After the morning court session, Li Mu did not leave the palace immediately.
Mr. Mei was waiting for him outside the Ziwei Palace.
She had received a signal from Li Mu during the court session. Seeing Li Mu walk out, she asked, "What's the matter?"
Li Mu replied, "It's nothing important. How's the matter with Cui Ming?"
Li Mu had been delayed by the case of the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, so he did not pay attention to the matter with Cui Ming.
Ever since he escaped from Luoyang and Shangguan Li led people to hunt him down, there had been no news of him.
Mr. Mei shook his head and said, "There's been no response from Ah Li for the time being. Cui Ming is now wanted by the 36 counties, so he definitely won't dare to show himself. He's probably hiding somewhere."
Li Mu could only blame himself for not foreseeing this. If he had the sound-transmitting conch with him, Cui Ming's soul would have been scattered by now.
But it was too late for regrets. Li Mu asked again, "How's the investigation of the Demon Sect's spies going?"
Mr. Mei shook his head and said, "Nothing."
Even a fourth-rank official had been infiltrated. It was impossible to say that there were no spies from the Demon Sect in the Great Zhou court. Perhaps they were hiding in the court, but no one knew about them.
The Demon Sect was after the Great Zhou. They had been infiltrating the court since a hundred years ago and constantly stirring up trouble everywhere.
Those who could be chosen as spies were not ordinary people. Their minds were abnormally firm, and they could hide for years or even decades without exposing themselves. The Soul Sucking Technique would not work on them, and the Soul Searching Technique was not realistic either. Even if a ten-year old official in the Imperial Court looked cautious and conscientious, there was no guarantee that he did not have any ill intentions towards the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The entire Shen 'du seemed calm and peaceful. However, no one knew how many undercurrents were lurking beneath this tranquility.
Mr. Mei said, "If there are still spies from the Demon Sect or other forces in the imperial court, we won't be able to find them in such a short time. The most important thing now is the imperial examination. We have to make sure that there are no problems with the candidates from each county."
Li Mu had already discussed this matter with the others when he was in the Secretariat.
Talents for the imperial examination were recommended by each county. The advantage was that it could break the Academy's monopoly on the officials and reduce the omission of talents. The disadvantage was that the people recommended by each county were both good and bad. It would be fine if they were not talented, as they would not be able to pass the imperial examination. However, if they were talented but not virtuous, or were simply spies sent by various forces with ulterior motives, the harm to the Great Zhou was continuous.
Therefore, the selection of talents for the imperial examination was also regulated by the Hall of Secretaries when they formulated policies.
The people chosen by the local government had to come from the local area and have a household register. Furthermore, within three generations, they could not commit any serious crimes. After passing the imperial examination, they would be further investigated by the Ministry of Justice. This would be able to keep out most of the people who broke the law.
If they were still infiltrated under such high pressure, the imperial court would have to admit defeat.
They could not search everyone's soul, and even if they did, they could not be 100% sure that there would be no problems. In order to prevent the spread of Taoist magic arts, the Haotian Taoism would let their core disciples cultivate some secret arts to prevent their secrets from being discovered. It was very likely that the Demon Sect also had such secret arts.
That day in the Golden Palace, Cui Ming could fearlessly ask the Empress to search his soul. It was very likely that he was confident that he would not be discovered. Unfortunately, he had encountered an unreliable teammate.
From this, it could be seen that the fewer people who knew about such a secret, the better.
After leaving the palace, Li Mu returned to the North Court. There was still some time before the imperial examination, so he had enough time to prepare.
Walking on the quiet streets of the North Court, he passed by a mansion. A woman came down from a carriage parked in front of the mansion.
This woman did not expect to meet Li Mu here. She stared at him with hatred in her eyes.
Li Mu and Zhou Chu's mother looked at each other. This woman with madness in her eyes was the mastermind behind this case. If it was not for the Zhou family's death-exemption medallion, she would be in the prison of the Ministry of Justice, just like the former assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites.
The woman looked at Li Mu with madness in her eyes and said, "I let you escape this time. Next time, I don't know if you will be so lucky."
Li Mu looked at her and said with a smile, "This is what I wanted to say to you. You are lucky this time. If there is a next time, do you think the Zhou family will still be able to protect you with a death-exemption medallion?"
Although Li Mu was smiling, his gaze made her feel cold.
The woman did not dare to look at him again. She looked away and hurriedly walked into the mansion.
In the mansion, a woman came up to her and supported her. She said, "Mother, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have asked Zhuang Yun to send someone to pick you up …"
A man also came up and bowed to her. He said, "Your son-in-law greets mother-in-law."
The woman said, "I came here to ask Zhuang Yun for help."
The man raised his eyebrows, but the smile on his face became even brighter. He asked, "What do you need, mother-in-law? Just say it."
The woman gritted her teeth and said, "You know that Chu 'er died tragically at the hands of that evil man, Li Mu. Your father is cruel and did not avenge Chu. Unfortunately, I am weak and can only watch that evil man roam freely in Luoyang. Zhuang Yun is the vice minister of the Supreme Court. He must have a way to avenge your brother …"
The man smiled and said, "Welcome, mother-in-law. Please rest in the inner courtyard."
The woman asked, "Then about your brother …"
The man said, "How can I not listen to mother-in-law? This is not the place to talk. Let's go in first."
He led the woman in. When they entered the inner courtyard, his lips moved slightly but no sound came out.
After entering the inner courtyard, the woman looked at the man. Just as she was about to speak, a servant suddenly rushed in from outside. He said, "Sir, it's not good. The Supreme Court sent someone. They said that there is an emergency in the temple. The minister wants you to go there immediately …"
The man looked at the woman and said awkwardly, "It's not convenient for me right now …"
The servant said, "I saw that person in a hurry. It seems that there is something important. If you delay it, I'm afraid the minister will blame you …"
The man looked helpless. He could only look at the woman and said, "Mother-in-law, it's really unfortunate. The Supreme Court has an emergency and needs me to deal with it. I will be back soon …"
After saying that, he strode out of the inner courtyard.
He did not slow down until he walked out of the mansion. He said to the servant, "Stay at home. When she leaves, come to the Supreme Court and inform me."
The servant asked, "What if she doesn't leave?"
The man said, "In a while, get someone to buy a bedding and send it to the Supreme Court. There are too many old cases in the Supreme Court. I'm afraid I will have to live in the Supreme Court from now on …"
…
When Li Mu returned home, he saw that the Empress was also there. Xiao Bai was teaching her how to make dumplings.
This was something he envied the Empress for. The two of them left court at the same time, but she always arrived home earlier than Li Mu. Li Mu only needed to cross two streets to get home from the palace. She only needed a thought.
The Empress was a cultivation genius. Her learning ability was naturally extraordinary.
Chinese chess was taught to her by Li Mu, but she only used an hour to defeat him. As for making dumplings, Xiao Bai demonstrated it to her a few times, and she was able to make it look like it was real.
After she learned how to make dumplings, Xiao Bai seemed very accomplished. She said, "I will teach Sister Zhou how to make dumplings later. In the future, if you want to eat them, you can make them at home."
Zhou Yi put down the dumplings in her hands and said calmly, "Sister doesn't have a home."
Xiao Bai was stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled and said, "Sister Zhou, you can treat this as your home in the future. When Sister Liu and Sister Wanwan come back, we can make dumplings together …"
Li Mu could understand the Empress's feelings. To a certain extent, they were the same kind of people.
They both had a home that they could not return to.
The Empress's home was still there. However, to her, that home was not a home.
Li Mu really could not return to his own home.
Sensing Li Mu's sudden depression, Zhou Yi looked at him in confusion and asked, "What's wrong?"
Li Mu shook his head and said with a smile, "It's nothing."
His sadness only lasted for a moment. If he were given two choices, to return to the world he was familiar with or to stay here, Li Mu would choose the latter without hesitation.
In the other world, he had no more worries. In this world, not only could he realize his childhood dreams, but there were also many people he cared about.
During this period, the Empress had been coming to Luo Yunyang more often. She also stayed longer and longer.
In the morning court, she was the lofty and majestic Empress.
After the morning court session, she was the big sister next door, Zhou Qiong. She cooked together with Xiao Bai, went shopping together, and trimmed the garden together. Perhaps even the courtiers would not dare to believe that the person they saw on the streets was Her Majesty the Empress.
As the day of the imperial examinations approached, the atmosphere in Shen 'du gradually became tense.
Students from all over the country gathered there. They were about to take part in an examination that could change their fates for the rest of their lives. Everyone cherished this opportunity very much.
This was especially true for those who did not come from noble families or noble families. This was their only chance to change their fate and bring benefits to their juniors.
This was an opportunity given to them by the Empress.
In a certain inn in Shen 'du, Li Mu was training Li Si before the examination.
Although he was suspected of being a judge when he took part in the examination, if he did not take part, he could only be a constable and an imperial censor. There were also many restrictions when he worked for the Empress in the imperial court.
During this period, many inns in Shen 'du had earned a lot because the imperial examinations were approaching.
Even though they had raised the price several times, the rooms still could not meet the demand.
In a certain room on the second floor of a remote inn far away from the imperial city, four figures were gathered around a table, staring at a bronze mirror on the table.
One of them used blood to write a complicated rune on the bronze mirror. Then, he used his magic power to activate it. The bronze mirror flashed, but there was no change.
That person had a puzzled look on his face. "That's impossible. That lord clearly said that when we reach Shen 'du and activate this magic artifact, he will immediately contact us. In the past three days, we have tried many times. Why hasn't he responded even once?"
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