Chapter 508

Where the newspaper arrived, the Northern Border's imperial examinations had already become the hottest topic.

Before this examination affair, everyone had already heard of it; what's strange is the names on the list. The Northern Border Academy has been running these years; not to say the top eighty are all aristocrats, but they make up the vast majority. Everyone is studying these people.

When did these families start looking so favorably upon the Northern Border?

Eternal Peace is angry about what? Naturally, about the betrayal of the scholar-gentry. How many great clans does the Northern Border have? Xie, Lu, Yang, Liu— which of them originates from the Northern Border? Only Bai Li Jin knows in his heart whether he is more angry or fearful.

The King didn't care what others thought; once the examinations ended, he moved on, setting up his stall and gathering his grain as usual. After three days, Xie Yuan reminded him that the successful examinees should enter court, and only then did the King remember he still had a major matter undone.

"Before this, we ought to get acquainted, right? I, the King, will set up a banquet to receive them!" To have the cattle and horses run well, psychological massage is indispensable.

The King announced a banquet at Bright Light Hall to entertain the new cattle and horses; after the feast, work assignments would be made directly.

The top three were all old acquaintances, and the fourth place was still his cousin; the King didn't treat this banquet as a serious affair at all, he didn't even invite officials, only summoning the Wei brothers and the Xue brothers together. The Northern Border's first imperial examination mostly consisted of youths, the youngest being Zhou Huang and the oldest not yet thirty. The King didn't mind their tentative attitude, calling it 'youths are more energetic.'

At night, the King as usual set up his stall at Phoenix Market, then summoned Zhu Ti after closing.

"Have you heard that some of the elderly scholar-gentry protesters have left Secluded Prefecture?"

Seeing Zhu Ti nod, he asked again: "Among those eighty-eight who passed the examinations, have the newcomers undergone any changes?"

"Didn't the lord say to have them on standby, awaiting imperial arrangements? Even if they wanted to leave, the Secluded Prefecture Guard wouldn't allow it."

The King shifted his posture, "Wei Shen says forced melons aren't sweet; I think there's some truth to that. I can keep their bodies, but they can't be negligent at their posts— we must make them feel from the heart that following me is the most promising path! In Yang Fang's palace examination essay, the first article states that the primary principle is to set the heart right and rectify names, to bear the Mandate of Heaven and establish the foundation of the state. Regardless of his original intent, his words do make sense. Should I have the new cattle and horses… new ministers, observe how the Mandate of Heaven establishes authority?"

Zhu Ti: ……

"So?"

"Go grab the old actor!"

Zhu Ti: ……

"Mandate of Heaven and such are illusory emptiness; the King has given everyone a visible certification of the Mandate of Heaven— no point wasting it."

Zhu Ti worried that the mirage wasn't on the shores of Secluded Prefecture; otherwise she'd have to return to slash the King once to summon it back, "Isn't the Adult Bai Ze here? Won't it work?"

"What do they know about Bai Ze! Unless Bai Ze speaks on the spot, has the King recently performed well enough to command the Adult Bai Ze's absolute obedience?"

Zhu Ti: "……Understood, I'll go to the seaside."

At the evening banquet in Bright Light Hall, the King intended to meet his relatives that day, but only Yang Fang arrived early to apologize. Yang Sheng's protest failed, yet he managed to freeze himself into a cold, and his clansman stayed to look after the elders.

The King, this filial son, hearing Zhao Bao's report, smiled and said, "That day, everyone around— only the Yang clan didn't support my business; look, you've caught a cold, huh~"

Zhao Bao: ……

Having served the King since childhood, he spoke more casually in private; hearing this, he couldn't help advising the King, "Your Highness, that remark is a bit improper— Yang Sheng is your paternal great-uncle, old in age, you shouldn't joke about elders."

"Alright~ Can an old man in Secluded Prefecture not survive a cold? Grant medicine!" He ordered Zhao Bao to fetch his first-aid kit from Year Feather Hall; this guy's physique is robust, not delaying his usual medicines being complete, a cold caught from freezing can still be worsened by eating something bad!

This time Zhao Bao truly jumped, "Please don't bring out those strange medicines to reward the elderly; better to have Divine Doctor Zhang take a look." Yang Sheng is already so old, he can't withstand much tossing about.

The King still wasn't convinced: "Last time I gave Tong Chen two pills and he was fine that very day!" People of Jin without drug resistance— literally, medicine removes illness perfectly!

Those medicines were all taken out of their original packaging; the new wrapping bears only the King's mystic seal, which no one else can distinguish, making Zhao Bao uneasy.

After the box arrived, the King personally took out the cold‑treating capsules, scraping out six to give Zhao Bao: "Take one twice a day; within three days you'll surely recover. Have him take mine— short‑mouthed!"

Zhao Bao felt that giving away just these few capsules was really hard to do; others give medicine along with some ginseng and lingzhi, but here the King gives capsules measured by quantity. He ended up finding a splendid box and also arranged some rare fruits of Great Jin to send over.

Before leaving, still uneasy, the King said, "Your Highness, when Yang Fang comes later, you…… mind your image. Don't you remember the first time you met Lord Xie?"

The King: ……

Thanks for the reminder! Now I remember.

The first time seeing Xie Tu, the situation collapsed right away; he personally went down to fight the Immortal Crane and was seen doing so.

The King, having learned from pain, said, "When he comes, take him straight to Orchid Terrace Hall to look at my collection, let him know how much I love reading— would that be positive enough?"

Zhao Bao was about to leave after receiving orders, but the King changed his mind: "Wait, go to the News Office and summon Xie Tu as well to come early to Orchid Terrace Hall."

Speaking of which, unlike Wei Shen and company, Yang Fang's blood relation is much more distant; the King actually has no settled attitude toward the Yang clan, anyway Yang Sheng looks hot‑tempered and doesn't seem ready to acknowledge this relative.

This guy didn't say he feared Yang Fang would be impervious to blandishments, hard to deal with; he said, "Oh dear, the southern Xie and northern Yang have fallen into my bowl— wouldn't it be great if they became my left and right arms? Let them get acquainted, tsk tsk~ the young ladies of Great Jin don't know how much they'd envy the King!"

Zhao Bao: "……Yes!"

The King also stopped practicing swordplay, put away Tai'a, and decided to return to Year Feather Hall to wash up first.

Yang Fang had taken the palace examination, only passing through the spacious and magnificent former dynasty's architectural complex; who knew the rear of the royal mansion would be such a beautiful sight.

While the Northern Land had not yet entered spring and the outdoors were all dull gray, the King's royal mansion was still a scene of lush prosperity.

All plants in the Northern Border royal mansion thrive year‑round, with spring‑blooming and naturally winter‑blooming varieties; the garden now lacks any trace of desolation, already brimming with spring vitality. Observing the plants in the mansion, you'll notice that aside from the lakeside weeping willows, few species can be identified. Even Jiangnan, famed for gardening, lacks this skill.

Yang Fang was amazed beyond measure, yet had to maintain guest etiquette, striving to stay calm on his face.

Thus, upon arriving at the lakeside Orchid Terrace Hall, his face still bore a hint of astonishment.

The Northern Border King has only been enfeoffed for a few years— how could he have built such an exquisite palace?

The glazed tiles of Orchid Terrace Hall shimmer with golden light in the sun, the Han white jade steps are blindingly white, the whole structure looks like a heavenly palace fallen into the mortal world— is that reasonable?

On both sides of the danchi stood nearly a hundred stone‑carved auspicious beasts—kirin gazing, pixiu glaring—each surely the lifework of an artisan… but what did Zhao Bao say? The place where His Highness reads?

Just a place for reading?!

He dare not imagine what the main hall of this prince's mansion and the Baili Jing sleeping chamber must be like!

"Your Highness, you must be someone who loves reading a lot!"