Top Scholar

Chapter 595 Stunning Beauty
As soon as Su Lu entered Donggui Hall, he was immediately surrounded by several colleagues who all wanted to report to him.

After finally getting rid of them, Zhu Zihe reminded him, "Brother, everyone's here, it's time for the meeting."

Su Lu nodded and invited Tang Bohu, who was standing to the side looking completely bewildered, "Brother Bohu, why don't you come and listen in on our meeting?"

Tang Bohu quickly waved his hand: "This...isn't this inappropriate? Aren't you two in the emperor's arms? It's not proper for me, an outsider, to be listening."

"Then let's become one of us," Su Lu joked, then said seriously, "Brother Bohu, I sincerely invite you to become a member of our Chamberlain's Office!"

Tang Bohu knew he couldn't refuse, but he still braced himself and asked, "Then... will I still be able to participate in the imperial examinations in the future?"

For him, whether he became an official or not was not important, nor was how high an official position he held. What mattered was being able to take the imperial examination again and have the opportunity to redeem himself!
Su Lu smiled and nodded: "Of course. According to regulations, officials below the eighth rank can participate in the imperial examinations as long as they are not explicitly prohibited by the court, and we are no exception here."

Tang Bohu's expression darkened, and he said sadly, "I am the one who has been explicitly forbidden from participating in the imperial examinations."

Zhu Zihe, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. Once you become one of our Chamberlains, you won't be forbidden from doing so."

Tang Bohu immediately nodded emphatically and said, "Alright! I'll join!"

Su Lu nodded in satisfaction and instructed Zhu Zihe: "Zihe, take Brother Bohu to the Registrar's Office to complete the entry procedures, and then have Ji Zhan teach him the confidentiality regulations."

Zhu Zihe responded with a "good" and led Tang Bohu into the east wing.

Su Man then asked in a low voice, "Hongzhi, didn't you say before that you wouldn't use people from Jiangnan? Why did you take in Brother Bohu, this talented scholar from Jiangnan?"

Su Lu smiled and said, "Who says the Court of Imperial Sacrifices doesn't use people from Jiangnan? Brother Bohu is the best proof."

Su Man suddenly realized, thinking to himself, "What a pity that he's a Jiangnan native who has broken ties with the people of Jiangnan..."

~~
The morning meeting was a disaster relief work deployment meeting. Su Lu listened to the reports from various departments and then methodically finalized the disaster relief plan.

The meeting decided that all idle Buddhist temples, both inside and outside Beijing, should be suspended from demolition and used entirely to resettle disaster victims.

In terms of supplies, in addition to providing the most basic food and coal, it was decided to distribute the confiscated cotton quilts and cotton clothing to the disaster victims and purchase another batch to make up for the shortage, so as to prevent the disaster victims from suffering from hunger and cold.

In addition, the Imperial Medical Academy has prescribed a decoction for preventing disease and dispelling cold, and has arranged for someone to prepare it for the disaster victims to drink daily, in order to strictly prevent the spread of disease...

After all the plans were finalized, Su Lu asked everyone, "Is there anything else to add?"

“Brother,” Zhu Zihe said, “there is another thorny problem—the disaster victims are in extremely poor health and are unable to do heavy work. How can we provide work relief?”

"No rush, let the disaster victims recover their health and strength first," Su Lu said confidently.

"But we can't let them be idle. We need to use this time to establish rules—only those who obey orders and follow the rules can enter our 'Imperial Grace Academy.' Those who don't follow the rules will all be kicked out and left to fend for themselves!"

"At the same time, register all the disaster victims, divide them into classes according to gender, age and age, teach them basic rules every day, conduct simple command training, and teach them to recognize some characters... There is no need to teach them the words of sages, just teach them phonetic symbols, and it will be enough for them to recognize the most common characters."

"By the way, register all those with a skill—whether carpenters, bricklayers, cooks, weavers… or even those who can sew or write—so that good people can be put to good use in the future."

"Okay!" Zhu Zihe quickly agreed, then asked, "Should we arrange an inspection of the site?"

"No rush, this kind of inspection is useless, it only causes trouble for the people below. Let them do their work freely first, and after a while, we can conduct a secret investigation to see the real situation." Su Lu shook his head.

Those specifically handling disaster relief matters, besides the personnel drawn from the Imperial Household Department, mainly consisted of people from the various imperial shops. Currently, all the imperial shops were closed for renovations, so it was a good opportunity to bring in the shopkeepers and employees to help. These people were used to dealing with ordinary people, were eloquent, and efficient in their work; they were more than capable of handling this… provided, of course, that they were willing to do their job well.

"These old men from the imperial shops, although they've already been sifted through once, are still a mixed bag. As for the remaining ones, their character will only be revealed through their actions." At this point, Su Lu emphasized:
"This disaster relief effort is also a major test for these people. You must give orders to keep a close eye on their words and actions throughout the process and give them a score... Anyone found to be withholding supplies or bullying disaster victims will be expelled on the spot without exception. Those who are lazy, perfunctory, or shirking responsibility will also be severely punished. Repeat offenders will also be resolutely expelled!"

"Only a team capable of winning battles can win battles!" Su Lu emphasized in his favorite form of nonsensical literature, "Let's take this opportunity to properly reorganize the Imperial Store's team!"

"Yes!" the crowd replied in unison.

~~
Zhu Houzhao still didn't get up until almost noon. After having brunch, he met with Tang Bohu as arranged by Su Lu.

Wearing an official hat and a scholar's robe, Tang Bohu suppressed his excitement as he stepped into the hall. He respectfully performed the deepest kowtow and said in a trembling voice, "Your student Tang Yin pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

When he first went to the capital to take the imperial examination, he stood with his hands on his hips, unaware of what an opponent was, and not even intimidated by the Emperor himself. But now, he was so nervous that his mouth was dry and he even felt dizzy.

People are always like this: they don't cherish what they get the first time, and only realize how difficult it is to get it back after they've lost it... When the emperor called him to get up, Su Lu solemnly introduced him again: "Your Majesty, this Tang Jieyuan is a first-rate painter in the world, and his figure painting skills are even more unparalleled!"

Zhu Houzhao nodded, looking at Tang Yin with great interest, and said, "You must be Tang Bohu? I heard of your name when I was eight years old."

He deliberately dragged out his words: "You were incredibly arrogant back then—I heard that as soon as you arrived in the capital, you said to the other candidates, 'Are you all here to compete for second place?' And right after you finished the provincial examination, you brazenly declared that you were the undisputed champion?"

Tang Bohu's heart sank, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He had been hoping that the Emperor would know nothing about the scandalous affair from years ago, so that he could get away with it. But he never expected that the Emperor would remember this matter so vividly.

He quickly kowtowed and protested, "Your Majesty, please understand! I am innocent! What I said back then was that I was the top scholar in the provincial examination, not the top scholar in the imperial examination!"

"Hahaha! What a remarkable person!" Zhu Houzhao burst into laughter, then wiped away his tears and asked, "Now you know the price of arrogance, don't you?"

"Yes! This sinful subject understands, and this sinful subject is filled with remorse!" Tang Bohu choked out, "But this subject dares to swear to Heaven that I absolutely did not cheat in the imperial examination of the twelfth year of the Hongzhi reign! If there is even the slightest falsehood, may I be struck by lightning and fall into the eighteenth level of hell after death, never to be reincarnated!"

He had said this to countless people, but only two and a half people in the world believed him. Therefore, he didn't have much hope that the emperor would believe him.

"I believe you." But it sounded like divine music.

Seeing Tang Bohu's astonished expression, Zhu Houzhao added, "Because my good brother said you're fine, then you're definitely fine."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty! I am deeply grateful!" Tang Bohu felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he asked respectfully:

"I just don't know which prince spoke up for me? I will remember this kindness forever."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao laughed again: "Nonsense! Who introduced you to me?"

"Ah?!" Tang Bohu was so shocked that his jaw dropped to the ground – it turned out that his virtuous brother Hongzhi held such an important position in the Emperor's heart!

Heavens above, my punishment is finally over!

He quickly thanked Su Lu again, but Su Lu waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me, just paint a good portrait of the Emperor."

"That's right, that's right, no need for thanks." Zhu Houzhao said, and with Zhang Yong's help, he put on the winged crown and dragon robe, and sat properly on the throne, which was rare for him.

He then instructed Tang Bohu, "Today, paint my face first, let me see your skills. Remember, you must paint me realistically, and do not over-beautify me!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Tang Bohu quickly replied, composed himself, took out painting paper and brushes from his painting box, and began to paint a portrait of Zhu Houzhao with focused concentration.

His painting skills were superb, and his brushstrokes were swift and skillful. While carefully observing the emperor's facial features, he depicted the true face of the dragon on the paper!
Su Lu saw this as a golden opportunity and, while Zhu Houzhao was acting as a model, stood beside the dragon throne and quietly reported to him on the various matters concerning disaster relief and the grand review.

Firstly, the emperor wouldn't be sleepy after just waking up, and secondly, the emperor couldn't wander around; he could only obediently listen to his reports...

Fortunately, Tang Bohu was quick with his brush, and he finished sketching Zhu Houzhao's facial portrait in just one hour.

Upon hearing that the painting was basically finished, Zhu Houzhao couldn't wait to jump up and walk to the canvas. He saw an imperial face with eyebrows like ink paintings and eyes like bright stars.

His nose was high and straight, his lips were clearly defined, and even the spirited look between his eyebrows was depicted perfectly! It was so lifelike that one could recognize the emperor at a glance, and it also made people feel his youthful vigor and heroic spirit!

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up instantly, and he clapped his hands repeatedly: "Wow! It's just like that! That's right, that's me! That's what I want! You're the one, Tang Bohu, from now on, you'll be the one to paint all my portraits!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider. You cannot allow a criminal to paint your portrait!" Zhang Yong reminded him at the opportune moment.

"That's easy, I'll pardon him!" Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and encouraged Tang Bohu, "Draw well for me, and I'll appoint you as the top scholar in the imperial examination in the future!"

The Zhu family's traditional skill of drawing cakes is...

"Why aren't you thanking the Emperor yet?" Zhang Yong reminded the bewildered Tang Bohu again.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!" Tang Bohu hurriedly kowtowed deeply in gratitude.

He was truly stunned. He could hardly believe that he had so easily overcome the mountain that everyone thought was insurmountable and was now back on a smooth road...

(End of this chapter)