"The palace? Is there anything fun in there? "Fang Zhengzhi's eyes lit up.
He had indeed entered the Imperial Palace, but that was only because he had been summoned to enter the Imperial Hall. He had been heading straight for the Throne Room the entire time, and the places he had passed were merely corridors.
As for the true face of the imperial palace, he had never seen it before.
"A harem of 3,000 beauties … have you heard of it?" Ping Yang felt a little proud when she saw Fang Zhengzhi's interested expression.
Harem...
An image flashed across Fang Zhengzhi's mind. Countless women in dresses floated past him, each of them unique in their own way.
3,000!
There were 365 days in a year. If one changed every day, that would take 10 years!
Furthermore, this was only a rough estimate. In his previous life, there were some emperors who had more than three thousand harems. Some of them even had more than ten thousand harems.
"Ahem, I am still young. There are some things that I should not touch!" Fang Zhengzhi's expression turned serious.
"What are you thinking? What do you mean you are still young? There are some things that you should not touch? " Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi condescendingly. "I mean, I want to take you there. Are you coming?"
"Yes!" Fang Zhengzhi agreed without hesitation.
"Yan Xiu, what about you?"
"Nope."
"Boring." Ping Yang twitched her mouth and turned to look at Wen Dabao.
"I'll go, I'll go!" Wen Dabao did not wait for Ping Yang to speak and immediately became excited. Saliva seemed to be flowing out of the corner of his mouth.
"Scram! Do you think you can enter the harem? Do you believe that I will get someone to castrate you? "Ping Yang glared at him and made a slicing motion.
Wen Dabao immediately clamped his pants, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Let's go, I will show you what 3,000 beauties look like!" Ping Yang snorted coldly at Wen Dabao. Then, she pulled Fang Zhengzhi and flew towards the palace …
...
In the study of the palace.
A member of the Dragon Protection Squad dressed in golden armour stood respectfully in the room. A letter was placed neatly on the desk in the imperial study.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yi stood calmly in front of the table, his expression as calm as a lake. However, his gaze would occasionally drift towards Emperor Lin Mubai, who was seated in front of his desk.
Emperor Lin Mubai glanced at the letter and his expression changed slightly.
"Where is he now?"
Emperor Lin Mubai's question was a little too broad. However, the Dragon Protection Squad quickly understood the meaning behind Emperor Lin Mubai's words and cupped his hands.
"Your Majesty, he is currently on his way back to Flame Capital City. They should be arriving soon. "
"Hmm … you may leave." Emperor Lin Mubai nodded.
The Dragon Protection Squad bowed again and quickly retreated from the Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, this is a serious matter. Should we gather all the officials for a discussion?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping asked as he watched the Dragon Protection Squad leave.
"What do you think I should do about this?" Emperor Lin Mubai did not answer Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping immediately. Instead, he asked after some thought.
"The identity of the Demon Young Lord has been confirmed. There are two solutions. First, we should order for her to be captured. If we do so now, she should not be able to get far. That way, we will have an additional bargaining chip against the Demon Race. Second, we should seal the news and allow her to leave. "Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied after some thought.
"I am asking about him." Emperor Lin Mubai shook his head.
"Him?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's expression changed as he looked out of the study. He clenched his fists before releasing them. "Your Majesty, are you trying to use this opportunity to show mercy?"
"What do you think about Nangong Mu's failure?" Emperor Lin Mubai changed the topic.
"Your Majesty is kind!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied immediately.
"Haha … I'm afraid you are the only one who would say that I am kind? I want to announce Nangong Hao's return to the capital. That is why I am here. "
"This is indeed an opportunity."
"I am worried about whether he can grasp this opportunity."
"With Nangong Hao's capabilities, he topped the court examinations four years ago. It should not be difficult for him to participate four years later. Your Majesty, you just have to wait. "
"Mm … you are right!" Emperor Lin Mubai nodded. Then, he looked out of the window. "Do you think … that the Son of Destiny in the Heavenly Prophecy could be someone else?"
"Your Majesty, are you referring to Yan Xiu?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping shuddered.
"No, I am talking about Fang Zhengzhi." Emperor Lin Mubai shook his head.
"This … forgive me for my ignorance, but I can't tell." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's expression changed as his eyes glimmered.
"Yes, I really couldn't tell. I was just thinking about it. Does the Crown Prince still like to play with the plants in the East Palace?" Emperor Lin Mubai thought for a moment before nodding his head.
"The Crown Prince likes to look at orchids. He often looks at orchids to understand the way of a gentleman."
"Cultivating one's mind is a secret. Even though his character is good, he still needs to strengthen his governance. As a ruler, he is not the ruler he is. He has to look out for the world."
"Your Majesty, you are right!"
"As for the court examinations, the Crown Prince suggested to hold the combat examinations in the Southern Mountain Range. I have thought about it for some time and feel that this is a bold idea. What do you think?"
"I think it is bold. However, as this concerns the military, I am afraid that King Duan …"
"Let King Duan assist from the side. We should be closer to each other. King Duan made a mistake in the previous examinations. We should give him another chance."
"Your Majesty, I am not as good as you."
"Yes, you are too humble. I have been having a headache these few days. I feel that something is about to happen. Why don't you accompany me to the Imperial Garden for a walk?" Emperor Lin Mubai smiled and stood up from his throne.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping bowed.
…
The winds howled and the Jiaohe River froze.
A hundred waves on the vast ocean, a thousand miles of snow on the Yin Mountain.
This was a poem that described the scenery beyond the Great Wall. It meant that the cold wind was mournful, and it was very mournful. The river was frozen, and on the vast desert, there were endless sand dunes. The Yin Mountain was covered in snow.
At this moment, there was a huge mausoleum in the middle of this scenery.
The vast expanse of green stones was covered in snow. The cold wind blew past. There were no trees to block it. This was a place where it was winter all year round.
The mausoleum was covered in snow.
Its name was the Nangong Mausoleum.
It was one of the most famous families in the Great Xia Dynasty. The hidden grounds of the Nangong Family.
This mausoleum had existed for thousands of years. It had been around since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty. The green stones were old, but the ice and snow did not melt.
The Nangong Family lived in a mausoleum.
Many people could not understand this. However, this mausoleum had supported this ancient family for thousands of years.
Within the mausoleum. There were many stone tablets.
Every stone tablet had a name carved on it. Below each name was a record of what had happened. This was where the Nangong Family lived. It was also the resting place of the ancestors of the Nangong Family.
Today, there were dozens of people standing in front of the side door of the mausoleum.
Their gazes were as cold as knives. Their bodies were covered in a thick layer of snow. It was obvious that they had been standing there for a long time.
However, not a single one of them moved. They were like stone statues standing at the door.
It was a strange scene. The dozens of people standing in front of the mausoleum would definitely make people think of things that they should not have. If not for the faint breath that they exuded, it would be hard to imagine. These dozens of people were alive.
The snow danced and the wind was cold.
A figure gradually walked out of the wind and snow. He wore a cyan shirt and had a face that couldn't be any more ordinary. However, he had a pair of calm and expressionless eyes.
The figure walked to the front of the mausoleum and stopped.
Then. He knelt down and kowtowed to the mausoleum ten times. The snow left a white mark on his forehead and his hair was covered with a thick layer of frost.
"You're back?" The person in front of the mausoleum opened his mouth.
This was a slightly plump middle-aged man. He wore a thin, unlined shirt, and only a circle of beast fur hung from his collar. His face didn't have much of an expression, but it was very square, and his brows were thick.
The cold wind blew, but his eyes did not move away. Two lines of blood appeared in his eyes. It was as if he had been exposed to the wind for too long.
"Mm," the figure said faintly and nodded lightly.
"Why did you come back?" The chubby middle-aged man asked again. However, this time, his tone was completely different from the previous one.
It was cold, as cold as the cold wind.
Silence. The figure did not speak. He just stood there quietly in the snow. His eyes were as calm as ever. It was as if he did not think about this question at all.
"What is the tradition of the Nangong Nobles?" The chubby middle-aged man raised his head and looked at the snow in the sky. Then, he looked at the figure again.
"I would rather break than bend." The figure said firmly.
"Why did you admit defeat?" The chubby middle-aged man's tone changed again.
Silence. Once again, silence. However, compared to the last time, the figure's eyes seemed to be brighter. It was as if he was thinking about something.
"You can lose. You can die. However, you cannot bend!"
"Yes."
"Kneel!"
"Yes." The figure nodded. Then, he slowly walked past the dozens of people at the side of the stone door, step by step, towards the place where the stone tablet was erected.
In front of him, there were three thousand four hundred and seventy-eight stone tablets.
However, the figure's expression did not change. He quietly walked to the first stone tablet and slowly knelt down. Then, once, twice, thrice …
He kowtowed ten times.
Then, he stood up again. Then, he walked towards the second stone tablet and kowtowed ten times as well. Then, he walked towards the third stone tablet …
"Leader, isn't that a little too heavy?" A person standing at the side of the stone mausoleum looked at the figure kowtowing in front of the stone tablet. His eyes flashed with pity.
"The Emperor has blessed him and removed his name from the Roll of Honor. This is already a great gift from the heavens. The Nangong Family has been around for thousands of years and there has never been a person who only managed to make it to the First-Class Roll in the Imperial Examinations. This is a disgrace, a disgrace to the Nangong Family which has been around for thousands of years! Are we going to carve his results on the First-Class Roll of the Imperial Examinations on his tombstone? "
"Leader, you are right."
"You guys can go. I'll just stand here and wait for him."
"Understood."
The snow continued to fall. Soon, there were only two people left in front of the stone mausoleum. One of them stood at the side of the mausoleum like a statue. He did not speak, did not move, and only exhaled lightly.
The other person was continuously kowtowing in the stone tomb's stone tablet forest. However, the expression in his eyes had never been as resolute as it was at this moment.
"Thump, thump, thump …"
The sound of his forehead knocking against the snow rang out in this snowy world. It sounded like a heavy hammer pounding on the ground.
...
At the same time, in the Flame Capital Palace.
Fang Zhengzhi had the urge to curse. He could feel that his fragile heart had been deceived. Furthermore, it was done in the most provocative way.
3,000 beauties!
Ping Yang had indeed brought Fang Zhengzhi into the harem, and the beauties that greeted him were indeed beauties. However, they were not the Emperor's harem.
Instead, they were all princesses dressed in luxurious clothing.
Fang Zhengzhi almost sprained his waist as he bowed. One by one, the young masters ran out of the harem like butterflies.
Everyone came over with a smile on their faces.
Most importantly...
Every time they came, they would ask the same thing.
"Oh? Who is this person? "
They were like curious babies.
As such, Fang Zhengzhi could only introduce himself to her innocently. However, after repeating himself more than 20 times, it became a little boring.
"I heard that Official Fang has topped both the Imperial Examinations. Can you tell us what kind of tricks you used to achieve this?"
"Yes, yes. Official Fang, why don't you tell us? Sister Ping Yang always says that you are shameless. How are you shameless? Why don't you try it on us? "
"Why are you asking Lord Fang so many questions at once? Lord Fang, ignore them. Tell me first, during the horse race and hunt, how did you trick them into running back to the finish line? How did you calculate that they wouldn't return the way they came?"
Their eyes lit up Fang Zhengzhi like lights in the dark. Their dresses fluttered in front of Fang Zhengzhi's eyes like butterflies.
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