Ye Zhenxian raised an eyebrow, "Oh, how do you figure that?" "People with real skill can afford to have a temper. Those without any are too busy trying to act like grandsons in front of important figures," Yu Yinglei said with a coy smile, "What do you think, Prince?" "Based on your opinion, is the Divine Doctor in Linqing Pavilion and not out wandering the mountains for leisure?" "I can’t make that judgment." "Indeed, it was clearly stated on the invitation. I suppose the Divine Doctor really did go out." Ye Zhenxian chuckled mockingly; even if the Divine Doctor were miraculous, he was still a citizen of Tiansheng—how would he dare oppose the Prince? Prince Zhenbei Mansion. Upon hearing Leng Yu Yan had returned, Ye Jiu hurried to the mansion’s entrance to greet her. "Ah Yan, you’re finally back!" Ye Jiu briskly approached and grasped Leng Yu Yan’s hands. Noticing Ye Yiheng, she called, "Sixth Brother." Seeing Ye Jiu seeming hesitant to speak, Leng Yu Yan asked, "What’s wrong, has something happened?" "Let’s talk inside the mansion," Ye Jiu said. Ye Yiheng instructed Mo Chen Ruofeng to move some items, then the group crossed the threshold and walked inside. "Did big brother go to the military camp?" Leng Yu Yan asked. Ye Jiu hummed softly, not elaborating further. After moving all of Leng Yu Yan’s luggage and books to the courtyard, Ye Yiheng said to Leng Yu Yan, "The Eastern Palace must have accumulated a lot of official duties; I’ll return there first." "Okay," Leng Yu Yan nodded. Ye Yiheng walked a few steps then seemed to recall something, turned back, and said, "For dinner, I will come to the Prince Mansion." Hearing this, Song Guo smiled contentedly, thinking to herself, ’His Highness improves every day!’ Leng Yu Yan blinked, then quickly smiled, "Alright, Your Highness, is there anything specific you’d like to eat?" "You decide, Yanyan." Leaving those words behind, Ye Yiheng led his people away. After Ye Yiheng was out of sight, Leng Yu Yan asked Ye Jiu, "Is there something you want to say that you find difficult to mention in front of your Sixth Brother?" Ye Jiu sighed, "I tell you, recently Yu Yinglei and Ye Zhenxian seem very affectionate. Yu Yinglei has even been going around saying Ye Zhenxian is more formidable than Sixth Brother." How could she say such things in front of Sixth Brother? Leng Yu Yan was surprised, "Formidable? What’s formidable about Ye Zhenxian, and with what?" Ye Jiu continued, "They’re always seen together, whether entering the Imperial Palace or on the city streets, many have noticed their affectionate demeanor. Yu Yinglei even told Ye Shi that she married the right person." Hearing this, Leng Yu Yan laughed and shook her head, "If they truly loved each other, why the need to broadcast it? It’s nothing more than wanting your Sixth Brother to regret, Yu Yinglei’s mindset is really..." She didn’t even want to speak of her; truly disgusting. Ye Jiu was surprised, "You’re right, I didn’t think of it that way. But her using the Second to defame Sixth Brother, that really angers me." Leng Yu Yan gently patted her shoulder, "Don’t be angry, it’s not worth upsetting yourself over." "After you left, I entered the Palace once, and something happened that particularly upset me." Leng Yu Yan’s heart skipped a beat. If Ye Jiu went to the palace, that meant she couldn’t bring Qiubo and Dongyan with her. Whatever happened in there, her people couldn’t protect her. Ye Jiu angrily said, "That day was a family banquet, yet Ye Shi, in front of many people, told Father Emperor that Prince Zhenbei Mansion already had a marriage tie with the Tian Family, so how could there be another?" At this moment, recalling that scene, she was still unable to calm down. Ye Shi simply didn’t want her to get married, preferring her to remain an old maid and become the laughingstock of the world. "What did the Emperor say?" "Father Emperor said that the matter needed consideration," Ye Jiu furrowed her brows, "In a fit of anger, I returned to Prince Zhenbei Mansion right then." "Two days later, a palace maid from Xingning Palace came to the mansion to tell me that afterwards, Ye Shi continued to speak in front of Father Emperor, saying that my long stay at Prince Zhenbei Mansion was undermining a princess’s dignity," Ye Jiu gripped Leng Yu Yan’s arm, "Ah Yan, what should I do?" It was not just that, the Father Emperor also sent someone to summon her back to the palace to stay. She was eager for Li Yuyue to do something, even to marry her earlier, and for this reason, they had argued. The cold war persisted till now, and although she and Li Yuyue dined together in the mansion in the evening, their interactions were scarce beyond that, and they seldom spoke. She did not wish to discuss the cold war with Leng Yu Yan, since she had insisted that Li Yuyue marry her earlier. With the elders of the mansion absent and the Father Emperor disapproving, Li Yuyue was indeed powerless, which she was well aware of. Leng Yu Yan consoled her, "Why have you become afraid of the Tenth Princess?" "I am not afraid of her, I stay in the mansion to have more contact with the Princely Heir," Ye Shi raised her palm, "That day, I wanted to slap Ye Shi, but someone surnamed Yu stopped me." Ye Shi mocked her for lacking a husband, and Yu, in his roundabout way, taunted her for not having chosen him in the past. "That’s good," Leng Yu Yan said with a light smile, "Let me tell you, my grandfather is eager to find a wife for my elder brother. You adore my elder brother so much. Grandfather will naturally be pleased, and when grandfather comes to the capital, he will make decisions for you." "Really?" Ye Shi asked in surprise. Leng Yu Yan nodded, "Yes, grandfather has seen the letter you wrote to my elder brother, and my brother came to the capital with me and His Highness, also by grandfather’s intention; he hopes my elder brother can spend more time with you." Ye Jiu laughed heartily and hugged Leng Yu Yan’s waist, "Good Ah Yan, I am so happy as soon as you are back, we are destined to be sisters-in-law!" The two then chatted for a while, and Ye Jiu finally remembered to ask about Ye Yiheng. "Ah Yan, how is the search for the eye treatment herbs going?" Just then, a servant came to report that the Princely Heir had returned. Leng Yu Yan nodded, and Ye Jiu joyfully ran toward Li Yuyue’s courtyard. Yu Haoqiong had his guards watch the door while he said to his scholarly looking staff, "The Tiansheng Imperial Examination is in a few days, you must secure the top three positions—the top scorer, second place, and third place." The staff exchanged glances; they had been mingling in the major academies of Tiansheng Capital City these past days, and the scholars there were profoundly dedicated. Securing the top three ranks would not be easy. "Seventh Prince, the scholars of Tiancheng are quite diligent; getting a top rank might be difficult." Yu Haoqiong snickered, "To conquer Tiansheng, we must learn their culture, and you have grown up studying Tiansheng’s culture under my guidance; how can you belittle yourselves?" One of the staff respectfully said, "We are just stating the reality!" Yu Haoqiong pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve, "On this paper is the examination question; go prepare yourselves." The staff took it, glanced through it, and asked in surprise, "Seventh Prince, how did you obtain this?" "How I obtained it is none of your concern; just go prepare," Yu Haoqiong paused, then added, "Burn it after reading." "Yes, following Seventh Prince’s orders!" The staff memorized the questions, and once they knew them well, one of them burned the paper over a candle flame. Watching the fire flare up and then slowly weaken and extinguish, Yu Haoqiong stepped away, "This King will return to Tiansheng Palace first; study well." "Respectfully seeing off Seventh Prince!" the staff bowed. The Tiansheng Imperial Examination was famously difficult, yet their master had easily obtained the questions, demonstrating his increasingly profound and unfathomable abilities.