AWB Chapter 178 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 33
Chapter 178 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 33
After the palace examination, all the candidates' answer sheets were sealed and stored away.
On the day of grading, the papers were handed over to the examiners in turn for review, and marked with circles and symbols.
After selecting the ten best scrolls with the most circles, they will be presented to the emperor.
The emperor personally designated and approved the first, second, and third place winners, who were known as the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua, respectively.
These three individuals can be referred to as "Jinshi" (进士及第), and were immediately appointed to official positions after the palace examination.
The first-place winner was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, while the second and third-place winners were appointed as editors in the Hanlin Academy.
After reviewing ten papers, Emperor Chengping still determined that Gu Yanli's paper was the best.
He held Gu Yanli's scroll, his expression enigmatic: "If it weren't for concerns about the Duke of Zhenguo's family harboring ill intentions, this man would be capable of great responsibility."
"Well, he does have some ability, so letting him revise it wouldn't be a waste of his talent."
After saying this, he asked Ma Lugui, "Have you found anything?"
Ma Lugui immediately knelt down in fear and begged for forgiveness, saying:
"Your Majesty, please forgive us. So far, we have only found out that Gu An was found and adopted by a couple when he was a child."
"But later the harvest was bad, and the couple couldn't afford to raise him, so they sold him to a broker."
"After that, it moved around to many places before it was finally bought by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
"As for what went further back, it's been quite a while, and we're still investigating."
"Okay, get up first."
Emperor Chengping frowned slightly and suddenly said, "I remember, wasn't there a nanny in Xin'er's palace who resigned immediately after the Crown Prince's death?"
"Is Your Majesty referring to Granny Li?" Ma Lugui replied.
"I can't remember clearly either, I only remember that she was brought into the palace by Xin'er and has been by my side since she was a child." Emperor Chengping rubbed his temples.
Ma Lugui, sensing the situation, asked, "Does Your Majesty wish to investigate that old nanny further?"
Emperor Chengping looked somewhat lost, and his throat felt dry.
Even the usually revered emperor can be somewhat at a loss when faced with matters of succession.
Looking back now, Xin'er's expression seemed a little off when the crown prince died young.
He had initially thought she was just overwhelmed with grief, but now he sensed a hint of relief and resolve in her.
If it's really as he thinks...
Emperor Chengping suddenly became dejected, raised his hand and said, "Go investigate."
*
After the rankings of the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) are announced, a grand ceremony will be held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to announce the rankings.
The ceremony for announcing the results of the imperial examinations did not have a fixed date; in this dynasty, it was generally held within ten days after the palace examination.
At that time, all civil and military officials will attend in their court attire.
The successful candidates in the imperial examinations would also wear their official robes and hats with three branches and nine leaves to attend this grand banquet that belonged to them.
"The day after tomorrow is the grand ceremony for announcing the results of the imperial examinations. Why haven't your clothes been delivered yet?" Lin Shuwan asked, resting her chin on her hand.
"Something may have delayed me." Gu Yanli, sitting at the table, slowly put down his pen and blew on the still-wet ink.
To show the importance attached to the ceremony, the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) wore Jinshi robes specially designed by the imperial court and uniformly issued by the Imperial Academy.
The successful candidates could determine their ranking based on the order in which the clothes were delivered.
Lin Shuwan said, circling the table with her hands behind her back:
“I sent someone to inquire, and it seems that others received it yesterday.”
"Your senior brother was the first to receive it."
"That shouldn't be the case. Even if you failed the exam, shouldn't someone have notified you?"
"But if you didn't fail the exam, why were your clothes overlooked?"
"Did you offend someone?"
Lin Shuwan immediately rejected this conjecture:
"No, if someone had offended someone, they would have tampered with the clothes, not been so stupid as not to send the clothes over at all."
"Could it really be that something was missed? Maybe I should ask my grandfather to go and inquire about it."
"Don't rush," Gu Yanli said, pulling her back. "They might come today. Just wait patiently."
Lin Shuwan disagreed, saying, "But what if the clothes don't fit when they arrive? We'll need the embroiderer to adjust them, and if we wait any longer, it won't be in time!"
"Miss, Young Master Gu, Chief Steward Ma from the palace has arrived and is waiting in the front hall," a maid announced as she ran in.
"Hey, looks like your clothes have arrived. Come on, let's go take a look."
Just moments ago, Lin Shuwan had been frowning, but now she excitedly grabbed Gu Yanli's sleeve and headed out, muttering to herself:
"Isn't Chief Steward Ma someone close to the Emperor?"
Why is he here?
"Could it be that your clothes were accidentally delivered to you, so you sent him to apologize in person?"
"It seems they still value you. Who knows, you might actually be the top scholar!"
Thinking this way, she felt even faster, wishing she could drag Gu Yanli along and run.
"Don't rush, don't rush."
Gu Yanli stumbled slightly as Lin Shuwan pulled him along, and hurriedly coaxed her, "If I were the top scholar, wouldn't you be the top scholar's tutor? In front of outsiders, a tutor should put on airs to appear profound and unfathomable, right?"
"That makes sense!" Lin Shuwan slowed her pace.
Gu Yanli breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally found a way to appease her.
When Lin Shuwan and Gu Yanli arrived at the front hall, Old Madam Lin was already there.
Before Lin Shuwan could ask, Ma Lugui stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Young Master Gu, Miss Lin, Young Master Gu. His Majesty requests that Young Master Gu come to the palace for an audience."
Ma Lugui adopted an extremely humble posture and spoke with great respect.
Upon hearing this, a dark glint flashed in Madam Lin's eyes.
Ma Lugui's purpose in coming today is indeed suspicious.
Even if Gu Anzhen becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, the emperor will summon him at the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the examination; there is no need for him to come to the palace beforehand.
What's even stranger is that, although he bowed to Wanwan and Gu An just now, his body was leaning towards Gu An, and the respect in his words was also directed towards Gu An.
This attitude...
Looking at Gu An, Madam Lin found that he resembled someone very much.
As expected, she's getting old and her memory is failing; she only realized it now.
If it really is related to that person, then the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion will likely be even more suspicious of the person above.
Before Gu Yanli could speak, Lin Shuwan asked anxiously, "The Emperor wants him to come to the palace now. Has something happened?"
(Why did he have to go to the palace? Did he really offend the emperor?)
Madam Lin also said, "I wonder what the Emperor wants to do. Could Steward Ma please tell me so that Gu An can be prepared?"
The attendant, Granny Liu, immediately stepped forward and slipped a jade bracelet into Ma Lugui's hand.
"This servant dares not say more, but you two can rest assured, His Majesty's search for Young Master Gu is not a bad thing," Ma Lugui said, accepting the jade bracelet.
(It's not a bad thing, but it doesn't happen before the official announcement ceremony.)
(This doesn't seem like a good thing.)
"Then, can I go to the palace with him?" Lin Shuwan thought for a moment and said, "It just so happens that I haven't seen my aunt for a long time and I miss her a bit."
(If anything goes wrong once I'm in the palace, I'll ask my aunt for help.)
"This, this servant cannot make the decision," Ma Lugui said, somewhat embarrassed.
Gu Yanli knew that there would be no trouble on this trip, but seeing how worried she was about him, he still felt an indescribable tenderness in his heart.
However, he couldn't tell Lin Shuwanming right now, so he just said, "It's nothing. It's probably because some of the measures I wrote during the palace examination caught the Emperor's eye, and the Emperor wants to talk to me in detail."
"Is that really true?" Lin Shuwan looked at Ma Lugui with a skeptical expression.
Ma Lugui didn't say much, but respectfully cupped his hands and said, "This servant doesn't know either. It's getting late, and His Majesty is still waiting in the palace. Why don't you come to the palace with me, Young Master Gu?"
“But…” Lin Shuwan tugged at Gu Yanli’s sleeve, unwilling to let go.
Standing to the side, Madam Lin was now seventy percent certain of her own guess.
They did not stop Lin Shuwan's actions.
Wanwan's behavior might convince the Emperor that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was truly unaware of the situation.
As for Gu Yanli, he rarely saw Lin Shuwan so reluctant to part with him. He wished he could refuse the emperor directly, but could only comfort her by saying, "Don't worry, I'll be right back."
Madam Lin advised, "Wanwan, let Gu An go to the palace with Steward Ma."
"Alright." Lin Shuwan bit her lip lightly and released Gu Yanli's sleeve.
After Gu Yanli left Lin Shuwan's sight, the smile on his face disappeared, and he unconsciously carried the aura he had when he was the prime minister in his previous life.
Ma Lugui, who was following behind, couldn't help but sigh. With that kind of demeanor, Gu An's identity as the Crown Prince was probably beyond doubt.