Chapter 326

After Counselor Wu left, Yi Dai hurried away as well. It was clear that he was very frightened now. What he needed to do was contact that person for help regarding his actions, unaware that his current anxious state was always under Counselor Wu’s watchful eye.

Although he had many matters to investigate within his own manor, monitoring Yi Dai was still necessary. Every move Yi Dai made was closely watched, including those he contacted.

Of course, all of this had nothing to do with Yueqian and the others. Representative Ma watched the two leave and sighed deeply. He looked at Furen Mu before asking.

“When you mentioned suspecting that my secondary wife was poisoned... do you suspect Yi Dai?” Representative Ma asked. Yueqian had just arrived here, and it was her first time meeting Yi Dai. Yet, she acted as if she knew something, which made Representative Ma feel a bit puzzled.

“That was just a trick. It’s clear that this man isn’t very smart. He fell into the trap easily. He behaved like a mouse about to be caught, so it wasn’t hard to guess.”

“Aren’t you afraid, Furen Mu? If what you said wasn’t true, he could accuse you.”

“Did I say anything wrong? In fact, I never even mentioned Official Yi’s name, did I? I only expressed suspicion, and after that, he revealed everything himself,” Yueqian shook her head at Representative Ma before looking at her son, who knew Yi Dai’s secret.

“But my son has indeed learned a lot from the monk, so his revealing this matter worries me that he might be in danger.”

“Don’t worry, you can trust Counselor Wu. As long as you’ve helped him once, he will repay you handsomely,” Representative Ma did not worry about this matter at all.

Everyone knows what kind of person Counselor Wu is. He is someone who repays kindness and avenges wrongs severely. So, if someone has been kind to him, not only will he offer protection, but he will also go to great lengths to repay and help them.

Representative Ma looked at the now-relaxed little Xihao with interest.

“Furen Mu’s son is very talented. If the emperor learns about this, he might invite Xiao Mu to stay here for a while longer,” the old man said after contemplating the matter.

The emperor greatly admired talented individuals, especially given the current situation, where more skilled people were needed. It wouldn’t be surprising if he wanted to keep this exceptionally talented child around.

“Oh, is that so?” Yueqian was not surprised at all. She had anticipated from the beginning that she might have to stay here longer than usual, possibly until the end of this cold war.

Even though her Xihao hadn’t shown his abilities yet, as someone skilled in medicine concoction, the Emperor’s invitation letter, even though it was because of Representative Ma’s recommendation, was still too coincidentally timing. Even Mu Heng thought the same. No! The high-ranking officials in the Bai Region also sensed it. It was no wonder the emperor allowed Mu Heng to accompany Yueqian here.

“But don’t worry, His Majesty won’t let you live in hardship. It’s just an exchange of knowledge. He likes nurturing talented people. When you return, you will surely receive special treatment from the Hu Region, just like the Wang of the Bai Region once did.”

Representative Ma said with a gleam in his eye. He looked at the little Xihao again as if he had thought of something.

“By the way, Xiao Mu is now one year old. Does he have a betrothed yet?” Representative Ma asked slyly. He was considering offering his daughter as a match for Xihao, despite the fact that he was only one year old.

Xihao’s eyes sparkled with interest upon hearing about his fiancée. In the original story, he was supposed to have a fiancée, a princess from the Hu Region, who was deeply in love with him. However, the villainous Xihao was blind to this affection and ignored his fiancée, abandoning the Hu Region to stay in the Bai Region because he believed he was in love with his sister, Chu’er, in a romantic sense.

It was indeed a very sad matter. He had abandoned her, even though his great power was partly due to the princess of the Hu Region!

"Let’s leave that decision to Xihao in the future. I don’t want to force my son. I have experienced this myself and know how difficult it is to have a commitment from a young age," Yueqian said earnestly. She had decided not to force others or use her son to gain a position. As long as Xihao didn’t want it, she would let him choose for himself.

"Alright, alright, he’s still young. Let’s talk about this later," Representative Ma, despite being rejected, did not give up. He simply suggested putting the matter aside for now.

The group continued to observe and participate in various competitions throughout the day. By evening, it was clear that Yueqian had won without a doubt. By answering two questions that no one else could, she had scored overwhelmingly, making her the unexpected winner. And it was time for the emperor to arrive.

"The Emperor is here!" The royal eunuch walked in and announced loudly, causing people to part ways and bow in unison.

The sound of firm footsteps followed, along with the disordered pitter-patter of two others. Yueqian saw that they were the shoes of a boy and a girl, running playfully with the emperor. They must be the twins born to the empress, who was beside the throne...

"Raise your heads, scholars," a powerful voice commanded. Yueqian and the others looked up. Although it was against the rules to gaze upon the superior’s face, Yueqian had the ability to glance quickly without being caught.

She saw his stern and serious face and knew right away that he was quite intimidating. Beside him was Counselor Wu, who was smiling despite being deeply involved in his own household’s investigations. The two seemed perfectly suited as the emperor of a great region and his loyal advisor.

Otherwise, the Hu Region, which initially had nothing remarkable, wouldn’t have been able to become so powerful and unite the surrounding lands into its own region.

"Your Majesty, the competition has concluded, and here are the results," the official in charge of the competition said. He presented the list of names and rankings to the highest authority.

“Oh, Mu Yueqian from the Bai Region is first place, is she? No wonder Official Ma and Official Jin spoke highly of her after visiting the Bai Region last time,” the powerful voice said, seemingly playful, yet it didn’t invite laughter. People were uncertain of his true thoughts.

Mentioning the endorsements from Representative Ma and Representative Jin could be interpreted in two ways. First, it could show that he genuinely trusted their words, meaning he believed Yueqian truly deserved her place. Second, it could imply that he didn’t care about their opinions from the start and that this competition might not have been fair.

Yueqian chose to think of the first interpretation. She accepted the praise with another respectful bow, but received no further response, as if what was said earlier didn’t matter.

He continued announcing the second, third, and other places. There were ten winners in total, until the final name was called.

“Mu Xihao, from the Bai Region? Which royal physician is this? It shows that the Bai Region indeed has medical talents.” He looked up from the list and glanced around at the royal physicians from the Bai Region, who appeared embarrassed.

Could they really possess such skills? They were merely the royal physicians of the Bai Region, where even herbs were scarce. How could they study, experiment, and learn much beyond the texts?!

In truth, if it weren’t for Furen Mu and her son, the Bai Region might not have ranked at all. It should have been a source of great pride for them to have someone achieve a good ranking in the grand Hu Region competition. Yet, their faces didn’t look good. It was a face of shame.

The shame at being outdone by a one-year-old!

“Hmph? Who is Mu Xihao?” Seeing the royal physicians unmoved, the emperor frowned.

However, Counselor Wu laughed. He stepped forward and whispered to the displeased emperor to look at the little boy who was raising his hand.

Although Xihao was trying to raise his hand, his small stature made him easy to overlook, especially with the loose clothing of the era. It was normal for hems and fabrics to obscure him completely. Fortunately, Counselor Wu was familiar with Xihao’s name and looked for him, noticing the little boy trying to peek out and eventually raising his hand high.

"Is it you?" The emperor, clearly puzzled, pointed at the little boy standing in front of a woman named Mu Yueqian but behind the hems of several men. This prompted those around to step aside, revealing the boy fully.

"It is I, Mu Xihao, Your Majesty," the little boy tried to speak clearly, his eyes showing a hint of nervousness. After all, how could he not be excited in front of such a powerful figure?

After Yi Dai left, Xihao participated in several tests, including a potion-making challenge, which he performed well on his own. No one else was allowed on stage during the potion-making, so Yueqian watched from below. In the end, everyone was astonished that this little boy succeeded!

He also answered questions during the midday round, raising his hand along with the others. Most of his answers were related to basic knowledge, demonstrating his strong foundational understanding. Only the higher-level potion-making was beyond him, as he had not yet learned it from his mother.

Fortunately, his mother had been reading to him since he was an infant, so he had absorbed a lot over the past year. His excellent memory also played a significant role; otherwise, he might have forgotten everything.

As the monk had foreseen, by the age of five or six, Xihao would be capable of making the region great but also of bringing it to ruin with poison. With his current level of learning, in another four or five years, he could indeed achieve such feats!

Not to mention that he had learned some things from spirits, accelerating his learning far beyond that of his mother. The only downside was that he often struggled with his words. Otherwise, he might speak non-stop like a chattering monkey. However, when speaking to his mother, he could manage to get his tongue twisted because she was so familiar with him that she understood everything perfectly. He didn’t need to slow down or be as careful with his words as he did with others.

“.................” The emperor looked at the little boy with surprise, but Counselor Wu whispered something to him again, causing the emperor’s always stern eyes to slowly change.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” When asked to confirm, Counselor Wu did not hesitate. He nodded to his superior once again, causing the nobleman’s eyes to shine with excitement.

So, this child really has exceptional abilities! To the point of exposing the culprit within the Wu manor, something even Counselor Wu had struggled with for a long time! Such a person must be retained as an asset for the Hu Region!This was the thought of the far-sighted emperor of the Hu Region!