On the morning of April 6th, Tang Xiaobai anxiously sent off her little ancestor, with the mindset of sending a child to an interview for a Fortune 500 company.

Even after the person had gone far away, she continued to watch from the door without stopping.

"Your father and brother are with him, what are you worrying about?" Tang Jiaojiao couldn’t stand it any longer.

Tang Xiaobai hesitated for a while, sighed, and said, "I’m just afraid someone will ask him to remove his mask..."

...

"How can one be evasive before Your Majesty? Even if the appearance is marred, the emperor’s authority is great, would he really be embarrassed by a little blemish?" Assistant Minister Zheng Shidao calmly rejected Tang Shigong’s request.

Tang Shigong saw the emperor nod, smiled gently, and said, "In that case, I will order him to remove the mask."

The emperor gave a brief "hmm" and said, "Let Tang Xiao come in!"

Tang Xiao was a servant of the Duke Yan Mansion, and now also a disciple of the Duke Yan Mansion, with a lowly status.

Therefore, by protocol, when the emperor summoned him, he would first call upon the master of the Duke Yan Mansion, Tang Shigong, for a few questions, and then Tang Xiao’s master, Tang Ziqian, before finally meeting Tang Xiao himself.

At this point, both Tang Shigong and Tang Ziqian had been questioned, and the next summons was finally for Tang Xiao himself.

In early summer April, as daylight gradually increased, when people entered from outside the hall, bathed in sunlight, there was an instant of dazzling brightness, causing the emperor to squint his eyes.

When he saw clearly, even though he was used to seeing outstanding young men, he couldn’t help but be startled when he saw this young man in front of him, secretly praising him for his handsome appearance.

His posture was like bamboo, his skin like jade, his eyes like lacquer dots, his lips like painted vermilion, with a clear and elegant spirit, not inferior to any aristocratic family’s son by even a fraction.

There was just something vaguely familiar about his eyebrows and eyes.

"Tang Xiao, before His Majesty, do not cover up. Carefully remove your mask," Tang Shigong said.

Li Mu responded softly, "Yes," lowered his face slightly, and raised his hand to remove the mask.

The moment the mask was removed, the emperor and the prime minister’s expressions changed.

That youth of such good appearance had a face under the mask that was as hideous as a fierce beast, as if human skin had been peeled off and replaced with crocodile skin, not only ugly but also chilling.

"Put the mask back on! Do not lose decorum before the hall!" Li Shu, standing beside the emperor, noticed the emperor’s expression and quickly ordered in a low voice.

Li Mu silently put on the mask.

This makeup idea was given by Miss Tang, who said that it shouldn’t aim for the ugliest, just disgusting enough that after one glance no one would ever want to take a second look.

As long as the emperor wasn’t unreasonably demanding enough to inspect his wounds, it was enough to guise reality as counterfeit.

Moreover, he was here to receive a reward today, not to be interrogated. Even for the sake of Duke Yan, the emperor wouldn’t request an inspection of his wounds on the spot.

Seeing him don the mask, the emperor turned his previously diverted gaze back.

With the green jade mask and white jade skin, he was again a charmingly pleasing young man.

The emperor secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Are you Tang Xiao?"

Li Mu stepped forward two steps, and bowed according to etiquette: "Tang Xiao greets Your Majesty."

The emperor nodded and said, "Did you write the ’Ten Strategies for Flood Control in Hedong’? ..."

...

"At most, His Majesty might ask a few questions on how the article came about, and after that, he will return, as long as the article is genuinely his—" At this point, Tang Jiaojiao frowned slightly and whispered, "It is his, right?"

"Of course, he wrote it!" Tang Xiaobai exclaimed with wide eyes.

Though she had offered some ideas, they were only suggestions; organizing thoughts and composing the article was entirely her little ancestor’s work. There should be no problem facing the imperial court!

"So it was he who wrote it then!" Tang Jiaojiao said indifferently, "Since it’s his work, what’s the problem in answering a few questions?"

Tang Xiaobai sighed, cupping her face in her hands, "Answering a few questions isn’t the issue, it’s just that if he answers too well, and His Majesty insists on rewarding him with an official position—"

...

"You are young, yet insightful and with such dedication to the country and its people, idly reading is truly a waste!" After ten questions, the emperor couldn’t help but look admiringly and, with his words, seemed ready to appoint an official position.

Even Li Mu was a little surprised.

The Second Miss had guessed it.

The news of his summoning into the palace to meet the emperor had already been delivered to the Duke Yan Mansion the previous night.

Upon receiving the news, Miss Tang approached him and said that if the emperor wanted to bestow an official position, he should seize the opportunity.

When she spoke, her face showed both encouragement and a hint of loss.

Li Mu did indeed have plans to first make a name for himself and then join the court as an official. This timing for entering office wasn’t necessarily bad.

But remembering the loss in her eyes, Li Mu thought it might not be urgent, and cast a glance at Tang Shigong.

In name, he was a servant of the Duke Yan Mansion, so even if the emperor ordered, the master would answer first.

Tang Shigong received the hint and smiled: "Tang Xiao is still quite young, and I thought he might benefit from some experience in Liangzhou in a couple of years, to be of service to the country."

The emperor laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Gan Luo was made a senior minister at twelve, he is fourteen, not so young, why wait a few more years?" Looking at Li Mu, his gaze even carried some warmth.

In an instant, Li Mu’s thoughts turned, guessing a bit of the emperor’s intention.

He was also part of the Li Imperial Family and aimed for the world, so he could easily see the political situation in the court.

Currently, the court was occupied by aristocratic families, with factions everywhere. Although the emperor used the Qing Academy and Zheng Family, he was also constrained by them, and truly capable people in his hand were very few.

Even in the civil examinations, most successful candidates were from aristocratic families, and those from humble origins were not only few but also hard to support.

This was one of the reasons the emperor initially valued Zhao Jing so much. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Now seeing that he was still young and hadn’t much received the Duke Yan Mansion’s benefaction, the emperor had the mind to seize an asset.

Upon understanding this, Li Mu bowed and said, "Your Majesty’s grace, Tang Xiao is deeply grateful, but the young one is still too young to command respect. He will strive to study hard and achieve the top scholar’s title to repay the imperial grace!"

"Young one has such ambition, His Majesty should wholeheartedly grant it." Wang Maozhao said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Zheng Shidao also nodded.

The emperor looked at Li Mu, smiled in agreement, and said, "In that case, I will wait for you for two years!"

After saying this, the smile suddenly vanished as he asked: "I’ve heard that someone falsely accused Tang Xiao of being a Turkic spy?"

With the authoritative word "falsely accused," there was no need for further investigation, the matter was settled as is.

The emperor’s intent to protect the young man was enough to move Zheng Shidao, who answered, "It was a chief from the Ministry of Revenue named Gongsun Yi."

The emperor gave an "Oh" and asked, "Where is Gongsun Yi?"

The hall suddenly fell quiet for a moment, and no one answered.

Tang Shigong was just about to speak when suddenly, a report came from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, the Magistrate of the Capital requests an audience!"

Li Mu’s heart skipped a beat, and his brow unconsciously furrowed slightly.

The Magistrate of the Capital... What has happened?

...

"Who did you say died? Who died?" Tang Xiaobai repeatedly asked for confirmation.

"Gongsun Yi, the newly appointed chief of the Ministry of Revenue, Gongsun Yi, is dead."

Tang Xiaobai was stunned for a moment and then quickly asked, "How did he die? Where did he die?"

"Died near the West Gate of Jinchang Village, strangled, with a dozen or so whip marks on his body," Li Xingyuan raised his hand to indicate the thickness with his fingers, "of this thickness whip—"

Tang Xiaobai looked at the thickness he indicated, and her heart suddenly sank.

"And with barbs," he said.