Thus, Baili Yan and Old Mu recounted the events that had taken place in the court to Mr. Luo.
After hearing this, Mr. Luo fell silent, because although Old Mu and Baili Yan were unaware of certain matters, he himself was well inford.
At that ti, the individual claid to be from the frontier and even brought Brother An a large piece of pink jade raw material, while what he had received was a piece of black jade raw material.
That person had certainly disguised himself, adopting a completely different deanour and aura. Mr. Luo could not confirm whether the individual was the Emperor nor if the Emperor had been present at the ti.
The master and disciple both fell quiet, leaving Old Mu and Baili Yan sowhat anxious.
"Say sothing, will you?" Old Mu was the first to speak up.
"Say what?" Ye Zi’an lifted his eyes slightly, "Whatever the Emperor says, we follow. And you, cousin, although you’re directly related to our uncle, you should still keep your distance. The Emperor is only fifty so far, strong and healthy. You just need to focus on your own duties. Rember, real becos fake when the fake becos real. However, there’s a saying that it’s lonely at the top, so cousin, you should show your filial piety occasionally."
After Ye Zi’an spoke in this manner, Baili Yan stared at him strangely for a good while before not saying anything more and returning to his residence.
Old Mu did the sa, eyeing his nephew strangely for a long ti.
Once the two had left, Mr. Luo comnted, "No wonder the Emperor has ordered a thorough investigation of the Imperial Exam across the entire Great Zhou. It’s uncertain whether he has been paying attention all along."
Having considered this possibility himself, Ye Zi’an gently reminded Baili Yan. The Emperor was not only physically fit but also did not seem as muddled as the rumors claid. If the Emperor was indeed paying attention to him, then he must be clearly aware of Baili Yan and Old Mu’s relationship with him.
You and Old Mu may be nephews and uncles, but you are also subjects; it is inappropriate for a prince and a military officer with authority to be so closely associated.
~~~~~~~
Every three years, the top three scholars are to parade around the Capital City. This ti, the event is scheduled for three days later, when officials from the Ministry of Rites will co to guide the three laureates onto horses and arrange the parade’s route and so forth.
Frankly, Ye Zi’an had no desire to participate in the parade, but he couldn’t escape it due to Old Mu’s insistence. Therefore, he could only endure until three days later.
Co the morning of that day, officials from the Ministry of Rites had already arrived. By now, the fact that Ye Zi’an lived in Old Mu’s guesthouse had beco widely known.
Consequently, many people started inquiring about the relationship between Old Mu and Ye Zi’an. With a bit of revelation from the noble families, everyone now knew about the nephew and uncle duo, and that they were cousins to the Third Prince. Even the identity of Ye Zi’an’s birth mother was uncovered, as well as the fact that he was married and had taken a wife from the countryside. In short, those people dug up as much detail as they possibly could.
Early in the morning, Ye Zi’an changed into a new set of robes, coincidentally the ivory-colored brocade robe that Yang Chuxia had dreamt about. When the Ministry of Rites officials arrived, they saw a tall figure slowly approaching—of course, if one ignored the eye-catching mole near the corner of his eye. Essentially, Ye Zi’an was playing dead now; he would not clean his face until the Emperor summoned him.
The parade of the top scholar was indeed a grand spectacle, occurring only once every three years, with many people venturing out to witness it on that day.
However, this year’s top scholar wasn’t much of an attraction, being over forty years old—probably with grandchildren already. So people even knew that this top scholar was supposed to be Ye Zi’an but had whimsically been replaced by the Emperor himself.
And as for the flower of the Imperial Exam, they probably had sons and daughters all married off already.
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