The First Marquis of Leisure

The Golden Terrace was packed with people.

A huge pile of gold and silver jewelry was stacked on top, gleaming in the sunlight.

Money, power, and beautiful women are the goals that countless heroes and valiant men pursue throughout their lives.

But how many people have fallen on this path throughout history!

Led by the honor guard of the Hanlin Academy, Bai Xinghe rode a white horse to the Golden Terrace.

"Please dismount, scholar!"

A scholar shouted.

Bai Xinghe nodded and leaped off the horse.

Standing before the Golden Terrace, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

Once upon a time, I was a brilliant and talented doctoral student at a prestigious 985 university, and now I've been reborn into this world.

He became a complete spendthrift, then rose to prominence, only to have all his relatives and friends executed by the tyrannical emperor.

He escaped with the help of the eight hundred cavalrymen left by his father, but his only sworn brother, the third prince Zhao Xing, broke off all ties with him and they went their separate ways.

Now that he has finally become the top scholar, it is only a matter of time before he enters the imperial court.

"Bai Zhen, you may now ascend the Golden Platform. You are free to choose any treasures there, as many as you can take—this is His Majesty's reward!"

Qiu Qingtian stepped forward and loudly reminded Bai Xinghe.

Bai Xinghe paused, then loudly recited: "To repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace, I will wield the Jade Dragon and die for you!"

The moment these two lines of poetry were recited, the entire audience was astonished!

Apart from Li Chentian and the students from the Doctor's Mansion who had already witnessed it, everyone else was dumbfounded.

Prime Minister Qiu Qingtian opened his mouth, staring at Bai Xinghe in shock!

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Li Chentian chuckled. When he first saw Bai Xinghe's poems in Zhao, wasn't he the same person?

"Lord Qiu, Bai Zhen's talent is unparalleled. I have decided to directly recommend him for a position in the court, bypassing other procedures and promoting him to the rank of Right Vice Minister. What do you think?"

Qiu Qingtian nodded and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. This will definitely weaken the Yuan family's power!"

Bai Xinghe did not hear the discussion between Li Chentian and Qiu Qingtian.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he stepped onto the Golden Platform step by step.

Then I just took three things!

A jade pendant, a piece of gold, and a gold hairpin!

Everyone was puzzled by what they saw.

You should know that whether in this world or the original world, people only want to get rich by becoming officials.

"Brother, don't be shy, take as much as you can!"

Qian Yuan became anxious and hurriedly tried to persuade him loudly.

Bai Xinghe smiled and shook his head, then took the three items and walked down from the Golden Platform.

"Brother, this jade pendant is for you. It was the one your father gave you before, but I had Xing'er pawn it to make a living!"

Qian Yuan was stunned, never expecting that Bai Xinghe had taken a royal jade pendant to give to him.

"Brother, there's no need for this between us."

Bai Xinghe smiled and continued, "This gold is a gift to Old Man Hu and Xing'er as a token of our gratitude for their care over the past few days!"

"What about this gold hairpin?" Qian Yuan and the others were very curious.

Bai Xinghe's expression changed slightly, and he carefully put the gold hairpin away.

"When the time is right, the golden hairpin will be given to its owner!"

The crowd was simply curious and didn't press the matter further.

......

Night falls

袁府

Yuan Aofang, the current patriarch of the Yuan family, personally convened a gathering of the core members of the Yuan family.

The Yuan family's higher-ups were already aware of what had happened today.

At this moment, the Yuan brothers, Yuan Benchu ​​and Yuan Yao, knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound, awaiting their fate.

"You two brothers don't need to kneel on the ground, get up!"

Clan Chief Yuan Aofang spoke; he was a dignified old man, one of the Three Dukes.

He held a high position, and his students and former officials were all over the world.

"This is not your fault, brothers. It's just that I never expected a man from Zhao to win the top scholar title in Yan!"

"Clan leader, according to the information, Qiu Qingtian and Li Chentian seem to think highly of this person."

"Moreover, if we publicly declare that we will recommend him for a promotion to Vice Minister of War, and that actually happens, the Yuan family's influence will likely be greatly diminished!"

The other high-ranking members of the Yuan family all spoke up, outlining the advantages and disadvantages.

Yuan Aofang snorted coldly and said, "Of course I know about this matter. Minister Fang is one of our men, and Vice Minister Qian Guanglu is a confidant of Consort Ji. If Bai Zhen were to become Vice Minister of the Right, it would naturally be very detrimental to the Yuan family!"

"Clan leader, we must stop Bai Zhen from becoming the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War!" The Yuan family's senior members unanimously proposed.

Ji Changzai had always been at odds with the Yuan family, but she also disliked the scholars recommended by the Imperial Academy.

The Ministry of War holds military power. If the position of Right Vice Minister is filled by someone from the Imperial Academy, and the Left Vice Minister is someone from Consort Ji's faction, then...

Then the Minister of War will definitely be sidelined, which will affect the interests of the Yuan family.

"I have my own plans for this matter."

"If this man can be of use to our Yuan family, then we will let bygones be bygones. If not, ha, does he want to become the second Qiu Qingtian? I will absolutely not allow it!"

the other side

At the Doctor's residence, Li Chentian invited Bai Xinghe and Qian Yuan over.

Now there's no need to hide it anymore. Li Chentian smiled bitterly, his tone tinged with a hint of resentment.

"Young Master Bai, I never expected it to be you!"

"You've kept this from us for a long time. It seems that Qian Yuan's poem must have been written by you."

Qian Yuan was very embarrassed and tried to cover it up and make an excuse.

Bai Xinghe spoke up, "Dr. Li, I didn't mean to hide it. It's just that during the competition between the two countries, I did offend people with my words."

"My visit to the Yan Kingdom was out of necessity; please forgive me, Elder Li!"

"Hmph!" Li Chentian feigned displeasure, saying, "Boy, you're judging a gentleman by your own petty standards!"

"When you were executed by the Zhao emperor by slow slicing, I felt great regret and cursed the tyrannical ruler. I never expected you to escape alive; it must be the will of Heaven."

"With your talent, and considering the incompetence of the Zhao emperor, your arrival in Yan is a blessing for the Yan state!"

Qian Yuan was completely bewildered upon hearing this, staring blankly at Bai Xinghe and Li Chentian.

"Elder Li, to be honest, I came to Yan for two reasons. First, for Princess Sisi. Second, Yan is currently the strongest country in the world, and peace and prosperity prevail. Only in Yan can I achieve something, and only then can I return to Zhao and kill the dog emperor, Li Taibei, and his cronies!"

Bai Xinghe stopped hiding it, because Li Chentian's attitude was already very clear, and there was no need to hide it anymore.

"What? Brother, you, you, you can't possibly be Bai Xinghe, the heir of the Zhao state's marquisate who defeated Ji Zi and Dr. Li in the grand competition between the two countries?"

Qian Yuan swallowed hard, utterly shocked.

"That's right, Brother Qian, I didn't mean to hide it, I had no other choice," Bai Xinghe said with emotion.

"No wonder, no wonder you have such talent, brother, you really fooled me!" Qian Yuan said with a mournful face, sighing repeatedly.

......

Meanwhile, the Seventh Prince's Mansion

Zhao Sisi finally showed a long-lost smile. Her eyes were slightly red, but this time they were tears of happiness.

"Madam, we've heard that this year's top scholar is exceptionally talented. Dr. Li and Lord Qiu were so impressed that they personally went to announce the results!"

"Also, the eldest son of the Yuan family lost a bet with him and knelt down in public."

Several servants from the Prince's mansion kept telling Zhao Sisi about the banquet.

Zhao Sisi nodded, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She knew why Bai Xinghe had come to Yan Kingdom.

"This top scholar is truly remarkable. Tomorrow, Dr. Li and Lord Qiu will jointly recommend him for the position of Vice Minister of War, something that has never happened before in the Great Yan."

Hearing this, Zhao Sisi felt even more gratified.

Her father, friends, and relatives all died tragically, and now Bai Xinghe is the only one she cares about in the world.