Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

The Minister of War said with a smile, "This is someone who was specially granted a bachelor's degree by the Empress! Someone who can get Her Majesty's favor will be in the news in a couple of days, and the whole country will know about her! How can I not get to know her first?"

what?

The Empress granted special permission for me to upgrade my associate's degree to a bachelor's degree?

Everyone gasped in surprise. A bachelor's degree after a junior college degree—this was a rare sight that hadn't been seen in many years, and it was even specially approved by the Empress!

Who exactly is her powerful backer and mentor that she deserves such an honor?!

Ignoring the astonished crowd, the Minister of War asked the principal about Tong Chuxue's performance since arriving at Wanfa University.

The principal thought to himself that Tong Chuxue had only come to the university to give a report two days ago, so what kind of trivial performance could she possibly have? But in front of this official who was two ranks higher than him, he still hurriedly flattered her, saying, "Student Tong is the most responsible, dedicated, outstanding, and conscientious person in our school. The school has always been people-oriented and has always taken good care of students like her who can stand out from the bottom..."

Hatsune Miku, who had been so confident of victory, paused for a moment, then pointed to herself: "Which... Principal, you said I was the most responsible, most dedicated, most outstanding, and most diligent student! I even gave your family gifts!"

"You are..." The principal looked bewildered.

"Hatsune Miku! Miku Miku with a triangle shape!"

"Oh, it's that calendar." The principal waved his hand. "I don't hold grudges."

Chapter 112, Tong Chuxue's True Desire

After the Minister of War exchanged pleasantries with Tong Chuxue and accepted the favor token she offered, the highly anticipated imperial examination for officials in the capital finally officially began.

As the candidates entered the examination hall one by one, what they saw was not the desks and exam papers of a typical exam, but rather a sky full of floating, illusory bubbles.

"This is a Dream Bubble, which was born from the spark of 'dream'. You must have heard of it before."

The high-ranking official from the Ministry of Revenue, who was serving as the deputy examiner, stepped forward and explained in a loud voice: "After you touch the dream bubble and enter the illusion, you will temporarily forget your memories of being in the examination hall and face all kinds of temptations in the world. Only those who uphold their original intentions, have a firm will, adhere to their loyalty to the empire, and successfully complete the illusion mission can obtain high scores."

"This exam will be jointly graded by myself, Principal Wanfa, and the Minister of War. Those who rank in the top ten in terms of average score will be directly promoted to Gongshi and will be qualified to participate in the palace examination and have an audience with His Majesty in person."

There are only ten spots available!

The more than 300 candidates gathered in front of the examination hall were all outstanding individuals of their generation: each with profound knowledge and an air of scholarship, each holding one of the ten academic credentials, and all top test-takers who had fought their way through the brutal college entrance examination, making it a veritable gathering of heroes.

The difficulty of competing for one of the ten available spots in the imperial examination amidst such formidable competition is self-evident.

Correspondingly, the post-examination treatment was extremely generous—unlike the examinations for ordinary officials in other places, the capital city fully preserved the tradition of the ancient imperial examination system: becoming a tribute student meant one could participate in the palace examination and meet the emperor!

After that, as long as there are no major mistakes during the palace examination, one is guaranteed to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and entering the court as an official means starting as the head of a county, with unlimited potential!

Of course, it's also quite difficult.

Compared to ordinary exams that focus on knowledge reserves and magical cultivation, the core focus of the Empire's assessment this time is entirely on moral character, ability to handle official duties, and absolute loyalty.

You should know that every single one of the candidates here is a prodigy or a genius in cultivation.

But what the empire needs is not just geniuses, but capable people who are loyal to His Majesty and the empire and can resist all kinds of temptations!

But what you learn from books is never enough; loyalty to the emperor and love for the country are easy to say but hard to do.

…………

Seeing the numerous candidates enter the dream bubble, the Minister of War closed his eyes. Under the influence of the magic array and the fire seed, countless dream scenes simultaneously appeared before his eyes. His mind raced, and he quickly judged and scored the performance of each candidate:

"This candidate named Egg Water Hungry... what a strange name, and the tempting content of his dream is being loved by a general? Is he a bastard... By the way, who is General Thunder and Lightning? Why have I, as the Minister of War, never seen him before?"

"This Nestlé... actually fantasizes about becoming emperor in his dreams? Such overstepping of bounds! Guards, drag him away and execute him!"

As he looked at each candidate's performance, the Minister of War rubbed his eyes, lamenting that the candidates' performance was truly unsatisfactory—especially in the integrity test, where most of them could not resist the temptation of salary and tried to make money, ultimately receiving a score of 0.

The Minister of War sighed, recalling the words of an ancient sage named Mencius: "Only a scholar can have a constant supply of firewood without a constant source of property."

This means that only the gentry could obtain a stable income without owning fixed property.

As the Minister of War, he naturally knew that His Majesty's true purpose in launching this war was not to reclaim "power," but to use the war to bring out the original one... This also meant that the war with the kingdom was just the prelude to chaos, and the real chaos was yet to come.

By then, people with stable incomes will be arguably among the safest people in the world!

Now, everyone in the exam room is thinking about making money. Do they still have any spirit of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism?

With a soft sigh, the Minister of War continued to read the dreams of the examinees.

This time, it's the dream of the Fairy of Wonderful Dreams.

In her dream, Fairy Miaomeng gained a lot of traffic, attention, and tips by live streaming, making a fortune. Naturally, she lost interest in things that were slow to make money and dangerous.

"Being able to legally generate income through side hustles is good; you have both the moral compass and the ability. 83 points."

He nodded and looked at Hatsune Miku's dream.

Hatsune was faced with the temptation of a raise. Her boss, Toyokawa Sho, asked her to pull some strings, and if she did, he would give her a raise.

However, Hatsune Miku firmly shook her head, indicating that she would only use the main entrance.

As a result, Toyokawa Sho left her in a fit of anger, and Hatsune immediately broke down, crawling on the ground in the shadows, muttering "Sho-sho-sho-sho-sho-sho..."

"He was able to withstand the pressure from his superiors, stay true to himself, and still respect them afterward. He's a promising talent." The Minister of War nodded, then frowned. "It's just that his final act of crawling in the shadows really damaged the dignity of an imperial official. Hmm... 69 points."

After giving the score, he became interested in Toyokawa Sho, who was mentioned by Hatsune Miku, so he looked up—

In Toyokawa Sho's dream, her family suffered a tragedy: her mother passed away, her father, who had married into the family, lost 168 billion yen in business and was kicked out of the Toyokawa family by her grandfather.

Toyokawa Sho resolutely gave up her privileged life as a young lady, working as a customer service representative while living with her father in a rented apartment to take care of him. She even quit her beloved band because of this.

"Filial piety is commendable, but giving up money for it is utterly foolish," the Minister of War coldly commented. "If she could live the life of a pampered young lady while secretly sending money to her father, wouldn't she have resolved her dilemma? In the end, it's still... um?"

In the dream, a woman named Su Youli noticed Feng Chuanxiang's downfall. This woman was a former band member of Feng Chuanxiang and had always secretly loved him.

Using this as an excuse, Feng Chuanxiang demanded a dowry of ten million credit points, along with various other requirements such as a car and a house, all of which were met by the wealthy Su Youli. The two then lived a life of luxury in a duplex high-rise apartment overlooking the sea and river. They were truly a match made in heaven, the envy of everyone.

But just one month after their marriage, Toyokawa Sho turned around and sued Su Youli for illegally and forcibly mining!

Meanwhile, her friend Miaomeng happened to be a judge. Although she did not find any trace of Su Youli's magic at Fengchuanxiang's mine, she still quickly concluded the case based on the testimony, and Su Youli was imprisoned!

The two divorced in a flash, and Toyokawa Sho happily received a duplex apartment and a dowry of 10 million credit points. He then used the money to study for the civil service exam and rejoined high society!

"Not bad. She resolutely reported her wife's illegal mining, putting righteousness before family. She's a good son who is loyal to the emperor and loves his country." The Minister of War nodded in satisfaction. "Moreover, she put the most money in the favor token today, which greatly increased my favorability towards her! 96 points."

After giving a high score, the Minister of War picked up his teacup, took a sip, spat out the tea foam, and then looked at the last person.

She was also the one he paid the most attention to.

The Empress personally selected him and specifically instructed him to be recommended for the imperial examination, and that he should enter the Ministry of War to observe politics and learn from Tong Chuxue!

What was her dream about?

Upon seeing this, the Minister of War stood frozen in place, completely bewildered.

…………

Tong Chuxue woke up in the big bed and subconsciously looked at her side.

At this moment, the false memories fabricated by the Dream Spark flooded Kiri Chuyu's mind, reminding her of these girls' names: Funina, Kurumi, Ayaka Kamisato, Columbia, Seele, Bronya, Silver Wolf, Nashida...

hmmmm?

Why? Why would I...?

At that moment, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed in my mind: "...Perhaps it's because I've also been exposed to dream bubbles, and our dreams have become intertwined."

Who? Who's speaking?

Tong Chuxue was startled, but for some reason, the voice in her mind was so reassuring that she couldn't muster any hostility.

"Don't be nervous, you are in a dream right now, and the version of yourself outside is taking a test."

Cheng Cheng looked at the scene before him with a sense of helplessness.

When Tong Chuxue touched the dream bubble, out of curiosity, he also reached out from the ring. Unexpectedly, this caused the dream to be distorted. Although he did not lose his memory, his own fantasies appeared in Tong Chuxue's exam.

The girl was a little stunned, but she chose to listen to her heart and quickly calmed down. Then she got dressed, got out of bed, put on her slippers, and went outside.

…………

"In Tong Chuxue's dream, she successfully passed the imperial examination to become an official... just for this?"

The Minister of War was speechless, unsure how to evaluate this dream.

How can you work and serve your country if you dream about these things every day? And how should he grade you?

The key point is that Tong Chuxue was someone His Majesty specifically named, so they might randomly check her exam content later...

His Majesty has never been married, and the closest person to him is still that stunningly beautiful mermaid princess. The whole court is worried about the fate of the nation... What if His Majesty sees all this and ends up with that mermaid princess?

Without a crown prince, the country is bound to be in turmoil!

After some thought, the Minister of War decided to give Tong Chuxue a little more testing.

The Dream Spark is currently being used by him through a ritual, so he can naturally influence the dreams of the examinees. What he needs to do now is to add His Majesty into Tong Chuxue's dream!

His Majesty's majestic presence inspires submission in all who behold him. Tong Chuxue will undoubtedly demonstrate loyalty before His Majesty, thus justifying a high score for her. His Majesty would surely be pleased to see that.

The dream blurred for a moment, and then Tong Chuxue appeared outside the palace hall.

She opened the palace door following her heart, and saw a short girl sitting on the dragon throne, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and an imperial crown, exuding an imposing aura without anger!

Ji Yushen!

The Minister of War's eyes widened as he began to imagine Tong Chuxue kneeling before His Majesty, then showing this scene to His Majesty, who would surely be delighted...

"Your Majesty!"

"Hime Mikami suddenly said in the dream."

Na Tong Chuxue trembled all over, then knelt down straight down without raising her head.

Yes! That's it!

His Majesty is a legendary figure who holds the title of "Emperor" and is also the Lord of the Source. He exudes an overwhelming majesty. Tong Chuxue, a mere college student, naturally feels a sense of security and being under His Majesty's control when she sees him—a happiness that all the ministers feel from the bottom of their hearts.

Come on, go and show your loyalty to His Majesty, and then I'll give you a high score to complete the mission!

In the dream, Ji Yushen chuckled and allowed Tong Chuxue to raise her head. Then, she suddenly bent down and took off her bright yellow dragon boots and white silk stockings, revealing a jade-like white foot to Tong Chuxue.

Minister of War: "..."

The Minister of War immediately shut down Tong Chuxue's dream.

How dare she! How dare she! How dare she!!!

How dare she even harm His Majesty! Isn't she afraid of death?!

I don't know if she's dead or alive, but if His Majesty sees this and finds out that I was the one who added His Majesty's figure without permission, I'm definitely going to die!

What the hell are you thinking?! What were you doing?! Why did you suddenly come up with such a terrible idea?!