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

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Crown Prince riding in the Royal Sedan, escorted by guards and monks, slowly passing through the crowd.

The expression on his face was not as solemn as that of ordinary nobles and princes. Instead, he looked very gentle and smiling.

He has a handsome face, eyes like black ink, and a fair complexion, looking a bit like a pale scholar.

He has an elegant temperament and outstanding demeanor.

Coupled with the blessing of the prince's brocade clothes and jade belt on his body, the whole person is shining in the sun, rustling like a strong pine in the wind, and looks noble and imposing.

Anyone who sees him will have to praise him as a handsome and noble young man!

You can tell at first glance that he is a person of excellent background and upbringing.

"As expected of the emperor's eldest son, he truly has the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix," Luodou praised with admiration after seeing this.

"Yes, I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a very good reputation among the officials. He is well-versed in classics and history and is humble and self-disciplined. Today I see that his reputation is well-deserved. He is only sixteen years old this year. It is not easy for him to achieve such an achievement. It shows that he is also talented. Even if he was not born in an imperial family, he will surely have a chance to succeed," said Lord Huang after taking a careful look.

"He is cheerful in appearance but modest in words, dignified but not quarrelsome, and sociable but not partisan. This is very rare. I have also heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a good character. He often goes to charity homes in various places outside the capital to donate alms to the poor. During the autumn harvest, he goes to the imperial farm to check the fields in person. He truly has the appearance of a benevolent monarch," Zhang Ping'an nodded on the side.

His first impression of the prince was quite good. Whether in terms of appearance, temperament or eyes, at least he was not bad in general.

Not a gloomy person.

He remembered that when he had just passed the imperial examination, he went to visit the Zhou Mansion and met the emperor's second son, Zhou Shu. He was a very smart child and seemed to be very much loved. He wondered how he was doing now that his brother was named the crown prince.

Roughly speaking, he should be eleven or twelve years old now, but we haven't heard much about him in the capital.

"By the way, have you heard of the emperor's second son, Zhou Shu?"

Lord Huang likes to inquire about things on a daily basis. He knows a little about the situation, but not the details. He only knows that the second prince is young and rarely shows up in public.

Green Bean Eyes, Liu Shuisheng, and Zhang Ping'an didn't know much either. They only knew that the emperor had four sons. The eldest prince, also the current crown prince Zhou Pu, and the second prince Zhou Shu were brothers from the same mother, both born to the current queen.

The third son Zhou Zhuo and the fourth son Zhou Yong were born to concubines and are still young.

Liu Sanlang, having stayed in the capital for a few extra months, knew a little more than the others. Upon hearing this, he whispered to them, "You are right. The Emperor now has four sons, all born before he ascended the throne. The third and youngest sons are still young, and being born to concubines, they are naturally raised in the harem. The eldest son, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, is born to the Empress and lives in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. However, only the second son has been allocated a separate residence outside the palace, which is somewhat unusual.

It has been about two years. Since then, the Second Prince has rarely appeared in front of civil and military officials, so you rarely hear news about him.

Some say this is the Emperor's favor, while others say the Emperor couldn't stand the Second Prince's arrogant and domineering nature, so he sent him away and planned to send him to his fiefdom when he came of age. There are so many different opinions, no one can be sure, so you better pay attention!"

"So there's such a thing," Liu Shuisheng said in surprise, "The Second Prince isn't old enough, there's no reason to send him out alone!"

"That's why it's strange. What's even stranger is that Queen Wei didn't say anything and just acquiesced," Liu Sanlang scratched his head.

He actually couldn't understand it. Whether it was grace or punishment, it was not suitable for a child.

"Was the second prince arrogant and domineering before? He was less than ten years old two years ago," Lord Huang asked in confusion.

"It's hard to say. How can I find out what's going on in the palace? I just heard it from others and I dare not comment on it. Let's all be cautious in what we say and do," Liu Sanlang said naively.

Then he pointed at the Crown Prince's sedan chair and said, "Look, here comes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! This is the first time I've been this close to him!"

To be honest, this excuse to change the subject is a bit poor. My brother-in-law is not a good liar at all. I didn’t see you so excited when you ate from the same pot with the emperor, Zhang Pingan thought helplessly.

Lord Huang also heard it and felt helpless.

However, what he valued was Liu Sanlang's temperament and character. He had a bottom line and was not full of bad intentions, so he was not actually angry.

He just pretended to be dissatisfied and said, "Brother Liu, I'm not old enough to have blurry eyes!"

The others smiled good-naturedly after hearing this, which made Liu Sanlang blush.

To be honest, although the battlefield is dangerous, he still feels more comfortable on the battlefield. At least he doesn't have to worry about so many interpersonal relationships.

People in the military tend to speak directly and simply.