"An exam, another exam?"
Lou Yingyu's eyes widened, and she collapsed into Tong Aning, feeling as if she was about to die at any moment.
Tong Aning patted her shoulder reassuringly, "It's okay, it's okay."
Lou Yingyu sat up and looked at her. "It's nothing, why are you shaking?"
Tong Aning: "..."
"Snort."
She pushed Lou Yingyu away, intending to ignore her.
Lou Yingyu was quite intrigued to see Tong Aning like this for the first time. She kept staring at Tong Aning, but before she could get enough of it, the Emperor entered, and Xue Lin, who was behind him, turned his gaze over.
Lou Yingyu muttered, "Why is the young master looking this way too?"
Azhu said, "Maybe I'm a little more familiar with Aning."
Tong Aning: "Me?"
Lou Yingyu: "Yes, yes, it's you."
As the emperor drew closer, Lou Yingyu's voice grew softer and softer until it finally fell silent.
It wasn't that she was afraid of the emperor. She had entered the palace with her father when she was a child, met the emperor, and even been held by him. At that time, the emperor let her play with the princess.
But the emperor is the sovereign, and their family are the subjects; there is a distinction between sovereign and subject, so they should be mindful of their behavior when out in public.
After the emperor sat down, he glanced at the obedient Lou Yingyu and asked in surprise, "Why is Yingyu so quiet today?"
Lou Yingyu stood up. "This humble woman is always so quiet."
The Emperor said with great interest, "The other day, Chancellor Lou was complaining to me that he was losing handfuls of hair because of your school enrollment. Isn't that you?"
Lou Yingyu blatantly lied. "That definitely wasn't me. Why blame me for my dad's thinning hair?"
Lou Ming sneezed in his study. Wait a minute, could it be that there was too much ice in the room?
The emperor chuckled, waved his hand, and gestured for Lou Yingyu to sit down.
His gaze fell on Tong Aning beside Lou Yingyu, and he exclaimed, "Truly, such talented people are emerging."
Are we two among this group of talented people?
The emperor laughed heartily, and then he dropped a bombshell.
"I have come today to select talented individuals; those who excel will be granted direct entry into the court."
The school was in an uproar. Even the chief priest, who was attending to the emperor, was surprised and quickly said, "Your Majesty..."
The emperor interrupted him, "I have already discussed this with my ministers."
The chief priest had no choice but to shut up and had the papers distributed.
An hour later, the chief priest ordered the scrolls to be collected.
The emperor looked at Eunuch Wang.
With a smile, Eunuch Wang walked up to the person holding the exam paper. "Thank you, give it to me."
The man hesitated, unsure whether to give it to the priest. The priest nodded, saying, "His Majesty wants the scroll; there's no reason not to give it to him."
The emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the table, Eunuch Wang announced in a loud voice, "The winner of this examination will be announced first thing tomorrow morning."
The emperor rose, followed by the crown prince and Xue Lin.
The crown prince glanced at his father, the emperor, and lowered his voice to ask, " Alin, what do you think Father means?"
Xue Lin: "With foreign enemies eyeing us covetously, Uncle is selecting talented individuals."
Crown Prince: "..."
How could he not know that?
But isn't selecting candidates from the Imperial Academy a bit too risky?
He always felt that there were secrets within the Imperial Academy that he didn't know about.
The Crown Prince turned around and immediately saw Tong Aning talking to Lou Yingyu with a beaming smile.
He paused, Marquis Tong had three daughters, and his fourth daughter had just come of age and was now a graceful young woman.
[ Xixi, I suddenly feel a chill down my spine.]
[Host, you're not dressed warmly enough.]
Tong Aning:...
But it's summer!
Tong Aning turned around and unexpectedly met the Crown Prince's gaze. Tong Aning paused, then nodded slightly at him.
*
After school, Tong Aning and Tong Fengye talked about the exam.
Tong Fengye said, "Anyway, it's impossible for me. Let's see what Fourth Sister has to do."
Su Zhouyue looked at Tong Aning, touched Tong Aning's hair, and asked softly, " Aning, what do you think?"
Tong Aning shook her head. "I don't know either."
Su Zhouyue raised an eyebrow, " Aning isn't confident?"
Tong Aning said with a long face, "Exams? When have I ever been confident about anything?"
My whole life has been an enemy of exams!
For some reason, looking at her daughter's face, which was on the verge of tears, Su Zhouyue suddenly felt a sense of relief. A smile spread across her face as she said, "I didn't handle it well."
Tong Aning: "...?"
She said slowly, "Mother, I know that Third Brother's grades aren't good, but you don't have to lose hope in me as well."
Tong Fengye was eating grapes when he heard this and choked, coughing until his face turned red. He was about to point at Tong Aning and yell, " Tong Aning, what do you mean?"
Su Zhouyue smiled and handed Tong Fengye a glass of water. "Alright, your sister is telling the truth."
Tong Fengye: "..."
"You're all ostracizing me! I'm going to find Feng Chu!"
Tong Fengye slammed his hand on the teacup, and it vanished in the blink of an eye.
Just then, Tong Yibin returned. Knowing that he was going to find Feng Chu, Tong Yibin put his arm around him and talked for a while.
Seeing her older brother return, Tong Aning asked, "Where's Father?"
Tong Yibin said, "Father went to see His Majesty."
Tong Aning shook her head smugly and said, "Having a trusted confidant is really good."
Su Zhouyue slapped her hand. "How dare you say such nonsense?"
Tong Aning stuck out her tongue. "I know, I won't say it again. Mom, I'm going to do my homework now."
"Go."
Tong Aning walked halfway, then suddenly turned back. She asked earnestly, "Mother, Third Brother hasn't done his homework either. Is he trying to avoid it?"
Su Zhouyue: "..."
She really hadn't considered that possibility.
"This Tong Fengye, A Shu," A Shu stepped forward, and Su Zhouyue said, "Go to the Marquis Ningyuan's Residence and bring Tong Fengye back to me."
"Yes."
Tong Aning was happy and hummed a song as she went back to her room.
Only Tong Yibin and Su Zhouyue remained in the courtyard; Tong Siyan and Tong Yi'an had gone to the shop and hadn't returned yet.
Tong Yibin sat down opposite Su Zhouyue.
Su Zhouyue's demeanor changed completely; she asked worriedly, "Won't your father argue with His Majesty?"
"Mother, don't worry, Father knows what he's doing."
*
"What does Your Majesty mean by this? Don't you need to give me an explanation?"
Tong Aobai came on strong, barely managing to suppress his anger, but his gaze was still very sharp.
" Marquis Tong, what's the rush?"
"Since Your Majesty has already set your sights on my Aning, how can I not be anxious?"
The emperor raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you been being very careful these days?"
He had listened to Aning's concerns, worried that his whole family would be implicated and exiled, but now...
Tong Aobai knelt before the emperor and said sincerely, " Aning is still young and playful; it is not worth Your Majesty setting such a precedent for her."
The emperor disagreed, saying, "If Aning does well, she will be remembered in history."
Tong Aobai raised his head, "I do not wish for her to be remembered in history, but only for her to An Ning life."
" Marquis Tong Marquis Tong, your love for your daughter truly moves me."
The emperor reached out to help Tong Aobai up, but Tong Aobai refused to rise, saying, "If Your Majesty insists, I will kneel here forever."
Given Tong Aobai's personality, he might actually kneel here for the rest of his life.
The emperor laughed and scolded, "You really are a stubborn mule."
Tong Aobai didn't take it to heart; he certainly wouldn't let Aning, at such a young age, venture into the dangerous world of the imperial court.
The emperor had no choice but to whisper to Tong Aobai, Tong Aobai eyes widened slightly. "Is this really true?"
"Yes, they are so audacious, I must teach them a lesson so they won't dare to do it again."
Tong Aobai nodded.
The emperor looked at him with amusement. "Are you relieved now? You can get up now?"
Tong Aobai stood up and said, "If Aning enters officialdom through the imperial examinations in the future, I will not stop her."
"I know what you're thinking, so I've prepared a special gift for you."
The emperor waved his hand, Eunuch Wang handed a box to Tong Aobai.
Tong Aobai was puzzled. The emperor said, "Open it and take a look."
Tong Aobai opened the box, his hand trembled, and he almost dropped it. He exclaimed in astonishment, "Your Majesty, this..."
This gift is far too expensive.
The Emperor tapped the box. "It's for Aning. You keep it for her."
Tong Aobai knelt down again and solemnly said, "On behalf of Aning, I thank Your Majesty."
*
This was the first time Su Zhouyue had ever seen something so valuable. Startled, she immediately closed the box and whispered, "Did you really give it to Aning?"
"Yes."
"Would he be willing to part with it? Isn't he afraid we'll repeatedly offend him with this? Is there an imperial edict? He won't take it back, will he?" Su Zhouyue said, gripping the box tightly, as if afraid the emperor would send someone to take it back at any moment.
Tong Aobai asked with a smile, "In your heart, is His Majesty such a person?"
Su Zhouyue pouted, "People change once they reach a high position. I don't even know what kind of person His Majesty really is."
"My wife is right."
Perhaps His Majesty is also concerned about his own future senility and has decided to bestow this gift today.
"Stop talking nonsense. This thing must be kept safe," Su Zhouyue shoved the box back into Tong Aobai's hands. "Put it in the secret room, and lock it with three locks, no, five."
If the emperor's heart really changes in the future, this could be Aning's lifeline.
"Alright, I'll do as my wife says."
"Don't just listen, go and do it!"
Su Zhouyue pushed Tong Aobai forward.
Tong Aobai chuckled, "Yes, my wife."
Su Zhouyue glared at him, "You're always so unserious."
Dinner time.
Not only did Tong Fengye not return, A Shu didn't return either.
Su Zhouyue frowned and said, "What's going on? I thought A Shu was steady and reliable before."
Tong Aning: " A Shu is so unreliable, he might have been bribed by Third Brother."
Su Zhouyue slammed her hand on the table, "He dares!"
I bribed A Shu twice.
Su Zhouyue glanced at Tong Aning, who was sitting obediently. It turned out that Tong Aning was crying wolf here.
But Tong Fengye and A Shu did not return. Even if they were to stay at the Marquis Ningyuan's Residence for a meal, Tong Fengye would have sent someone back to inform them.
Su Zhouyue beckoned and said, " Uncle Zhao, go and bring them both back to me. They've gone too far! Now they don't even listen to me anymore, do they?"
Uncle Zhao: "Yes, Madam."
[Host, something terrible has happened! Your third brother is in trouble.]