The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Zhou Ding pursed his lips and, unwilling to give up, peered through the crack in the door, but of course, he couldn't see anything.

Knowing that his bloodline was questionable and that he had not been favored by his father for the past few years, he was even less likely to dare to force an audience with the Grand Eunuch after hearing that Zhou Pu was resting with his eyes closed.

After pausing for a moment at the door, he finally softened his tone: "Alright, I'll come back this afternoon!"

"Your Highness, may you have a safe journey," the head eunuch said, bowing respectfully. He smiled, but his eyes revealed little true respect.

That's how it is in the palace. Even the lowest-ranking palace maids and eunuchs know how to treat people differently and be opportunistic. How much more so for a high-ranking eunuch like him, who is even more aware of his own situation and has no intention of continuing to enjoy wealth and honor in the palace after the new emperor ascends the throne. Generally speaking, the time when the new emperor ascends the throne is the time of his death, so he doesn't need to be too wary of the young crown prince now.

With a flick of his whisk, he turned and went elsewhere. When the messenger arrived at Yonghe Palace, Cui Rong was reclining on the couch, smoking and enjoying herself.

Her father, Cui Ling, had already sent someone to tell her in detail about what happened during the morning court session. She was confident of winning the election for empress, and all her hard work over the years had paid off.

People are in high spirits when they have good news, so she was in a great mood today and rewarded everyone in Yonghe Palace.

Hearing the eunuch come to deliver the message, he quickly understood what was going on. He chuckled lazily and said casually, "It seems our little prince has changed his mind and wants to change his mind. But it's no use saying anything now. The matter is settled. Why make things difficult for himself? Tsk tsk, he's still too young!"

Apart from Shaoyao who dared to chime in twice, no one else dared to respond. Cui Rong didn't pursue the matter. After exhaling another puff of smoke, she paused and asked, "By the way, what about Consort Yang? How is she?"

The messenger bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Consort Yang is currently in her postpartum confinement period. His Majesty has completely abandoned her and secretly ordered the imperial physician to prescribe a medicine. I have already secretly consulted a familiar imperial physician, who said that something is amiss and that it could easily cause postpartum hemorrhage. I don't know how many more days Consort Yang can hold on. Your Majesty need not worry!"

Cui Rong scoffed at this, "Although Consort Yang is intelligent and comes from a good family, she is ultimately unable to bear loneliness and is quite audacious. She thought that by using a trick to shift the blame, she could elevate herself to a higher level. Little did she know that this was superfluous! Ever since I learned of her pregnancy, I knew that she was no longer my match, and I have not taken her seriously."

However, since we entered the palace together, and she even helped me a few times, it's a bit disheartening to see her end up like this! Fine, fine, consider it repaying a favor. Have someone secretly switch the medicinal herbs, and spare her life!

"Yes," the young eunuch replied, then cautiously asked, "What about Consort Qian...?"

Cui Rong waved her hand, her eyes becoming more serious. "Don't touch Consort Qian yet. She's more cunning and patient than Consort Yang. Such people are the most patient. Let her have her own time for a few days. It won't be too late to deal with her after I officially become Empress. When you go back, just report my intentions in this way."

"Yes!" the little eunuch replied again.

"Alright, you may leave now. Report back to me immediately if anything happens," Cui Rong said, turning her head to signal her personal maid, Shaoyao, to give her a reward.

Peony, understanding the implication, took a handful of golden melon seeds from the box and handed them to the little eunuch.

When she was in a good mood, Cui Rong was never stingy with the rewards given to the palace servants.

When Cui Ling returned home after finishing her shift, the joy on her face was impossible to hide.

After inquiring in detail, Madam Cui learned about what had happened at the morning court session. Her face showed a mixture of pride and surprise, and she suddenly thought of something.

"Oh my, you know what? That fortune teller once told Rong'er's fortune and said she had the destiny of a phoenix. At first, I thought he was just a street vendor and that his predictions would be inaccurate, but now it seems to be true! The fortune teller was right after all."

Cui Ling also remembered, and sighed: "Yes, I had forgotten about this. When Rong'er first entered the palace, I was saddened for a long time after learning that she had been disfigured. Who would have thought that she would have such good fortune? If she can become the empress, our family will no longer have to live in fear of losing our lives every day."

Madam Cui was delighted and replied with a smile, "On the fifteenth of the month, I will take He'er to the temple to offer incense and fulfill my vow, and ask the Bodhisattva for blessings."

Cui Ling didn't object. He suppressed the smugness in his eyes and said, "This period is crucial. When you and He'er are out and about, keep a low profile in your words and actions. Don't cause trouble for Rong'er or give her anything to talk about."

“I understand!” Madam Cui nodded gracefully.

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere at the Cui residence, after returning home from work, the Zhang father and son, without bothering to deal with their two children's whining and pleas for hugs, went straight to the study to discuss important matters.

After a day, Xiaoyuer's anger and emotions had subsided considerably. Now, his expression was calm, and he no longer showed such obvious disappointment as he had during the morning court session.

He asked objectively and truthfully, "Father, I didn't expect His Highness the Crown Prince to suddenly change his mind during the morning court session. But now that it has happened, there's no use saying anything more. Are you sure we want to transfer him out as we agreed before?"

“Son, you are still too young. You didn’t see the tricks of the morning court. His Highness the Crown Prince is just a puppet. Whether he is there or not, the final result is the same. The most important thing is that His Majesty has made up his mind.”

Xiaoyuer frowned in confusion, "Then why did the uncles of the Qian family stand up to oppose making Cui Rong empress during the morning court session? Didn't they see His Majesty's intentions, or were they just putting on an act?"

Zhang Ping'an looked at his son, smiled, and said calmly, "Of course it's just an act! How can His Majesty be allowed to perform a one-man show for such an important event? You've had it too easy before. It's good that you've stumbled a bit now. You have a long life ahead of you, and there's still so much for you to learn!"

After a pause, Zhang Ping'an continued with a tone that was both wistful and firm, "If I had any hesitation before, I have now made up my mind. There is no need to stay in this luxurious capital city any longer. It would be better to transfer out directly. You are my son, so you must come with me. No one in our family can be left behind."

"I understand, I will definitely go with you, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Xiaoyuer said worriedly.

At that time, in order to prevent collusion or the rise of a single powerful family, it was rare for fathers and sons to serve as officials in the same place.