Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 572: Sudden Death (4)

Feng Xuxu naturally sat on his lap, picked up the paper from his hand, and read the information sent from various places.

"With no leader to guide them, they surely dare not stage a rebellion," Feng Xuxu put down the paper and slightly turned to look at him.

Dugu Chen gently pecked her enticing lips, drawing a roll of the eyes from the recipient. Enfolding her waist, Dugu Chen chuckled, "They are too busy trying to save themselves, how could they think of rebelling! Having been in the officialdom for so many years, one should have already discerned the patterns. Following the successive deaths of the marshals, the general’s coma, and then the sudden deaths in Prince Fu’s family, piecing these together is enough for them to speculate about."

Soon, courier pigeons filled the sky, and various ministers involved started submitting their petitions, some pleading illness and inability to manage affairs, while others claiming they were too old and asking to retire to the countryside. In short, the excuses varied without repetition.

The Prime Minister was clueless about the situation. With so many resignations being submitted at once, including some from vice generals, the Prime Minister had no choice but to draft a petition overnight and send it forth, hoping for the Emperor to decide.

After reading it, Dugu Chen tossed the memorial onto the table. Feng Xuxu picked it up and saw, oh boy, one second-rank official, one third-rank, two vice generals, and three magistrates. Looking further down, there were several minor officials involved, six or seven of them at least.

"My lord, what do you plan to do?"

"We can’t let them off so easily. They must die!" Dugu Chen’s eyes glittered with a hint of ruthlessness. Xueyan Country seemed peaceful on the surface but was filthy behind the scenes.

"Yes," she agreed.

Watching his large hand sweep across the paper, writing one word, "Approved," he then called for the messenger, "Send this to the Prime Minister Residence, eight hundred li in urgent haste."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

In early October, the Capital City began buzzing with activity, as most of the streets were filled with scholars. The palace examination, held once every three years, was about to begin. All those who had come to the Capital City for the examination had passed through the rigorous provincial exams and the metropolitan exams. Only those who had succeeded were eligible for the palace exam.

The Prime Minister, watching the scholars from the teahouse, sighed with a sense of helplessness. The Emperor entrusted him with such an important palace exam, a sign of immense trust. He could not afford to mess it up. After all, many positions in the Imperial Court were vacant, and it was time for a significant change. Therefore, this palace exam was of great importance.

As the day of the exam drew near, the scholars grew increasingly nervous. Many secluded themselves in inns to study by lamplight. They had endured years of hardship and overcome many challenges. Now, all depended on this final hurdle. Success would mean an extraordinary rise in status, failure would mean waiting another three years, so no one wanted to miss this chance.

In Feng Family village, Dugu Chen was also very worried, pacing anxiously back and forth in the ’Lotus Garden’.

"Worried?" Feng Xuxu suddenly spoke up from behind him.

"Yes, a bit," Dugu Chen honestly admitted.

Feng Xuxu walked to the edge of the pond, observing the wilting lotus flowers, "There’s a saying from our place, ’Hidden dragons are to be found among the people’. In fact, among them are some who have not even attended school, or rather, what you call private tutoring. Yet, they are very talented. So, you can’t always focus on those who bury themselves in books all day. Most of those people are quite pedantic, always memorizing from the books but unable to think flexibly."

"My lady, please tell me more." Dugu Chen was obviously intrigued by Feng Xuxu’s words and even more curious now.

"Tell you what?" Feng Xuxu turned to look at him, leaning on the railing.

"Whatever, I’ll listen to whatever you say."

Feng Xuxu sat down on the chair by the flower pond and, after some thought, shared the story of ’King Goujian of Yue.’ She spoke at length but realized that the person next to her hadn’t spoken a single word. She then turned to look at him, "Are you even listening!"

"My dear, that King of Yue really knew how to endure." Dugu Chen was quite impressed with King Goujian, having listened to the end. After all, as the ruler of a country, to serve as a horse groom for the enemy after defeat, enduring such humiliation was something most emperors would never agree to do. Moreover, to personally till the land and have his wife weave fabrics—that was an incredible breadth of spirit. Such a person would find it hard not to achieve greatness.

"Yeah, if it had been here, someone would have already cut their throat."

"Got any more? Keep going, tell me a few more stories."

Feng Xuxu looked at his excitement and realized she should not have tried to divert his attention this way, only to have herself get trapped.

She went from the unification of the six states by Emperor Qin Shi Huang to Emperor Wu of Han vanquishing the Xiongnu, to Emperor Taizong of Tang pacifying Korea, Kangxi killing Ao Bai, withdrawing three times, reclaiming Taiwan, and at last settling the matter with Galdan, and so on... There were many, and when she got to the exciting parts, she even mentioned the only female emperor in history.

After listening, Dugu Chen sighed deeply, feeling quite moved. They were all so remarkable, and in comparison, he fell very short.

On the fifth day of the tenth month, the palace examinations in Capital City concluded, and everyone was just waiting for the final results to be announced. In Feng Family Village, at Mandala Villa, Feng Xuxu was ordering her servants to pack her luggage, preparing to visit her maternal grandparents at Jueqing Castle.

Early in the morning of the sixth, Feng Xi and his beloved wife reluctantly sent off his sister. Tears nearly fell, not knowing when they would see each other again.

The carriage was halfway through the journey when it was stopped by none other than Jueqing himself.

When Dugu Chen heard it was Jueqing, his face grew incredibly long and annoyed; he then ordered his men to ignore him and continue on their way.

Jueqing flashed into the carriage, and seeing that his cousin was unharmed after these days, he finally relaxed and plopped down.

"Castle Young Master Jueqing, your skin is really not commonly thick. Not only do you show up uninvited, but you also make yourself at home. Don’t you ever find yourself annoying?" she said with a tart tartness.

"Haha, that’s really funny. Haven’t you heard? Thick-skinned folks get their fill. Besides, you’re not my wife, how would you know I’m thick-skinned? Have you touched it?" Jueqing said, laughing and looking at her.

Feng Xuxu leaned back on the couch, hearing her cousin ramble on, she almost burst into laughter. But seeing her husband’s unhappy face, she dared not let it show, forcing herself to hold it back.

Yet Qiqi and Yueyue had no such concerns about their father’s darkening face and laughed merrily. Yueyue even laughed until tears ran down her face, pointing at Jueqing, "Uncle, so you have a crush on my dad, huh? That won’t do. Wouldn’t that mean my little brother is without a father then?"

Feng Xuxu couldn’t hold it in any longer and laughed out loud. Dugu Chen, upon hearing his daughter’s words, had his face turn from green to purple, then purple to black, and finally a mortified red. He looked at Jueqing as if he wanted to skin him alive.

Jueqing stared blankly at Yueyue, drawing N circles on his forehead, pondering how this turned into him having a crush on her father. Wasn’t it her father who had a crush on him?