Her guards

Chapter 122 Happiness and Unhappiness
"So that's what my maternal grandparents were discussing with my father and mother when they went to the palace."

Princess Heisei said.

The Queen's Palace was filled with more people than the family who had gathered to comfort her after the last attack.

The King of the East Sea has arrived.

My maternal grandmother has arrived.

My third uncle and aunt also came.

Because the emperor wanted to celebrate his daughter's success, he notified all his relatives to come early on. Although Princess Heicheng did not come first in the exam, the emperor still asked everyone to come, and the banquet continued.

Fortunately, the most talked-about topic at the banquet was the exchange of identities between Miss Yang and Miss Liu.

"They even kept it from me." Princess Heisei feigned displeasure. "Everyone asked me at the time, assuming I knew too, but little did they know I was also shocked and didn't know how to tell everyone."

The emperor hurriedly said, "It's all my father's fault."

"Your father did this so that you could focus on your studies," said the old lady of the Marquis of Yichun. "He was afraid that something like this would happen at the beginning of the school year and ruin your mood for studying."

“This is all the fault of the Duke of Ding’an,” Chai Yuan snorted. “His children did such a thing, and he not only did not care, but also pestered his father and His Majesty. His Majesty had no choice but to cover for them.”

The Prince of Donghai listened from the side and realized that there was such a backstory. He had his maid impersonate someone else to test the princess's companion. He almost blurted out that the young lady of the Yang family was indeed very bold, but he swallowed it back when he thought of what his mother had said last time.

"Father has gone to great lengths to ensure Heisei's education," he said, adopting a more palatable tone.

My maternal grandfather had previously sent someone to subtly tell him that he should say nice things to my father.

Although he felt this was unnecessary between father and son, there was no harm in saying it.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Empress, who had been quietly drinking tea, suddenly laughed and said, "Then your father has really wasted his efforts. With Miss Yang around, Hei Cheng got second place in the exam."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall froze.

The emperor's face stiffened.

The old lady of the Marquis of Yichun frowned and hurriedly said, "What are you saying, Your Highness? What does being second in the Heisei Examination have to do with Miss Yang—"

But as soon as I said it, I realized it wasn't right.

If it has nothing to do with Miss Yang, wouldn't that mean it's because Heisei himself didn't learn well?

That's not a proper way to put it.

The old lady of the Marquis of Yichun's voice came to an abrupt halt.

The atmosphere inside the hall was even more stagnant than before.

The emperor's expression changed several times as he looked at the empress.

He didn't mind the Empress's sarcastic remarks.

But at times like this, mocking him would hurt Heisei's feelings.

How sad it must be for the Heisei era to hear this.

Anger welled up in the emperor's eyes, and he was about to speak.

Princess Heicheng stood up first, called out "Mother Empress," and sat down next to the Empress.

“This time it was all because I was careless and used the wrong classical allusion,” she said, shaking the Empress’s arm. “Mother, I only made this one mistake; everything else was fine, and the Grand Master even praised me.”

They were talking about watching the emperor.

"Father, where is my answer sheet? Please take it out and show it to Mother. The Grand Master wrote a lot of praise for me."

The emperor, unable to bear ignoring his daughter's words, forced a smile, took out the answer sheet from his sleeve, and said, "Yes, Ah Feng, look, Heisei answered very well."

The Empress regretted her words immediately afterward. She knew how upset her proud daughter was that the arrogant Miss Yang had snatched first place from her. This fueled her hatred, which she hated for the Yang family, for the Emperor, and for the uncontrollable malice that led her to utter such harsh words…

The harsh words also hurt her daughter.

She also had to cheer up her daughter, who was in a bad mood, and comfort her...

She reached out and touched Heisei's shoulder, but did not take the answer sheet handed to her by the emperor.

“No need to look, I know that breaking even is the best,” she said, looking down at her daughter with eyes full of apology.

It's her fault, she's useless, she let this man surnamed Yang humiliate her daughter.

Seeing that the emperor was somewhat embarrassed that the answer sheet in his hand was not being taken, the old lady of the Marquis of Yichun quickly got up and took it.

"Before the Marquis came, he instructed me to make sure I took a look and asked me to make a copy for him."

After saying that, he gestured to Madam Chai, who was sitting to the side.

“You should see for yourself. Go back and teach those children. They are all taught by their tutors at home, but they still can’t write well or read books well.”

Madam Chai quickly agreed, and Chai Yuan chimed in, "I'll take a look too; maybe I can learn something from it."

The atmosphere inside the hall became lively.

Princess Heisei nestled beside her mother, still smiling, but the smile looked somewhat stiff.

She knew that her grandmother was flattering her and supporting her.

If you really did get first place, doing this would be icing on the cake.

But now, she's ranked second.

Grade A, lower.

The flattery and praise have become a joke.

She actually came in second place.

She was actually outshone by that Miss Yang.

Miss Yang must be very happy now.

……

.......
There was no banquet or celebration at the Duke of Ding'an's residence.

Only Yang Hui was shouting and complaining about why this matter was just left like that.

The Duke of Ding'an and his wife also looked puzzled. Yes, why is this happening?
I waited and waited outside the Academy of Chinese Studies today, and this is the result I got.

The truth was revealed, but the person was not expelled from the National Academy and was able to continue studying.

This is different from what His Majesty said before.

What happened? We clearly agreed on this, so why was it changed?

“Because I came in first place,” Mo Zheng said with a smile. “His Majesty appreciates talent.”

After saying this, he bowed to the Duke of Ding'an and his wife and took his leave.

"Uncle and Aunt, I'm going to help Miss Liu Chan pack her luggage. She couldn't wait to go back with Father today, so I'll deliver the luggage to her tomorrow."

The Duke of Ding'an and his wife looked at the girl standing behind Mo Zheng.

Now that her true identity has been revealed, Liu Chan no longer needs to pretend to be Miss Yang, and the maid who was impersonating Liu Chan has returned.

"She's continuing her studies too?" The Duke of Ding'an, as if remembering something, pointed at the maid and asked, "She's just a maid..."

"So what if I'm a maid?" Yang Luo said with a half-smile. "I took the selection exam myself and got a C grade in this exam, while Miss Yang Hui only got a D grade."

At this point, she exclaimed "Oh dear!"

"Didn't they say there would be a punishment for getting the lowest grade? Lord Gong and Madam, you should go find His Majesty quickly, don't let the Imperial Academy drive Miss Hui away."

Yang Hui was furious: "You—"

"Try calling me a lowly servant!" Yang Luo shouted back. "I am a student of the Imperial Academy who passed the examination for the Chancellor and was pardoned by His Majesty, allowing me to continue my studies! If you insult me, you are insulting His Majesty and the Chancellor!"

Yang Hui was stunned, thinking she was talking nonsense, but she didn't dare to say it out loud. She could only stomp her feet and call out to her father and mother, "Look at her!"

The noise only made the Duke and his wife more annoyed.

"Get out of here, all of you!"

"If you didn't do well on the test, reflect on your own actions!"

"Even if you do well on the exam and are pardoned for your mistakes, don't be too smug!"

Instead of being comforted by her parents, Yang Hui was scolded and ran away crying in anger.

Mo Zheng and Yang Luo did not argue further and took their leave.

The noisy children had all left, and the hall finally quieted down. The Duke and his wife exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with weariness and confusion.

Cherish talent?

real or fake?

Did the emperor truly pity this child?
"It's not impossible," Lady Ding'an murmured. "His Majesty is actually very good to our children. Just think about how he treats Hui'er every day..."

Although they rarely visited His Majesty on a daily basis, whenever they went to pay their respects during festivals, especially when they brought their children, particularly Yang Hui, the Emperor would always give them a second glance.

They would also call Yang Hui closer and give her some snacks, fruit wine, or other treats.

This is something insignificant, but it's a privilege that others don't receive.

Therefore, even though she didn't know that this Miss Yang was her sister-in-law's daughter, she felt a bit more pity for her because she was a Miss Yang.

"If I find out..." Duke Ding'an subconsciously stood up.

Wouldn't that be even more outrageous?
He suddenly realized this, and perhaps he shouldn't have listened to the Chai family and kept it from the child.
The Yang family has a real princess.

"Are you foolish!" Lady Ding'an hurriedly pulled him back, her voice low and urgent. "What good is a princess? Even if she wins His Majesty's favor now, what about in the future?"

After His Majesty's passing, the new emperor is the grandson of the Chai family!

If you offend the Chai family, their descendants will never have a good life!

This is why they bowed to the Chai family from the very beginning.

After calming down, Duke Ding'an's face immediately turned sorrowful again.

“That’s terrible,” he said. “The Chai family must be very unhappy.”

After saying that, he hurriedly got up.

"I need to go and explain to Marquis Yichun quickly."

This result has nothing to do with them.

That girl got first place on her own!
Liu Chan's luggage was simple, and Mo Zheng could pack it all by herself. While Mo Zheng was tidying up Yang Luo's room, Yang Luo also returned with food from the kitchen.

The two sat down and ate and talked.

Yang Luo was also puzzled by today's outcome.

She hadn't expected the emperor not to expel them from the Imperial Academy. She had thought that even if they passed the exam, the emperor's word was law and no one could stop them.

On the return carriage, Mo Zheng told her the reason.

Cherish talent.

Unlike the Duke and his wife, who didn't believe it, Yang Luo believed it because she knew it wasn't the emperor appreciating talent, but the chief minister appreciating talent.

The chief priest was someone who could obstruct the emperor.

“I never had the chance to meet someone like the Chief Priest in my previous life,” Yang Luo sighed. “With you, Ah Sheng, in this life, my fate is truly different.”

Mo Zheng smiled and said, "If it weren't for Miss, I wouldn't have had the chance to come to the capital, let alone enter the National Academy. No matter how talented I am, I wouldn't have been able to get first place and be pitied by others."

Yang Luo smiled and suddenly took out a flower from her sleeve.

“Congratulations, Miss, on winning first place,” she said.

Mo Zheng was stunned for a moment, then saw that it was a flower carved from a radish.

Yang Luo's voice continued, "It was carved by the kitchen maids; I'm just passing on their work."

Mo Zheng reached out and took the gift, a smile spreading across her face: "Thank you for the gift, Miss."

She held it up under the light and gently turned it around; the radish petals were crystal clear.

(End of this chapter)