Shen Yu looked at Shang Junlin speechlessly.
"A Yu, why are you looking at me like that?" Shang Junlin's hands moved unhurriedly. "Did I say something wrong?"
"… No." Shen Yu had a headache when he thought of the two experiences. He didn't dislike being intimate with Shang Junlin, but Shang Junlin … had been with him for too long.
Shen Yu felt that he couldn't take it anymore.
Forget it.
The carriage swayed as it entered the palace. Eunuch Meng, who had been waiting for a long time, greeted him as soon as he got off the carriage. "Your Majesty, Official Fang requests an audience."
"Let him wait for me in the imperial study." Shang Junlin left after sending Shen Yu back to Yuzhang Palace.
Official Fang had come to the palace this time for his troublesome daughter.
"Your Majesty, I am ashamed. I didn't know that my daughter had disguised herself as a man to participate in the imperial examinations." Official Fang knelt on the ground, his face full of regret.
He knew that his daughter had great ambitions, but he didn't expect that she would really put them into action.
If he had known, he wouldn't have taught her so many things since she was young and made her ambitious!
Shang Junlin had an impression of this woman. He threw the booklet in his hand aside and said, "Tell me, what happened?"
"My daughter kept the news a secret until the results came out. She knew that she couldn't hide it anymore, so she told me."
Official Fang was shocked by his daughter. He didn't have time to be surprised that his daughter had obtained excellent grades in high school. He asked her to tell him the story in detail.
"It turns out that before the New Year, when she went to visit her childhood teacher, she somehow got a man's identity and participated in the local provincial examination. After she passed, she didn't tell anyone and kept it a secret. This time, she used the same trick and entered the examination hall with that fake identity again."
The final court examination was to enter the palace to meet the Emperor. Fang Jiayi had told Shang Junlin in advance, so she was confident. That was why she dared to tell Official Fang the truth after the results were released.
Official Fang rambled on for a long time. When he finished, he kowtowed heavily and said, "It's my fault for not teaching my daughter well. I am willing to accept the punishment."
"Is there a rule in Dahuan that states that women can't participate in the imperial examinations?" Shang Junlin suddenly asked.
"… No." Lord Fang didn't understand why Shang Junlin would suddenly ask such a question. He thought carefully about the laws of the Great Huan Dynasty and realized that there wasn't any rule that prohibited women from participating in the imperial examinations.
It was just that after so many years, everyone had subconsciously thought that only men could participate.
Realizing the meaning behind Shang Junlin's words, Lord Fang's eyes slowly widened. "But … there has never been such a precedent …"
His Majesty actually wants to use female officials? Master Fang couldn't believe his eyes.
"There's no need to rush. Let's wait for the results of the court examination."
Lord Fang returned home in a daze. Lady Fang anxiously greeted him, "How is it?"
She was also shocked by what her daughter had done. Ever since Lord Fang entered the palace, he had been feeling uneasy. One had to know that deceiving the monarch was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the clan.
Not to mention that Fang Jiayi had participated in the imperial examinations as a woman. It would have been fine if she had not passed the examinations, but she had passed the examinations and even achieved good results.
Master Fang patted Madame Fang's hand. "Let's talk inside."
In the study, Lord Fang dismissed the servants, leaving only his wife and Fang Jiayi. He slowly said, "His Majesty doesn't intend to pursue Jiayi's matter."
Madame Fang stood up from her seat in shock. "How is that possible?"
"Why not?" Compared to the anxious Lord Fang and Madame Fang, Fang Jiayi was in a much better mood. "I told you that His Majesty is different from other emperors. I told you not to worry."
"How can we not worry about this?" Lord Fang was furious at the mention of her name. "Look at what you've done. Our family was almost ruined because of you!"
"Father, am I such a careless person in your eyes?" Fang Jiayi sighed. Since His Majesty and Lord Fang had revealed the truth, there was no need for her to hide it. She told them everything that had happened after the incident with Prince Yue.
"I told you not to worry. You didn't believe me no matter what I said."
Lord Fang let out a long breath. "You mean, you told His Majesty about this in advance?!"
Lord Fang's voice unconsciously rose as he spoke.
Fang Jiayi nodded. "I saw His Majesty and His Majesty at that time. Just as you said, they were a perfect match."
"Who asked you this?" Lord Fang almost choked. "Why didn't you discuss it with me before you made a decision? If His Majesty had listened to you and thought you were being whimsical, what would you have done? "
"There are no ifs." Fang Jiayi retorted. There would only be one result. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had the chance to see His Majesty and His Majesty.
"Forget it. You've had your own ideas since you were young. Since you've made a choice, do it well. Don't let His Majesty down." Lord Fang waved his hand. What else could he say?
"Father, please don't worry. I won't go against my original intention!"
Madame Fang wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Why did you choose such a path?"
Just thinking about it made Madame Fang's heart ache. How much doubt would a woman receive from the outside world if she became an official? Her daughter grew up pampered and spoiled. Before she could choose a husband for her and watch her get married and have children, she had to watch her daughter run headlong into the power field.
Fang Jiayi came over and hugged her mother. "Mother, don't worry about me. With His Majesty and His Majesty as my backing, I'll be fine."
"Just comfort me. You're just like your father. You always make people worry."
At that time, Lord Fang was just a seventh-rank official who had just entered the officialdom. The other princes were powerful and influential. He chose Shang Junlin, who was the least favored, because Shang Junlin drove away the foreign enemies and recovered the country.
"At that time, Fang Jun knelt in front of me and only said one sentence: I'm loyal to Da Huan and also to the person who can save Da Huan." Shang Junlin refuted the opinions in the memorial and talked about what happened at that time.
"At that time, I was in a very difficult situation in the imperial court. Several princes were fighting to the death. Almost all the forces in the capital were involved. I led the army outside all year round and didn't have any help in the imperial court. It was Fang Jun who gathered the forces little by little so that I wasn't in the dark in the imperial court."
"His Majesty was willing to give Miss Fang a chance because of Lord Fang." Shen Yu poured a cup of tea and put it in front of Shang Junlin.
Shang Junlin picked up the teacup and took a sip. "There's one reason. There's another reason. Although she's a woman, I saw the shadow of Fang Jun in Fang Jiayi. He taught his daughter very well. I really want to see how far Fang Jiayi can go as a woman."
"Your Majesty won't misjudge people." At that time, Shen Yu saw the conviction in Fang Jiayi's eyes. In the short time they spent together, Shen Yu could also feel that Fang Jiayi was a determined person. She had the gentleness of a woman and a heart that didn't lose to any man.
The more they spent time together, the more Shen Yu couldn't figure out how the Prince of Yue defeated Shang Junlin in his previous life. Whether it was in terms of intelligence or other aspects, the Prince of Yue was no match for the latter.
What was the origin of the book he read after his death? Who was the one who manipulated them?
The development of this life was very different from his previous life. Shen Yu didn't know if they were out of control, but he would never allow the ending of his previous life to happen again!
In the book, the Prince of Yue was crowned emperor. Shen Qingran was the mother of the world. However, Shen Yu destroyed the Prince of Yue's dream before his death and changed the ending of the book. It was clear that everything in the book could be changed.
After the general examination was the Palace Examination. The Palace Examination was held in the Imperial Palace and was personally supervised by the Emperor.
The students who failed the examination left the capital one after another. Those who were qualified to participate in the Palace Examination entered a new round of revision.
The results of the cheating case were also announced during this time.
The punishment of the Grand Commandant was not announced yet. The punishment of the other people involved was announced. Those who committed serious crimes were all executed. Those who didn't receive the death penalty were punished according to the severity of the case.
The examinees who intended to cheat were all stripped of their qualifications to participate in the Imperial Examination. Including those from the same family, they were not allowed to become an official for three generations. This punishment was very serious. If three generations couldn't become an official, even the most powerful family would fall.
"This Sun Xingchao is from my hometown. I didn't expect him to do such a thing in private despite his sanctimonious appearance."
"I've interacted with him before. And Sun Jianmu. I know a few of the people on the list. Damn."
"Why did they have to do this? They've harmed themselves and their families."
"They deserved it. They wanted to take a shortcut but they didn't know if they had the life to enjoy it."
"To be honest, I received a similar letter at that time. It was very exaggerated, but I didn't believe it."
"I received it too."
"Me too."
They looked at each other and found that they were not the only ones who were targeted. The case was over and the results of the general examination were out. They didn't have to be as cautious as before. After asking each other, they found that many of them were targeted. The only thing they had in common was that they were all from poor families.
It was not a secret that the Emperor liked to use officials from poor families. Those who could participate in the Spring Imperial Examination more or less had some understanding of the situation in the Imperial Court. Once the results were out, the ultimate goal of the cheating case was clear.
"Fortunately, I only believe in my own efforts. I'm not tempted."
"Me too."
The people who gathered had a look of fear. After a moment of silence, Jiang Huaiqing said, "This has taught us a lesson. In the future, if we are lucky enough to enter the Imperial Court as an official, we should focus on serving the Great Huan Dynasty. Don't think too much about other things."
"That's right. We study hard so that we can serve the country one day. Soon, some of us will be able to realize our dreams. In the future, we should restrain ourselves."
His words were echoed by the crowd.
The Hidden Dragon Guards presented the conversation between the students to the Emperor.
During this period of time, the situation was special. Shang Junlin sent a team of Hidden Dragon Guards to collect information from outside the Imperial Palace. If anything went wrong, they would be able to intervene.
"It's a blessing in disguise. It's a lesson for these students who haven't entered the Imperial Court yet." Shen Yu finished reading Jiang Huaiqing's letter and said.
Jiang Huaiqing's letter was about the discussion between the students about the cheating case. He was there at the time and wrote a letter to Shen Yu.
"With Jiang Huaiqing outside, A Yu is more informed than me." Shang Junlin took the letter from Shen Yu's hand and put it aside after reading it. The secret letter from the Hidden Dragon Guards was placed there.
Jiang Huaiqing's letter and the secret letter from the Hidden Dragon Guards arrived at the same time.
"He seems to like writing to A Yu. Before the exam results were out, he wrote to A Yu a lot. These few days, he sent a few more letters. Did A Yu reply to his letter?"
Of course, A Yu replied. If not, Jiang Huaiqing wouldn't send letters to the Imperial Palace one after another.
"It seems like he did." Shang Junlin rubbed the young man's soft neck. "What did A Yu say to him?"
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