Emperor Lin Mubai frowned for the first time. A genius, a genius from a commoner background. How was he going to choose?
Emperor Lin Mubai's thoughts were different from others. He was thinking deeper and broader.
All of his decisions had to be related to the future of the Great Xia Dynasty. It would only be better if the empire was in his hands!
However, at this moment, a fiery-red figure appeared in front of Emperor Lin Mubai. A pair of crystal clear eyes scanned the surrounding officials.
"Sixth Brother has already said that the Sun Shooting Bow has been lost to me. As such, whether or not it was stolen has nothing to do with you right?" Ping Yang's voice was not loud, but the arrogance in her tone caused all of the officials to shudder.
Especially Duan Xinjue. He frowned.
"Sister, what do you mean?"
"If I say that I was the one who sent people to steal the Sun Shooting Bow, and that Fang Zhengzhi happened upon it and bought it, would you believe me?" The corners of Ping Yang's mouth curled into a smile. That was the smile that came from her fooling around, and it was also the smile of her openly protecting Fang Zhengzhi.
All of the furious officials felt as if they had a fly stuck in their throats.
Yes, believe it or not?
That was indeed a problem.
Duan Xinjue's eyes twitched when he heard this.
He did not believe it. After all, he was the one who had purposely given the Sun Shooting Bow to Fang Zhengzhi. However, could he say that?
No.
As such, he could only believe it.
"Haha..." Duan Xinjue chuckled. He did not say anything. He could tell that Ping Yang was protecting Fang Zhengzhi on purpose. How could the officials not see it? His father, the Emperor, could not possibly be blind.
Now that things had come to this...
It was no longer a matter of protecting Fang Zhengzhi. The final decision still depended on Emperor Lin Mubai.
Just like what Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had said about the Northern Mountain Village incident, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was attacking Fang Zhengzhi's character.
He felt the same way.
He was attacking Fang Zhengzhi's loyalty and trustworthiness.
This was the real killer move.
And this killer move. Whether it was effective or not depended on whether Fang Zhengzhi was guilty or not. It depended on Emperor Lin Mubai's decision on this matter.
Emperor Lin Mubai looked at Ping Yang, at that arrogant and stubborn little face. His mind once again recalled that unforgettable figure.
In an instant, his gaze was filled with deep love.
"Today is the Horse Race and Hunt, so let's just talk about the Horse Race and Hunt. In my opinion, we should delay this matter for now and discuss it in the Imperial Court! "After Emperor Lin Mubai said this, his entire body visibly relaxed.
However, when all the officials heard Emperor Lin Mubai's words, they were completely stunned.
Even though Emperor Lin Mubai did not state his opinion on how to deal with this matter.
However, if they still could not understand the meaning behind these words, then they would have wasted their decades in the imperial court. This was clearly a shield!
Furthermore …
She was even more protective than Ping Yang!
Why? Why would the Emperor protect Fang Zhengzhi? What was the meaning behind this?
Could it be that His Majesty wants to...
In an instant. All of the officials had the same thought. This was a very bad thought, and one that they did not want to think about.
Duan Yingxue's expression was also clearly stunned.
He never expected that his meticulous plan would end up like this. Most importantly, Emperor Lin Mubai did not retract the Sun Shooting Bow!
One had to know that the main point of this matter was not whether Fang Zhengzhi was guilty or not.
It was the Sun Shooting Bow.
This was the bottom line, and it was inevitable.
As long as the Emperor personally ordered for the Sun Shooting Bow to be retracted. All of the officials would know that Fang Zhengzhi would never have the chance to enter the Imperial Court again.
Then, whether or not Fang Zhengzhi topped the Imperial Examinations.
There would be no point in doing so.
Because, no matter what kind of glory he achieved. It was all glory, and it would not bring about any change in the Imperial Court. There was no need to worry.
This was the reason why Duan Yingxue did this.
He wanted to make Fang Zhengzhi the Double Roll Champion. However, he could not make someone who was a threat. Therefore. He had to make Fang Zhengzhi no longer a threat before the official announcement.
But now?
Not only was Emperor Lin Mubai biased, he did not even mention the Sun Shooting Bow.
At this point, if he made Fang Zhengzhi the Double Roll Champion, the meaning would be completely different.
"What is Father thinking about?" For the first time, Duan Yingxue felt like he could not see through his father. Furthermore, he could not see through him at all.
When the other disciples and candidates heard Emperor Lin Mubai's words, they all turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi.
They were all shocked.
Other than that, there was also an extremely complicated feeling.
It was impossible for Fang Zhengzhi to be completely unfazed by everyone's stares. In his mind, he was just finding a shameless excuse to get himself out of trouble.
As for the Sun Shooting Bow...
He did not think that he could keep it.
"Not mentioning it? Does that mean it belongs to me? " Fang Zhengzhi thought to himself naively. However, he quickly shook his head. He could not just give it to him like that.
At this moment, Ping Yang stood up again, but this time, she jumped to express herself.
She stomped her feet on the ground and pouted.
She pouted. Her goal was to get Fang Zhengzhi off the hook, but she had never thought of giving him the Sun Shooting Bow.
"Father!" Ping Yang said coquettishly.
"Haha … Father's' Golden Eagle Bow 'has been left idle in the palace recently and I haven't had the chance to use it. Do you want to play with it?" Emperor Lin Mubai interrupted Ping Yang before she could finish her sentence.
"Golden Eagle Bow? That's great! "Ping Yang immediately laughed when he heard that.
"Minister of Rites, announce the results!" Emperor Lin Mubai looked at Ping Yang's joyful expression and stretched out his hand to lightly tap on her little nose.
Ping Yang immediately retracted her head and ran to Fang Zhengzhi's side.
"What are you looking at, hmph!"
"Is the Golden Eagle Bow better than the Sun Shooting Bow?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ping Yang's smug expression. He could not help but reply.
"That is my father's precious bow, what do you think?" Ping Yang did not answer Fang Zhengzhi's question directly. She could not answer him. However, she would not back down in terms of aura.
"I see." Fang Zhengzhi's mouth twitched.
When the ministers saw this scene, they could no longer suppress the shock on their faces.
If it was said that Emperor Lin Mubai's sincere protection just now only made them have some suspicions in their hearts. Now, Emperor Lin Mubai's words...
He had made it clear.
Furthermore, he had pointed it out openly in front of all the ministers and scions of the aristocratic families.
"Are we really going to do this?" All of the officials looked at each other. No one spoke, but they all had the same thought in their minds.
A new era was about to begin!
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping squinted. He did not look at Crown Prince Lin Tianrong. Instead, he looked at Duan Xinjue.
The Minister of Rites stood rooted to the ground. It was as if he did not hear Emperor Lin Mubai's words.
"Lord Minister!" Finally, a minister reminded him in a low voice.
"Ahem …" The Ministry of Rites official finally reacted when he heard this voice. "Erm, we will now announce the top three of this competition. First, the first place is Ping … Oh, no! It's Fang Zhengzhi! Congratulations to the Sword Envoy for taking first place! "
"Hahaha... I won! I, Wen Dabao, am going to be rich!" Just as the Minister of Rites finished his sentence... A voice shouted out.
It was even more exciting than winning the competition.
The gazes of all the disciples from the aristocratic families were instantly attracted by that voice. Each and every one of them revealed looks of disdain.
However, Wen Dabao did not care.
When he thought about how his coffers were going to be full... He could no longer hide the excitement on his face.
However...
Wen Dabao did not notice that Fang Zhengzhi was looking at him.
"Oh? You won? " Fang Zhengzhi smirked as he looked at the excited Wen Dabao. Is this guy using me as a wager?
...
After receiving the Drifting Cloud Boots from Emperor Lin Mubai, Fang Zhengzhi thanked him.
Then... He took off the boots on his feet and changed into the Drifting Cloud Boots. With a faint glow, the Drifting Cloud Boots began to change in size.
"Oh, not bad, it's just right!" Fang Zhengzhi lifted his leg and took two steps forward. It felt good. It was very sturdy, almost as if it was custom made.
When the other ministers saw this, they were shocked as well.
When others received the Emperor's reward, they would go home and fast for 10 days. Then, they would pick an auspicious day before putting on the boots.
But this guy put it on right away?!
What kind of person was this?!
Of course, Fang Zhengzhi didn't know what these officials were thinking. In his mind, wasn't it natural for him to change into a pair of new boots as soon as he got one?
...
The competition ended.
No one could have predicted the outcome of this horse race hunt. News of this horse race hunt quickly spread throughout the Flame Capital City and caused a huge uproar.
"A Mud Striped Horse won the horse race hunt?!"
"Furthermore, he defeated Xiang Tianying, who is ranked seventh on the Rising Dragon Roll, and Tang Zhongming, who is ranked eighth?"
"That's unbelievable."
"There's something else. I heard that Fang Zhengzhi stole King Duan's Sun Shooting Bow. The Emperor did not pursue this matter. In fact, he seems to have given the Sun Shooting Bow to him!"
"Oh my god, I regret not going to the Eastern Suburbs to witness this!"
Discussions quickly spread throughout Flame Capital City. In the teahouses and alleyways, this horse racing hunt became even more legendary.
For example, the Mud Striped Horse that Fang Zhengzhi rode was not an ordinary Mud Striped Horse. It was the king of the Mud Striped Horses. It had a pure bloodline and could fly!
The spread of this version was not groundless.
After all, Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang's final sprint proved that a Mud Striped Horse could run so fast.
Just as the capital was discussing the competition, King Duan's residence was eerily cold. It was almost as if it was covered in a layer of ice.
In the study of King Duan's residence, countless antiques lay shattered on the ground in front of Duan Xinjue. There were a few servants kneeling beside the shattered antiques.
Every servant was curled up and kneeling on the ground, trembling all over.
Outside the study, a scholarly Mr Hua sat in a pavilion. In front of him was a pot of cold tea. He seemed to be waiting for something.
Before long, a figure wearing a black cloak approached from afar. He was like a shadow in the night, not leaving a single speck of dust on the ground.
"You're here?" Mr. Hua said faintly, as if he was talking to himself.
"Yes, I'm here." The figure stopped at that moment and spoke in a similarly indifferent tone.
"Then let's go in?"
"Mr Hua, you're not going in?"
"I'm not going in."
"Mister Hua, can I take this as meaning to retreat?" The figure finally took off the cloak on his head when he heard this.
It was Su Qing.
"Since I'm not going in, I'm naturally retreating." Mr Hua lifted the teacup in front of him. A ball of flame rose from the teacup. In an instant, the slightly cold tea began to steam.
"The tea is already cold. If I heat it up, won't it lose its fragrance?" Su Qing looked at the tea in Mr Hua's hand and said casually. Then, he quickly turned and entered the study.
Mr Hua frowned. He loosened his grip on the teacup and it fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
...
The morning of the second day.
A light breeze blew and the sun shone down from the horizon. It was like rays of golden light that dyed the Yan Capital's morning gold.
On the streets of the Yan Capital, there was an endless stream of people.
This was because everyone knew one thing.
If yesterday's competition was a topic of conversation, then today's announcement of the Imperial Examinations was the most important event for the citizens of the Great Xia Dynasty.
The Imperial Examinations, which had lasted for a few months and experienced many twists and turns, had finally come to an end today.
How could anyone not be excited?
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