Chapter 277: Time Leaves No Trace
“Prime Minister Lu is such a good actor. He actually had his own attendant go buy the answers too.”
“Indeed, he is giving us a hint.”
“Otherwise, if Prime Minister Lu wanted the answers, he could have just asked for them; why bother spending money?”
“Luckily, we aren’t stupid either.”
The officials spent the money and then carefully studied the circled content; although there was a lot, it was manageable.
They were all talented individuals who had gone through over a decade of non-compulsory education; memorization was a basic skill, so even though there was a lot, it did not stump them.
Having spent money to have the key points marked, they all went back and diligently memorized them.
Some outstanding candidates even memorized the material outside the key points, just in case.
Seventh Princes Mansion.
A servant brought a copy of the key points for the rules and regulations. It had also been purchased with money.
After the Crown Prince passed away, the remaining princes all stayed in the capital instead of going to their respective fiefs.
Now the First Prince was out of the running, having been scolded by the Emperor for harboring malicious intent and ordered to reflect on his actions behind closed doors. He likely had no hope left.
The Second Prince died young, leaving a vacancy. The Third Prince was the Crown Prince, and he had passed away. The Fourth Prince died young, leaving a vacancy.
The Fifth Prince enjoyed chanting Buddha; he had been a lay Buddhist disciple since childhood and appeared to be indifferent to worldly affairs. His mother held the rank of Consort, which was an advantage.
The Sixth Prince was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and his mother was a Noble Lady.
The Seventh Prince had little reputation, his mother was of low status, and the Emperor did not favor him, so he appeared to be excluded as well.
The Eighth Prince died young, leaving a vacancy. The 9th Prince had a frivolous nature, spending his time cockfighting and dog racing, causing chaos throughout the capital. His mother was the Principal Consort.
The Tenth Prince was physically weak; he had a Principal Consort, secondary consorts, and several concubines, but no children. The Eleventh Prince died young. The Twelfth Prince died young.
The Seventeenth Prince was young. He was currently still living in the palace, the only prince to do so. He was born to the Emperor in his later years. He was thirteen years old, yet he still seemed mentally underdeveloped.
Although there were many princes, when you really counted them up, only the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, 9th, and Tenth Princes remained. The Seventh Prince was also tacitly excluded by everyone; firstly, his maternal family basically did not exist, secondly, the Emperor did not favor him, and thirdly, he had no legitimate sons.
The Tenth Prince was also excluded due to his frail health and lack of heirs. That left only the Fifth, Sixth, and 9th Princes competing for the position of Crown Prince.
The Sixth Prince currently appeared to have the best chance; after all, he was skilled in both literature and martial arts, had a good reputation, and his maternal family was not weak.
At this moment, the Seventh Prince was holding the details of the rules and regulations, pondering over the parts circled in red.
Although the Emperor was elderly, he was not senile. Every action he took had a purpose; could it be that he was using this to discipline them?
He heard the 9th Prince was making a racket with them. The Sixth Prince must have already memorized everything. The Fifth Prince maintained an air of detachment, but he surely must have secretly memorized it as well.
Although he pretended to be indifferent and unconcerned, he definitely had to memorize it too. Perhaps this was an examination of everyone by the Emperor.
While the Seventh Prince was flipping through the regulations, his heir, Chu Xi, entered. The Seventh Prince asked a few questions, and Chu Xi answered fluently.
The Seventh Prince was very satisfied; his eldest son was capable of doing everything ahead of others and was extremely outstanding.
One of the reasons he harbored ambition deep down was because of Chu Xi; his son was so outstanding, he deserved that position.
Seeing his Father in a good mood, Chu Xi took the initiative to say, “Father, I wish to marry my cousin, Jiang Wan. She is Mother’s niece, so if she enters the household, she will certainly be able to get along well with Mother.”
The Seventh Prince’s expression turned slightly cold, and he felt somewhat disappointed. Being caught up in romantic entanglements meant he was destined not to go far.
However, the Seventh Prince did not directly refuse but instead said, “I have no objection, as long as you like her. You should ask your mother; such matters certainly require her consent.”
Seeing his Father say this, Chu Xi couldn’t tell if he was happy or unhappy. He still obediently went to ask the Seventh Princess, Jiang Yuluan.
When Jiang Yuluan learned that Chu Xi actually wanted to marry Wan’er, her expression changed immediately: “I do not agree.”
She had married into the Imperial family and married the Seventh Prince; outsiders saw that she lived extremely well, but in reality, only she knew the warmth and cold of her own life.
She only had one niece, Wan’er, whom she regarded as her own daughter, and she provided her with the support she needed in the capital. To think she was actually going to be married in here—she knew this Father and son too well; they had no hearts, and it was not worth it.
Chu Xi had no choice but to take his leave. He couldn’t understand why his mother would refuse; he was marrying her niece. She had no children of her own, so their relationship would be even more stable in the future. It was killing two birds with one stone, wasn’t it?
While Chu Xi was thinking about how to persuade his mother, bad news came one after another from Fairy Liu’s household. First, Prime Minister Lu’s youngest son was injured by a falling beam. Then, Young Master Liu fell into a river. It was said that Fairy Liu’s grandmother had also suffered a stroke.
The Seventh Prince couldn’t help but advise his son: “Is this fate not a bit too bizarre? Is there anyone safe around her? If you marry her, will it be your turn next?”
Chu Xi wouldn’t listen to other things, but once fate was mentioned, he truly listened and was startled. He no longer mentioned marrying his cousin.
However, over there, Liu Tong had fallen into the water and caught a cold, and he was delirious all day, calling out for Fairy Liu. With no other choice, Liu Tong’s parents had to go to Fairy Liu to beg for help.
With the Liu family’s adoptive brother and sister dynamic like this, the most embarrassed person was Miss Dong. She was constantly being brought up and mocked, and as a proper, unmarried young lady, the entire capital was now laughing at her.
It was said that Miss Dong had been sent out of the capital by her parents overnight to go on a trip and clear her mind.
The neighbor, Jiang “doing good deeds without leaving a name” Changtian, felt it was very strange. This Jiang Wan really had something special about her.
She herself was completely fine, but everyone around her was having accidents. The people around her were all acting as shields for her. Thinking about it this way, it was fortunate that he was standing on the opposite side of her.
If he were on her side, he wouldn’t even know when he had helped her block a disaster.
At night, the family ate together. When Father returned, Mianmian was very excited and chattered to Father about what she had seen and heard today.
Jiang Changtian listened with a smile on his face. From time to time, he took the opportunity to add some dishes to her bowl.
“Then on the ninth day, I will go to the temple with you all. That day should be a rest day. That is the one bad thing about the capital; there are few rest days, and one has to go to the yamen to report for duty every day. What do you think, Cong Geer?”
Zi Congheng had gone from eating silently to being able to answer quickly. He said, “Very good, my Father likes liveliness.”
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