After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"Minister Yan, Eunuch Wang, what do you think?"

The Empress's clear voice carried a hint of sorrow and worry.

She seemed genuinely worried about whether her husband would pass the imperial examination.

That's why I asked my two trusted ministers.

Yan Yuqing frowned her white eyebrows.

As the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, after Shangguan Yun took charge of the northern two cities, she, in her sixties, even temporarily assumed the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, no matter how high their position or how much power they wielded, they had no right to interfere with the imperial examinations.

Let alone the most prestigious provincial examination, even the most basic county examination was a death sentence for anyone who tried it.

So neither she nor Wang Bing, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Censorate, knew whether their son-in-law would pass the exam.

Yan Yuqing glanced at Her Majesty the Empress's fair and pretty face, though Her Majesty's face showed worry.

However, as one of Her Majesty's teachers since childhood, he watched Her Majesty grow up.

Yan Yuqing could naturally hear the hint of joy hidden in the Empress's words, and even a touch of the excitement that should belong to a little girl.

A warmth filled her heart, and she felt that today was perhaps the happiest day His Majesty had been on the throne for several months.

Although I don't know where this joy comes from, I can only say nice things at this moment.

The white-haired old woman, who rarely showed such kindness, then said gently:

"Your Majesty, the difficulty of the imperial examinations is no less than climbing a ladder to heaven."

"My son-in-law is already a genius for passing the provincial examination in Southern Zhili, so it should be only natural that he passes the imperial examination."

"Even if he fails this year's examination, given his age, if he succeeds in the next one, he will be a rare talent, one in a hundred years. Your Majesty, please do not worry."

Inside the carriage, Zhu Cuiwei remained silent for a moment. After a long while, she seemed to think that Yan Yuqing was right, so she nodded slightly and hummed in agreement.

At this moment, the eunuch Wang Bing shook his head and said:

"Commander Yan is mistaken, Your Majesty. In my humble opinion, the chances of my son-in-law passing the imperial examination this year are extremely slim. There are at least three unfavorable events for him, and many more. Your Majesty should not have too high hopes."

He should actually be called "Yan Tongzhi" (Commander Yan), but he specifically called him "Yan Zhihuishi" (Commander Yan).

Zhu Cuiwei frowned in confusion and said, "Oh?" She glanced at the eunuch from the Directorate of Assassination and said:

"Scarce hope? Three unfavorable factors?"

Wang Bing nodded and said:

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case."

"This imperial examination is a special one held by His Majesty upon his ascension to the throne, and very few officials will be selected."

"In the past, there were two hundred candidates in each session. The officials in the court had already decided that this year's selection would be around sixty out of ten. This is far less than in normal years... This is certainly one of the disadvantages."

"Oh..." Zhu Cuiwei nodded as if she suddenly realized.

Wang Bing glanced at His Majesty's expression, felt slightly relieved, and then said:

"In addition, because the Tartars participated in the imperial examination this year, the Southerners were all holding their breath, and the number of people participating in the imperial examination this year increased greatly!"

"Last year's top scholar in Southern Zhili, Yang Gu; the talented scholar from Sichuan, Zhao Shiheng; the child prodigy from Suzhou, You Muyuan; and the brilliant Zhang Kezai, who failed the metropolitan examination last year, have all participated in this year's examination. It's no exaggeration to say that it's a fierce competition!"

Wang Bing raised his voice, sighed, and said again:

"I've even heard that Qin Yun, the grandson of the Prime Minister Qin, withdrew from this year's imperial examination for this very reason."

Zhu Cuiwei's eyes lit up slightly, but her brows furrowed: "So many talented scholars this year?"

Wang Bing smiled wryly and said, "It's absolutely true... Since His Majesty ascended the throne, talented people have emerged in the Great Liang like fish crossing a river, and in an instant, the prosperity of the Tianqi era has been continued."

Yan Yuqing raised her white eyebrows: "Wang Bing, that sly fellow, used the word 'continuation' to praise His Majesty, and in a way, he not only didn't belittle the former Emperor, but also praised the former Emperor."

Zhu Cuiwei remained noncommittal, and after a while, smiled and said:

"Eunuch Wang, what is the third unfavorable thing?"

Wang Bing sighed slightly and said:

"Your Majesty... those are naturally the two chief examiners of this year's imperial examination."

"Sun Gong advocated the reforms of the Holy Dynasty, while Li Gong valued the stability of the state; each had his own preferences."

"When candidates for the imperial examinations are writing their essays, even a small preference of these two officials could lead to their immediate rejection. To stand out under such circumstances, to win the favor of one official without incurring the displeasure of the other, would be extremely difficult..."

Zhu Cuiwei pursed her lips silently, and after a long while, she sighed and said:

"What Eunuch Wang says is absolutely right. In this light, this year's imperial examination is indeed extremely difficult."

Yan Yuqing glanced at His Majesty and reassured him, "Your Majesty, rest assured, with the son-in-law's abilities..."

"Boom boom boom!" Before the words were finished, a series of thunderous footsteps and agitation came from outside the examination hall.

The carriage they were riding in was shaking, but fortunately the horses pulling the carriage were well-trained and had cloth strips stuffed in their ears, so they were not startled and ran away.

Wang Bing quickly lowered his head and said:

"Your Majesty, the results of the imperial examinations have been released..."

Zhu Cuiwei pursed her lips and silently held her breath for a moment.

The disturbance at the examination hall did not last long.

A plainclothes Imperial Guard hurried over from a distance, jumped onto the carriage, squatted outside the carriage curtain, and whispered urgently:

"Important message to Magistrate Yan! Something has happened at Heming Tower!"

Inside the carriage, Yan Yuqing narrowed his old eyes:

"explain!"

Spy Report:

"Inside Heming Tower, Lu Jing provokes Miss Gongsun of Bailu Academy to drink... Last year, Yang Gu, the top scholar from Southern Zhili, stepped forward... Lu Jing then provokes Yang Gu to drink again, saying that if Yang Gu drinks this cup within ten breaths, he will let Wu Shangmei go. Provoked, Yang Gu drinks the cup of wine that Lu Jing has poured for him..."

Upon hearing Lu Jing provoke Gongsun Heng into drinking, Zhu Cuiwei, who had been paying close attention to the announcements, suddenly narrowed her eyes.

Only then did she realize that the female disciple who called her "Master's Wife" had also come. Her heart clenched, but she breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that Yang Gu had stepped forward. She thought to herself that Headmaster Gongsun had been too careless.

If she had such a daughter, she wouldn't dare let her wander around outside like that every day.

He thought to himself that it would be better to arrange for a few skilled maids to accompany his female disciple, so that he wouldn't regret it if something really happened.

In this battle of egos, Yang Gu's character and methods are far inferior to Lu Jing's. Why would Wu Shangmei need Yang Gu's help...? Yan Yuqing sighed inwardly several times, then said in a deep voice:

"and then?"

When Yang Gu heard that he had to finish the drink in ten breaths, he thought the other party was testing his drinking capacity to see if he could drink the whole cup in one go. So he laughed loudly and said, "If I, Yang, cannot finish it in three breaths, then I am unworthy of being called an old worm of wine!"

Zhu Cuiwei originally had no impression of Yang Gu, but after hearing what he said, she thought he was not bad and would be a capable official in the future.

Wang Bing also praised, "Yang Jieyuan has a certain heroic spirit."

Yan Yuqing glanced at the eunuch and said noncommittally:

"Such a simple thing, shouldn't everything be fine after drinking it?"

The scout sighed and said:

"Lord Yan, that's not the case. The moment Yang Gu touched the wine bowl... his face changed color! He immediately withdrew his hand, not daring to pick up the bowl..."

Yan Yuqing's white eyebrows shot up: "What's going on?"

The scout smiled wryly:

"We and the others were also very surprised. We originally thought that the Prince wanted to befriend the students of Bailu Academy and sent Lu Jing to make friends with them over wine... But we never expected that they were really making things difficult for Yang Gu... My lord, that wine... that wine..."

After a few pauses, the scout sighed and said:

"Extremely hot!"

Yan Yuqing was startled, but then she realized what was going on. It seemed that Lu Jing was trying to make things difficult for Yang Gu by serving wine that was kept extremely hot.

Her white hair trembled, and she felt that Lu Jing was truly ruthless. "Smack!" The white-haired old woman slammed her hand on the car seat and roared angrily.

"That damned Lu Jing! In the years he's been at the Imperial Academy, has our dynasty ever made things difficult for him? Now that his master has arrived, he's truly become a groveling dog! Turning his back to bite the talented scholar of Great Liang!"

Wang Bing frowned and said:

"Did Yang Gu drink it?"

The scout shook his head in denial:

"The wine was extremely hot, and Yang Gu's hands were already red from the heat when he picked it up. As soon as he touched his lips, blisters appeared. Yang Gu cursed, 'Brother Lu, why are you making things so difficult for me?' He was about to put the bowl down when, unexpectedly..."

Yan Yuqing frowned: "How is it?"

The scout sighed, "One of the guards of the Northern Dynasty's prince stepped forward, grabbed Yang Jieyuan's head with one hand, and picked up the bowl of wine with the other, pouring the scalding hot wine... scalding hot wine... all of it into Yang Jieyuan's mouth!"

Zhu Cuiwei's eyebrows shot up!

Yan Yuqing's hair had turned completely white, and he immediately flew into a rage, saying:

"What a Tartar! What a Lu Jing!"

With a sudden jerk, she flung open the carriage curtains, her white hair billowing in the damp breeze of the Qinhuai River, her slightly graying eyes glaring fiercely at the scout.

"Where is Shang Jiuyang? Is he dead?!"

The scout, glared at by the enraged commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, swallowed hard, his face paling slightly, and quickly said:

"Commander Shang... Commander Shang is also angry. He was just about to lead his men to relieve the situation... but... but..."

"But what but?" Yan Yuqing cursed.

The scout's eyes widened in alarm, and he said urgently, "But...but...the young master is here..."

Yan Yuqing was taken aback.

"My aunt and uncle... just then they arrived..."

"Miss Gongsun stood in front of her son-in-law and cried. She pointed at Lu Jing, her eyes streaked with tears, and said a few words to him... The son-in-law immediately sprang into action, a little faster than Commander Shang on the second floor..."

"Captain Qian threw the Tartar guard out..."

"The son-in-law walked over, grabbed Lu Jing's head... and shoved it, shoved it, into the pot of warm, scalding hot wine..."