Joy of Life: The melon-eating prince sees through Fan Xian's fake death

Chapter 71 Hundreds of students bow to thank the prince! (Subscribe!)
Minister Guo could never have expected that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would come to the examination room in person for a surprise inspection, and that he would pull his leg three times in a short period of time. If this matter were to get to the court, many people would definitely report him.

If it was just Fan Xian who came to cause trouble for him, Minister Guo could have just laughed it off. After all, as the Minister of Rites, his official position was no lower than that of the Supervisory Council's Director, so he did not feel oppressed at all. However, he could not bear the consequences of being held accountable by the Crown Prince, so he immediately knelt down in submission.

If it weren't for the fact that he was the Shangshu and it was not right for him to kneel before the Crown Prince, Guo Zheng would have almost knelt down before Li Chengqian and begged for mercy:
"Your Highness, I am dedicated to the country of Qing and would never dare to embezzle money!"

Fan Xian found this respectful look somewhat ironic. If the prince had not been there to support him, Guo Zheng would probably not even lower his head, let alone make such a big fuss.

The unusual movement in the shed also attracted Guo Zheng's guards to come to the rescue. They thought that there was an assassin or that the Shangshu was in trouble. Just as they were about to draw their swords, the prince's attendants who were hiding outside the examination room appeared like thunder.

Dozens of black-clad masters surrounded the guards, and the three closest maids to the prince, led by Luan Hongyu, were already standing in front of the prince, forming a standoff with the group of guards who were unaware of the situation.

The changes in the examination room also attracted the poor students who were helping out here. When they saw the guards going to protect the Shangshu, they thought that the Shangshu had been assassinated. The candidates who were seeking fame, led by Hou Jichang, picked up bricks and rushed over:
"Student Hou Jichang, come to protect the Minister!"

The other students looked at Hou Jichang in amazement:

What the hell!

How could there be such a shameless person?
Holding a stone smaller than an egg, they shouted and screamed outside, not daring to take even a single step into the forbidden area.

You call this escort?

Then more students followed suit:

"Student Yang Baihuan swears to protect the Shangshu until his death!"

"Student."

A very bizarre scene took shape in the examination room: a group of students who were about to have nowhere to go were kept in the dark and scrambled to "protect" Minister Guo who had put them to death, and instead regarded the prince who wanted to save them from the dire situation as an enemy.

Fan Xian felt that the scene was too chaotic, so he kindly reminded:

"Could it be that you can't recognize the prince if he changes into his normal clothes?"

The guards were stunned for a moment.

When did the prince come? ! !
It was not until they saw Guo Zheng being so humble that they realized who could make the Shangshu look like this but the crown prince? Since their master had surrendered, why were they still so stubborn?
All the guards dropped their swords, guns, sticks and clubs, fearing that they would be accused of drawing swords against the prince if they were too slow to do so. They knelt down and apologized:

"See His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!!!"

The voices of apologies rose and fell like waves.

The students, led by Hou Jichang, had their weapons in hand, preparing to stand outside the crowd and shout out their names in the hope of fame. But when they were told that their enemy was the prince, they were all dumbfounded.

Shi Chanli slapped the stone out of Hou Jichang's hand:
"You almost sacrificed your life for fame!"

Hou Jichang's hands trembled with fear, and he backed away frantically, pretending nothing had happened, his lips trembling:
"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! My weapon can't even knock out a bird, let alone hurt a person."

Yang Wanli was standing behind the crowd, watching all this with a sarcastic smile. The farther and higher he stood, the more he could see clearly in the crowd. How come the figure that made Minister Guo tremble looked so much like the "Brother Li" who had just chatted with them? !

"Brother Shi, Brother Ji, come and see!"

"Is the Crown Prince they are talking about Brother Li?"

Shi Chanli and Hou Jichang scrambled to climb onto the table and look far ahead. When they saw the figure surrounded by countless masters, they were all dumbfounded.
“Oh my god! Brother Li Li Li Li, he he he he, is he the prince?!!”

······
There were huge crowds of people and it was very lively. Li Chengqian looked around and saw that there were nearly a hundred guards and attendants alone, and hundreds or even a thousand poor scholars working as helpers. With so many people gathered here, he had achieved his goal.

Li Chengqian wants to take this opportunity to make a show of force!
Minister Guo saw that the situation had become so serious that he was in a dilemma. He was in a state of anxiety like an ant on a hot pot, sweating profusely. "Your Highness, how about we talk somewhere else? I will agree to whatever you say. Everything is fine!"

Fan Xian stood beside the Crown Prince, assisting him: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is asking you a question? Who told you to interrupt?"

Minister Guo was embarrassed to say many things because there were so many people present. Fan Xian repeated the question for the prince: "Minister Guo is the Minister of Rites and is in charge of the renovation of the Spring Examination Hall. Why did he pass off inferior items as good ones? Did he want to embezzle money, or was he instructed by someone?"

This news caused an uproar among the students. Shi Chanli and Hou Jichang widened their eyes. Only Yang Wanli clenched his fists excitedly. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, are you going to seek justice for them?"
"Your Highness, this is definitely not a defective product!" Minister Guo quickly explained, "I have carefully selected it, and it must be a durable material. I will never dare to delay the renovation of the Spring Examination Hall!"

Li Chengqian said coldly: "It's just that it can be used. Didn't the Ministry of Revenue allocate money to you? After deducting the remaining capital, the golden nanmu and gold bricks you exchanged for are not cheap. Where will you sell them? These are all ways to make a lot of money!"

Minister Guo lowered his head and refused to admit that he had embezzled money:

"Your Highness is innocent. The bricks and wood that were removed are all stored in the warehouse of the Ministry of Rites. The remaining silver is all recorded in the book. I know that Your Highness has lofty ambitions and is determined to punish evil and eliminate corruption. I would never dare to commit corruption and pervert the law. Not a penny of silver has entered my pocket!"

Hundreds of students looked at each other in bewilderment, and no one knew whether what he said was true or false.

Li Chengqian saw through his trick and said, "So you are a new official and you want to tear down and rebuild the examination hall that was originally made of golden nanmu wood and gold bricks to show off your achievements as the Minister of Rites?"

This kind of trick is very common. The newly appointed director always wants to make some achievements, so he demolishes and rebuilds the renovated building, demolishes and rebuilds the finished decoration, and takes advantage of the opportunity to get some extra work done, in order to gain both fame and fortune and to make progress in a hurry!

Minister Guo turned pale. As for corruption, he really didn't dare to do it when it was the right time. However, he wanted to tear down the completed project and rebuild it to add to his political achievements. This was his real purpose, but the prince saw through it at a glance.
"I am greedy for merit and reckless, causing great loss of resources and resources. I deserve death. Please punish me, Your Highness!"

Fan Xian laughed. Was this a trap set for the prince?
Li Chengqian did not fall into the trap: "Don't be in a hurry to plead for mercy. Whether you are guilty or not, whether you deserve to die or not, that is a matter for His Majesty to judge. I have not settled the account with you yet, so don't surrender before the battle!"

Done.

Li Chengqian looked at Fan Xian.

The latter understood what he meant and made Minister Guo's self-portrait public.

Li Chengqian spoke slowly:
"As the Minister of Rites, since you proposed the renovation of the examination hall, you have the responsibility to oversee it. However, you have never managed the relevant matters. You hid in the pergola and took time off. You also pretended to work hard, left paintings, and exaggerated to Your Majesty to seek credit and reward."

"Guo Zheng, how dare you deceive the emperor?"

Wow!
Everyone was in an uproar. Deceiving the emperor was a capital crime punishable by beheading!
Qingzhu and Luan Hongyu took a step forward at the same time, as if they were ready to take away the traitor at any time. Then they put the hat on Guo Zheng's head, frightening him so much that he felt dizzy and his legs softened as he knelt down:
"I am just taking a break from my busy schedule. I have absolutely no intention of deceiving the emperor!"

With a sarcastic look on his face, Fan Xian pointed at the huge pavilion and asked, "Are you taking a break?"

"The Spring Examination Hall has not been built yet, but you are greedy for enjoyment and have built a pergola in advance? There are even ice cubes and fruits inside for you to enjoy, but hundreds of students can only sweat like rain in the scorching sun and choose the shade to avoid the heat. When they are busy to the point of fainting, you say you are taking a break?!"

"You are doing nothing! You are just sitting there doing nothing!"

The excited questioning of Master Fan was like a shot of chicken blood to the exhausted students. They spoke indignantly, "We work hard as helpers, but not only do we not have enough steamed buns and cold water, we don't even have a place to get shade from the sun."

Minister Guo didn't expect that these country bumpkins would dare to take advantage of others' misfortune. He turned around and said angrily:

"Didn't I build a pavilion for you? What nonsense are you talking about!"

Unexpectedly, his rebuttal aroused greater public resentment.

Many students who had been waiting and not saying anything also spoke out angrily:

"How dare you say that? That shabby little pavilion is not big enough for hundreds of us to enjoy the cool air."

"He is just sleeping in the shed and doing nothing. This is not fair!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince and Master Xiao Fan are right. We support you!!!"

The noise created by hundreds of people was so great that it was enough to spread throughout the entire capital. This was the effect Li Chengqian wanted. He used the power of the crown prince and the courage of the students to talk among them to punish Minister Guo and punish the people behind him!

Li Chengqian looked down at Minister Guo and said, "I didn't realize you're quite good at taking some time off."

The latter was scolded and had to kneel on the ground, lowering his head: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

Hundreds of students applauded loudly and cheered continuously.

Shi Chanli's face flushed with excitement, and Hou Jichang's eyes gleamed with desire.

Qingzhu was dressed in green, looking up with a handsome and heroic face, and was very proud of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Jiang Ziyan also looked at the scene with a blushing face. It was the first time for her to see such a grand scene. It was even more lively than the New Year's Party!

Only Yang Wanli frowned in deep thought, as if the play performed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was...
it's not finished yet!
······
The Second Prince's Mansion.

The person who cares about you the most is always your enemy.

Li Chengze is almost always the first person to know about the prince's recent situation. Isn't it another different kind of "brotherhood"?

Fan Wujiu rushed back to report the news: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has brought Fan Xian and many of his attendants to surround the examination hall. It seems that he wants to thoroughly investigate the matter of Minister Guo passing off inferior goods as good ones and replacing one thing with another."

Li Chengze frowned: "He found out?" Fan Wujiu was a little confused: "What did he find out? Was Minister Guo greedy for merit or was he corrupt?"

Li Chengze shook his head: "That's just the most basic appearance. It seems that our Crown Prince is just pretending. He said that others are greedy for merit and are reckless. After he received the decree of His Majesty to become a deputy examiner, didn't he rush to make merit?"

As long as the prince doesn’t discover the real purpose behind his plot to instigate Minister Guo, it will be fine!

"Your Highness, after all, Minister Guo is one of ours. Now the Crown Prince refuses to release him and brings a group of students with him, seemingly intending to take advantage of the situation to gain fame. What should we do? He is corrupt and deceiving the emperor. I am worried that Minister Guo can't handle the pressure."

Fan Wujiu relieved the Second Prince's worries, but in fact he was testing the real plan behind him.

"Not urgent."

Li Chengze stuffed a grape into his mouth, feeling relaxed and comfortable: "If it were just me, Minister Guo would probably really give up halfway and surrender to the prince, but he also knows that I am not the only one fighting with the prince."

"I'm just curious, how will His Royal Highness respond?"

Fan Wujiu's pupils shrank and he lowered his head, thinking about the water of this power struggle.

Too deep.
Fan Mansion.

sunset.

It was time for Fan Xian to finish his shift and go home for dinner, but he did not return for a long time.

Fan Ruoruo nervously waited in the yard at the door, waiting for her brother to come home, or to be more precise, hoping that her brother would bring back news about the Crown Prince. She knew in advance that the two of them had disguised themselves as ordinary scholars and sneaked into the examination room to help.

But he hasn’t come back for such a long time, did something happen?
Then I heard the noise in the street, saying that something big happened in the Spring Examination Hall!

The neighbors were all eating melons and discussing it.

Those who were curious even went to see it.

Fan Ruoruo's heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat. She wanted to climb over the wall again and sneak out to see what was happening on the scene, but Aunt Liu stopped her: "Ruoruo, if your brother and the Crown Prince are in trouble, you will only cause trouble for them if you go."

"Don't cause trouble for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince like you did last time."

"I understand, aunt."

Fan Ruoruo felt sad when she thought of her previous bad experiences. It would be great if she had a skill to protect herself, whether it was martial arts or medicine. When her brother comes back, she will definitely ask him to teach her a skill!
"I must become better, help my family, help my brother, and help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

·······
The Spring Examination Hall is being repaired.

The people of Kyoto, who heard that something big was happening, also came to join in the fun and saw a shocking scene.

Minister Guo started to grovel and then kneel down, like a hawk being fed up with energy, and his physical strength was almost exhausted, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had no intention of letting him go, as if he had not yet achieved his goal and had not exhausted all the means.
Where are you, Second Prince?

Didn't we say we were allies?
Why is it that I have done everything but no one comes to help me?

Just as Minister Guo was feeling confused and anxious, Li Chengqian looked at Fan Xian beside him.

The latter took out a list of candidates from his bosom, which recorded the names of hundreds of poor scholars who came to help, so it was a bit heavy and substantial:

"Dear students, do you know what this is?"

More than a hundred students were confused. Only the brave ones dared to shout, "It's the register of us who came here to help!"

"Yes, this contains the names and hometowns of hundreds of you."

Fan Xian held up the list, circled around Minister Guo, and stopped in front of him.

The latter covered his chest, feeling uneasy. Damn, the prince was using him to build momentum!
"I know that you are all poor scholars from humble backgrounds. It has not been easy for you. You have come from all corners of the country of Daqing to gather in Kyoto. I believe you have exhausted all your life's energy and financial resources. It is even possible that your family sold everything they had and borrowed money from the entire clan to send you to Beijing to take the exam."

Fan Xian's empathy moved the students so much that their eyes almost brimmed with tears.

"You want to earn money by working as helpers to support your life in Kyoto. I understand and respect you very much, but some students want to show off and gain fame, so that Minister Guo will remember your names and have more chances to be on the list."

Speaking of which.

Several students blushed, and Hou Jichang even wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

However, Fan Xian changed the subject and said, "I didn't say you made any mistakes. These little thoughts are understandable. I understand your embarrassment of being born in a poor family and having no way out. But do you know? This is the book that records your names."

"But Minister Guo regards you as cunning and opportunistic people, and he said that he would never recruit those whose names are on the list as officials, let alone let you be on the list. You wanted to open a chance for promotion, but it became the last window that was closed!"

boom.

Hundreds of students were furious. When they learned the truth behind the helper issue, they were all furious. They hated the injustice and were annoyed that the hard work of their decades of study was buried based on a small list.

"I'm just hungry and have no money to eat, so I'm just working as a helper to make a living. Why do you think we're all opportunists?"

"Why does Minister Guo treat us like this? Are all the books we have read and the hardships we have endured going to waste just because of this piece of paper?"

"Guo Gou! You act like a dog for the noble families and the ministers, and select candidates for them in advance. Isn't this a real act of cheating and opportunism? We are just here to help, why did you reject us out of hand? Is the Spring Examination a farce and a joke?"

The students were furious, speaking without thinking, complaining, and the scene was noisy.

"no!"

Li Chengqian used his true energy to speak loudly to the students:

"As the crown prince, I guarantee that I will never allow anyone with ulterior motives to deny your efforts and ruin your future. For all the students who have come here from humble backgrounds and have made it here solely through their talents, I will help you pass the imperial examinations and protect you!"

As he spoke, Li Chengqian took the list from Fan Xian and threw it into the fire basin in front of hundreds of students. All the names were burned to ashes, and no one could wrongly accuse these innocent poor scholars anymore.

More than a hundred students stood there in a daze. It took them a while to understand what the prince meant. He wanted to stand up for them, speak out all the injustices, and eliminate all the unfairness. Everyone applauded, and some even raised their fists and cried, cheering for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

For poor scholars, studying is what they spend their entire lives doing, so the imperial examination is the only way to survive in their minds. The moment before, they were sentenced to death, but at this moment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince turned the situation around and acquitted them!
This gives them a second life!

Even the common people who had no education and did not take the imperial examinations were applauding and cheering for the prince. They could tell who was the evil official who bullied the people and who was the good man who stood by the people!
Minister Guo seemed to have lost all his strength and fell to the ground as if drained. Before he passed out, all he heard were the students praising His Royal Highness, as well as cursing, condemnation and humiliation against him.

As a scholar who reached the pinnacle of power, he was humiliated by his descendants.
He was so angry that he fainted!

Li Chengqian stepped over him and came in front of the hundred students. Fan Xian was behind him. In front of hundreds of Kyoto citizens, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince announced to the hundreds of poor students who were taking part in the Spring Examination:

"With Fan Xian and I co-hosting this Spring Examination, it will no longer be a farce or a joke. I, Li Chengqian, hereby guarantee that I will return a fair and honest Spring Examination to the people and scholars of the world!"

More than a hundred poor students had tears in their eyes, and some were so moved that they cried.

Their desire to pass the imperial examination and be included in the imperial list had been suppressed for so many years by the aristocratic families and the children of the nobles. It was like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, blocking out the sky and the sun. However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took up the responsibility and wanted to give them a chance to be fair and just. He gave them a chance to soar to the sky!

Boom!
Yang Wanli knelt down with tears in his eyes.

Throughout his life, he only knelt to his parents and never to the powerful. Everyone said that he had become stupid because of reading too much. He was obviously very talented, so why didn't he recommend himself and become a retainer of a prominent family, kneeling down and working like a dog in exchange for a chance to become an official?

But he never bows to power, let alone kneels. There is no such possibility!

But today, Yang Wanli knelt down and kowtowed to Li Chengqian!
"Thank you, Your Highness, for giving me a new life!"

one person.

two.

Three
More than a hundred students knelt down and kowtowed to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince from the bottom of their hearts:

"Thank you, Your Highness, for giving me a new life!"

"Thank you, Your Highness, for giving me a new life!"

"Thank you, Your Highness, for giving me a new life!!!"

　The words of thanks for the release have been deleted. It's too embarrassing that the first order is less than 1,000 with 15,000 collections. I'm embarrassed to leave those words. I will write 10,000 words a day to ensure the quality. Let's see if the number can go up (burst into tears)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)