NFBE Chapter 836: Enke's sudden change
Chapter 836: Enke's sudden change
The carriage stopped and pulled over, waiting for the huge team to pass.
A biting cold wind blew past, inadvertently lifting a corner of the sedan chair curtain, and the mother and daughter caught a glimpse of an old man with white hair and beard covered with frost wrinkles.
Little Yining couldn't help but blink his eyes, secretly exclaiming: This person's aura is so strong, comparable to old baby!
The team quickly passed the carriage and headed straight for the closed gate of the Imperial Examination Hall.
Wan Niang leaned forward slightly, took a quick look at the departing team, and then ordered the coachman to continue moving forward.
Little Yining was still leaning against the car window, observing curiously. She saw the guards at the front of the procession negotiating with the officers and soldiers at the entrance to the Imperial Examination Hall. She quickly said, "Mother, this is indeed the procession heading to the Imperial Examination Hall. The person sitting in that sedan must be the examiner."
Wan Niang frowned slightly and responded, "Qing Jie'er, please don't speculate. Go back first. Your father will tell us what happened in the Imperial Examination Hall when he comes out tomorrow."
The kid shrank back in disappointment and sighed like a little adult.
Xiao Yining: ???, why doesn't her mother like to eat melons? This is so unlike her!
The carriage drove away quickly, and the entrance to the Imperial Examination Hall gradually became empty, returning to its former tranquility.
Inside the unknown walls of the Imperial Examination Hall, however, a scene of commotion erupted. Many examinees crowded in front of their respective rooms, peering out and watching helplessly as the wooden board with the exam questions was removed, their voices buzzing with discussion.
"Why would they change the exam questions at the last minute? There's no precedent for this in history!"
"Yeah, isn't this treating Enke as a joke?"
"..."
In front of the chambers, a guard in black cotton armor clanged and drew his long sword, shouting, "No noise is allowed. Those who violate this rule will be expelled from the Imperial Examination Hall and will be banned from taking the imperial examinations for life."
Although everyone was unwilling to accept such a serious warning, they could only shut their mouths in dismay and sit in their respective cells, their moods disturbed and their faces showing annoyance.
There were some calm people among them, such as Wang Cheng and Lin Yuzan. They first put on all the warm clothes they had at home, then rubbed their fingers to warm them, and lit a small charcoal stove to prevent the ink from freezing in this cold winter.
The movements were smooth and there was no pause due to this sudden change.
A not-so-small shock also occurred in the Mingyuan Tower of the Imperial Examination Hall.
An old man wearing a Diaochan crown and a crimson crane robe walked slowly towards them, surrounded by guards.
Wherever he passed, the invigilators bowed and saluted, and even Qiu Xuanzhi, the chief examiner, lowered his head and retreated three steps away.
"Greetings to Prime Minister Ai!" All the officials said respectfully in unison.
Ai Lang nodded slightly, his vicissitudes of life but still stern eyes gently swept over the officials, and he opened his lips and said: "This old man returned to the court for the first time today. Suddenly I heard that His Majesty was opening an entrustment, so I shamelessly asked for an imperial edict to come to supervise the Imperial Academy and supervise the examination in person. The other invigilators have arrived, and you all go back!"
As soon as this statement came out, all the officials were in an uproar.
"Prime Minister Ai, if the examiner is changed on the day of the special examination, won't we be laughed at by our colleagues?" Invigilator A said indignantly.
Ai Lang raised his eyebrows, glanced at him, and said soothingly: "Don't worry, at most you will laugh at me for being disrespectful to the old man, but you still have that thin face."
Invigilator A: ...
"Prime Minister Ai, you are old and have already retired. Even if His Majesty waives your wishes and asks you to return to the court, you should still take care of your health. This invigilation is very tiring..." Invigilator B also advised.
"Since you know this, why don't you move aside and let me sit down? You don't know how to respect the elderly." Ai Lang interrupted with a hint of reproach.
Invigilator B: ...
Then, Ai Lang walked to Qiu Xuanzhi, who had been bowing his head, with his crutches, and asked with a smile, "Master Qiu, do you have any complaints about me invigilating for you?"
Qiu Xuanzhi felt a chill down his spine, his eyes lowered in disbelief. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said with a hasty smile, "Your humble servant will obey the emperor's command."
"Very good! No wonder His Majesty praised you for your cleverness and your great favor. I also like people like you who are sensible. In that case, you will stay with me and help me supervise the exam."
Ai Lang nodded with satisfaction, then his tone changed, and he ordered coldly: "Come here, ask these ministers to leave, and send the two traitors who disobeyed the order to the Dali Temple for punishment."
"Yes!"
The protests of the two invigilators instantly echoed in the sky above Mingyuan Building, causing the hearts of the examinees below to tremble.
Inside the dormitory, Leng Shuyu's hand holding the ink stick paused, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.
At this time, new test questions also appeared in front of the room.
In an instant, the entire examination hall fell into silence.
The news of the temporary change of examiners in the Imperial Academy also spread throughout Yanjing at an extremely slow pace.
The little girl sat in the warm house, and the news unfolded before her eyes like a wonderful drama, leaving her stunned.
Xiao Yining's eyes widened in disbelief, and he hurriedly asked, "Brother Baozi, were those invigilators really kicked out? Two of them were even stripped of their official uniforms and taken away?"
Baozi nodded heavily. "My Lady, I saw it with my own eyes, I'm sure I'm not wrong. Furthermore, those officials were stuffed into carriages and taken somewhere else. I heard from afar that they were told to wait until the Imperial Examination was over before returning to grade the papers."
The old face from this morning appeared in Xiao Yining's mind. He secretly wondered who this old man was and how he could be so courageous.
The bun opposite her continued to talk about the news he had inquired about: "Princess, the official who supervises the Imperial Academy is called Ai Lang. He is the former prime minister. After the emperor ascended the throne, he asked to retire and go home to retire. This time, because Prime Minister Xie was arrested and imprisoned, he returned to preside over the court again."
Ailang?
Xiao Yining silently repeated the name in her mind, and unexpectedly discovered that the name did appear once in the book. It was when the old baby was poisoned to death by her father. This person cried for the old baby and had a night-long conversation with her father. After that, he never appeared again. It seemed that he had gone home to live out his days.
"This Ai Xiang should be very powerful, right?" the little kid murmured.
"The princess is really smart. When Prime Minister Ai was in power, he worked for the welfare of the people of the Great Zhou and was loved by all the people. It was also he who persuaded Your Majesty to swear not to kill his brothers and sisters again and supported Your Majesty's ascension to the throne." Baozi responded.
Xiao Yining: (￣_￣|||), but the male protagonist is the only one left among his uncle’s siblings!
The little kid just felt that this oath was useless.
She pursed her lips and put the matter behind her. She looked at Baozi's tattered cotton-padded jacket and said with concern, "Brother Baozi, it's cold outside. Don't hang out outside anymore. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Ever since it snowed, she asked Qiuyi to write a letter to Baozi asking him to stop staring at Lu Tingfeng and wait until next spring.
Beggars have the most miserable life in winter. They have nothing to keep warm and may freeze to death on the street at any time.
Even though her mother prepared thick clothes and charcoal for Baozi and the others, if they wore these clothes on the street, they would soon become the target of other beggars. If they were not careful, they would discover the secret base she prepared for them, take it over temporarily, and use up all the supplies.
She and her mother had also suggested to her father that they let Baozi and his family live in the house openly to show others that their family was protecting them, but unfortunately her father disagreed.
Thinking of this, the little boy muttered in a depressed mood: "After my father passes the imperial examination, I will ask him if he can settle you in the house."
Unexpectedly, Baozi flatly rejected this proposal: "Princess, this is already very good. I have lost many brothers in previous years, but this year we have the cellar and we are all alive. This cellar can also be used to accommodate obedient younger brothers. When I am older, I will lead people to occupy the ruined temple. By then, the whole of Yanjing will be my territory."
Xiao Yining: ..., what an ambitious statement! Is this guy planning to establish the Beggars' Sect?
The little kid blinked his big eyes, looked at the boy's shining face, and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Baozi smiled broadly at her and said, "When the time comes, Princess, whatever news you want to know, I can tell you without you having to say anything."
"Okay, thank you, Baozi brother."
Xiao Yining handed over his hot hand warmer as a thank you for satisfying his craving for melon.
Baozi took the hand warmer and felt even happier. He said, "Thank you, Princess, for the reward," and let Qiuyi take him out of the house without any regrets.
Wan Niang, who had been silently observing her daughter's conversation with Baozi, comforted her, "Qing Jie'er, don't worry about Baozi. He won't be cold. Mother has already given him countless furs in private, and told him to figure out how to make a humble fur coat."
The little girl looked up at her mother and heard her change the subject, "And we only need to be nice to Baozi. As for the other beggars, how Baozi wants to take care of them is Baozi's business, and we don't need to interfere. As the saying goes, a little kindness pays off, and a peck of rice pays off. Baozi is a smart person, but the other beggars may not be so sure."
When Xiao Yining heard this, she was silent for a long time, and finally responded: "Okay, Mom!"