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

Zhang Ping'an knew there were no secrets in the capital, and he didn't expect to keep this a secret for long.

Now that Qian Ying has asked me this, I'm not too surprised.

He smiled and replied, "Brother-in-law, what are you saying? I know you've always wanted our two families to become even closer through marriage, but marriage is also about fate, isn't it? My proposal to the Prince of Qin's mansion for Xiaoyuer wasn't just about finding a spouse for him."

"Oh? Is there some other consideration?"

Qian Ying's probing gaze went straight into people's hearts, and was also slightly dissatisfied.

He was getting annoyed by being politely rejected several times, and most importantly, it was embarrassing for him.

Now that things have come to this, Zhang Ping'an is no longer prepared to keep his affairs hidden.

So, pretending not to notice Qian Ying's dissatisfaction, he replied half-truthfully, "To be honest, it is true. You know His Majesty is seriously ill now, and his paranoia is several times greater than before, all in order to pave the way for the Crown Prince before he dies. I'm afraid I've also caught His Majesty's eye now."

"What?" Qian Ying hadn't expected Zhang Ping'an to say that.

"Haven't you always been highly regarded by His Majesty?"

"The heart of an emperor is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; there is no unchanging favoritism. I don't know what I did wrong to make His Majesty make such a decision, but His Majesty is indeed suspicious of me now."

After Zhang Ping'an finished speaking, he looked at Qian Ying and did her a favor to clear himself of any wrongdoing. "I was just afraid that if something happened, it would drag the Qian family down with me, and you would be caught in the middle and put in a difficult position."

Qian Ying was a clever man. "So you want to use the marriage proposal to win over the King of Qin, and at the same time test the King of Qin's attitude, is that right?"

“That’s right,” Zhang Ping’an nodded, “and as you know, the result wasn’t optimistic!”

This was indeed important news, Qian Ying thought, and stopped insisting on bringing up the marriage proposal.

Silence fell over the carriage for a moment.

Both of them had their own thoughts.

Upon arriving at the palace gate, the two alighted from the carriage together.

However, Qian Ying's rank was not high enough to enter the palace today, so he could only hand over the bundle he brought to the palace servants for delivery.

Zhang Ping'an instructed that after eating his fill and sending Qian Ying back, he should wait for him at the palace gate.

Qian Ying's feelings were also somewhat complicated at this moment. She was trying to figure out Zhang Ping'an's intentions for being so frank, and she also felt embarrassed and regretful about what Zhang Ping'an had said.

However, the final decision will have to be made after Grand Tutor Qian leaves the palace.

So when they parted, Qian Ying could only offer a few words of subtle comfort in a low voice: "His Majesty's mind is unpredictable; perhaps it's just a misfortune. Don't worry!"

"I understand!" Zhang Ping'an smiled, cupped his hands in farewell, and followed the palace servants into the palace.

Compared to the previous few days, the area in front of Shouning Hall was much quieter, with only some senior officials and high-ranking nobles remaining.

As the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the Crown Prince was too busy to attend to everything, and in addition, Zhou Ziming was in poor health, so he could not stay in Shouning Palace for long.

It's not there right now.

Only the second, third, and fourth princes were present.

The relationship between the three was clearly not good.

The third and fourth princes secretly joined forces to exclude the second prince, Zhou Shu.

Because they were young and lacked shrewdness, their actions were quite obvious.

At the very least, it couldn't escape the eyes of these seasoned veterans who had been navigating the court for years.

If it were Zhou Shu from many years ago, he might have been enraged by their behavior, but the current Zhou Shu scoffs at their childish actions.

He felt utterly disdainful.

His expression remained calm, unaffected by the attitudes of his two half-brothers.

He has more important things to do right now.

Zhang Ping'an looked closely and found that the Imperial Preceptor, Master Yuantong, was not with the Second Prince.

After inquiring with his colleagues, he learned that Zhou Ziming had summoned several cabinet ministers for a meeting, and Yuantong, as the national advisor, had also gone along, as had the crown prince.

Zhang Ping'an guessed it was because of the enfeoffment announcement that would be made at tomorrow's morning court session.

With the strong support of the cabinet ministers in advance, tomorrow's morning court session will go more smoothly.

With Yuantong and the Crown Prince absent, and two fewer people to be wary of, Zhang Ping'an's expression became less tense. After a short while, he quickly found an opportunity to send a message to the Shouning Palace.

As a nun who chants sutras to help Empress Wei pass on to the afterlife, Sanya is supposed to stay in the palace for a total of 49 days. Only three days have passed so far, and there is still a long time left.

Since she took the initiative to show herself in front of Xu, she should have guessed that she would be approached by him.

Perhaps the initial intention was simply to lure him out.

If she had any ulterior motives, she couldn't possibly remain indifferent to the message from the palace servants.

By sending a message through someone, Zhang Ping'an also wanted to see Sanya's current attitude.

As he expected, the palace servant soon took the opportunity of serving tea to silently mouth the message: "The clean room in the side hall."

This means that Sanya will wait for him near the washroom in the side hall.

Zhang Ping'an understood immediately and lowered his head to drink his tea, signifying that he had comprehended the meaning.

Upon seeing this, the palace servants calmly collected the tea tray and left.

Nothing about it was particularly noteworthy.

A short while later, Zhang Ping'an got up and walked towards the clean room in the side hall.

This is also the only place where he can have normal interactions with Sanya now.

When they reached the corner under the eaves near the side hall, Sanya was already there.

The autumn heatwave is still intense, but Sanya's heavy robes are worn tightly and neatly, without a trace of sweat on her body.

His expression was gentle and peaceful, with lowered eyebrows and kind eyes.

He does indeed have the air of a monk who is detached from worldly affairs.

When Sanya saw Zhang Ping'an approaching, her eyes narrowed for a moment, but she quickly calmed down and even smiled slightly.

From the moment Zhang Ping'an saw the person, he scrutinized her closely. When he saw San Ya's gaze, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Just as my mother, Xu, described, his smile was incredibly sinister.

Sanya's appearance today is very different from what she looked like twenty years ago. This difference is not only in her physical features, but more so in her temperament.

Upon closer inspection, her eyebrows drooped gently, and her cheeks were very round. Without any makeup, she looked clean and kind.

The Sanya of the past was completely unrelated to the word "kindness," but now she does indeed have a kind and gentle aura, giving off a feeling of a nun.

Once it opens its mouth, it looks even more like it.

Sanya speaks very slowly, but her pronunciation is clear and accurate; it is authentic Mandarin without a trace of accent.

"Young man, it's been so many years, do you still remember me?"

"Of course I remember, otherwise I wouldn't be here, would I?" Zhang Ping'an replied, looking down.

"When I greeted Mother a few days ago, she was terrified, wasn't she?" Sanya asked calmly, oblivious to the wariness in Zhang Ping'an's tone.

Zhang Ping'an raised his head and smiled, then asked directly, "Third Sister is now a nun, and she can even enter the palace to chant sutras for the Empress. She must have a certain reputation in Buddhism. Nuns are detached from worldly affairs and do not concern themselves with worldly matters. Why is Third Sister so insistent on recognizing her again?"

Sanya remained unperturbed and calmly said, "It seems that my brother is not very welcoming of my appearance, but fate is so wonderful. My brother and I have gone through many twists and turns, and finally met in this palace. It proves that even without you, I am doing just fine, aren't I?"

"Heh, how are you doing? Then why did you abandon your own son again? You're Zhong Xiaobao's biological mother, aren't you?"

Zhang Ping'an suddenly pressed him with a cold voice.

I was prepared for Sanya to deny it, but to my surprise, Sanya nodded without hesitation and admitted, "Yes, he is indeed my son."

"Suffering is a bone-scraping knife, and there's nothing I can do about it."