On the day of the palace examination, it was pouring with rain.
Madam Bai stood under the corridor, watching the rain falling from the eaves. She felt a bit worried for a moment. "This year has been so unstable. In previous years, the palace examination would have ended in April. But this year, it's been postponed until almost June, and now it's raining heavily. I can't help but feel uneasy."
Fu Zhen took the cloak from Nanny Li and fastened it for Madam Bai. She comforted her, "Cousin always has a plan. Auntie, you don't need to worry too much. Why don't you go back inside and sit down?"
Outside, the air was filled with mist. Occasionally, a cold wind blew. Although it was almost June, it was still a bit cold.
Madam Bai walked into the room and sat down. She sighed and said, "I'm not really worried about him. It's just that the court is unstable now. Having the palace examination at this time... I'm afraid it's not a good thing."
The incident on Taiyue Mountain had been concealed for a long time, but it couldn't be hidden in the end. Now, most of the capital knew about it. The emperor finally woke up briefly amidst the flying memorials. Just a few days ago, he sent troops to suppress the bandits.
The bandits on Taiyue Mountain were different from ordinary ones. Chen Xuan had already made preparations and was just waiting for the emperor's order to lead the troops. Who would have thought that the old emperor, for some unknown reason, didn't use the veteran officials at all and instead promoted an unremarkable scion of a noble family.
Although that scion had some knowledge and a bit of martial arts skills, he was far inferior to the military generals in the court.
Some impatient veteran officials couldn't stand this. As soon as the imperial edict was issued, they knelt outside the Golden Luan Hall and begged the emperor to retract his order.
But the old emperor's mind was no longer on state affairs. He didn't even see them and just turned around and rushed into the harem to be with the beautiful concubines.
Later, it was learned that this scion was distantly related to Concubine Li. He was the son of Concubine Li's foster father in the capital before she entered the palace, her nominal elder brother.
"This is truly ridiculous!" Chen Xuan left in anger, waving his sleeve. Then he went to the military camp to drill the troops and didn't return to the mansion for several days.
Fu Zhen happened to be there that day. It was the first time she saw Chen Xuan showing his emotions so openly. She couldn't help but tremble inside. For some reason, she looked at Chen Tingfeng.
As usual, she only saw his cold face.
After a while, she heard him say, "The palace examination is approaching. I'm afraid I won't be able to pay my respects to Mother these two days. I take my leave."
He was always a polite person. Although Madam Bai had said several times that he didn't need to come and pay his respects early in the morning, as long as he was in the mansion, he would surely come every day without fail.
Fu Zhen waited until she finished a cup of tea before getting up to leave.
Who would have thought that as soon as she turned a corner after leaving the courtyard gate, she met Chen Tingfeng's eyes.
She was stunned for a moment, but then heard Chen Tingfeng say, "Cousin, stay in the mansion these two days. Don't go out if there's no need."
After saying that, he turned around and left in a hurry, as if he still had a lot of things to deal with. But he still waited patiently for her for a long time.
Fu Zhen looked at his back with a complicated expression. For a moment, she didn't know what he was up to, but she still subconsciously followed his words.
Although she didn't want to admit it, Chen Tingfeng was never a reckless person. Since he said so, for the sake of her own life, it was better to stay honestly in the courtyard these days.
She came back to her senses and served a cup of tea to Madam Bai. "Anyway, we're staying in the mansion. No stupid thieves would dare to break in."
Madam Bai was amused by her words and felt a bit more at ease. "Zhenzhen is right. We'll just stay in the mansion properly."
In the Golden Luan Hall.
Chen Tingfeng and others stood in the hall, slightly lowering their heads and not daring to look directly at the dragon throne.
The emperor had left them waiting for a quarter of an hour and still hadn't appeared.
Those who could participate in the palace examination were extraordinary people and naturally could hold their patience. But Xie Yan beside them frowned tightly and looked up from time to time, obviously extremely dissatisfied with the old emperor's lateness. If the veteran officials behind him hadn't held him back, he might have rushed into the inner palace and dragged the old emperor out.
The veteran officials looked at each other and all shook their heads and sighed.
The water in the clepsydra kept dripping down. Every second felt like a year. After a quarter of an hour, the old emperor finally arrived late.
There were some white hairs on his temples. His once-handsome face had now sagged. Staying in the gentle embrace for a long time had already corroded his body. All that was left was a slightly protruding belly and the occasional muffled cough suppressed in his throat.
His somewhat turbid eyes scanned the hall. They stayed on Xie Yan for a moment and finally fixed on Chen Tingfeng.
He laughed inexplicably and said, "Which one is Chen Tingfeng?"
Chen Tingfeng stepped forward calmly. "I'm Chen Tingfeng. Greetings to Your Majesty."
The old emperor sized him up for a while with an unclear expression and sneered. "You're just like your father when he was young. You look like a stubborn one."
This didn't sound like a compliment. Xie Yan frowned and looked at Chen Tingfeng worriedly.
This old man was really muddle-headed. Recently, the Wuan Marquis Mansion had been too prominent, and Chen Xuan was still in his prime. It was inevitable that the emperor would be suspicious of him.
Chen Tingfeng looked calm and didn't take this to heart at all. He said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "It's already a blessing for me as a son to have one-third of my father's abilities. I still have to learn a lot from my father in the future."
Xie Yan was so choked by his words that he couldn't help but close his eyes. His expression was a complex mixture of annoyance and anxiety.
The old emperor's words were obviously a sign of suspicion towards Chen Xuan and also towards his son. If a more tactful person were there, they could just bypass the emperor's words and flatter him. But Chen Tingfeng was as stubborn as a mule. It was harder for him to bow his head than to cut off his head!
Although his tone was respectful, his words were full of defiance towards the emperor. How could the old emperor be happy after hearing this?
Sure enough, the emperor sneered. "Good, very good. Step back."
Chen Tingfeng's expression remained unchanged. He took a step back and still kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, completely acting like a wooden man.
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier.
At the city gate, a man lay on his horse. The wounds on his body were washed white by the rain, showing no trace of blood. He used all his strength to hold up the token and roared, "Urgent report from Taiyue Mountain!"
"What did you say? The whole army was wiped out? Bastard!" The old emperor slapped the table and stood up in a rage.
All the court officials below knelt down in unison. The man who reported the news had big drops of cold sweat oozing from his forehead. He barely maintained his voice and said, "The bandits have a kind of drug. It's very strange. Even in the heavy rain, it can spread with the wind. General Li... General Li's group only reached the middle of the mountain. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they all fell to the ground and fell into a deep sleep, unconscious! The man who came back to report the news was stabbed several times. He was originally at the back. He only smelled a little of the drug. When he saw everyone in front of him fainting, he knew something was wrong. So he held his breath and pretended to faint on the ground!"
"Who would have thought that suddenly a lot of bandits rushed out of the mountain. They took their knives and killed General Li's group! He was lucky. Although he was stabbed several times, none of the wounds were fatal, so he managed to save his life!"
As soon as these words were said, the whole hall was shocked.