Born of Worry

In the seventh year of Dayin calendar 230, the spring of the fourth year of Jian'an, the ninth day of February.

"Mother, the child is leaving now."

"Okay, okay, oh yes, bring more clothes, it's raining these days, be careful of catching a cold."

"I know mother, don't worry about it, just wait for the good news from the baby."

"...Yan'er."

"What's wrong girl?"

"Be careful on the road."

"Understood..." The scholar's eyes turned red suddenly, "This place is so close to the Gongyuan, nothing will happen. You can stay at home and the baby will be back in a few days."

"Okay... come back and cook something delicious for you."

The woman sent her son away, and sighed a little lonely. It was still early, but there were already many pedestrians outside, most of whom were students who had come to Beijing for the exam.

Maybe there won't be any guests coming today... She picked up an unfinished embroidery at hand, and continued to walk around with her needle and thread.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"anyone there?"

"Yes, yes." The woman hurriedly put down her embroidery and got up to greet him, but found that the man looked familiar and said in surprise, "Huh? Young man, is it you?"

"what?"

Li Xian changed into unremarkable clothes and sneaked out of the palace after leaving the court. When he passed by here, he came in to have a look, "Ma'am, do you still remember me?"

"Remember, remember, why don't you remember, little brother, do you want to watch something?"

"Auntie, I remember that you... used to sell lanterns and fireworks? Why are you selling embroidery now?"

The woman smiled, "Hasn't it been a year, and no one will buy those if you sell them again, so just sell some embroidery and make a little money."

"That's it..." Li Xian turned around casually, saw a box of sachets, picked up a light-colored one, the pattern on it was epiphyllum, smelled it again, and said, "Is this epiphyllum?"

"Yes, little brother likes epiphyllum?"

"Hmm..." Li Xian thought of the pot of epiphyllum seedlings that Mo Wen gave him, and couldn't help but smile on his lips, "Yes, I like it."

"It's a pity that there is only this one... If the little brother doesn't dislike it, why don't you take it?"

"This should be very expensive, right? We... don't seem to have Epiphyllum here?"

"It's not expensive, and the dried petals are also very cheap."

Li Xian touched his body, but found no money, and said angrily, "Oh, I was in a hurry to come out today, so I forgot to bring money. But...hey, I'll bring this, do you think it's okay?"

As he spoke, he took out a golden tortoise, the lady looked at it and said hurriedly: "You can't use it, a sachet doesn't have much money, so if you like it, you can just take it. This golden tortoise is too expensive to accept."

"Is that so...well then," Li Xian put away the sachet, "Ma'am, are you alone here?"

"No, there's my son. Oh, he's gone for the exam, and he won't be back until a few days later."

"Exam? Will you try?"

"Yeah, I don't know what's going on now..."

Seeing her slightly worried face, Li Xian comforted her, "Don't panic, I'm sure you'll pass the exam. But the Gongyuan is not far from here, why don't you go and see her off?"

"Yan'er won't let me send it, so I won't."

"That's it. Auntie, I have something to do, so I'll go first? I'll come to buy your embroidery later when I have a chance."

"Okay, little brother, walk slowly, be careful on the road."

The woman watched Li Xian leave, and tidied up the box where the sachet was placed, but she saw a golden light beside the box, which turned out to be the golden tortoise.

She hurriedly chased him out and yelled at him a few times, but the people who failed to see him were already overwhelmed by the crowd.

"This golden turtle..."

Very heavy.

Li Xian put the sachet on his waist and went to the Gongyuan alone.

There are a lot of people in Weiyang City today. In order to maintain order, he asked the Imperial Army to increase the number of guards at the city gate a few days ago, so there is no particular chaos, but the continuous flow of people of all kinds makes him somewhat uncomfortable Habit.

The entrance of the Gongyuan was even more blocked. The students rushing for the exam had already entered, but the accompanying family members were reluctant to leave for a long time. The imperial army had to evacuate the crowd here to protect the people in the Gongyuan from being disturbed.

Li Xian stood outside the crowd for a while. He was not tall and couldn't see what was going on inside. He tried his best to finally squeeze into the front row.

...Who would have thought that their majestic Emperor Dayin would actually crowd at the entrance of the Gongyuan to watch the excitement?

About half an hour later, the crowd gradually dispersed. Li Xian left before the imperial guards found him. Feeling a little tired, he hired a carriage and returned to the palace, only to realize that he had no money with him.

The golden tortoise on his body was also left to the embroidering lady. Li Xian wanted to borrow some from the guards at the gate of the palace, but when the coachman heard them shouting "Welcome Your Majesty back to the palace", he was so frightened that he didn't want any money. Just drove away.

"..."

Li Xian was stunned for a few seconds before slowly returning to the Dragon Palace.

As soon as he went back, he realized that something was wrong, Mo Wen stood there, a little eunuch knelt in front of him, and the people beside him also lowered their heads, trembling and looking overly frightened.Li Xian couldn't help but stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?"

Mo Wen glanced at him, and said, "I've never seen him before, and he's sneaky, who knows if he's harboring ulterior motives."

As soon as the little eunuch saw Li Xian, he knelt down and took two steps forward, hugging his thigh: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant, this servant really has no evil intentions! This servant is a newcomer and has been in the apse before." To do things, I was transferred here yesterday...Your Majesty has learned a lesson!"

Li Xian saw him snot and tears, pulled his legs back with some disgust, and said, "Oh, that's all, all right, get up, what does it look like to cry?" He pointed to an eunuch next to him, "You Check with the steward, and then have him come and see me."

"Yes."

"Xiao Xian," Mo Wen grabbed his wrist, "you just..."

"Okay, nothing will happen, don't worry."

"But……"

Li Xian said to the eunuch again: "Get up quickly and do what you should do. And you, it's none of your business, let's go."

"Thank you, Your Majesty..."

"Yes."

"Little Xian..."

"Okay," Li Xian shook his arm, "don't worry too much, he's just a newcomer, so you don't look like a stranger." He stood on tiptoe and hooked his neck, Kissed him on the face and said, "Be obedient."

"...?"

Mo Wen was dumbfounded.

It wasn't until Li Xian let him go that he came back to his senses, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he said, "I'll make you lunch."

"Okay."

As soon as Li Xian entered the imperial study, he saw a person rushing out of nowhere, rushing to him: "Your Majesty! You are back, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Li Xian ignored his "warm" welcome, sat down behind the desk, opened today's memorial, and said, "Let's get down to business."

"Hey." The man was dressed in black, with the word "Xuan" on the neckline, but he didn't wear a silver mask, so he looked very ordinary, and he might not be able to recognize him in the crowd.He took out an item, and sat down on the desk, "Your Majesty, I have checked everything you asked me to check, so please take a look."

He held up the list with both hands, but Li Xian didn't take it, but said: "Come down."

"……Oh."

Li Xian then took the list, flipped through two pages, frowned and said, "It's too long, don't read it. Pick up the important ones."

"Okay." The man in black took back the paper, turned to the last page, put it on the table, and pointed to a name, "Look, Your Majesty, this person..."

"Qin Yu."

"……what?"

"Get off my desk."

"Uh..." Qin Yu moved his butt away in embarrassment, "Yes, yes, Your Majesty calm down, calm down..."

Li Xian had no expression on his face, "Go on."

"Okay. Look at this man. I investigated his identity and found that his family is neither a rich man nor a high official. But... this man has an uncle who is a minister of the court."

"Speak the key."

"Oh yes. This uncle of his is..." Qin Yu leaned close to Li Xian's ear, as if to whisper something, but then backed away immediately, saying, "Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

Li Xian pressed his forehead with a headache, "Qin Yu."

"what?"

"You want to sit on the table when you speak, when will it change?"

"Ha...haha..." Qin Yu looked at his buttocks that sat on the desk again at some point, and moved away even more embarrassingly.

Li Xian suddenly picked up the inkstone filled with ink, put it on the place where he was sitting just now, and said, "Sit down."

Qin Yu hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no, Your Majesty, I was wrong..."

"Sit down, I allow you to sit down."

"No, no, no, I was really wrong, Your Majesty, I will never dare again..."

Li Xian glanced at him, then returned to the list, rubbed his fingers over the paper, and said to himself, "Minister of Rites... Ministry of Rites... Could it be related to this spring test? Spring test... Qian... Could it be that he sold the test questions, got the money, and gave it to his nephew, so his nephew went to Ruyuexuan to squander it?"

"That's right!" Qin Yu snapped his fingers exaggeratedly, "Your Majesty, you are simply a genius, and this answer is simply perfect! It's exactly the same as what I investigated!"

Li Xian sneered twice: "I can think of things that I can think of, but you actually found out after investigating?"

"Uh……"

"What about the others, is there anything abnormal about the others?"

"No, I've checked everything. These people are either rich or expensive, and they all have the capital to spend 20 taels of gold to go to Ru Yue Xuan to watch a play."

"Ah."

"Your Majesty, listen to me, this matter is all on my shoulders. What kind of minister of the Ministry of Rites, you let him die at the fifth watch, I will never let him live until the third watch!...No, you let him die at the third watch, I will never let him live until five o'clock! This kind of person dares to prostitute himself to test the questions, it is a heinous crime! There is no pardon for the crime! It's exhausted... It's too much to write! Your Majesty, look..."

He stopped suddenly in the middle of speaking, followed Li Xian's gaze and saw that his hand had unconsciously pushed the inkstone away, and his buttocks were about to sit on the table again, so he hurriedly left the desk and moved the inkstone back, "I won't sit, I will definitely Don’t sit, absolutely absolutely never sit! Your Majesty, that...hehe, let me grind ink for you, you want red, green, black..."

"No need. And I only have red and black here, not green."

"Oh……"

Li Xian threw the list back to him and said, "Go, find a chance, and tell Lin Xingzhi the news. I don't need to teach you what to do?"

"Ah? For... old man Lin? It's not your Majesty, are you right? I'll do this kind of thing. It's absolutely clean and neat. The old man is over 70, can he do it..."

"Who told you I was going to kill him?"

"Shouldn't this kind of person be killed? He dares to sell the test questions, and if he can't keep it, he will sell you someday... Oh no, I take back what I just said."

Li Xian didn't want to talk to him, "Qin Yu, how blind was my father to recruit such a thing as you?"

Qin Yu suddenly had a heartbroken expression: "Your Majesty...you, your words hurt people..."

"Killing people is easy, of course, but the hard part is to let him die worthwhile. Don't underestimate Lin Xingzhi. Although he is old, he is still very clear-headed. The elders of the three dynasties are not in vain. His means, maybe No worse than me."

"And... the courtiers, the courtiers, are meant to be in charge of the monarch. I, the monarch, is responsible for everything. What do you want them to do?"

Qin Yu was about to speak again, but Li Xian stopped him in time, "Shut up. I don't want to hear that you are poor, so hurry up and give this to Lin Xingzhi. The spring test has just started, so there should be still time."

"Oh...well then...then I'm leaving?"

"Hurry up and go."

"Your Majesty, I'm really leaving..."

"... Hurry up and go."

"Really go..."

"roll!"

"..."