How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

Chapter 237 The suddenly aged Emperor Jian, I am not a human being Xie Chengze

The palace examination was usually presided over by the emperor himself. There was no chief examiner, only an examiner.

The recuperating Emperor Jian finally showed up and asked Eunuch Zhao to hand the test questions he had prepared to the examiner.

Xie Chengze was busy preparing teaching materials and hadn't seen Jiandi for a while. When he saw Jiandi this time, he suddenly realized that Jiandi seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. His handsome face had many obvious wrinkles, and his originally black hair was mixed with white and even became sparse.

Other people seem to become more energetic the more they recuperate, so why is he becoming more bald?

Noticing Xie Chengze's concerned look, Emperor Jian turned his head and glanced in Xie Chengze's direction, then raised his eyebrows and smiled, patting his dragon throne as if to show off.

Xie Chengze couldn't help but curl his lips and looked away.

The palace examination was divided into four parts. Candidates drew lots to decide the questions they would take, and then entered the hall in turn according to the arrangements of the officials and answered the questions within a limited time.

While the candidates were answering their papers, Emperor Jian could not help coughing from time to time, and looked extremely tired, which attracted the attention of the examiners. These examiners were all Hanlin academicians and ministers of various ministries, and it was hard not to notice Emperor Jian's strange behavior.

They looked at each other and could see each other's guesses from each other's eyes.

Emperor, are you dying?

Xie Chengze also noticed something was wrong. He subconsciously looked at Shen Yuan, only to find that Shen Yuan was staring at Emperor Jian with a frown on his face, as if he was thinking about something.

Xie Chengze began to feel suspicious.

In the original novel, although Emperor Jian was seriously ill in his later years, he still lived for several years. Judging from the time he traveled through, Emperor Jian had at least nine more years to live. At this time, Emperor Jian should have been in good health and not so sick.

Various conspiracies and plots flashed through Xie Chengze's mind quickly.

Perhaps Emperor Jian pretended to be so deliberate, hoping to expose those who had ulterior motives in the court as soon as possible, or perhaps someone was poisoning Emperor Jian, causing his health to deteriorate day by day.

If it was the former, then Emperor Jian's face would be too old for real, but if it was the latter...

Who would poison the emperor?

In the original book, there was no poisoning.

With such doubts in mind, Xie Chengze finally survived the palace examination. Just as he was about to ask Emperor Jian what he wanted to do, Emperor Jian suddenly fainted on the dragon throne, with blood and vomit flowing from the corners of his mouth.

The ministers hurriedly called for the imperial physician. Looking at the painful expression on Emperor Jian's face, Xie Chengze finally panicked. He raised his sleeves and wiped the filth from the corners of Emperor Jian's mouth and neck. With a blank look in his eyes, he heard the imperial physician say that Emperor Jian was seriously ill and would not live long.

how could be?

It must be a lie.

Xie Chengze tried to see any signs of acting on the imperial physician's face, but could not find a single trace of pretense. He turned his eyes to the old face of Emperor Jian and wanted to go up and wake him up, but felt someone pulling his arm.

"Shen Yuan..." Xie Chengze murmured Shen Yuan's name subconsciously, but when he turned around he saw Xie Jinyu's face.

The young man's expression was unusually cold, and his tone was gentle yet cold, "Second brother, your robe is dirty, go downstairs and change it first."

Xie Chengze wanted to say something, but he heard Xie Jinyu order, "Come here, send the Regent back to Chenghuan Palace."

Soon, a guard came up and grabbed Xie Chengze's arm, wanting to send him to Chenghuan Palace. Xie Chengze struggled and looked at Xie Jinyu, "Xie Jinyu! What are you doing! I want to accompany my father!"

"Father has always doted on you. If he saw you hurt because of him, he would definitely feel distressed." Xie Jinyu walked up to Xie Chengze and gently touched his cheek, with a deep look in his eyes, "Second brother, go back and have a good rest, then come to see Father."

After saying that, he raised his hand and signaled the guards to take Xie Chengze away.

Xie Chengze couldn't break free, so he looked at Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan nodded calmly at him and said silently, "Go back first, I'm here."

Xie Chengze stopped struggling and shook off the guards' hands, "Don't touch me, I can walk on my own."

When Sheng Shihuai heard the news, he rushed to Cheng Huan Palace. Seeing that Xie Chengze was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief and went forward to ask, "Is your Majesty in a bad condition?"

"Yeah." Xie Chengze was in a bad mood. Thinking of the blood vomited by Emperor Jian, he didn't look very good to Sheng Shihuai. "Father's health is obviously good, he just has a severe cold. How could he suddenly become seriously ill?"

Xie Chengze always had a bad feeling in his heart. In the original novel, Emperor Jian would vomit blood when he was seriously ill in the later period, but he thought that was the author's habitual arrangement. After all, many authors like to write about emperors coughing and vomiting blood when they write about emperors being seriously ill.

But now that a living person was vomiting blood in front of him, Xie Chengze couldn't help but start to use modern knowledge to associate it.

What are the diseases that can cause people to cough and spit blood?

Xie Chengze could only think of one possibility.

"Your Highness, we should speed up our preparations." Sheng Shihuai tapped the table and reminded, "His Majesty is seriously ill and must issue a will. You must serve him and not let the Crown Prince take the lead."

He said calmly, but there was a hint of excitement in his voice that was difficult to suppress, "You need to find the imperial seal. If His Majesty appoints the crown prince to succeed the throne, we must make a fake will in advance."

Xie Chengze frowned, "Even if the fake will is made, the prince still has the Cao family behind him, and the eldest prince's military token has been taken back by the prince. If Cao's army besieges us, how can you and I deal with it?"

"Don't worry, Your Highness." Sheng Shihuai curled his lips slightly, "I have arranged everything. You don't have to do anything, just stay by the emperor's side."

As long as he behaves himself, there will be a place for him on the Dragon Throne.

Xie Chengze lowered his eyes, not understanding why Sheng Shihuai was so confident. After a long while, he said, "Okay, I believe you."

……

Although Emperor Jian woke up under the treatment of the imperial physician, he was still very conscious and obviously could not decide the ranking of the palace examination or determine the official positions for the successful candidates.

Xie Jinyu wants to take over this matter, but Sheng Shihuai does not intend to do as he wishes. His people and the Hanlin Academy both disagree that the prince should decide the ranking of the palace examination, and the two sides are in a stalemate for a while.

Xie Chengze took the opportunity to sneak into the Yangxin Palace and wanted to find Emperor Jian, but the Yangxin Palace was full of Cao's family members. As soon as he showed his head, he was discovered by Cao's army.

"Regent, you cannot go in."

Cao Que, who was guarding outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, stretched out his hand to stop Xie Chengze who was trying to sneak into the Hall of Mental Cultivation through the window.

"I am the most beloved prince of my father, why can't I go in?" Xie Chengze frowned. He was very worried about Emperor Jian's health. Although he had been secretly cursing the dog emperor in his heart, the emperor was very good to him after all, and it was impossible for him not to worry about him.

Cao Que paused, "Your Majesty needs to rest and not see anyone."

Xie Chengze snorted lightly, crossed his arms and said disdainfully, "Well, then this king is not a human, so can I go in like this?"

Cao Que:?