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

However, the palace examination would not dismiss anyone. As the emperor, he would review the essays of the top ten successful candidates at dusk.

The top three scholars in the first-class ranking were named: the champion, the runner-up, and the third-place finisher.

The ranking of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examination) was thus determined.

Tomorrow will be the grand ceremony for announcing the winners.

The successful candidates in the imperial examinations would have their names announced in the Golden Hall.

As the emperor, he also had to speak with them one by one in the Fengtian Hall... In this way, there was really no way to avoid it.

After months of being tormented by complicated thoughts, the Empress felt a rare sense of helplessness.

After a long while, she gritted her teeth, closed her clothes, and got out of bed in a pair of embroidered shoes.

……

Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Qianqing Palace.

East Warm Pavilion.

"Your Majesty, you don't think this through as thoroughly as your aunt."

The thirty-year-old princess of Yongguo sat on a warm couch, holding her niece, who was dressed in a dragon robe, in her hand. With gentle eyes and a smile, she said:

"You're still young, and your sister-in-law passed away early. You don't even have anyone to confide in. It must have been tough for you."

Thinking of her mother, Zhu Cuiwei, dressed in a bright red dragon robe, was startled and lowered her head slightly.

Princess Yong glanced at her niece, deliberately rolled her eyes at her, and patted her hand, saying:

"Your Majesty has always been thoughtful since childhood. Now that you're married and grown up, your thoughts have only become more complicated."

Princess Yongguo said with pity, "If you ask me, there's no need for you to worry about that Ning boy."

"You even said you were worried he'd become the Grand Prince Consort, with all sorts of ambitions and stuff? What? If he weren't the Grand Prince Consort, would the Prime Minister of Qin just give him the position? Would all the officials in the Six Ministries just vacate their ministerial positions for him? You're seriously underestimating these important officials of Liang. Which official of the fifth rank or above isn't a remarkable person?"

"If he becomes the imperial son-in-law, he'll be controlled by others and unable to realize his ambitions; if he doesn't become the imperial son-in-law, he won't even have the right to be controlled by others! A talented scholar? A scholar who has passed the imperial examination?"

Zhu Cuiwei gently raised her head and looked at her aunt, who had a disdainful expression.

"Hmph!" Princess Yong snorted. "What talent? What scholar? What prodigy? Who doesn't wear a scarlet robe? Who isn't a talent? Who isn't a scholar?"

"Talented scholars... talented scholars who write poetry and lyrics. If you send the Imperial Guards into brothels and arrest them, nine out of ten will be talented scholars! Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)? There are hundreds of Jinshi in a single examination. What's so special about that? Let alone high-ranking officials in the Six Ministries, how many can even become officials in the capital? Child prodigies? Which county doesn't have child prodigies? Which village doesn't have child prodigies? Are child prodigies rare?"

"You," she said with a hint of exasperation, "you're just like the saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' always thinking that your husband is unique..." Zhu Cuiwei held her breath, her face slightly flushed.

"Hmph...just like my aunt."

Princess Yong laughed at her, then said self-deprecatingly:

"When your aunt was young, she married your uncle. At the time, she thought that your uncle came from an extraordinary family, was a scholar, had a brilliant way of speaking, and was handsome with striking features. If he hadn't married a princess, he would have easily passed the imperial examinations and become a high-ranking official! But since he married a princess, wasn't it a waste for him to marry your aunt?"

Princess Yong raised her voice, about to speak again, but then remembered that family scandals should not be aired in public, so she did not reveal the foolish and shameful deeds of the Imperial Son-in-Law, Commandant Qian. She only sighed and said:

"In short... the longer you spend time with him, the more you realize that your precious husband seems rather clueless in front of truly capable people..."

Princess Yongguo showed no respect for her husband.

As she spoke, she glanced at her niece, whose noodles were slightly red and who seemed a little worried, and said with a smile:

"How about this? His Majesty doesn't know how to say it? Then let your aunt talk to him, shall we?"

Zhu Cuiwei raised her head, revealing her fair neck.

Princess Yongguo laughed and said, "Anyway, isn't the announcement of the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations tomorrow? When the ceremony begins, I'll stay in the Qianqing Palace. Before the ceremony starts, you can have a eunuch summon him to the Qianqing Palace. I'll tell him your identity. When he sees you at the ceremony, he won't be alarmed, nor will he think you've deceived him."

"Then, his family elders can propose marriage, the Emperor will agree, and then the marriage will be officially granted. Wouldn't your marriage then proceed smoothly? And wouldn't your names be recorded in the Imperial Family Register?"

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Cuiwei, sitting on the couch in the East Warm Pavilion, couldn't help but silently breathe a sigh of relief.

In fact, when Princess Yongguo came to visit her today, she told her some things, which implied this meaning.

Princess Yongguo was his elder.

If someone is one's elder, then they are also his elder.

She also wrote a letter to the Marquis of Jingbei, asking him to tell Lady Xiao about the matter.

Madam Xiao was intelligent, generous, and understanding.

At that time.

With the Marquis of Jingbei as her uncle, Madam Xiao as her great-aunt, and her own aunt by her side, it was clear that she wasn't deceiving him. The matter should be settled... Zhu Cuiwei frowned slightly, secretly thinking to herself: I haven't settled accounts with you yet. You said I was Zhu Qingmian's maid!

With this thought, she felt a sense of certainty in her heart.

If three elders had told him in advance, things wouldn't have been so abrupt, and he would have been mentally prepared to suddenly see himself sitting on the throne during the imperial examination.

Given this person's sensitive and suspicious nature, there might be some resentment. However, once the grand ceremony of announcing the birth of the imperial family is over, and after spending more time together, their names will be entered into the imperial family register, followed by a grand wedding, and then... She pursed her lips, her hand involuntarily pressing her lower abdomen... and then... having a child... even the greatest resentment should dissipate.

Not long after.

Zhu Cuiwei felt relieved and saw her aunt out of the East Warm Pavilion.

He returned to the main hall of Qianqing Palace and wrote a letter to Marquis Jingbei.

After frowning and thinking for a while, the young empress felt that it was still not appropriate. She thought that the first month of the lunar calendar was approaching and the New Year was just around the corner.

He then gave the order, commanding Wang Bing to prepare a carriage and go to Lijia Village to bring his mother to Nanjing.

"Send someone to Lijia Village today, and decide the time accordingly. If the snow is heavy, don't leave; leave only when the snow stops. Tomorrow or the day after is fine. If the old lady doesn't want to come to Nanjing, send someone back by fast horse to report that I and my son-in-law will return to Lijia Village together then."

Wang Bing, who rushed over to receive orders, immediately nodded.

It was noon.

The snow stopped falling for a while.

After she finished her meal, she asked Zhang Qi how things were going at the Wenhua Hall.

Zhang Qi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, a report has come from the Wenhua Hall that the eight officials have finished reviewing the papers and are currently determining the rankings."

Zhu Cuiwei hummed in agreement and nodded slightly, without asking any further questions.

It was afternoon.

As she reviewed the memorials, she silently pondered how to evaluate the candidates for the top rank in the future.

This was actually something we considered when we were setting the questions. The top three in the first-class exam are not only related to the quality of the policy essays, but also to the questions we choose.

During the Northern Expedition and the Reform Movement, the debate between Chinese and barbarians and the punishment of corrupt officials were of paramount importance. The top three should be selected from these two types of outstanding policy essays.

Agriculture and sericulture, as well as the maritime ban, were not urgent matters. Presumably, the candidates were offering mostly the same old arguments, which would hardly win the favor of the eight examiners.

However, considering that the young doctor's handwriting was so poor, he had no hope of making it into the top ten, and she felt relieved.

The other party knew that their identity was about to be revealed. Given their personality, if they made it into the top ten, it would be just as I had imagined during the imperial examination.

If you don't help the other person get into the top tier, they'll probably be jealous, especially of the top two scholars.

If you point out that someone has advanced to the top rank, that person will probably start to wonder if you helped them get into the top rank.

I felt a strange mix of loss and relief.

As dusk approached, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial, the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the Ministry of Rites jointly presented the top ten essays from this year's palace examination to the Emperor.