After Pei Wenxuan sent the officials away, Li Rong walked out from behind the screen while fanning himself. "Lord Pei is very charming. You've only been in the Ministry of Personnel for a few days, but you've already become a good brother in everyone's hearts."
"They don't think of me as a good brother." Pei Wenxuan smiled. "They just don't like Consort Rou."
"Then you're going back now?"
Li Rong leaned against the door. Pei Wenxuan hugged Li Rong and said, "Your Highness, please allow me to rest for one more night."
Pei Wenxuan rested for one more night. During the next morning's court session, Pei Wenxuan covered his wound with powder. Li Rong reclined on the bed and looked at Pei Wenxuan with a smile. He said lazily, "Lord Pei, just go to court like this. You've been in my residence for so long, what's there to be afraid of?"
Pei Wenxuan looked at him helplessly and said, "I think you really don't want to marry anyone else other than me."
"Then who do you want me to marry?" Li Rong was curious. Pei Wenxuan paused while holding the powder puff. Li Rong sighed and put his hand to his heart. He lamented, "Langjun is fickle."
Pei Wenxuan laughed and said helplessly, "I'm thinking of your reputation."
"What reputation do I need?"
Li Rong closed his eyes and tapped on the edge of the bed. "Go out with this wound. When Imperial Father asks me why I let you out, you'll be embarrassed. Who doesn't know the wound on your neck?"
Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. Li Rong looked at him and saw that he was in a daze.
Li Rong raised his eyebrows. "Why are you in a daze? You're not going to court? If you don't attend court, then just lie down, "Li Rong said playfully," Bengong will take care of you. "
Pei Wenxuan shook his head and glanced at the mirror again. Seeing that the wound on his neck was almost covered, he put down the powder puff and walked over to Li Rong.
He knelt on one knee beside Li Rong's bed and looked up at Li Rong, who was reclining on the bed.
"What are you doing?" Li Rong's laughter caused his thin clothes to sway gently. "Do you want me to kiss you before you leave?"
"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan looked up at her with a gentle expression, "I will light up the city's fireworks, spread the red dress for ten miles, and have eight palanquins carried by eight people. I will come back to marry you grandly."
Li Rong was stunned by his words. Pei Wenxuan gently raised her white and slender hand and kissed it. "I will let everyone know that Pei Wenxuan loves Li Rong more than Li Rong loves him."
"Is there something wrong with your head?"
Li Rong came back to her senses and poked him lightly. "Why do you care about this?"
"It's not like I haven't sat in a palanquin before." Li Rong didn't seem to care, but his heart was warm. He said softly, "I don't care."
Pei Wenxuan smiled and didn't say anything. He got up and kissed her again, then said lightly, "I'm leaving."
He turned and left.
Li Rong watched him leave and carefully closed the door, afraid that she would catch a cold.
Li Rong stared at the door for a while, then closed his eyes and rolled over on the bed.
Pei Wenxuan arrived late. When he arrived, Consort Rou was already standing in his seat and chatting with the people next to him.
Consort Rou was standing in the same position as Li Rong. If he didn't turn around, he wouldn't be able to see Pei Wenxuan. After Pei Wenxuan arrived, he lowered his head and stood in his seat. As soon as he stood, he heard a eunuch announce that the court was about to begin.
Pei Wen Xuan lowered his head and followed the officials in a single file. After entering the court, the people around Pei Wen Xuan also sensed his arrival. However, it was not good for them to say anything. They only raised their heads to glance at him and did not speak.
Su Yongqing also noticed Pei Wenxuan's arrival. He and Pei Wenxuan stood side by side. He glanced lightly at Pei Wenxuan, and Pei Wenxuan smiled and nodded at him.
The court officials discussed the unrest at the southwest border, the defection of the main general, a vanguard officer Lin Feibai's temporary resistance and defense of the city, and the disaster relief during the flood season in the south. In the end, they finally mentioned the imperial examinations.
"Since the Inspection Office has closed the case, the imperial examinations should begin. It's been delayed for a few months, so it should be faster."
Li Ming's voice was calm. "There are vacancies in the court this year. The imperial examinations are different from the past, so we should select more talents."
"Your Majesty is right." Consort Rou immediately responded. "But the original examiner, Pei Wenxuan, is still recuperating. Why don't …"
"Your Majesty." Pei Wenxuan spoke at the right time. Everyone looked over. Consort Rou looked surprised for a moment, then immediately calmed down. Pei Wenxuan smiled gently and bowed. "This humble official is fine now. I have been contacting other colleagues these days. The imperial examinations have not been delayed. From the examination questions, examination venue, and selection process, everything has been prepared. As long as Your Majesty agrees, the imperial examinations can begin at any time."
Li Ming looked at Pei Wenxuan. He pondered for a moment, then said, "Then let the Ministry of Rites set a date and start preparing this month. Don't delay it."
Pei Wenxuan acknowledged.
After the morning court, Fu Lai stopped Pei Wenxuan and invited him to the imperial study. Li Ming looked him up and down, then asked curiously, "Lord Pei, you came at the right time. Did Ping L E let you out of the fu?"
"Your Majesty, please don't make fun of this humble official." Pei Wenxuan smiled bitterly. "This humble official is now a hot topic on the streets and alleys. It's almost time for a story."
Fu Lai laughed quietly. Li Ming listened to him and looked at his neck again. "Ping L E really likes you."
"Your Highness is a simple person."
"As for the imperial examinations, this time, you must strive for fairness. The court needs people who can do things."
Li Ming's words were meaningful, and Pei Wenxuan understood them.
The court not only needed people who could do things, but also people who could do things for the Emperor.
"I have always hoped to conquer the north in one fell swoop to avoid being harassed all year round." As Li Ming spoke, he stood up. Fu Lai quickly went to support Li Ming. Pei Wenxuan followed behind Li Ming and listened to Li Ming speak slowly. "I also thought that after the northern expedition, I would send an additional 100,000 soldiers to the south to live there and spread Da Xia culture. I also thought that after a hundred years, the south would not be in chaos."
"Your Majesty is far-sighted."
Pei Wenxuan respectfully said. Li Ming sighed and walked out of the courtyard with Pei Wenxuan. "I also thought that the south has been suffering from floods for many years. We can't always think about repairing the dam. We should find someone to go there and change the river's course. Unfortunately, "Li Ming stopped and stood in the courtyard, looking at the exuberant grass and trees in the courtyard." The world's money, grain, and elite soldiers belong to the aristocratic families. In order to protect themselves, the aristocratic families don't take the initiative to go north or south. Even when the war comes to their doorstep, they only want to negotiate peace. "
Li Ming shook his head and sneered. "Every day, they only think about marrying princesses. My three elder sisters have already been sent for peace marriages. Now, from time to time, they want to send my daughter for peace marriages. A group of cowards."
Pei Wenxuan did not speak. He listened quietly. Li Ming saw that he was silent, so he turned to Pei Wenxuan. "What do you think of my ideas?"
"Your Majesty is the sage." Pei Wenxuan's voice was very soft. "This subject does not dare to make any rash comments. However, this subject's family was originally a cold family. Because of Your Majesty's appreciation, we flourished. My father is willing to follow Your Majesty. This subject's heart is also like my father's. "
Li Ming listened to Pei Wenxuan's words. He was silent. After a long time, he nodded and said, "Your father is very good."
As he spoke, he turned his head. "I have always hoped that in the future, my name will be remembered in the history books. However, when I woke up yesterday, I suddenly felt that I was a little old. Wenxuan ah, "He raised his hand and patted Pei Wenxuan's shoulder," Even though the Su Prince isn't smart enough, he still has a pure and innocent heart and great courage. He's still young right now, so if he's properly taught, his future prospects will be boundless. "
When Pei Wenxuan heard these words, he understood Li Ming's meaning. He bowed respectfully. "This subject understands."
After giving Pei Wenxuan some advice, Li Ming nodded. After chatting with Pei Wenxuan for a while, he asked Fulai to send him out.
Pei Wenxuan and Fulai walked out of the courtyard. Pei Wenxuan's voice was very soft. "Has Your Majesty been worried about something recently?"
"When Your Majesty woke up yesterday, Your Majesty lost his sight for a moment and was very frightened." Fulai lowered his voice. Pei Wenxuan's expression did not change. Fulai continued, "Right now, Your Majesty is secretly recruiting famous doctors and looking for an immortal master."
When Pei Wenxuan heard this, he walked to the door with Fulai. He bowed to Fulai and left.
He understood Li Ming's words. Li Ming was very similar to Li Chuan in his previous life, but there were also differences.
Li Ming wanted to conquer the north and conquer the south. He hoped to use this method to disintegrate the aristocratic families' military and financial power. He wanted to truly disintegrate the aristocratic families so that he could sleep peacefully on the dragon bed without any worries.
Li Chuan was the exact opposite. He wanted to disintegrate the aristocratic families and obtain the military's financial power for the sake of conquering Rongdi in the north and cultivating the flood in the south.
Aristocratic families were the greatest threat to all emperors. Whether it was for personal desire to take back the imperial power or for the sake of the country's foundation, an emperor could tolerate the division of power in order to realize his political ideals and achieve his political status.
The exhaustion of his body made Li Ming begin to prepare for the worst. He said so much to Pei Wenxuan because he wanted to make Pei Wenxuan, a member of the "cold family," realize that Prince Su was the best home for him to establish his great ambitions.
Pei Wenxuan pondered over Li Ming's words. Just as he left the palace, he saw Cui Yulang standing in front of the palace gate.
Pei Wenxuan raised his eyebrows. Soon after, he heard Cui Yulang say with a smile, "Lord Pei, Her Highness invites you."
Now that Cui Yulang was helping Consort Rou, almost all of the court officials knew about it.
Cui Yulang was tactful and tactful in doing things. He was also good at praising women. Recently, he had composed no less than twenty poems praising Consort Rou. These poems were widely circulated in the streets, causing Consort Rou's reputation to spread throughout the capital. As a result, he had gained Consort Rou's deep trust.
Pei Wenxuan was led by Cui Yulang to the Inspection Department. Consort Rou was teaching Prince Su how to interrogate prisoners.
This time, they were interrogating a servant. He wasn't protected by the law, which prohibited the descendants of officials and aristocratic families from being tortured. When Pei Wenxuan went in, he saw that there was almost no place on the servant's body that wasn't injured.
Prince Su held a long whip in his hand. The whip was stained with blood. When Pei Wenxuan went in, he saw Prince Su proudly turning his head. He happily said to Consort Rou, "Mother, how was my beating?"
"Very good. Cheng 'er's whip technique has improved again," Consort Rou clapped her hands and gently said, "Come, let me wipe your sweat. Your Fuhuang likes your manly spirit the most."
Prince Su listened and went forward to wipe Consort Rou's sweat.
Pei Wenxuan stood at the entrance of the prison. His expression didn't change as he respectfully said, "Niangniang."
"Ah," Consort Rou heard Pei Wenxuan's voice and turned her head. She smiled and said, "Assistant Minister Pei is here. Come, sit down."
Pei Wenxuan bowed and sat on an empty chair at the side.
Consort Rou carefully wiped the sweat off Prince Su's forehead and gently said, "Lord Pei, how have you been in Ping L 'e fu recently?"
"It's noisy," Pei Wenxuan's voice was calm, "but it's not much."
As he said this, Pei Wenxuan changed the topic. He looked up at Consort Rou and said, "However, this official would like to ask Niangniang. I heard that Niangniang feels that this official isn't suitable to be the chief examiner and wants to change this official?"
When Consort Rou heard this, her movements froze.
She had originally prepared to question Pei Wenxuan, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say. She originally thought that Pei Wenxuan had caused trouble for Wang Houwen without permission. He also had an unclear relationship with Ping L. Yesterday, a group of scions from the Ministry of Personnel visited Ping L's door. Today, he was attending court.
Pei Wenxuan should feel a little guilty. Unexpectedly, not only did Pei Wenxuan not prepare to explain to her, he even seemed to be very angry. He asked her back, "Niangniang, this official believes that this official has done his best for Niangniang. May I ask what this official did not do well enough to make Niangniang unhappy?"
"Lord Pei misunderstood," Consort Rou calmed herself down. Before she understood Pei Wenxuan's position, she didn't want to rashly clash with Pei Wenxuan. She quickly smiled, "I also thought that Lord Pei's injuries hadn't healed, and seeing that His Majesty was in a hurry to open the imperial examinations, I wanted to find a backup. I didn't really mean to change you."
"Is Niangniang serious?"
Pei Wenxuan stared at Consort Rou, "Then why didn't Niangniang help this official when I was at Her Highness Ping L E's residence?"
"Help … help?" Consort Rou was stunned, "You were at Ping L E's residence. Did you still need my help?"
"Niangniang," Pei Wenxuan seemed to be very angry. He took a deep breath, "If this official was happy to be at Her Highness Ping L E's residence, why would this official still want to divorce?"
Consort Rou couldn't wrap her head around it for a while. After a long time, she slowly reacted. Between Pei Wenxuan and Ping Le, there was probably some discord between husband and wife that was hard to talk about.
She calmed down slightly and forced a smile, "I didn't think too much about it. I just thought that Ping L E was infatuated with you and that it would be good for you to rest at her place for a while. Also, Ping L E's personality is unyielding. If you entered her residence, I couldn't do anything about it. She was a little overlord since she was young and grew up in the imperial harem. I … "
Consort Rou sighed, "I'm just an imperial concubine. What can I say?"
Pei Wenxuan kept a straight face and didn't say anything. Consort Rou saw that he didn't believe her and hurriedly said, "No matter what, now that your injuries have healed, everything is fine. Now that the imperial examinations are about to start, I've prepared everything. You don't have to think too much about it. "
Pei Wenxuan's face stiffened as he cupped his hands towards Consort Rou. Consort Rou took a sip of tea and was silent for a while. Finally, she felt that the atmosphere seemed to have returned to normal. Only then did she remember her goal. She smiled at Pei Wenxuan and said, "This time, you made a move against Wang Houwen. You've caused a lot of trouble for me."
"But, didn't I also give Niangniang the best opportunity to establish your power?" Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Consort Rou, "Niangniang took down the Minister of Personnel. Now, all the civil and military officials in the imperial court feel that Niangniang is very capable and are fighting to curry favor with you. This way, Niangniang can give His Royal Highness Prince Su a chance to recruit talents. "
With Pei Wenxuan's words, Consort Rou somewhat absent-mindedly understood, "So that's why you went to find trouble with Wang Houwen?"
Pei Wenxuan nodded, "It's right that Niangniang doesn't want to provoke the aristocratic families, but you can't not provoke them at all. After all, His Majesty is watching. By dealing with Wang Houwen, Niangniang's attitude is clear. By letting the others go, the aristocratic families will feel that Niangniang is letting them go. If Niangniang let them go from the start, will the aristocratic families still feel that Niangniang is doing them a favor? "
As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan leaned forward and lowered his voice, "They will only feel that Niangniang can't do anything to them."
"What you're saying makes sense."
Consort Rou thought for a moment, then took out a name list from her sleeve, "Now that I've offended the Wang family, I can't afford to offend the rest of the aristocratic families."
As Consort Rou spoke, she pushed the name list to Pei Wenxuan, "For this imperial examination, Lord Pei will be the chief examiner. It shouldn't be a big deal to arrange for a few people to pass the imperial examination."
When Pei Wenxuan heard this, he raised his eyebrows, "Why don't the aristocratic families directly nominate their descendants?"
"These people aren't included in the genealogy," Consort Rou shook her head, "They're just somewhat related."
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan understood that it was just a matter of money.
Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment, then looked up at Consort Rou, "Niangniang, this humble subject has something to ask. Would Niangniang please dismiss the others?"
Consort Rou waved her hand, and the people around her walked out. Even the unconscious people on the shelves were untied and dragged away.
When only Pei Wenxuan and Consort Rou were left in the room, Pei Wenxuan finally spoke, "Niangniang's plan is to obtain a large sum of money and live out the rest of your life in the imperial harem, or to send His Royal Highness Prince Su," Pei Wenxuan raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the imperial palace, "to that position?"
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