Chapter 700: Big Test

"The King Qi faction is making a move? How could His Majesty sit idly by? There's no need for you to worry too much, Crown Princess," Zu'an reassured her. However, he also understood that if a high-ranking official from the Crown Prince's faction was so flustered, it could not be a minor issue.

"It's not that simple," the Crown Princess sighed gently. "During the morning court session today, our faction's officials challenged King Qi. After all, the assassination attempt before was intricately linked to him. We originally had ways to counter anything King Qi's side might do to clear his name. But we didn't expect King Qi to be so ruthless; he directly admitted to all the charges but pushed the entire blame onto Cheng Xiong and his son."

"Later, although many on our side raised questions, we lacked crucial evidence. King Qi's faction also had numerous officials, and more and more people came forward to speak on his behalf, so the matter was left unresolved."

Zu'an wondered, "This should have been expected, shouldn't it? Why are you so disheartened?"

"If only it were just that," the Crown Princess sighed. "Soon after, King Qi's faction began a massive counterattack on this very topic. Someone raised the point: if the Crown Prince can't even protect himself, how can he inherit the throne in the future?"

It was well known that the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded on martial prowess, and one's position in the state was determined by their cultivation level.

Originally, although the Crown Prince was somewhat useless, he had an invincible father. So, despite some dissatisfaction, people couldn't really say much.

However, this time, with the assassins, the Crown Prince was nearly killed. Everyone finally began to confront this issue directly.

Ironically, the Crown Prince's faction, in their previous efforts to attack King Qi, had extensively exaggerated how critical the situation was and how many times the Crown Prince's life hung by a thread.

All these exaggerations ended up serving as evidence to support King Qi's faction's viewpoint.

Many neutral ministers in the imperial court were already quite dissatisfied with the foolish Crown Prince as heir apparent. After this incident, they finally couldn't tolerate it anymore.

Imagine if the Crown Prince became emperor in the future, and then simply died from a casual assassination attempt. Wouldn't the entire nation plunge into chaos?

Those individuals were not speaking on behalf of King Qi but out of public interest, making it difficult for the Emperor to blame them.

Of course, the Emperor was not a pushover. Initially, he swiftly ordered the most vocal individuals to be flogged, intending to suppress this burgeoning sentiment.

However, those individuals seemed to have made an agreement, stepping forward one after another, unafraid of death. Instead, they considered being flogged a great honor.

The Emperor, who cared deeply about his reputation, naturally understood what these people were thinking: they wanted to make their mark in history.

The Emperor himself had done so much, and the immortality he sought was merely to be remembered in history. How could he allow these people to achieve the same recognition just by enduring a flogging?

Furthermore, if this incident were truly recorded in historical annals, it would be uncertain whether the Emperor would be remembered favorably or condemned for eternity.

Therefore, eventually, under the condemnation of King Qi's faction and the cooperation of the neutral parties, the Emperor had no choice but to adopt a compromise.

An examination would be held for the Crown Prince. If he passed, it would prove his qualification to inherit the throne and his ability to govern the nation in the future.

If he failed, he would have to abdicate in favor of a more worthy successor.

King Qi's faction was very satisfied with this outcome, as they knew that given the Crown Prince's capabilities, he would never pass the examination. This would allow King Qi to legitimately become the Imperial Younger Brother.

The Emperor agreed to this proposal because as long as the examination was administered by people, there would be room for manipulation.

He had been caught off guard in court today, but now he could use the examination to buy himself some time and search for a solution.

For the Crown Princess, however, hearing this news felt like the sky had fallen.

Others might only know the Crown Prince as somewhat simple and foolish, but she clearly understood that he was utterly imbecilic. All day long, he knew nothing but eating, defecating, and playing.

Even his recreation consisted of playing idiotic games, like the Gobang he was recently obsessed with, which she found utterly crude. She wondered who had invented such a thing.

You could pick any random person off the street—no, any random child—and they would perform much better than the Crown Prince in an examination.

After listening to the Crown Princess's explanation, Zu'an finally understood why they were all so worried. It was impossible to have confidence in that big, chubby Crown Prince.

"What will this examination test?" Zu'an immediately seized on the crucial point.

The Crown Princess shook her head. "The exact content of the examination is still unclear, but it will undoubtedly involve things like cultivation and state governance. What exactly will be tested still needs to be negotiated between the two sides."

Her heart felt utterly desolate; no matter what was tested, the Crown Prince wouldn't pass.

Zu'an comforted her, "You don't need to worry too much. The Crown Prince is, after all, His Majesty's eldest legitimate son. He won't abandon him."

"I hope so," the Crown Princess replied, though she held no real hope in her heart, as she couldn't imagine what solution the Emperor could possibly find.

"By the way, I heard people from the Shi family troubled you at the palace gate?" the Crown Princess asked, rallying her spirits.

Zu'an replied, "It was a minor matter; I've already handled it. There's no need for you to worry, Crown Princess."

The Crown Princess hummed in acknowledgment. "Then you may withdraw."

She regretted that Shi Kun's incident had completely alienated the Shi family, most likely pushing them towards King Qi's side. However, she truly had no mind for such matters now. Let it be.

Watching Zu'an's retreating figure, she sighed softly to herself, wishing the Crown Prince could be as trouble-free as him.

After Zu'an left the Eastern Palace, a young eunuch came running with a summons: the Emperor wished to see him.

He couldn't help but look helpless. The concubines in the harem yearned to see the Emperor more often, yet he, who didn't want to, was summoned to an audience every few days. What cursed fate was this?

Despite his complaints, circumstances dictated otherwise, so he could only follow the eunuch to the imperial study.

Upon entering the imperial study, he noticed the Emperor's grim expression and promptly bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

With the Emperor clearly in a bad mood, it was best not to provoke him.

The Emperor grunted in response, then, holding a memorial, said, "Someone impeached you today, claiming you committed an assault at the palace gate, beating Shi Jun, who oversees the decorum of officials. Is this true?"

"That's an injustice! I clearly had no issues, yet Shi Jun deliberately targeted me..." Zu'an began to explain but was cut off by the Emperor.

"I'm curious about something else," the Emperor said, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "Why is it that when you say his trousers fell, they actually fall? According to intelligence, during your last fight with Han Fengqiu, you also said something, and his trousers fell off. Do you possess dragon bloodline and their 'word spirit' abilities?"

Zu'an hastily explained, "Your Majesty, please discern! Dragons tried to kill me on my way to the capital. How could I possibly be related to them or understand any 'word spirit' abilities?"

He absolutely could not tell the Emperor about his skills; otherwise, he would surely meet a terrible end. No emperor would ever trust someone beyond their control.

"Then why do their trousers keep falling?" the Emperor asked coldly, staring at him. "I don't believe in such coincidences." How could trousers simply fall off someone who was a peak ninth-rank or seventh-rank cultivator?

Zu'an quickly explained, "I'm still puzzled by how Han Fengqiu's trousers fell off, but that incident gave me an idea. Shi Jun was using decorum to oppress me, right? So, when I got close to him to slap him, I secretly cut his belt. He was in such extreme shock and anger at the time that he didn't notice."

The Emperor was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You are indeed a mischievous one! Shi Jun has been thoroughly humiliated by you; he probably won't have the face to continue his duty of overseeing officials' decorum anymore."

Seeing him laugh, Zu'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly.

However, the Emperor truly was cold-hearted. The Shi family had made significant contributions to the Great Zhou Dynasty, and their patriarch was one of the esteemed Eight Dukes in court. Yet, the Emperor showed no concern for the Shi family's reputation, likely infuriated by their shift in allegiance towards King Qi.

At this point, the Emperor said again, "You must have heard about the Crown Prince's grand examination. You've always been full of clever ideas. Do you have any solutions?"