There was a Spring Forest in the east of the city. It was full of natural and wild grass and trees. As soon as they entered the forest, they could see bright purple and red flowers on the branches far and near. In this fake scenery, there were many beautiful figures. The whispers and giggles of girls could be heard intermittently in the forest.
Yu Shu held Xue Jinxun's little hand as they strolled leisurely in search of a suitable place to hang flowers. From time to time, one or two young girls who were in the throes of love would stop in their tracks and sneak a peek at the figures behind them before shyly covering their handkerchiefs and running away.
Yu Shu turned around to glance at Xue Rui and Feng Zhaomiao who followed behind them from a distance, and she couldn't help but want to take a few more glances at them. One was a man with a brilliant and heroic bearing, and the other was a young and lively youth that came for a stroll in spring, and it was extremely pleasing to the eye.
After wandering in the forest, Feng Zhaomiao found a small hibiscus by the side of the road and encouraged Xue Jinxun to hang the red flower paper on the branches. Yu Shu took a fancy to an old humpbacked elm. She stood on her tiptoes and hung the colorful string that Xue Xiaomei gave her. She tied a dead knot and put her palms together to worship the flower god, regardless of whether it worked or not.
When Xue Rui saw Yu Shu take out the exquisitely woven colored rope, he glanced at his younger sister with slight surprise. He'd specially given this colored rope to her a while ago for today's use, and it was only a strand of it that was 60 grams in weight. He never imagined that she would give it to Yu Shu who he'd only met once.
"Well, I see that the sky is very clear today. Why don't we go to the Spring River and watch the fun?" Feng Zhaomiao suggested when he saw that the two girls had worshipped the flower god. There were too many girls in the forest and he felt a little uncomfortable. He didn't want to wander around anymore.
Xue Rui saw through his thoughts and asked his two sisters with his eyes. Xue Jinxun naturally had no objection and turned to look at Yu Shu.
Yu Shu didn't want to ruin Feng Zhaomiao's mood, so she nodded in agreement.
Thus, the group of people retraced their steps out of the forest. He got on his horse and rode towards the Spring Wave River not far from here.
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Yu Shu originally thought that the number of people who came to the Twin Sun Association today would not be as many as the day of the Dragon Raises Its Head. It was still a sea of people, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Before getting off the carriage, Qing'er helped Xue Jinxun put a short cloak over his head and covered his loose pockets, so that they wouldn't be seen by those lechers outside. Seeing Yu Shu's naked face, he tactfully took out a fragrant handkerchief from his bundle and handed it to her.
Yu Shu shook her head with a smile and declined. She wasn't a precious person, but a guest. She was a person who had entered the world and was particular about freedom. She didn't need to hide her face, and it wasn't like her face was shameful.
Xue Rui and Feng Zhaomiao led the horses to a tree and tied them up. Leaving the coachman to look after them, they brought Yu Shu and the others to the riverbank.
Yu Shu heard the beating of drums in the distance. She asked curiously, "Isn't it the Flower Dynasty today? There are still so many people here. Aren't they going to the outskirts for a walk in the spring?"
Feng Zhaomiao looked up. Grinning, she said to her, "It's only today that it's lively. Don't you know that there's a subject's results from Taicheng Bureau? The nobles are all betting at Qiongyu Pavilion, waiting for the top three to come out!"
Yu Shu was puzzled, so she looked at Xue Rui, and the latter explained to her in detail. It turned out that before the Twin Suns Meeting began, the princes had already inquired about the examinees who were likely to pass the exam in every subject and drafted a name list. Only when these examinees showed themselves during the Twin Suns Meeting would they send someone with an invitation card to invite them to Qiongyu. With the Qiankun Two Seats watching, at most three people would stay and place their name cards in Qiongyu Pavilion to bet. On the day the results were announced, an official would go to Taicheng Bureau to copy the results and then announce it at Qiongyu Pavilion. It all depended on who had a unique eye and picked a good candidate. Then they would be able to show their face in front of that person in the palace.
Yu Shu understood. Wasn't this gambling? Other people bet on football and horses, but here, they bet on people.
Feng Zhaomiao couldn't help but interrupt, "Lotus Room, you still don't know, right? The Junior Martial Aunt whom His Ninth Highness invited to attend the meeting, on the day of the release of the rankings on the third day of the New Year, all three of them were on the list, and one of them was even in the top three.
Yu Shu was surprised, "She's that powerful?"
Xue Rui's eyes flashed. He nodded and said, "Miss Shui Yun is from the same sect as Daozi. She is a disciple of Mount Longhu's Taiyi Sect. Her methods are extraordinary."
As a student of Taishi Library, Feng Zhaomiao's face was full of envy. "Isn't that so? I heard that in Qiongyu Pavilion, she can use a mysterious black lot. She can tell whether a person is good or bad and whether they have a future."
Yu Shu stroked her chin, thinking that Jing Chen had inherited Daoist Master Huai Xian's Turbid Heaven Divination Art, and Junior Sister Shui Yun was his direct disciple, so it wasn't strange for her to have a mystical art.
Thinking of this, Yu Shu couldn't help but remember her benefactor, Daoist Qing Zheng, whom she had no fate with. Her heart ached slightly. Both of them had been apprenticed to an expert, but she had only learned half of it.
At this moment, there was a burst of cheers in front. Someone shouted, "They're coming, they're coming!" The crowd suddenly rushed in one direction. Yu Shu didn't know what was going on. She held Xue Jinxun tightly to prevent him from getting separated.
"What's going on?"
Feng Zhaomiao tip-toed and said excitedly, "The person who reported the results is coming. I'll go and see!"
After he finished speaking, he hurriedly leaped out. Xue Rui, on the other hand, did not move. He continued to follow by Yu Shu and his younger sister's side. He avoided the crowd and walked to a willow tree by the riverside before he stood still. He said to them, "We'll wait for him here. There are many people in front of us, so you two girls shouldn't push forward."
Yu Shu nodded. She saw an artist making clay figurines and went to choose one with Xue Xiaomei. She didn't care about the situation in Qiongyu Pavilion.
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In the evening, on the way back to the carriage, Yu Shu leaned against the window. She looked at Feng Zhaomiao who was riding on a horse. Feng Zhaomiao was talking about what she saw in Qiongyu Pavilion during the day.
"… The officials copied the results and came back. They reported on the platform downstairs. There were a total of sixty people in Fengshui who were promoted. They were from the last to the first. The officials took several name cards from Qiongyu Pavilion and compared them one by one. Guess what!?"
Feng Zhaomiao suddenly raised his voice. "His Ninth Highness actually came up with a number one! At that time, Qiongyu Pavilion was in an uproar. That number one happened to be outside the pavilion. He was invited to the platform to talk. Because only His Ninth Highness hung his name card, he became His Ninth Highness' disciple on the spot according to the ancestral rules. I saw that the other nobles' eyes were red with envy! "
How could they not be envious? There was a test every three years in Dayan. The position of number one in six subjects was like that of a visiting flower man in the same hall. As a disciple of the current dynasty, if there were no accidents, he would definitely become a Celestial Commissioner in the future. He would be able to openly recruit him for his own use. Wasn't this a big bargain?
Yu Shu muttered. She guessed that this was most likely due to Junior Sister Shui Yun. She had to admit that the little girl was indeed capable.
With a flash of inspiration, she thought of something else. Her eyebrows suddenly smiled.
With a gem like Shui Yun in front of them, Ji Xingxuan, who was by Liu Hao's side, would most likely be disappointed if she wanted to use this Twin Sun Gathering to make a name for herself.
Xue Rui rode at the side. Even though there was a smile on his face, there was a hint of worry in his eyes.
The group returned to Wang Ji Tower to rest. Before the food and wine had arrived, Xue Rui found an excuse to leave first. Before he left, he asked Feng Zhaomiao to escort Yu Shu and Little Sister Xue back.
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Before the sun set, the Twin Sun Gathering on the Spring River dispersed. The nobles all returned to their own residences. Those who went back to their residences, those who went to eat wine.
As night fell, in Ning Wang Fu, the long corridor that led to the study was silent. "Bang!" A heavy object fell to the ground. It startled a few wild sparrows under the eaves.
"Trash!" Liu Hao narrowed his eyes. Stepping on the broken pieces of the vase, he glared angrily at the scout kneeling a few steps away: "You can't even do a small thing. I spent so much time investigating the list, but the higher-ups don't even have a candidate for the top three. What's the use of keeping you! "
It was no wonder that Liu Hao would be angry. The cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. No matter how good Ji Xingxuan's physiognomy was, it was hard to pick a crane out of a nest of chickens. Therefore, even though he had some complaints about Ji Xingxuan, what he was most angry about was this group of incompetent subordinates.
He had never placed Liu Tan's hypocritical younger brother in his eyes. But these two times, he had interfered and suppressed him. How could he not be angry!
The scout leader was covered in cold sweat. He lowered his head and said respectfully: "Reporting to wang ye, there are too many guests participating in this year's Da yan Examination. This subordinate was unable to investigate them one by one and missed some. Please forgive us, wang ye."
"You dare to quibble!"
Liu Hao grabbed the inkstone on the table and was about to throw it again. The middle-aged man standing to the side advised: "Your Highness, please calm down. Listen to me."
Liu Hao turned to look at the middle-aged man. His expression became much better: "Mister, please speak."
The middle-aged man muttered: "Today's Twin Suns Meeting was not only a missed opportunity for Your Highness. Looking at it, the other princes also did not get what they wanted. Only the Ninth Prince stood out. According to this situation, I don't think there is any benefit to this. "
Hearing the hidden meaning in his words, Liu Hao's eyes lit up. He waved his hand to dismiss the irrelevant people in the study, leaving only the strategist.
"Then according to Mister, is there a way to solve this situation?"
The middle-aged man took two steps forward and whispered in his ear, "If I may be so bold, after today's incident, the Ninth Prince has already angered everyone. I'm afraid that everyone wants to remove his right-hand man, but they are just watching from the sidelines for fear of arousing suspicion. Your Highness, why don't you make the first move and redirect the disaster … "
After whispering like this, a cold light flashed in Liu Hao's eyes. The corners of his mouth gradually curled up. After thinking for a while, he felt that this method was feasible. He looked at the strategist with approval and clapped his hands, shouting: "Men."
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At the same time, at another place in the capital city, Xue Rui found the Ninth Prince Liu Tan in a guest house. Liu Yi who was drinking alone under the moonlight in the pavilion in the garden noticed Xue Rui's arrival, and he couldn't help but raise his cup and invite Xue Rui. "Cousin Brother, quickly come and have a drink with me. Have you heard about the incident in Qiongyu Pavilion today?"
Xue Rui stepped into the pavilion, and when he saw this cousin brother of his who'd always been steady had a complacent expression at this moment, Xue Rui's face sank, and he shouted right away. "You still have the mood to drink wine? Do you know that others have already schemed against you?"
Liu Tan was shocked and immediately sobered up. After thinking for a while, he asked: "Cousin, do you mean that I was in the limelight today? But didn't you tell me that this Twin Suns Meeting is a good opportunity? If I can gain some influence in front of Imperial Father, no one will dare to look down on me. Isn't that good? "
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