There is a god in the sky

Chapter 404 Barrier

After the meal, Shen Lan gave Li Ge three pictures.

"Keep this safe, take a look when you have time, and let me know if you've made a decision."

Li Ge opened only one picture, glanced at it, and immediately closed it.

He looked at Shen Lan meaningfully and asked, "You've already planned your escape route a long time ago?"

"It wasn't early; I thought of it on the way to the capital."

Shen Lan came here solely for revenge, so of course she would consider her escape route.

Although the hope of revenge was slim, she was prepared to kill someone and escape from prison if the obvious path was blocked.

"His Majesty has agreed to announce the events of Guli Town to the world and punish the officers and soldiers who participated in the massacre of the townspeople. Our goal has been achieved."

Li Ge put the blueprints away and touched Shen Lan's cheek: "I wish I had met you sooner."

If he could start over, he might have sought revenge in a different way, instead of cutting off all his own paths to survival.

He left with Li Ye.

On the way, she handed the map Shen Lan had given her to Li Ye, saying, "Keep this safe. A month from now, I will find an opportunity to send you out of the capital. You can take Lan'er with you when you leave the capital."

Li Ye asked, puzzled, "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing happened, just listen to this, and remember, don't tell her!"

"She's not stupid. Why would she leave the capital with me for no reason?"

Li Ye felt uneasy, wondering what big move Li Ge was planning this time.

"Don't worry, it won't happen for no reason. You'll find out when the time comes."

The new emperor is gradually implementing new policies. It is clear that he intends to make some changes, but his actions are not significant and have not yet affected the interests of the powerful clans.

Therefore, the ministers supported most of his ideas.

The examinations announced during King Zheng's reign were held as scheduled, as the court urgently needed talented individuals.

The students who went to the capital for the imperial examinations never expected that by the time they entered the examination hall, the emperor had already been replaced.

However, it doesn't matter who they serve, it doesn't diminish their joy at achieving top marks.

Because of the great merit made by the Marquis of Pingyang, Fu Qingyan was also on the list of candidates this time.

No one had high hopes for him, after all, he had only been at Yishan Academy for a little over half a year.

Moreover, his talent had never been known before, and the students who came to take the exam were geniuses from all over the country.

After Tong Yiwen's death, Yishan Academy was closed for a period of time, and the students returned home.

Fu Qingyan has been burying himself in his studies at home.

Especially after Consort Li's death, the Lady of Pingyang Marquis fell ill, and he also stayed at home without going out.

He had no idea what Xiao Ji and the Marquis of Pingyang had done in private. Only after he calmed down did he realize that the political landscape of the court had changed again and again.

The day before the exam, while other candidates were either visiting the examiners or meeting with famous scholars, Fu Qingyan took Guan Shu to find Shen Lan.

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

"Are you confident?" Shen Lan asked him.

"No." Fu Qingyan shook his head.

Guan Shu was extremely anxious. "Young Master, don't say such discouraging things. If you bury yourself in your studies for a few months, you'll definitely pass the exam!"

Only Fu Qingyan himself knew that he hadn't actually learned much during those months of seclusion.

With Shen Lan's guidance, he had clear learning goals, but his efforts to learn on his own yielded little result.

"People should have self-awareness."

Undeniably, Fu Qingyan is a good student with considerable talent, but his time was indeed too short.

If given another two years, Shen Lan believes there's a 90% chance he'll get into high school.

However, luck always plays a part in any exam, so there's no guarantee of success.

Fu Qingyan became much quieter; he used to be the most talkative person.

Shen Lan didn't know how to comfort him.

Moreover, so much time has passed that comforting me now is meaningless.

She always felt guilty towards Qingyan.

The cause of Consort Li's death remains unclear, but regardless of who the murderer was, the circumstances at the time were the main reason that led to the murder.

Fu Qingyan opened the book and explained his purpose.

"I have come today because I want the truth."

Shen Lan held her breath.

"Was my sister's death really the work of the Crown Prince?"

"There were no eyewitnesses, nor was there sufficient evidence to prove that the Crown Prince was responsible. The Crown Prince himself was not present at the time, but it cannot be ruled out that he ordered someone to do it."

"I heard that you and the Emperor witnessed him kill Consort Lin. What was his purpose in killing my sister?"

A concubine without children cannot threaten the crown prince's position.

But many people say that the Crown Prince was insane at the time, otherwise he would not have killed even Consort Lin.

"I don't know, maybe he's not the murderer."

Fu Qingyan twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing an ugly smile.

"I knew it when the Emperor passed away. My sister was going to die sooner or later. Just look at what happened to the Empress."

Fu Qingyan gave a bitter laugh, mocking himself for being unable to do anything.

His father would not tell him anything, much less involve him in such a major event as the struggle for the throne.

If only he could be as good as his cousin.

"Miss Shen, is there any way to help me pass the imperial examination on my first try?"

Shen Lan is neither a god nor the chief examiner.

"Perhaps you could pray to the God of Literature for good luck on your exam tomorrow."

Fu Qingyan sighed, stood up and said, "I was too impatient."

He hesitated before asking, "One of the crimes committed by the Tong family was buying and selling the quota for the imperial examination. I want to know, if the Tong family were still around, what would I need to give up to obtain such a quota?"

Shen Lan was surprised that he would ask such a question.

This is nothing like the optimistic and cheerful boy he used to be.

"I don't know, but it's either money, treasures, or power."

“Indeed, although I am the heir of the Marquis of Pingyang, I may not have much gold and silver under my control, and I have nothing to exchange for.”

Shen Lan was afraid he would get stuck on this one point, so she comforted him, saying, "You have a very high talent and are a good candidate for studying. Even if you don't pass the exam this time, it's not a big deal. You'll have another chance in two years, won't you?"

"You're so young; even if you don't take the imperial examination route, your family can surely secure you some official position. Different paths, same result."

Fu Qingyan didn't seem to want to rely on his family's connections; he wanted to prove himself through his own abilities.

This was perhaps due to the long-standing discord between the father and son, and Shen Lan didn't know what to say.

Although they could still sit face to face, Shen Lan knew in her heart that they could never go back to the way things were before.

Before Fu Qingyan left, Shen Lan said a few more words.

"His Majesty has only recently ascended the throne and must have many things he wants to do. Judging from the new policies recently implemented by the court, His Majesty intends to reform the land tax. You can think more about the tax issues."

"Alright, I will ask my cousin about matters of the court."

"Perhaps other candidates can also discern the emperor's thoughts, but to write an essay that truly resonates with the emperor, each of them must figure it out themselves."

Fu Qingyan said helplessly, "When the new emperor was still the second prince, I also had dealings with him. He is the kind of person who is very good at hiding things. He keeps everything in his heart and is very difficult to understand."

Even if someone is elusive, they are still better than someone who has never seen the emperor.

"If he couldn't hide his true self, he would have been dealt with by the Crown Prince long ago. His strength lies in not revealing his thoughts."

Nowadays, the civil and military officials in the court still cannot fathom the emperor's thoughts, and instead treat him with caution and peace.