circled Lin Qing’s name and drew a line between “Lin Qing” and “Shu Ze”.
Then he looked at Bai Su calmly.
The relationship between Bai Su and Lin Qing has long been no secret among the four.
The Prime Minister wanted to win over Lin Qing, but it was completely impossible. And between Duan Changchuan and Lin Qing... it was no exaggeration to say that the hatred between them was that of stealing his wife.
It's not easy to win them over.
Bai Su is their hope.
If Bai Su were to persuade Lin Qing, or if Bai Su were to threaten Lin Qing, the other party would definitely surrender.
Although they all knew it was cruel.
But how can there be no bloodshed under the monarchy
"Miss Bai..." Feng Yan said hesitantly: "Is this possible..."
However, he was interrupted by Duan Changchuan just as he started talking.
The boy looked up, his eyes cold.
A warning sounded: "Aunt."
Feng Yan immediately stopped talking.
For a moment, no one spoke in the room.
The students outside are still arguing:
"The famine in Huainan was a natural disaster. What does it have to do with the imperial court? It wasn't the imperial court that issued an order to make the entire Huainan area barren. Lord Chen turned the tide and saved the people from danger. Shouldn't he be praised?"
"What does this have to do with the Regent?"
"Lord Chen was chosen by the Regent. Isn't it the Regent's credit that he knows how to appoint the right people to the right positions?"
"You...! Did you know that it was the Emperor who stamped the imperial edict? Why is it that only the Regent deserves praise for the same merit of knowing people and assigning them to the right positions?"
"The Emperor was not even eighteen years old last year, so how could he have the right to appoint ministers?"
"Lin Qing, what do you think?"
"Yes, Mu Zhi, you say it, and we listen to you."
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint everyone. Without knowing the full story, Mu Zhi dare not comment."
…
The sound came back into the private room through the crack in the door. Lin Qing was standing in the middle, which was very obvious.
The young man sitting at the top moved his stiff body and finally spoke slowly, saying, "We'll discuss this later."
Yun Xie was furious and shouted at him in a low voice: "Why wait? Don't you see that we have lost the advantage in this matter? If we delay any further, we will be snatched away. Think about the people you can still use, the civil and military officials, you can count them on your hands. The Spring Examination is held every four years, and this is the only chance. If you miss it, it will be gone! Do you want to wait another four years? Let's say we can't afford to wait for four years. After four years, can we be sure to win over the number one scholar of that year?"
These words made the atmosphere depressing to the freezing point.
Feng Xian, who has always been sensible and aware of the general situation, actually agreed with Yun Xie.
"Yun'er is right. This is a serious matter. The Spring Examination, which takes place every four years, happens to be right in our favor. We can't delay this matter."
She said.
Then he took a deep breath, turned around and knelt on one knee towards Bai Su: "I am the elder of the two of them, so I will make this unreasonable request. I know it is difficult, but now you are the only one..."
Yun Xie exclaimed, and quickly knelt down to help her: "Aunt!"
"Yun'er, go back."
"But… "
"I order you to go back."
Both of them knelt on the ground, pulling and tugging.
But Bai Su, who was sitting on the chair, did not respond at all.
Duan Changchuan was upset by what he heard... and by what he saw.
A nameless fire burned fiercely from the bottom of my heart.
Finally... The young man's angry voice rang out in the room.
“That’s enough!”
There was a loud bang as the table was slapped. The sound was so loud that even the endless chatter outside stopped.
They had deliberately lowered their voices, and with the cover of the loud chatter outside, nothing they said would be discovered. Now Duan Changchuan slammed the table, wasn't this equivalent to exposing himself
Yun Xie and Feng Xian stopped pulling each other and thought of remedial measures in their heads.
How should this statement be addressed
Most importantly, don't be the center of attention. The more attention you get, the greater the chance of being exposed.
Duan Changchuan also realized that he was easily provoked and acted too impulsively, and he immediately felt a little guilty.
then…
Just when the entire restaurant was frightened into silence by the sound in the private room and pricked up their ears to listen for a few more words...
Suddenly, an angry voice came from the private room, saying, "You said you would take me to listen to music, but it's been the whole afternoon and I haven't heard a single song. I said we should change places. Why are you not happy?"
It sounded like it was the same person who had just lost his temper and slammed the table.
The next moment, in full view of everyone, the door of the private room opened.
Then, a gust of wind passed, and someone rushed out the door quickly.
A young man holding a fan followed behind the young man, shouting as he ran: "Hey, hey! There is a gathering in the restaurant today. Isn't it rude to listen to music at this time? Why are you so angry?"
Then, another young man dressed as a scholar rushed out.
Finally, the woman hurriedly threw a bag of purses on the counter and left in a hurry.
Good guy…
I thought something had happened, but it turned out to be a playboy who got angry because he couldn't listen to the music.
Everyone shook their heads helplessly and joined the argument again.
Only Lin Qing, who was sitting at the center table, looked in the direction where the others left, his eyes blank.
…
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Duan Changchuan ran an entire street away from Yujin Building before finally stopping.
The four of them then walked slowly into the courtyard together.
Although everyone was acting together in the building, breaking some of the heavy atmosphere, there was still a sense of awkwardness between the four of them.
"Miss Bai, I am sorry to trouble you to wear this silk..."
When they arrived at the entrance of the secret passage, Feng Yan spoke while holding the white silk.
The woman nodded, closed her eyes and waited for her action.
When the eyes are covered again...
Duan Changchuan saw Bai Su turned her head and looked at him, and said in a faint voice: "Your Majesty, please take me back."
Suddenly, I felt very uncomfortable.
This was a trap set by Yun Xie and Feng Xian. They deliberately called Bai Su when they wanted to go to Yu Jin Tower to check out the literati who could be recruited.
Knowing that Lin Qing would come and would not take sides, he put pressure on Bai Su.
It sounds very high-sounding, which shows the respect for Bai Su. Whether the country can be preserved depends on Bai Su alone.
To put it bluntly, it means forcing her into a desperate situation and forcing her to make a choice.
Playing with people's hearts is also a tactic of imperial power.
Yun Xie and Feng Xian knew that Duan Changchuan was disdainful, so they simply took action themselves.
But what about Bai Su...
She was forced to separate from her lover, to marry someone she could never resist... and then, she was forced to persuade her lover to be loyal to the man she was marrying
Duan Changchuan felt extremely disgusted just thinking about such a dirty and despicable method...
Would Bai Su think that he, as the emperor, was even more disgusting...
The secret passage leading to the palace seemed extremely long amidst the infinite embarrassment.
The two of them did not hold hands like before... but were politely holding each other's sleeves.
until…
After a long time, the woman's hand quietly came up and hooked onto the palm of my hand.
The boy looked down, his feet jolted.
I heard a voice beside my ear, very gentle: "Why don't you leave?"
He lied hurriedly, stammering, "Just now... I tripped over a stone... I'm fine now."
"Well, your majesty, be careful."
"… good."
-
Feng Yan and Yun Xie were halfway there when they found an excuse to go back to the Sitianjian.
Thus, Duan Changchuan and Bai Su were the only ones left in the empty secret passage.
"Duan Changchuan."
The woman suddenly spoke.
"Um… "
He responded softly.
"The reason why I didn't agree to persuade Lin Qing is because..."
"I... I know that Yun Xie and my aunt did something wrong. This is too much, I know..."
He spoke hastily, interrupting her.
[I know the reason, I don’t want to hear you say it in person...]
[I also know that what I am doing is... really despicable. ]
[So... can you please stop talking about this? ]
The boy thought silently in his heart...
The steps under my feet are getting heavier and heavier.
But suddenly, he was grabbed by someone.
The next moment, the blindfolded man was moving up along his arm.
Groping... caressing his cheek.
"That's not what I want to say..." She said, "Duan Changchuan, don't think of yourself like that."
She said: "You've done a good job. The idea wasn't yours, right? Don't take all the responsibility on yourself."
She said: "Be nice to yourself and stop putting yourself down so much."
The boy took a shuddering breath...
He slowly raised his hand and touched her wrist.
"I'm sorry... Bai Su, I never thought of asking you to recruit him."
"I know. Duan Changchuan, you have to believe that you are a good emperor. Good birds choose trees to roost in, and good ministers choose masters to serve. Lin Qing is a loyal and courageous man. He can tell who is a wise ruler. You just need to do your best and there is no need to recruit him. He will naturally stand on your side. But if I recruit him, it would be a waste of effort. Moreover, he will not be loyal to you, which would be counterproductive. So I didn't agree... Not because this trick is mean, nor because I have any old feelings for him."
She said, the corners of her lips slightly raised.
The palm with light calluses caressed his cheek.
"Don't think too much, I'm always here with you."
"Maybe you can't understand it now, and I have no way to explain it, but you have to believe that I am always on your side."
Duan Changchuan's eyes suddenly felt hot.
He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something. He used all his strength to finally utter a dry sound: "I... believe you."
The author has something to say:
I'll put it up first, I'm too sleepy... I'll revise it tomorrow morning QAQ
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Note: A good bird chooses a tree to inhabit, a good minister chooses a master to serve - not original