The next morning
While Jun Mo Xie was sleeping soundly in his bed with a beauty in his arms, on the other side of the capital, Tang Yuan's table was loaded with food. His household servants watched in stunned silence as their young master, possessed by so otherworldly force, devoured everything in sight.
Baskets of steaming pork buns disappeared down his throat like pebbles tossed into a well. Plates of crispy duck vanished with alarming speed. Five bowls of rice followed suit, chased by three bowls of spicy beef noodles.
He wiped his mouth, burped loudly, and then ordered another round.
By the ti he was done, his belly had expanded to twice its usual size, stretched round and taut like a perfectly polished drum.
His servants stared at him in horror.
Tang Yuan ignored them. He felt powerful! Strong! Unstoppable!
Mo Xie, my brother, your wisdom is unparalleled! Today, I shall march into that examination like a true warrior!
With his belly bouncing proudly before him, he climbed onto his rickety little horse next to his father. The poor beast groaned under his weight, its legs trembling like twigs in a storm.
His father side-eyed him.
"Did you eat a war elephant for breakfast?"
Tang Yuan grinned. "Father, I am rely following the wise guidance of my closest brother!"
His father grunted. "Hmph. I just hope that wisdom of yours can survive until the examination."
And with that, the father and son duo galloped—well, his father galloped while Tang Yuan's horse staggered and wheezed—toward the Imperial Palace, completely unaware that an unimaginable disaster was about to unfold.
Minister Tang stood tall, his chest puffed out like a rooster surveying his domain. His eyes glead with fatherly pride as he observed his son, Tang Yuan, who sat astride a poor, groaning horse that looked like it was experiencing the final monts of its tragic existence.
The horse's legs trembled violently, each step a battle against fate itself. One could almost hear its silent prayers for release from this cruel world.
Yet Minister Tang, in his infinite confidence, rely stroked his beard and chuckled. What should I be afraid of? As the saying goes, a man mustn't worry about his weight!
As they reached the Imperial Palace, the grand gates lood overhead, a symbol of power and authority. Tang Yuan, despite his father's confident deanor, could feel his nerves creeping up his spine like a swarm of ants. He dismounted—more accurately, he rolled off his horse, causing the ground beneath him to tremble slightly.
"Fatty, walk properly! What are you doing? This isn't a battlefield, it's a governnt examination!" Minister Tang barked, glancing around with mild embarrassnt.
Tang Yuan grumbled but hurried along to the designated waiting area for the dical examination. The mont he settled into a chair, the wooden fra let out a pathetic creak of protest.
Around him, the other applicants sat with poised elegance. There were nine candidates in total—four from prestigious families, their noses held high enough to touch the heavens, and five talented scholars, their expressions carrying the smug assurance of intelligence.
Tang Yuan, on the other hand, was... massaging his belly.
The atmosphere was tense. Everyone knew that Old Zhu's examination thod was notorious for its brutality. The rumors about the previous candidate, Mu Rong Qian Jun, still haunted them all.
Last year, Mu Rong Qian Jun passed the test—but at a cost. The poor scholar limped for an entire month afterward. So say his spirit never recovered.
And now, it was Tang Yuan's turn.
As the clock ticked down, Tang Yuan clutched the small pill Jun Mo Xie had given him. His palms were sweaty. His heart pounded.
One hour before the test.
He reminded himself.
With a deep breath, he popped the pill into his mouth. The bitter taste made him wince, so he quickly chugged a full cup of cold water to wash it down.
That should do it! He thought.
But then, his stomach gurgled.
It was a deep, ominous sound, like a storm brewing on the horizon.
Tang Yuan froze.
The sensation that followed was... strange. A warmth spread through his gut, followed by a growing pressure. He shuddered.
And that's when the true disaster began.
Minister Tang, still standing proudly outside, had no idea that his greatest nightmare was about to unfold.
Tang Yuan sat like a prisoner awaiting execution.
The wooden chair beneath him groaned under his weight, almost as if it, too, was pleading for rcy. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he clutched his stomach, feeling the ominous storm brewing inside.
Why? He cried internally. Why did I trust that devil Jun Mo Xie?!
The mont he saw the previous candidate being led into the examination hall, his anxiety skyrocketed. He turned his fat neck—a motion that required significant effort—and frantically scanned the room for an escape route.
Unfortunately, his sharp-eyed father was watching him like a hawk.
Minister Tang's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Don't embarrass your old man!" He barked in a low but deadly voice.
Tang Yuan imdiately retracted his neck like a turtle, grumbling under his breath.
Just then, his worst nightmare began.
A deep rumble surged through his stomach.
It was not the ordinary kind—the type that foretells a calamity.
GRRRUUUUGGGGGLLLLL—
His face turned pale as paper.
Tang Yuan snapped his head up and looked at his father, his eyes filled with sheer terror.
"I want to—"
"You want to break your legs?!" Minister Tang's voice thundered, cutting him off.
Tang Yuan froze in place.
"If you don't pass this test, I'll break your legs when we get ho! And if you say another word, I'll break them right here!"
Tang Yuan gulped. He felt like crying but had no tears left to shed. He clutched his stomach and sat back down like an obedient child, trying desperately to suppress the raging war inside his intestines.
But his inner demons refused to be tad.
The pressure inside him grew stronger, like an unstoppable force of nature.
And worse—he now knew why.
And then it all ca back to him—Jun Mo Xie's words.
Don't forget to skip your breakfast.
But Tang Yuan, in his infinite wisdom, had misheard it as...
Don't forget your breakfast.
So, what had he done?
He had gorged himself like a starving beast. Stead buns, roasted duck, five bowls of rice, dumplings, and even a whole roasted pig leg!
And to make matters ten tis worse, he had washed it all down with cold water.
Now, his stomach was a battlefield.
His intestines? A ticking ti bomb.
And the worst part?
He still had to undergo a dical examination.
Just at that mont, the stern voice of the eunuch echoed in the waiting hall.
"Next candidate—Tang Yuan!"
Tang Yuan's soul nearly left his body. His legs shook as he forced himself to stand up. Every movent sent shockwaves through his bloated stomach.
He took one step.
GRRRGGLLL...
He took another step.
BBBRRRRRLLLLT!—
A small sound escaped.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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