Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 413: Big Entry Followed by Small Entry

After Yang Yuan finished his recital, Zhao Yuan slowly raised his teacup and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before calmly looking around and saying, "What do you think of Yang Yuan's recital?"

Wan Qi Xie looked sullen and said in a cold voice: "Yang Yuan's words are baseless and full of sensationalism. In fact, his words are empty. I think that his memorial is flashy but not substantial."

Zhao Yuan smiled slightly and looked at the Left Prime Minister Shen Gai again.

Shen Gai pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Yang Yuan predicted that the Jin army would definitely move south. This conclusion is too arbitrary. However, Yang Yuan's strategy of streamlining government affairs and preparing for war with elite troops is still somewhat desirable."

Both of these prime ministers avoided the issue of clearing Yue Fei's grievances.

And this paragraph is precisely the key to Yang Yuan's performance this time.

Shen Gai actually sympathized with Yue Fei, but clearing Yue Fei's grievances was no longer a matter of Yue Fei's personal honor and disgrace.

Once this step is reached, a series of dramatic changes will follow, including adjustments to officials and national policies...

Shen Gai felt that, at least, Yue Fei should not be rehabilitated in this name at this time.

What's more, the late emperor's body is still warm, so wouldn't this be a slap in the face of the late emperor?

Seeing that the two prime ministers were not optimistic about Yang Yuan, some of the candidates in the hall began to quietly adjust the content of their prepared speeches.

Minister of War Cheng Zhen suddenly said loudly: "I think that every word Yang Shengyuan said is full of pearls, his words are meaningful and his narration is well-founded. His words about rectifying the chaos and unifying the four classes of people are even more insightful and insightful!"

Huh?
Is the head of the Ministry of War trying to slap the two prime ministers in the face?
Wanqi Xie's face looked even uglier, and Shen Gai's face wasn't very good either.

Cheng Zhen has always been a lackey of Qin Hui. Why is he so radical now?

They felt confused, but they didn't know that Cheng was really speculating desperately.

At the last imperial meeting, Cheng Zhen, who was originally a member of Qin Hui's party, suddenly changed his position and joined Zhao Yuan's faction who advocated war, and suggested that Zhao Yuan be made the new emperor. This was very unexpected at the time.

This time he jumped out directly and slapped the prime minister in the face left and right, looking very intimidating. No one knew what was wrong with him.

Cheng Zhen himself had his own troubles.

Following Qin Hui's orders, he suddenly issued an order on the night of the Lantern Festival to gather the garrison troops, local soldiers, and conscripted soldiers to be on standby at all times in case of any unexpected event.

As a result, something happened at Xiangji Temple that night. The emperor was assassinated and the prime minister was killed.

But it was impossible for the emperor not to know about his actions that night afterwards.

Especially his deputy, the Minister of War Shen Xuzhong, who was a thorn in his side by Emperor Zhao Gou.

Even if the emperor didn't know, Shen Xuzhong would know. If Shen Xuzhong knew, then it would naturally be equivalent to the emperor knowing.

How long has it been since then?
Even though he had to deal with the funeral of the late emperor and the coronation ceremony of the new monarch during this period, it shouldn't have taken such a long time for no one to deal with his unauthorized troop movements, right?
The strange thing is that until now, the government has not taken any action.

The longer the boot took to fall off, the more frightened Cheng Zhen became. He always felt that the government was planning something big.

After weighing the pros and cons, he can only change camp in time and become more radical than anyone else, so that the government will think he is still useful.

As for the prime minister, if you offend him, you offend him.

I am the Minister of War, how much lower can I be than you, the Prime Minister? You can make things difficult for me, but you can only make things difficult for me, and you can't touch me.

The only one who can touch me is the emperor. I am now trying my best to distance myself from Qin Hui and to support and encourage the emperor with all my might. Maybe there will be a glimmer of hope.

After hearing Cheng Zhen's words, Zhao Yuan did not comment, neither nodding nor shaking his head, and looked at the other ministers.

The Minister of Rites Qu Mo and the Minister of Works Hou Keyi both praised Yang Yuan's memorial.

The Minister of Revenue Xizhe, the Minister of Punishment Zhang Fangxun, and the Minister of Personnel Tan Yingwen all responded that Yang Yuan's memorial was worthless.

Although the emperor has the final say on the results of the palace examination, since all the ministers were called to listen to the examination and the emperor asked for their opinions, their opinions naturally have reference value.

The current situation is that among the six departments, half are praised and half are criticized.

The three ministries that were praised were the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War, all of which were poor government departments.

The three ministries that were demoted were the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Justice, all of which were wealthy government offices.

Of the two prime ministers, the first minister belittled Yang Yuan as worthless, while the second prime minister reached a compromise.

It seems that those who criticize Yang Yuan have the upper hand.

Just as the ministers and scholars were thinking of this, they heard a burst of rhythmic goose calls.

"Go, go, go, go, go... The ministers seem to have very different opinions."

When Zhao Yu spoke, everyone realized that there was also a King of Jin here.

Apart from showing up once when the new monarch ascended the throne, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin never attended court meetings or imperial conferences, and everyone was accustomed to ignoring his existence.

"The large divergence of opinions shows that Yang Shengyuan's views are very unique and clear, which is why those who agree with him are full of praise and those who oppose him are fiercely opposed to him."

Zhao Yu leaned back in his chair as if he had no bones, and said lazily: "Water does not matter where it comes from, but what matters is that it is alive.

The imperial court needs people with sharp minds to act as fresh water when recruiting officials, so that the water won’t become smelly.”

Prince Jin also clearly supports Yang Yuan?
With the vote of Prince Jin, it seems that Yang Yuan has the upper hand again.

Of course, there are many people among the tribute scholars who are firm in their own opinions, but there is also no shortage of speculators.

Speculators have been quietly watching the direction of the wind.

Seeing that his brother was sitting in an unruly position, Zhao Yuan could not help but glare at him in reproach.

This glance was noticed by the one who liked to speculate.

The emperor glared at Prince Jin!
The emperor had a very close relationship with the Prince of Jin, and was constantly showing him favors and honors.

Even so, the King of Jin still received an angry glare from the Emperor when he spoke up for Yang Yuan. This shows that...

The speculator immediately revised his view and firmly placed himself in the top three.

Zhao Yuan calmly extended his hand to Zhang Xiaoxiang, the compiler of Jiying Hall.

Zhang Xiaoxiang understood and quickly presented the "station list" with his own marks to the government.

Zhao Yuan picked up the imperial pen and was about to make a mark for Yang Yuan. When he found his position, he saw only the two words "Sanyuan" on the paper.

Zhao Yuan was surprised and looked again.

Because Yang Yuan was the provincial champion and ranked first among the 157 tribute scholars, his name was easy to find.

There is no doubt that this name belongs to Yang Yuan.

But now the word "Yang" is smudged by a drop of ink.

The ink drop not only smudged the word "Yang", but the ink seeped over and connected with the three drops of water in "Yuan", stretching the three drops of water so much that when Zhao Yuan took a look at it, he thought it was the two words "Sanyuan".

hiss~~
Zhao Yuan was shocked. How could it be such a coincidence? Could it be God's will?

Zhao Yuan was already very satisfied with Yang Yuan's response, and now seeing such an incredible coincidence, he immediately thought it was a sign from heaven, and Yang Yuan suddenly gained more weight in his heart.

Forget it, there’s no need to mark Yang Yuan. That drop of ink is unique on the entire list.

Zhao Yuan put down the imperial pen and said calmly, "Who among the tribute scholars would like to come forward and talk next?"

The tribute scholars who shared similar views with Yang Yuan were unwilling to come out at this time.

Firstly, if he came out at this time and said something similar to Yang Yuan, it would be like he was just repeating what others had said.

Secondly, although they also advocated war, most of them could not directly point the finger at Qin Hui.

The court has not yet made a final judgment on Qin Hui, and he is still the prime minister.

However, if he did not curse Qin Hui, the strength of his response would be far less than that of Yang Yuan.

So at first, they wanted to wait.

The first person to speak this time was naturally the tribute scholar who was against war and in favor of peace.

But they saw that the emperor not only glared at Prince Jin who was speaking to Yang Yuan, but also did not put the imperial pen on the paper.

In other words, Yang Yuan was not given any score at all.

I'm afraid this provincial champion will fall into the top three.

The smart people who felt they had figured out the government's attitude immediately stepped forward and talked about "winning people over with virtue", "winning people over with courtesy", and "winning people over with benevolence".

Zhao Yuan no longer asked for the opinions of the ministers. The ministers commented on Yang Yuan alone, and their positions on peace and war were already clear.

After listening to each one, Zhao Yuan did not comment on it, but marked it with his imperial pen.

Zhao Yuan was very happy. Under such circumstances, the tribute scholar was still able to stick to his original intention and make clear his attitude of advocating war. He was risking his future.

This kind of person must be the most determined and purest advocate of war.

These people must be ranked second.

There are only three people in Class A, and we can’t accommodate so many people.

These are the first batch of "Emperor's disciples" since Zhao Yuan ascended the throne. They have great potential, and those who have correct positions must be used well.

When the tribute candidates made their speeches before the emperor, each person only spoke a few hundred words, and there was no need for comments from the ministers, so they made their speeches very quickly.

Zhao Yuan listened to each one and made comments. When the more than 100 people finished speaking, Zhao Yuan put down his imperial pen and said with a smile:
"It is almost noon. The tribute scholars are being feasted in the left side hall, and the ministers are being feasted in the right side hall. At 3 p.m., they all return to the Jiying Hall. I will announce the rankings of the top three new Jinshi candidates today."

Zhao Yuan stood up, and all the ministers and scholars bowed to him and said, "We respectfully bid you farewell."

When Zhao Yuan was about to walk down the steps, he looked back and saw Zhao Yu still sitting in the chair, distracted. He could not help but said unhappily, "Prince Jin, follow me."

Boss Zhao Yu stood up unwillingly and followed Zhao Yuan.

The two brothers had a really good relationship, but Zhao Qu was really unwilling to have dinner with Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan was a rather square person. He never said a word during meals, so Zhao Qu felt very bored when eating with him.

Zhao Jue wondered whether his elder brother also adhered to the rule of "sleeping without speaking" when visiting his concubines.

Eh? If the rule of "no talking in bed" was followed back then, then some new tricks wouldn't be possible, right?
After all, if we play guessing games, some of the postures are hard to explain.

The more Zhao Qiu thought about it, the funnier it became, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhao Yuan was walking in front, slowing down her pace intentionally, but after walking for a long time, she still didn't see Brother Yu catching up with her.

Zhao Yuan was about to turn around and urge him when he heard a strange laugh, "Goose, goose, goose," from behind him.

Zhao Yuan was helpless. What funny thing had Brother Qu thought of again?
……

In the left side hall, the tribute scholars lined up to get their meals.

Don't think that the banquet in the imperial palace will be so sumptuous.

On occasions like this, giving a banquet is just a kind of honor, and the food served is ancient fast food.

The ministers in the right side hall also eat this thing - soaked rice.

In the Song Dynasty, rice porridge was made by soaking cold rice in hot water and then adding some vegetables.

Most of the small restaurants in Lin'an City sell this kind of rice soup.

The craftsmanship in the palace is not much better than that of ordinary people. I guess it was all done by the imperial chefs and their apprentices.

Anyway, no one would complain to the emperor just because the soaked rice was not tasty.

When eating, you can see the clear barriers from the seating positions.

In the right side hall, the ministers who advocated war and the ministers who advocated peace sat at a certain distance from each other.

The tribute students in the left side hall are also the same.

Those who gathered around Yang Yuan were all tribute scholars who advocated war.

Since everyone has the same stance, there is a natural sense of closeness.

Among the tribute scholars who advocated war, Yang Yuan was the most famous, so everyone naturally gathered around him.

On the other side, the tribute scholars who advocated peace were in a similar situation.

Those who pass the imperial examination in the same year are called "tongues".

This kind of old classmate relationship naturally serves as a kind of glue between these new official elites.

However, because of their “comrades in arms” or not, these 157 “peers of the same year” were already clearly divided when they officially entered the officialdom.

When the hour of Wei arrived, "Jing" and "Wei" came together again and stood in front of Jiying Hall.

Whether the government will choose war or peace, whether Yang Yuan will be the top scholar or the third, it should be clear at this moment. …

If the results were announced the next day, these tribute students would need to get a number paper after taking the palace examination the day before, which was equivalent to a pass to enter the imperial palace, and then enter the palace through the Hening Gate the next day.

Nowadays, the new emperor keeps everything simple and the results are out on the same day, so this step can be omitted.

The location of the ceremony of naming and granting titles was actually not at Donghuamen.

The saying that names are called out outside Donghuamen actually comes from Donghuamen, where the results are announced and communicated to the outside world.

Hence the saying “being called out outside Donghua Gate” came into being, or more accurately, “becoming famous outside Donghua Gate”.

The actual place where the names are called out is generally where the palace examination is held.

When the Song Dynasty first held the imperial examination, there were only about a dozen or twenty people who passed, and their names were called out by the emperor.

Nowadays, there are at least one hundred and fifty or sixty Jinshi in each subject, so the emperor personally calls out the names of only the Jinshi selected in the first class, that is, the top three.

In the Jiying Hall, the emperor, Prince of Jin, the prime minister, the six ministries, and all ministers above the third rank were all arranged on the left and right.

This time, except for the emperor and Prince of Jin, the ministers had no seats and all stood in silence.

Outside the hall, the newly-appointed scholars were waiting to be summoned.

In the Jiying Hall, Prime Minister Wanqi Xie took the list of the top three from the palace examiner Zhang Xiaoxiang, with a slightly gloomy face, and stepped forward to present it to the emperor.

Judging from his appearance, he obviously already knew the top three list.

This lunch time was actually also the process for the emperor, the prime minister, and the six ministries to discuss and determine the final ranking of Jinshi, and this result was obviously not to Wanqi Xie's liking.

The emperor unfolded the list and solemnly called out, "First place in the first class, Yang Yuan from Lin'an!"

The general standing in the hall immediately faced outside the hall and shouted with full energy: "First place in the first class, Yang Yuan from Lin'an!"

The imperial guards at the palace gate also turned outside and reported loudly.

The news spread by word of mouth until it reached the group of newly graduated scholars who were standing solemnly. Some of them immediately showed expressions of ecstasy, while others' faces suddenly changed.

Those whose faces suddenly turned pale are naturally those who cannot stick to their original intentions, and are just waiting to see how the situation develops, hoping to take advantage of the situation.

They made a wrong judgment. Now that the emperor has chosen Yang Yuan as the top scholar, how could their advocacy of peace win the emperor's favor?
His results...

Hearing his name being called, Yang Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and walked towards the steps.

Behind him, there are countless jealous and envious eyes.

When they arrived at the palace, another assistant examiner held up the list of new Jinshi candidates and carefully asked Yang Yuan about his name, father's name, and grandfather's name.

Fortunately, his elder brother Yang Che carried the ancestral tablets from the north, and Yang Yuan often burned incense to his elder brother and the ancestors of the Yang family, so he naturally knew the names of his father and grandfather.

In fact, Yang Yuan had just been so prominent in the palace, who in the palace didn't recognize him?

However, it is essential to check the names of ancestors and father before going to the temple, because mistakes have occurred in this regard.

During the palace examination in the third year of Tianxi reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, two Jinshi with the same name and surname appeared.

When names were called up to the palace, neither the place of origin nor the identity of the ancestors was checked.

As a result, the Jinshi who was supposed to be in the third place had sharp ears and heard the name being called first.

He thought he was being called, so he went to the palace to receive the decree and express his gratitude.

It was not until the second-class Jinshi slowly walked into the Golden Palace that Emperor Zhenzong realized he had made a mistake.

The second and third place winners will have lifelong qualifications, so how could the one who entered the palace first be willing to change back?

He said to Emperor Zhenzong: "I have received your order and thank you for your grace!"

That means you are the emperor and your words are golden, so now you can do whatever you want.

If it were Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, he would never have accepted such "extortion", but Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty smiled bitterly and went along with it, allowing the two Jinshi to go up to the "podium" first.

Although Song Zhenzong issued another decree the next day to adjust the status of the Jinshi who actually passed the second place in the exam.

But the one who gets the advantage really gets the advantage.

From then on, when the imperial court called out the names of candidates for the palace examination, they would include their place of origin. In order to prevent the possibility of a candidate with the same name from the same place of origin, they would also ask for the names of their ancestors.

After Yang Yuan finished answering, he was led by the eunuch in charge of ceremonies to the correct position to wait.

This time, he was in the palace and saw with his own eyes how the emperor called out the names.

The prime minister presented the list of names, and the emperor read it out in person: "First place, second place goes to Xiao Yiran from Changsha County, Tanzhou."

"The third place in the first place is Lu Chengze from Suian County, Jiande Prefecture."

The three of them stood side by side in the first row, Yang Yuan in the middle, the runner-up on the right, and the third place on the left.

After that, the emperor no longer called out the names himself, but instead asked Prime Minister Wanqi Xie to read out the list of the second-class Jinshi.

Yang Yuan glanced quietly to the left and right.

He remembered that the runner-up Xiao Yiran also advocated war, and his advice was quite insightful.

As for the third place winner Lu Chengze, if he remembered correctly, he was in favor of peace.

Of course, your ranking is not determined solely by whether you advocate war or peace, but also by your arguments and evidence, and your real talent and knowledge.

Moreover, selecting a Jinshi who advocates peace as the Tanhua would also ease the relationship between the government and the prime minister.

Yang Yuan had no prejudice against this Mr. Lu. The peace advocates were not the same as the surrenderists, although the surrenderists were bound to be hidden within the peace advocates.

By the time Prime Minister Wanqi Xie finished reading out the list of second-class Jinshi, his voice was hoarse.

The second prime minister, Shen Gai, took the list from Zhang Xiaoxiang and continued to read out the list of the top three Jinshi.

After all the Jinshi candidates were called, the imperial edict Zhao Yuan announced: "Three people in the first class should be awarded the title of Jinshi."

"One hundred and twelve people in the second class should be granted the status of Jinshi."

"Forty-two people in the third place should be granted the same status as Jinshi."

After the emperor finished his decree, the eunuchs went to the palace to issue imperial edicts to the new scholars and bestowed on them robes and sceptres.

The scholars held their robes and sceptres and went to the side hall to change their clothes, then went up to the hall again to express their gratitude to the emperor.

At this time, the list of the first, second and third class Jinshi had been posted outside Donghua Gate.

Many royal relatives, powerful and wealthy families sent their family members to the outside of Donghua Gate to check the list.

They would write down the names, places of origin and ages of the high school graduates and take them back to their masters.

Because the interesting thing of "catching the son-in-law under the list" is about to happen.

“Catching a son-in-law from under the list” is the same as “calling out the names outside Donghua Gate”, in that of course it does not really mean catching people from under the list.

After they had chosen a candidate, they asked a matchmaker to come to the house and the woman took the initiative to propose marriage.

It’s just that common people don’t know the real situation, and many people think that the so-called “catching a son-in-law under the list” really means that a few evil slaves will forcibly tie the person back to get married under the golden list.

The top scholar in the first class, Yang Yuan, was only 24 years old!

This... this age is so suitable!
The eyes of those powerful and wealthy people immediately lit up, and they were the first to write down his name.

At this time, the imperial court announced the list of successful candidates in this year's imperial examination to the world, and fast horses rushed out of Donghua Gate and headed in all directions.

They will be announced to the whole world within twelve days by a fast horse that can travel 600 miles per day through the post station system.

The palace examiner Zhang Xiaoxiang announced the contents of the next day's activities to the Jinshi candidates. They would first go to the Imperial Academy to pay homage to Confucius, then ride a horse in a parade through the streets, and then attend the Deer Singing Banquet in the afternoon...

Then all the ministers and the newly-appointed Jinshi respectfully escorted the emperor out of the hall, followed by the other ministers. Finally, led by the young eunuchs, the Jinshi left the Jiying Hall and went out of the Hening Gate.

Outside the Hening Gate, Wanqi Xie got on the sedan chair and saw the new top scholar Yang Yuan walking out of the palace first with a high-spirited look. He couldn't help but smile faintly.

"The straight trees are cut down first, the sweet wells are drained first. They don't know how to hide their cleverness in clumsiness, use obscurity to make clarity, conceal clarity in turbidity, and use bending to make stretching. Humph, how long can they be so glorious?"

As soon as he let down the curtain of the sedan chair, the servant outside shouted, "Lift up the sedan chair!"

Four people carried the Prime Minister in a sedan chair and walked away from the crowd of new scholars.

The scholars politely gave way to the prime minister, and as soon as the prime minister left, they gathered around Yang Yuan.

When Yang Yuan saw them, he hurriedly bowed and said loudly: "My fellow students, my fellow students, I'm sure you are all anxious to write back home and report the good news as soon as possible, right?"

All the scholars burst into laughter.

Yang Yuan said: "Early tomorrow morning, we still have to go to pay homage to our master, ride horses in the streets, and attend the Luming Feast. It is better for everyone to go home now!

Everyone should report the good news. If you feel tired after getting up so early today, take a bath and go to bed early. Tomorrow is the most glorious day for us new Jinshi, so we should be radiant!
After that, the court will select officials and appoint them, so there will be plenty of time. Wouldn't it be easy for you and I to meet and socialize again when we are the same age?"

The runner-up Xiao Yiran smiled and said, "What the champion said is very true. We should obey it."

The other Jinshi also cheered after hearing this, and Tanhua Lu Chengze also smiled and applauded.

To take the imperial examination, those who were too young lacked the foundation, while those who were too old lacked the energy, so the average age of those who passed the imperial examination was around 30 years old.

For example, the top scholar Yang Yuan was 24 years old, and the third place winner Lu Chengze was 23 years old. They were already very young talents among the successful candidates in this year's imperial examination.

People in their thirties are considered accomplished people in modern times. Moreover, in this era, everyone is relatively stable. Even if they are particularly excited today, they will not get too carried away.

So everyone followed the top scholar's advice and walked away in groups of three or two.

Inside the palace, Zhao Yu had not left yet. He chased after Zhao Yuan and shouted, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the new number one scholar has not yet been given a name. At the 'Luming Banquet', Your Majesty, can you give him a name?"

"Sir, what kind of official position do you plan to give Yang Yuan? I think it would be a good idea for him to work directly as a proofreader in the imperial library."

The proofreader was a civil servant in charge of proofreading classics. He belonged to the category of honest officials, had an easy job, good pay, rapid promotion and a bright future.

The proofreader has always been regarded as "a good choice for scholars to start their careers" and has a very high social status and social recognition. "The position will not be easily appointed unless it is to those who have passed the imperial examination, have outstanding literary talent, or have a clean character."

If one could start his career as an official as a proofreader in the Secretariat, if all went well, he could be promoted to the Minister of one of the six ministries in thirty years, and would have the opportunity to become a prime minister in forty years.

Zhao Yuan said angrily: "The government asked you to do something but you didn't do it. You didn't want to do it, but you came to take over my job. How about you do it instead?"

Zhao Yu said with a smirk, "Yang Yuan is the emperor's disciple, the first disciple of the emperor! He should be taken care of..."

Song's Flavor Restaurant is closed today, and the whole family is sitting at home, quietly waiting for news.

In fact, according to normal procedures, the gold list will not be announced until tomorrow, so there is no point in being anxious now.

But Luxi was so bored that he had no interest in doing anything, so he simply stopped his business and waited here.

There were melon seeds in front of Qingtang, and the little girl was eating them happily. Danniang was annoyed by what she heard, so she glared at her and said, "Go, eat some more."

"Oh!" Qingtang followed suit, picked up the plate of melon seeds, and walked away.

Dan Niang was really a little upset, and she was just looking forward to her husband's success. When her husband really succeeded, she started to worry again.

Dan Niang thought for a moment, then whispered into Lu Xi's ear, "Erlang will take the palace examination today, and he will pass the imperial examination tomorrow.

I heard that after the Golden List is posted, the royal family, high-ranking officials and nobles will directly capture the person under the Golden List and marry his daughter in the hall. "

Lu Xi was shocked and said, "How can that be possible? Tomorrow morning, I will ask my father to take Uncle Ji, Uncle Gou and others to wait outside Donghua Gate.

As soon as the second brother comes out, we will go back and snatch him back. We can’t let anyone snatch him away alive.”

Dan Niang said: "Yes! This is the only way to be safe. But...

Why don't we wait for Erlang to come back, and we two sisters can give him a small surprise tonight?

"If you can hold Erlang's heart, no one else can snatch it away."

Lu Xi's face immediately turned red, and she said in a low voice hesitantly, "How...how come Xiao Dengke?

My second elder brother has now passed the imperial examination and I don’t know how many people are watching him.

This…if I get pregnant, that would be Second Brother’s handle, and someone would use it against Second Brother.”

Dan Niang whispered, "We can use some alternative methods. As long as Erlang is happy, it's fine."

Lu Xi said disappointedly: "Then it's not surprising enough, right?"

Dan Niang leaned close to Lu Xi's ear and whispered, "What if two birds are fighting for food, and the happiness is doubled..."

Qingtang was squatting not far away, cracking melon seeds, and she had no idea what her godmother had said to her sister Luxi.

Sister Luxi's face suddenly turned red, and then Dan Niang's face also turned red, like two petals of crabapple flowers blooming together.

Qingtang pouted unhappily. She didn’t know what bad things her master was going to do. He didn’t take me with him. Am I still his goddaughter?
PS: Still 7,000 two-in-one
(End of this chapter)