Prime Minister

Chapter 90, page 089: [Fireworks in March]

When the results of the imperial examination were released, the whole city was in an uproar, with some families rejoicing and others grieving.

These disturbances were no longer relevant to Xue Huai. After returning to the Xue residence, he first went to pay his respects to Madam Cui. The mother and son chatted briefly, and then he went straight back to his bedroom and lay down on the bed.

At this moment, he didn't want to analyze Ning Hengzhi and Ouyang Hui anymore; he just wanted to get a good night's sleep.

"Young master, wake up."

After an unknown amount of time, a gentle voice rang out, and Xue Huai squinted for a while before slowly opening his eyes.

The maid Hua'er stood by the bed, watching him cautiously.

"What time is it?"

Xue Huai propped himself up and sat up.

Hua'er is seventeen years old this year. She entered the manor with Mo Yun, the head maid of Cui Shi, and has been there for six years. She is mainly responsible for Xue Huai's food, clothing, housing and transportation. She is honest, conscientious and meticulous in her work.

She smiled gently and said, "It's past 1:45 PM. I didn't dare to disturb the young master's rest, but the old lady was worried that you would sleep too long and not be able to sleep at night. She also wanted you to have something to eat, so she asked me to wake you up. But if the young master is still sleepy, then you can sleep a little longer."

"Won't sleep anymore."

Xue Huai's physical exhaustion was secondary; the main problem was that he had been working hard for nearly a month and desperately needed to clear his mind for a moment.

As he dressed with Hua'er's help, he casually asked, "Have any guests arrived?"

"no."

Hua'er quickly helped Xue Huai put on his outer clothes, and then said softly, "I almost forgot, that Guard Jiang did say that he would like to see the young master when he wakes up."

Jiang Sheng?

Xue Huai immediately understood.

The results of this year's imperial examination should have surprised many people, especially some key members of the Ning faction and the Second Assistant Minister's faction. They must have thought that obtaining a dozen or so places for tribute students in the imperial examination without offending the emperor was a piece of cake.

If Sun Yan can't even handle this small matter, what makes him think he's Ouyang Hui's right-hand man? And what makes Yue Zhongming think he can replace Xue Minglun's position in the Ning Party?

Any faction can rise to power simply by relying on the leader's patronage, but to maintain its position, it must gain the support of the core forces. This is why Sun Yan and Yue Zhongming had to act out of personal favoritism during the imperial examinations.

However, after the imperial edict was posted, those confident officials suddenly discovered that the list did not contain the names of their nephews, nieces, or protégés at all; there were only a very few negligible individuals who had slipped through the net.

Despite their doubts and resentment, they were helpless, for once the results were announced, the outcome was set in stone, and there was no precedent in Great Yan for a subsequent reversal of the verdict.

Besides the Ning faction and the Second Assistant Minister's faction, some powerful figures were greatly disappointed, such as the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, who was only interested in cultivating his cronies.

Thinking of this, Xue Huai said to Hua'er, "Go and tell the old lady that I have some small matters to attend to and that I will go to the kitchen to eat by myself later, so that she doesn't need to worry."

Hua'er obediently agreed.

Xue Huai left the east courtyard and came to the front house, where he met Jiang Sheng, who had been waiting for a long time, in the side hall.

"Serving as a reader."

Jiang Sheng hurriedly stepped forward. He was not good at hiding his emotions, and at this moment he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

Xue Huai asked calmly, "Does Your Highness wish to see me?"

Jiang Sheng was not surprised that Xue Huai could guess this, after all, this was a nineteen-year-old Hanlin scholar, like a celestial being descended to earth.

He vaguely sensed that Xue Huai's attitude was somewhat unusual, so he respectfully replied, "Yes."

Xue Huai said calmly, "Go and tell His Highness that I should not go out these two days, and that the palace may summon me at any time."

Jiang Sheng quickly replied, "Your Highness said she is aware of this matter, so there is no need for you to go to Qinglu Villa. Your Highness is currently waiting for me at Baiyun Tower outside the neighborhood."

Xue Huai was slightly taken aback, and after a moment asked, "You said His Highness was waiting for me? How long have you been waiting?"

Jiang Sheng thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness arrived around 9:00 AM. I told you that the Imperial Tutor went to rest as soon as he returned to his residence, so Your Highness told me not to disturb him and to ask you to come over after he woke up. It's very close by, so if the palace summons the Imperial Tutor, you can go anytime without delaying important matters."

Is it the first quarter of the Si hour?

Doesn't this mean that Jiang Li has been waiting for almost two hours?
Xue Huai felt completely bewildered.

He knew that the Crown Prince must have a problem with him because of the five candidates who failed the exam. Jiang Li's hurried arrival seemed to be an attempt to interrogate him, yet she patiently waited for two hours simply because she didn't want to disturb Xue Huai's rest. This was completely unlike her usual behavior.

First impressions are always very deep. Although Xue Huai later learned that Jiang Li was just putting on an act when they first met, whenever he thought about opening his eyes and coming into this world, and then being insulted by Jiang Li from head to toe, the words "spoiled princess" would subconsciously come to mind.

Xue Huai was confused about Jiang Li's intentions for a moment, but he didn't want to make things difficult for Jiang Sheng, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go to Baiyun Tower with you."

Jiang Sheng said gratefully, "Please, Your Excellency."

Baiyunlou is located on the outskirts of Dayongfang. It is a two-story restaurant that has been around for some time, but it is not particularly outstanding from the outside.

Jiang Sheng led Xue Huai up to the second floor, knocked on the door of a private room, and then stood guard outside the door.

Xue Huai entered with steady steps, walked around the screen to the table, and saw Jiang Li looking at him with a smile. She spoke first: "I really didn't expect there to be such a wonderful show in the examination hall this year. It's a pity I didn't see it with my own eyes. Before long, your performance in the examination hall will be known throughout the high-ranking families. I believe your reputation will rise even higher then."

There is no doubt that she was not sitting idly in Baiyun Tower waiting; she had at least figured out what had happened at the examination hall over the past month.

Xue Huai didn't respond. He cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Your Highness." Jiang Li's smile froze.

Although she was young, she was very shrewd, and having spent many years by the side of the emperor and princes, she was extremely sensitive to subtle changes in the emotions of others.

When they met again a month later, she suddenly realized that there was a subtle distance between her and Xue Huai.

This was clearly something Xue Huai did intentionally.

Jiang Li tried her best to calm herself down and said with emotion, "It's only been less than a month since we parted, but it feels like a lifetime has passed."

"Your Highness is joking."

Xue Huai sat down opposite her, poured himself a cup of tea, and then said, "I have failed Your Highness's trust this time, please forgive me."

It turned out to be the case.

Jiang Li quickly realized what was going on and chuckled, "Did you think I came to you today to interrogate you?"

Xue Huai remained silent, but his attitude spoke volumes.

How could you think like that?

Jiang Li shook her head helplessly and said frankly, "If I had known this would happen, I should have refused Your Highness, so you wouldn't have put on this unapproachable attitude. Xue Huai, let me reiterate, I asked for your help not because of Your Highness, but out of a sense of foresight for the future. If you refuse me this time, how can I help you in the future? At least to outsiders, I can't be expected to rush to solve your problems; that would easily arouse suspicion."

But right now—

“There are no hidden dangers at the moment. You are not rejecting me alone. Rather, it is because the situation in the examination hall is too complicated. You are trying to cut off all favoritism in order to provide a fair environment for all candidates.”

Jiang Li didn't want Xue Huai to misunderstand, so she explained, "His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely be a little disappointed, but I will persuade him to understand your difficulties, and this will not have a negative impact on you."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Xue Huai softened his tone and his expression became gentle.

Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, she felt that Xue Huai's attitude towards her was different from before, which made her worried. After all, as their relationship deepened, Xue Huai was more and more in line with her expectations. In particular, his performance at the examination hall this time was perfect. He subtly restrained a Grand Secretary and a Vice Minister of Rites, and he was only nineteen years old this year.

Given time, he might go even further than Shen Wang, and he will surely be able to fulfill her long-cherished wish.

"What are you going to do next?"

Jiang Li asked with concern.

Xue Huai understood why she asked that question.

The emperor has a habit of settling scores after the fact. He will not change the results of the spring examination, but Fan Dongyang will definitely report the events that happened in the Zhigong Hall that day. The emperor will naturally not ignore those answer sheets that are suspected of being fraudulent.

Whether it was Sun Yan, Yue Zhongming, or Xue Huai, they all had to give an answer that would satisfy the emperor.

Xue Huai calmly replied, "I haven't decided yet."

Jiang Li said softly, "I suggest you don't say anything."

Xue Huai looked at her thoughtfully.

Jiang Li continued, "His Majesty will definitely ask you about the secrets hidden in those five answer sheets. If you tell the truth, His Majesty won't punish you in person, but he will be angry afterward because you didn't consider His Majesty's feelings."

This turning point is not difficult to understand.

The Crown Prince's interference in the imperial examinations will inevitably displease the Emperor, and most importantly, once this matter is exposed, it will damage the face of the imperial family.

In Jiang Li's opinion, Xue Huai should just deny it to the death. Moreover, judging from his actions in the examination hall, others would only admire his loyalty and integrity and would not suspect that he had actually engaged in bribery or favoritism.

Xue Huai pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "I understand."

"This matter is finally over."

Jiang Li looked at Xue Huai curiously and asked, "Have you decided where you'll be sent next?"

Xue Huai asked in surprise, "I can choose this myself?"

“Generally speaking, it would be arranged by the Ministry of Personnel, but you are not an ordinary person.”

Jiang Li blinked and said with a half-smile, "You have a mentor like the Grand Minister of Works, and your father left behind a lot of goodwill. In addition, you performed exceptionally well as a fellow examiner this time. His Majesty will definitely grant you a good position. How could the Ministry of Personnel dare to obstruct it? Of course, I will also do my best to help you smooth things over."

Xue Huai naturally wouldn't refuse her help, as this was the basis of their cooperation, so he readily said, "I want to go to Jiangnan."

Jiang Li's gaze sharpened slightly as a name suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Xue Huai noticed the change in her expression, and just when he thought Jiang Li would deny it, she suddenly said, "I think there's a place that's perfect for you. You'll definitely be able to really shine there."

"where?"

"Yangzhou."

Jiang Li suppressed her unease, looked at Xue Huai with a smile, and said two words without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)