The First Auxiliary Road from the Imperial Examination

"Si Qing, that person hasn't left yet!"

As soon as Nan Siqing sat down, his subordinates came over and whispered a reminder.

"Ding-dang." The tea lid fell back onto the tea bowl, making a crisp sound.

Nan Siqing, who was glad that he was not in a hurry to drink tea, showed a puzzled look on his face: "How can such an impatient person have such patience? No... Is it because the Five Military Command Office has nothing to do? Or is it that the Ministry of Revenue is very idle? How can he have such leisure time?"

Reluctantly putting the freshly brewed tea bowl aside, Nan Si Qing slowly stood up by the armrest, straightening his official uniform while sighing: "Look at my memory, she seems to have worked here in the Dali Temple. Coming here is almost like going home!"

"Forget it! Forget it! Who asked me to invite him here for questioning? It is really unjustifiable to let a third-rank minister make a wasted trip."

Nan Siqing walked towards the side hall of the lobby while mentally preparing himself. Although he didn't say much, he secretly hoped that Sheng Yuan would not make things difficult for him.

The officials who followed him couldn't help but twitch their lips when they heard him talking to himself.

"I see that you are tired, so why don't you send Shao Qing to deal with it?"

Nan Si Qing was really moved when he heard this.

He hesitated for only a moment, then wavered his hand and said no: "If the other party went back on her own initiative, then I would have no problem pretending to be stupid; but that person not only did not leave, but also seemed to be willing to accompany her to the end, so I cannot ignore her."

"I am a temple official of the third rank. I was busy investigating a case before, but now I have nothing to do. It would be impolite to ignore him."

The subordinates saw that he had finally talked about his frustrations, and they couldn't help but flatter him in surprise: "You are so thoughtful, sir. I didn't realize this! It turns out that you have a broad vision and can see far ahead!"

……

Although Sheng Yuan felt forgotten, she really didn't feel wronged.

After all, she has a mouth under her nose. If others don’t remember her, she can call for help herself!

When she was thirsty, she asked the maids to bring her drinks; when she was hungry, she called the nanny and the servants to bring her snacks and fruits; when she was bored, she asked the steward to bring her fine paper, pen and chessboard.

Soon, under the orders of Sheng Yuan, who was not afraid of trouble, she lived a leisurely, quiet and peaceful life in the Dali Temple.

Nan Siqing brought his subordinates to the side hall and saw Minister Sheng, who did not treat him as an outsider. He was eating snacks fresh from the tea room while looking for a place to put a jade chess piece. Although the small hall was simply decorated, because of her leisure, it was like the sound of stringed instruments and the wafting of incense, like a paradise on earth.

When a busy person meets an idle person, the huge gap makes Nan Siqing a little overwhelmed.

"Hey? Why is Nan Siqing here? Come, come, please sit down." Sheng Yuan didn't expect that the chief officer who was busy investigating the case would come to him, so he politely invited him to come over for a chat.

"..." Seeing that the other party had taken the initiative and looked so calm and contented, Nan Si Qing couldn't help but feel embarrassed for Sheng Yuan.

"Minister Sheng, I came to you to apologize." Although Nan Siqing's emotions fluctuated a little, he still controlled himself and said to Sheng Yuanyan calmly, "I asked you to come to help in your busy schedule, but I didn't want to let you come for nothing. I'm really sorry!"

"Look at what you said. I also saw it clearly during the interrogation in the hall just now. The three parties each insisted on their own story and pointed the finger directly at Princess Yongping. Minister Yang and Nan Di became trivial matters. Naturally, there is no need for me to speak out and testify against them." When Sheng Yuan was in a good mood, he was basically easy to talk to.

"I have also worked at the Dali Temple, so I am very familiar with the Dali Temple's interrogation procedures. It's not easy for anyone, especially since both the plaintiff and the defendant are members of the royal family and are very special. None of them can be neglected. It is reasonable for the Minister of Nan Temple to make thorough arrangements in advance. Since I have accepted the invitation of the Internal Guard and the Dali Temple, I will fully cooperate and naturally be prepared for a wasted trip. The Minister of Nan Temple really does not need to feel so guilty."

  Sheng Yuan comforted the other party generously, and hoped in her heart that the other party would be more self-aware. She had already been so easy-going, so why didn't he ask her to leave?

Perhaps he remembered Sheng Yuan's different status, or just wanted to praise Sheng Yuan, but when Nan Si Qing saw that Sheng Yuan did not find fault as expected, he gratefully suggested: "I wonder if Minister Sheng is busy this afternoon? If you have time, I wonder if you can sit in on the class?"

After all, Princess Yongping was going to appear at the court session in the afternoon.

In the Dali Temple, there is only one outsider, Sheng Yuan, who can far surpass the others in terms of royal favor, imperial grace and backing.

Although there was still more than an hour before the court session in the afternoon, Nan Siqing could imagine how spoiled and willful Princess Yongping was just by imagining it.

It is better to sweat profusely here than to wipe the sweat off your face frequently in the classroom later.

"Minister Sheng, you are such a good chess player!" Nan Siqing, who had played two games in a row but still failed to win, consciously let go of the chessboard.

It was also the first time for Sheng Yuan to win over his colleagues so thoroughly, so while enjoying himself, he also wanted to say a few words of modesty.

But before she could say anything, she heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar.

The three people in the side hall looked out the door at the same time, and the scene of the deputy temple and the inner guards coming in panic appeared in their sight (End of this chapter)