Joy of Life: The Mei Family's Son Grows Up

Chapter 62 Do you want to see the Spring Examination?

Mei Cheng'an attended the first morning court on the 16th day of the first lunar month as usual. This time, Mei Cheng'an stood obediently in the line, lowered his head and listened to the Minister of Personnel reporting to Emperor Qing on the implementation of the new policies in the past year and the results achieved.

After listening to the whole speech, Emperor Qing gave his general affirmation, but still pointed out some shortcomings. Finally, he encouraged the Minister of Personnel to keep up the good work.

Emperor Qing's eyes swept around the hall. The court officials looked at each other with their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, not daring to look directly at him for fear of being called out. Mei Cheng'an followed suit and did not look around like he did last year.

Emperor Qing's gaze paused on him for a moment, seeing him standing there obediently, he couldn't help but think of the way he looked around furtively on this day last year. The corners of his mouth curled up and his lips slightly opened.

"Mei Chengan."

Mei Chengan's mouth twitched.

Damn it, I was so honest this time, but you still picked me.

Despite all the complaints, people still walked out of the team obediently and bowed.

"The minister is here."

Emperor Qing looked him up and down. He looked taller than last year.

"You seldom attended court last year, so it was not easy for me to see you once. Are you getting used to the Honglu Temple?"

Mei Cheng'an felt a little resentful. It was clearly you who asked Eunuch Hou to tell me that I could attend the morning court if I wanted to. What did you mean by suddenly saying that to me? Could it be that you changed your mind?

"Your Majesty, I have adapted very well. The Minister of the Honglu Temple, Xin Shaoqing, and my colleagues have been very kind to me."

Emperor Qing glanced at the eldest prince and looked at Mei Chengan again.

"I heard that when Chengru came back, you contributed to the task I assigned to the Ministry of Rites?"

The eldest prince also looked over when he heard this. He thought about it. His attention was on his brothers at the time. Was this person also there? He had no impression.

Mei Chengan bent down slightly.

"Your Majesty, I am just doing my duty."

Emperor Qing nodded with satisfaction.

"Well, not arrogant, not impatient, and not greedy for credit, not bad."

Emperor Qing then looked at the eldest prince.

"You haven't been in Kyoto for a long time, so you may not have heard of him. Don't underestimate him because he is young. He is very talented."

The eldest prince nodded slightly.

"I have never heard of it."

Emperor Qing laughed twice.

"Normal. He was still not well-known when you left."

The eldest prince nodded but didn't reply.

Emperor Qing looked at Mei Chengan again.

"Speaking of this, I remember, Mei Cheng'an, you seem to have only participated in the Boy's Examination, and have not participated in the Autumn Examination and the Spring Examination."

Mei Chengan bowed.

"Yes."

Emperor Qing nodded and changed the subject.

"Do you want to see what the Spring Examination is like?"

Mei Cheng'an was stunned when he heard this. What did this mean? It couldn't be that he was asked to take the exam. It felt inappropriate to say that he wanted to or didn't want to.

"Um...I will obey your majesty."

When Emperor Qing heard this answer, he was immediately amused and secretly cursed the boy for being cunning.

"You can think if you want to, or not if you don't want to. Just do what I tell you to do."

Mei Chengan rolled his eyes in his heart. Since you asked me this, wouldn’t it be choking if I said I didn’t want to?

"Then I would like to."

Emperor Qing was a little amused and helpless. What kind of answer was this? Well, just make the decision for him directly.

"Guo Youzhi."

"The minister is here."

"When your Ministry of Rites is organizing the Spring Examination this year, let him go to the Ministry of Rites to watch and see what the Spring Examination is like. You can also take him with you when you have time. What do you think?"

When Emperor Qing said this, everyone in the hall was shocked. Not to mention the three princes, even the drowsy General Qin opened his eyes. Chen Pingping smiled calmly, and a hint of surprise flashed in Prime Minister Lin's eyes.

Everyone looked at Mei Cheng'an together. They knew that His Majesty had taken a fancy to Mei Cheng'an, but they didn't expect that he valued him so much. This was to help him accumulate the qualities for advancement. Now it was time to see whether he would be in charge in the future.

When Mei Cheng'an was stared at by so many people, he felt his hair stand on end and he felt uncomfortable all over. Fortunately, they only looked at him for a moment. If they had continued to stare at him, he would have died on the spot.

Guo Youzhi actually wanted to look back, but the emperor was still waiting for his reply.

"I will definitely take good care of Mei Sicheng."

Emperor Qing nodded with satisfaction.

Mei Chengan had been holding it in for a long time and finally couldn't bear it anymore.

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

"speak!"

"What shall I do with my job at the Honglu Temple?"

"During the preparations for the Spring Examination, you can put your duties at the Honglu Temple aside for now."

"Then what specific errands will this minister have when he goes to the Ministry of Rites?"

"No, you want to see it, just look at it."

Mei Cheng'an breathed a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as he was not allowed to interfere in the specific matters.

"Oh, then after the Spring Examination is over, can I return to the Honglu Temple?"

Emperor Qing smiled.

"After seeing this, of course we have to go back. Any other questions?"

Mei Chengan shook his head.

"Gone."

Emperor Qing waved his hand.

"Then let's stop here for today."

Eunuch Hou immediately announced the adjournment of court.

After the court was dismissed, Mei Cheng'an suddenly found that the officials were much more enthusiastic towards him and came to greet him one after another. Although he was confused, he knew not to hit anyone who smiled at him, so he quickly responded one by one. After a while, his surroundings finally calmed down.

Looking at Xin Qiwu who was still beside him, Mei Chengan asked him.

"What's going on here, Lord Xin, do you understand?"

Xin Qiwu looked around and moved closer.

"Cheng'an, don't you understand? They are just burning incense in advance. Since His Majesty has asked you to go to the Ministry of Rites to witness the Spring Examination in front of all the officials, it means that you may be the one to preside over the Spring Examination in the future."

"this…"

Mei Cheng'an slapped his forehead. Oh no! Fan Xian hasn't come to Beijing to show his fame as a poet yet, and the Spring Examination is not under his supervision. Mei Cheng'an subconsciously has always blamed this on Fan Xian, so when Emperor Qing asked him to go and witness the Spring Examination, he just regarded it as a whim of Emperor Qing and didn't think about it deeply at all.

After Xin Qiwu said this, he finally realized that it was no wonder that so many people came to greet him. They didn't know what would happen in the future. They regarded him as someone who might host the Spring Examination in the future. Mei Cheng'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He is not interested in this matter, and it has nothing to do with him in the future. These people have visited the wrong door and the wrong grave.

Hey, they came to burn incense, so why did Xin Qiwu stay here... Mei Chengan looked at him strangely.

"Master Xin wouldn't be the same..."

Just as Xin Qiwu was about to wink at him, he heard a cough behind him.

They both looked at each other.

Is the prince.

The two of them quickly turned around and saluted.

The prince glanced at Xin Qiwu, and Xin Qiwu understood immediately.

"Then you two can chat, Your Highness. I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do, so I will take my leave now."

After Xin Qiwu left, the prince patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Let's go outside and talk while we walk. This hall will be closed soon."

"Listen to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Mei Cheng'an lagged behind and followed the prince out of the hall.

The prince started chatting with him.

"Come to think of it, this seems to be the second time I've seen you. I've never seen you in court before. Did His Majesty give you special permission?"

Without Your Majesty's permission, how could I not come?

"Yes, I was only ten years old when His Majesty first appointed me as an official. His Majesty may have considered that I was still young and new to the court, and was afraid that I would not be able to adapt and would easily attract attention, so he gave me some privileges."

The prince exclaimed.

"I see. Your Majesty has considered everything carefully."

"That's what His Highness said."

"You have a good relationship with Xin Qiwu. I heard him call you by your name. He wouldn't dare to call you that unless they were close to him."

"Lord Xin really took good care of me."

"Xin Qiwu is my disciple."

"I heard from Lord Xin."

The prince stopped, and Mei Cheng'an stopped as well.

"Are you willing to join me?"

Mei Cheng settled down for a moment. It was only their third meeting, and he was already getting straight to the point? After finishing the matter, he subconsciously looked around and was relieved after confirming that the Second Prince could not be hiding in the dark and eavesdropping.

"Your Highness, are you trying to recruit me?"

Asking nonsense questions just buys time while you think about how to respond.

The prince smiled.

"It's obvious isn't it?"

"What does your Highness see in me?"

The prince frowned.

"You don't want to? Has the second brother looked for you?"

This is too much nonsense, Mei Chengan quickly waved his hand.

"No, no, I just don't know what I can do for His Royal Highness after becoming his disciple."

Upon hearing that his second brother had not taken the initiative, the prince's brows relaxed.

"You don't have to do anything, just support me."

"As a minister of the Qing Kingdom, it is only natural for me to support the crown prince of the Qing Kingdom. What does it matter if I join your sect or not?"

The prince was stunned when he heard this. This sentence sounded very familiar. He suddenly laughed when he remembered who said it.

"You are saying the same thing as your father. Have you discussed this?"

Mei Chengan decisively put the blame on his father.

"Since I entered the government, my father has often used these words to warn me in private conversations, telling me not to get involved in party disputes and to just support orthodoxy. I agree with him."

He should have thought that with Mei Zhili's cautious nature, it would be impossible for him not to inform his son. He was afraid that he would not get the answer he wanted today, but it was better this way than joining his second brother's family.

The prince nodded.

"I understand what you mean. Let's just leave it at that. I won't mention it again in the future."

Mei Cheng'an nodded slightly in greeting.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."

The prince patted his arm again.

"If my second brother causes you trouble, tell me anytime and I'll protect you."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

I'd better figure out a solution myself. Asking you for help would just add fuel to the fire.

The prince laughed.

"Okay, leave the palace now. I won't see you off."

"Farewell to Your Highness."

Watching the prince leave, Mei Cheng'an breathed a sigh of relief. The prince had dealt with the situation, so he walked out of the palace.

Halfway through the walk, Mei Cheng'an stopped and looked at the Second Prince standing in the middle of the corridor, his expression extremely speechless.

Instead of eavesdropping, you're blocking people, right?

Take a deep breath and greet him with a standard smile.

"The Second Prince is waiting for me?"

The second prince nodded.

"You're out so late, the prince must be looking for you again."

"Uh, yes."

"You agree to be his disciple?"

Mei Chengan shook his head.

"Does the Second Prince have the same goal?"

The second prince laughed.

"That's exactly what I thought. Can you tell me why you rejected the prince? I'm curious."

Mei Cheng'an thought about it and decided that he would have to use one excuse to talk to the Crown Prince, but he would have to use another excuse to talk to the Second Prince.

(End of this chapter)