Though it was an audience with the Emperor, the Tenth Prince walked through the banquet hall as if strolling in his own backyard, appearing calm and composed, even idly fanning himself with a folded fan.
Civil and military officials cast sideways glances at him, while Yan Tinghao exclaimed in shock:
"Hua, Hua Shiye?!!!"
"Hush—
Officer Yan, even if His Majesty is your cousin and dotes on you to the heavens, you can't be shouting so boisterously at a banquet, can you?"
Lin Qingge's casually delivered words severed the thoughts of the surrounding officials who were hoping to use this opportunity to step on Yan Tinghao to advance themselves.
Due to their somewhat disrespectful remarks just now, the two of them attracted several ill-intentioned gazes.
The officialdom.
Stepping on the low and flattering the high were the most common tactics.
Those opportunistic observers, seeing Yan Tinghao, the Prince of Zhennan, slumped in a corner, assumed he had lost imperial favor and wanted to take a jab at him.
It seemed that the impression she, the ephemeral Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, had left on the civil and military officials was not deep enough…
As Lin Qingge was secretly plotting mischief, the elusive Tenth Prince had already approached the new Emperor and knelt to express his gratitude.
"I am new to this place and fear I may not understand many things. I hope Prime Minister Feng can offer me guidance~"
"Certainly."
Looking at the person before him, who practically had the words 'frivolous' and 'profligate' branded onto his forehead, Feng Qingchen's perpetually weary face finally revealed a rare smile.
"Your Highness, rest assured, this Prime Minister will do his utmost to assist you!"
Feng Qingchen said this with his chin held high.
His proud demeanor seemed to say, 'Thirty years by the east bank of the river, thirty years by the west bank of the river,' that his years of suffering had finally found another fool to inherit them!
At this moment, Yan Tinghao's honest voice rang out again:
"My Lord, how did Master Hua suddenly become the Tenth Prince?"
Lin Qingge couldn't help but chuckle at this:
"I say, Officer Yan, didn't you also transform from an officer into the Prince of Zhennan?"
"How can that be the same?
While it is true that this subordinate is the Prince of Zhennan, this subordinate has never intentionally concealed my identity from you, my Lord!"
Glancing at the绛紫色 figure standing before the new Emperor, receiving the attention of all officials, Lin Qingge hooked the corner of her lips with a half-smile:
"Heh.
You are like this, and so is Master Hua.
From beginning to end, Master Hua never denied that he was the Tenth Prince.
Of course, he never actively admitted it either."
"But my Lord, didn't you just say you guessed who my cousin wanted to appoint as the Right Prime Minister?
Could it be that you already knew Master Hua's identity?"
"Tsk, such an obvious fact, perhaps only a fool wouldn't see it, right?"
Yan Tinghao: ...
And among those present, some officials had also seen Hua Jinrong.
After all, besides his clandestine identities as the Tenth Prince and the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Hua Jinrong was also the shopkeeper of Renji Hall, the largest medical clinic in the Great Xia Kingdom.
Even though he rarely appeared, he would occasionally attend banquets.
His overwhelmingly striking appearance, his winding voice, and his signature fan—any one of these was enough to make one unforgettable.
And the most shocked person in the entire hall, besides Yan Tinghao, was Princess Yongning.
She remained stunned for a full quarter of an hour before pushing her dropped jaw back into place and struggling to find her voice:
"You, you are the Tenth Imperial Brother?"
"Authentic~"
"But, but you're not Imperial Brother's… "
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Princess Yongning hurriedly covered her mouth. She had covered it with such force that her face turned a deep red.
Despite this, her eyes remained wide with surprise.
This was because Hua Jinrong was clearly her Imperial Brother's follower!
Although she hadn't paid much attention when she was younger, this person had frequently appeared by her Imperial Brother's side in the past six months, and the intimacy between them was such that even Eunuch Cai, who had watched her Imperial Brother grow up, couldn't compare.
So, was this Tenth Prince actually Imperial Brother's man?
Princess Yongning, feeling as though she had discovered a monumental secret, pressed her hand even harder against her mouth…
Fortunately, the new Emperor soon summoned the top twenty scholars from the imperial examinations to express their gratitude.
Seeing Xu Siyun, who was walking at the forefront, adorned in the scholar's robe, Princess Yongning finally released herself.
"Siyun, look here!
Siyun, you're amazing!"
Transforming into a fan girl, Princess Yongning completely abandoned her princessly demeanor. Anyway, she had always been like this; if the sky fell, her doting Imperial Brother and the Empress Dowager would be there to support her, making her fearless.
However, after her exclamation, she looked back a couple of times and then muttered with annoyance:
"I'm so muddled, he would never have come…"
It must be said that the female top scholar was indeed eye-catching, especially Xu Siyun, who was exceptionally beautiful.
Upon her appearance, she immediately captured everyone's attention.
As Xu Siyun's father, the Minister of Justice, Lord Xu Changling, also received congratulations from his colleagues.
"My daughter is unruly, and as her father, I cannot persuade her, so I can only let her be."
Xu Changling said this, but his unusually straight posture and upturned lips conveyed nothing but the pride of having a daughter of whom he was proud.
According to the customs of the Great Xia Kingdom, after the scholars paid their respects, the Emperor would personally bestow official positions upon them.
Unlike 'Lin Jingxing,' who had caused a commotion earlier and requested to be a ninth-rank official, the second and third place scholars were successfully appointed as Hanlin Academy editors, holding the position of seventh rank.
However, just as everyone expected the top scholar Xu Siyun to be appointed as a Hanlin Academy compiler, a sixth-rank official, becoming the first female official in the Great Xia.
The newly appointed Right Prime Minister slowly rose from the new Emperor's right side, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, since Scholar Xu is the first female top scholar in the history of the Great Xia, and will also be the first female official in the history of the Great Xia.
This minister believes that if we follow the ancient teachings and place her in the Hanlin Academy, it may be difficult to achieve Your Majesty's intention of broadly soliciting opinions, earnestly seeking talent, and allowing both men and women to serve the country.
Therefore, this minister suggests that since Scholar Xu has won first place through her own abilities, breaking new ground for all women in the world, why doesn't Your Majesty show special grace and give Scholar Xu a choice?
After all, each imperial examination selects many pillars of the nation, but very few truly emerge from the Hanlin Academy.
This is true for men as well, and Scholar Xu, being a woman, even with the backing of Your Majesty and the Empress, will likely only spend her life compiling texts and books in the Hanlin Academy~"
Hua Jinrong's words caused many civil and military officials to frown.
Although it was the truth, for them, it was already inappropriate for women to enter officialdom. If she were to receive special consideration because of it…
Thus, the unbalanced civil and military officials, in unison, looked towards the Left Prime Minister, Feng Qingchen.
Feng Qingchen, who was usually eloquent and could scold for an hour without repeating himself, slowly stood up and moved his lips:
"This minister seconds the motion."
…
Just as the civil and military officials were exchanging bewildered glances, Hua Jinrong's irritating voice sounded again:
"Your Majesty, although this minister has been granted the honor of being appointed Prime Minister, I am accustomed to working alone and have no one useful by my side.
Therefore, I wish to take this opportunity to request a person from Your Majesty to serve as my deputy.
May I ask if Your Majesty would grant this humble request~"