Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 356 Can riddles lead to success in the imperial examinations? All that the sun and moon shine upon is the Ming Dynasty!
"Reverse Tian Gang!"

"Reverse Tian Gang!"

Li Zhi stood in front of the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, jumped up and said.

“How can my glorious Ming Dynasty allow the Japanese to be so arrogant? You youngsters are shameless. If I were twenty years younger, I would not allow Japanese women to be so arrogant.”

Upon seeing this, the eunuch from the Eastern Depot who was in charge of the imperial examinations frowned deeply.

"Someone come here!"

Just as he was about to drag the troublesome old man away and beat him to death, a spy from the Eastern Depot reported to him.

"Sir, this man is a teacher at Xishan Peiwen Academy, I'm afraid..."

The eunuch from the Eastern Depot immediately froze, looking disgusted, and waved his hand dismissively.

"Then have someone take him away, but remember, under no circumstances should he be harmed."

"What are you trying to do? I know Zhang Shiyuan, you can't touch me!"

"I am old and faded! You won't even spare an old man?"

"Since you're here, make the best of it. Everyone, remember to be gentle and give this old man some dignity. But you must all remember... Zhang Shiyuan will definitely seek justice for me!"

The Eastern Depot agents maintaining order turned green with rage upon hearing these words. Although they were in the Eastern Depot, the agents were all normal men recruited from outside. Hearing Li Zhi's disgusting words, this mad old man, they felt terrible.

"be honest!"

An agent from the Eastern Depot stepped forward and kicked him, but dared not use force, for fear of actually hurting the gentleman from the Western Hills.

But the way it slumped over the ground made it look even stranger, drawing bursts of laughter from those around it.

"Hahahahaha!"

Li Zhi burst into laughter, revealing himself to be a disgusting person.

"You'd better be gentle with this old man~"

Several Eastern Depot agents turned green with rage, wishing they could cover Li Zhi's foul mouth, and hurriedly dragged him forward.

"Hurry up and go! Don't say another word!"

These words drew laughter from the surrounding crowd.

Today's Lantern Festival is themed "All Nations Pay Tribute," and envoys from various countries naturally wouldn't miss it. The Korean envoy, accompanied by his retinue, looked quite moved by the scene.

"The prosperity of the capital is truly unparalleled. All kinds of talented and extraordinary people can be seen here. It is indeed the grandeur of a superior country!"

On the other side, a sphere with a sandbag wrapped around its head, resembling a large white rice dumpling, spoke through the gaps in the bandages.

"Ambassador Li is truly ignorant of right and wrong. Li Zhi and Li Hongfu are notorious madmen of the Ming Dynasty, extremely dissolute. Xishan has become a den of iniquity by accommodating such people, yet they still expect us to send scholars here to study."

The North Korean envoy, Li Renxin, glanced at the other party with great interest, but unexpectedly, the Annamese envoy, Nguyen Van Trung, had already been beaten into a ball, yet he still dared to spout nonsense.

He glanced down at the other person's bottom and saw what appeared to be a specially made "wheelchair" from Xishan. Without it, the other person would have a real difficulty getting around.

Li Renxin shook his head and said, "The things from Xishan are really good. They can even allow Ambassador Ruan, who has difficulty moving his hands and feet, to come out and enjoy the Lantern Festival. How can we not learn such science?"

Hearing the sarcastic tone of the other party, Ruan Wenzhong became furious and slapped the armrest of his wheelchair with his pig-trotter-like hand.

"Nonsense! What use is this broken wheelchair! It's nothing but a gimmicky contraption! I don't care for it!"

Li Renxin raised an eyebrow and said, "Then Ambassador Ruan, please get out of your wheelchair!"

"you!"

Even through the bandages, one could feel the extent of Nguyen Van Trung's anger.

"Li Renxin, you've bullied me because I'm immobile. If I recover, you'll be sorry!"

This Annamese envoy is now completely spineless, but his words remain as firm as a rock.

Li Renxin looked smug, shaking his leg with his hands behind his back, displaying an attitude of "what can you do to me?"

"Ambassador Li, you're going too far!"

The figure wrapped up next to Nguyen Van Trung, resembling half a person, was his cousin, Nguyen Van Nguyen.

Li Renxin looked up at the Annamite delegation behind Nguyen Van Trung, whose members were all half-covered, and almost burst out laughing.

However, Li Renxin was a cultured man and rarely laughed out loud, so he couldn't help but sigh.

"Renmin Medical Hall is truly a place of miraculous and benevolent doctors! It seems that their medical knowledge has reached an extraordinary level. I must report this to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Why can they teach scientific principles but not medical principles?"
If one fails to learn it, that would be a tremendous regret.

"you"

Seeing that Ruan Wenzhong was still about to talk, Li Renxin pointed behind him and said.

"Hey! The Tibetan delegation has arrived! Master Yeli, you look radiant today!"

"Li Renxin, you're trying to fool me again!"

But as soon as Ruan Wenyuan finished speaking, he subconsciously turned his head to check and indeed saw a group of people with rooster-like haircuts approaching in the crowd.

He was so frightened that he lost his composure and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Brothers, that bald thief is here again! We can't afford to mess with him, so let's run!"

For a time, the Annamese delegation was in complete chaos. They called the Tibetans "bald monks" but in their hearts they were terrified of them.

"Waaaaah!"

Seeing everyone else scatter like birds and beasts, Nguyen Van Trung was left alone in his wheelchair, swaying around helplessly like a little pig waiting to be slaughtered.

Ruan Wenyuan then remembered and rushed back, frantically pushing his wheelchair away.

In stark contrast, the Tibetan envoys were dressed formally in their robes and monastic garments, each appearing exceptionally formal.

Yeli noticed the unusual movements of the Annan envoys from afar, but did not react much. He simply took two steps forward, put his hands together in a gesture of respect to the North Korean delegation, and said...

"Ambassador Li, how have you been? The Lantern Festival is quite lively today. The Ming Dynasty was supposed to hold a ceremony, but for some reason it has been canceled. We've decided to stay here and take a look."

Li Renxin had a good impression of these senior monks, and he explained.

"I asked the officials in the Ministry of Rites, and it seems that His Majesty the Emperor doesn't want too many formalities and wants us to tour around here on our own. I don't think that's a bad thing."

After all, it is the Lantern Festival, and we should witness firsthand the prosperity and grandeur of the Ming Dynasty.

"The prosperity and splendor here is nothing but an illusion before our eyes."

His inner expression remained as rigid as ever.

"This humble monk cannot grasp or take away anything. I only wish to see the true essence of Buddhism in the Great Ming Dynasty. If I can learn even a fraction of the scientific principles within it, then this trip will not have been in vain."

Li Renxin looked at the monk with great admiration. Even though the monk was a Buddhist monk, it was extremely difficult for him to maintain his true self amidst the hustle and bustle of the Lantern Festival in the Ming Dynasty.

Don't you see how many officials from diplomatic missions either went to "Hongyunchang" for entertainment, or went to brothels and entertainment venues?

Rather than enjoying a moment of prosperity in the Ming Dynasty, it would be truly worthwhile to bring that prosperity back to our own country.

Li Renxin felt a pang of emotion, but also a sense of shame. Thinking of this, he pointed to the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations not far away and said...

"Master Yeli is probably unaware of this riddle contest, isn't he?"

As he spoke, he briefly explained the rules of the lantern riddle gathering to Yeli.

Li Renxin said somewhat embarrassedly.

"I am not very talented and have only solved a dozen or so riddles and received some small rewards, but I am not as good as others."

Yeli clearly had no interest in solving riddles. He looked up at the display board of the list of successful candidates and narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"This young lady, Hosokawa Iya, must be the daughter of Envoy Hosokawa?"

“Indeed,” Li Renxin said with admiration. “This Hosokawa Iya is a talented woman. Not only did she win the riddle competition, but she also debated with the talented men of the capital and never lost.

Yeri keenly sensed the crux of the matter: "It seems that this Miss Hosokawa intends to take on Master Xian."

Li Renxin noticed the change in the way the other party addressed him. Good heavens, in the eyes of this great monk, how high could Zhang Yunxiu's status be to be addressed as "wise teacher"?

He coughed twice and said, “Since ancient times, talented men have been matched with beautiful women. Miss Hosokawa is outstanding in appearance and temperament, and her talent is equally remarkable. She is a good match for Zhang Zhangwei, a man of outstanding talent.”

“No.” Yeli’s expression was very serious. “Zhang Zhangwei is a person with Buddhist affinity. How could he be confused by such a vulgar matter?”

Li Renxin looked embarrassed and quickly corrected himself.

“Master Yeli is wrong. This Miss Hosokawa is no ordinary person.”

"She was not a vulgar person, but the things she did were vulgar."

He chanted a Buddhist prayer, looked at the list of successful candidates, and said leisurely.

"In my humble opinion, this time it will surely be Liu Yongning who wins the championship."

Li Renxin was quite surprised and emphasized this point.

"Why do you say that, Master? Miss Hosokawa is still far ahead."

Yeli, however, inexplicably uttered a Zen koan.

"If the roots are not deep, the leaves will not flourish; if the actions are not solid, the results will not be genuine."

Li Renxin pondered these words in secret, but he didn't quite agree with them.

As time went on, the competition for the imperial examinations had become extremely fierce.

"The names of successful candidates in the imperial examinations will be announced."

"The first place in the first division is Hosokawa Iya, with 172 places."

"Liu Yongning, the second place in the first division, has 170 points."

"Yu Shenxing, the third-place finisher in the first division, has 150 entries."

As the chants continued, the Lantern Festival venue became bustling with activity. People could see three groups of people frantically sweeping around the venue.

As soon as they see an empty riddle, they call their friends and swarm around it to discuss and deduce the answer, hoping to get it in a short time.

The common people did not have much aversion to this kind of "cheating" behavior. After all, ordinary people who could solve the riddles had already solved several and had no energy left.

Watching these scholars scratching their heads and arguing back and forth was far more entertaining than watching a typical opera.

Many ordinary people even secretly supported local scholars by observing the changing numbers on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and many businesses would also provide convenience and assistance to the scholars they supported.

Gu Xiancheng gulped down a mouthful of tea, and even displayed the decisiveness of someone fighting on the battlefield, giving an order to his classmates.

"Within half a cup of tea, I want you to solve these ten riddles. These riddles are different from ordinary riddles; they are counterintuitive. I suggest you analyze them using scientific methodology."

Today is an extremely urgent day, a time of life and death for us! We absolutely cannot allow a Japanese woman to enter the Zhang family!

He didn't mention Liu Yongning's identity and deliberately downplayed her presence, shifting everyone's attention to Hosokawa Iya.

The core issue is that we must not allow it to affect the future progress and development of Xishan!
Gu Xiancheng had many classmates and friends in and around the capital, and many people were his supporters, thanks to his association with the Donglin Society.

There were also many students and faculty members from Nishiyama, who naturally had a lot of opinions about Hosokawa Iya.

In the hearts of many students at Xishan, the princess in the medical clinic, who was skilled in medicine, was the one whose beauty and talent were a perfect match for their master.

As for Hosokawa Iya, what is he anyway?
This group, led by Gu Xiancheng, was a staunch "pro-government faction"!
In order to ensure Liu Yongning's victory, they went all out, utilizing the teamwork and organizational skills they had learned in Xishan to achieve astonishing speed.

Meanwhile, on Qipan Street, a group of scholars dressed in blue robes and wearing blue masks were searching for riddles like a locust swarm.

The leader was Zhou Yingbin. He had been expelled from the Imperial Academy, but that did not affect his influence there.

He waved his hand and said.

"Classmates, everyone will receive a generous reward today. If you can solve a riddle, you will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!"

These students were also bloodthirsty. Where in the world could you find such a lucrative business? Even if they were working for the Japanese, who would know who they were after they covered their faces?

Many of these students were expelled from the Imperial Academy and have been living a precarious life in the capital. Now that they have found an outlet for their frustrations, how could they not go crazy?

The goal is to utterly disgrace Zhang Yunxiu!

The one who was most powerless was Yu Shenxing.

Inside an inn on Qipan Street, Prince Zhu Yiliu of Lu threw an inkstone directly at Yu Shenxing and said.

"Useless! You are all useless! I have spent so much money to raise you! Yet you are not even as good as students, and you still call yourselves pearls in the dark. It is utterly laughable!"

Yu Shenxing narrowly avoided the inkstone; otherwise, he would have truly lost his life.

He cautiously raised his eyes and explained.

"Your Highness, it's not that we are unwilling to do our best, it's just that those students are too crazy. We are all people who have studied the classics, how could we possibly study riddles in our daily lives?"
"My staff members are all getting on in years, and running around this chessboard-like street is really taking a toll!"

This competition tests not only academic ability, but also organizational skills and physical strength.

The upright officials, led by Yu Shenxing, could catch up at first, but they became increasingly powerless as time went on. In Qipan Street, where carriages and horses were even prohibited, how could they possibly keep up with the students by relying solely on their footwork?

Zhu Yiliu looked out the window at the "List of Successful Candidates" in the distance, and then at the cheering crowd.

He didn't listen to Yu Shenxing's explanation, but simply sighed and said leisurely.

"When will this magnificent scene be able to unfold for me? Why does Zhang Shiyuan always steal the spotlight?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shenxing shuddered.

Before we knew it, it was already the fourth hour of the 9 PM period, and in another quarter of an hour, it would be time to completely determine the winner of today's lantern riddle competition.

Thanks to a Western-made clock, the lantern riddle event was able to accurately time each event.

On the city tower of Daming Gate.

Emperor Wanli stared intently at the self-ringing clock and couldn't help but speak to Zhang Yunxiu.

"Can Xishan build this thing?"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said, "If you really want to make one, that's possible. The Ming Dynasty Mechanical Academy has already developed this clockwork watch for various scientific research projects, but it will take some time before it can be mass-produced."

He then added leisurely.

"Your Majesty, our Great Ming Dynasty doesn't need to be ahead in everything; we must leave some room for foreign and Western countries to survive."

"To hell with living!"

The Wanli Emperor, hands on his hips, spoke with considerable pride.

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, all is Han territory! Where can't my Great Ming go? What can't it create? It all aims to survey the world!"

Zhang Yunxiu felt that he had spoiled the little fat emperor, who seemed to be getting more and more arrogant and ambitious, which was not a good sign.

Just as he was pondering whether to go with the flow or offer some serious advice, another gong sounded from below the Daming Gate.

"It's already 8:45 PM!"

"The Lantern Riddle Festival of the Ming Dynasty! The Imperial Edict! The List of Successful Candidates!"

To be fair, today's lantern riddle competition, ranked according to the "imperial examination" system, certainly generated a lot of buzz.

Even the Wanli Emperor couldn't help but get excited. He quickly pulled out his telescope from his waist, adjusted the magnification, and couldn't help but say something.

"They've finally arrived! Let me see who the top two scholars are for today's Lantern Festival!"

He didn't forget to make Zhang Yunxiu look disgusting.

"Shiyuan, just you wait and see, he might just be married to that female scholar!"

Zhang Yunxiu, however, was not flustered and slowly took a sip of the fruit wine.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. If you are favored by a female scholar, it would certainly be a fortunate thing. However, our Great Ming has never produced a scholar from a foreign land. This female scholar must be of noble status!"

The Wanli Emperor glared at him: "Don't even think about it!"

Zhang Yun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please look at the imperial edict!"

(End of this chapter)