Looking at the pile of wild vegetables emitting a foul odor in front of them, the faces of Princess Changan and Xie Xian turned faintly green, barely managing to suppress their urge to have someone throw it all away.
“Are you telling me this is really what the heir sent us?”
Princess Changan tried to hold back her disgust repeatedly, but finally couldn’t help herself and asked with a wrinkled face.
Earlier, she had been attending a banquet elsewhere when someone suddenly came from home saying the heir had specially brought back something good. Without hesitation, she immediately returned home.
As the esteemed Princess Changan, she had lived a life of luxury since childhood, having seen all manner of delicacies. It wasn’t that she was greedy for a few things, but rather that she truly appreciated her son’s filial piety.
But… was this basket of smelly weeds the result?!
The guard who delivered the “toona sinensis buds” immediately knelt on one knee, “How dare I deceive the Princess? This was indeed the heir’s order.”
Princess Changan and Xie Xian looked at what he was holding, then at the basket beside him. It indeed looked exactly the same.
Thus, the couple fell into a deep silence.
Was their son doing alright lately?
Could it be that his mind, or rather, his taste buds were off? Why would he suddenly develop a liking for smelly weeds?!
The guard then took out a withered piece of the vegetable and presented it with both hands, “This is a few kinds of wild vegetables prepared by the new female physician at the Kaifeng government office. The heir tasted it and found it good, so he ordered us to go outside the city to collect more, especially offering them to you and the Prince Consort to try something fresh.”
It was just that during the gathering process, they had encountered a few farmers, who looked at them strangely from afar, seemingly murmuring something.
Probably because suddenly outsiders came to take what was their food supply.
“Oh?” Xie Xian lightly laughed, asked for the name, then turned to Princess Changan, “This is the young girl I mentioned to you earlier.”
Princess Changan raised her eyebrows, her expression gradually becoming subtle.
If so, perhaps their son didn’t just want to send some things, but rather to subtly express something through the gift.
Princess Changan gave a signal with her eyes, and a maid nearby went to receive it, “Ah, Princess, this one doesn’t smell.”
Xie Xian took it and sniffed, “Indeed, the smell is somewhat strange, but it’s definitely not smelly.”
After confirming it himself, he then signaled to his wife.
Princess Changan, still clearly shaken by the previous odor, hesitated and showed reluctance on her beautiful face, “Perhaps it’s been picked for a while and has wilted, so the smell has weakened.”
Xie Xian smiled and nodded, “The Princess sees clearly.”
Princess Changan huffed, “Who doesn’t understand such a simple principle?”
Are you trying to pacify a child?
Xie Xian smiled even more brightly.
Princess Changan glanced at him and then joined in the laughter herself.
She naturally understood the principle, but it was rare to have someone who liked to pamper her.
“Since it’s the heir’s filial offering,” Princess Changan waved her hand, “have someone take it down and prepare it.”
It was not uncommon for ingredients that smelled strange but tasted delicious to exist; perhaps these wild vegetables would taste good once cooked.
Xie Xian then had someone open the windows for ventilation, and the couple sat side by side on the soft couch chatting.
“That child has a subtle mind, and he seldom speaks directly to us about what’s on his mind. This time he specially sent a basket of wild vegetables, which might be implying something,” Xie Xian said while spearing a piece of honeydew melon with a small silver fork.
Princess Changan opened her mouth to take it, pondered for a moment, and nodded in agreement.
What was he trying to say?
It must be related to that young lady Ma. Was he trying to show that she was skilled in cooking, capable of turning such foul-smelling wild vegetables into delicacies, making her an exceptionally rare good match for household life?
Or perhaps… the future princess consort had an unusual taste, and he wanted them to mentally prepare in advance?
Or maybe he had heard some rumors that changes were coming in the court, that a storm was brewing, but since he couldn’t say it outright, he used this as a metaphor? But they frequently entered and exited the palace, and hadn’t heard anything unusual…
The couple were both smart and perceptive people, and they had never encountered any problems they couldn’t solve.
But even so, now with their combined fourteen clever minds, they still couldn’t figure out what was going on in their son’s secretive heart.
About half an hour later, the previously pungent wild vegetables were meticulously arranged on a pristine white jade plate, adorned with delicate little flowers along the edges, instantly transforming into an elegant presentation.
The couple picked up their chopsticks to taste, instantly froze, exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned their heads away, “Ugh~”
Well… it was still smelly!
After struggling for a while, they finally gave up.
Princess Changan weakly waved her hand, “Take it away and throw it out. Oh, and don’t let the heir know.”
The attendants obeyed and left, and Princess Changan then very seriously instructed the guard who had delivered the vegetables, “Go back and tell the heir that the wild vegetables were very good, and there’s no need to send any more in the future.”
The guard secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Great! Now they wouldn’t have to get up early in the morning to pick smelly vegetables anymore!
*********
On the day of the palace examination, the entire city of Kaifeng was filled with enthusiastic excitement.
This was the day when the Great Lü Dynasty would produce a new zhuangyuan (top scholar). Even though this matter had nothing to do with ordinary people, they couldn’t help but feel joyous along with the occasion.
The candidates who had passed the metropolitan examination gathered from all directions toward the imperial palace early in the morning, each with expressions of excitement and nervousness intertwined on their faces.
This was the first time in their lives they had come so close to the center of power in the entire dynasty; how could they not feel their blood boiling with excitement?
Like other students, Li Qinghe was so nervous he barely slept for most of the night and woke up very early.
Looking at the imperial palace growing closer, he momentarily forgot to breathe.
There it was!
The heart of the entire Great Lü Dynasty, where all those who stood at the pinnacle of power gathered, those who held the nation’s lifeline in their hands.
And he believed that in his lifetime, he would surely become one of them!
“Cui Feng Brother,” a fellow townsman suddenly asked, “Didn’t you say you had seen Guan Boming? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?”
Li Qinghe was startled and looked around, “Indeed, I hope he hasn’t missed the time!”
Another fellow townsman, Mu Sheng, laughed, “Well, as long as we aren’t late, it’s fine.”
Although in the officialdom, fellow townspeople support each other, but since they hadn’t officially entered it yet, everyone was still competitors. Guan Boming was quite talented; if he didn’t come, everyone else would feel a bit more at ease.
“Oh, you shouldn’t speak like that,” Li Qinghe quickly pulled the speaker aside, “Someone might overhear and laugh at us, thinking that people from Taizhou Prefecture haven’t even achieved success yet but are already bickering like petty men.”
Only then did Mu Sheng remember they were at the foot of the imperial palace, and he was startled, quickly shutting up and not daring to speak further.
Li Qinghe looked around once more but still couldn’t find any trace of Guan Qing, so he had to say, “Bo Ming lives a bit far away; he might arrive a bit later. Let’s go first so we don’t miss the time.”
The palace examination officially started at the Chen hour (7-9 am), but they had to first go through layers of checks and identity verification at the Zhuque Gate on the exact south of the imperial palace. At the Mao hour (5-7 am), palace attendants would lead them to change into uniform clothing. This was done both to prevent anyone from bringing in cheat sheets or other disrespectful items, and to temporarily cover up the differences between rich and poor, making things look a bit more harmonious.
With all these procedures, it would be impossible to manage without arriving two hours in advance.
To prevent accidents, imperial guards were stationed along the route as escorts, all in bright armor, looking very imposing.
Mu Sheng couldn’t help but feel proud and said to Li Qinghe and others, “I’ve heard that normally the imperial guards only escort high-ranking officials, but now it’s our turn.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at him in surprise, and even the nearby imperial guards looked over like he was an idiot.
Li Qinghe and others’ hearts were pounding, quickly apologizing to the guards, “Sorry, sorry…”
Mu Sheng felt he had probably said the wrong thing again, but he thought to himself, “I’m going to be a new jinshi (successful candidate), practically a newly risen noble, right? What’s the big deal about a few soldiers?”
“Will you please shut up!” Li Qinghe finally couldn’t stand it and said, “Do you think they’re just local guards that can be bullied at will? These are the Emperor’s imperial guards! There are countless sons of noble families here just to gain experience, each with a powerful family behind them. Who do you think you are to provoke them?!”
So what if you’re a jinshi? Even if you become the zhuangyuan, it’s nothing special to the high-ranking nobles above. After all, there’s a new batch every three years. Do you think the empire will stop turning without you?
Mu Sheng was always somewhat impetuous, often speaking without thinking when he got excited, and everyone else was used to it.
But no one had expected that even at the imperial palace, he would still act like this, causing some concern: What if he causes more trouble in the future?
Especially those who had vouched for each other with Mu Sheng, they were even more worried.
It wouldn’t matter much if he got into trouble himself, but please don’t drag us down with him…
“What’s going on?”
Xie Yu was leading a patrol when he saw some commotion in the distance.
Someone went to check, “No need to worry, sir. It’s just a few arrogant scholars talking nonsense.”
Hmph, what trash.
Xie Yu nodded, “You stay here and keep watch. I need to go to the Ministry of Personnel.”
Previously, when Xie Yu went to arrest Xu Maocai, there had been a strange report from below: the grave of an official who had retired and returned home in Liangzhou was dug up, his corpse hung on a tree with a blood-stained banner reading “Faithless and treacherous, worse than pigs and dogs.”
The court was in an uproar, and the Emperor had ordered a thorough investigation. However, since the person was already gone and no one’s life was in danger, and with various major matters piling up, the investigation had slowed down.
Recently, the family had come to urge again. All officials knew this matter was tricky, and since there was no benefit in uncovering it, they passed the buck in the court:
The Dali Temple said, “Forget it, we’re only responsible for closing cases; you haven’t even finished the trial yet!”
The Ministry of Personnel said since the person had already retired and was no longer an official, they couldn’t be held responsible.
The Ministry of Justice said although it was indeed shocking that someone’s grave had been dug up and the corpse hanged, it technically wasn’t a murder case. They already had a mountain of unsolved and strange cases from all over the country to deal with, so they really couldn’t handle this…
For three days in the imperial court, the nation’s pillars of talent argued fiercely, but finally, the Emperor made the final decision:
The Kaifeng Prefecture Office is the head of all local offices, and since they recently have no major cases, this matter shall be handed over to them.
Tu Yao secretly cursed the whole night, and after his protest via memorial failed, he was too lazy to visit his colleagues in the Six Ministries who were secretly delighted. Thus, he had Xie Yu go to the Ministry of Personnel today to collect the deceased’s previous appointment records.
Since the banner said “Faithless and treacherous,” the person must have done something bad during his lifetime, or at least been misunderstood as having done something, so naturally, they needed to start by investigating his life history.
Xie Yu gave a few more instructions, and seeing that the students had already started the body check, he felt that there shouldn’t be any trouble, so he was about to head to the Ministry of Personnel.
But he hadn’t walked a few steps when suddenly chaos erupted at the Zhuque Gate:
“What audacity! Daring to smuggle something in! Guards, seize him!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage