2743 A Late Invitation Letter
His Majesty appeared to be in an irritable mood. If she persisted in mocking the Crown Prince Consort now, she might inadvertently incur His Majesty's anger.
She was keen on avoiding any stroke of misfortune. Furthermore, there was no need for her to intervene, given that the Council of Elders' disapproval of the Crown Prince Consort was on full display. She didn't have to unnecessarily stick her neck out.
Zhongli Zhiwei couldn't help but take satisfaction in her restraint, sharing a knowing look with Chen Baojia.
However, Chen Baojia was gripped by deep worry and unease.
Just moments ago, her father had offended His Majesty. She pondered whether retribution would befall him underhandedly, even though vengeance wasn't a noble pursuit.
The grand hall gradually sank into hushed stillness. Aside from the faint sounds of guests hurriedly partaking of food and wine, no other noise pervaded the air.
A soft flutter… flutter…
A faint rustling of wings reached them from outside the hall.
The morning had stretched to ten o'clock by this point. Today's festivities had spanned from dusk until now, and the hapless officials had scarcely managed to eat. Unwanted matters persisted in their relentless assault.
As this sound registered, an eerie tension swept through the assembly as all eyes turned to the source.
/Could it be that an unforeseen incident has unfolded once again?/
Out of the blue, a mechanized wooden bird, propelled by its wings, soared into the hall from the outside. With impressive agility, it glided above the crowd, clutching a reddish-gold invitation letter adorned with a circular seal in its beak.
"An invitation letter!" Mu Rouxuan exclaimed.
The other young attendees who had also been invited couldn't contain their surprise.
/Why has the invitation letter found its way to the royal palace?/
/Is it possible that they're extending the invitation to the Crown Prince?/
All eyes turned towards Crown Prince Mo, each gaze revealing a different emotion—some held admiration, some awe, and for most, an overwhelming sense of respect.
/The Crown Prince of the Divine Province was no ordinary individual. Freshly returned, he already held an invitation from the Imperial Academy./
However, the Crown Prince abruptly pivoted and fixed his gaze upon his wife.
He sensed that this invitation was likely directed at his Qiaoqiao!
Amidst the attentive scrutiny of the assembly, the mechanical wooden bird took flight, its wings unfurling as it accurately glided to a stop upon the Crown Prince's table. With a soft sound, it deposited eight invitation letters from its mouth onto the table's surface.
Then, in a mesmerizingly masculine voice, it spoke: /Greetings, I am Yun Piaomiao, the Dean of the Imperial Academy, a distant yet discernible presence./
Qiao Mu, Qi Xuanxuan, Duanmu Qing, Kou Hongwen, Ma Ta's pagoda, Lu Yu, Jiang Shaoxin, and Hua Tao. Congratulations to these eight individuals. We extend an invitation for you to partake in this year's spring entrance examination, hosted by the Imperial Academy.
"Kindly bear this invitation with you to Tempest City on March 15th this year. There, guidance will be provided on how to navigate the examination process."
A collective state of disbelief blanketed the room.
Qi Xuanxuan and the others rose from their seats in a dazed stupor, casting perplexed glances at the mechanical wooden bird stationed before Qiao Mu.
/What could this signify?/
/Why this sudden call to the entrance exam?/
/The Imperial Academy was unfamiliar territory to them!/
A universal shock rippled through the assembly.
This was due to the fact that the Imperial Academy did not open its doors for student intake annually; instead, it selectively recruited exceptional talents from diverse domains every few years.
Furthermore, their intake of female students remained strikingly minimal.
/What was the situation at hand?/
She had assembled the complete Sikong Planet battle team in one fell swoop. What's more, she had consecutively enlisted two girls.
Though there existed a slight chance of failure in this entrance exam, the odds were remarkably low. Those who received an invitation letter were virtually assured of their acceptance.
"Take a look, why is that invitation letter gilded?"
"Absolutely, my mechanized avian carrier is voiced by Director Qi Duo. How could this be Dean Yun, then??"
