The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Just as the Nerchinsk Fortress was being expanded, Liu Mu was pacing anxiously back and forth outside a side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Forbidden City, his hands clenching into fists every now and then.

For an emperor to be so nervous.

It's because his first child is about to be born!

Zhou Peigong, Li Guangdi, and Ouyang Jing were all nearby. They were discussing the imperial examination for the next day when news came that the empress was about to give birth, so Liu Mu pulled them over.

This was a major taboo in the ancient royal family, but although Liu Mu had lived two lives, this was his first time being a father, so he still brought the three of them over to keep him company.

Although Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi became officials late in life, they already had many children, some of whom were teenagers.

Ouyang Jing is not picky about food. He took a concubine while managing Wuyuan Prefecture and now has a son and a daughter.

As for the imperial examination, it was originally scheduled to be held after New Year's Day, but because no announcement was made in advance recognizing the status of Manchu scholars, too few scholars came, and it had to be postponed until now.

Seeing Liu Mu's nervous appearance, only Ouyang Jing, who had been with him the longest, knew that Liu Mu didn't care about taboos and also knew what he was worried about.

"Your Majesty, the Empress is Mongolian, so she has been physically strong since childhood and there is little risk in childbirth."

No sooner had Ouyang Jing finished speaking than a loud cry came from the side hall, which moved Liu Mu to tears. He hugged Ouyang Jing and patted him twice.

Click, the door opened, and the female official who was taking care of Wuyun quickly walked out.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has successfully given birth to the Imperial Heir!"

"Mother and child are safe!"

The fact that both mother and child were safe meant that the baby was a son. Li Guangdi and the other two were overjoyed. Since the emperor was healthy enough to have a son, their sons had something to look forward to.

Most importantly, they were ministers guarding the palace, essentially one of their own. If their descendants committed any offenses, the second emperor would likely turn a blind eye.

They all clasped their hands in congratulations.

"At this crucial time of the imperial examinations, Your Majesty is blessed with a prince. From now on, the foundation of the nation is secure. This is truly a blessing from Heaven upon the land and its people. We, your subjects, offer our congratulations to Your Majesty!"

Liu Mu was overjoyed and waved his hand.

"Zhao Fengnian, reward all palace maids, eunuchs, and female officials with ten taels of silver. Also, go to my treasury and fetch ten sable pelts for each of my three beloved ministers!"

Li Guangdi and the others were overjoyed upon hearing this. Although sable fur was not the best in terms of warmth, it was a special tribute to the imperial family, and only some first- or second-rank officials could receive it as a reward.

"Your Majesty, we kowtow in gratitude for your generous gift!"

But as soon as Liu Mu finished speaking, he entered the side hall and was already lying down next to the crib, looking at his son without any regard for his image.

Yes, this is definitely his own. He has the large cheeks inherited from the Galdan family, which looks like he's been chewing betel nuts for many years.

As for Wuyun, she was pale but looked energetic, leaning against the pillow watching her child.

"Your Majesty, have you decided on a name?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mu initially intended to name the Liu family genealogy for future generations, but considering the difference between the royal family and ordinary people, he casually waved his hand.

"A perfect match, a rare treasure!"

"Let's call her Yu for now, Liu Yu!"

"Regarding the generational names, I consulted with my ministers, for they are truly the most learned!"

Wu Yun didn't understand Han culture very well, but Liu Mu explained it to him in detail, and he immediately understood what Yu meant, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

……

Meanwhile, several thousand scholars had arrived outside the city of Beijing, most of them dressed in various round-necked robes or right-fastening gowns.

Most of the successful candidates were quite accomplished, staying in restaurants in Beijing. Even the thousand-plus people who came on New Year's Day haven't left yet and are still living comfortably.

Because a successful candidate in the provincial examinations could become an official simply by filling a vacancy, they were well-connected in small towns, either tutoring at schools run by scholars who had passed the county-level examinations or writing legal documents for wealthy families.

However, at the noodle shop owned by Pan Feng's mother-in-law, there were two poor scholars teaching the chubby boy to read and write.

They were poor because their round-necked robes were patched and faded.

The chubby boy didn't like studying at all; instead, he was interested in all sorts of gossip. So he looked at the middle-aged scholar who was about forty years old and had a handsome appearance, and was wearing a beige robe.

"Mr. Xie, you said other scholars live in luxury, how come you've fallen so low as to tutor a clumsy boy like me, and can't even afford a place to stay at an inn!"

A scholar wearing a red long gown, nearly two meters tall, with a full beard, chuckled upon hearing this.

"We were both from the reign of the Yongli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. We took the provincial examination the year after his death, which was twelve years ago. We were not yet thirty years old when we passed and became Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). We were quite proud of ourselves. After drinking, we wrote a poem for the Yongli Emperor, which was reported and our property was confiscated!"

"We've been hiding for years, but now that the new Han Dynasty has been established, we can finally start anew!"

The chubby boy was also furious upon hearing this. What's wrong with a forty-year-old man, born in the Ming Dynasty, paying homage to the last emperor?

"Those Manchu barbarians are truly despicable!"

"They seized our family's land back then, and even captured my father to attack the city, but he died outside!"

As the chubby boy was talking, his eyes suddenly darted around and he saw his mother snoring. So he took out a small pouch from his pocket, and when he opened it, he found it contained loose silver coins.

"Gentlemen, I am a dull student, and after a month I still haven't learned all the surnames in the Hundred Family Surnames. But I know how to respect my teachers and I am a person of honor."

"I've heard that students must bring their own writing materials and clothing for the imperial examinations. This is some money I've saved up; please accept it, gentlemen."

The two were indeed short of money, and without new writing implements, their handwriting was difficult to write neatly. However, they simply couldn't bring themselves to accept pocket money from students.

The bearded scholar, however, didn't care. He simply took the silver and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Brother Xie, a real man doesn't need to be so coy. This time, only candidates from the North are participating. With your literary talent, surely you can make it into the top three?"

"When the time comes, I will accept Xiao Dong as my disciple. Consider this eight qian of silver as an advance gift for his apprenticeship!"

Upon hearing this, the scholar surnamed Xie stopped delaying, cupped his hands in greeting to the chubby boy, and then picked up the book of surnames.

"Today we'll talk about His Majesty's surname, Liu!"

"It is composed of three parts: the Mao metal knife!"

……

April 3, 1675 AD.

The Great Han Dynasty, 1875.

Outside the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall) in the southeast corner of the inner city of Beijing, nearly three thousand candidates for the imperial examinations were divided into more than a dozen lines and entered the examination hall one by one after being searched by the soldiers of the Imperial City Guard.

Under Pan Feng's organization for four months, the Imperial City Guard has grown to five hundred people, all dressed in new blue military uniforms and equipped with a sharp longsword.

The Imperial Examination Hall was the exclusive venue for the imperial examinations of the Ming Dynasty. It could accommodate tens of thousands of candidates. Today, the three thousand people could not use up all the rooms, so they were mainly distributed in front to facilitate the patrols of the Imperial City Guards and the officials of the Six Ministries to check for cheating.

The scholar surnamed Xie entered a separate room, where he studied the exam questions while grinding ink. He then took out a new brush from his pocket, dipped it in ink, and wrote three characters on the roster.

Xie Bo'an!