Zhao Zhiyuan left the theater and hurried after Meng Anzhi Hall. He finally caught up with her just as she was about to enter the courtyard. Qing He glanced at the two of them and entered the courtyard first.
Zhao Zhiyuan stood before Meng Anzhi, momentarily at a loss for words... He could say he had no relationship with Cai Wenyan, but what relationship did he have with Meng Anzhi?
Seeing his flustered state, Meng Anzhi couldn't help but laugh. "Face reading? But I don't know how to tell fortunes."
Zhao Zhiyuan's face flushed red, but he stubbornly stood in front of her, refusing to leave. "As is customary... there will be a talent show..."
Despite the seemingly random sentence, Meng Anzhi understood his meaning. The age range for the imperial concubine selection in the Sheng Dynasty was fourteen to eighteen years old, and she was exactly sixteen this year, right in the middle, with no room for luck.
The two remained silent. Just as Zhao Zhiyuan mustered the courage to confess his feelings, the courtyard gate suddenly opened. Meng Anci stared at Zhao Zhiyuan with a fierce expression and said in a deep voice, "Sister... come in."
Meng Anzhi smiled sweetly at Zhao Zhiyuan and said softly, "Thank you for reminding me..." Then she turned and went into the courtyard.
Meng Anci gripped the door, pointed to his own eyes at Zhao Zhiyuan, then pointed at him, and then slammed the gate shut with a loud bang.
Zhao Zhiyuan stood outside the door and couldn't help but laugh out loud... What a childish rascal...
The news of the emperor's serious illness was like a knife hanging over Meng Anzhi's head, making her anxious day and night. She didn't want to get married, much less enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection.
Although not every new emperor holds a selection of concubines upon ascending the throne, this is a gamble that can't be taken... In a flash, she had an idea, but she needed to wait for her aunt to return to discuss it...
After all, her ideas were not accepted by the world.
The monthly preparatory meeting for the Imperial Lectures Hanlin Academy was, as usual, a mere formality and a waste of time.
Meng Anci sat at the very end of the long table, flipping through the manuscript of " Comprehensive Examination of Documents " compiled under the supervision of Sun Yan. He turned the pages very slowly, his fingertips seemingly brushing the pages unintentionally.
Beside him sat Zhou Mingyi, a Hanlin Academy lecturer, an old Hanlin scholar who had waited eight years without a promotion. He was usually very taciturn, but now he was idly fiddling with the lid of his teacup, making a soft clinking sound.
Meng Anci turned to a certain page and suddenly stopped.
He pointed to a note in the margin with his fingertip, leaned slightly towards Zhou Mingyi, and said in a very low voice, " Lord Zhou, is the source of this quotation... incorrect?"
Zhou Mingyi leaned over for a look, and his brows furrowed instantly.
He was originally a scholar of textual research and was extremely familiar with classical texts. He immediately saw the problem. The book compiled under Sun Yan's supervision had even misattributed the most basic quotations, making ridiculous mistakes.
Zhou Mingyi glanced at Sun Yan not far away and said indifferently, "Give me the book."
Meng Anci didn't say anything more. He simply folded a corner of the manuscript page and pushed it in front of Zhou Mingyi. Then he picked up his teacup, lowered his eyes, and drank the tea, as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Mingyi stared at the folded corner of the page, his loosely clenched fist tightened, and a strange movement flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, Zhen Shiqing entered the room. He and Sun Yan held the same official rank, both serving as tutors to the emperor. He went straight to Sun Yan's side.
"His Majesty will be half an hour later tomorrow, so please come at 3:45 AM."
"Understood..." Sun Yan casually replied, then turned to chat with the other officials, his expression nonchalant.
Zhen Shiqing walked over to Meng Anci, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "It's rare to see you without a book in your hand, that's more like it... Don't spend all day buried in books, you'll become stupid."
Zhou Mingyi's heart skipped a beat, but then he heard Meng Anci reply, "It's good to rest my eyes and listen to the officials chat."
Sun Yan snorted lightly, glanced at Meng Anci with a mocking look, and ultimately did not speak... Everyone in the Hanlin Academy knew that Zhen Shiqing and Meng Anci were close, and he didn't need to quarrel with Zhen Shiqing over a minor official position.
The following day, Sun Yan arrived at the imperial study on time with his books to accompany the emperor in his studies.
The emperor, unwell, leaned back on his throne, listening intently with his eyes closed. Just as he was engrossed in the conversation, a voice suddenly broke in, "Your Majesty, Minister Sun misread a passage."
The emperor slowly opened his eyes and saw Zhou Mingyi kneeling on the ground, holding the folded page of the manuscript in his hands. He clearly pointed out the places where Sun Yan had misread and explained the correct annotations in detail.
The emperor took the book, and after seeing the error, he coughed repeatedly in anger. He clutched his chest and stared sharply at Sun Yan.
"Lord Sun... are you starting to fool me too? Do you think that because I'm old, I can be disregarded?"
"Cough, cough..." The emperor coughed incessantly, and the chief eunuch rushed forward to support him, anxiously asking, "Your Majesty... are you alright?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the emperor coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The head eunuch was terrified and shouted, "Someone! Quickly summon the imperial physician..."
The imperial study was thrown into chaos. Sun Yan knelt on the ground, his face ashen, with only one thought in his mind: It's over.
Zhou Mingyi, standing to the side, was also trembling with nervousness, but a barely perceptible gleam of ecstasy lurked in his eyes...
As long as Sun Yan falls from power, he, who has served as Principal Sixth Rank lecturer for eight years, can be promoted to Subordinate Fifth Rank! He lowered his head, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly, afraid that the joy in his eyes would be seen by others.
Soon, the Crown Prince and the Imperial Physician arrived together. Sun Yan and Zhou Mingyi were expelled from the Imperial Study and made to kneel outside the door awaiting imperial orders.
By the time the news reached the Hanlin Academy, Sun Yan had already been imprisoned and convicted.
Meng Anci listened indifferently, his expression unchanged, and continued to organize the books in his hands, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
As the court session ended that evening, Zhao Zhiyuan quickly caught up with Meng Anci and, in a low voice, asserted, "You were the one who did it!"
Meng Anci merely curled the corners of his lips, the smile not reaching his eyes, "What does this have to do with me? Sun Yan himself misattributed the source in the document, yet he dared to read it to His Majesty."
He went to the stables, led out his black horse, mounted it, and looked down at Zhao Zhiyuan. His tone shifted abruptly, "I heard you refused Chancellor Cai's offer..."
Meng Anci didn't spell it out clearly, but Zhao Zhiyuan understood what he meant...
Chancellor Cai may seem kind and approachable, but he is actually very vengeful. His refusal of the marriage proposal is undoubtedly a slap in the face to the Cai Household, Chancellor Cai will surely take action against him in the future.
Zhao Zhiyuan said indifferently, "My marriage is not something others can manipulate at will, nor is it a stepping stone for my promotion. I haven't reached the point of selling myself for personal gain. Besides... I don't like marrying into another family!"
Meng Anci raised an eyebrow, gave a light scoff, and said in a warning tone, "If you don't like marrying into the family, stay away from my sister." Considering their years of friendship, this was his final reminder.
After all, if something really happened, he wouldn't side with Zhao Zhiyuan. With a flick of his black horse, Meng Anci disappeared from the palace gate in the blink of an eye, leaving Zhao Zhiyuan standing alone with a complicated expression.