According to the rules of the dynasty, the prince lived with his biological mother in the harem when he was a child. At the age of six, he moved to the east and west quarters of the emperor's palace. When he came of age at the age of fifteen, he was granted the title of leaving the palace and establishing a mansion.
The eldest prince was seventeen years old and had already established the palace for two years. He had to rush from outside the palace to the palace, which was a relatively long distance.
The young man in black robe deliberately slowed down his pace and arrived leisurely after two cups of tea.
The silent Hall of Supreme Harmony is still as majestic and majestic. Compared with the day of the palace examination, there is less noise and bustle of hundreds of students. It looks like a lonely cold beast lying alone on the ground.
The chief eunuch and his two apprentices were guarding the door. When they saw him, they walked over with small steps and saluted, "I have met His Highness Five. May Your Highness be blessed."
"Mr. Wu, please get up quickly." The young man stretched out his hand to support him and only received a half-ceremony. "You are older than my father. We juniors have all grown up under your nose. How can we accept such a great gift?" .”
There is a distinction between monarch and ministers, but the royal family is heaven.
Even the chief eunuch was a slave who had to bow, but the fifth prince just used his age as a justification and showed enough respect, so who could be unhappy.
"Where is it? It is only natural to salute His Highness." Mr. Wu stood up and felt warm in his heart. "Your Highness, come and find the Emperor. The eldest prince has already gone in during tea time and brought the Emperor cakes from outside the palace. The Emperor is very happy." It’s joy.”
This is secretly revealing the news: the two people inside are a loving father and a filial son, and they talk happily.
The young man in black robe smiled, nodded his thanks to Manager Wu, and stood up to enter the palace.
The young eunuch had already reported it, and everyone in the hall stopped talking and looked over.
When he saw the figure of the young man walking in alone, the eldest prince smiled, "Father, it seems that what I said is right. The fifth emperor brother is really thinking about that student Xu and wants to intercede for him."
The personal guard guarding outside the palace felt his heart sink, and inexplicably thought of four words: The evildoers should complain first.
The chief eunuch who was watching next to him added at the right time, "The eldest prince has only said that he is sending cakes to the emperor, and has never even said a word about the imperial examination."
The personal guard's heart sank even more.
Everyone thought that the eldest prince came in a hurry because of Fang Yuan's position as number one scholar and to intercede for the Fang family.
As a result, not only did they not mention it, but they dug a hole for the fifth prince in advance - it was a metaphor that he colluded with students and was suspected of seeking power and seizing the throne.
So the way forward and the path back were all covered with mud.
Opening one's mouth means establishing suspicion; shutting one's mouth means running away in vain.
Just when everyone was worried about the youngest His Highness, he calmly raised his head and said, "I have met my father and my eldest brother, but my eldest brother guessed it right. This time I want to say something to Mr. Fang." I sincerely ask my father to grant him the rank of First Grade."
He opened his mouth.
Before the eldest prince had time to be happy, a smile froze on his face.
Mr. Fang? Mr. Xu?
He couldn't help but want to question the fifth emperor brother, whether he had pronounced the wrong name and how it got involved with Fang Yuan.
Even Tianjia on the Long Case frowned and was puzzled.
"Please ask your father, Shu Erchen, to inquire about last year's imperial examination fraud case, and also know that the top three positions promised by Jingkou Yuyan. Although the Fang family is a civil servant transferred from a military general, the young master Fang is indeed capable. If he misses it, he may be one of the top three in the Chongqing Dynasty." Sorry." The young man in black robe still talked to himself, "If nothing else, just collecting wealth tax is the best strategy of all time. He is willing to take the initiative to hand it over, and it is a military commander who has the heart of a civil servant and charity. If such a person cannot get the first rank, Who else could it be?"
His tone was sincere and his words were conclusive, and his admiration for Fang Yuan reached an unparalleled level.
The eldest prince was in a daze for a moment, suspecting that he was the one supporting Xu Mo.
"Besides, the emperor's words are the golden rule. Since my father promised the Fang family last year, it's time to fulfill his promise now." The young man in black robe smiled and added.
Unnoticed, displeasure flashed across the emperor's eyes, but he quickly covered it up.
The words have already reached this point, and it is inappropriate for Fang Yuan to be in the first-level position.
As for what to give, whether it is the No. 2 pick or the No. 3 pick, there is almost no difference.
The eldest prince breathed a sigh of relief, with joy and traces of doubt in his heart.
Before he could think about it, the young man in black robe handed over his hand again, "By the way, father, the Fang family has strong assets. I wonder how much silver they can pay this time. Will it be enough to feed the border soldiers and arrange their winter cotton clothes?"
The pondering Tian family and the secretly delighted eldest prince all looked up.
"What's the matter?" The young man in black robe had an innocent face, "My father is willing to give him the title of First Class, but the Fang family wants to break their promise and refuse to hand over the money?"
"You..." The eldest prince was extremely shocked and finally turned around.
The fifth emperor brother opened his mouth and kept talking about the money, just to ask the Tian family to tell everyone that the Fang family bought a Yijia with money.
If the wealth tax is taken advantage of, it will be like turning the Fang family into an arrow and shooting at the Fengjing family.
But neither he nor the Fang family could refuse, because Fang Yuan brought it up himself, and it was the Fang family's loyalty card in exchange for Yijia.
How can the first armor that can be bought with money convince the public, and how can it complete the transformation from military commander to civilian official.
No noise is allowed in the main hall.
The eldest prince held it in and endured it until the Tian family got tired and retreated, then he and the fifth prince all excused themselves.
After walking out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he finally couldn't help but ask, "What on earth do you want to do, come here just to defraud the Fang family of a sum of money? What good does this do to you?"
The young man in black robe innocently looked back, "What the eldest brother is saying, I can't understand. It's getting late, and tomorrow is the day when the results will be released. Why don't you discuss with the Fang family early on how much money is enough to be worthy of the first grade?" position."
After that, he walked away.
After the distance between the two of them was far away, the personal guard who had listened to the whole process couldn't help but ask, "The eldest prince is right in saying something. Since His Highness is not seeking Yijia for Xu Huiyuan, why do you have to dip into this muddy water in vain? Offend the Fang family?"
The young man in black robe smiled and did not answer. Instead, he talked about the current situation in Fengjing, "Even the people in Fengjing are betting on Fangyuan, which shows that my father's preference for the noble family is what people want."
But if he was really partial, why would he hesitate?
Heavenly family, royal family, emperor.
People who can sit in that position will never like to have their hands and feet restricted. Unfortunately, the late emperor released too much power, and the family's power was unprecedented.
If the Tian family wants to control the aristocratic families, they must promote young talents - poor people, who have no aristocratic families to rely on and can only obey the emperor's orders.
Xu Mo is a rookie, Fang Yuan is from a well-established family.
The former was needed by the emperor, while the latter was a golden statement. At the same time, juxtaposition was tantamount to destroying the fairness of the imperial examination.
"So Your Highness is giving the Emperor a step up and down, so that the Emperor can smoothly grant Mr. Fang the first-class status." The guard turned from surprise to joy, "In other words, it is a smooth tie."
As long as Tianjia wants to promote rookies, Xu Mo, who has no one behind him, is the best option.
As for who is the top pick, it depends on which one, the rookie or the aristocratic family, holds more weight in the emperor's heart.
"I asked you to bet on the tie, did you place it?" The black-robed boy walked away, "Are the odds high?"
"It's high, it's too high. Don't worry, Your Highness, we are going to make a fortune..."
