I, who disguised myself as a woman, turned out to be a queen! ?

Chapter 1282 His Majesty can still kill us all?!

Xun Kuang coughed and bowed to Zhao Shi: "With the Master here, I should not say too much. Please come."

As he spoke, Xun Kuang took a stool and stood to the side.

Zhao Shi looked at Xun Kuang and thought, "You scoundrel! You're so humble now, but when you see something new or antique, you never offer it to us old folks."

However, Zhao Shi was a literary master who was on par with Mu Xu, Yao Yuanzai, and Wen Zhegu, so this matter was difficult for him.

He immediately looked at Xun Kuang: "Huh? What did you say?"

Xun Kuang paused for a moment, just about to speak again.

But Master Zhao turned his head and whispered something to Yazd beside him, clearly pretending to be deaf and dumb and ignoring him.

Xun Kuang pursed his lips.

Ji Shuying looked at Xun Kuang with a puzzled expression. Although Xun Kuang was usually eccentric, he would never act like this in such matters.

unless
Ji Shuying looked toward the disguised Empress.

崔青
Never heard of it.

His gaze fell upon the disguised cat.

崔女
also.
Ok?
Ji Shuying was taken aback, looking at Cui Qing and then at Cui Nu.

Cui Qingnu?
What is the cat's real name?
Ji Shuying immediately understood, her gaze returning to the present momentarily. She instantly realized why Xun Kuang had refused to accept the bow in public, and she also understood Master Zhao's actions.

but.
Ji Shuying looked at Yang Liaoyuan.

Your Majesty, are you scolding yourself?

Ji Shuying glanced at Xun Kuang, then turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with him.

but.
Why has Your Majesty come?

And this is happening here.

How to handle the matter between Yang Liaoyuan and Xiao Ansheng?

Thinking of this, he turned to look at Xun Kuang.

It just so happens that Xun Kuang was also looking at her.

Their eyes met.

Xun Kuang knew at a glance that his fiancée had figured it out, but he was helpless; he couldn't very well let Ji Shuying handle the matter.

However, seeing the doubt and speculation in Ji Shuying's eyes, Xun Kuang smiled and turned to look at Yang Liaoyuan.

But at this time...
Liu Kan spoke up: "This is irrelevant to today's debate and there's no need to discuss it."

Upon hearing this, Xun Kuang and the others looked at Liu Kan, thinking, "It has to be you."

Upon hearing this, Yang Liaoyuan immediately bowed and said, "Master, although this has nothing to do with the debate, I just heard this junior sister Cui and Li Yueyue saying that the Empress was also wrong, and that the Empress was just an ordinary person. May I ask, can such a disrespectful thing be let go like this?"

Hearing this, everyone was still a little confused. How dare someone talk about the Empress?

Upon hearing Yang Liaoyuan say this, all the students looked at Cui Qing and Li Yueyue.

Some students who had just praised Cui Qing's unique insights also frowned. Who is the Empress? How dare you criticize her?
Li Yuanzhuo immediately followed Yang Liaoyuan's words, saying, "Even setting aside Your Highness's noble status, Your Highness's knowledge alone is beyond the comprehension and judgment of us scholars. You merely displayed some knowledge, yet you so presumptuously belittle yourself and assert that Your Majesty the Empress is right or wrong!? How arrogant!"

Liu Kan frowned.

But Li Yueyue spoke up at this moment: "We are talking about the scholarship of the Empress, not about the Empress herself. On the contrary, you keep saying that we are commenting on the Empress. Isn't this a frame-up?"

After saying that, Li Yueyue's little mouth started to chatter: "Moreover, you're not good at studying, and you only understand half of the principles. Now that someone has overshadowed you with their knowledge, you're thinking of using these crooked methods to target them again? Hmph. You really are something else, Yang Yueyuan, disgusting! Ugh!"

Li Yueyue made a spitting motion.

Upon seeing this, Liu Kan immediately scolded, "Li Yueyue!"

Li Yueyue quickly stepped back and shrank her neck.

Yang Liaoyuan looked at Li Yueyue and said, "Look, Yueyue is starting again. I just said what I heard. Can't I say anything too?"

Li Yueyue glared at Yang Leyuan, her voice filled with aggrieved rage, and immediately snapped, "Who told you to shut up? What nonsense are you spouting!"

Yang Liaoyuan looked at the fierce-looking Li Yueyue without saying anything. She just bit her lip and looked pitifully at Cui Qing: "You guys are talking about the Empress, but I don't think it's right, so I said it. Just like you think I misunderstood the Empress's reasoning."

After saying that, she looked at Li Yueyue and said, "But if you are angry because of this, then I will apologize. I will pretend that I did not hear you say those words about the Empress and that I was just talking nonsense and framing you. After all, I am the older sister and you are the younger sister."

Li Yuanzhuo and Cen Wenqian immediately walked up to Yang Liaoyuan, who looked like she had been wronged, and glared at Li Yueyue while glancing at Cui Qing.

Cen Wenqian turned to Xun Kuang, Liu Kan, and the others: "Gentlemen, teachers, I would like to ask, is this matter just going to be left like this? Li Yueyue clearly stated in her words that they spoke ill of Her Majesty the Empress!"

As soon as these words were spoken, another person stood up.

The man began, “I am Yuan Gongfu, and I pay my respects to all of you. I came to the Imperial Academy today on official business and happened to learn of what happened today, so I came to see what was going on, but I did not expect to see this scene.”

Xun Kuang recognized the somewhat handsome young man.

Yuan Gongfu came from a humble background and loved reading. He was appreciated by Yang Muhe, the father of Yang Liaoyuan, and was recommended to be a registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. His official position was not high, just a junior ninth-rank official.

However, if we look at the background of Yuan Gongfu, we can see that this is actually a huge shortcut.

Xun Kuang first met this man at a banquet hosted by General Zhao Wuxu, where Zhao Wuxu was eager to marry off his daughter, and Yuan Gongfu seemed to be interested as well.

He met Xun Kuang briefly, and the two exchanged a few pleasantries.

Xun Kuang felt that Yuan Gongfu was indeed talented, but he did not invite him because, in Xun Kuang’s view, this man’s ambition was not in scholarship, but in fame and power.

When Xiao Ansheng suddenly had an accident, it was Yuan Gongfu who accompanied Yang Liaoyuan to find him.

Therefore, Zhao Shi and others were no strangers to Yuan Gongfu.

After all, although they were all scholars, they all knew what kind of person Yuan Gongfu represented, especially in this matter against Xiao Ansheng, Yuan Gongfu had been by Yang Liaoyuan's side the whole time, offering advice and strategies.

The students' tune shifted, and they accused Xun Kuang of protecting students from impoverished backgrounds and ignoring the efforts of children from wealthy families. It was because of this one sentence that things gradually escalated to this point.

When Zhao Shi saw the man come out, he immediately said, "Since scholars from foreign countries are here today, there is no need to say anything that is unrelated to the debate."

Yuan Gongfu immediately bowed and said, “Master, it is precisely because the foreign envoys are here that we cannot tolerate this. I know that it is not easy for children from poor families, and I myself come from a poor family, but I should cherish it even more. I cannot become arrogant and speak recklessly just because I have gained the appreciation of these gentlemen. The laws of Great Xia are strict, and we can demonstrate them in front of the foreign scholars. Otherwise, wouldn’t these scholars think that the Empress of Great Xia can be commented on at will? That is not right.”

Zhao Shi frowned and glanced at Yazd and the others beside him.

Although these people didn't speak, they were just watching, but it was clear that they knew things had changed, and their faces showed great interest.

At the same time, his gaze turned towards where Su Chang'an was.

But seeing the Empress's calm expression after she was disguised, he suddenly realized, "That's right, the Empress is here, why am I nervous!"

Then look at Xun Kuang, blinking his eyes with an innocent look on his face, he's just asking for a beating!
So he stopped talking, waved his hand, and looked at Yazd to give a brief explanation.

Su Chang'an looked at Yuan Gongfu.

Xun Kuang didn't actually tell him this, or rather, Xun Kuang's memorial didn't say anything bad about anyone; instead, it stated the facts of everything without a single extra word.

Yuan Gongfu's name was not even mentioned in the memorial.

Su Chang'an knew about him because he had asked the Shence Mansion to investigate on the way here, and the message sent by the Shence Mansion mentioned this person.

Yuan Gongfu looked at Su Chang'an: "Miss Cui Qing, I fully agree with your rebuttal of Miss Yang's words just now, and even think that Miss Cui is a person of great talent, which I admire. But do you admit that you mentioned Her Majesty the Empress?"

Li Yueyue stood in front of Cui Qing, who was in disguise, and looked at Yuan Gongfu.

She knew this person was wicked!
Although there is no evidence, everyone speculates that it was this person who threatened Xiao Ansheng into writing that damn apology letter.

Su Chang'an glanced at Li Yueyue, who was standing in front of him, and said, "My lord, I have already said it."

"You don't bow to Lord Yuan?!" a young man suddenly spoke up. Su Chang'an was taken aback, then bowed to Yuan Gongfu, "Greetings, Lord Yuan."

Yuan Gongfu immediately smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare."

Li Yueyue looked at Yuan Gongfu, thinking, "What a grandstanding from a mere Assistant Musician!"
He turned to look at Xun Kuang and the others.

Although it was only for a moment.

But Li Yueyue noticed that Xun Siye raised his eyebrows, as if he had seen something new.

However, the young girl didn't think too much about it. She just looked at Yuan Gongfu and wondered how to protect Cui Qing. If all else failed, she would go to Mr. Su. Given her status, no one dared to say a word.

Thinking this, Li Yueyue turned around and ran to An Furong's side, whispering to herself.

An Furong nodded and left immediately.

Yuan Gongfu looked at Su Chang'an: "Miss Cui, are you aware that the Great Xia law contains a decree against disrespecting the two saints?"

Su Chang'an looked at Yuan Gongfu, "I know."

But he had only just opened his mouth.
Someone in the crowd spoke up first: "Saying that Her Majesty the Empress is wrong has become disrespect for Her Majesty the Empress. Moreover, if the Empress is wrong in any way, it can naturally be pointed out and said. Why bring up the law?"

Su Chang'an and the others turned to look.

But when he looked over, Su Chang'an raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, "My dear aunt, what brings you here!"

……

Song Daoji, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, did not have a large residence, but it was still very well-maintained.

But right now, inside the mansion...
Each one was solemn.

Not because of anything else.

It was all because Yan Ruyu came.

Although everyone knew that Yan Ruyu had been demoted to a regular soldier of the Chixia Army because of his previous beating of officials outside Chengtian Gate and his subsequent attack on Old Master Cui and Lord Cui at the Cui residence.

But who would dare not take this person seriously?

She spends every day in front of the Empress and His Majesty.

Besides this person, Lord Shentu Sheyue also came along.

They said they were looking for Lord Yang.

Although they arrived one after the other, what puzzled everyone was...
After the two arrived, they sat in the lobby without saying a word.

Yang Muhe came to see Song Daoji today because he had something to discuss with him.

So the two of them are currently in the lobby.

Ruyu and Sheyue sat in the main hall. Ruyu remained silent, only looking at Song Daoji.

Sheyue was quite at ease, eating her snacks while watching Yang Muhe.

The Empress said that if you are hungry, just eat, and don't say anything, just keep watching.

But look in their eyes.
Wen Xiangjue Yang Muhe and this Honglu Temple Assistant were getting a little creeped out by their looks.

"Commander Yan Yan, what is this?" Song Daoji had asked this question more than once.

But what I got was still the same.
There was no response.

Yang Muhe, standing to the side, looked at Sheyue with the same expression.

But Sheyue also didn't respond much.

What are these two here for?!
Song Daoji looked at Yang Muhe, his composure crumbling!

I'm not afraid of what you say, I'm just afraid you'll come and say nothing!
Yang Muhe pursed his lips and winked at Song Daoji.

Song Daoji looked at Yan Ruyu, bowed, and said, "Commander Yan, shall I have someone prepare the meal?"

Yan Ruyu hasn't responded yet.

She Yue immediately nodded: "Make some noodles, and add plenty of chili and scallions."

Song Daoji looked at She Yue, unsure of what to say, but quickly bowed in response.

They then hurriedly left together with Yang Muhe.

However, as soon as the two left the courtyard where the main hall was located, they immediately looked at each other.

Song Daoji immediately spoke up: "Brother-in-law, what brings you here? You've come without saying a word!"

Yang Muhe frowned and said, "They said they were sent by the Empress."

Upon hearing this, Song Daoji curled his lip and said, "Nonsense, how could I not know? They said they were sent by the Empress as soon as they came in. What's the point of this?"

Yang Muhe glared at his brother-in-law: "What else could he be doing! There's a court assembly today, it's obvious that Xun Kuang went to see the Empress about Xiao Ansheng and Yuanyuan."

Song Daoji frowned: "You figured it out?"

Yang Muhe nodded: "It's obvious that they've figured out our true purpose, but... Her Majesty sent people here, but didn't let them say a single word. I don't know what they're doing."

Song Daoji lowered his eyes in thought, a hint of fear appearing on his face. He then looked at Yang Muhe and said, "Brother-in-law, why don't we stop now? The Empress has gotten involved, what about us?"

Seeing Yang Muhe's expression, Song Daoji immediately changed his tune: "Now that Your Highness has come in, His Majesty has arrived as well. Don't you know how capable His Majesty is?"

Yang Muhe looked at his good-for-nothing brother-in-law and scolded, "How could I not know? But even if I knew, I had to do it! And now that this has started, there's no turning back. Don't forget why so many people support Yuanyuan this time. Those who are with Yuanyuan, who doesn't have a noble title or a family background? What are they all fighting for? It's all to oppose this imperial examination reform."

"This reform by Mu Xu is simply destroying our very foundation! It's cutting off our families' path to officialdom! Yuan Yuan's second uncle did something wrong years ago, and it was brought up again because of Yang Shanchang's affair. As a result, it's been decided that Yuan Yuan can't participate in the imperial examinations! This is utterly ridiculous!"

"How did what his second uncle did implicate Yuanyuan? How did it implicate my Yang family? Our Yang family and Yang Shanchang's Yang family are not even connected for eight hundred years! And the others, the Cen family, the Li family, are all barred from taking the imperial examinations because someone in their family committed a crime?!"

"What kind of imperial examination system is this! It's going to destroy the country! We've asked Mu Xu so many times, and you know what the final result was! Fine! If we can't participate in the imperial examination, then we can't participate. But Mu Xu even plans to abolish the recommendation system. He's really trying to wipe out our families. He's trying to prevent our children from taking the imperial examination at all!"

At this point, Yang Muhe said, "I just sent someone to the Imperial Academy to see how things are going. According to that kid Yuan Gongfu's plan, we need to provoke Li Wenyou's daughter. We can definitely make a big scene today, especially since all the foreign scholars are at the Imperial Academy. We must start by cracking down on Xun Kuang and Mu Xu!"

"And didn't your Song family also suffer as a result? Your nephew was found out for doing those things with Zhang Tai and Yan Wenxu and was exiled. What will happen to your children? Will they still be able to take the imperial examinations and pursue an official career? If there are no officials in our family, how can we maintain and consolidate our power after all these years of hard work?"

Song Daoji naturally knew about this matter, otherwise he wouldn't have participated. Upon hearing his brother-in-law's words, he immediately said, "What if His Majesty gets angry? This imperial examination was approved by His Majesty."

Yang Muhe said, "It's not just a dozen or so families. The other families don't even know about this yet. I've already spread the interview requirements today. If things get out of hand, His Majesty won't be able to handle it."

Song Daoji nodded, but immediately pressed on, "What if His Majesty goes on a killing spree like he did in the south?"

Yang Muhe shook his head: "We can't touch them. How many families are there? And how many of them are clean? Besides, if His Majesty really pushes us too far, aren't you afraid that he'll force many families to defect to the Prince of Shu?"

Upon hearing this, Song Daoji immediately reached out and covered Yang Muhe's mouth, "Brother-in-law, you mustn't say such things!"

Yang Muhe removed Song Daoji's hand and said seriously, "Mu Xu said that if no one in the family makes a mistake within ten years, they can participate in the imperial examination. What's the use of ten years? How can we compete with others in the officialdom then? Moreover, there are so many vacancies now, and the Western Regions have been directly destroyed and become part of our Great Xia territory. We need to build cities there. The same goes for the Northern Desert. We need to educate the barbarians. These are all opportunities. If we do well, we can be ennobled and appointed as prime ministers in no time. This is also an opportunity for our families to become great families."

At this point, Yang Muhe continued, "The war has been raging, and it's finally coming to an end. But His Majesty still has matters to deal with in Shu. He won't openly oppose us like this! Besides, no family would agree to this. If we push him too far, His Majesty will know it's not a good thing."

Song Daoji nodded repeatedly, but then, thinking of the two people in the main hall, he looked at Yang Muhe and asked, "Brother-in-law, is it those two?"

Yang Muhe frowned, glanced at the courtyard gate, and couldn't help but curse, "Why didn't she say a word when she came in? What's wrong with her! Just like her mother, so rude!"

After scolding him like that, he looked at Song Daoji and said, "Weren't you supposed to be out preparing food for these two? Hurry up and have someone prepare it!"

Upon hearing this, Song Daoji immediately nodded, but frowned and continued to ponder these matters.

But it was also at this time.
The steward of the manor rushed over.

"Master," the steward said breathlessly, looking at Song Daoji, "Outside the door, the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Academy has arrived."

(End of this chapter)