Chapter 38

Zhao Hongrun's promise made Miss Su's heart quite moved.

After all, setting aside the age difference, Zhao Hongrun was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Though young, he was dignified and handsome. Even if he sometimes had a stubborn personality, he was still an excellent choice for a husband. At least Miss Su could not find any faults with him.

Of course, this might also be related to the fact that he was her first man.

However, no matter what, Zhao Hongrun, though young, knew how to shoulder responsibility, which made Miss Su feel very warm-hearted.

What she was most worried about now was how Zhao Hongrun's family viewed her. After all, her background was not very good. Although she was a virtuous woman, she could not avoid some people's biased views.

In addition, the fact that One Waterside Pavilion had taken down her sign also made Miss Su very anxious, fearing that some powerful noble might come between her and Zhao Hongrun.

But what surprised her was that, although One Waterside Pavilion had taken down her sign, the powerful noble she had speculated about never appeared, which left her quite puzzled.

Could it be that it was not because someone had taken a fancy to her?

Slightly relieved, Miss Su's heart tightened again after careful thought.

Because, if there was no third party involved, then there was only one explanation: the family of "Mr. Jiang" had used their connections to make One Waterside Pavilion take down her sign.

The implications were obvious.

To put it bluntly, she was now the woman of "Mr. Jiang," so his family naturally did not want her to have any entanglements with other men.

In fact, Miss Su was more inclined to believe this. As the saying goes, a good woman does not marry two husbands. If not for various objective reasons, which woman in the world would not hope to be loyal to her first man and dedicate her life to him?

At least Miss Su was willing to do so.

But the problem was that "Mr. Jiang's family" had never shown up during this period, leaving her no way to guess the real reason why they had used their connections to make One Waterside Pavilion take down her sign.

Perhaps, "Mr. Jiang's parents" merely saw her as a plaything for their son.

Every time she thought of this possibility, Miss Su could not help but sigh.

But when she recalled the sincere look in Zhao Hongrun's eyes when he made his promise to her, her heart warmed again.

'Let it be, after all, he is only fourteen...'

Miss Su did not expect to be a main wife; a concubine's status would be enough to satisfy her. Of course, the prerequisite was that "Mr. Jiang's parents" would recognize her, a woman from a brothel.

She could not have imagined that "Mr. Jiang's parents" were actually the current Emperor of the Great Wei and Consort Shen, and they had never interfered in their son's affairs. The person who made One Waterside Pavilion take down her sign was someone else.

A couple of days later, Zhao Hongrun did not go to One Waterside Pavilion again. He only asked Mu Qing to send some silver to Miss Su, so that his woman would have money to deal with the manager of One Waterside Pavilion.

After all, Zhao Hongrun did not know that someone had secretly helped him, making his woman, Miss Su, be treated like a princess at One Waterside Pavilion, and no one dared to offend her.

"Miss Su, my lord asked me to convey a message. In the past few days, his family has been strict with him, not allowing him to go out, so he will not have the opportunity to meet Miss Su in the short term."

When he saw Miss Su, Mu Qing relayed the message from Zhao Hongrun.

In fact, Zhao Hongrun was already taking action against the Minister of Personnel, Luo Wenzhong, but he did not want to tell Miss Su about it to avoid unnecessary worry, so he used the excuse of family restrictions.

But Zhao Hongrun did not expect that his excuse would make Miss Su think of some unpleasant things.

'Family restrictions... huh?'

Miss Su's heart indeed sank: "Please trouble this young man to pass this sachet to your lord. ... And tell him, no matter what, I will not blame him, and he... does not owe me anything."

Saying this, Miss Su handed a purple brocade sachet to Mu Qing.

In the Great Wei, gifts between men and women were mostly sachets, handkerchiefs, and jewelry. If they had a certain relationship, the woman would personally sew sachets, money pouches, and other small items to carry, and give them to the man to express her feelings.

This purple brocade sachet was personally sewn by Miss Su. According to custom, not only did it contain some fragrant herbs, but also a strand of Miss Su's hair, braided and hidden inside the sachet, the meaning of which was obvious.

Mu Qing nodded and returned to the palace to pass the sachet to his lord.

Zhao Hongrun, being a very perceptive person, knew from Mu Qing's description of Miss Su's expression that she had misunderstood again.

However, he did not plan to clear up this misunderstanding for the time being. After all, if he did not use the excuse of family restrictions, he could not explain to Miss Su why he would not be able to go to One Waterside Pavilion for a while.

After some thought, Zhao Hongrun, according to his memory, drew a picture of Miss Su when he first saw her, playing the qin with her long hair flowing gracefully. He asked Mu Qing to deliver it to Miss Su immediately.

In his view, this picture should be able to comfort her for a while until he dealt with Luo Wenzhong.

Sure enough, when Miss Su received the picture from Mu Qing, she was no longer sulking but held the scroll with great joy.

Thus, Miss Su's side was temporarily without any problems, and Zhao Hongrun could finally focus on how to deal with the Minister of Personnel, Luo Wenzhong.

As for how to deal with Luo Wenzhong, Zongwei Gao Kuo had obtained some information.

"Your Highness, this year's imperial examination, the Emperor has appointed Luo Wenzhong as the chief examiner and suggested that a prince accompany him. ... This is a good opportunity."

The imperial examination, also known as the imperial exam, was the best way for talented young men from humble backgrounds to enter the bureaucracy.

Zhao Hongrun had also heard about this.

He knew that the Great Wei held an imperial examination every three years to recruit talented young men from the country. According to their performance, they would be promoted to become officials or candidates for official positions. To put it bluntly, the imperial examination was a matter of great importance to the rise and fall of the Great Wei.

However, because the imperial examination was the best way to enter the bureaucracy, it was inevitable that cheating would occur every year. After all, this three-yearly examination was the most crucial event for those who hoped to enter the bureaucracy or simply wanted to become officials and achieve success.

As for the Emperor appointing Luo Wenzhong as the chief examiner, Zhao Hongrun was not surprised. After all, a few days ago, the Emperor had praised Luo Wenzhong in front of him, commending his skills and strategies.

What surprised Zhao Hongrun was the Emperor's suggestion of a prince accompanying the chief examiner.

'What is this? Is Father giving me a chance to deal with Luo Wenzhong? Or does he have other plans?'

Zhao Hongrun could not help but be suspicious.

He could not fathom the true intentions of the Emperor of the Great Wei.

After all, compared to avenging Luo Wenzhong, Zhao Hongrun was even more unwilling to be used by his father. This was what he could not tolerate the most. Whenever he thought of the Emperor laughing heartily while Consort Shen scolded him in the Fragrant Condensation Palace, Zhao Hongrun felt very frustrated.

But unexpectedly, he soon received news that the "prince accompanying the chief examiner" mentioned by the Emperor only referred to princes who had left the palace. In other words, the Emperor's move was just to let Zhao Hongrun's older brothers try to get involved in state affairs, and did not include him at all.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun could not stand it and went straight to the Chui Gong Hall.

Since the second battle of the father-son war had already been decided, with the Emperor losing and the prince winning, the Chui Gong Hall was no longer a forbidden place for Zhao Hongrun.

"Prince Eighth requests an audience!"

Without waiting for the Emperor's permission, Zhao Hongrun rushed into the hall as soon as the hall guard announced his arrival.

The three Secretaries of the Zhongshu Sheng raised their heads and glanced at him, then continued to review the documents. After all, this prince was a regular visitor to the Chui Gong Hall, and his presence was nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the Emperor seemed unhappy and frowned, saying, "Hongrun, I haven't allowed you to enter yet. How could you barge in? You don't know manners!"

"That's a minor issue." Zhao Hongrun paid no attention to the Emperor's scolding and approached the dragon desk, asking, "I heard that Father appointed Luo Wenzhong as the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination and wants a prince to accompany him?"

"That's true, what's the matter?"

Zhao Hongrun thought for a moment and said, "Your son humbly requests to serve as the accompanying prince to share Father's burdens!"

"..."

The three Secretaries of the Zhongshu Sheng, He Xiangxu, Lin Yuyang, and Yu Ziqi, looked up in confusion. They could not imagine that this playful prince would ever want to contribute to the country and share the Emperor's burdens.

"Share my burdens? Sounds good, but do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" The Emperor glanced at his son and said coolly, "You haven't left the palace yet. ... According to the ancient laws of the Great Wei, princes are not allowed to meet officials or have any contact with them before they leave the palace. Don't you know this?"

Indeed, the ancient laws of the Great Wei did have such a rule. This was why, from the sixth prince Zhao Hongzhao down, the seventh prince Hongyin, the eighth prince Hongrun, and the ninth prince Hongxuan were unknown to the outside world, only their existence was known, but not their appearances.

"This ancient law is unfair!"

"Blaming the ancient law, you have quite a nerve." The Emperor rolled his eyes and said irritably, "No matter what you say, I will not allow it! ... State affairs are not a game!"

"Really not?"

"Really not!"

"Really, really not?"

"Really, really not!"

"Can't even make an exception?"

"No!" The Emperor said, exasperated.

Zhao Hongrun pouted, "Then I'll stay here and not leave!"

'Not again?'

The Secretaries of the Zhongshu Sheng, He Xiangxu and Lin Yuyang, exchanged a wry smile.

Seeing this, the Emperor coldly snorted, "Even if you act like a child, it won't work!"

"Your son is not acting like a child. Your son just thinks it's unfair! ... Why does Father refuse without giving your son any chance?"

The Emperor frowned, "What do you want to say?"

Zhao Hongrun thought for a moment and grinned, "How about we draw lots? Whoever draws the lot will serve as the accompanying prince. ... Everything will be left to fate. If fate does not allow your son to serve, your son will have no complaints."

'Draw lots? This kid must be planning to cheat during the drawing.'

The Emperor saw through Zhao Hongrun's intentions and looked at him deeply, saying coolly, "You won't use any tricks, will you, Hongrun?"

"No, no..." Zhao Hongrun smiled innocently.

After a long pause, the Emperor of the Great Wei slowly nodded.

"Fine! We'll decide the accompanying prince by drawing lots! ... I want to see what tricks you can play."

'PS: Please give me a recommendation vote~'

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