Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Abandoned Prime Minister
Ministry of Rites.

Guo Zheng is working at his desk.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were amazed. How long had it been since they saw the Shangshu working so hard in the Ministry of Rites where no one could see him? On normal days, he would have been out on field trips and taken a “work photo” of himself!

“Put in one thousand taels.”

“Three thousand taels.”

“The total account owes two thousand taels.”

Guo Zheng was calculating the money he had been cheated out of by the Supervisory Council, plus the money he had spent on serving the people during this period, and the purse of the Ministry of Rites was almost empty. Minister Guo felt bitter, but dared not say it.

“If I also had the support of the prince, I would definitely not let Fan Xian ride on my head.”

“But fortunately, I still have golden nanmu and gold bricks to exchange for money.”

Guo Zheng planned to wait for this period of time to pass, and then quietly transport the materials that were quietly replaced. In name, it was construction loss, but where did it actually go? No one could find out! Finally, he could make some money back.
“Sir, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince specifically requested that our Ministry of Rites’ inventory be used to build toilets!”

The official from the Ministry of Rites who was in charge of the Spring Examination came back crawling.

The black-clad men from the Overwatch Council following behind him had already been eyeing him covetously.

“You, what did you say, what inventory do you want?”

Guo Zheng couldn’t believe his ears.

The official from the Ministry of Rites knelt down and said: “His Highness asked for the golden nanmu and gold bricks in the storehouse to build a toilet. He said that he would feel uncomfortable if he couldn’t use the toilet. Who knows how angry he will be at that time.”

“.”

Guo Zheng was pale and weak, slumped in the chair, and it took a long time for him to come back to his senses:
“It is a sin to build a thatched house with golden nanmu wood.”

“No more, all gone!!!”

It doesn’t take a while.

The staff of the Supervisory Council carried the gold bricks and golden nanmu that Guo Zheng had stolen back to the examination room. Due to the compact structure of the examination room, they could not be circumvented. The examinees also saw this scene. Some students who had just finished writing and were taking a break watched the show with their eyes wide open:
“Isn’t this the gold brick our helpers exchanged for?”

“I thought Guo Zheng was going to embezzle. Could it be that he has a great use?”

“It seems that Minister Guo really did not embezzle. Did we wrongly accuse him?”

Li Chengqian sat on a recliner, looking down at everything from a high vantage point, supervising the officials from the Ministry of Works to come over to help, and built a toilet using golden nanmu and gold bricks. It was completed in less than half a day.

“There’s no need to squat outdoors, and there’s an indoor pit, which is very comfortable.”

Li Chengqian walked out of the toilet comfortably. Qingzhu and Jiang Ziyan, one holding a basin and the other holding a towel, washed his hands and body for him. Only then did the candidates present realize that this was of no use.

This is a toilet!

“Can I, can I come in too?”

Some students who were in a hurry to use the toilet were stunned. Originally, they had to walk a long way to use the toilet, which would take a long time. Now, they were taken to the golden brick toilet by the soldiers. Their legs were weak: “I’ve never had such an experience in my life.”

During the many days of the Spring Examination, all students came to this toilet to use the toilet.

Some people with kidney deficiency came several times.

Many students sighed:

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was willing to use gold bricks to build a toilet for us!”

“Your Highness is so righteous! Your Highness loves the people like his own children and has been very kind to us. When I serve as an official in the court in the future, I will repay you a hundredfold!”

“I said before that the Shangshu was not corrupt, but I misunderstood. Maybe he was corrupt and the Crown Prince dug it out of his mouth, and he used this method to embarrass him!”

Fan Xian couldn’t help laughing as he listened to the candidates’ discussions:

“Public Execution”

Wang Qinian flattered and bowed to Li Chengqian: “Your Highness is very righteous and spends money like water for the candidates of the Spring Examination. I admire your courage to treat money as dirt.”

Li Chengqian nodded, and Jiang Ziyan beside him smiled:
“I guess old man Guo must be so angry that smoke is coming out of his head. Your Highness really knows how to play a trick on people!”

Qingzhu gave her a glare, and Jiang Ziyan stuck out her tongue. Seeing that Li Chengqian kept smiling, Qingzhu didn’t bother with Jiang Ziyan about her disrespect for elders. This child was still young, and she dared to speak in any occasion, even interrupting the prince.
“It’s not over yet.”

Li Chengqian slowly stood up and patted Fan Xian on the shoulder: “Brother-in-law, I’m sleepy. I’ll leave this to you.”

Fan Xian pursed his lips, somewhat reluctantly, but still agreed.

Although the candidates taking the Spring Examination have finished their exams.

But they still have to stay and mark the papers.

Fan Xian will be responsible for supervision.

Li Chengqian slipped away and prepared to slip back to Yannian Palace to have a good sleep. When he left the examination room, he found that it was surrounded by people.

Jiang Ziyan leaned against the window and exclaimed: “How spectacular!”

Qingzhu also stuck her head out and opened her beautiful eyes wide.

Outside the Spring Examination Hall, the examinees and students stood in two orderly rows, watching the Crown Prince leave the examination hall. When he passed by them, he bowed respectfully: “Thank you, Your Highness, for returning to the Spring Examination on Qingming Day!”

During the exams, some small things they found were noticed by others. Word of mouth spread, and it became known that His Highness had worked hard for the students for many days in order to protect their safety during the exams, regardless of the scorching sun or the heat.
The students who had no connections in this spring examination had already regarded the prince as their teacher.

If they could all stay in Kyoto and serve as officials, it would be a great help to the prince!
“Thank you for your hard work!”

Li Chengqian lifted the curtain and called out to the examinees. They were even more excited to see the prince and responded in even louder voices: “We are not tired!!!”

Not only the candidates were emotional.

Even the people of Kyoto who were watching the fun were excited.

Everyone has eyes and can see that the students from common people’s families love the prince more. Over the years, the only important figure who has cared about them is His Royal Highness the Prince. Even hundreds of common people have made way for him.

Lining the road to see you off!
After returning to the Yannian Palace.

Qingzhu bathed the prince, and the two of them even played in the water like mandarin ducks. After playing for a while in the bath, she blushed and asked, “Your Highness, why are we returning to the palace so early? There are people cheering for Your Highness outside the Spring Examination Hall. Why don’t you walk slower?”

Li Chengqian shook the beauty in his arms, leaving Qingzhu’s long legs hanging in the air for a moment. After she screamed, she subconsciously wrapped her legs around him and held him tightly around his waist. Li Chengqian moved closer to her:

“Of course I want to have some love with my Qingzhu.”

“Your Highness~”

Qingzhu, who usually had a cool and heroic look on her face, became like a little girl who blushed easily in front of Li Chengqian. After being teased by the Crown Prince, her whole body flushed: “Your Highness, do you really want Qingzhu so much?”

Li Chengqian smiled:
“That’s natural.”

Qingzhu threw herself into his arms with a happy face.

But Li Chengqian changed his tone and said, “But the reason why I’m in a hurry to come back is not just this.”

Qingzhu raised her pretty face in doubt, and Li Chengqian lowered his head and kissed her: “Some things are not convenient for me to be present. Let Fan Xian discover them alone.”

“What’s the matter?” Qingzhu asked subconsciously and curiously, but soon realized that he had said too much:
“Your Highness, I spoke too much. I was wrong.”

“It’s okay, open your mouth, I have something urgent to do.”

·······
In the examination room.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites stayed behind to mark the papers.

As the Shangshu, Guo Zheng also had to be present, but he felt sad when he arrived at this examination room. This was simply his sad place. Every candle burning here cost him several taels of silver. What was burning was not fire, but money!
There was also a toilet built with gold bricks and golden nanmu wood. He was unwilling to go there even if he was suffocating to death. Guo Zheng hated it so much that he folded his arms across his chest and was full of anger. He sat in the middle of the examination room and directed his subordinates to copy the papers and cover their names.

The most important thing is to help the Second Prince. Only if you do it well can you have a backer.

Fan Xian stayed behind to supervise:

“If I want to cheat during the anonymous transcription process, it will be very convenient!”

Guo Zheng’s face fell, and the officials who were behind the scenes stopped their tricks:
“Master Xiao Fan, His Highness has said that he will crack down on cheating in the imperial examinations. We must be fair and just. How dare we do that?”

Fan Xian glanced at their faces. They were all pretending. Guo Zheng’s fake smile was so obvious that he almost showed his intention to cheat. He could still say that justice is the most important thing: “Officials are so shameless.”

‘Except me!’

Fan Xian supervised the entire process of copying under the wrong name diligently and conscientiously, his eyelids were fighting. After everything was over and the test papers and lists were sealed in the room, he left the Spring Examination Hall and returned to the Fan Mansion to catch up on his sleep.

He was quite happy as he witnessed the release of several very talented test papers.

And learned the names of the people on the list, including Yang Wanli.

This student looks somewhat like Lai Mingcheng and is highly admired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

I finally got what I wanted, and I got a top spot in high school.
“This result is not bad.”

But what Fan Xian didn’t expect was.

Not long after he left.

A eunuch walked into the secret room that should have been inaccessible to anyone, and blatantly manipulated the exam paper belonging to Yang Wanli to replace it with someone else’s name. Such obvious cheating was not stopped or discovered by anyone.
soon.

The day for the announcement of the results has arrived.

Whenever Li Chengqian took Fan Ruoruo out on a date and appeared in public, he would be respected by several scholars. The people looked at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with eyes that showed not only the usual respect but also some fondness.

Fan Ruoruo was sincerely happy for the prince:

“Your Highness is deeply loved by the people, and is worthy of being the crown prince of Daqing!”

“Ruoruo, I’m tired of hearing all these compliments about me.”

Li Chengqian held Fan Ruoruo’s hand, and the two of them looked at each other intimately.

Fan Ruoruo lowered her head shyly, her heart pounding: “Then what does Your Highness want to hear?”

Li Chengqian was in a corner where no one could see him. He put his face close to Fan Ruoruo’s ear and said:

“I want to hear sweet words.”

Dopamine exploded instantly like dynamite. Fan Ruoruo blushed from head to toes. She pressed her face against the prince’s chest. All the love words she had copied from the Red Mansion were now blank in her mind and she couldn’t utter a single word.

“Ruoruo, if your parents see you, you’ll be dead”

Fan Xian appeared quietly behind them.

Fan Ruoruo quickly broke free from Li Chengqian’s arms, ran away with a blushing face, and stepped on her brother before leaving.

Although it didn’t hurt, Fan Xian felt heartbroken!

“What are you doing?”

Fan Ruoruo made a face: “Who told me to scare me, Lululu.”

Then it ran away like a little rabbit.

Fan Xian shook his head helplessly.

Return home with Li Chengqian.

At this time, Deng Ziyue, as a host, sent Fan Xian the freshly released list of the Spring Examination. He opened it and saw that something was wrong. His face suddenly changed:

“Why can’t you find Yang Wanli’s name?”

Wang Qinian’s expression also changed, “No way? Sir, let me see?”

Wang Qinian and Fan Xian searched for a long time but could not find Yang Wanli’s name. Deng Ziyue lowered his head and said, “Sir, could it be that someone replaced the name on this list? Otherwise, we would never have copied it wrong.”

Fan Xian frowned and looked at the prince for help.

But he found that Li Chengqian and Fan Ruoruo were being affectionate and feeding each other delicious food.

Fan Xian had no choice but to recall the list he had read beforehand. When comparing it to the list that was about to be made public, he suddenly discovered something: “There is a name that replaced Yang Wanli! This person is…”

Fan Xian’s pupils suddenly shrank.

This name had appeared on the list that Minister Lin gave him!

“Your Highness, this is bad. Yang Wanli, who won the list, has been replaced by someone else!”

Li Chengqian learned the whole story, took the list, glanced at it, and put it aside:
“Mr. Lin, what do you want to do?”

“Of course, I will make a fair and impartial judgment without showing favoritism.”

“Well, go and get people to seal off the examination hall and don’t let them release the results.”

Li Chengqian ordered.

Fan Xian sensed the crisis: “What about you?”

“I’m going to the palace.”

Li Chengqian knew it very well.

All of this was secretly manipulated by Emperor Qing in order to depose the prime minister, and all he could do was add fuel to the fire.

In the imperial study room.

Li Chengqian had been asking for a meeting for a long time.

Emperor Qing then asked Eunuch Hou to let him in:

“No one comes to visit you for no reason. Li Chengqian, what trouble do you have now?”

“Your Highness.”

Li Chengqian pretended to be ignorant and tried to find out where Emperor Qing’s bottom line was: “In the matter of the Spring Examination, someone dared to cheat for personal gain and even directly impersonated someone else, replacing the name of the person who should have been on the list with someone else’s name.”

Emperor Qing remained calm as he flipped through the booklet.

You don’t even want to say a word to me.

Lao Deng!

Li Chengqian spoke again: “Since I have received your majesty’s order, I should finish it well and never allow such a thing to happen.”

Emperor Qing was so angry that he laughed. He threw away the book and looked down at his own prince: “Every word you said was righteous and stern. Do you know who did it?”

“Yes”

Li Chengqian knelt down, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

Emperor Qing pretended to be angry, but only frowned slightly, which showed his authority without any anger: “Li Chengqian, you are so bold that you even dare to criticize me?”

“I don’t dare!”

Li Chengqian lay down and said loyally, “I just saw the strangeness in the list faster than others. In order to prevent more people from getting suspicious, I am willing to complete this task for Your Majesty. I just want to do my best for Your Majesty!”

Emperor Qing slightly frowned, and asked with a breath of fresh air:

“Oh? It seems you have guessed what I am going to do?”

“I dare not! I dare not speculate on the emperor’s intentions!”

“Stop talking nonsense. I ask you a question, and you answer it!”

Li Chengqian stole a glance at Emperor Qing’s face. This old bastard was all talk and no action. His tone was scary, but there was an imperceptible test on his face. Emperor Qing wanted to test the vision of his own prince and see how the prince could help him.

Li Chengqian was confident and said boldly:

“Your Majesty, I am willing to lend a helping hand and abolish the position of Prime Minister!”

(End of this chapter)