The First Auxiliary Road from the Imperial Examination

Sheng Ran looked at the surprise and doubt in her sister's eyes, and slowly looked towards the shimmering lake. As she narrated the story, her thoughts went back to two months ago through the lake.

……

  (Two months ago)

Yongxiang Palace

Sheng Ran had just woken up from a nap and had a cup of tea when the palace maid from Lanzheng Hall invited her over.

Thinking about the cabinets filled with memorials from previous dynasties beside the imperial desk in the Lanzheng Hall, waiting for her to learn and analyze, her head began to feel heavy.

Different from helping to review memorials and discuss state affairs together in the past six months, the emperor began to lead her to analyze important memorials from the Yanchen period to the Jinghe period of the Great Chu.

The emperor took the trouble to explain to her every valuable memorial.

From the historical context in which the memorial was submitted to the detailed circumstances at the time;

From widely known historical records to lesser-known court secrets;

  From the military, politics, economy, people's livelihood to the competition between the emperor and his subjects, and party struggles;

From developing trade with neighboring countries to improving skills and culture;

From the gains and losses of the rise and fall of the Yan and Chen dynasties to the reasons why the state affairs of the Chu Dynasty continued during the Yuan and Jing dynasties;

  From the impact of important decrees issued during the Three Dynasties to the balancing skills that the emperor had to master;

……

Countless knowledge and cognition that Sheng Ran had never been exposed to before drilled into her head at strange angles and astonishing speed.

It can be said that in these six months, she almost completed the courses that the successor of the dynasty had to learn for decades.

She knew very well that the knowledge the emperor taught her was what Xiongwa must know and master in the future.

It's a pity that the emperor may not be able to teach the little girl himself, so he poured all this information into her with the momentum of a waterfall returning to the sea, hoping that when the little girl grows up a little, she can teach her on his behalf.

During such a high-intensity teaching process, the emperor and Sheng Ran tacitly ignored the reason for the sadness, as if they had forgotten their original intentions. One tried his best to provide nutrients, while the other tried his best to absorb them.

"Zi Tong, you got up late today?" The emperor's words interrupted Sheng Ran's thoughts. When she looked up, she saw that the emperor was waiting for her outside the Lanzheng Hall again.

"The weather has been hot lately, and the sun is particularly strong. Your Majesty should wait for me in the palace."

Sheng Ran took the hand that the emperor extended to her, stepped down from the sedan chair, and looked at his face carefully. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that his eyes were bright and his cheeks were rosy and he did not show any signs of heatstroke.

While smiling, she called on the palace servants to bring the ice jar from the sedan chair over to serve on both sides, asked people to fan the emperor, and personally wiped the emperor's forehead. She was very busy.

Emperor Yanping smiled and acknowledged her busy work. When the cool breeze blew, he squeezed his wife's hand, stepped forward and said, "How can you be so delicate? I see the weather is good, with blue sky, white clouds, and clean flowers and leaves, so I want to go out for a walk, to greet you and enjoy the air after the rain."

Sheng Ran looked up when she heard this and saw that the sky above was clear and cloudless. She immediately looked at her husband with a smile and asked jokingly, "There are no clouds in the blue sky, how can you see it?"

Emperor Yanping chuckled, shook his head and said in a righteous manner: "The clouds in the sky know me, I turned into a blue bird to call you!"

"..." Facing her husband's affectionate eyes, Sheng Ran was in a trance for a moment, as if she saw again the young man who had caught her attention more than ten years ago.

Although time has diluted this man's exquisite beauty, the openness and broadness between his eyebrows and his undisguised passion still touched Sheng Ran.

"When the blue bird comes, it must be accompanied by a beautiful book. Where is the book?!"

Sheng Ran also became playful, and coquettishly extended her hand to Emperor Yanping and shook it. "As your husband is in front of you, I will whisper it in your ear. Can you listen?!"

Emperor Yanping laughed and held her hand, shaking it gently, saying, "Zitong, when we return to the inner palace, I have a lot to say to you!"

When Sheng Ran heard the double meaning of his words, countless memorials remained in his mind: "..."

Emperor Yanping smiled and pulled Sheng Ran, who was trying to cheat, towards the inner hall, muttering about today's study plan as they walked.

From what he said, it seemed that he wanted to give Sheng Ran an extra test.

However, neither he nor Sheng Ran expected that this additional test could not be completed at the moment, but it would test Sheng Ran in another form soon after.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Sheng Ran and Emperor Yanping had just entered the inner hall and had not yet sat down when a palace servant rushed in with a panicked look on his face to report.

"You have no manners!" The eunuch in charge was startled and ordered the guards on both sides to stop him. He shouted at the man with an angry face, "No matter how big the matter is, you have to report it to us. Don't disturb His Majesty!"

The little palace maid ran too fast and fell to the ground. She didn't even bother to stand up. She raised her hands and grabbed the hem of the eunuch in charge. She shook him hard and said breathlessly, "Grandpa, Si, Si Palace, the Si Palace is on fire!"

"What?!" The eunuch in charge was about to scold him but stopped himself. He grabbed him by the collar, pulled him in front of him, and asked hurriedly, "Are you talking about Si Palace? How did it catch fire? Have they arranged for anyone to put out the fire?!"

"I've gone! The steward over there has arranged for the palace servants to put out the fire, but, but... I was sent here to report to the emperor!"

The eunuch in charge saw that he seemed to be hiding something and wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't expect that Emperor Yanping had heard the noise and asked him to bring his men in.

"Your Majesty, Princess Yongping broke into Si Palace after making a feint to the east and attacked in the west. She started a fire without saying a word and said that she would take Si Palace with her to complain to the two late emperors about her grievances!" The little palace maid met Emperor Yanping and explained the whole story in one breath.

When Sheng Ran heard this, her first reaction was to look at Emperor Yanping.

The emperor, who had just been in a good mood, was now shocked and angry. He rushed out without thinking, but after taking a few steps, he had knocked over a large number of tables, chairs, round stools, small counters, and the sounds of porcelain, pen washers, fruits and files falling to the ground could be heard one after another.

Sheng Ran was shocked and wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by Emperor Yanping: "I will take the inner guards to take charge. Zi Tong does not need to worry. The most urgent thing is to take good care of Ping Wa. Also, you should order the military camp to send elite troops to Si Palace as soon as possible."

Even though he was extremely emotional, he still remembered to comfort Sheng Ran in a gentle voice.

Sheng Ran bit her lip, made a decision in a few breaths, and slowly loosened her hand that was holding his sleeve.

……

"The emperor patted my hands and rushed out with his men without hesitation. I watched him walk faster and faster, farther and farther away, until he disappeared."

The sound of birds splashing in the water woke Sheng Ran from her thoughts. She slowly looked at Sheng Yuan and said, "In the past two months, I have regretted not going to Si Palace with him... But I know very well that even if I go with him, it won't be of much use.

Empress Dowager Xie's portrait, old things, and tablets are all in the back hall of Si Palace. If Yongping wants to burn himself there, the emperor will never allow it."

"So, Yongping hurt the emperor?" Sheng Yuan wanted to urge her sister to speak quickly, but looking at her sister's appearance and reaction, it seemed that something was not right. She didn't dare to say more and could only ask carefully.

"It's her, and it's not her." Sheng Ran's eyes burst with hatred. (End of this chapter)