The voices gradually became weaker and eventually faded away, as if falling into a deep sleep.
The Shadow Man gazed at the quiet golden tent, silent and speechless.
"The torrent of destiny, is it..."
...
...
After leaving the racecourse, the Empress went to bathe, while Chen Mo returned first to Zhao Hua Palace.
Upon entering the inner hall, he saw the Crown Prince sitting obediently on a small stool, biting his pen with a look of deep resentment.
Fan Sijin, in a light blue palace robe, stood beside him, having changed to a new hair crown.
"Your Highness, you didn’t go back?" Chen Mo asked curiously, as he thought the Crown Prince had already returned to the palace to rest.
Fan Sijin glanced at him, saying in a somber tone, "Thanks to Mr. Chen’s brilliant idea, the Crown Prince was dragged off halfway to play football, causing him to not finish his coursework. I fear he can’t give an account to Master Lv."
"..."
Chen Mo’s mouth twitched.
The way she said it made it sound like he had led a child astray...
"But it’s already this time, why is Mr. Chen still in the palace?" Fan Sijin asked coldly, "Are the affairs of your Sky Scale Guard so leisurely?"
The words hinted with sarcasm, clearly still upset about what happened on the field... Chen Mo, however, didn’t mind. He lounged back in a chair and said, "Besides being Fu Qianhu of the Sky Scale Guard, I am also the Yulin Lang General of the Personal Merit Guard. Staying in the palace is quite normal, right?"
Fan Sijin frowned, saying, "Even if you’re part of the Forbidden Guard, you should only patrol outside. I’ve never seen anyone come and go from the Inner Court as they please."
Chen Mo shrugged, "Now you have."
"..."
Fan Sijin turned her head away, feeling that speaking any more with this person could be infuriating.
Chen Mo glanced at the books on the table, seeing the title page inscribed with "Qiyuan Political Affairs", filled densely with tiny, fly-like script, enough to give anyone a headache.
The Crown Prince was nearly biting through his pen, lamenting, "Fan Sigui, the question Master Lv gave is too hard. I don’t know how to solve it..."
Fan Sijin shook her head, "The assignments given by the Grandmaster are all within Your Highness’s capabilities. If Your Highness studies earnestly, you can surely solve them."
The Crown Prince pouted, "But this question is really not in the book, see if you don’t believe me."
"Impossible..."
Fan Sijin took the paper, glanced at it, and was momentarily stunned, pondering quietly for a long time before placing it back on the table.
"Let’s wait until Her Majesty the Empress comes to answer it for you."
"..."
Chen Mo chuckled, "Is it that you can’t solve it either?"
Fan Sijin was quite straightforward and admitted, "I’m just a servant in the palace, I know nothing about statecraft. Not being able to solve it is quite normal, isn’t it? Mr. Chen, on the other hand, seems to know a lot. If you’re confident, why not have a look?"
"Sure, I’ll take a look."
Chen Mo muttered, getting up to stand behind the Crown Prince.
With a glance down, he saw seven bold and vigorous characters written on the rice paper, the content clear and concise: Summarize the way of governance in fifteen characters.
Chen Mo frowned slightly.
The simpler a question looks, the harder it usually is to answer.
Governance involves politics, economy, culture, military, livelihood... so many dimensions—how can it be summarized in a mere fifteen characters?
So this question tests not practical matters but one’s understanding of governance.
Seeing Chen Mo silent for a long time, assuming he was stumped, Fan Sijin sneered, "It seems Mr. Chen is quite ordinary."
Tsk, this woman really holds grudges...
Chen Mo said calmly, "What’s difficult about this? From my perspective, no need for fifteen characters, seven will suffice."
Fan Sijin raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Chen must be joking, right?"
Without more words, Chen Mo picked up a brush and elegantly left seven characters.
"Govern a big country like cooking a small fish?"
Fan Sijin looked at the sentence, amused, "If Mr. Chen doesn’t understand, there’s no need to scribble nonsense. How can frying a fish compare to governance? By that logic, any cook should be able to rule, right?"
Chen Mo earnestly replied, "A good cook isn’t necessarily a good emperor, but a good emperor is certainly a good cook."
Though the statement was unconventional, both had strong backing and weren’t overly cautious.
Fan Sijin was genuinely intrigued, crossing her arms, "Why doesn’t Mr. Chen elaborate?"
With his hands behind his back, Chen Mo explained slowly, "If the fire is too harsh, it burns; stirring too much, it falls apart. Adjusting in time, maintaining calmness, acting in accordance with reason... Frying fish is like governing a nation."
?
Fan Sijin was stunned.
She had been present when Master Lv lectured the Crown Prince and understood the deep meaning...
If he weren’t deeply knowledgeable in affairs of state, he couldn’t have expressed such a concise statement!
So this guy really understands?!



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