In the past few days, Cang Xuan had been so busy preparing for the official - conferring ceremony that he could hardly spare any time. Although he managed to visit Prince Qing's Mansion every day, he would only sit down and have dinner with Shu Moyun before leaving. He only caught a glimpse of Su Yuanyuan from afar and never got a chance to talk to her.
Thankfully, the official - conferring ceremony would be held tomorrow. After that, the imperial examination matters would finally come to an end.
At night, just as Su Yuanyuan was about to go to bed, she heard the familiar "squeak" sound in her ears.
Su Yuanyuan, who had already closed her eyes, immediately sat up and said, "Squeak is back!"
It was the little gray mouse! The one she had sent to Huguo Temple to gather information! The fact that it was back at this time meant that it had discovered some important news at Huguo Temple!
Xiao Ba was also extremely excited: [Little Yuanbao, quickly listen to what the little gray mouse has to say!]
Su Yuanyuan got up and walked to the corner, looking at the little gray mouse squatting there.
The little gray mouse stood up on its hind legs and kept making "squeak, squeak" sounds at Su Yuanyuan. As she listened, her face suddenly changed, and her hands involuntarily clenched into fists.
[These two people are really lawless!] She roared at Xiao Ba.
Perhaps because the Prince of Jin had been making frequent moves in recent days, forcing the Prince of Qi to also try to win over court officials, Wang Shijiang had disguised himself as a monk and gone to Huguo Temple to meet Concubine Xian in the past two days.
After they met at Huguo Temple, they entered the same room on the pretext of "discussing scriptures". Wang Shijiang told Concubine Xian about the current situation. Upon learning of the Prince of Jin's actions, Concubine Xian scolded both Concubine Tong and the Prince of Jin. Remembering that the Prince of Qi had been deprived of his position as the crown prince by these two people and that Wang Xuning had been executed, she couldn't help crying sorrowfully.
Then, Wang Shijiang took the opportunity to hold her in his arms to comfort her.
As they talked, they got entangled with each other.
Afterwards, Wang Shijiang hugged Concubine Xian and said, "When Qi'er ascends the throne, the whole world will be ours. By then, I really hope he can call me father instead of foster - father or uncle."
Upon getting such shocking news, Su Yuanyuan immediately called for Caiyun and asked her to take her to Prince Cang's Mansion.
Tomorrow was the official - conferring ceremony. When Su Yuanyuan arrived at Prince Cang's Mansion, Cang Xuan was still busy in the study with the lamp lit. Learning of her arrival, he was quite surprised. He quickly put down the pen in his hand and welcomed the young girl into the room.
As soon as she saw Cang Xuan, Su Yuanyuan opened her arms and hugged his waist, burying her face in his chest without saying a word.
Noticing that something seemed wrong with the young girl, he gently patted her on the shoulder and asked softly, "What's wrong? You're so clingy today. Are you so eager to see me because the official - conferring ceremony is tomorrow?"
Su Yuanyuan gently shook her head, her throat choking. She was hiding such a big secret in her heart, but she didn't know how to start.
Cang Xuan vaguely sensed something from her reaction. He gently stroked her soft long hair and asked, "Is it news related to Huguo Temple?"
The girl in his arms nodded and said, "Wang Shijiang went to Huguo Temple to meet Concubine Xian today. Squeak said that Wang Shijiang mentioned the Prince of Qi to Concubine Xian, and Wang Shijiang personally admitted that the Prince of Qi is his own flesh and blood."
With his guess confirmed, the boulder hanging in Cang Xuan's heart fell a little. He couldn't help but hug the young girl in his arms tighter.
He didn't say a word but just looked up at the starry sky outside the window.
The stars were high in the sky, and a milky way could be seen stretching across.
He couldn't help but wonder, for twenty - one years, Xiao Ce had made a wedding dress for others, raising a son who had nothing to do with him and even making him the crown prince. What was really on his mind?
Hearing sobs coming from the girl in his arms, Cang Xuan lowered his head and found that the young girl had cried into a tearful mess.
He wiped the tears from her face and asked, "Why are you crying?"
"Brother Yunjian, I just feel heartache for you." The young girl grabbed his sleeve and sobbed, "And I also feel heartache for Aunt Shu."
"Silly girl, you've helped me a great deal. You should be happy." Cang Xuan said, "Next, we just need to find witnesses and evidence."
"You still have to attend the official - conferring ceremony tomorrow. Be careful not to cry your eyes so swollen that you can't open them and be laughed at by others."
Su Yuanyuan stopped crying under his comfort. She looked up at the man and saw the light in his eyes again, and couldn't help but feel relieved.
When Su Yuanyuan left, she kept turning back to look at Cang Xuan. The man's figure was hidden in the shadows, making it hard to see his expression, but she somehow felt that his shoulders seemed to have relaxed a bit.
At dawn, Cang Xuan set off for the palace.
The official - conferring ceremony was extremely grand. The emperor had to be present in person to confer titles on the 221 candidates of the imperial examination. As the chief cabinet minister and the supervisor of the imperial examination, he needed to double - check every process of the ceremony with the emperor to ensure its smooth progress.
On the way to the palace, Cang Xuan kept recalling every moment of his time with the emperor in the past few years. Although his face showed no expression, his eyes were as bright as fine glazed gemstones.
After entering the palace, he came to the emperor's bedroom.
Since it was the day of the official - conferring ceremony, the emperor had gotten up early. Seeing Cang Xuan's arrival, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips and said with a smile, "Lord Cang, you're here."
The room was still filled with a lingering smell of medicine. Cang Xuan carefully examined the emperor and found that his complexion was much better and he looked more energetic than a few days ago, so he felt slightly relieved. However, he still confirmed:
"Your Majesty, are you in good health? Can you endure the official - conferring ceremony today?"
The emperor stretched out his arms and, with the help of the eunuch, put on his imperial robe. He said, "Lord Cang, don't underestimate me. I've seen all kinds of storms over the years. It's just a small official - conferring ceremony. Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Just thinking that there will be so many new faces in the court after today makes me happy." The emperor even joked with Cang Xuan with a smile, "I'm tired of seeing the same old faces at the morning court every day."
Cang Xuan, who rarely felt in a good mood, also joked with the emperor, "In that case, Your Majesty must be tired of seeing me too?"
But the emperor turned around and looked at him, saying gently, "No. Among all the court officials, only Lord Cang is someone I will never get tired of looking at."
The father and son stared at each other. Although they hadn't officially revealed their identities, they both understood something from each other's eyes. Looking at the emperor in his imperial robe, Cang Xuan suddenly noticed that the emperor had become much thinner than before.
Perhaps it was because he had been ill these days, having a poor appetite and not sleeping well?
Cang Xuan thought.
Suddenly, a sense of panic welled up in his heart. It seemed that something big was about to happen.
Before setting off, Cang Xuan asked again, "Your Majesty, are you really okay?"
The emperor said, "Alright, Lord Cang. It's time for me to set off."