Mu Zhan’s sudden arrival at Imperial College was not without reason.
Half an hour ago.
Mu Zhan dealt with a lot of state matters, and after a while of being busy, his head hurt a bit and he couldn’t read the characters. He pinched his brow in annoyance and had to squint for a moment.
But to his surprise, he dozed off just like that and had a very strange dream.
He dreamt of Wen Mingyu.
The lone figure, some distance away from him, had its back to him.
Like a tiny little ball, crouching on the ground, looking pitiful.
Mu Zhan frowned, reaching out, wanting to take the person into his arms. However, for some reason, his legs couldn’t move as if he had been nailed to the ground.
An indescribable anger surged from his heart and went straight to his head, quickly spreading and enveloping his entire body, but he couldn’t do anything, leaving him extremely powerless and uncomfortable.
His eyes stared unblinkingly at the untouchable figure, trying to speak but unable to make a sound.
After struggling for a while, Mu Zhan suddenly realized this was all fake. This was just his nightmare.
He tried to wake up, but he was still trapped in the dream.
All he could do was watch until that back disappeared into the darkness, out of his sight.
When all that was left in front of him was a cold blackness.
His eyes snapped open, and he woke up.
His eyes were like the surface of the sea in the dead of the night, serene and cold, yet underneath it was a dark tide, extremely dangerous.
Mu Zhan subconsciously searched for Wen Mingyu’s figure, and the surroundings were empty. Gradually, he came to and remembered where Wen Mingyu would be at this moment. Without hesitation, he coldly ordered, “To Imperial College.”
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As he approached the room, he had already smelled a faint fruity scent. The familiar pheromones calmed him a little, and he walked quickly and impatiently; the servants behind him almost had to run to keep up with him.
At last, he stepped into the doorway of the room.
When someone announced His Majesty’s coming, everyone was shocked for a split second before hurriedly kneeling down to salute.
They were so flustered that they focused on some area of the ground in front of them, failing to notice that Wen Mingyu was standing and had not moved at all.
Wen Mingyu was dumbfounded. He was not prepared for Mu Zhan to show up out of the blue.
That was just how people were. When he was alone, whatever happened, no matter what, he would grit his teeth and solve it by himself without displaying any weakness. Even if he was angry or sad, he would stubbornly hold on until the last second. But if someone you trust and rely on appeared, those tense emotions would collapse instantly, and you may even feel like tearing up.
The moment Wen Mingyu saw Mu Zhan, his heart was a little sour, his eyes reddening, and he yearned to be held and comforted.
Mu Zhan met his eyes and sensed his off-kilter mood. He strode forward, stroked his head and then wrapped his arms around him again very gently.
As soon as he was held, Wen Mingyu was like soaking in hot water; all of his emotions became ironed out and softened, making him less uncomfortable.
Their hug was a brief one because they remembered the timing was not right and it would make people sense something.
Mu Zhan was having the urge to just drag anyone who upset Wen Mingyu out and kill them regardless. However, this would not resolve the issue and would bring a bad name to Wen Mingyun. What he wanted to give Wen Mingyu was not this.
So Mu Zhan pressed against the side of Wen Mingyu’s neck, almost like a light kiss, and inhaled the sweet and fruity scent, forcing himself to calm down.
Mu Zhan looked at him reassuringly and stroked his head once again. No one said a word the whole time, but because of their tacit understanding, it silently conveyed what needed to be said.
Because His Majesty arrived without a word and startled the crowd, it was only natural that it took a few moments for the audience to gather themselves. Their ears hummed and their minds went blank, and they didn’t even notice the slight sound of fabric rustling together in those moments, much less did anyone imagine that His Majesty was embracing and pacifying a man.
Mu Zhan walked up to the chancellor as he uttered in a cold tone, “Rise.”
Only then did everyone slowly rise one after another, and Wen Mingyu also pretended to have just gotten up in order not to appear abrupt.
If the others were panicking and feeling helpless inside because they were facing the emperor for the first time, lowering their eyes and not daring to peek at the face of the dragon, then Cai Xinhan was completely terrified. He had heard of the tyrant’s fame, and if today’s events were exposed, what was he going to do?!
On the chilly spring day, his forehead unexpectedly kept sweating, dripping down, and the back of his uniform was soaked.
Mu Zhan learned about the situation from the chancellor, and his cold gaze instantly stabbed Cai Xinhan like a sharp dagger. The terrifying pressure seemed to have weight, pressing heavily on him, making him tremble and gasping for air. His knees were almost buckling to the ground.
“Then start proving yourself. This one will just watch.”
Mu Zhan spoke slowly, his voice majestic and cold.
By all rights, Wei Chen and the others present should be somewhat familiar with this voice, but Mu Zhan spoke very little on the night of the Lantern Festival, and the tone of his voice was much softer than it was now, almost like two different persons. Coupled with the shock of His Majesty’s sudden appearance, they had no time to pay attention to the details.
Wen Mingyu stepped forward and recounted his original idea of writing the paper in a calm and composed manner. Even Teacher Yu couldn’t help but be impressed by his collected composure. Not to mention that his explanation effectively captured the heart of the paper and made the parts that needed improvement even better. It was impossible for someone to achieve this level just by listening to it once in class.
Anyone with a sound mind listening to this would uncontrollably feel that the paper was indeed written by him.
Next was Cai Xinhan.
If Mu Zhan hadn’t been present, he would have had more chance to struggle or even turn the tides, but as it was, he was already terrified of the demon-like Mu Zhan, not to mention, his murderous gaze that had been staring at him.
Cai Xinhan couldn’t even speak smoothly. Mu Zhan watched him and asked him a series of questions about the paper, none of which he could answer at all, only stuttering. .
It was now evident who had wronged whom and whose paper had been stolen.
But Mu Zhan did not stop there and still persisted in his intense questioning, and finally, Cai Xinhan’s face paled. He finally couldn’t support it and collapsed under extreme fear. “…Yes! It was me who was momentarily possessed and stole his paper for my own use!”
The students lowered their heads; their hearts appalled.
What happened next was even more unexpected.
Mu Zhan spoke harshly, “This type of person without moral character, who desecrates sages and men of virtue, is not eligible to stay in Imperial College for education, and may not participate in the imperial examinations; the court doesn’t need such people.”
“At the same time, Cai Shi had failed to teach his children well. He is to be relegated to the position of county magistrate of Shidian and fined five years’ salary.”
In just two sentences, Cai Xinhan’s punishment and future were set. He had no chance to pursue an official career throughout his lifetime, and his proud family lineage had also fallen. All the relationships he had once established went down the drain.
Cai Xinhan’s face turned grayish white. His body trembled more from desperation and embarrassment.
He couldn’t comprehend why he was so unlucky that it just so happened that His Majesty was here. If not, he could have easily navigated through it and been fine. He still hadn’t realized that he had touched someone he shouldn’t have messed with, and when he stole that piece of paper, he was destined to wind up like this.
The chancellor bowed his head to receive the decree. The punishment may be a bit heavy, but it was meant to serve as a warning to others, and in the future, no one in the Imperial College would dare commit similar acts. Everyone would know that His Majesty was deeply averse to this kind of thing, and once you committed to it, you would be burying your future.
Ye Xu and the others were ecstatic for Wen Mingyu and were only waiting for His Majesty to leave to give him a firm hug and cheers before heading out to celebrate.
However, after the issue was resolved, the emperor left and unexpectedly spoke out. “Wen Mingyu, come with this one.”
Just like that, he took the person away, leaving a group of people staring at one another in confusion.
Ye Xu and the others held their questions until the following day. When Wen Mingyu walked into the classroom, they directly blocked him and asked what the emperor had called him for yesterday.
Wen Mingyu tensed up and choked for a moment. He and Mu Zhan rode the carriage back to the palace, kissed and hugged, whispered a lot of intimate words, and even went behind the bed curtains… How can such words be spoken!
“His Majesty, that is, advise me not to take that matter to heart, but to study seriously, be diligent in gaining knowledge, and act with conviction and judgement…” Wen Mingyu’s ears reddened. Ah, he couldn’t make it up anymore!
The author has something to say: Getting married next!!
PS: It’s not that I intentionally didn’t take off the empress’s vest, but that jade cub still has to study at Imperial College. If he loses it, he definitely won’t be able to continue studying. Mu Zhan knows he likes the atmosphere and friends in the school and doesn’t want him to be trapped in the harem, so he will keep it a secret.
ChiFu: sorry for being inactive! ChiFu hopes you enjoyed today’s chapter~