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

"...I have received the Mandate of Heaven to rule over all lands, and I am constantly vigilant, with the sole aim of finding virtuous and capable men."

The eunuch on the high platform began to read the Empress's edict in a drawn-out voice.

"In this peaceful era, we especially need capable officials to assist the nation and ensure the well-being of the people. Now, at the end of the Dingmao year, I have specially convened a grand court to personally select the candidates and hold a grand ceremony to choose the best talents. This is also my sincere desire to govern well..."

The eunuch loudly read out the imperial edict.

The hundreds of people in the room, whether they were scholars or officials of all ranks, all stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to speak.

Master Ning's chest rose and fell slightly as he breathed out small gasps.

After the eunuch read for a while, he secretly raised his eyelids and looked up at the steps of the high platform in front of him.

The platform is surrounded by steps on all four sides.

A large red carpet was laid out on top, and there were railings on the steps, which were vermilion in color.

"One...two...four...five...seven..."

He raised his eyelids step by step, counting the steps, and unconsciously raised his head as well.

After counting the steps, the lower half of a beaded curtain comes into view, trembling slightly.

Behind the curtain was the base of a golden dragon throne, and... a pair of embroidered shoes made of gold and red silk, and the hem of a bright red dragon robe.

Master Ning paused for a moment... a thought struck him, and he realized that these must be the Empress's shoes... His forehead tilted slightly upward.

At this moment, the eunuch paused.

Ning Nan felt a chill run down his spine.

He didn't know if the eunuch had seen him, but at this moment, regardless of whether the other party had seen him or not, he felt a little flustered. He immediately kept his head still and lowered his eyelids.

After the eunuch's voice rang out again, praising his "meritorious service to the nation and the blessings to all," he broke out in a cold sweat and slowly lowered his head.

"...Character and insight are of paramount importance. When I present my proposal in front of you, it is not merely to inquire about the verses and debate the meanings of the classics, but to observe your strategies for governing the world and your compassion for the people..."

"...Everyone should express their thoughts frankly and without reservation, without betraying their noble spirit..."

I don't know how much time passed.

"...I personally listened and made sure everyone knew."

The eunuch finished speaking with a long, drawn-out "zhi".

Gao Zhongwu, who was at the front, then loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, we obey!"

Following the eunuch's instructions from the previous day, these scholars echoed, "We humbly beseech Your Majesty's judgment and repay Your Majesty's great favor."

Immediately, all the civil and military officials bowed and shouted in unison:

"Your Majesty's selection of officials is a wise and decisive act, long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The white light outside the hall overshadowed the golden light from the lamps inside.

The long and solemn ceremony finally came to an end.

An official in a red robe stepped forward, bowing.

The eunuch on the high platform descended lightly, handed a brocade box to the official, and announced loudly:

"Please present the examination questions for this year's exam."

The red-robed official with a long beard held up the brocade box, showed it to everyone, tore off the seal, and opened the box.

These are the questions for this year's imperial examination.

The Court of State Ceremonial placed tables and desks in the side halls to the left and right of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Ning Nan and his group, in the left column, led by a green-robed official from the Court of State Ceremonial, exited the Fengtian Hall and headed towards the east side hall.

Not long after leaving the Fengtian Hall, a chorus of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" echoed from the hall again... The Emperor and his officials began to disperse.

The side hall also had a stove, and when you went in, a hot wind hit you.

Ning Nan clenched and unclenched his left hand, then opened it again to ease the stiffness in his fingers.

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were neatly arranged on the table.

Ning Nan lowered his head slightly and sat down calmly as arranged by the official in green robes.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial had already spread out a large sheet of paper in front of them, writing down the four essay questions for this year's imperial examination and placing them vertically in front.

Master Ning picked up the pen with his left hand, squinted slightly, and looked over. He silently wrote down the four policy essay questions on the paper.

During the Former Liang Dynasty, the palace examination only included one policy essay question, and the candidates could leave after answering it.

However, after the southward migration, reforms were implemented during the Fuye era, and the palace examination was changed to include four policy essay questions.

All candidates had to answer questions, and the exam lasted from morning to afternoon. The imperial kitchen was responsible for the candidates' meals.

The emperor's examiners were all important officials of the court.

The evaluation was conducted by these examiners. Not every essay needed to be a masterpiece. As long as one essay topic was particularly outstanding, it could be ranked in the top ten and had a chance to be selected by the emperor for the first class.

Therefore, test takers can focus their efforts on the essay they are best at.

This move is beneficial for selecting different talents, and those candidates with specialized skills will be assigned to various departments as officials.

Ning Nan looked at all four questions: "The Dispute Between Chinese and Barbarians", "Agriculture and Sericulture and Military Affairs", "Punishing Corruption in Officialdom", and "The Policy of Sea Ban".

I was somewhat surprised. Apart from "punishing corruption among officials" which had a slight connection to reform, the other three aspects had nothing to do with reform at all, which made things much easier.

He lightly touched the pen on each of the four questions, one with bold strokes, while the other three were just common topics.

One issue is the limited time; it's unlikely that you can write several articles well, and it might even backfire. Sticking to old topics might be a safer approach.

With that thought in mind, he placed his pen on the topic of "Agriculture, Sericulture and Military Affairs".

The other three questions were all addressed by people in the court who each had their own stance... that is, each had their own interests.

Only in the area of ​​"agriculture and sericulture" are everyone's interests aligned.

He had been farming in Lijia Village for over a decade, so he was naturally very familiar with the area.

After thinking for a moment, he breathed on his left palm and began to write...

……

……

The sun climbed to its zenith.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Her Majesty the Empress, dressed in a crimson dragon-patterned round-necked robe, glanced at a memorial with a red cover, frowned slightly, and after a few breaths, her face turned frosty.

To her left stood Zhang Qi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

"Bang!"

Zhu Cuiwei slammed the memorial onto the imperial desk and angrily said:

"I have already made things clear to them, yet Prince Anfeng and his ilk are still not giving up! They even dare to submit memorials?!"

The empress rarely got angry, and Zhang Qi couldn't help but feel a chill.

"Xuan Yan, Qing, and Wang Bing."

"Yes!" Zhang Qi immediately bowed his head.

Not long after.

Yan Yuqing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard with a full head of white hair but extremely vigorous spirit, and Wang Bing, the chief eunuch of the Inspectorate, stepped into the Qianqing Palace together.

Zhu Cuiwei looked at Yan Yuqing and asked, "How many mistakes have been prepared for Prince Anfeng's offspring?"

Yan Yuqing immediately nodded and said that Anfeng had many offspring. In addition to the legitimate prince, there were eight generals who protected the country, nineteen generals who assisted the country in the grandchildren, and nine great-grandchild generals who served the country.

The imperial family of Daliang inherited titles in eight ranks, with the salary of a Prince of the County being 2,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). Except for the eldest son who could inherit the title, the other sons were demoted to General of the State, with a salary of 1,000 shi. The salary of a great-grandson who became General of the State was reduced to 600 shi.

Yan Yuqing's face wrinkled as she said:

"Among the sons of the Prince of Anfeng, two had bullied women and forced them into his mansion as concubines; the victims have been found... Two had plotted to seize the property of merchants; one family has been wiped out... Among his grandchildren, three had secretly seized land... When the city wall was being built, two had abused their power for personal gain..."

Zhu Cuiwei interrupted in a cold and sharp voice:

"After submitting a memorial impeaching him, he was stripped of his official rank and reduced to commoner status before being handed over to the authorities for investigation!"

"Yes!" Yan Yuqing immediately bowed.

Zhu Cuiwei reached out and pulled out the other folded sheets of paper. After looking at them all, a vein throbbed on her forehead, and she snorted:

"Take all of these."

She had intended to throw down five or six folded books from the imperial clan together.

But Yan Yuqing was an elderly woman in her sixties, so she couldn't vent her anger on her. Instead, she handed the item over to a eunuch who was in charge of the household, and asked him to give it to Yan Yuqing.

"Eunuch Wang, Magistrate Yan, you two should investigate these princes again. Cut the Anfeng Prince's family's salary as much as possible, and cut at least three thousand shi of rice from the salaries of each of the other princes!"

Yan and Wang were startled and immediately nodded in agreement.

At this moment, the Court of State Ceremonial reported that the Imperial Kitchen had arranged meals for all the candidates taking the palace examination.

Her Majesty the Empress, her fair face flushed with anger, closed her eyes, took a breath, and nodded. Still somewhat uneasy, she raised a delicate eyebrow and said:

"Is it soup? Are spoons provided?"

The officials from the Court of State Ceremonial immediately bowed and nodded: "We have done everything according to His Majesty's instructions, preparing hot soup and spoons for this year's candidates. The candidates are very grateful for His Majesty's benevolence."

Zhu Cuiwei nodded, relieved, and waved her hand, dismissing everyone.

Warm your fingers with hot water.

She then wiped her face with warm water.

I ate a few pieces of pastry to fill my stomach.

I went to the courtyard to admire the plum blossoms and stayed there for a while.

Finally, she silently took a few breaths of cold air, went to the East Warm Pavilion, lay down on the couch, and the palace maid lit sandalwood incense for her and covered her with a blanket. She took a short nap, and her annoyance lessened as her eyes rested. After calming down, she returned to the main hall with the help of the palace maid, picked up her vermilion pen, and continued to review the memorials.

The sun is westward.

By the time the afternoon was almost over, the palace examination was about to end.

She returned to the East Warm Pavilion and changed into her green casual clothes.

He arrived back at the Ning residence before the young doctor.