Qin Yun frowned!
The hour was indeed late, and she had already lingered for too long.
If she were any later, her status as the top scholar might be rendered meaningless!
Qin Yun quickly boarded the carriage, with Hong Fu acting as the driver.
"Giddy up...." Hong Fu flicked the reins, urging the horses forward.
The carriage sped away.
Qin Yun leaned back inside, her hands clutched to her throat.
She had no painkillers with her, and she couldn't return home now.
All she could do was endure the pain.
Hong Fu, while driving, kept a watchful eye on their surroundings.
She sensed the presence of danger.
This trip to the palace might not be smooth sailing.
The Imperial Palace!
In the Great Hall!
All the civil and military officials were present.
The top scholars of the year, including the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua, were all in attendance. Scholars who ranked below the Jinshi and higher were not permitted in the hall and had to wait outside.
Only the Zhuangyuan was absent.
"Your humble servant is the newly appointed Zhuangyuan of this year, named Su Qingwen!"
"Your humble servant is the newly appointed Bangyan of this year, named Zheng Haonan!"
"Your humble servant is the newly appointed Tanhua of this year, named Ouyang Siqing!"
"Your humble servant is the newly appointed Tanhua of this year, named Wei Xiaochang!"
These four were the top four scholars of this year's imperial examinations. Among them, two shared the title of Tanhua.
The four stood in the center of the hall, neatly lined up.
Jie Qianmo, seated on the high throne, frowned slightly, radiating an icy aura.
Where was Qin Yun?
Why had the Zhuangyuan he personally appointed not arrived?
At this moment, not only Jie Qianmo's expression was displeased, but the officials in the hall also began to murmur amongst themselves.
"I heard there's also a Zhuangyuan? Where is he?"
"Late on the first day of court, does he not want his position as Zhuangyuan?"
"And who is this year's Zhuangyuan? Such influence, to be late for the Emperor's morning court!"
"I say we stop waiting for this so-called Zhuangyuan and just declare Su Qingwen as the Zhuangyuan!"
"Yes, yes! Su Qingwen is worthy of being the Zhuangyuan!"
Instantly, seeing the Zhuangyuan's absence, the crowd below began to endorse Su Qingwen as the Zhuangyuan.
Listening to the surrounding discussions, Su Qingwen smiled faintly.
On the other hand, Zheng Haonan, Ouyang Siqing, and Wei Xiaochang began to worry about Qin Yun.
At this moment, Qin Yuanzhang in the hall was sweating profusely, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.
He remembered that Qin Yun had left the mansion before him, so why hadn't she arrived yet?
Could something have happened?
Since ancient times, the path to becoming Zhuangyuan had been fraught with peril. Could his Yun'er have encountered danger?
Qin Yuanzhang could no longer stand still and stepped out of the ranks.
"Your Majesty, this subject has something to report!"
"Speak!" Jie Qianmo said coldly.
"This morning, my son Qin Yun left the mansion before me. By all accounts, he should have arrived at the morning court before me, yet he is still conspicuously absent. I suspect my son may have met with misfortune! I beg Your Majesty to dispatch someone to search for my son!"
Met with misfortune?
Jie Qianmo's heart skipped a beat.
Upon hearing this, Jie Qianmo immediately ordered the commander of the Imperial Guards to lead his men in searching for Qin Yun.
He also subtly gave a nod to Leng Ye and Leng Feng.
Receiving their master's signal, Leng Feng and Leng Ye immediately set off to find Qin Yun.
In the Hall!
The Right Prime Minister Su Tai sneered. "Hahaha, Minister Qin, could it be that this Zhuangyuan is your useless son?"
Hearing the tone, Qin Yuanzhang's heart soured.
What?
Was he looking down on his Yun'er?
But Su Tai held the high position of Right Prime Minister, and naturally, he could not offend him. Qin Yuanzhang respectfully replied, "My son is indeed this year's new Zhuangyuan!"
Upon hearing this!
The hall erupted in discussion once more.
"What? Qin Yuanzhang's useless son is the Zhuangyuan? Is this a joke?"
"Who knows! He ranked third at the poetry gathering before, so it's not entirely surprising that he's now the Zhuangyuan!"
"I thought this Zhuangyuan was a mysterious person, but I didn't expect it to be Qin Yun of the Qin mansion!"
Listening to the discussions of the old officials below, Jie Qianmo said coldly, "Drag out the three who were just speaking and slap them thirty times!"
At these words, the three who had been gossiping were immediately dragged out by the guards and subjected to the punishment.
Instantly!
The hall returned to silence.
Because they had heard that the Zhuangyuan was Qin Yun, everyone couldn't help but become curious.
For a moment, they forgot that above them sat a cold and tyrannical emperor.
Although the Zhuangyuan had not arrived, the morning court had to continue.
Jie Qianmo looked at the four people in the center of the hall with a blank expression.
His calm voice carried an icy chill. "Su Qingwen, your literary talent is outstanding. I decree that you be granted a manor in the southern part of the city, conferred the position of Libu Shilang, a third-rank official, and awarded a thousand taels of gold!"
"This subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace!" Su Qingwen kowtowed and thanked him.
Having received a good official position and a monetary reward, everyone cast looks of admiration at Su Qingwen. Only Su Tai was not entirely satisfied, but he could not show it too obviously, so he could only curve his lips into a smile and remain silent.
"Zheng Haonan, the talented scholar from the Zheng family, ranked second, is granted a manor in the northern part of the city, conferred the position of Bingbu Shilang, a third-rank official, and awarded a thousand taels of gold!"
"This subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace!" Zheng Haonan kowtowed and thanked him.
"Ouyang Siqing, the talented scholar, ranked Tanhua, is granted a manor in the western suburbs, conferred the position of Hanlinyuan Fuzhixiu, a third-rank official, and awarded a thousand taels of gold!"
"This subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace!" Ouyang Siqing kowtowed and thanked him.
"Wei Xiaochang, also a Tanhua, is granted a manor in the northern suburbs, conferred the position of Xingbu Cishi, a third-rank official, and awarded a thousand taels of gold!"
"This subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace!" Wei Xiaochang kowtowed and thanked him.
The four scholars had all been granted official positions, manors, and gold.
At this moment, only the Zhuangyuan was still absent.
Jie Qianmo remained silent.
The crowd below dared not speak.
Logically, at this point, the Emperor would announce the adjournment of the court, but since the Emperor had not spoken, they dared not say anything more.
Could it be that the Emperor was waiting for the Zhuangyuan?
Everyone speculated inwardly.
The Emperor was known for his fiery temper. To keep the Emperor waiting was to court death. Being beaten was a common occurrence.
When the Zhuangyuan arrived, he would surely be beaten half to death!
Or there was another possibility: the Emperor would severely humiliate Qin Yun and then strip him of his Zhuangyuan title, only to be thrown out by the guards!
Although everyone remained silent, in their hearts, they imagined a hundred ways for Qin Yun to meet his demise.
As the minutes ticked by.
Jie Qianmo on the dragon throne clearly lost his patience.
His brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
He was waiting!
He had been waiting all along!
Waiting for Qin Yun to arrive safely!
But after so much time had passed, the familiar figure still did not appear at the entrance of the hall.
Just as he was about to announce the adjournment of the court!
Qin Yun, supported by two guards, slowly entered the hall.
Qin Yun was weak and frail at this moment.
She had injuries on her legs and shoulder.
The wounds were neither too deep nor too shallow, and they seemed to be bleeding.
"Your humble servant Qin Yun, pays respects to Your Majesty. I was attacked on my way here, which is why I am late. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me!" Qin Yun knelt on the ground weakly, forcing herself not to fall.
If not for the timely arrival of the Imperial Guards, she and Hong Fu would have been in mortal danger.
She had not expected that after she entered the carriage, assassins in black had repeatedly attacked her with hidden weapons!
Initially, Hong Fu could handle it, but then the assassins resorted to trickery, using a feint, and ultimately, she was unfortunate enough to be injured.