The triennial palace examination is over.
Among the top three, only Nie Meng was convincing; the other two had never stood out before.
A group of students went out of their way to observe and review their articles. Those two articles can only be said to be quite satisfactory and somewhat innovative, but not much. They cannot afford to be ranked first or second at all.
However, the Holy Emperor personally appointed him, and the students were unwilling to do so, so they had no choice but to congratulate with false expressions on their faces.
At the same time, the courtiers gathered around the regent.
"The top two candidates in today's exam are all relatives of the Prince Regent. Congratulations to Your Majesty."
"The Feng family and the Lin family teach their children well, which is the envy of others."
"The first of these two sons is admitted to the Hanlin Academy, and has a bright future."
“……”
Chu Rui sneered.
On the surface these people were congratulating him, but in fact they must have scolded him thousands of times in their hearts.
Originally, he wanted to restore the prosperity of the Feng family and the Lin family. Since Yunchu gave him this opportunity, he would take it.
"No congratulations, no congratulations." Chu Rui cupped his hands and said to everyone, "I still have something to discuss with the emperor, so I'll excuse you now."
As soon as he left, the expressions of the courtiers changed.
"The regent went too far and interfered in the imperial examination."
"He has already promoted a Lin family member to be the commander-in-chief of the Royal Forest Army, and now he has made the Lin family second in the list. Does he want to restore his mother's family?"
"I don't understand what the regent wants to do."
"That's because you are stupid. I guess he is doing it for that position."
"His reputation is not justified..."
"If his name is justifiable, how could he have planned so many things..."
"No, I have to talk to Li Shoufu."
"Hey, I'll go too."
A group of people walked towards Li Shoufu.
Chu Rui walked up to Chu Hongyu and said, "Your Majesty."
After the dynasty dispersed, Chu Hongyu was talking to Meng Shen and Yun Zhenjiang.
In this palace examination, Meng Shen ranked first in the second class, and Yun Zhenjiang ranked in the middle of the third class. Both of them ranked very well, and Dai Hong was also in the third class.
He was asking them which movie they wanted to go to so that he could make arrangements.
Just as he was talking, Chu Rui came, and Chu Hongyu immediately changed the subject and said with a smile: "Brother Shen, Brother Yun, you have worked hard all morning, so go down first."
The two of them bowed their hands and retreated.
"The emperor is becoming more and more like an emperor." Chu Rui looked pleased, "The late emperor did not choose the wrong person."
Chu Hongyu put on an innocent look: "It was the regent who taught me well."
"I don't want to be a minister." Chu Rui smiled, "The emperor is a good emperor, and the queen mother is also a good queen mother. Unfortunately, they are not mother and son, just like the relationship between the former emperor and the former queen mother."
Chu Hongyu's little face immediately tensed up.
He was clearly born to his mother.
But both my father and mother said that this matter should not be made public.
Because when he was born, his mother was still Mrs. Xie, the wife of Xie Jingyu. As a result, he might be suspected of not being of royal blood.
In that case, the situation will be more difficult.
He said coldly: "What the Prince Regent wants to say may as well be the first to say it."
"The Queen Mother would definitely prefer her biological son to be the emperor." Chu Rui lowered his voice, "When King Yan gets older, the emperor's position may not be stable."
Chu Hongyu tilted her head and said, "Sowing discord is a trick that girls like to play. I never knew that the regent also likes to play this trick. It's really boring."
Chu Rui's face suddenly darkened.
"The Queen Mother asked me to go to Kangning Palace for dinner, so I'll leave first."
Chu Hongyu turned and walked away, really not wanting to say another word to Chu Rui.
When they arrived at Kangning Palace, Mrs. Lin came with Yunran.
After Yunran married Dai Hong, she was pregnant and raising a child. She rarely went back to Yun's house, and she hadn't seen Yun Chu for a long time.
"I've met the Queen Mother." After Yunran said hello, she sat down and called out, "Sister."
"Dai Hong is now a top three Jinshi, and his results are very good." Yun Chu said with a smile, "How about letting him have some experience in the household department first?"
Yunran stood up as soon as she sat down: "Sister, I'm afraid it's inappropriate..."
The household department is the head of the six bureaus, and every position is valuable. Her husband-in-law is only a top three scholar, so he is not qualified to join the household department. She is afraid that her eldest sister will be criticized.
"Sooner or later, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance will be dismissed." Yun Chu's voice deepened, "Every carrot is a pit, and the extra hole in the Ministry of Finance will naturally be given to our own people."
Nowadays, everyone in the court has been distracted by the fact that Feng Lin and Feng Lin became the second number one scholar. She just arranged for Dai Hong to join the household department as a sesame official, which would not attract much attention.
"Your eldest sister has said so, so don't refuse." Lin said with a smile, "Just let Dai Hong work hard and don't let your eldest sister down."
Yunran nodded: "Don't worry, eldest sister, the Dai family is absolutely loyal to the emperor."
Yun Chu and Lin discussed it and arranged Yun Zhenjiang to join the Ministry of War. After all, he was still young and needed to learn more and not be in a hurry to go to the battlefield.
We chatted for a while about court matters.
Finally, Mrs. Lin sighed, took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Yun Chu: "This is a letter from your father's confidant."
After Chu Yi disappeared last year, Yun Chu wrote a letter to her father and asked her father to arrange for a close associate to go to Dongling to find out the news. Finally, the news came.
But seeing Lin's face, Yun Chu didn't dare to open the letter.
"Chu'er, accept the fact. He's not missing, he's... dead." Mrs. Lin also felt uncomfortable, "Fortunately, Brother Yu has managed to live up to his ambition and secured his position as the emperor. Now that you have become the Queen Mother, you can also enjoy the blessings." , don’t worry about it..."
Yunchu lowered his head and opened the letter.
Those few words were like a sap hitting her head, making her unable to breathe.
"I searched them all, but couldn't find them..." Mrs. Lin sighed, "Bodies wash up on the beach every day. They are all people who died in battle. The corpses are soaked and mutilated, and you can't tell them apart. Chu'er, you..."
"Mom, I understand."
Yunchu's voice was very light, and no unnecessary emotion could be heard. She folded the letter and put it into her sleeve.
Mrs. Lin touched her hair: "Then I will ask your father's people to withdraw."
"No, keep looking." Yun Chu raised his head, "Don't look for corpses, look for living people. He must still be alive."
"You..." Mrs. Lin shook her head, "Okay, I'll write to you."
If finding someone is Chu'er's thought, then let this thought continue.
Yun Chu thought in his heart.
There has been no news about Chu Yiyi for so long. It is possible that he is really dead.
He has always been a responsible man, with an extraordinary sense of responsibility for the country, his subjects, and his family.
If he is still alive, he will definitely return to her and the child.
She believed he was still alive, but why didn't he come back?
Have you lost your memory like Xie Shiyun?
This possibility is not impossible, but it is too slim.
Another possibility is that he fell into the hands of the enemy, was caught by the enemy, lost his freedom, and therefore could not come back.
The only thing she can do is to capture Dongling Kingdom.
The next day at court, there was great good news.
It was said that the emperor of the Dongling Kingdom was actually murdered, and no prince was appointed. The Dongling Kingdom instantly fell into chaos.
