Chapter 236: Assassinate Tomorrow

Xie Chan rose early in the morning.

She hid the Yingjisha knife in her shoe, a fierce look flashing in her eyes: "Today, no matter what, I must make that Liu the Dog Thief pay the price for his deception!"

"Yes!"

A group of Night Walkers nodded.

Xie Chan gave a cold smile.

Three days ago, what had been wrong with her brain to let herself be deceived by that scoundrel's words! Otherwise, three days ago, he should have already met his end.

But.

It is not too late now.

With her Night Walkers taking action, success was guaranteed.

Just at this moment.

"Young Lady, Young Lady, someone is here, someone is here!"

The little maidservant ran back, panting: "Young Lady, that yamen runner posted a notice, wanting, wanting, wanting some kind of Imperial Examination!"

Xie Chan was stunned: "What on earth is that?"

The maidservant handed over a piece of paper: "Young Lady, look..."

Xie Chan lowered her head to look, and was instantly dumbfounded.

In her beautiful eyes, an incredible brilliance flickered.

Imperial Examination?

Using examinations to select talent?

This Prefect Liu, is he playing for real?

She gritted her teeth fiercely: "Let's wait and see, I will assassinate him tomorrow!"

A group of people...

"Imperial Examination?"

In Cui Lao's residence, he held the notice at this moment, sneering repeatedly.

"As early as three hundred years ago, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel suggested an Imperial Examination to reform talent selection. But he was quickly torn apart by the Nobles, hehe... I didn't expect this Prefect Liu to be such a radical reformer."

The others also laughed out loud.

"What is this Prefect Liu thinking?"

"Since ancient times, how could those lowly commoners ever get to study?"

"Whether it's the recommendation system or the Imperial Examination, isn't it all just for people like us?"

Cui Gong also laughed proudly.

This was true; since ancient times, the elite class of the Longyan Dynasty had firmly controlled educational resources, with the goal that their own people could continue for generations, while those lowly commoners, no better than pigs or dogs, should never be able to get ahead.

Another person added.

"If it's an Imperial Examination, my master is a Regional Commander!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Let's go, let's go take a look when the time comes."

"Imperial Examination?"

Also in a residence.

Ling Chen, who wrote "The soaring scent of the array permeates the Imperial Capital, after my flowers bloom, a hundred flowers die," looked at this notice with burning eyes.

His heart was undoubtedly shaken at this moment.

Over these past three days, he, like everyone else, had begun to suspect whether this Prefect Liu was just fooling them. However, today, this single piece of paper left him completely shocked.

Imperial Examination?

Isn't this the policy he had been longing for?

This...

His mind was suddenly in turmoil; could this Liu Zheng truly be an enlightened ruler, an enlightened ruler worth following?

The whole city was in an uproar.

Everyone was discussing this matter.

Imperial Examination.

This was the first time they had heard of it.

And...

The Imperial Examination System that Liu Zheng created was far more advanced than those of ancient times. Ancient times only had the eight-legged essay. But his Imperial Examination was divided into three parts.

One was the Literary Examination, two was the Martial Examination, and three was the Craftsman Examination.

In fact, this was the reason why everyone was shocked.

You could say the Literary Examination was fine. Since ancient times, scholars had always been considered a cut above, and officials were all scholars. The Martial Examination was also understandable. This was for the Construction Corps; in this era where cold weapons reigned supreme, the skills of soldiers could still allow them to transcend the category of lowly commoners.

But this Craftsman Examination...

Made stars appear in the eyes of some people.

Craftsmen?

Craftsmen could even become officials?

This was absolutely unprecedented! In ancient times, the status of craftsmen was actually not high, even lower than merchants. Precisely because the skills they mastered were all called "Strange Skills," they were considered low-class! Their social status was not even as good as a farmer.

Yet today...

Everyone has a chance?

Everyone has a chance!

If this isn't fairness, what is? If this isn't equality, what is?

"This..."

"Is Prefect Liu truly intending to build a pure land?"

"We have a chance!"

"That's wonderful!"

Everyone ran about telling each other the news. Then, the entire Yanqi City began a craze of signing up for this Imperial Examination. Those signing up for the Literary Examination did so, those for the Martial Examination did so, and those for the Artisan Examination did so.

It was extraordinarily lively.

In the crowd.

The young girl followed behind her mistress and asked in a low voice: "Mistress, what should we sign up for?"

Xie Chan also nodded: "This matter truly requires careful consideration. This Prin... this young lady is skilled in both literature and martial arts, so it is indeed a bit difficult."

The young girl said: "Mistress, I think we should still go for the Martial Examination. Think about it, if you pass the Literary Examination, wouldn't it be hard to hide a blade? If it's the Martial Examination, it would be much more convenient to assassinate that dog thief!"

Xie Chan nodded, feeling it made a lot of sense, and so she walked toward the entrance for the Martial Examination registration.

The young girl stood where she was, tilting her head.

Why did she feel that things were getting more and more wrong?

Weren't they here to assassinate Liu Zheng!

Kill him and leave!

That was the style of a Night Walker!

How come they were still staying in this Yanqi City and not leaving?

Xie Chan had already returned from registering and, seeing her confusion, coldly snapped: "Xiao Tao, one must have a just cause to act, understand? When this Princess kills someone, there must be a criminal charge! Wantonly killing the innocent is what that dog thief does!"

She paused.

"If his dream that day was truly not a lie..."

"Then let us wait and see!"

Xiao Tao nodded blankly.

The Imperial Palace of the Dayuan Kingdom.

Xie Xuan's face was livid: "Have you still not found her?"

"Have you still not found My Chan'er?"

"It has been so long, has she evaporated into thin air!"

He shouted coldly in a rage.

The entire court of civil and military officials stood silent as cicadas in winter, kneeling on the ground.

"Your Majesty, the Princess, if the Princess really went to that Yanqi City, this..."

"Hmm?"

Xie Xuan's eyes turned cold.

"Your Majesty, the Princess is clever and agile, she will surely return safe and sound!"

"That's right, and there are thirty Night Walkers protecting her; the Princess will surely succeed in killing that Prefect Liu and return in triumph!"

Xie Xuan said angrily: "I don't want to hear this nonsense. Where are you useless Scouts? Is there no one who can get into that Yanqi City? Is there no one!"

He was hopping mad, his anger soaring to the heavens.

"Report————"

"Your Majesty, the Scout who infiltrated Yanqi City has returned!"

Xie Xuan said anxiously: "Quick, quick, quick."

A disheveled fellow came running over and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, the latest intelligence..."

"How is it? Have you found My Chan'er?"

The man hesitated, took out a crumpled piece of paper, and said in a panic: "Your Majesty, please look. This is some Imperial Examination that Prefect Liu has come up with... The Princess, the Princess, she went to sign up for the Martial Examination..."

"What?"

Xie Xuan's head suddenly spun.

Imperial Examination?

He snatched the paper away abruptly and looked at it coldly.

Selecting talent through examinations?

Literary Examination, Martial Examination, Artisan Examination?

He was suddenly shaken to his core, and the anger he had just felt vanished instantly. He stared at the paper with glowing eyes, lost in deep thought.

This Prefect Liu does not seem as simple as I thought.

What does he want to do?

What is he doing?

Does he not know that this is treasonous?

Good fellow, he really is a formidable young man!

Xie Xuan calmed down instantly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He seemed to feel that the Dayuan Kingdom's army being defeated at his hands was not unjust at all.

The battle at Yanqi resulted in the loss of two hundred thousand Dayuan troops, leaving the Dayuan Kingdom severely crippled and utterly incapable of launching another expedition to conquer Yanqi. This nearly caused Xie Xuan to lose his breath and pass away right then and there.

Yet now...

His stiff face slowly revealed a trace of a smile: "Good, a very good Liu Zheng!"

"Hahahaha, Xie Lao'er, it is your turn to have a headache now, isn't it?"

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in his eyes, and his expression softened as he looked at the Scout below, laughing: "Find a way to infiltrate again, tell the Princess to just pay attention to her safety, and report back with intelligence on Yanqi City at any time!"

Everyone was startled.

Report back at any time?

Wasn't it said that the Princess should return immediately?

Why is the Princess being allowed to stay in Yanqi City?

As expected... the Emperor's will is hard to fathom.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Xie Xuan finished giving his orders, he stood up and left, arriving once again at the highest point of the Imperial Palace.

The graceful and luxurious Empress heard his footsteps, and without turning her head, she said softly: "Your Majesty, is Chan'er well?"

Xie Xuan looked at the back of this peerless Beauty and gritted his teeth, saying: "Qing'er, this was your arrangement, wasn't it? Was it!"

Zhai Qing'er smiled sweetly, turned around, and used her jade hand to gently stroke her husband's stubble-covered face, a look of tenderness flashing in her eyes: "Your Majesty, how can you say that? Qing'er is but a mere woman; I have never dared to harbor ambitions of being the mother of the nation. How could I ever outwit the minds of you emperors?"

Xie Xuan took a deep breath, looked at the woman he loved, and gave a miserable smile: "Qing'er, oh Qing'er, it should be said that both I and that Xie Lao'er are no match for you..."

Zhai Qing'er cheered: "Is Your Majesty complimenting me?"

Xie Xuan gave a bitter laugh and let out a deep sigh.

He looked into the distance and suddenly laughed out loud: "I have fought with that Xie Lao'er for a lifetime, a whole lifetime. I never expected that you, who kept saying you had no desire to be the mother of the nation, would be the one to have the last laugh."

Zhai Qing'er leaned her head gently on Xie Xuan's shoulder and smiled sweetly: "Your Majesty, I truly have no ambition; I just want to find a good family and a good home for Chan'er. Your Majesty, can you understand?"

Xie Xuan grabbed Zhai Qing'er by the shoulders and glared at her coldly: "Does that include the scheme to gift a Princess of the Great Yan Dynasty to that rebellious boy?"

Zhai Qing'er smiled and said nothing.

Xie Xuan fiercely gripped his woman's throat and roared: "The Longyan Dynasty belongs to the Xie Family, it belongs to the Xie Family, do you understand?"

"No matter how Xie Lao'er and I fight, this dynasty has belonged to the Xie Family for over a thousand years!"

"Tell me, if the Longyan Dynasty falls into chaos and Xie Lao'er dies, his good-for-nothing sons will certainly be no match for this Liu Zheng!"

"At that time, if the world learns that Xie Chan is the daughter of that Xie Lao'er, what will the situation become?"

"What will it be?"

He was almost.

He roared it out.

However, this roar sounded so powerless and so desolate at this moment.

He knew.

Zhai Qing'er was taking revenge on him.

Revenge for him abducting her back when she was just pregnant...

At that time, she was still his sister-in-law.

She was also taking revenge on Xie Tianyao.

In the twenty-first year of Pingyu, while Xie Tianyao was hunting in the game preserve, Xie Xuan led a group of Qi to launch a surprise attack and abducted the world's greatest Beauty, Zhai Qing'er. Xie Tianyao was scared half to death at the time, ordering his soldiers to protect him as he fled back to the palace, never once thinking of trying to take his beloved consort back...

At this moment.

Eighteen years had already passed...

These eighteen years.

Xie Tianyao had never left the Imperial Palace.

Because he cherished his life; he was afraid of death.

He was afraid that Xie Xuan would launch a sneak attack at any time.

Furthermore...

He knew that Xie Xuan had one of his children in his hands.

He just didn't know if it was a son or a daughter...

【Author's Note】

Chapter 235 has been half-revised, sorry everyone, you can go back and take a look. I felt that the talent selection in Yanqi City could still lead to an Imperial Examination plot, so I arranged it.