Abandoned by the best children? I just take out the space

"Brother Xiao is truly a genius. We admire him greatly. Brother Xiao is the most knowledgeable person here."

"Yeah, I guess Brother Xiao took first place in the palace examination."

"Let's have a drink to Brother Xiao. When Brother Xiao becomes successful, don't forget us."

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together, but Xiao Jingheng shook his head modestly: "This palace examination is open to the whole world, and there are many talented people in the capital. I am nothing, so don't think too much, just do your best."

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, then just smiled and drank the wine in the glass. A classmate sitting next to Xiao Jingheng suddenly reached out and nudged his arm.

"Jing Heng, I heard that Shangguan Chu will also take part in the palace examination. Do you really want to let her go?"

After the words fell, the other classmates also looked at Xiao Jingheng with curiosity. Seeing them like this, Xiao Jingheng looked puzzled and said puzzledly: "Achu can go if he wants to, why should I stop him?"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked. Several people shook their heads and sighed, and tried to dissuade him.

"No way, Jing Heng, how could you tolerate Shangguan Chu's nonsense? She is a woman, and now she is pregnant. How can she take part in the palace examination?"

"That's right. A woman should take good care of the household, be the head of the household, be a good wife, take care of your daily life, and stop thinking about studying."

"Jing Heng, you shouldn't spoil her like this. She's become lawless."

The more they spoke, the more excited they became, and the voices of dissuasion gradually grew louder. Xiao Jingheng kept his head down, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, suppressing his anger.

When their words became even more unpleasant, he completely exploded and slammed the table: "Enough!"

"Shangguan Chu is my wife. I am willing to support her no matter what she does. Besides, His Majesty has already decreed that women can study and participate in politics. Women should also have their own ambitions. My Ah Chu is right."

As soon as the words fell, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. Everyone else was shocked that Xiao Jingheng defended Shangguan Chu so much. Seeing that he was so angry that he even brought up His Majesty, they didn't dare to say anything more.

But Xiao Jingheng still saw the true faces of these people and didn't want to stay at the table any longer, so he stood up and left.

The day before the palace examination.

Chen Changli finally got news about Beidi again and hurried back home from the military camp. Seeing Wan Shufang sewing clothes, he walked over quickly and sat beside her.

The moment the shadow fell, Wan Shufang noticed Chen Changli and looked up to ask, "Why are you back so early today?"

"Shufang, my people reported that a small group from the Northern Di tribe had sneaked into the capital, but their whereabouts and purpose are currently unknown."

Hearing this, Wan Shufang handed the clothes in her hand to Chunju, dismissed the servants, and her face gradually became serious: "Do you have any clues to investigate?"

"No, he disappeared after entering the country."

"So that's how it is..." Wan Shufang murmured, her eyes solemn as she thought of the recent major events that would happen in the capital. "With the palace examination approaching, they might be planning to kidnap or assassinate the students taking the exam."

"Some students have complicated backgrounds, especially those with connections to the Imperial City military camp."

Upon hearing this, Chen Changli instantly understood Wan Shufang's intention. He frowned and said angrily, "Humph, if they dare to come up with such an idea, they must have the ability to do it!"

"The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. We must be on guard against this. Chen Changli, tomorrow is the palace examination. We must strengthen the security to prevent any problems."

"I understand. I will make arrangements now and ensure the imperial city is firmly protected."

Having said that, Chen Changli stood up and quickly left the courtyard. Looking at his back as he walked away, Wan Shufang's eyes were full of worry. She subconsciously covered her heart and it took her a long time to suppress the uneasiness.

Soon, the day of the palace examination arrived.

Students from various families entered the examination room one after another. Outside the examination room, it was crowded with family elders who came to send them off to take the exam. Some students came alone, but in short, it was overcrowded. Xiao Jingheng was among them and was about to enter.

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the crowd. A man dressed as a student waiting for an exam drew out a dagger and stabbed Xiao Jingheng fiercely.

The crowd screamed at the sight of the dagger.

"Ah! Killed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of black-clad secret guards flew down and blocked the dagger with their swords. Only then did Xiao Jingheng see the man's face clearly.

Half of that face was tattooed in the shape of a flower, which made Xiao Jingheng feel inexplicably familiar. Just as he was stunned, a big hand suddenly pulled him back.

Xiao Jingheng came back to his senses instantly, turned his head and saw Chen Changli. He was startled: "Sir, why are you here?"

"There are Northern Di people mixed in with them, you go first." After saying that, Chen Changli pushed Xiao Jingheng away a little, then raised his sword to fight the enemy. When the Northern Di warrior saw that the assassination attempt had failed, he gritted his teeth and glared at Chen Changli with disgust.

Without waiting for Chen Changli to get close, he decided to go all out and directly detonated the gunpowder hidden in his arms!

With a loud bang, flames shot up into the sky on the street. The scene was in chaos. People were only concerned about escaping, running in all directions, and people and horses were thrown to the ground.

In the chaos, another group of masked men took advantage of the disorder to rush towards the examiner's seat and went straight for the test questions. When they were about to touch the test questions, Wan Shufang suddenly appeared with his men and stopped those people.

"stop!"

"Catch these traitors who stole the exam questions."

At her command, the Royal Guards immediately took orders and fought fiercely with the masked man. Such a chaotic scene made Xiao Jingheng very anxious. He did not choose to retreat, but protected the candidates beside him and slowly retreated.

Just as they were about to exit the fierce battle, a poisonous arrow suddenly shot out from somewhere and headed straight for Shangguan Chu. Seeing this, Xiao Jingheng's face changed drastically and he quickly hugged her.

His body turned half a circle, and the arrow grazed his arm, instantly cutting through his flesh.

"Jingheng, how are you?" Shangguan Chu asked worriedly, and anxiously checked his wound. Before she could take a closer look, Xiao Jingheng put his hand down.

"I'm fine, just a little scratch. Let's go, get out of here first."

He didn't bother to treat the wound on his arm, but endured the severe pain and pushed the young candidate next to him to a safe place...

Seeing this, Shangguan Chu could only put aside his worries temporarily and help him save people. It was not until the riot subsided that Xiao Jingheng finally couldn't hold on and fell to the ground due to the poison.

With a "bang", his body fell heavily to the ground, which also alarmed Shangguan Chu behind him.

"Jing Heng!"

Her pupils suddenly contracted and she rushed forward to hug him. The commotion here also alarmed Wan Shufang, and she hurried over to give Xiao Jingheng acupuncture treatment.

But when she was taking the pulse, Wan Shufang's face suddenly turned ugly. She glanced at Shangguan Chu hesitantly, and she told the truth: "A Chu, Xiao Jingheng...he is beyond help."

"The arrow wound on his arm is extremely poisonous. It's a poison specially made by the Northern Di that kills instantly upon contact with blood. I can't cure it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Jingheng suddenly spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, and slowly raised his hand, wanting to touch Shangguan Chu's tear-stained cheek.

"Achu..."