Chapter 91 - 85: My Deskmate Qin Wanyue

Chapter 91: Chapter 85: My Deskmate Qin Wanyue

A carriage departed from the palace, heading outward. Drawn by four horses, it was exceptionally luxurious.

Zeng Anmin sat inside, a smile gracing his face. "Thankfully, if it weren’t for your reminder just now, I really would have thanked His Majesty and accepted the decree."

"Mhm." His old man nodded nonchalantly, his voice tinged with a profound depth. "We’ll talk when we get home."

"You got it!"

In the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince sat in his chair, looking out at the now-empty courtyard with a tearless expression of utter despair. Beside him, the Fourth Prince, Wang Yuanhao, shrugged as his usual lazy aura returned. "Well, today was a wasted trip."

He let out a leisurely sigh. "Don’t lose heart, Big Brother. Maybe one day Zeng Anmin will want to come to the Eastern Palace." With that, he swaggered out.

It was only when his figure completely disappeared that the Crown Prince’s chubby face twisted in anger. He slammed his fist viciously onto the desk before him.

BAM!

A heavy, dull thud echoed through the room.

"Wang Qianzhi..." the Crown Prince grated out through clenched teeth.

It was obvious that the Little Fatty Crown Prince blamed Wang Qianzhi entirely for Zeng Anmin’s refusal to serve as the Crown Prince’s Tutor in the Eastern Palace today. As for whether that bastard Wang Qianzhi did it on purpose or by accident? That didn’t matter.

At Prince Qi’s Mansion.

In the main hall.

SLAP!

Wang Qianzhi took a hard strike to the face. The wound on his head, which had just stopped bleeding, began to ooze blood once more. Prince Qi’s expression was freezing as he slowly pulled his hand back. Standing at over ten feet tall, his towering figure loomed like a giant beast as he stared coldly at Wang Qianzhi.

"Father..." Wang Qianzhi was slightly dazed by the slap, a blank look in his otherwise effeminate eyes.

"The Array Activation today. Was it intentional?" Prince Qi asked, his voice apathetic as his intensely oppressive eyes flicked toward his son.

"I..." Wang Qianzhi instinctively wanted to shake his head, but seeing his father’s chilling gaze, he pressed his lips together and stood there in utter silence. A moment later, he raised his head, his eyes burning with stubbornness. "Uncle’s death cannot just be let go like this!"

At those words, Prince Qi’s hand, which he had just raised again, paused. It froze in mid-air for a moment before he slowly lowered it.

"There are some things that I will handle. I don’t need you worrying about them." His eyes darkened as he glared at Wang Qianzhi. "Do you know that because of your clumsy overreaching, Zeng Anmin’s performance today has been firmly remembered by His Majesty?"

Wang Qianzhi pursed his lips, his face full of dejection as he muttered in a low voice, "That’s impossible... He clearly inhaled my Agarwood..."

A dead silence fell over the entire hall. Prince Qi’s expression shifted slightly before his eyes widened in sheer, beast-like fury. With a voice resembling a demonic god, he glared at Wang Qianzhi and enunciated every single word, "You touched my things?!"

A tidal wave of oppressive aura crashed down onto Wang Qianzhi. His heart sank under the sudden, suffocating pressure. He struggled to lift his head, his voice faltering. "Father, don’t you... don’t you find it strange...?"

Prince Qi narrowed his eyes, and the terrifying aura he emitted weakened slightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Qianzhi hurriedly continued, "The Agarwood was clearly burning, yet Zeng Anmin acted as if he wasn’t affected by the Illusion Array at all..."

"Mhm..." Prince Qi paused, then ordered, "Let this matter rot in your heart. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

At the Minister’s Mansion.

As the carriage rolled to a steady halt, Zeng Anmin and his old man stepped out in front of the gates.

"The master has returned!" The gatekeeper, Mr. Zhang, lit up with joy at the sight of them and immediately shouted to the servants behind the door.

The main gates swung open, and the father and son strode inside. The mansion was massive, but since both had pressing matters on their minds, they walked at a brisk pace. Before long, they arrived at the study in Zeng Shilin’s courtyard.

CREAK.

The study doors closed behind them. The father and son sat across from each other. Zeng Anmin fixed his gaze on his old man.

"Dad, that towering meathead back in the Eastern Palace... that was Prince Qi, right?" Only now did he finally voice the question that had been lingering in his mind.

His old man raised an eyebrow at his good son. "You figured it out?"

"Of course." Hearing his father’s confirmation, Zeng Anmin twitched his lips and said, "We just arrived in the capital. Aside from Prince Qi and his son, I can’t think of a single other person who would harbor such massive hostility toward us."

"Heh." His old man gave a faint nod.

"So, that guy named Wang Qianzhi was also intentionally triggering the Illusion Array today," Zeng Anmin said thoughtfully, his eyes shifting softly toward his father.

"It’s just that he never expected you to be immune to the suppression of the Illusion Array." His old man looked back at Zeng Anmin, his gaze deep and profoundly meaningful.

"Hehe." Zeng Anmin let out a dry laugh and scratched his head. "The True Meaning of the Dragon Inspection Map having such a use was completely out of my expectations too."

"Hehe." Hearing Zeng Anmin’s words, his old man simply chuckled and nodded noncommittally. A moment later, Zeng Shilin’s expression turned grave. "Truthfully, my refusal to let you take up the post of the Crown Prince’s Tutor has little to do with Prince Qi and his son. I have my own intentions."

"Oh?" Zeng Anmin blinked in mild surprise, then looked earnestly at his old man. "Then you mean..."

His old man slowly raised his head, looked toward the window, and methodically spat out a single phrase: "The imperial examination."

At those words, the corner of Zeng Anmin’s mouth twitched.

He thought, "Come on, Dad, the only reason your son luckily broke into the Sixth Grade Gentleman Realm is entirely due to cheats, my Golden Finger, and some memories from my past life. It’s also thanks to those past life memories that I was able to miraculously ’compose’ two poems. You don’t actually think I have real talent, do you?"

"Since you are unaffected by the Illusion Array, I imagine the imperial examination will be no different." His old man’s gaze fell heavily onto Zeng Anmin, his voice thick with implication: