I Rely on the Collapse of the Character Setting to Survive in the Hands of the Male Lead Chapter 141

Chapter 141

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【Main Mission 2, Mission 4: Help the Male Lead with the Ritual Cleansing of the Ministry of Rites】

April was the time for the Civil Servant Examinations, a series of three tests over nine days, set to begin the day after tomorrow. The Ministry of Rites was responsible for overseeing the Civil Servant Examinations.

While dealing with the three major families, Chu Lishu also had to handle the forces under the Emperor. The Ministry of Rites, completely controlled by imperial authority, became Chu Lishu’s primary target.

Because of the injury, most of Lin Qingyang’s time for rest and recovery was spent lying at home. When he received the mission, Lin Qingyang was engrossed in studying medical books on his own.

Although his family members had avoided discussing it, someone like Lin Qingyang, who had spent years in the medical field in the mortal world, couldn’t help but notice that the health of County Princess Yawen was deteriorating.

So, during this visit, Lin Qingyang directly exchanged ginseng pills and left them for Nanny Ding. He instructed her to use them when the physicians were helpless. Nanny Ding thought it was a reward from the Fourth Prince and Concubine Mei to Lin Qingyang, so she readily accepted. Currently, this was all Lin Qingyang could do.

Upon hearing the system’s reminder, Lin Qingyang thought about Chu Lishu, who hadn’t returned since yesterday. It seemed that this time, Chu Lishu didn’t intend to involve him.

The first reason might be that he was injured and inconvenient to move around. The second reason was that dealing with the Six Ministries was Chu Lishu’s own plan and didn’t fall into the category of actions meant to impress Prime Minister Li. If Prime Minister Li found out that Chu Lishu was targeting even the Six Ministries, he might start suspecting Chu Lishu’s ultimate goals.

Chu Lishu had consistently told Lin Qingyang that he was assisting the Fourth Prince, so he naturally wouldn’t inform Lin Qingyang about his actions against the Six Ministries. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to explain why he was doing so.

Lin Qingyang didn’t expect to know all the details of the male lead’s revenge plans. After all, he was just a toolman at the moment, not a supporting character. However, the system didn’t give him a break.

“System, let’s negotiate. Look, I’ve got a work-related injury, and I feel like this mission shouldn’t be too difficult. In the original plot, it seems to take up a short section, I believe the male lead can handle it alone. I won’t go and delay things.”

In fact, Lin Qingyang had only a vague concept of this part of the plot, which involved exposing cheating in the imperial examinations, implicating the Minister of Rites, and the male lead taking control of the Ministry of Rites. Compared to other events, he thought it should be relatively straightforward. Lin Qingyang felt that he could take a break; after all, the male lead was the male lead, and such matters shouldn’t have any unexpected twists.

System: 【Reminder, after the mission is assigned, it’s advisable for the host to go to the male lead’s side or the relevant location to handle any unforeseen circumstances and be prepared for related missions that may be issued at any time.】

Lin Qingyang’s original intention to slack off was immediately extinguished. After all, it was difficult to determine when missions might be issued. The only way to ensure safety was to closely follow the male lead.

Just as he was pondering, Shuncai came to report that Qi Yan had arrived.

Lin Qingyang was slightly stunned. The last time they met, Qi Yan complained about being pressured by his family to participate in the imperial examinations. According to reason, he should be busy preparing for the exams. Why did he suddenly have the time to visit?

“Lin Qingyang, see how good I am to you. As soon as I heard you were injured, I rushed over without stopping to check on you,” Qi Yan entered the room with a smile, speaking warmly.

After scrutinizing Qi Yan for a moment, Lin Qingyang mercilessly exposed him, saying, “Aren’t you… trying to avoid being forced to study, deliberately finding an excuse to take a break for half a day?”

Qi Yan’s smiling face immediately collapsed. He looked pitifully and said, “If I had known that I would be forced to study so hard today, I might as well have worked hard with you in the beginning to become a study companion.”

Lin Qingyang couldn’t empathize much, but he could vaguely imagine. If he had to make a comparison, he and Chu Lishu could be considered the ones directly admitted to the college through assessment, while Qi Yan was currently the type participating in the national college entrance examination, so he should feel relatively strenuous.

“You’ve worked hard,” Lin Qingyang comforted emotionlessly. “But look at my current pitiful appearance. Do you still think being a study companion is better? So, you might as well study hard for the imperial examinations. If you don’t pass, your family won’t do anything to you anyway.”

Qi Yan, unlike the people from the other academy, had family members holding official positions, so he naturally had channels to know about the affairs inside the palace. Upon hearing Lin Qingyang’s words, he thought for a moment before speaking, “That’s because you don’t understand the hardships of studying. I’d rather be knocked down on my bed. But now, I’ve finally endured it. Originally, I was supposed to continue the fight until the day after tomorrow, but aren’t you returning to the palace tomorrow? I begged my father several times, and he finally allowed me this half-day to come and see you.”

Qi Yan began to continuously complain about how his family had been tormenting him during this time. He wasn’t cut out for studying, didn’t like it, and wasn’t good at it. He aspired to be a playboy young master, but his family refused to give up. They not only hired a tutor for him for a last-minute sprint before the exam but also put effort into getting him enrolled in Yamo Garden.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qingyang’s expression changed suddenly. Yamo Garden – such a familiar name, but it wasn’t stored in the memories of the original owner. Therefore, he had to ask Qi Yan for details.

Qi Yan smiled and explained, “It’s normal if you don’t know. Yamo Garden is only open during the Spring Examinations each year, specifically for candidates from all over the country to prepare for the exams.”

After a brief explanation from Qi Yan, Lin Qingyang understood the origin of Yamo Garden. It was a collaboration between the government and the private sector, an organization established to assist candidates.

The founders were initially a couple of immortal lovers, a top-scoring scholar and a renowned talented woman. Unfortunately, the scholar passed away shortly after the establishment of Yamo Garden.

To commemorate the scholar from the common people, his wife founded Yamo Garden for scholars across the nation. It provided a good environment for exam preparation during the Spring Examinations, offering everything for free. It was a great deed, assisting talented students from humble backgrounds and those from other regions. Thanks to various sponsorships, the operation was quite successful.

After the passing of Lady Yamo, the management of Yamo Garden was handed over to her daughter. However, the daughter wasn’t interested and handled it casually.

At that time, when Crown Prince Yuan Ran was still a young prince, he heard about this and pleaded with the late emperor to manage Yamo Garden properly. Subsequently, the Ministry of Rites got involved in the management, resulting in the current situation of a combination of official and private efforts.

“Normally, privileged children like us don’t need to go there. But in recent years, there have been several top scorers coming from Yamo Garden. People say the atmosphere there is good, blessed by the God of Literature, and some renowned scholars go there to help students. I heard even Mr. Cao has been there a few times. However, I’ve never been to the Master Courtyard, so I’m not sure, just heard about it,” Qi Yan explained.

“Since it’s free for candidates to prepare for the exams, why do you need your father’s connections to get in?” Lin Qingyang asked, puzzled.

Qi Yan looked embarrassed, “Well, not everyone can enter Yamo Garden. Anyone who enters has to draw a theme and compose a poem on the spot. Only those who pass can enter.”

Lin Qingyang chuckled, “They probably won’t be too demanding. I guess as long as you reach a basic level, it should be fine. It seems like you haven’t been studying properly since leaving the Imperial Academy, and you’ve forgotten everything you learned there.”

Even if one’s performance is mediocre, as long as they graduated from the Imperial Academy, they should be eligible to enter Yamo Garden.

“Stop making fun of me. Anyway, I stayed in Yamo Garden for half a month, almost going crazy. Unfortunately, my father sent someone to guard the entrance and didn’t allow me to slip away. Otherwise, I would have come to see you earlier.”

Seeing Qi Yan’s distressed look, it seemed like he had been tormented by the intense study atmosphere there.

“I thought, with your personality, you would have tried every means to escape from the beginning,” Lin Qingyang chuckled.

Qi Yan immediately laughed, “You really understand me. I was just curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“Curious about the newly appointed Lady Yamo,” Qi Yan winked at Lin Qingyang with a mysterious look. “The first talented woman of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Jing Rouyin.”

Lin Qingyang suddenly felt a lightning bolt across his mind.

Qi Yan looked at Lin Qingyang’s expression and laughed, “What do you think? You must be curious too. There were very few people who saw her back then, and after that incident, even fewer could see her. After the last Lady Yamo retired, she handed over the position to Jing Rouyin. Considering her awkward identity now, she probably won’t get married in this lifetime, so it’s convenient for her to be the Lady Yamo. Rumor has it that she is exceptionally talented and beautiful. I had never seen her before, so I was curious. I went in for a visit, but I never saw her. I suspect she doesn’t even stay at Yamo Garden.”

Qi Yan talked for a while, seeing Lin Qingyang’s lack of response, he quickly waved his hand in front of him, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Qingyang’s expression was somewhat strange. He remembered why the examination fraud case was almost glossed over in the original plot. It was because that small scheme couldn’t highlight the male lead’s character and methods. At the same time as the cheating case, there was another event that occupied a significant portion of the narrative.

Lin Qingyang felt conflicted. Given the system’s tendencies, it would probably soon release a related task as soon as Chu Lishu encountered Jing Rouyin.

But facing the entire incident involving Jing Rouyin, Lin Qingyang didn’t know how to handle it.

Or maybe…

“What’s going on with you?” Qi Yan was annoyed that Lin Qingyang had been daydreaming and couldn’t help but shout.

Lin Qingyang snapped back to reality and said, “Ah, I’m just… also quite curious.”

Qi Yan pondered and suggested, “How about you come to the Yamo Garden? The imperial examinations begin the day after tomorrow, and the Yamo Garden will close tomorrow. According to the usual practice of the Yamo Garden, they release sky lanterns for blessings tonight. In the past, this was when Lady Yamo was most likely to be present. However, in the last two years, it was the officials from the Ministry of Rites present, so it’s uncertain whether she’ll be there. Anyway, I’ll be heading back after seeing you. Even if you don’t plan to take the exams, regular scholars can also enter. Many scholars who are not participating in this session of exams like to go in to seek guidance from scholars, debate with other candidates. As long as you pass the poetry test at the entrance, you can enter. I recently even saw the Three Overlords there.”

Qi Yan referred to Cheng Yi, Wang Tong’en, and Pei Jin. They were probably there following the instructions of their family members to see if there were any talents they could recruit in advance.

“However, your condition…” Qi Yan hadn’t finished speaking when he saw Lin Qingyang getting up and saying, “It’s okay, it’s a rare opportunity. It would be a pity not to go.”

He thought that Chu Lishu was probably also in the Yamo Garden.

After Qi Yan had been out for a short time, Lin Qingyang forced him back into the Yamo Garden.

Entering the Yamo Garden was quite simple for Lin Qingyang’s current level of scholarship.

As soon as he stepped through the gate of the Yamo Garden, he saw a group of scholars excitedly gathered around a bulletin board, discussing something enthusiastically.

“It seems that another talented scholar has written an excellent writing,” Qi Yan said with boredom, rolling his eyes. “Every day, the best writings are posted for everyone to read and discuss. The person who writes the selected article will receive praise from the officials stationed here by the Ministry of Rites. However, it’s just some exam tools like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.”

After Qi Yan finished speaking, he wanted to pull Lin Qingyang away, but Lin Qingyang was quite curious. He walked up to take a look, and upon seeing the original writing, Lin Qingyang recognized the handwriting—it was Chu Lishu’s.

Lin Qingyang’s expression changed slightly. Sure enough, Chu Lishu had come.

Lin Qingyang’s mood became a bit complicated, wondering if he had seen Jiong Ruyin or not.

Just as Lin Qingyang was thinking about it, another group of people arrived at the announcement board. In the midst of the crowd, Lin Qingyang, whose injuries had not fully healed, lost his balance and leaned to the side.

He ended up colliding with someone but was skillfully caught by the other person.

Lin Qingyang looked up, about to apologize, and heard a soft laugh, “Why did you come here? Haven’t you recovered from your injuries?”

Lin Qingyang smiled back, “It’s you. How come you’re here too?”

The person was Xu Wenze. Seeing the crowd, Xu Wenze helped Lin Qingyang walk away and returned to Qi Yan’s side.

Qi Yan complained, “Everyone says there’s nothing interesting. With your current physique, you’ll just be squeezed to death once you go in.”

Xu Wenze smiled and said, “Turned out you came with Young Master Qi. I thought you would be here with Lishu.”

The three of them arrived at Qi Yan’s small study room for preparing exams. The soundproof walls immediately isolated the noisy environment outside, it was well-designed.

Without servants here, Qi Yan had to go to find someone from the academy to get tea, making do with the hospitality.

While Qi Yan was away, Xu Wenze said, “I came here following the Prime Minister’s instructions to check the situation. Originally, everyone was supposed to come together, but with your injury and Chu Lishu having some matters to attend to, only I could make it.”

Lin Qingyang nodded, understanding that Prime Minister Li’s intentions were probably similar to the other three families.

“Are the representatives of the other three families here too?” Lin Qingyang asked.

“They were here a few days ago, but they didn’t find any promising candidates, so they left.”

“Why are you still here, then?” Lin Qingyang asked curiously.

“Here, the atmosphere for studying is excellent, so I decided to stay a few more days,” Xu Wenze smiled. “Today, I came in and saw some amazing writings, thinking I had discovered some hidden gem, but it turned out to be Chu Lishu.”

“What about him?”

“I haven’t seen him. I was about to look for him when I saw you. Technically, since he’s not a candidate, he shouldn’t be going to the officials at the Ministry of Rites for rewards. He’s probably at the Master Courtyard. I heard Mr. Cao came over.” Xu Wenze suggested, “Should we go and look for them together?”

Lin Qingyang instinctively shook his head. Xu Wenze was somewhat surprised; based on his understanding of these two, whenever one knew where the other was, they would immediately stick together.

Lin Qingyang also felt conflicted about his refusal; in reality, he didn’t know how to face the potential situations that might unfold.

“I’m here to accompany Qi Yan. My cousin probably has his own busy matters. If we run into him, we’ll see how it goes.” Lin Qingyang quickly put on an indifferent facade and casually asked, “By the way, how many times have you been here? Have you seen Lady Yamo?”

Xu Wenze’s expression changed slightly, “I haven’t seen her. You should know her identity is special, and everyone is curious. It’s best not to mention it aloud.”

“Well, isn’t this place soundproofed? It’s just the two of us, feel free to say anything.” Lin Qingyang smiled.

Xu Wenze shook his head, “How could she easily show her face? Although the Emperor has revoked her marriage and restored her freedom formally, and that incident did not officially affect her and her family, I’m puzzled why she would want to take over here. Isn’t she afraid… cough, actually, that incident has had a profound impact.”

Indeed, the impact was profound.

Back then, the late Emperor and Empress personally selected her, and the imperial edict had been issued. If not for the outbreak of war, the grand wedding would have taken place three months later. Jing Rouyin would have become the coveted figure among all women in the Great Zhou Dynasty—the Crown Princess.

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