How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

After leaving the palace, Sheng Shihuai got on the carriage back home. He learned from the confidant who delivered the message that the answers to the Yizhou flood test had been completely leaked. Many students who had reluctantly spent money to buy the answers wanted to return them. However, the woman who delivered the answers had already scattered on the street corners, and finding her was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Sir, I heard that it was leaked by the noble ladies in the capital. They heard the answer to the puzzle at the Peach Blossom Banquet and said that it was done by a woman named Shen Yuanyuan, who seemed to have a very close relationship with Shen Yuan."

Shen Yuanyuan?

Sheng Shihuai raised his eyebrows.

"Sir, will this affect..." asked the confidant who came to deliver the message, "our plan?"

"It's okay." Sheng Shihuai said indifferently. The reason why he leaked the test questions about the flood in Yizhou was because he was inspired by Xie Chengze and found that women in the folk could also be used, so he tried to use them to explore a new trading channel.

If he really wanted to make money by leaking the test questions, he would not have sold the answers to so many people at such a low price.

"You go and make some arrangements, build up momentum for the Regent, spread his achievements in Yizhou and Liaozhou, and guide the students' conversation direction," Sheng Shihuai arranged.

The Spring Examination is the best season to gain fame. If Xie Chengze wants to have a greater chance of ascending the throne, his popularity among students must exceed that of the crown prince.

The common people actually don't care who the emperor is, as long as they can have enough food to eat, but the students are different. They will nitpick the emperor's civil and military skills. If the emperor is mediocre and tyrannical, he will not be able to attract talented students to serve him loyally, and there will be a large number of mediocre officials in the court, which is obviously very unfavorable to the dynasty.

The better the emperor's reputation, the more people with ambition will be attracted to serve as officials. Therefore, Shengshi Huaicai must build momentum for Xie Chengze, so that the students will turn their attention to Xie Chengze and ensure that Xie Chengze can ascend the throne legitimately.

Unexpectedly, the confidant said, "That... Sir, someone has already taken action."

"Hmm?" Sheng Shihuai raised his eyes, seeming not to understand what he said.

The confidant was silent for a moment, then lifted the curtain and said, "Your Excellency should just look at it yourself."

Sheng Shihuai looked outside the carriage. As the carriage entered the city streets, he was surprised to find that many shops and inns on the street had their doors opened and even in the air hung with long, wide red cloth strips with large characters written in ink. The strips were very conspicuous and attracted passers-by and students on the street to stop and watch.

He couldn't help but whisper.

"The stars are hot, you are the ideal of the world; the bright moon is cool, you are the dawn of the world. Who are you? You are the regent with both virtue and talent."

"The hundred-flower preserves are a little sweet, but it's a little bit risky not to love the Second Prince."

"It is the Regent's privilege to be unparalleled in wisdom and courage; it is your instinct to fall in love with the Regent..."

"Once you fall in love with the Second Prince, your life is over. You will belong to the Second Prince for your whole life. You will know how good the Second Prince is early on, and you will never look down on anyone else. From then on, your life will be raised to an unreachable height, and at least you will avoid taking twenty years of wrong paths..."

Sheng Shihuai: ...

Sheng Shihuai silently pulled down the car curtain, not knowing whether to wash his eyes or his mouth first.

Well, it seems like something Xie Chengze could do.

Sheng Shihuai didn't understand how Xie Chengze, with his palm-sized head, could come up with... such a weird way to create momentum?

It is simply rare to see this in the history.

"Sir, do you need to add more fuel to the fire?" the confidant asked cautiously.

"..." Sheng Shihuai rubbed his brows, "No need, have you found the secret recipe for gunpowder?"

"No, we have searched everywhere in Cheng Huan Palace, and only the sleeping chamber is left, which no one can approach."

"The bedroom..." Sheng Shihuai pondered for a moment, then said, "Let the eldest prince find it. Since he wants evidence of his mother being forced to commit suicide, then he can exchange it for the secret recipe of gunpowder."

"Yes."

After his confidant left, Sheng Shihuai lowered his eyes and gently stroked the jade ring on his thumb, wondering what he was thinking.

It took a long time before I came back to my senses.

Should he send someone to prepare a dragon robe for Xie Chengze?

……

"Is that so... It's not a big problem. Just prepare a dragon robe for you, Ze'er!"

In the imperial study, looking at the restless Xie Chengze, Emperor Jian smiled and said, "Since you are worried that the prince does not want to be the emperor anymore, I will send someone to tailor a dragon robe for you. In this way, when the Cao family hears the news, they will definitely force the prince to deal with you."

Xie Chengze:……?

What robe? You're crazy!

"Is there no way to appease them?" The dragon robe has always been a sensitive thing. Xie Chengze always feels that if it is not prepared for the son of a real dragon, then it is a death warrant.

Moreover, how could Emperor Jian come up with such an idea? It’s too radical!

"I think it's quite gentle." Emperor Jian touched his chin.

"But..." Xie Chengze was a little hesitant. What if the Cao family responded and planned to force the emperor to abdicate?

"Alas, you..." Emperor Jian was helpless seeing his foolish appearance. He turned to Eunuch Zhao and said, "Go to the Shangyi Storehouse and pass on the imperial edict. Tell them that I want to prepare a dragon robe for the new emperor. Then secretly give Ze'er's measurements to the storekeeper and ask him to make it close to this size. It can't be too similar or too different."

Making a dragon robe is not a trivial matter. The Cao family will definitely know about this, and with their suspicion, they will definitely think that the new emperor he has chosen is the second prince.

The second prince is the polishing stone for the crown prince, but in the eyes of the Cao family, the crown prince is also the polishing stone for the second prince. Emperor Jian has always doted on the son of the favorite concubine. If the crown prince had not been faultless and the favorite concubine had died of illness, it would not be certain who would take the position of crown prince.

Now that the Second Prince has emerged and even become very talented, the Cao family would naturally assume that Emperor Jian is planning something for the Second Prince.

Xie Chengze was still wondering if the pace was too fast when Emperor Jian suddenly touched him on the head.

He raised his eyes and met Emperor Jian's loving gaze.

"Ze'er," he said softly, with a barely perceptible reluctance in his tone, "Promise father that you will live a very long, long life, even longer than father."

Xie Chengze was stunned for a moment.

"Why do you say that suddenly?" Xie Chengze didn't understand. Although everyone wanted to live longer, he always felt weird when Emperor Jian made such a special request.

It is not up to him to decide how long he wants to live.

Emperor Jian withdrew his hand, his expression returned to normal, and he said confidently, "Father is afraid that you will go down too early and disturb the tender time between father and your mother. He is also afraid that your mother will know too early that you are greedy for male beauty and don't even have offspring, and then blame father!"

Xie Chengze: ...

Who is greedy for male beauty? Hey! Don't slander people randomly! I've already said that the truth is not what you think!

After Xie Chengze left the imperial study, Emperor Jian finally couldn't help but coughing violently. He tapped his chest three times with his fingertips, and a mouthful of bright red blood and vomit spurted out of his throat onto the ground.

There was a dizziness and blackness in front of his eyes, and his vision became blurred again. He rubbed his aching forehead and sighed softly.

“It’s karma…”