Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

Inside the imperial study, Chen Shao was surrounded by folded paper documents sent from prison.

Next to it were a dozen or so pages of paper covered with tiny, densely packed handwriting.

These are all opinions raised by Hai Rui regarding folding.

The word is like its person.

Although the ink marks varied in density, each one was neat and powerful, penetrating the paper.

Chen Shao had been watching for half an hour, and the more he watched, the more he couldn't stop.

It actually felt like drinking fine wine.

For example, Xu Baoyi petitioned to rebuild the defenses of Huaiyuan City as a southern barrier for the capital.

At the same time, they requested the imperial court to send troops to wipe out the surrounding bandit strongholds in one fell swoop.

A long list of required items was compiled.

Hai Rui's suggestion is:

My estimate of the exact amount is not much different from the list.

However, the imperial court is currently in dire straits, and Huaiyuan need not be completed all at once.

We can adopt a simultaneous repair and maintenance approach, which can control expenses and not delay the construction period.

The biggest expense in suppressing bandits is not fighting, but maintaining the army.

It is suggested that large bandit strongholds be targeted for annihilation as a warning to others, and that prisoners be organized into fortification teams, working in exchange for food.

For example, some people impeached the powerful families for seizing farmland from the people in Tongzhou.

Hai Rui then proposed the insidious scheme of investigating one and releasing two.

The memorial submitted by the Minister of Personnel impeaching Chen Shao for faking supernatural phenomena.

Hai Rui simply said four words: This person should be killed.

After reading it all, Chen Shao realized even more that this person truly deserved his 103rd position in domestic affairs.

She is both firm and gentle, considers issues thoroughly, and most importantly, knows how to protect herself.

He wasn't the kind of hotheaded, outspoken official who thought that criticizing the emperor a few times would make him famous in history and that he would die for it.

"If you add his peculiar habits, he does bear some resemblance to Wang Anshi..."

"He's someone important."

Chen Shao said this softly.

A series of light footsteps came from outside, and Eunuch Wei pushed open the door and came in.

His old face was full of misfortune.

"Your Majesty, this old servant has returned."

Chen Shao put the folded book aside: "How is it?"

"Don't even mention it."

Eunuch Wei was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

"That bastard is like a rock in a latrine—stinky and hard!"

"I disguised myself as a fortune teller and went to deliver a question to him. He glanced at me and said something like, 'You have too much yin energy on you. Stay away from me.'"

"This old servant has changed identities several times, but this person is truly not worth dealing with..."

"Get lost! Those who say the imperial examinations are for the country's benefit, not for backdoor deals, get out!"

Chen Shao chuckled to himself.

"Didn't you expose me?"

"How dare this old servant?"

If word got out that the emperor was begging someone to cheat, the whole world would be shocked.

"Let's leave it at that for now."

Chen Shao was also helpless, and then changed the subject.

"The Minister of Personnel is concurrently held by Han Cao. Who is the Vice Minister of Personnel? Is he one of Han Cao's men?"

"It's Zhou Li, and this man is Han Cao Tiegan."

"Pass a note to Han Cao, asking him to find a pretext to transfer Zhou Li away, and then recommend Hai Rui to be the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"If he is unwilling, let him enter the palace, and I will speak with him face to face."

Eunuch Wei had long admired Chen Shao's talent for employing people.

Nowadays, people are simply blindly following others.

Hearing this, he smiled and said:

"He wouldn't dare come. It's not that this old servant is being nosy, but Your Majesty's two bloody incidents in court have solidified your public image."

"In Han Xiang's eyes, you are a tyrant who doesn't care about the consequences, and he is terrified of you now."

"But little did he know, His Majesty has a very good temper..."

"Alright, alright, go on now."

......

......

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

Today marks the first imperial examination since Chen Shao ascended the throne.

Before dawn, the long street in front of the examination hall was already crowded with people.

Some were still cramming at the last minute, muttering to themselves.

More often, they would gather in small groups, whispering and trying to glean some clues about the policy essay questions from each other.

Some people stood there alone, closing their eyes to rest.

Soon, they started calling out numbers for entry.

The Imperial Guards stood in two rows on either side of the main gate of the Imperial Examination Hall.

The flying fish suit looks incredibly cool, but it gives off a feeling of being a demon from hell.

They placed their hands on the knife handles, their eyes sweeping over each student queuing to enter.

It was incredibly oppressive.

"What do you think will be tested on the policy essay section?"

"Is that even a question? It's the Northern Expedition. This is practically an open-book exam, but the more open the exam, the more difficult it becomes."

To know everything is the same as to know nothing.

If everyone knows the questions, how competitive will it be?

How can an ordinary idea stand out?

"Alas, I've also prepared a strategy for the Northern Expedition, from advancing on three fronts to cutting off their supply lines, using Lulong as a springboard... It doesn't feel right, it seems like everyone's writing it like this."

"What I'm thinking of is to subdue the enemy without fighting, to win them over with virtue, and to make the Northern Barbarians surrender on their own."

"You know nothing. No matter how much you write, it's all just empty talk. There are so many ministers in the court. Do they need us greenhorns to give their opinions? The topic is obvious. It asks us to support the Northern Expedition. As long as we grasp this direction, at least we can guarantee that we won't fail the exam."

"Huh? That makes sense."

Huang Chao also stood in the crowd, without participating in the discussion.

But he has such a terrible temper that it's really disgusting to listen to him.

He couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

"Speculating on these things is useless. Since we are full of knowledge, we should be able to answer whatever the exam is about with ease. If the exam is about the Northern Expedition, we should have brilliant strategies that will make people applaud. If the exam is about governing the country, we should have eloquent and steady writings."

Instead of speculating about these things, we should think about the overall situation of the world.

His words displeased the others.

These words sound like someone who is last in the class telling the top student in the whole school how to get good grades.

You're a terrible student, how are you going to teach us how to take exams?

"Full of knowledge? You've been taking the exam for twenty years and you still have the nerve to say that? If you were truly full of knowledge, would you have wasted so much time?"

"Brother Huang, you have a really good attitude. You fight and lose, but you keep fighting. You just fall asleep wherever you fall."

Some people were too lazy to argue with him.

He simply shook his head slightly; there was a reason why he had failed repeatedly.

So incompetent and arrogant, he deserves to fail the exam for life.

Soon, the line stretched to the front, and the Imperial Guards checked each student entering the venue.

This exam was unprecedentedly strict; anyone caught cheating would be exiled to the army.

In serious cases, the weapons were loaded into catapults and fired into the Northern Mang camp during the Northern Expedition.

No one dared to take shortcuts.

There's very little chance of anyone secretly keeping anything.

In this way, the efficiency of the inspection is very high.

Body search, document verification, facial recognition... all done in an orderly manner.

Once you enter the gate, you'll find yourself in a completely different world.

The Great Yan Dynasty had held many imperial examinations, and the examination hall was enormous.

Rows of numbered rooms stretched as far as the eye could see.

Each cell is only three feet square, just enough for one person to turn around.

Inside the cell was a narrow table and a hard wooden stool.

At the end of the passageway stands a large drum, which serves as the signal for the start and end of the exam.

Every few dozen steps, a member of the Imperial Guard stood with his sword at the ready.

This prompted many to remark that the rigor of this imperial examination was unprecedented.

Huang Chao was assigned to cell number seventy-six.

But just as he was about to go in, the Imperial Guards informed him that the room had been damaged.

Then I was taken to an examination room that was comparable to a presidential suite.

It turned out to be a study that had been temporarily set up in a secluded place.

It has everything except books.

There are even beds available to sleep in.

Huang Chao shook his head helplessly, realizing he was truly lucky.

But none of that mattered to him.

A wise person does not rely on external things.

A simple meal and a gourd of water, living in a humble alley, do not diminish their joy.

Where the heart is steadfast, the environment will not sway it.

He took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and began preparing for the exam.

After a while.

A drumbeat signaled the start of the imperial examinations.

The imperial examination system of this era was quite different from that of ancient times.

There are very few questions, so it won't be a long, drawn-out exam.

The first question was about the meaning of scriptures. A sentence was taken from a vast collection of books, and students were asked to write the rest of the text from memory.

To assess the student's extensive reading and level of effort.

There are no special techniques, it's all about rote memorization.

The second question was to compose a poem, song, or lyric at will.

Sometimes the questions aren't even restricted.

These two questions account for a very small percentage.

The most important part is the policy essay in the third question.

It can be said that whether one could pass the imperial examination depended almost entirely on this one question.

There is no doubt that writing good policy essays indicates strong overall ability.

Huang Chaoxian read it all carefully.

Just like in previous exams, he immediately felt confident and prepared.

I feel it would be a shame if I didn't get first place this time.

The first question was too easy, so he wrote it down quickly without even thinking about it.

Question 2.

Please compose a poem that can express your disappointment and also demonstrate your indomitable spirit.

Poetry and lyrics are just minor arts.

Huang Chao was very good at this, but he usually thought it was useless and not worth mentioning to outsiders.

As for this topic... he's very familiar with it.

It was as if it was tailor-made for him.

Who in the world has failed as many exams as I have?

Who can match the depth of their own disappointment...?

After a moment's thought, he recalled the story of Emperor Shun playing the five-stringed zither and singing the "Song of the South Wind".

The gentle south wind can soothe the anger of my people.

The imperial examination was a path to officialdom, aspiring to become a virtuous minister and bring peace and prosperity to the people for the emperor.

Over the years, he has remained uncompetitive and devoted himself to scholarship.

A mix of emotions.

Without further hesitation, Huang Chao picked up his pen and wrote:

It does not compete with the spring breeze for beauty, but shines forth in the solemnity of autumn.

If one day I were to unleash my gentle hand, the entire city would be adorned in golden armor.

After he finished writing, he looked at it repeatedly.

He smiled with satisfaction.

"I want to be like this autumn chrysanthemum, achieving great deeds so that the whole world may be bathed in the Emperor's grace!"

"Let the Great Yan Dynasty be great again, becoming a peaceful and prosperous age like a golden chrysanthemum!"

......

There are only two days left in July, and the bookstore isn't giving me enough credit. Fellow readers, please give me a good review to cheer me up!

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