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

A few flakes of snow rested on my shoulder, and the wind blew by, making a whooshing sound like a ghost's wail.

After visiting Master Ning, one of the Grand Secretaries of the court, he left a series of footprints in the snow.

She exhaled a small breath, the white vapor dissipating in the wind, and her eyes relaxed.

The familiar Liu Zhenxi, a scholar of the Dongge Pavilion, was a scholar of the same name.

Grand Secretary Li, however, was a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. Although both were in the cabinet, Grand Secretary Li's status was a notch higher than that of Grand Secretary Liu.

However, Grand Scholar Liu was a literary figure of the Southern Dynasties, holding a transcendent position in the literary world. He did not usually assist the emperor in drafting documents in the cabinet, but instead presided over the compilation of history in the Hanlin Academy, and was occasionally consulted by the emperor on political affairs.

After he passed the imperial examination with top honors, the Grand Scholar Liu sent him a Duan inkstone the day before yesterday and also wrote him a letter.

If one passes the imperial examination this year and achieves the highest rank, one will naturally be directly admitted to the Hanlin Academy as a compiler or editor.

Even if he fails the exam, Grand Secretary Liu can still recommend him as a probationary official and he can still enter the Hanlin Academy.

In the Liang Dynasty, almost only officials from the Hanlin Academy were qualified to enter the Grand Secretariat and serve as ministers of the Six Ministries.

The current cabinet and the six ministers are all from the Hanlin Academy.

Ning Nan was naturally grateful for this promise and wrote a reply to Scholar Liu.

The carriage stopped not far from the gate of the Li residence.

Upon seeing him arrive, Uncle Ping jumped off the carriage, greeted him with a simple and honest "Master," and put down a low stool.

Ning Nan hummed in agreement and stepped into the carriage.

After getting into the carriage, I picked up a warm hand warmer and put it in my arms, which naturally dispelled much of the cold.

My visit to this Minister Li today... well... it didn't go very smoothly.

Leaning back against the soft cushions, Mr. Ning, the top scholar in the imperial examination, gave a bitter smile.

The other party cut to the chase, asking him directly, "What is Bai Xuan's opinion on the reform?"

His heart skipped a beat; he realized that Grand Secretary Li wanted him to take sides.

His expression remained unchanged, and he casually said a few words. While his main point was to support preserving the foundation of the nation, he did not explicitly oppose reform.

Grand Secretary Li was naturally not very satisfied with this, but he didn't show it on his face. He chuckled twice and then picked up his tea.

Serving tea is a way of saying goodbye to guests.

He immediately and honestly took his leave.

It seems that Grand Secretary Li will never be able to board this ship again.

I feel regret, but I wouldn't call it regret.

The reformists and the moderates haven't even really started fighting yet, but they're already so tense. It's likely that things will descend into chaos later on.

He had long planned to stay out of it and spend a few years in the Hanlin Academy to hide away.

From the perspective of official career alone, he might not be given important responsibilities in the early stages.

But as the situation gradually became clearer, after he had cultivated enough prestige in the Hanlin Academy, he was sent to a post outside the capital for a few years. When he returned to the capital, no matter which faction won, he would not necessarily be inferior to others...

Ning Nan silently pondered these things as the carriage left two long ruts in the snow.

Before long, Uncle Ping called out a few times and stopped the carriage outside the residence of "Junior Tutor" Sun Chengshan...

……

……

"The Changzhou Prefecture respectfully reports that this year's autumn harvest was poor, and many people froze to death in the fields. After Qin, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, conducted disaster relief in Changzhou, the situation has been greatly alleviated. We respectfully request the court to allocate grain seeds for spring planting... The Cabinet's comment: Qin is ordered to allocate grain seeds from the Suzhou Prefecture's Ever-Normal Granary, to act as he sees fit. Imperial edict: Lu Machang, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is to accompany him."

"Imperial Censor Xu Longdao respectfully reports: By order of His Majesty, in February, I inspected the garrisons in Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Hunan. The garrisons were of varying quality. The best were the Ji'an Thousand-Household Garrison, which guarded its territory and ensured the safety of the people, preventing any offenses against passing caravans. The worst were the corrupt garrisons, such as the Nanchang Garrison Commander Cao Xing, who was embezzling public funds, causing great distress to the military households. Many soldiers had absconded, and some were as wealthy as the Shi and Wang families... The Cabinet's commentary: Dismiss Cao Xing from his post. Send officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War to the Nanchang Garrison to jointly investigate with the Jiangxi Provincial Judicial Commissioner and the Provincial Military Commissioner. Imperial Edict: Thorough investigation."

"The Governor's Office of Huguang respectfully reports that, in order to procure grain, all prefectures in Huguang have relied on the Emperor's grace and devoted themselves to the task. The grain and fodder were transported by river and land to the capital... The Cabinet commented: With spring plowing imminent, the procurement of grain should be done properly. Imperial Edict: The Governor's Office has made meritorious contributions in supervising the grain procurement and is hereby commended."

"The Prefect of Yongzhou impeached the Governor's Office of Huguang, accusing it of excessively coercing grain taxes, acting like cruel officials, causing widespread suffering among the people. The mere mention of the Governor's grain-collecting convoy is like the sound of tigers and wolves, leading to widespread misery in Yongzhou, a surge in outlaws, and the outbreak of a popular uprising! The local Tianli Sect rebel Chen Fu has gathered eight villages to rebel, attacking prefectures and counties, suffering heavy losses… The Cabinet: Orders the Governor's Office to supervise the joint suppression by the Yongzhou and Changsha garrisons, executing the ringleaders and their entire families. Imperial Edict: Appoints Xichuan to oversee the garrisons of Huguang, to quell the rebellion within ten days."

"The Dazhou Prefecture of Sichuan Province presented a thousand bolts of brocade and a thousand dan of rice as tribute to Your Majesty on the eve of the New Year... The Cabinet's annotation: to be deposited into Your Majesty's private treasury. Imperial edict: to be deposited into the national treasury."

"The Ministry of Rites reports that the alliance with the Northern Dynasty has been finalized after several months, and the treaty has been submitted to the Grand Secretariat for Your Majesty's consideration... Furthermore, it reports that the Prince Yi of the Northern Dynasty, who admires Your Majesty's countenance, requests an audience with Your Majesty... The Grand Secretariat's comment: Submit to Your Majesty for deliberation. The Emperor's edict: Do not see him."

……

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Empress, dressed in a bright red round-necked dragon robe, slowly finished reviewing one memorial after another, and silently took a breath.

The eunuch in charge of the seals helped her stamp them and put them away neatly in their respective categories.

Zhu Cuiwei's eyes glazed over for a moment, and her fair fingers twitched as she put down the pen in her hand.

The stove inside the hall was burning charcoal, yet her fingers still felt a little cold, and her eyes were somewhat lowered.

"Reform..." The young empress murmured, a slight pain in her forehead, "It seems inevitable..."

Zhang Qi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stood beside the imperial desk, holding the imperial seal in his hand, head bowed, silent.

Since the southward migration, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had become far less powerful than before. He was well aware of this, and the Empress ruled unilaterally, speaking only to herself. He dared not offer any objections.

A palace maid brought over a golden basin and hot water. Zhu Cuiwei warmed her fingers with the hot water, while another maid wrung out a hot towel and wiped the Empress's fingers. She then asked, "Does Your Majesty wish to have a meal?"

Zhu Cuiwei shook her head absentmindedly, a hint of worry appearing on her fair face.

When Grand Tutor Gu was supervising grain transport in Huguang, he eventually drove the villagers of several villages in Yongzhou to rebellion. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a secret report that the Heavenly Principle Sect was behind it, Gu still managed to do so.

It is likely that the gentry behind Yongzhou also contributed to opposing the grain requisition and the reforms.

However, the people rebelled, which is an indisputable fact.

With Grand Tutor Gu's swift and decisive methods, this popular uprising was naturally quelled.

But defending the borders requires grain, and the Northern Expedition requires even more. If, without reforming the system, this grain can only be obtained from the people... it's only a matter of time before we follow in the footsteps of the Former Liang Dynasty, which was plagued by constant internal rebellions and external threats from the Tartars...

After the palace maid helped her dry her fingers, she glanced outside and saw heavy snow falling and snowflakes drifting down.

He then decided to stand up and go outside the palace to enjoy the snow, hoping to soothe his sore eyes.

As she moved her robes and placed her hand on the imperial desk, she noticed a slender red and green glass object hanging on a brush holder in the left corner of the desk, swaying slightly.

The young empress's eyes widened as she stared at the exquisitely crafted, lustrous, yet ultimately useless glass object. After a moment of stunned silence, her lips curved slightly, a hint of helplessness in her heart.