Chapter 36

Ning Rushen’s hand trembled when he heard this, nearly throwing his short legs out.

He forced a smile, “It’s my clothes that got stained with the incense.”

Li Jingyu blinked, “Why would Lord Ning’s official robe be stained with the emperor’s…” A large hand suddenly covered his mouth from behind, “Mmm mmm mmm!”

Li Wuting stepped forward, eyes downcast, “Li Jingyu.”

Being addressed by his full name finally instilled a sense of reverence in Li Jingyu. He obediently slipped down from Ning Rushen’s arms and admitted his mistake, “This minister knows his error.”

De Quan immediately suppressed his bright smile and understandingly said, “This servant will take the little prince to the dining hall.”

A subtle heat arose in Ning Rushen’s heart. He lowered his head to sniff himself, “I clearly aired out my clothes…”

As he turned his head, his slender neck revealed a patch of snow-white skin.

His delicate collarbone moved, exuding a faint warm fragrance.

Li Wuting stood half a step in front of him, tapping his fingers on the desk, “What, do you find my incense unpleasant?”

He pressed his lips together, “It smells too good. I can hardly handle it.”

Without a word, he turned on his heel and left the room, “Follow me.”

In the dining hall, all the officials from the Ministry of Rites were already inside, respectfully greeting Li Wuting upon his arrival.

Li Wuting said, “Sit as you please, no need for formalities.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Rushen darted from behind him and sat by the rice pot, rolling up his sleeves.

“…”

De Quan’s eyes widened, his voice ringing out, “Ahem ahem!!!”

Lord Ning, can’t you be more mindful?

Is your rice pot more important than His Majesty?

Just as Ning Rushen rolled up his sleeves and was about to dig in, he suddenly heard a familiar warning sound. He turned and met De Quan’s frantic signaling:

Remember His Majesty!

“…”

His gaze swept the room, noticing that the other officials were cautiously seated according to their ranks, surrounding Li Wuting like stars around the moon.

Only he was left with the big rice pot, positioned diagonally opposite Li Wuting.

As far as possible.

Ning Rushen swallowed: gulp.

What happened to sitting as you please?

In the quiet dining hall, De Quan, Li Jingyu, and all the officials from the Ministry of Rites were staring at him…

Li Wuting said nothing, only lifting his eyes slightly.

Ning Rushen felt a pang of guilt.

He pondered for two seconds, then had a moment of inspiration. He stood up and filled a large bowl of rice, placing it in front of Li Wuting:

“This minister was serving rice for His Majesty.”

The bowl of rice was piled high, almost overflowing.

Everyone fell silent, “…”

Li Wuting glanced at it for a moment, “Lord Ning, I don’t even know where to start with this.”

He commented lightly, “It doesn’t look like you’re serving rice, it looks like a challenge for me.”

Ning Rushen: …

He lowered his head in shame, “This minister was too reckless. I’ll serve a new bowl for His Majesty.”

As he spoke and prepared to leave, he was stopped:

“Forget it. I’m not that hard to serve.”

“?”

Ning Rushen turned back to see Li Wuting taking an empty bowl and personally scooping half a bowl of rice into it.

The entire dining hall fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

All the officials stared in shock at the emperor’s humble act.

After scooping the rice, Li Wuting placed the bowl beside himself and said to Ning Rushen, “Eat.”

Ning Rushen hesitated, “But…”

Li Wuting, “I said, no need for formalities.”

Ning Rushen swallowed his words and sat down beside him, picking up the bowl to eat:

But, this isn’t enough for him…

As Li Wuting began to eat, the other officials finally started moving cautiously.

From across the table, Li Jingyu glanced at Ning Rushen, then at his own empty bowl:

As expected, it’s different, and he still wants to fool me.

After lunch, Li Wuting still had other official duties to attend to, so he took Li Jingyu with him as he prepared to leave.

Ning Rushen escorted them to the gates of the Ministry of Rites.

Li Jingyu looked at him eagerly, “Lord Ning, I’ve learned a lot today. Thank you for your guidance.”

“……”

The devil’s whisper briefly surfaced in his mind.

Ning Rushen took a breath, “I don’t dare take credit. It’s all thanks to your talent, Your Highness.”

Li Jingyu wanted to say more but was suddenly picked up.

“Ouch!”

Li Wuting calmly said, “You’ve learned well. As a reward, you can copy your homework three more times when we return.”

Ning Rushen was momentarily transported back to his student days:

“Happy birthday, here’s a workbook for you.”

Royal families, from top to bottom, are truly all dark-hearted.

He watched with mixed feelings as Li Jingyu was carried, sobbing, into the carriage. After a respectful farewell, he suddenly saw Li Wuting lift the curtain and turn back:

“Don’t forget the palace examination in a few days, Lord Ning.”

As he finished speaking, his gaze seemed to linger on Ning Rushen’s official robe.

Then the curtain dropped, and the carriage sped away.

Ning Rushen unconsciously tugged at his collar: He had indeed almost forgotten that the palace examination was coming up in late May.

The palace examination of Dacheng was held in Baohe Hall.

Officials of the fifth rank and above were allowed to attend and observe.

On the day of the examination, Ning Rushen entered Baohe Hall with a group of officials. The hall was spacious, bright, and grand, exuding the utmost imperial majesty.

Officials stood on either side of the hall, leaving the center space open.

Ning Rushen was positioned on the outermost row, facing the incoming examinees directly.

He instinctively touched his belt:

Front row seats, too bad there’s no sunflower seeds…

Just as he was thinking this, the bell rang with a hum.

Li Wuting, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, took his seat above, and De Quan announced in a drawn-out voice:

“Announcing the entry of the examinees to meet the emperor—”

A group of examinees followed the ceremonial officers into the hall.

Ning Rushen, looking around, saw mostly unfamiliar faces, recognizing only one, “Zhao Shuai,” known for robbing the rich to help the poor. As he observed, he inexplicably felt a subtle gaze on him.

“……?”

Ning Rushen checked himself: Was his belt not tied properly?

The vice minister of the Ministry of War couldn’t help but whisper, “Lord Ning, you were the top scholar previously.”

Ning Rushen suddenly understood, “Oh, that’s right.”

The vice minister of the Ministry of War, “……”

Everyone in this hall is striving for this, can you not be so nonchalant?

Opposite, some wanted to curse but held back.

Ning Rushen didn’t explain further: He was no longer a top scholar, just Li Wuting’s sharp, fragile knife.

…

Before the examination, there was a series of elaborate palace rituals.

Finally, the examination began.

Li Wuting, seated above, selected examinees based on their papers for questioning.

Ning Rushen listened to the recitations of classical texts and policies in a daze. After an indeterminate time, just as he stifled a yawn, he suddenly heard the sound of paper shuffling stop.

Li Wuting’s cold voice dropped, pointing out three examinees in succession: “Evaluate the official appointment system of Dacheng.”

Everyone in the hall was instantly stunned:

Three at once?

And on such a critical topic!

Ning Rushen was immediately alert, looking up at Li Wuting.

Li Wuting showed no emotion, merely watching the three examinees who stepped forward. They were already sweating profusely, losing their composure before even speaking.

After a few moments, one examinee cautiously began to answer.

Ning Rushen found the voice familiar but couldn’t place it.

As he observed, he noticed Geng Yan across the hall frantically signaling at him with wide eyes, nearly bursting, his hand in his sleeve.

Ning Rushen: …?

What madness was Geng Yan up to?

Just then, the examinees finished their answers.

There was a brief silence before the emperor’s voice, calm as ever, broke it, “Really? Do you not think our dynasty’s selection process should favor those with refined qualities and elegance?”

Ning Rushen’s heart skipped a beat!

The examinees in front were also stunned, their faces turning pale as they knelt, trembling, “Forgive us, Your Majesty! We spoke nonsense… Please have mercy!”

Ning Rushen suddenly remembered:

Weren’t these the ones who had previously gossiped about him being chosen for his looks?

He glanced at Geng Yan, who winked flamboyantly at him: Remember now?

“……”

It seemed that the shovels were being used to lift tiles.

An unexpected incident had occurred during the palace examination, leaving everyone guessing. Although no one knew exactly what had happened, judging by the Emperor’s reaction, it was likely that these people had failed.

The best outcome would have been to retain their status as tribute students and send them off somewhere.

Geng Yan had made gestures to Ning Rushen: “Vent your anger.”

Ning Rushen had mouthed: “Dream on.”

Geng Yan: …

Ning Rushen had turned away and ignored him. This complicated little dog was always thinking about unrealistic things.

Li Wuting had always been impartial.

Moreover… he had glanced at the immovable figure above: they had no personal feelings involved.

—

The palace examination had finally ended.

Li Wuting had personally appointed the rankings from the top scholar to the others: “Tribute student Fan Wanwen, talented and outstanding, will be the top scholar; tribute student Zhuang Qin, will be the second place; tribute student Qi Siy, will be the third place.”

The top three were set.

Li Wuting had also assigned several positions and instructed the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy to make arrangements. The four examination banquets would be held on another day.

With the palace examination dismissed, Li Wuting had left.

Ning Rushen had reflected on the names just announced.

A scene in the imperial study flashed in his mind:

After the last list of candidates had been released, he seemed to have seen red marks next to a few names at the top. The top three this time seemed to be among them?

Ah, no. The memory was vague…

As he struggled to think, Geng Yan had suddenly rushed up to him, “Ning Chen, you say—”

The sudden loud volume had immediately disrupted his thoughts.

Ning Rushen had pushed his face away, “Your voice is so loud.”

Geng Yan was as energetic as a lunatic. “Got some free time?”

“No,” Ning Rushen thought of the three who had just been dismissed. “I need to see His Majesty first.”

“Oh, oh, oh! Of course, of course~”

“…”

His hands itched badly, wanting to twist that dog’s head off.

After bidding farewell to Geng Yan, he followed the path to the imperial study.

Upon entering the imperial study, he saw Li Wuting, who had just washed his hands, drying his fingers with a handkerchief.

The tall and upright figure, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, seemed to have descended from the clouds right before his eyes.