The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The examination papers were reviewed in the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianyuan Hall, and were reviewed by the emperor himself.

Zhou Qian sat behind his desk, with three hundred examination papers spread out in front of him. Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Zhao Gao, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, served him.

Zhou Qian graded the papers slowly but with great focus. After finishing each paper, he would look up and remain silent for a moment, as if he were giving the paper a score in his mind.

He would nod slightly when he saw an excellent strategy.

Seeing an empty and meaningless article will make me frown and push the test paper aside.

Zhao stood by, holding a teacup, his gaze sweeping over the scrolls that had been pushed aside, noting down the names on them one by one.

When Zhou Qian saw Wang Anshi's policy essay, he tapped his fingers three times lightly on the table, pondered for a long time, and then suddenly looked up and asked Zhao Gao, "What do you think of this essay?"

Zhao Gao bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this man's strategies are like a sharp blade cleaving through wood, incisive and to the point. Every word he points out about the current problems hits the nail on the head. However, it is precisely because his sharpness is too exposed that he is easily broken."

Zhou Qian remained noncommittal and continued scrolling down.

When he saw Su Shi's policy essay, his eyes showed a hint of appreciation, especially lingering on the sentence "The world does not belong to one person, but to all people of the world" for a long time.

He didn't ask Zhao Gao's opinion, but simply put the paper aside.

When I saw Yao Guangxiao's policy essay, I remained silent for the longest time, reading it twice from beginning to end, especially pondering the last sentence, "The governance of the Great Zhou Dynasty lies not in restoring the past, nor in maintaining the status quo, but in innovating."

He raised his head, gazing at the twilight outside the window, and suddenly murmured to himself, "Since I ascended the throne, I have defended against the Xiongnu in the north, pacified the barbarians in the south, repaired the Grand Canal, and promoted culture and education. But my deepest regret is that I have never been able to find a way to help the Great Zhou escape the predicament that has plagued it for three hundred years. These young people today seem to see further than I have."

Three days later, the grand ceremony of announcing the winners will take place.

Beneath the steps of the Taiji Hall, three hundred tribute scholars knelt in unison, while the civil and military officials lined up on both sides, with banners fluttering and drums and music resounding.

Wang Zheng, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, personally presented the golden list and unfurled it on the steps of the palace. His high-pitched yet loud voice resonated throughout the entire square.

"Yao Guangxiao, the top scholar in the first class of the Bingchen imperial examination of the twenty-third year of Yonghe!"

Yao Guangxiao slowly rose from the queue, straightened his clothes, walked up the steps, and knelt down in the center of the imperial road.

His face showed neither elation nor fear, only a calm as still water.

"Second place in the first class, Wang Anshi!" Wang Anshi stood up, walked up the steps, and knelt to the right of Yao Guangxiao.

His back was still as straight as a javelin, but his eyes were slightly red.

In his previous life, he was called a "stubborn prime minister" by many when he promoted reforms. In this life, he is still stubborn, but this time he is no longer alone.

"Third place in the first class, Su Shi!" Su Shi stood up, straightened his clothes, strode up the steps, and knelt to the left of Yao Guangxiao.

He looked down at his blurry reflection on the white marble floor, a slight smile playing on his lips.

In his previous life, he also ranked third when he passed the imperial examination, and he still ranks third in this life. It seems that God thinks he hasn't had enough of being the "third-place scholar".

The three knelt on the steps of the palace, the spring sunlight pouring down from the golden roof of the Taiji Hall, casting a pale golden halo over their figures.

According to the custom of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the top three in the first rank were immediately granted official positions.

The top scholar, Yao Guangxiao, was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a sixth-rank official.

Wang Anshi, who ranked second in the imperial examination, was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a position of the seventh rank.

Su Shi, who ranked third in the imperial examination, was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a position of the seventh rank.

Although the Hanlin Academy was not of high rank, it was the highest starting point for civil officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Throughout history, eight or nine out of ten Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet came from the Hanlin Academy.

Those who passed the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy to observe politics meant that they had officially entered the reserve echelon of the power core of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After the announcement of the winners in the Golden Hall, a grand celebration was held in the capital as usual.

The newly appointed scholars, adorned with red ribbons and colorful decorations, rode tall, imperial-bestowed horses through the streets to celebrate, drawing massive crowds wherever they went.

People in the capital crowded the streets, eager to catch a glimpse of the top three scholars in the imperial examinations.

Su Shi waved to the crowd from his horse, occasionally bending down to take a peach blossom from a little girl by the roadside and tuck it into his clothes, which drew cheers from the crowd.

Wang Anshi sat on horseback with his eyes fixed straight ahead, only occasionally frowning and glaring at Su Shi when a flower petal he threw at his face hit him.

Yao Guangxiao rode at the very front of the procession, wearing a bright red brocade robe, his expression calm, with that unchanging mysterious smile on his lips.

As the procession passed Qipan Street and the entrance of Shengyuan Bank, Yidun and Lei Lutai stood side by side on the steps, watching the scene from afar.

Yi Dun's gaze lingered on Yao Guangxiao for a moment, then he whispered something to Lei Lutai.

Lei Lutai nodded slightly, and the two turned and went back to the bank.

As the convoy passed Tongzhou Wharf, Shangguan Jinhong was standing under an old willow tree checking the newly arrived cargo manifest.

He saw three tall horses passing through the city gate from afar, and the one riding in front was Yao Guangxiao.

Without putting down the shipping manifest in his hand, he turned around and whispered to the gang behind him, "The new top scholar has arrived. From now on, all official ships of the Hanlin Academy at the dock will be given priority in berthing."

The helpers nodded and noted it down. Shangguan Jin Hong looked down at the order form again, but inadvertently drew an extra line on the edge of the paper with her charcoal pencil.

That was his habit of recording important events.

As dusk settled, the palace lanterns lit up one by one.

In the Ninth Prince's side hall, Zhou Xing, as usual, sat by the window practicing calligraphy.

When Chunlan came in to light the lamp, he was copying a passage from the "Geography of the Great Zhou Dynasty" about border military settlements.

Chunlan placed the lamp on the table, added a spoonful of calming incense to the incense burner, and then quietly withdrew.

After she left, Zhou Xing put down his pen and took out a thin, cicada-wing-like piece of paper from the drawer.

It was hidden in a compartment of the food box that the Imperial Kitchen sent tonight.

The note had three lines written in neat small handwriting:

"Yao Guangxiao, the top scholar in the imperial examination, was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, holding the rank of sixth grade."

"Wang Anshi, second in the imperial examination, compiler of the Hanlin Academy, seventh rank."

"Su Shi, third-ranked scholar, compiler of the Hanlin Academy, seventh-rank official."

Zhao Gao: All three of them have entered the Hanlin Academy, so you can rest assured, Master. Wang Zheng has already made a three-year agreement.

"Furthermore, when His Majesty reviewed the papers, he highly praised the three policy essays by Yao, Wang, and Su, without having any doubts."

Zhou Xing held the paper to the candle flame and lit it, watching it turn to ashes and fall into the copper plate.

Then he spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, picked up a brush, and wrote two characters on it: "Enter the Game".