The stupid son of Chongba

Chapter 161: Old Zhu is furious! Whoever dares to manipulate the imperial examination will be told how many people are in his nine clans!

Zhu Biao hurriedly shook the red orange.

"Little brother? Little brother!"

"Wake up!"

Even if he was asked to slap Zhu Ju twice, he still couldn't bear it...

If I really hit her, my mother might come after me.

"Uh!"

Zhu Ju woke up with a start, and when he raised his eyes, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang staring at him!

He hastily wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and quickly wiped the saliva marks on the jade seal, then smiled awkwardly.

"I didn't sleep well yesterday. I was so absorbed in listening to you guys talking just now that I accidentally dozed off."

"Sorry, sorry..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened with anger.

"Take your claws off the seal!"

Old Zhu said with an unhappy look on his face,

"You're listening intently, what the hell! You just don't take state affairs to heart!"

"I asked you to come here to give me some advice, not to let you sleep! I think you really don't know your own limits!"

"Come on! Drag this kid down and give him twenty strokes of the cane to wake him up!"

Da da da!
The jade pendant vibrated, indicating that Dad was really angry at this moment!
"Don't!"

When Zhu Ju heard that he was going to be beaten, he was a little panicked and thought quickly,
"Dad, I was just... I was just thinking about something! I was thinking about giving you some advice, and I overexerted my brain and fell asleep!"

"If you hit me with the stick, it would be too unfair for me! You can't hit a good boy who is dedicated to his country!"

When Zhu Biao heard this, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This little brother can make up anything to avoid getting beaten.

He is still devoted to the country...but it's more like he is devoted to his butt!

"Really?"

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and said with a fake smile,

"Then tell me, what strategies have you come up with? Tell us about it."

"If you really have a good strategy, then I'll spare you this beating. But if you can't explain it, I'll double the beating! You can expect your butt to bloom!"

Zhu Ju: “???”

Wow, do you have to be so cruel?!

At this moment, at Zhu Biao's signal, two eunuchs came up with a basin of clean water, took the jade seal from Zhu Ju's hand, and scrubbed it carefully.

This thing is now full of the smell of Zhu Ju's saliva...

"I, uh...I..."

Zhu Ju was anxious, but luckily he was quick-witted. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind and he said,
"Dad, I think that for the imperial examination, not only should a chief examiner and a deputy chief examiner be appointed, but a member of the royal family should also be sent to preside over it!"

Zhu Biao raised his eyebrows.

"How do you say that? Is there any benefit?" he guided.

"There are two benefits!"

Zhu Ju opened his mind and said quickly,

"First, it can show the importance the royal family attaches to the imperial examination! For example, sending my eldest brother, the prince, to supervise the event is definitely different from sending a random examiner to preside over it! If we also express our condolences, it will definitely make the scholars grateful and tearful!"

"The royal family has shown an attitude of eagerness to recruit talented people, and talented people from all over the world will flock to it, don't you think so?"

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up.

"That makes sense, little brother!"

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded slightly to show his agreement.

"Secondly, my father just said that the imperial examination is a piece of sweet cake, and we should share it evenly among Song Lian, Li Shanchang and others. Then I wondered, why can't we have a piece of this sweet cake ourselves?"

Zhu Ju said again,

"The so-called disciples of the emperor are just nice words. In the end, they became the disciples of the chief examiner and the deputy chief examiner, which strengthened their power. Some of them might even become their die-hard fans."

"Then why can't they become loyal members of the royal family? If my eldest brother were to take the examination as the crown prince, wouldn't the scholars become the crown prince's disciples?"

"In this way, these people will be grateful to you in the future and will definitely be driven by you! This is the result we want when holding the imperial examination!"

Zhu Biao was shocked by these words.

Zhu Yuanzhang also fell into deep thought, apparently chewing over Zhu Ju's words carefully.

After a while.

"That makes sense, that makes sense!"

Old Zhu clapped his hands on the table and praised,
"That makes sense! What we want are talents that we can use! We don't want them all to join Li Shanchang and Song Lian!"

"Sending a prince to coordinate the overall situation can not only demonstrate the importance the royal family attaches to the imperial examination, but also directly recruit talents! Great, brilliant!"

"You little brat, you always come up with something new for us!"

It seems that I have to push Zhu Ju more in the future to bring out his quick wit!

"I think your suggestion can be adopted."

Zhu Biao coughed twice and said seriously,
"Father, I am willing to go to the Imperial Academy and preside over this imperial examination."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao's still somewhat pale face.

"There are three examinations in total, each lasting three days. Can you... handle it?"

He frowned and said,

"You go, we are not worried about anything else, but mainly worried about your health."

"…Forget it, don't go."

It would be perfectly safe for Zhu Biao to go, but after much consideration, Zhu Yuanzhang finally did not dare to let Zhu Biao take the risk.

The imperial examination is a literary test, but it is also a martial arts test!

The scholars took the exam in the examination hall for three consecutive days, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in the hall. This was undoubtedly a test of their physical strength and willpower!

The chief examiner also needs to stay in the examination room and has to patrol the examination room from time to time and deal with emergencies in the examination room. The energy consumption is definitely no less than that of the candidates!
Zhu Biao was so small that he was really afraid that he would faint again! If Zhu Biao was on the verge of death again, even the gods would be unable to save him!
Zhu Biao: "..."

He really wanted to go, to share his father's worries and to select some real talents for the country.

But now, he has also gained self-knowledge. If he continues to hold on...it will only make more people worry.

"Why not...let my younger brother go?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and suddenly said,

"His status is noble enough. He can represent the royal family and you. Most importantly, he is also smart. He is definitely more than capable of calming down the examination room."

"Besides, Master Song is his loyal fan and will probably fully support him."

Hearing this, Zhu Ju was stunned.

"what?"

He waved his hands repeatedly and refused sternly.
"I'm just offering suggestions! Don't ask me to implement them! I don't want to go!"

"I'm getting married in a few days! I'm busy with the wedding now! I can't handle such a high-intensity invigilation!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he rolled his eyes.

"Busy with the wedding? You are busy with nothing! All the procedures are controlled by your mother, and you just need to show up when the time comes! Other things have nothing to do with you! You are the one who has the most free time!"

Old Zhu said angrily,
"Your elder brother's suggestion is a good one! Taking advantage of the gap in time, you can go to the imperial court as a representative of the royal family to take charge of the scientific examination. I think it's a good idea! You should go!"

"We can't let the emperor go, can we?"

Zhu Ju grinned.

OK, you are talking too much again, find yourself a job...

"You can ask me to work, but there has to be benefits, right?"

He stretched out his hand and said,

"It's no good, I won't go!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened.

This guy got a good deal and still acted like a good boy!
How many people would want such a good job? If the second, third, and fourth brothers were given this job, they would definitely be grateful to tears!

After all, this would not only enhance one's own reputation, but also gain a large number of 'disciples'!
However, thinking about this kid's carefree nature, Lao Zhu felt relieved.

Perhaps with his personality, he will be able to cooperate seamlessly with Zhu Biao in the future.

"…I will give you the benefits when the time comes!"

Old Zhu waved his hand and snorted,

"First, let's see if you can do the job well! If you do it well, you will be rewarded handsomely! If you fail, hmm..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ju couldn't help but mutter:

"Another bad check..."

I’m already full of dad’s pancakes!

……

The autumn wind is bleak, blowing the yellow fallen leaves.

Although it is a slightly cool season, some people are full of passion inside, looking at the imperial city ahead with longing in their eyes.

Yingtian Prefecture, inside the Imperial Examination Hall.

A plaque with the words "Great Saint and Teacher" is placed in the hall, and various kinds of fragrant flowers and fruits are placed on the altar.

"President, Vice President, the time has come."

An official from the Ministry of Rites nearby reminded him in a low voice.

The so-called president is the official title of the chief examiner of the imperial examination. The president is responsible for sitting in the imperial examination room, grading the papers after the examination, and determining the ranking of the candidates.

For this reason, the president of the imperial examination is affectionately called "master" by the candidates. After all, the president's grading affects the careers of all candidates! The difference between passing and failing is really the difference between heaven and earth!
How can I not be grateful for being rescued ashore?

When Li Shanchang heard the words, he gently shook his sleeves.

"This is the first imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty, and it is a special examination."

He looked at the officials in the hall and said in a deep voice,
"So, the provincial examination was rather hasty. Although a number of candidates were selected, we don't know how good they are."

"Therefore, we must carefully check this time's examination and exchange out the real gold! Then the palace examination will satisfy His Majesty."

"Please join me and be fully alert!"

Song Lian stood up, and all the officials also stood up and bowed.

"As ordered."

Li Shanchang smiled slightly and nodded.

The emperor finally showed favor to him and gave him the position of president of the imperial examination.

This is the first imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty! All these talented people have to worship him as their master!
Among them, there must be many young talents worth recruiting!

He was thinking in his heart, and was about to light the incense in his hand, but suddenly he heard a voice:
"His Royal Highness Prince Wu has arrived!"

All the officials in the hall were stunned by this voice, and the next second, they saw a young man walking into the hall.

"I'm not late, am I?"

Zhu Ju wiped his mouth, burped, and said with a smile,
"I was eating noodles on the street just now, which delayed me a little."

Li Shanchang: "..."

Seeing this man, he felt sick! But as a subject, Li Shanchang still managed to smile.

"Not late, not late, the time has just arrived."

He responded and asked,

"The imperial examination is about to begin. What is the purpose of your visit, Your Highness the King of Wu?"

Zhu Ju smiled, walked straight to Li Shanchang and snatched three incense sticks from his hand.

"This is the first imperial examination. Father took it very seriously, so he sent me here to inspect it."

Zhu Ju said,
"Originally, I wanted my eldest brother, the Crown Prince, to come, but I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle the intensity of the exam, so I came instead."

"Let me light this incense!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he lit the incense without hesitation and fanned it with his hands.

"Master Kong, you have to take good care of this place. Today we are selecting talents for the country!"

Zhu Ju muttered to himself,
"If anyone cheats or tries to be clever, if you are still alive, just punish him! Or you can just let a thunderbolt strike him to death, I have no objection!"

"If he is talented and has good character, please give him some help so that he can write like a god!"

"Please, please..."

As he spoke, he held a stick of incense in his hand and bowed three times towards the tablet of Confucius.

Officials present: “…”

The corner of Li Shanchang's eye twitched.

"Your Highness... This is not the way to appeal to Confucius. We have a special petition."

This was originally his job, but it was snatched away by Zhu Ju.

It would be fine if he just snatched it away, because he was a prince of high status. But he actually said this!
An old country lady is here to worship God?!
"Well, the meaning is about the same, it's just that you guys are more literary and I'm more down-to-earth."

Zhu Ju waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Confucius would understand and wouldn't mind."

"I've finished my worship. What are you all standing there for? Follow me!"

Upon hearing this, the officials were confused again.

That’s not the process!

According to the process planned by the Ministry of Rites, this will take at least half an hour!

"Your Highness the King of Wu is not fussy about small matters, which is admirable."

During the silence, Song Lian jumped out and said with a smile,
"In fact, that is exactly what I meant when I told Confucius. Your Highness just simplified it. There is nothing wrong with being simple."

As he said this, he bowed three times respectfully towards the tablet of Confucius.

Song Lian, as the most famous scholar in the Ming Dynasty, has expressed his opinion now. What else can others say? At this moment, everyone follows behind him and bows to the tablet.

Li Shanchang had no choice but to follow along.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

"Okay, that's it!"

Zhu Ju waved his hand, sat down on the main seat, and said with a smile,

"Master Li, can I sit here?"

Li Shanchang pursed his lips.

"This is the seat for the scientific research president. Your Highness is a prince, and you have a noble status. You should sit higher up."

He responded and ordered,
"Someone, come again..."

Li Shanchang was about to speak, but saw Zhu Ju waving his hand.

"Oh, no need for that. I'll just sit there. If it's any higher, wouldn't I be on par with Confucius? That's not appropriate."

Zhu Ju smiled and said,

"President? I like this title, overbearing president!"

"I'll sit here! Just go get another chair and sit!"

Li Shanchang: "???"

"…Your Highness, the imperial examination is sacred after all. You are…not in accordance with the rules."

His expression was a little bit ugly, and he said,
"Your Majesty has sent you to inspect, so you can do so. We respect you, but you cannot interfere with our work..."

Li Shanchang doesn't want to give up that chair!
However, Zhu Ju seemed to be prepared. He took out a thin piece of yellow paper from his arms and waved it in his hand.

"I didn't interfere with your work because this is also my job."

He said,

"Please take a look at the decree from our father."

Song Lian's expression suddenly changed. He quickly stepped forward, took the order respectfully, took a closer look, and was immediately shocked.

"In addition to the chief examiner and deputy chief examiner, there will be another president, the Sixth Prince Wu Wang Zhu Ju, who will coordinate the overall situation..."

"This……"

Several officials gathered around and saw the content of the emperor's decree.

"This is what my father meant. After all, this is the first imperial examination! In order to show his importance, he sent me to take charge of the overall situation."

Zhu Ju smiled and said,

"From now on, both of you will be the examiners. There is only one president, and that's me!"

"Master Li, can I sit here now?"

Li Shanchang: "..."

"Since it is your majesty's order, we will naturally obey it."

"Please take a seat, President."

He was extremely reluctant, but he had no choice but to obey.

At this moment he also understood that Zhu Ju was the one the emperor deliberately inserted himself into, just to represent the royal family. As for the purpose... he knew it without even thinking about it.

"okay!"

Zhu Ju nodded with satisfaction and said,
"In that case, open the gate and let the candidates in!"

"I would also like to see what the first batch of talented people in the Ming Dynasty looked like!"

"Open the gates!"

At the command, the soldiers at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall opened the ropes in their hands.

“No crowding!”

"Come in one by one and be searched!"

The soldiers had serious expressions as they conducted a thorough search of each candidate, checking them all from head to toe, even turning out their underwear to make sure they had not written anything on them.

Swish.

The first candidate was searched thoroughly and was allowed into the examination hall only after being confirmed to have no illegal items.

"Number A-1."

An official led him into the examination room.

The candidate bowed and looked straight ahead, only to see a young man smiling and nodding at him.

He was a little surprised and curious about the identity of the young man in gorgeous clothes in front of him, but he did not dare to act rashly in such a solemn occasion and quickly walked to the examination room and sat down.

"Number 2, A."

"Type A, number three."

'...'

"B number ten."

"..."

Hundreds of examinees sat upright in the examination room in an orderly manner.

"Your Highness, the candidates are already seated. Shall we hand out the exam questions?"

Li Shanchang didn't say anything, so Song Lian asked for instructions.

"Or do you want to give me a lecture first?"

After all, it was the first imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty, and the process had not yet been fixed. Basically, it depended on the ideas of the chief official and could be changed flexibly.

Zhu Ju nodded slightly. "Well, today is a very meaningful day, I will just say a few words!"

He cleared his throat, turned his gaze towards the many examinees in the examination room, and said loudly,

"Good morning, candidates!"

"The two people next to me are the chief examiner and deputy chief examiner of this imperial examination, Lord Li Shanchang and Lord Song Lian!"

"These two names should be well-known to you, right? One is the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, and the other is the greatest scholar in the world!"

"Your Majesty has sent such a team to preside over the imperial examinations, which shows how much he values ​​you!"

Hearing this, Li Shanchang and Song Lian were both shocked.

It’s over, it’s over.

It blew over!
Especially Song Lian, who wanted to stop Zhu Ju, but Zhu Ju had already continued with the topic:
"In addition to the two examiners, His Majesty has also specially appointed me as his representative to serve as the president of this scientific examination!"

"Two important ministers of the country, and a prince! Why did the emperor send out such a lineup, and why did he attach so much importance to you? Do you know?"

Upon hearing this, the candidates were also surprised.

The person in front of him turned out to be the current prince!

Some smart people have already guessed Zhu Ju's identity based on his age, words and behavior!

Who else but the current King of Wu could be so young and so highly regarded by the Emperor?

"Because, Father is extremely eager for talents, eager for virtuous people!"

Zhu Ju said seriously,
"The Ming Dynasty was founded not long ago, and there is a lot of work to be done. It is the time to recruit talents!"

"There are countless vacancies in the court, waiting for the injection of fresh blood! Father always said that a new country should be full of vitality, with everything competing for development! He wants to use new people, and he dares to use new people!"

"As long as you have talent and good character, then you are someone that the emperor will look upon! He will definitely not hesitate to promote you!"

"Compared to these old ministers around you, you are the sun at the morning hour of Chen and Si! The future of the Ming Dynasty depends on you to build it!"

These words made all the candidates excited and their blood boil!

Although they cannot speak at this moment, their eyes are already full of fighting spirit and desire!
Strive for fame and build the Ming Dynasty with my own hands!
"Please give out the questions!"

Zhu Ju nodded and said,
"This king is looking forward to your performance!"

At the command, the officials took action and distributed the test questions to each candidate.

Until this moment, Zhu Ju had just received the test questions and was in sync with the other candidates.

This is also the rigor of the imperial examination. The questions are set by the emperor himself. Before the exam officially begins, no one knows what the questions will be!
"It is the virtue of nature, the way to combine the inner and outer worlds."

Zhu Ju muttered something, frowned and muttered,

"What the hell is this?"

I know all the words, but I don't understand their meaning at all.

"Your Highness, this sentence comes from The Doctrine of the Mean."

Song Lian stood aside and explained with a smile,
"The whole sentence is: Sincerity is not just about achieving oneself. It is also about achieving things. It is about achieving oneself through benevolence. It is about achieving things through wisdom. It is the virtue of nature and the way to combine the external and the internal. Therefore, it is appropriate to act at the right time."

"It discusses the connotation of the word sincerity."

Zhu Ju: “…”

Ok!

With someone like me, if I didn't have the status of a prince, I would probably be semi-illiterate if I went back to ancient times. Let alone the imperial examination, it would be good enough if I could recognize all the characters!

After all, ancient times were all written in traditional Chinese characters, and he has only just now adapted to reading traditional Chinese characters. As for writing... it's still a bit difficult.

"Why would Dad come up with such a stupid question?"

Zhu Ju muttered,

"You just picked up half a sentence and it became a scientific examination question?"

Song Lian smiled slightly.

"Your Highness, you don't know that the imperial examinations have always been like this. The questions are all selected from the Four Books and Five Classics."

He said,

"Your Majesty, this question is already very simple and relatively easy to solve."

"If it's really difficult, then it's directly the questions like 'zhide' and 'he inner'. They are so difficult that it's hard to understand. If you are not familiar with the classics, you may not even know where these words come from, let alone solve the questions."

Zhu Ju: “???”

Virtue?

Together?

This is really an abstract topic!
"If you ask something irrelevant, how can you give a good answer?"

Zhu Ju couldn't help but sneer and said,

"Is this the topic for selecting talents for the country? I don't think it has any meaning other than making things difficult for people."

"If I were to set the questions, I would never set them like this! Since this is an official selection, we should set some targeted questions!"

Song Lian smiled awkwardly and did not respond.

"Your Highness, the imperial examination has been like this since ancient times."

Li Shanchang said in a muffled voice.

"It has always been like this, is it right?"

Zhu Ju tilted his head and said,
"Before the Sui and Tang dynasties, there was no such thing as the imperial examination! Isn't it all made up by humans?"

"Since it was made up by humans, there's nothing wrong with improving it, right?"

Mr. Lu Xun’s words are always a powerful weapon to criticize others!

Zhu Ju asked three questions in a row, which made Li Shanchang speechless and he shut his mouth.

"Your Highness, in fact... the reason why the exam questions are difficult is to sift through the sand and find a few pieces of real gold."

Song Lian responded,
"Think about it, if someone can write a brilliant article on such a demanding problem, how can he not be a great talent, a virtuous person?"

"You think so?"

Zhu Ju rolled his eyes.

"No, it is also possible that some corrupt and sour scholars who love to make empty promises will be elected."

He said,

"On paper, they talk a lot, but when it comes to practice, they scratch their heads."

"I don't deny that there are talented people who have great ambitions and can handle such exams, but such questions will select more mediocre people."

Song Lian: "..."

Now, Song Lian was speechless.

I didn’t expect that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu would have such strong opinions about the imperial examination questions!

However, on second thought, he is, after all, a genius who founded the School of Mind. It is normal for him to have many ideas and to be critical.

Young people who are arrogant because of their talent are all like this. When I was young, I also liked to comment and give advice...

"Forget about this term! For the next term, I have to give my dad some advice. If we really want to select talents, this is not the way to do it."

Zhu Ju touched his chin and made up his mind.

I'll tell my dad about it later!
The difference between me and ordinary young people with ideas is that my ideas may really influence my father and thus change national policies!
Swish, swish.

The expressions of the candidates who received the questions varied at this moment.

Some people were calm and composed when they got the test questions, picked up their pens and started answering, while others bit the pen, frowned and had no inspiration.

There are also those who simply empty their minds and daydream.

All kinds of strange and bizarre.

Zhu Ju glanced at it casually for a few times, then suddenly his expression became serious and he said:
"Master Song, are most of the candidates taking the exam this time from the southern part of the country?"

At a glance, more than half of the faces have southern features, while faces with northern features are relatively rare.

"This... I don't know."

Song Lian hesitated for a moment and said,
"The candidates' places of origin and names were all covered up, so we, the examiners, had no way of knowing them."

"However, there are indeed quite a few people who missed the exam this time. The main reason is that His Majesty was in a hurry and started the exam early. Some people from remote areas may not be able to make it to Yingtian Prefecture and miss it."

Zhu Ju nodded slightly.

"Okay, so what do we do next?"

"Just keep an eye on them like this for three days?"

Song Lian nodded.

"That's right, one game for three days, three games in total."

He said,

"We have to patrol the venue frequently, day and night, especially at night. We need to be extra careful. Some candidates with ill intentions hope to sneak in and do something when the supervision is lax at night."

When Zhu Ju heard this, he was suddenly overwhelmed!
It really is a tough job!

If it were his elder brother, who is frail and sickly but extremely responsible, he would definitely fall ill again!
As if noticing that Zhu Ju was in a bad mood at the moment, Song Lian quickly added:
"Besides inspecting the examination halls, there is actually some free time."

"In your spare time, Your Highness can recite the classics and histories that you know, or you can answer questions with the examinees. The Imperial Examination Hall can provide blank test papers."

"I am going to write an essay for the exam later. I will show it to my colleagues and compare it with other candidates. It will be a fun thing to do."

Zhu Ju: “…”

"You can call this fun? Why do I feel even more tortured?"

He said speechlessly,
"Okay Master Song, I got it."

"You keep busy, I'll just be in a daze for a while."

Zhu Ju didn't want to torture himself, so at the moment, there was nothing else to do except staring blankly.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"By the way, Your Highness, if you really feel lonely, I can discuss the study of the mind with you. In the past few months, I have also gained some insights into the study of the mind!"

Zhu Ju: “#￥%……&@#”

……

a few days later.

Forbidden City, inside the Huagai Hall.

Li Shanchang and Song Lian knelt before Zhu Yuanzhang with respectful expressions.

"Your Majesty, this examination, under the coordination of His Royal Highness the King of Wu, has achieved relatively satisfactory results."

Li Shanchang said in a deep voice,

"There were a total of 384 candidates for the imperial examination, and 36 Jinshi were selected."

"This is the list of the thirty-six successful candidates. Your Majesty, please review it."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but smile when he heard this.

"There were more than 300 people, but only 36 were selected? This is considered to be one in ten, the best of the best."

Old Zhu showed satisfaction on his face and asked,
"Have you read their articles? What's their quality?"

Song Lian replied:
"Your Majesty, there are 386 candidates, and their levels are uneven, but the essays of these 36 Jinshi are all excellent and can be called exquisite essays."

"After Lord Li and I selected the articles, we also showed them to His Royal Highness the King of Wu. Only after he confirmed that they were correct did he finalize the list."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but laugh.

"He confirmed? What does he know? I'm afraid this kid can't even understand those articles!"

"Hahaha……"

Hearing his laughter, Zhu Biao frowned and gave his father several looks.

How could you ruin my show in a situation like this?
"Cough, cough..."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Biao's expression and knew that he had said something wrong. He quickly coughed twice and said seriously,

"It seems that King Wu is doing his job seriously this time, and he has lived up to our expectations of him. Biao'er... where is he now?"

"He did a great job on the imperial examination. We should reward him!"

Zhu Biao stepped out in response.

"Replying to Father, I should be resting in King Wu's residence."

He smiled and said,
"After three consecutive exams, he was exhausted. It is said that he fell into a deep sleep as soon as he came back. The servants could not wake him up even after calling him. He slept for a whole day and night before waking up. I guess he has not come to his senses yet."

With such intensity...it’s a good thing I didn’t go, otherwise I would have been really wasted!
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then turned to look at Song Lian and Li Shanchang, and saw that they both looked listless, with dark circles under their eyes...

At least Zhu Ju can go home and fall asleep, but these two still have to check the answer papers, which is really hard!

"You all worked hard, too."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said,
"Just leave the list here for now. We will arrange the palace examination. You don't have to worry about the rest."

"Go back, everyone, go back and have a good sleep! We will allow you to not attend the morning court for two days, so you can recover your energy!"

Upon hearing this, both of them bowed repeatedly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Shanchang and Song Lian both breathed a sigh of relief at this moment, and their whole spirits relaxed.

This important task has finally been completed.

The two of them thanked him and walked out of the hall together, chatting about some interesting things. They all planned to take a good vacation in the next two days.

"Biao'er, come here and take a look at this list."

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood at the moment, and said with a smile,
"The talents selected from so many candidates must be good!"

"In the future, they may all be your right-hand men. You must remember the names listed here, as they will surely be useful in the future!"

Zhu Biao nodded, leaned his head forward, and read the list with his father.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the list carefully, but it would have been fine if he hadn't looked at it. As soon as he looked at it, the smile on his face disappeared immediately.

Then, his expression gradually became gloomy, and even gloomier...

"Biao'er, have you found any problem with this list?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.

Zhu Biao looked through the list several times, frowned, and said:
“It seems that everyone on this list is from the South!”

"Wu Bozong, native place is Fuzhou."

"Wu Gongda, native of Zhejiang."

"Liu He, native of Guangdong."

"Zhao Sanli, native place of Nanzhili."

"..."

At first glance, there was not a single name of a northern province!

"hehe!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered,

"If we only look at this list of successful candidates, it seems that our Ming Dynasty is a separatist regime with only half of the country!"

"Not a single northern scholar made the list!"

Zhu Biao was startled.

He heard anger and murderous intent in his father's tone!
A normal imperial examination might turn into a bloody storm!
"Father, perhaps it is because the North has just been pacified and the economy and culture are still in a state of need to be rebuilt, so... not many northern scholars participated in the imperial examinations?"

Zhu Biao said hurriedly,

"Plus, they have been through wars for a long time and have been ruled by barbarians. Their knowledge and writing skills are not as good as those of the southern scholars, so this result occurred."

"My judgment is that Master Song is upright and honest, and it is absolutely impossible for him to cheat! If he really wanted to cheat, he wouldn't be so blatant!"

These words made some sense, and Zhu Yuanzhang's expression eased a little after hearing them.

He looked at the list of successful candidates again, but felt uncomfortable no matter how he looked at it, so he simply crumpled it into a ball of paper and threw it on the ground!

"No matter how you look at it, it's impossible that no one can be elected? In such a large country like the North, there is no one who can compete with the southern scholars? I just don't believe it!"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang's anger had subsided a little, the gloom on his face still remained. He said in a cold voice,

"Humph! Whether it's a mule or a horse, you'll know after taking it out for a walk!"

"We will prepare for the palace examination right away to test the quality of these people! If they are really talented, it will be fine, but if we find out that there are fakes among them, humph!"

A hint of coldness flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

He took the Ming Dynasty's first imperial examination very seriously! If anyone dared to make a move on this matter, he would definitely let the other party know how many people there were in his nine clans!
"Okay, I'll go prepare for the palace examination right away."

Zhu Biao responded.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flickered for a while, and he suddenly stood up and said with a flick of his sleeves:

"Let's go to that brat's place!"

"If there really is something fishy going on and this guy didn't notice it, then we'll charge him with dereliction of duty!"

Zhu Biao was slightly startled, and before he could react, his father had already left angrily, as if he was going to the King of Wu to call him to account!
"Little brother, I can't help you this time..."

Zhu Biao shook his head and sighed.

"You wish for your own happiness..."

……

Inside the residence of the King of Wu.

Zhu Ju closed his eyes and was enjoying a head massage from Xu Miaoyun.

"Oh...hiss, so comfortable, so comfortable..."

"Just press here, yes! I felt dizzy from supervising the exams these past few days, and I didn't feel better after a good sleep. Instead, it got even more swollen!"

"I feel much better after your massage. Keep going, keep going..."

He was humming, looking like he was enjoying it.

"You've overexerted yourself and slept for a whole day and night. This isn't resting, it's oversleeping. You've injured yourself! It's natural that you're bloating and hurting."

Xu Miaoyun rubbed Zhu Ju's head and smiled softly,
"The head is the confluence of all yang. I will massage your meridians to disperse the blocked qi and blood. You will naturally feel better."

"Actually, acupuncture is more effective. How about I give you two needles? My skills are still good enough..."

Zhu Ju suddenly opened his eyes.

"Don't!"

"How can a cold needle be as warm and comfortable as your hand? I enjoy the process, not the result."

"Keep going……"

He urged her a bit, looking as if he was just closing his eyes and enjoying it, which made Xu Miaoyun feel helpless. She could only massage him with all her heart.

There's nothing I can do. Who can blame him for being my future husband?

This future is getting closer and closer. In a few days, they will be a legitimate couple.

Under Xu Miaoyun's precise technique, Zhu Ju was humming comfortably when he suddenly heard a voice:
"Your Majesty is here!"

Just these four words made the originally relaxed atmosphere of King Wu suddenly become nervous. All the servants stopped smiling and quickly knelt on both sides to welcome him.

Ta-da, ta-da-da!

The sound of heavy footsteps made Xu Miaoyun a little nervous.

"Husband, husband..."

"The emperor is here, get up and welcome him..."

With Zhu Ju's constant correction, she has become accustomed to calling him "husband".

Zhu Ju heard this, but still closed his eyes, lying on the rattan chair and said calmly:

"It's okay. Why should I answer it? I'm just lying here."

"Dad probably saw that I was too tired to supervise the exam, so he came to comfort me. Don't be nervous..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard a sound of thunder suddenly exploded in his ears!

"Zhuju!"

"Get out of here!!!"

(End of this chapter)