Damn it, this boss really has no normal skills.

Viscount Kumu, who has been in the circle for many years, will never miss this opportunity to make friends with the big shot.

Seeing that the popular prince and the chosen one of God actually appeared in his territory at the same time, he felt so happy that he almost fainted, and hurriedly and cordially invited them to visit the castle.

Philip, who was originally reluctant, also changed his mind. After all, he might be the first royal family to meet the Chosen One of God. The first-mover advantage is very important. He must seize this opportunity and at least leave a good enough impression.

What, you're saying Eleanor isn't royal?

If you ask about it on paper, yes, they can be included in the family tree and are descendants of the glorious royal family with roots and foundation.

But actually...

Not to mention that Lord Changge did not marry into the royal family. Even if he did, it was purely for the sake of the royal family's reputation. There were even heirs of foreign blood, so how could they be considered royals?

In short, although it was almost time for supper, the Viscount still set up a sumptuous dinner in the castle.

Invite the prince, the chosen one, and the princess to reminisce... Well, they may not have much to reminisce about, so let's get together and talk about interesting things.

However, although the prince was happy to share his and Yimoduo's rare travel time, and Ji Ming was also willing to talk about the customs and culture of Sunshine City, these were obviously not the theme of the banquet.

After a few words and a lot of twists and turns, the truth was finally revealed and they came to some quite sharp topics.

So Philip took a sip of red wine and asked casually.

"I heard that the chosen one has extraordinary medical skills and a wide range of friends, not only the southern nobles, but also Princess Eleanor. Is that true?"

Seeing that the other person's words were full of hidden meaning, Ji Ming carefully considered his wording.

"We can be considered comrades-in-arms. From the discovery of the Shadow Church's infiltration to their final full-scale attack, she and I participated in a lot and made many contributions."

Philip chewed over this sentence and found that he could find no fault with it.

Although the team heading north moved slowly along the way, the report on the defense of Sunshine City was sent to the royal capital as quickly as possible.

This is also the fundamental reason why he is so hurried that even if he needs to temporarily leave the territory to work remotely, he has to take his little sister around to solicit sponsorship.

——Objectively speaking, Eleanor has made great contributions in defending the country and resisting the enemy!

You have to understand that even if you value literature over military affairs and indulge in pleasure, like the glory of a great warrior from another world, solid military exploits are supreme and the most valuable item in your resume.

So the question is, if Eleanor has made military achievements, then let her do so. She has already become a prince, so why should she care about how others climb up the ladder?

There is no way, who asked Eleanor and Fia to be the same age and both have to take part in the royal assessment in May this year?

"Why is it that other people's Zi Han is so stubborn, saying that he wants to go back to the countryside for the summer vacation, but ends up squatting in the fields and painting a truckload of Wu San!?"

So when he heard that Eleanor had made great achievements in the war, he had similar thoughts and feelings.

What’s even more terrible is that even in the college entrance examination, the number of students admitted to 985 universities in the same year can reach tens of thousands. Even in Tsinghua, Peking University, and Fudan University, there are thousands of places for everyone to squeeze in.

As for the royal examination, usually only one eligible young man can pass it each year. In other words, if another child passes, your own child will not.

Indeed, this rule sounds stupid, but first of all, it is not written down in black and white, it is an unwritten rule, and secondly...

If you want to get ahead and succeed, isn't luck important?

Looking through history books, how many heroes in history were able to look down on the world, but were overshadowed by stronger geniuses among their peers? So this is also a part of the test.

There is only one exception in history, and that is Eleanor's mother, Princess Mengquan.

But they started the assessment at the age of 17, and the only modification was the "appropriate age" requirement. Moreover, they would be taking risks if they used up the opportunity in advance.

What's more, Mengquan was a famous talented woman in history, with perfect IQ and EQ. The king and his ministers had enough reasons to tolerate her little willfulness.

As for Fia... I'm sorry, even if you are not as pretty as her, you can't compare to her, so forget it.

But things are dead, people are alive, and being forced into this death test does not necessarily mean death.

Although the old king had promised Eleanor that she would be crowned a princess, he did not make it clear whether she would be crowned at the age of 20 or wait until she was 25 to receive subsistence allowance.

And what if by July or August, he adds, "Eleanor's reward is special, she doesn't have to take the test", then wouldn't Fia have a chance all of a sudden?

Therefore, Philip thought of two campaign tactics: one was to try his best to fill up his younger sister's hand with cards first; the other was to use his connections to get the king to postpone the reward, or simply make it special!

Considering it from this perspective, the existence of Ji Ming Shen Xuan suddenly becomes extremely important.

First of all, he had military achievements, and he had also figured out a shocking new knowledge.

Apart from anything else, even if he does not want to stay in office this time when he returns to the Vatican, he cannot escape the position of honorary bishop. In the future, he will be a guest of honor wherever he goes, and his words will carry weight.

Secondly, he is Eleanor's most important ally besides her mentor Tenith, and has enough reasons to help her become a princess.

That’s right, it’s about helping her become a princess, not helping her pass the test.

Open your thoughts and ideas!

Who says that those who walk onto this single-plank bridge at the same time will necessarily become enemies!

Is there a possibility that I help your Zi Han get admitted, and you help my Zi Han pass the exam, so that we both win together and step on other competitors?

Of course, Philip is not the only smart person in the world.

From what he knew, among the five heirs who were going to take the assessment this year, two of the other three families had already prepared sugar-coated bullets against Ji Ming.

In fact, he was also trying to rub it, but God helped him and he happened to meet the chosen one in such a crappy place. This time he finally got the upper hand.

Thinking of this, Philip subconsciously glanced at Viscount Kurumu.

But flowers may have feelings, but water is merciless. In Viscount Kurumu's eyes, this look full of approval meant that he was finally chosen by the boss!

His service suddenly became more attentive, and he even took out the fine wine that he had hidden for many years and prepared to save for his son's wedding for everyone to taste.

"As expected of Viscount Deadwood, this is probably the most delicious meal I've had since arriving in the Glowing Kingdom."

After hearing the praise from Ji Ming the Chosen One, he was even more excited. He ordered his most proud aristocratic band to get up from the bed immediately and come over to play an elegant song for the Chosen One!

What is elegant? The church's little songs are elegant.

……

"Tell Old Sun that his little song is really unpleasant. I suggest you go to Earth to find a colleague to learn from him. The one with the most creative mind can do better than this one."

[He said that he was borrowing from it, and would remix it into a rock version and then stitch it with the Earth language]

"Damn, that's not necessary!"

However, Viscount Kurumu was not so foolish as to think that a mere meal and a song would make the two adults willing to support him.

There is a long time to come, and he does this just to earn more favor.

and so.

"It's getting late. I'm sure the lords have important matters to attend to tomorrow. I've ordered the servants to prepare the bedroom. Please follow the maid. If you need anything, please feel free to ask for it."

Walking out of the banquet hall, Ji Ming was still thinking about what Prince Philip had just said.

As an outsider who will get involved sooner or later but has not yet joined the game at least, he certainly does not know what the current intrigue within the royal family is like.

But he was good at observing people's expressions and could see that Prince Philip seemed to be hesitant to speak, and was constantly probing with his front paws like a mean cat. He must have something else he wanted to say to him in private.

Therefore, when he was brought into the room, Ji Ming stopped the maid who was turning towards the door.

"Please don't leave yet."

At the sound of the door lock clicking, the maid turned around with a look of surprise.

"My Lord, I have no intention of leaving. I just want to lock the door."

Ji Ming was confused by this sentence and asked subconsciously.

"Ah, why did you lock the door?"

The maid took a deep breath, licked her lips, and rubbed her hands for some reason.

"I'm...afraid someone else will come in, haha."

Ji Ming: My family, I’m scared. I feel like I’ve really reached a point where I can actually make money by visiting clubs.

But in the current situation, it is not easy for him to cover his face and reduce his charm, so he can only turn slightly to the side.

"Okay, forget the previous question. Let me ask you, do you know where Prince Philip is staying tonight?"

"Down... down to bed? Now? Go to bed! Uh... oh... ah, I know, I know..."

My god, the smoothness of this expression transition is almost worthy of being included in the Beijing Film Academy textbooks.

Looking at the extremely lost maid who opened the door again, Ji Ming, who had finished complaining, asked again in his heart.

"Did she just sigh secretly?"

【Ask me? Ask yourself! 】

The prince's room was closer than Ji Ming had imagined, and after knocking on the door, he saw that in addition to Philip himself, Fia was also inside.

Their mother was the daughter of an old duke of the East, so they had pure red hair and purple eyes, which were the signs of the royal family of the Kingdom of Glow.

The only difference is probably that Philip's eyebrows and eyes are more like his mother's. He is born with a gentleness, and his deep eyes seem to be thinking all the time.

Fia, on the other hand, is more like a royal family, emitting fiery passion all over her body, and seems to be more aggressive than her brother.

As for why her presence at the dinner table just now seemed low, she had always been there as a background board for the dinner...

Of course, she is not stupid. She is showing off her dominance by dancing around in a situation that she can control, but she would be courting death if she jumps around in a high-end situation that is uncertain.

On the other hand, although Eleanor's ochre-red hair and violet eyes are also very beautiful, her color is indeed not as bright as others because her father's family was a wealthy foreign family with brown hair and blue eyes who once lived on the coast of the Yangyue main continent.

And maybe it's because of the heavy past and the burden on her shoulders, at least she is not as energetic as Fia, who has both parents and the protection of her brother, and there is often a bit of confusion in her eyes.

...Anyway, it’s definitely not because she’s short. There’s no such reason. Please don’t spread the rumor.

And since the chosen one of God could come here, it meant that he understood his riddle, so the first sentence Philip said after waving his hand to send the servants away and asking them to close the door was.

"Wonderful! The Chosen One is as smart as I expected. I do have something I want to discuss with you in private."

He first told Ji Ming about the royal assessment. Although some important details were still kept, most of the information was shared with him.

"I see."

Ji Ming had also wondered before, how come there are both princes and princesses in the Glorious Kingdom? Are they having a second year syndrome? A bunch of useless people have so many titles.

So he actually knew about the existence of the royal assessment, but since Eleanor had been promised by the king to pass, he didn't take it too seriously.

After hearing what Philip said, Ji Ming suddenly had a lot of doubts in his mind, and he asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time.

"Excuse me, is it related to this incident that Eleanor suddenly ended her work in Sunshine City two months ago and followed Archbishop Tenis back to the capital?"

Ok?

he does not know?

He didn't know!

Philip's heart trembled, followed by an unexpected ecstasy.

——It seems that Ji Ming and the little princess are not as close as I imagined!

However, important people should not show their emotions on their faces, so he controlled his expression, pretended to hesitate for a moment, and then nodded hesitantly.

"Yes, this matter is actually very private. Two months ago, there were rumors in the capital that my father was unwell. This... is not a rumor..."

Wow, no wonder.

The crown prince has just died, the new ruler has not yet been decided, the old king's health is having problems again, the current situation is unclear, and it's time for everyone to venture out.

For the princes and princesses who have already climbed up, the outcome is still uncertain. You and I are both dark horses, and who knows who will have the last laugh.

And for those descendants who have not yet climbed up, this assessment in May this year may be the last ticket to participate in the king selection battle.

Let’s not talk about whether we can win in the end, at least I can get to the table this time, and you bunch of losers just wait down below!

In this way, it is obvious why Philip would say so much to him.

Therefore, without waiting for Philip to call his name, Ji Ming took the initiative to ask him if he wanted to seek an outcome of "one recommended and one passed".

Philip clapped his hands and grinned.

"Of course, but what do you think?"

Ji Ming did not answer immediately, but let his thoughts go around in circles in his mind.

According to Philip, this May's assessment is crucial and may very well be related to the future king election.

But along the way, neither Eleanor nor Tenith told him about this matter in detail, but ignored it at the same time.

Why did this happen? Is it because they don’t trust themselves?

It's impossible. As your value continues to be demonstrated, as long as your ambitions are not going in the opposite direction, the people around you will become more and more dependent on you.

Then there is only one possibility - this matter has nothing to do with you. The place is dirty, so keep it clean if possible. Just pretend you don't know.