That night, Su Yuanyuan didn't return to the Mo Yi Pavilion to accompany the Mo family. Instead, she stayed in her own Mingzhu Courtyard.
Before going to bed, she repeatedly said to Xiao Ba, "Remember, as soon as Brother Yun Jian enters my yard, you must remind me immediately. Got it?"
Xiao Ba replied firmly, "Don't worry, Little Yuanbao. Xiao Ba guarantees to complete the task."
However, until dawn, that certain someone never showed up in the young girl's room.
When she woke up, Su Yuanyuan repeatedly confirmed with Xiao Ba, "Did he really not come last night?"
Xiao Ba said, "Xiao Ba swears he really didn't come."
The young girl sat on the bed hugging the quilt and was in a daze for a moment. Then she whispered, "Brother Yun Jian must still be angry, right? What should I do?"
Xiao Ba said, "What does it matter? If he doesn't come, Little Yuanbao can just go to the Prince of Cangjun's Mansion to find him."
Su Yuanyuan blinked her eyes and said, "You're right."
At this moment, the person the young girl had been waiting for all night was having an audience with the emperor in the imperial study.
Last night, Cang Xuan did plan to go to the Prince of Qingjun's Mansion to "collect debts" from that little girl who acted unpredictably. However, after nightfall, the inner cabinet sent a message saying that all the candidates for the imperial examination for the vacant positions in this imperial examination had been selected. So he had to call all the chief examiners overnight to review the list of candidates for the imperial examination. After confirming that there were no problems, he went to the palace with the list as soon as day broke to meet the emperor and set the date for the start of the imperial examination.
In the Chengde Hall, on the dragon bed with layers of veiled hats, the emperor leaned against the soft cushion behind him and coughed softly from time to time while listening to Cang Xuan's report.
"In this imperial examination, a total of 320 official positions have been set. For each position, the top three candidates will be selected to enter the imperial examination, and Your Majesty will decide the final candidates. This is the list of candidates for the imperial examination. Please have a look, Your Majesty."
Eunuch Bao took the thick register from Cang Xuan, then walked to the dragon bed and presented it to the emperor.
"Cough, cough." The emperor coughed softly twice again. He took the register and flipped through it.
Cang Xuan said indifferently, "Your Majesty, the imperial examination is about to start, and the scholars are waiting to meet you. I hope Your Majesty will take good care of your dragon body."
"Your Excellency Cang need not worry. I just stayed in the imperial garden for a while last night and caught a bit of wind. Taking a few doses of medicine will be fine. It's nothing serious." The emperor said while flipping through the list in his hand.
"Nine hundred and sixty people." The emperor read the number on the register. "The number is indeed quite large. I definitely won't be able to examine all these nine hundred people in one day. If I divide it into different days, it's impossible to keep so many candidates in the palace. Your Excellency Cang, how do you think I should conduct this imperial examination?"
"I think the examination should be held in the Qingyi Garden. Set the same question for these 960 people, and select the most suitable candidates for each position based on everyone's performance in the Qingyi Garden." Cang Xuan said.
The emperor closed the register in his hand and didn't continue to ask what the question was. He just said, "Since Your Excellency Cang already has an idea, then prepare according to Your Excellency Cang's intention. As for the date for the start of the imperial examination, please divinate a good day, Your Excellency Cang."
Cang Xuan had already guessed that the emperor would answer like this. He gently raised his eyebrows and said, "Since the imperial examination is to be held in the Qingyi Garden, we need enough time to prepare, and three days later happens to be a good day."
The emperor replied carelessly, "Then the imperial examination will be held three days later."
He really has no opinion of his own at all. He just agrees with whatever others say. Cang Xuan sneered sarcastically in his heart.
Just as Cang Xuan was about to bid farewell and leave, the emperor suddenly said, "I heard that Your Excellency Cang went to the Prince of Qingjun's Mansion to propose marriage yesterday but was rejected? And you were even driven out of the mansion by the Prince of Qingjun and his sons?"
Because there was a big commotion when Cang Xuan proposed marriage, and the scene of him being driven out of the Prince of Qingjun's Mansion was also seen by the common people, this "farce" had become the topic of conversation after dinner in every family in Shengjing City. Almost the whole city knew that Cang Xuan went to propose marriage but was rejected and even had a feud with the Prince of Qingjun's Mansion. Even the emperor had heard about it.
This marriage proposal was caused by the Wang family's interference. Cang Xuan was a bit resistant in his heart and didn't want to talk deeply with the emperor, so he remained silent without answering.
The emperor seemed not to see his expression and joked, "I remember that a long time ago you stood up for that little girl and protected her very much. What did you say to me at that time? You said, 'She's just a yellow - haired little girl. I'm not interested in an old cow eating young grass.' Now why are you interested in her again?"
Cang Xuan: "..." This dog emperor remembers such things very clearly.
"I've said that if you take a fancy to a girl, just tell me. I'll make the decision for you. This little girl has been adopted as my god - daughter by me. If I arrange her marriage, no matter how unwilling Su Qing is, he has to obediently send his daughter over."
After saying that, the emperor coughed a few more times.
Cang Xuan lowered his eyes and said, "Taoism emphasizes the natural way of heaven and that everything should follow one's heart. Since she is not willing, it means that the fate between her and me is too shallow. Since we are not fated to be together, there's no need to force it."
"Do you really think so in your heart?" The emperor's tone became a bit more urgent. "Once you miss the one you love, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. I just don't want you to leave regrets like me."
Cang Xuan sneered in his heart and replied, "In this life, how can everything go as one wishes?"
He obviously didn't want to talk more with the emperor about this matter. Then he said that he had to go down to prepare for tomorrow's imperial examination. Seeing his cold expression and firm attitude, the emperor had no choice but to agree.
When leaving the Chengde Hall, Cang Xuan tilted his body slightly and said coldly to Eunuch Bao who was seeing him off, "His Majesty is not feeling well. You need to take better care of him. Don't delay the upcoming imperial examination."
When his light - colored glazed eyes swept over, Eunuch Bao inexplicably felt a chill on his back. Before he could reply, Cang Xuan had already left.
Watching Cang Xuan's departing back, Eunuch Bao frowned tightly. The imposing manner when Cang Xuan pressured him just now made him tremble with fear. He actually seemed more like the lord of the world than the one lying inside.
Realizing what he was thinking, Eunuch Bao was startled. Then he quickly adjusted his expression and turned back into the Chengde Hall.
When serving the emperor to take the medicinal soup, the emperor said, "Bao Cheng, do you think the crown prince can make the crown princess pregnant before the palace banquet during the Chinese New Year?"
Eunuch Bao said, "Your Majesty is blessed with boundless good fortune. His Highness the Crown Prince is so valiant that he will surely enable Your Majesty to hold the imperial grandson smoothly. Not only His Highness the Crown Prince, but there will surely also be good news from the Prince of Jin's Mansion."
"Oh, really?" The emperor laughed. "I'm really looking forward to it."
Su Yuanyuan was eager to wait until nightfall and go to the Prince of Cangjun's Mansion to coax someone. Who would have thought that in the afternoon at the Shen hour, an imperial edict suddenly came from the palace.
The imperial examination would start three days later, and the location was actually in the Qingyi Garden.
After seeing off the eunuch who came to deliver the message from the palace, the three siblings walked towards the inner courtyard together.
"I wonder why the imperial examination is held in the Qingyi Garden. I thought I could go to the main hall to have a look." Su Huaiyuan said regretfully.
"Who knows? But since it's set like this, there must be a reason. All the doubts will be revealed three days later." Su Huaisheng said.
The two brothers put their arms around each other's shoulders. Neither of them noticed that Su Yuanyuan had stopped talking since she received the news.