Chapter 78: Dissociating the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess

If a student was caught suspected of cheating, and he happened to be a student of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the eyes of the public, not to mention how the emperor in the court would judge him, and how the civil and military officials would view him, he would not be able to stop the people from talking.

Li Chengqian had expected this to happen.

Second Prince Guo Zheng and his gang slipped notes to students who were suspected to be their students.

He already has a solution.

“This”

Guo Zheng clutched the note in his hand, glanced at Hou Jichang who swore that he had not cheated, and then looked at the prince who remained calm in the face of danger. He was in a dilemma. If this was really a cheating note, he would die if he read it in front of the prince.
“Master Xiao Fan, Guo is the one who discovered his cheating, so he should avoid danger.”

Minister Guo knew how to pass the buck, so he stuffed the note into Fan Xian’s hands:

“Please help me to be fair and take a look at the contents.”

“Row.”

Fan Xian laughed, and first came to the examinees and the people of Kyoto who were watching the Spring Examination: “Everyone, please watch carefully. I did not replace, destroy, or damage it. What exactly is the cheating note that Minister Guo mentioned?”

Open it and take a look.

It’s densely packed inside
menu!

Fan Xian held up the note and showed it to an old man in front of him, asking him to read it out: “One pound of bread, two cents, eggs…”

Everyone burst into laughter, and the younger ones shouted, “Isn’t this a recipe? How can anyone cheat by copying this?”

Guo Zheng looked at the prince in disbelief, then trotted over to Fan Xian and snatched it back.

Looking at the handwriting on the note, it was completely different from the previous one, and I was quite shocked:
“This, this, this”

Fan Xian asked back, “Minister Guo seems very surprised. Could it be that you already knew that he had a note on him, and what was written on it?”

Everyone shifted their attention from the fraud to Minister Guo.

The latter was sweating profusely, and quickly returned the note, smiling:
“Misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding.”

Order was restored in the examination room and candidates entered one after another.

When Hou Jichang entered the venue, he passed by the prince and wanted to bow to him to express his gratitude.

Li Chengqian turned a blind eye. Sima Zhao’s intention was known to everyone. He greeted so many examiners in front of them, probably to give himself more opportunities, right?

“Your Highness.”

Luan Hongyu was wearing a light pink long dress with a red corset around her waist, which showed off her slender waist. Looking up, she could see Mount Everest, tall buildings rising from the flat ground, and huge mines buried in the depressions:

“This is the note that Xie Bian put into the student’s bag.”

Li Chengqian took it and took a look. It contained all the important contents of the Spring Examination, and it was also the first crisis originally arranged for him by the Second Prince and others, but he easily saw through it.

Guo Zheng sat in the lower seat, appearing indifferent but actually panicking inside.

Li Chengqian passed the note to Fan Xian, who immediately understood what he meant. He took the note and walked up to Guo Zheng: “Minister Guo, what do you think a note should look like?”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before”

Guo Zheng’s ability to play dumb is nothing compared to the prince’s.

Li Chengqian laughed, stood behind Guo Zheng, and put his hands on his shoulders:

“Give your master a message for me: Second brother, don’t do anything tricky, be good to yourself.”

·······
The first process of the Spring Examination is over.

After entering the examination hall, candidates were seated in different rooms in the examination hall. There were partitions in the middle to isolate different candidates to ensure that they would not cheat. During the examination, they were not allowed to leave the room on their own. They had to ring a bell to ask the soldiers to come and supervise.
Li Chengqian and Fan Xian inspected the examination room. In addition to Yang Wanli and the other two, they also saw an unexpected candidate.

Fan Wujiu changed from his usual black clothes and sword into a Confucian robe, with a tag hanging around his waist that symbolized his status as a candidate. His alpaca bangs, which used to make people laugh, were also combed up, and he looked much more energetic.

“He actually came to participate in the Spring Examination?”

Fan Xian was a little surprised and looked at the prince, wondering if he would be unhappy.

After all, this man was the key to his taking down the second prince.

Unfortunately, Emperor Qing took action and let the man go.

Li Chengqian showed no emotion and silently watched Fan Wujiu prepare his answer sheet:

“Come if you want to. This Spring Examination is a chance for everyone to change their fate. There is no reason not to let people come.”

Fan Wujiu, who is usually taciturn and serious, felt that someone was looking at him. He looked up and found that it was the prince. His expression became much softer, but he was worried that someone was watching him, so he did not say hello, let alone show any friendliness.

He just looked up at the sun, then looked down at the water jar.

Then he lowered his head and closed his eyes, muttering something as if he was reading silently.

Li Chengqian walked away with a smile on his face.

Fan Xian noticed the subtlety in this and asked quietly:
“Your Highness, why are you laughing?”

“It’s okay, I just thought of something happy.”

Li Chengqian perfunctorily answered. Fan Wujiu was a hidden man he had arranged beside the Second Prince. It was Fan Wujiu who had just passed on information to him. He looked at the sun to see the light and looked at the water jar to see the drinking water inside.
These are all hidden dangers in the examination room.

“stop.”

Li Chengqian spoke up and stopped a group of soldiers who were carrying wooden boxes. They were frightened and their expressions became unnatural. They stood there in a daze, not daring to disobey orders.

Fan Xian was somewhat puzzled, so he went up and opened the wooden box, which was filled with candles:
“Do you remember what Guo Youzhi said?”

Li Chengqian made a suggestion, walked to Fan Xian’s side, picked up a candle and smelled it: “It smells so much like kerosene, it will be very bright when lit, and it will burn very quickly.”

Fan Xian understood what he meant: “If this candle falls over, it will burn out quickly.”

The officers and soldiers in charge of this matter were terrified:
“Your Highness, these are the candles that the Ministry of Rites asked us to send. They are for lighting the candidates. We don’t know what these candles are made of or how to use them.”

Li Chengqian threw the candle back into the box and ordered:

“Send it back to where it came from!”

“Yes”

As the soldiers were preparing to carry the boxes, the official in charge of them asked, “But Your Highness, if there are no candles, there will be no light for the candidates to take the exam at night.”

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

Li Chengqian looked at Fan Xian, who said, “Huozhu, we, the Overwatch Council, will go.”

The voice just fell.

Several people in black from the Supervisory Council, led by Wang Qinian, came to the examination room carrying several heavy boxes. When they opened them, they found more than enough candles inside, enough to keep them burning even if the Spring Examination was extended by a week!
“It will be fine if there are candles for lighting. I’ll take my leave now.” The officials from the Ministry of Rites prepared to leave.

Wang Qinian stopped him and said, “Stop! I haven’t settled the score with you yet!”

The official from the Ministry of Rites was sweating profusely as he looked at the long handwritten bill. When he saw that there were more candles than needed, he cautiously said, “Your Highness, the candles sent by the Overwatch Council are of good quality, but the price is too expensive! And the quantity is too much.”

Fan Xian gave Wang Qinian a look.

He wanted to take the inventory and sell it to the Ministry of Rites at a high price.

“The Spring Examination is a national event. What’s wrong with using better candles for the examinees? What’s wrong with preparing more candles just to be prepared? Are you trying to skimp on these expenses? Are you always so incompetent when serving the country?”

Li Chengqian asked slowly. “I dare not!”

The official from the Ministry of Rites was so frightened by the prince that he immediately knelt down and said, “I will return to the Ministry of Rites immediately and ask Minister Guo to handle this matter. I will definitely give Your Highness a satisfactory explanation!”

“That’s better, go away.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!!!”

·······
Ministry of Rites.

The long bill was placed on Guo Zheng’s desk. Guo Zheng stared blankly, furious, and flipped the entire table over: “The Supervisory Office is too much, forcing people to buy and sell, and they have no regard for the law. They are shameless!”

The minor official from the Ministry of Rites was stuck in the middle, trembling in fear and not daring to say a word.

Guo Zheng glared at him, questioning how he did things, and had someone threaten the Minister of Rites: “Can’t we use the candles in our Ministry of Rites? Why did Fan Xian ask someone to replace the candles and ask us to pay for it?”

I didn’t know there was a problem with this batch of goods.

Guo Zheng, a veteran, had to suppress his subordinates first when he encountered trouble, so that they could tell the truth and what happened in the examination room without revealing a single word, and restore everything: “Sir Shangshu, Fan Xian has the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince behind him, and we can’t do anything about it.”

Guo Zheng, who was originally furious and standing with his hands on his hips cursing, immediately became obedient and sat down on a chair: “You, what did you say? Did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince insist on replacing this thing? Did he say that the candles in our Ministry of Rites caught fire?”

The official from the Ministry of Rites nodded, then shook his head: “It was His Highness who supported the change of the Supervisory Council. You also know that Fan Xian has become a relative of His Highness the Crown Prince. If he wants to take advantage of the situation, we have to consider His Highness the Crown Prince’s face instead of the Supervisory Council’s.”

Guo Zheng, who was cheated out of money, didn’t care about the little money he lost. He rushed to the official of the Ministry of Rites and grabbed his collar: “The point of my question is, did your highness find fault with our Ministry of Rites?”

“No.”

The official from the Ministry of Rites said cautiously, “Master Fan threatened us, saying that if we don’t want to change the candles, then we should check all the candles in the Ministry of Rites’ inventory. If there are no problems, we won’t change them and will use ours again.”

Guo Zheng was completely obedient now. He collapsed weakly on the chair, propping up his head with no hope in life. “Go, pay them the silver. Also, replace all the candles in the inventory. These candles have been piled up for a long time. I’m afraid that’s why His Highness is unhappy.”

“Yes”

After the official left, Guo Zheng collapsed on the spot and was lost in thought. He had just started his new job and had spent a lot of money on political achievements. He had been spending a lot of money recently, otherwise he would not have unloaded the golden nanmu and gold bricks.

But at this time, the Supervisory Office killed him ruthlessly and emptied his personal wallet. Guo Zheng could only comfort himself that his little tricks were not discovered by the prince. As long as he could get close to the Second Prince, he would have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future.
“I hope I can hand in this letter of allegiance safely.”

·······
The first day of the Spring Examination is halfway through.

The hottest time is after noon and in the afternoon when the sun is about to set.

The candidates brought limited water with them, and they finished it early in such a hot day.

At this time, the water jars placed in the examination hall serve as a reserve water source to provide water for the examinees.

“Wait a minute.”

Fan Xian stopped the officers and soldiers from changing the water source.

Li Chengqian was watching behind him. He had just reminded Fan Xian that many of the things Minister Guo mentioned might be Xuan Zhiyin’s traps. He asked him to check them one by one and not to cause any trouble.

really.

Fan Xian, who was skilled in using poison, looked unhappy when he tasted the water in the jar.

“My Lord, is it poisonous?”

Wang Qinian moved closer but could not see anything unusual in the clear water jar.

Fan Xian shook his head: “That’s not the case. It’s just that the water in the jar has been stored for a long time and is close to spoiling. In this scorching sun, it will deteriorate even faster. If the examinees drink it, they will definitely have unbearable abdominal pain, which will affect their exams.”

When the minor official from the Ministry of Rites saw that something had gone wrong again, his heart was in his throat:
“Sir, what does it mean to be corrupted?”

“You don’t need to understand this.”

Fan Xian waved his hand, and someone from the Supervisory Office came over with a water jar to take over:

“All changed.”

Soon, the Supervisory Office replaced the water source with fresh water to supply the candidates.

Wang Qinian came forward and handed the bill to Fan Xian:
“Sir, the money from the Ministry of Rites has been paid.”

“These idiots are really hurting now!”

Wang Qinian laughed, but Fan Xian pushed the bill back and looked at the prince:
“These few candles won’t cause any big trouble.”

“nature.”

Li Chengqian sat on the chair, with Qingzhu Jiang Ziyan massaging his back, feeling very comfortable: “The candle fire is not a big deal, but if the candle catches fire, it will be a big deal. Then my second brother will make me be punished by His Majesty, criticized by the officials, and blamed by the people for not doing my job well and harming the students.”

Fan Xian and Wang Qinian’s expressions changed slightly.

Li Chengqian mentioned again: “I replaced the fireproof golden nanmu and gold bricks with ordinary wood and stone that can catch fire easily. I’m afraid they are waiting for me here. These people are very bad.”

Wang Qinian frowned and muttered, “This is really inhumane.”

Fan Xian repeated, “You are right. What the Second Prince did is not human.”

Wang Qinian quickly lowered his head and shut up, wishing he could slap himself twice and step aside.

Li Chengqian nodded and applauded: “You are right, second brother, you are not a good son.”

No one dared to respond, only Qingzhu and Jiang Ziyan chuckled.

Fan Xian came closer and saw that the prince wanted revenge:
“Your Highness, what should we do now?”

“Aren’t there gold bricks and golden nanmu in the Ministry of Rites’ storehouse?”

Li Chengqian stood up and stretched, leaning on Qingzhu and rubbing his stomach: “There is no toilet in this Spring Examination Hall, so let the Ministry of Rites bring all the materials here and build a toilet for me now.”

“The toilet is built with gold bricks and nanmu wood!” Wang Qinian was shocked.

Li Chengqian nodded. It was only natural for the prince to go to the Golden Toilet!
Fan Xian smiled knowingly: “I understand. I’ll do it right away.”

I guess Guo Zheng, who got the news at this time:
Crying emoticon.

Already honest!

The Second Prince’s Mansion.

The news in the examination room spread quickly.

Li Chengze, who was under house arrest, was the first to learn what they were doing. He was so angry that he jumped to the ground barefoot and almost sprained his ankle: “There are so many details about this exam room, but they are clearly not written in the booklet. How did Li Chengqian know them?”

“Has Fan Wujiu ever had any contact with him?”

“No.”

Xie Bian shook his head and added, “The Supervisory Council brought Guo Youzhi from the Ministry of Justice prison to the Supervisory Council prison a few days ago. Guo Baokun and Fan Sizhe, who had worked in Northern Qi, also returned to the Fan Mansion recently. Perhaps it was…”

Li Chengze raised his hand and Xie Bian shut up.

The second prince’s expression became increasingly ugly.

Because Guo Youzhi is under the command of the eldest princess.

Even if he was thrown into jail, he was willing to tell the prince the news and get involved in the fight for the crown prince.

what does this mean?
Li Chengze looked towards Xinyang, still suspicious of the princess:
“Aunt, are you helping me wholeheartedly? Or are you secretly colluding with the prince?!”

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(End of this chapter)