The discussion about Lin Qing did not continue. The main reason was that Bai Su acted as if she had nothing to do with this person, so Duan Changchuan could not ask anymore.

Bai Su had cut both her wrists for this person, so he could not chase after her and ask, “Isn’t this your lover? Did you forget?”

Wouldn’t that be exposing her scars?

The young man lying in the bathtub angrily punched the water with his fists.

As an emperor, he had revealed his true feelings to Bai Su several times, but he had not even touched a single secret of hers.

Oh, that’s not right, he had touched a little … …

That Arfa, Omega, and that Beita thing he could not understand.

He did not even know if it was true or not. It was so annoying.

Thinking about it, he found it funny. Feng Yao and Yun Xie wanted him to quickly have a prince with Bai Su, but he was hesitating. He felt that if his first time in this life was with Bai Su, there was nothing bad about it.

He had forgotten to consider whether she was willing or not.

“Duan Changchuan, when did you become so arrogant …”

–

A week later, the results of the examination came out.

Sure enough, Lin Qing was the Huiyuan^[1]会元 – Provincial imperial examination graduate who ranked 1st in metropolitan examination in Ming and Qing dynasties in this examination.

That night, the imperial court held a banquet in a side hall of the palace and invited the top twenty students of the examination.

In reality, this was not part of the process. After all, the examination was only the preliminary examination of the spring examination. Even if it was a banquet, it should not be held in the palace. However, Duan Changchuan used the excuse that “the emperor is very concerned about the important state affairs like the spring examination and the scholars for the first time” to have the Grand Scholar arrange this banquet.

He wanted to see what kind of person this Lin Qing was.

Was he good-looking? Was he tall?

I have read his essays, they are indeed brilliant … Then, did he know how to ride a horse? How about archery?

The emperor who had reached eighteen years of age was clearly the emperor, but he had to lower himself to compete with a scholar from a humble family.

Thus, on a night in the middle of March, twenty elegant youths gathered in the most prestigious imperial city in the country.

They were all newborn calves, so they were all very bold and dared to discuss anything.

“A few days ago, Official Chen, a civil official, came back from Huainan unharmed, while General Rong Wu, a great general, went missing. Just looking at this matter, it is a joke for all eternity.”

“Hahaha, Brother Xia is right. Who doesn’t know that the funnier things are on the surface, the funnier they are behind the scenes.”

“Sigh, it’s a pity that we know too little … If we knew a little more, we wouldn’t be making jokes here.”

“Brother Lin, do you have any ideas?”

“That’s right, that’s right. Lin Muzhi is this year’s Huiyuan, so he must have some good ideas. Tell us quickly.”

Muzhi was Lin Qing’s courtesy name. Lin Muzhi was Lin Qing.

That was what Duan Changchuan saw when he entered with the Teachers and the Grand Secretary.

Chang Le cleared her throat and shouted, “The Emperor is coming.”

At the same time, the imperial guards with long swords divided into two rows and stood on both sides of the courtyard. The atmosphere immediately became solemn.

The students who were still talking loudly just now finally realized that this was the imperial’s territory and hurriedly knelt down. They didn’t even dare to look at the bright yellow figure at the entrance of the courtyard.

“Scholars may dispense with the formalities, please take a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Only then did everyone sit down in an orderly manner.

Dishes were placed on the ground one by one. Vinegar meatballs, braised meat, braised fish, and charcoal-roasted duck. Soon, the courtyard was filled with the aroma of food.

Uh, greasy …

It was also mixed with the aroma of wine. For Duan Changchuan, it didn’t smell very good.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him recently. Sometimes he had a good appetite and wanted to eat a lot of things. But sometimes he didn’t know why he couldn’t eat anything. Just smelling a little strange smell would make him feel nauseous.

Fang Moyan still checked his pulse once a week. When he heard his symptoms, he only said that he understood and didn’t even change the prescription.

If it weren’t for Senior Huang’s solemn vow that Fang Moyan could replace the entire Imperial Hospital, he even wanted to call other imperial physicians over to take a look.

At this time, Duan Changchuan smelled the smell that made him feel more and more uncomfortable. He took a sip of tea and tried to suppress the discomfort in his stomach.

The banquet was arranged by him, so he couldn’t just leave because he felt unwell.

What’s more …

Duan Changchuan glanced at the youth sitting at the head of the table …

He still didn’t have any opinion of Lin Qing.

Thus, Duan Changchuan barely ate during the entire banquet. He only sat far away at the head of the table and raised his cup to everyone at the right time. He only drank tea and didn’t touch any wine.

Chang Le saw that his complexion wasn’t good and asked several times if he was okay, but he was always blocked.

However, when everyone was almost done eating, they removed the food from the table and were about to replace it with wine …

The attendant picked up the plate just as a gust of wind blew over. The cold and greasy smell followed the wind into his nose.

The nausea in his stomach couldn’t be suppressed anymore, and it kept surging.

He quickly got up and hurried to the toilet.

The youth covered his chest with his hand. It was obvious that his stomach was feeling uncomfortable.

The little eunuch, who was good at reading people’s expressions, quickly followed behind and immediately ordered Yi Man to call for Imperial Physician Fang and the Empress.

However, Duan Changchuan only felt uncomfortable after being hit by the smell for a while. After he left the courtyard and was far away from the smell, he felt much better when the wind blew with the fragrance of flowers.

“Your Majesty, do you want to return to Ming Sheng Hall?” Chang Le asked softly.

Duan Changchuan looked back at the students in the courtyard who had already started a round of exchange poems and shook his head.

Perhaps he would feel better after the food was taken away …?

He walked to the lakeside and quietly blew the wind, waiting for the nausea in his stomach to subside.

Chang Le also stood with his head down at the side.

Not long after, he heard the voice of a guard behind him … asking sternly, “Who is it?”

A gentle voice came from behind, “This student’s name is Lin Qing.”

Duan Changchuan heard the voice and suddenly turned his head.

Lin Qing? Why is he here?

The student in plain clothes, seeing him turn his head, bowed in his direction from afar and respectfully said, “This student greets Your Majesty.”

Chang Le was used to seeing people who tried to curry favor and thought it was another one who didn’t know the rules. He immediately reprimanded, “When you come to the palace, you have to see the people you should see and do the things you should do. Is Your Majesty someone that everyone can see just because they want to?”

But the youth was neither servile nor overbearing. His waist was still bowed, but his tone was stubborn as he said, “This student feels that Your Majesty wants to see this student.”

The noble youth looked at Lin Qing quietly from afar.

He was indeed curious about Lin Qing, but Duan Changchuan didn’t have any plans to contact him.

However, Lin Qing was more persistent than he imagined.

The two were in a deadlock for a long time, there were no signs of them leaving.

In the end, the young emperor sighed helplessly and stepped into a pavilion at the side.

He said, “Follow me.”

–

The two entered the pavilion. The pavilion was surrounded by water on three sides, so it was a bit cold.

Chang Le took clothes from the people accompanying them and put them on him. The dazzling golden brocade and the rabbit fur collar made the young man look as white as jade. He was like a fairy that came down from the heavens, noble and unattainable.

“What do you want to say to me?”

Duan Changchuan looked up and looked straight at the person who followed him.

The youth was stunned by the question …

In fact, they both knew that there was nothing to say about this matter. One was a scholar from a humble family, the other was a noble. Even if the girl he liked when he was young still had him in her heart, so what?

A high lintel was already as difficult to cross as a heavenly moat …

And now, she was married to the most honorable person in the world.

Therefore, Lin Qing was stunned for a while and only asked hesitantly, “Is she … well?”

And who this “she” referred to was self-evident.

Duan Changchuan slowly said, “She eats and wears well in the palace. At least it’s much better than when she was in the prime minister’s residence.”

“That … that’s already very good. This student heard that before she got married …”

Duan Changchuan didn’t wait for him to finish and directly said, “Before she got married, she tried to kill herself several times. There are still two long scars on her wrists.”

As his voice fell, the young scholar dejectedly dropped his arms. Lin Qing didn’t say anything.

But Duan Changchuan could see that he was very sad, very, very sad.

He, actually, loved her very much.

The youth lowered his eyes and the hand hidden under the cloak clenched his sleeve …

“I have finished answering your questions. If you have nothing else to ask, you can go back.”

He suppressed his voice and said coldly.

Only then did that bright scholar come to his senses. He moved his lips as if he still had something to say, but the moment he opened his mouth, he swallowed his words. In the end, he didn’t even say goodbye and turned to stagger away.

Duan Changchuan looked at that person’s back that was getting farther and farther away …

Slowly, he leaned against the cold stone pillar.

–

The sound of water was soft and slow, and the night wind was getting colder and colder.

Duan Changchuan didn’t know how long he had been standing in the pavilion, but he finally straightened up and prepared to go back.

Caught off guard, he heard the voices of the attendants saying, “Greetings to the Empress.”

When he looked up again, he saw Chang Le leading a person in red over. Behind her was Fang Moyan, who immediately carried a medicine box.

The sounds of their conversation were getting closer and closer …

Changle nagged, “His Majesty isn’t feeling well again. Did he hurt his spleen and stomach? But recently, His Majesty has been paying attention to his diet. This servant watched him finish all the medicine and didn’t drink a single sip of wine at the banquet. I don’t know why he wants to vomit again.”

Fang Moyan replied, “It’s no problem. This servant brought some anti-vomiting medicine. You can put it behind your ear and it will be much better.”

Then, he came over and pulled Duan Changchuan to sit in the pavilion to take his pulse.

“Did something happen to His Majesty recently? His Majesty’s carry– … His Majesty’s body is still recuperating, so remember not to have too many ups and downs. This official will add another medicine to the prescription to relieve liver depression, but His Majesty still needs to pay more attention to himself.”

When he mentioned that the emperor was in a bad mood, Chang Le immediately scolded, “When did His Majesty encounter any troublesome matters these few days? Just now, he said a few words to that person called Lin Qing and began to be unhappy! Your Majesty, were you angered by him? A group of people who don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth, talking about the imperial family’s matters under the feet of the imperial family. This servant heard it when I came!”

“Changle.” Duan Changchuan warned.

Bai Su had just received Fang Moyan’s self-made antiemetic sticker when she heard this familiar name.

She couldn’t help but repeat, “Lin Qing?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it successfully attracted Duan Changchuan’s attention.

The youth lifted his eyelids and pretended to be indifferent as he said, “Yes, Lin Qing. He asked if you were doing well, and I said you were doing well, so I let him go back. If you have something to say, you can go to the Waterside Pavilion and see him now.”

Bai Su was puzzled, “Why would I see him …”

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly remembered that this seemed … to be someone she knew.

That’s right … before the original host got married, she had a lover to whom she had secretly pledged her life. The two of them often met in a small alley outside the residence.

If she remembered correctly, that lover had saved the original host’s life.

And that lover’s name seemed to be Lin Qing.

Suddenly, all of her doubts were resolved.

No wonder she didn’t react when Duan Changchuan mentioned Lin Qing’s name a few days ago. The other party would look at him with a blank expression.

No wonder … the little child had repeatedly paid attention to this Lin Qing and even arranged this banquet the night the rankings were released.

The two of them even chatted just now?

Wait … the little child’s mood couldn’t have fluctuated so much after chatting with Lin Qing, right? Even his pulse wasn’t stable!

Thinking of this, Bai Su gestured to Fang Moyan and Chang Le to withdraw. She took his hand and sat down on the stone bench next to him.

“Your Majesty …” She called softly.

The young man didn’t say anything.

She held the back of his hand and lowered her head to exhale softly.

“Your hand is so cold. Did you catch a cold? Your health hasn’t been good recently, and you’re still outside in the wind.”

After saying this, she got up and straightened his collar so that he could wrap himself up more warmly. The young man, who had been in a bad mood since just now, seemed to have eased a little.

His lips parted slightly as he said in a muffled voice, “He … loves you very much.”

Seeing that Bai Su didn’t answer, he repeated in a low voice, “He didn’t say it, but I can see that he loves you very much.”

Bai Su couldn’t help but tighten her grip on his hand, “Duan Changchuan, listen to me …”

However, the young man forcefully broke free from her and lifted the sleeve covering her wrist. Immediately, two long, hideous scars appeared in their line of sight.

The pulling motion paused for a moment. Only then did Duan Changchuan come back to his senses and say three times in a row, “I’m sorry …”

He staggered to his feet and ran out of the pavilion.

However, just as he stood up, he was pulled by someone and pressed against a stone pillar beside the pavilion.

The aroma of peony wafted over …

Mixed with Alpha’s complex emotions, it strongly impacted his senses.

“It’s okay, Duan Changchuan … Shh, don’t be afraid.”

“It’s okay. It’s just two scars. Don’t mind it. I don’t mind it either.”

The woman’s voice comforted him along with her pheromone.

The young man looked up and bit his lips so hard that they were about to bleed.

Under the moonlight, his pupils reflected the sparkling light.

When she opened her mouth again, he sounded like he was about to cry, “But you like him very much … You would rather die than enter the palace and marry me.”

“I feel that I was the one who broke you up … I’m just like a clown.”

“But I can’t help it … What can I do? I didn’t do it willingly …”

The young man said these words one by one. He bent his knees dejectedly and slowly slid down.

In the next moment, all the remaining words were stuck in his throat.

Because …

The woman put one hand on his waist and slowly approached him.

Her soft lips landed on his lips lightly.

The aroma of peony was warm and gentle.

“Good, be good … Don’t cry …” She said.

“We’re not lovers.”