Chapter 66 Calling Names

By this time, the results of the special imperial examination had been fully distributed, and the candidates, having received their ranks and rewards, had all returned to their respective quarters.

The rewards bestowed by the Emperor for this special examination were exceptionally generous. It was already a supreme favor that the top thirty candidates received monetary rewards in gold and silver, though Xiao Yuxi wondered if this was due to the petition he had previously made to the Emperor.

The names of the top three candidates of this examination had already been posted outside the Meng Residence and the Suzhou Prefectural Office.

As for the Emperor Xiao Yulong and Noble Consort Chen Wanlan finding their biological son, an imperial edict was issued to proclaim the matter to all the subjects of the realm. Xiao Yulong even dispatched capable generals to every city and county of the Great Li Dynasty to announce the news of the eldest imperial prince, Xiao Yuxi. Although there was no general amnesty for the realm, all cities and counties were exempted from half a year's tax collection. The common people were filled with gratitude and genuinely rejoiced for the Emperor. Of course, that was a matter for later; the first to learn of Xiao Yuxi's true identity were the residents of the Meng Residence and the common folk of Suzhou.

"Fourth Brother!"

Meng Xueqiao's voice rang out the moment Xiao Yuxi and Meng Changhong stepped into the inner courtyard, brimming with undeniable elation.

Xiao Yuxi was now the esteemed eldest imperial prince. Having informed his imperial father and motherly consort that he wished to return to his room to tidy up briefly before welcoming his motherly consort to converse, Xiao Yulong had originally intended to send a detachment of capable Tiger and Leopard Guards to escort him, but Xiao Yuxi declined on the grounds that the Meng Residence was extremely safe.

Meng Changhong had petitioned the Emperor to accompany Xiao Yuxi one last time along the way. In his heart, Xiao Yulong deeply appreciated Meng Changhong's care for Yuxi over the years. Furthermore, Meng Changhong was a trusted household minister, so the Emperor readily consented.

As they walked, Meng Changhong consistently lagged two paces behind Xiao Yuxi out of respect for the eldest imperial prince. Although Xiao Yuxi felt this might create a sense of distance, he fully understood that this was an attitude Meng Changhong was deliberately displaying for others to see. If Meng Changhong had walked side by side with Xiao Yuxi from the very beginning, it might instead have given rise to suspicions that Meng Changhong harbored ulterior motives.

"Unruly child! How do you address His Highness!"

Meng Changhong's face turned stern as he loudly reprimanded Meng Xueqiao. Meng Xueqiao had already heard from the Tiger and Leopard Guards that Meng Yuxi was actually the eldest imperial prince, Xiao Yuxi, but he was so accustomed to his usual form of address that he failed to correct himself in time.

Hearing his father's reprimand, Meng Xueqiao clutched his head, stuck out his tongue, and immediately fell to his knees to kowtow to Xiao Yuxi.

"This commoner, Meng Xueqiao, pays respects to Your Highness the Eldest Imperial Prince!"

Meng Xueqiao declared in a clear, resonant voice.

"Hahaha."

Xiao Yuxi laughed heartily. "Xueqiao, rise quickly. As for the two of us, you understand, don't you?"

With a swift somersault accompanied by a soft thud, Meng Xueqiao sprang back to his feet.

Seeing Meng Xueqiao's antics, Xiao Yuxi smiled, feeling as though the youth was even happier than he was. "Xueqiao, have your injuries fully healed?"

"Fo—reporting to the Eldest Imperial Prince, it's of no real consequence. They say joy lightens the spirit; right now, even if someone led a tiger out to me, I'd be able to beat it—cough, cough, cough!"

Meng Xueqiao smiled broadly and patted his chest, but the force of the pat aggravated his injuries, causing him to cough a few times.

Xiao Yuxi turned his head and asked Meng Changhong with a smile, "Old Meng, does Xueqiao currently hold any rank or official position?"

Hearing Xiao Yuxi address him thus, Meng Changhong felt a pang of warmth in his heart, thinking, *Yuxi is truly a child with a conscience. Even after attaining the noble status of the eldest imperial prince, he remains just as affectionate with a servant like me. As intelligent as he is, he never puts on airs or pretends, which shows his genuine sincerity. I truly did not dote on this child in vain for over a decade.*

Despite these thoughts, he still bowed respectfully to Xiao Yuxi and replied, "Replying to Your Highness, this child Xueqiao is far too unpromising—neither good with the brush nor the sword—and has never settled into any proper occupation."

At these words, Xiao Yuxi flicked open his Dragon-Spine Fan and gently waved it before his chest. After being infused with Emperor Xiao Yulong's imperial dragon aura, apart from the ribs which remained black, the black silk threads of the fan's surface had faintly turned a golden hue.

"Old Meng, you are also about to take up a post in the capital, and the Meng Residence is so vast that it surely cannot be relocated to the capital all at once. Since Xueqiao has nothing to do and is idle anyway, rather than staying behind in the Suzhou residence, he might as well come to the capital with me. My newly established Heavenly Mystery Pavilion in the capital is currently lacking in manpower. What do you think?"

Xiao Yuxi said with a smile. Before Meng Changhong could even reply, Meng Xueqiao happily turned a few more somersaults.

Meng Changhong raised his head and smiled slightly. "As long as Your Highness does not find this little monkey troublesome, this servant is naturally happy for him to have a path. However, if this monkey should ever commit some outrageous misdeed... I beg Your Highness not to let sentiment sway you, but to punish him severely!"

By the time he finished speaking, Meng Changhong's expression had grown extremely stern.

Xiao Yuxi nodded, thus agreeing to the arrangement.

As Meng Xueqiao looked at Xiao Yuxi before him, he noticed that although Xiao Yuxi was dressed in the same plain white robes as before, paired with the brilliant golden Dragon-Spine Fan, his entire demeanor had undergone a heaven-and-earth transformation, carrying an ineffable aura. If gold represented wealth and nobility, and black represented danger, then the impression Xiao Yuxi gave him was precisely that of the fan's dual colors of gold and black—wealth and nobility entwined with peril, or rather, peril harboring wealth and nobility.

"I want to go too!"

"How could you possibly go?"

Hearing this declaration, Meng Changhong immediately jumped up in opposition.

For the person who spoke was none other than Meng Xueqiao's twin sister, Meng Changhong's most beloved daughter, and the woman set upon by the Crown Prince—Meng Xuexian.

Meng Xuexian had already changed back into women's attire. Though her face was entirely free of powder and rouge, her eyes were as clear and deep as jasper stones in an autumn stream, and her willow-like brows carried a hint of untamed rebelliousness when slightly raised. Her skin was white as snow, setting off her bright red lips and pearly teeth, while an undeniable, vibrant beauty danced across her features.

"Doesn't the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion lack people? I have nothing to contribute in the Meng Residence either; why can't I go seek a post in the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion?"

Meng Xuexian retorted, raising her chin proudly at Meng Changhong.

In all his time within the Meng Residence, Xiao Yuxi had only ever seen people lowering their heads when speaking to Meng Changhong; this was the first time he had seen someone lift their chin so defiantly.

"And just where did you pop out from? In the Meng Residence, weren't everyone other than the examination candidates confined to their rooms?"

A faint flush appeared on Meng Xuexian's cheeks. Her Confucian scholar's outer robe had just been wrapped around a stone and sunk into the washing-flower pond. Fortunately, Xiao Yuxi's courtyard happened to be right by the pond, allowing her to run into Xiao Yuxi's group before encountering the Tiger and Leopard Guards.

"Never mind about that. Surely you can't make decisions on behalf of the Eldest Imperial Prince?"

Meng Xuexian said, placing her hands on her slender waist.

Xiao Yuxi would never have imagined he would witness Meng Xuexian acting coquettishly. The first time he met her, she was dressed in men's attire, sporting a painted pair of fake mustaches, holding two male courtesans in her arms and living quite merrily. The second time he saw her, she was pulling Meng Xueqiao by the ear, playing the role of an overbearing older sister. The third time he met her, she had risked her life wishing to catch a glimpse of the unpredictable imperial majesty, ultimately threatening to use her own death. Who could have imagined that such an unbridled, spirited woman with a touch of eccentricity would also act coyly?