"Some people paid to get others in, replace test papers, steal questions, and even swap candidates in the exam hall. Of course, I've taken care of all of them," he said as he tossed an orange into his mouth and chewed it slowly, finding it tasteless.
Du Gu Luanyue tilted her head slightly, narrowing her jade-like eyes as she smiled. "Since you've taken care of them all, you must have offended quite a few people."
Huo Wei swept his long, cold eyes across her delicate face. His thin lips drooped as he said, "Your Majesty the Queen, are you doing this on purpose? Do you want to make it even more difficult for me in the court in the future?"
Since he took charge of the spring imperial examination, those ministers who had never been close to him had started knocking on the gates of his Yuzhang Prince's Mansion recently. But Huo Wei refused to see any of them, showing no one any face.
Du Gu Luanyue looked at him seriously. "Even before you took the position of the chief examiner of the spring imperial examination, these people never liked you. The nobles in the court of the Northern Yan Dynasty have looked down on you from the very beginning. Whether you've offended them or not doesn't really make much of a difference. What I want you to do is not just to select talents for the court, but to select useful knives for yourself. Do you understand, Huo Wei?"
Huo Wei pursed his lips. "Yes."
Seeing his gloomy face, Du Gu Luanyue couldn't help but soothe his troubled heart. "Just do your own thing. Don't care about what others think, and don't care about your image in their eyes. Those who look down on you will keep bringing up your past hardships even though you're a prince now. They do this just to suppress you mentally and make you feel inferior. But those who appreciate you will respect you naturally, so you don't need to go out of your way to please them."
After hearing her words, Huo Wei felt a little relieved. He had been in a difficult situation before, so even though he had been granted the title of a prince by the emperor, he still felt a bit out of place in front of these Northern Yan nobles. Just the affected things these nobles did could make him feel impatient. But since he was in the imperial capital, he had always restrained his wild nature and behaved like a proper and cold gentleman.
Huo Wei put away all the test papers and was about to take them for duplication. Just before he left, he suddenly sneered. "What about you, Your Majesty the Queen? As a noble from the Southern Chu Dynasty, what do you think of me, a prince of a different surname who rose from the mud?"
Du Gu Luanyue was very good at dealing with people in the court and could easily read people's minds. She knew that every word of Huo Wei's actually revealed his inner uneasiness and discomfort. He had become a famous general at a young age, but because of his identity and bloodline, he had always been oppressed by the Northern Yan nobles, which made him feel inferior in front of them. At this moment, he seemed a bit sensitive and self - deprecating.
She stood up and walked over to Huo Wei. She reached out and brushed off the petals that had fallen on his shoulder. Her peerless jade eyes lost their smile and showed a kind of grandeur. "You conquered the Liao Kingdom in three years and were granted the title of a prince in five years. Huo Wei, you're so outstanding. You should look up at the imperial palace in the sky, not care about the looks of those who were just luckier than you in terms of their birth."
But Du Gu Luanyue didn't know what Huo Wei had been through before or who he really was. In Huo Wei's deep, cold black eyes, it was as if a spark had slowly fallen from the edge of the dark abyss, igniting a faint fire in the depths of his cold heart that had been silent for many years. He hooked his thin lips slightly. "Stop flattering me. I'm leaving."
After Huo Wei left, Maid Mei Jiang covered her mouth with her finger and smiled. "I didn't expect that the prince, who conquered a whole country, would act like a child at this moment. Look, Your Majesty. The prince's steps are much more lively."
Du Gu Luanyue looked in the direction where Huo Wei had left and also smiled. "Huo Wei is a person who is always on edge. Although I don't know why he is so tense, it's good for him to relax once in a while."
But Maid Mei Jiang suddenly sighed. "Your Majesty, grading these test papers is not an easy job. Back in the Southern Chu Dynasty, you once volunteered to be the chief examiner. You stayed up so many nights grading these papers that you even fainted once. Are you really going to help the Prince of Yuzhang select people this time?"
When Du Gu Luanyue was still the crown princess, she had always attached great importance to the issue of talents in the court of the Southern Chu Dynasty. She didn't want to delegate this task to others, so she always did it herself.
Du Gu Luanyue replied firmly, "Yes, I'm going to help Huo Wei select the sharpest blades. I'm going to start making plans in the court in advance. When these small knives become sharp blades in the future, it will be the time when Huo Wei can ride roughshod over the court. As long as Huo Wei can gain a firm foothold in the court and hold great power, he won't keep thinking about attacking the Southern Chu Dynasty to gain more military power."
The duplicated test papers were delivered very quickly. Huo Wei was really efficient.
Du Gu Luanyue flipped through the test papers and took a deep breath. "Aunt, go and inform Huo Wei that whenever there is no one serving the emperor in the Fengluan Palace, he should find a way to come here at midnight. He is the deputy commander of the imperial guards. This should not be difficult for him."
After saying that, she looked up at Yu Zan. "How about this? Go and tell the chamberlain in charge of the emperor's sleeping arrangements that my menstrual period has come earlier. I won't be able to serve the emperor for the next seven days."
Yu Zan's heart sank to the bottom. These days, she had deliberately vomited out the contraceptive pills. She hadn't taken them for more than half a month. She just wanted to get pregnant while the emperor was visiting the palace more often, so that she could find a suitable opportunity to stop being a maid and become a mistress. But now, it would be delayed for another seven days. After seven days, her menstrual period would really come. She tightly pursed her lips, lowered her head, and walked out of the palace hall, her eyes darting around.
The spring night didn't seem as dark as the winter night. The stars hung in the ink - colored sky, twinkling. A full moon hung on the treetops that were just showing a bit of new green, like a lamp lighting up the night.
On this day, the guards in the Fengluan Palace were withdrawn, and the windows behind the queen's bedroom were propped open. As the wind picked up a bit, someone quickly rolled in.
Huo Wei took off his black mask and walked towards Du Gu Luanyue's magnificent golden nanmu phoenix - shaped desk.
Du Gu Luanyue waved at him. "Come here and sit next to me."
Huo Wei walked over silently and sat down quietly beside her. He looked at her delicate side face. At this moment, Du Gu Luanyue wasn't wearing the formal palace dress. Her hair was loose, and she was wearing a moon - white robe. She looked lazy and casual, adding more femininity. His black eyes darkened.
There were duplicated test papers graded with cinnabar brushes in front of her. Her two hands were stained with some red and some black, which were ink stains. "Huo Wei, time is short. You must listen carefully." Her eyes were no longer charming, but extremely tough and clear - headed.
Huo Wei nodded. "Okay, let's start."
If Huo Wei was a precious sword, then Du Gu Luanyue was like the whetstone before the sword became truly sharp. She was patiently teaching him, passing on all the knowledge and experience she had gained in the court over the years to Huo Wei. He had no problem leading troops in battles, but he was still a bit inexperienced in the court. And since he was always suppressed by Emperor Murong Min, he had no chance to show his talents, which was why Huo Wei was so eager to lead troops in battles.
Du Gu Luanyue pointed at the words on the test paper with her pen. "This candidate is very radical in his speech. Although his article is very powerful, such a person cannot be kept by your side."
Huo Wei asked, "Why?"
Du Gu Luanyue replied, "This person is probably a very stubborn and radical person. Your personality is cruel and intense. I'm afraid he will instigate you to act impulsively in the future and make big mistakes. You must remember that these people are the knives in your hands. You must know how to use them and how to put them away. Otherwise, they will hurt you."
The candles were replaced three times. Du Gu Luanyue's lips had become a bit chapped from talking so much, but she showed no sign of stopping. When she was really exhausted, she would drink strong tea to keep herself going. But Huo Wei didn't know that her throat was already burning.
Huo Wei stared at her intently. "You can just select these people and tell me. Why do you have to spend the whole night explaining this in such detail?"