OL CH59

The moment Bai Su passed out, Chen Tian immediately noticed something was wrong. Seeing Bai Su slump to the side, he instantly caught the young man in his arms.

“Suzhi! Suzhi, what’s wrong?!”

Chen Tian shouted anxiously, shaking Bai Su vigorously a few times. However, the person in his arms remained unresponsive, causing panic to surge in Chen Tian’s chest.

He hurriedly scooped him up into a bridal carry and rushed to the adjacent bedroom.

Young General Qi and Pei Meng were also bewildered by this sudden turn of events. Fortunately, the subordinates were quick-witted and brought in the estate’s resident physician to check Bai Su’s pulse.

However, after examining him for a long time, the physician couldn’t pinpoint the cause of Bai Su’s condition, suggesting they could only wait for him to wake up naturally.

It was then that Chen Tian calmed down. Recalling the fleeting fluctuation of soul energy he had sensed earlier, a suspicion formed in his mind. He didn’t make things too difficult for the physician; after having him write a prescription for some nourishing tonics, he dismissed him.

Seeing Young General Qi and Pei Meng still standing there in shock, Chen Tian ordered them to head back first while he stayed behind alone to keep watch in the room.

It wasn’t until dusk that Bai Su slowly woke up.

The room was empty at the moment. The bloodshot redness in Bai Su’s eyes hadn’t fully faded. Looking at his surroundings, he blinked a few times before realizing what had happened.

He didn’t know why he had suddenly fainted, but he vividly remembered his state of mind right before losing consciousness.

Delusions seemed to have taken over his mind; he felt as if he had genuinely experienced the agony and despair of being betrayed and abandoned by the person he loved most.

The malice in his heart accumulated bit by bit, and the expression on his face gradually revealed a hint of ferocity.

Just then, a sound came from the door. Immediately after, Chen Tian walked in, personally carrying a food box.

In a split second, Bai Su’s expression returned to normal, staring blankly at the door as if he had just woken up.

The moment Chen Tian entered and saw Bai Su looking at him, he instantly perked up. He hurriedly placed the food box on the table, rushed to the bedside, and grabbed his sweetheart’s hand.

“Suzhi, you’re finally awake! Why did you suddenly pass out?”

Seeing the deep concern in Chen Tian’s eyes, Bai Su shook his head. “I don’t know what happened either. My vision suddenly went dark, and I lost consciousness. It’s all my fault. You wanted me to get to know Young General Qi and the Heir, but I ruined it.”

“I just wanted you to meet two colleagues, how could that be more important than your health?! The physician couldn’t figure out what was wrong either. You passing out like that truly worried me to death!”

Chen Tian said this as he gently pulled Bai Su into his embrace, placing soft kisses on his forehead, his tone laced with indescribable worry.

Feeling enveloped by his sweetheart’s presence, Bai Su’s mood calmed slightly. He offered a comforting smile and said, “It’s probably just exhaustion from preparing for the metropolitan exam recently. A few days of good rest should fix it.”

Hearing Bai Su say this, Chen Tian could only accept the explanation. He could only pray that it wasn’t the lingering taint from the previous foul energy causing further damage to his soul that led to the fainting.

However, he couldn’t voice these concerns and could only harbor his worries for his lover in silence.

After holding him for a while, Chen Tian brought over the carefully prepared dinner and personally fed Bai Su.

For the next few days, Chen Tian meticulously took care of Bai Su himself. He ordered the gates closed to all visitors; if anyone occasionally came knocking, they were told Bai Su was ill, refusing to let anyone disturb his lover’s rest.

Fortunately, Bai Su recovered his health a few days later, looking just as he usually did, which allowed Chen Tian to finally relax a little.

A month passed quickly. In March, it was time for the Palace Examination. All the successful candidates (Gongshi) gathered in the grand hall to be examined by the reigning Emperor himself.

Naturally, many nobles and high-ranking ministers accompanied the Emperor during the Palace Exam, including Chen Tian and the First Prince, Huo Kangcheng.

From afar, Chen Tian watched his sweetheart standing in the grand hall. Elegant and jade-like, standing among the other scholars, his handsome features and extraordinary aura made him stand out like a crane among a flock of chickens. Chen Tian couldn’t hide the pride swelling in his chest.

The topic the Emperor set for this Palace Examination was highly practical, focusing on the Ministry of Revenue’s finances and grain, specifically aiming at how to enrich the national treasury.

Recently, the national treasury had been depleted, making the old Emperor very anxious. After all, one could only live comfortably with money. Furthermore, the borders were not entirely peaceful; without funds for military rations and supplies, the throne itself was not secure.

Unsurprisingly, given Bai Su’s brilliance, his solutions could genuinely resolve the Ministry of Revenue’s urgent crisis and naturally won the Emperor’s utmost satisfaction.

In particular, a few policies he proposed perfectly aligned with the old Emperor’s own thoughts. Overjoyed, after examining everyone, the Emperor personally appointed Bai Su as the Zhuangyuan (Top Scholar) and directly assigned him to the Ministry of Revenue to tackle this very issue.

Bai Su accepted the decree and offered his thanks, feeling quite lucky.

The Ministry of Revenue was exactly where he most wanted to be, as it was the money pouch of the entire imperial court. As long as he could secure promotions step by step within the Ministry, it would be much easier for him to serve the Second Prince in the future.

Most importantly, the Minister of Revenue was the father of the First Prince’s mother (his maternal grandfather). This was precisely why the Second Prince had never been able to infiltrate the Ministry of Revenue with his own people.

On the other side, hearing this outcome, the First Prince’s face darkened considerably.

He seethed with hidden resentment. He had already successfully recruited the candidates who took second (Tanhua) and third (Bangyan) place to his side, making them his people. Yet, this was his first time ever seeing Bai Su.

Huo Kangcheng had known that the old Emperor wanted to set a topic related to the Ministry of Revenue, and he had even had his people prepare in advance.

But even so, Bai Su had outshone them all. He hadn’t expected the new Zhuangyuan to actually possess real capabilities.

He recalled how he had previously tried every possible method to contact this Huiyuan, but struggled to locate him. Once he finally did, the Huiyuan conveniently claimed illness and refused all guests.

He absolutely did not believe that a mere Huiyuan, without a powerful backer, could turn away so many prominent figures.

So who exactly was the person behind him? Since it wasn’t him, it had to be Huo Tianchen!

Thinking of the man who was supposedly killed outside the capital, yet had returned safe and sound and was now present at the Palace Examination—causing his entire plan to fall through—Huo Kangcheng knew instantly that he had been played.

Since he couldn’t deal with Chen Tian for the time being, his gaze shifted toward Bai Su, transferring much of his anger onto him.

Did a mere Zhuangyuan truly think that just because he gained face before the Emperor, it would be smooth sailing from now on?

Even if he had Huo Tianchen backing him, working in the imperial court wasn’t that simple!

With this thought, Huo Kangcheng let out a cold sneer. He decided to make an example out of this new Zhuangyuan, absolutely refusing to let Huo Tianchen’s people truly get their hands on the Ministry of Revenue.

However, while Huo Kangcheng plotted perfectly in his mind, he failed to realize that this imperial court had never been his exclusive domain. Otherwise, despite his long-term scheming, he wouldn’t constantly be suppressed by the Second Prince.

There was more than one faction in the court. Even if Chen Tian had no one in the Ministry of Revenue, he still commanded plenty of capable subordinates elsewhere.

To facilitate Bai Su’s work, immediately after court was dismissed, Chen Tian took Bai Su to meet more colleagues. At the same time, he secretly allocated a significant number of his own personnel for Bai Su to command.

Sensing his lover’s immense trust in him, Bai Su showed profound gratitude on the surface while making a firm resolution in his heart: he must perform flawlessly and absolutely never disappoint his partner.

He poured all his effort into tackling the difficult problems the Emperor had assigned him. He executed the next few tasks flawlessly, handling every single detail beautifully.

Thus, in a very short time, Bai Su made a brilliant name for himself in the imperial court.

According to his past personality, he wouldn’t have revealed his talents so quickly, but this was no time for him to bide his time and hide his capabilities.

Backed by Huo Tianchen, he naturally had to work with all his heart and soul. Only by displaying his talent could he earn the respect of others loyal to the Second Prince.

More importantly, only by climbing to a high position could he wield more power.

It had to be said that the Emperor truly valued Bai Su. Therefore, instead of assigning him as a standard sixth-rank Compiler in the Hanlin Academy, he was parachuted directly into the Ministry of Revenue.

The real reason for this was that Bai Su did not come from an aristocratic family, nor did he appear attached to any faction, and what the Emperor needed most right now were pure, loyal officials.

After a special audience where the Emperor tested Bai Su further, seeing that he was indeed perceptive and had handled his recent tasks exceptionally well, the old Emperor was highly satisfied. Since the position of Vice Minister of Revenue (Shilang) happened to be vacant, the Emperor granted it directly to him.

With Bai Su’s meteoric rise, a large number of people were naturally green with envy. Meanwhile, the First Prince and Chen Tian were now openly confronting each other in court, no longer hiding their fierce rivalry.

As the old Emperor’s health steadily declined, the First Prince saw Chen Tian’s faction growing stronger by the day and naturally couldn’t sit back and watch them continue to expand.

Recalling the forged evidence he had prepared earlier, he ordered his people to carefully execute their scheme.

A few days later, several ministers risked death to present a memorial in court, accusing the Second Prince, Huo Tianchen, of colluding with the enemy and committing treason. They claimed that, wielding military power, he intended to usurp the Emperor’s throne. They even presented various concrete pieces of “evidence,” causing the entire court to pale in shock.

But having lived to his age, the old Emperor was as sharp as a fox. How could he not see that these people were clearly the First Prince’s lackeys?

An Emperor favors the art of checks and balances. The reason he hadn’t appointed a Crown Prince was to make the two princes restrict each other. The current state of the court was not without his own subtle instigation from behind the scenes.

However, he also had an understanding of his two sons’ characters.

Although Emperors are inherently suspicious, based on his knowledge of Huo Tianchen, his Second Prince should be a loyal and patriotic subject. If he truly wanted to rebel, holding military power all these years, he would have done so long ago.

Therefore, the old Emperor did not express a stance immediately, waiting instead to see how the Second Prince would defend himself.

But the moment the official “exposing” Chen Tian finished speaking, Pei Meng, the Heir of the Marquis’s estate, stepped forward, stating he had a matter to report.

Pei Meng currently served in the Ministry of Justice and possessed significant talent in solving cases; many major cases in the capital had passed through his hands.

Now, stepping forward, he brought up a case he had adjudicated a month ago. During the trial, he discovered some irregularities with certain evidence and dispatched people to investigate thoroughly. Following the clues, he unexpectedly uncovered a plot to forge evidence accusing the Second Prince of treason and collusion.

The evidence Pei Meng presented was incredibly detailed. Upon closer inspection, it perfectly matched all the so-called “evidence” presented by the accusing ministers just moments ago!

Since the evidence was forged, it naturally couldn’t withstand genuine scrutiny.

Following this, the individuals who forged the evidence were implicated, and piece by piece, the spearhead pointed directly at the current Minister of Revenue, Lord Liu.

The Liu family was the maternal family of the First Prince’s mother, making the motive behind this framing glaringly obvious. Furthermore, the evidence Pei Meng presented was irrefutable, leaving Huo Kangcheng absolutely no room for rebuttal.

Involved in such a massive conspiracy, the Minister of Revenue was thrown into the imperial prison right then and there in the court. As for the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, they were temporarily delegated to Bai Su, the Vice Minister, to manage.

As for the First Prince, although he had been careful and hadn’t directly implicated himself on the surface, how could the Emperor fail to see through such convoluted schemes?

He didn’t mind his two sons forming factions and playing politics in the court, but he absolutely would not tolerate witnessing siblings trying to slaughter each other. Thus, this incident enraged the old Emperor. He ordered Huo Kangcheng to return to his estate to reflect on his actions, forbidding him from leaving without an imperial summons.

Even more devastatingly, using this framing case as a lever, Chen Tian’s people managed to implicate a massive number of court officials, all of whom were the First Prince’s subordinates. The First Prince’s wings were instantly clipped by more than half, resulting in a total, crushing defeat for Huo Kangcheng.

However, all of Chen Tian’s close confidants knew the truth. While Pei Meng appeared to steal the spotlight on the surface—thanks to the convenience of his official position—the person who truly discovered all this evidence was Bai Su.

Bai Su was the greatest contributor to severely weakening the First Prince’s power this time.

And through this, Bai Su also achieved his own goals.

He brought down the Minister of Revenue, took over the Ministry of Revenue, and earned the recognition and admiration of his colleagues.

Simultaneously, under the guise of facilitating his work, he took control of even more of the forces in Chen Tian’s hands.