The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

This scene was so hard to watch that everyone present shut their mouths in astonishment.

However, in the silence, an inappropriate laugh suddenly broke out. The emperor, who had been so humane just now, could no longer pretend. He laughed loudly and applauded the "champion" of this long-distance running competition, the Minister of Rites, twice: "Mr. Xi is still strong at his age, and he is worthy of being a pillar of our court."

The fifty-year-old Minister of Rites, Lord Xi, with gray hair and beard, took a deep breath, forced himself to hold back the dull pain in his right lower abdomen, waved his red sleeves, bowed respectfully and gracefully, and said, "I am late, Your Majesty, I hope you will forgive me."

"Minister Xi has always been loyal to the emperor and the country, and he is cautious and prudent. This time I just had a whim and left the palace suddenly. How can I blame you?" The emperor changed his previous appearance of a virtuous husband, raised his hand and patted Minister Xi's shoulder, but almost patted the latter, whose calves were still trembling, to the ground.

Seeing him stagger, and seeing the scholars and court officials running behind him all out of breath, Xie Yu felt a rare sympathy and said to the emperor: "You gentlemen must have worked hard to come here. Let's ask some Jinwu Guards to help you."

Give me a seat?

The emperor and empress are still standing. How dare you sit?

Most of the ministers who came running over were smart people, and naturally they thought the Queen's suggestion was very considerate. Although it was not very elegant to ask the Jinwu Guards to support him, as if he was a criminal being interrogated, it was better than rolling on the ground. All the people present were descendants of the Juren, and if he rolled over in front of everyone... would he still be able to work in the officialdom in the future? !

After thanking him, Shangshu Xi was supported by a Jinwu Guard and limped forward two steps. "Your Majesty and His Majesty value me, so I have to ask you, the candidate, a question on behalf of Your Majesty and His Majesty. You said that the scandals surrounding Mr. Lin shocked you. So, what unprecedented and unparalleled event caused you to throw away the books of sages and ignore the principles of respect and inferiority, gather a crowd to cause trouble, and force your way to the top?"

However, before the candidate could answer, Minister Xi continued to fire at the group of people in rapid succession: "It's just some unsubstantiated rumors, and you're so eager to stir up trouble?"

"The Spring Examination has just ended, and the papers of hundreds of candidates and examiners are still waiting in the Imperial Academy. You have gathered your cliques to attack the confidential places of the court. Are you planning to rebel?!"

Xie Yuzhen, who was standing by, couldn't help but want to laugh as he listened to the old man escalating the incident and putting several big accusations on him.

However, the feeling of having someone speak for you is indeed very novel and refreshing. No wonder the emperor usually sits on the dragon throne with an expressionless face, watching the court officials below trying to figure out his thoughts and arguing with each other - guessing the thoughts of those in power is indeed a tough job, but when you become the one being guessed, you can also experience a sense of pleasure that ordinary people cannot.

Xie Yuzhen felt that if she continued thinking like this, she would become as mentally ill as the emperor, so she pinched her hand lightly and stood firmly within the boundaries of (what she thought was) a normal person.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Rites, Lord Xi, took the lead in scolding the gathered candidates without using any dirty words, yet he put a big accusation on them, aiming to confiscate their property and exterminate their clans.

It just so happened that many of the court officials who came later were on the side of Empress Xie. They sang in unison, acting like fatherly "officials". They pinned down those scholars who either had low emotional intelligence, were too young, were too blunt-minded, or only knew how to study, and rubbed them over and over again.

At this moment, all the candidates' faces turned red like liver, there were a few thuds in the crowd, and several people fainted.

Seeing this, Xie Yuzhen couldn't help but want to persuade these lackeys to just let it go. If he really scolded them away, who would cause trouble then?

If they don't do anything, how can we advance our plan and give those guys a Family Candy Crush?

Fortunately, Yuan Juren, the former "young talent" who had failed in the imperial examinations for many years, still had a strong psychological quality. Without saying anything else, he insisted that Lin Qiao's disguise as a man to take the imperial examination was an act of deceiving the emperor and she should be severely punished, otherwise it would discourage scholars all over the world.

However, he was asked by some shameless old foxes how he could represent the scholars of the world.

Immediately, he was blocked to the point of almost jumping up and down.

Xie Yuzhen, who really "couldn't stand" a group of old guys bullying Mr. Yuan, looked at the emperor and coughed twice, even though he was over 30 years old but still a "young man with high spirits".

The emperor, who was watching with great interest, signaled Li Zong to stop everyone.

Eunuch Li Zong was probably the most emotionally stable person around the couple. He easily dismissed the old men who were cursing. Well, he didn't curse. He easily dismissed the old men who were kind enough to teach him. He said a few polite words to stabilize the emotions of Yuan Juren and others. Then he turned around according to the script he had thought about many times before: "Your Majesty, Madam, I have overstepped my authority. I'm afraid this matter cannot be resolved without Lin Huiyuan's intervention."

His face was sluggish, the dust on his hands was as white as snow, and he swayed gently from side to side. As the eunuch most despised and hated by the literati, Li Zong could only use all his strength to cling to the emperor's letter and not let go. So no matter what the emperor's order was, he was used to doing his best, even if it meant putting aside his pride as the prime minister in front of the emperor and becoming a tool for the emperor to please his beloved wife and a part of their performance.

"What he said makes sense, Xianming. I wonder where Guanying is now?" The emperor pretended to look around, "How come it's been so long and I haven't seen her yet?"

Xie Yuzhen also acted out the story: "She is surrounded by rumors. I am afraid that if she appears in front of the gathered candidates under the excitement of the crowd, it will cause unnecessary conflicts. Therefore, I asked her to wait at the back."

"I see." The emperor nodded.

He did not mention the matter of asking Lin Qiao to come out and meet everyone, but instead asked everyone with a mischievous child's malice: "I have one thing I don't understand, have you all read history?"

"Taizong said that if you use copper as a mirror, you can dress properly; if you use people as a mirror, you can understand gains and losses; if you use history as a mirror, you can understand the rise and fall of dynasties. It's not like there were no women taking the imperial examinations in previous dynasties. It seems that this year's candidates read more classics and less history." The emperor looked at Xie Yuzhen with a burning gaze. "They actually said that it was a shocking and bizarre news for a woman to take the exam, and they were even scared to the point of banding together with the same shallow people to show off their strength. It's really ridiculous and pitiful."

Xie Ruizhen: ...You look very majestic when you condescend to personally endorse my precious cousin, but if you want to act, at least you should be more patient. I can't take my eyes off you!