Chapter 68 Did Changsun Chong Win?

On the martial arts stage.

Changsun Chong wrote furiously, while Wei Shuyu held the pen, unsure of where to begin.

After a period of internal struggle, Wei Shuyu finally began to write.

"Oh? He's started writing..." Cheng Yaojin exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh? It seems you have an idea?" Li Shimin replied.

"Your Majesty, I believe a great work may be born."

"What masterpiece? That's a groundbreaking masterpiece!"

"Ha ha……"

Seeing Wei Zheng get his comeuppance, Li Shimin felt extremely pleased.

It will enable you!

You've probably experienced that feeling of wanting to strangle the other person but being completely helpless, right?

“Your Majesty, please mind your manners,” Wei Zheng replied.

This time, things were fine, but the more Li Shimin did it, the more excited he became.

"What's wrong with my words and actions?"

"I am praising your Uncle Yu."

"What? Now I can't even praise people anymore?"

"Xuancheng, I must say something to you. As the emperor of the Great Tang..."

Li Shimin muttered a string of sarcastic remarks.

"Your Majesty, do you think this jade pendant of mine is beautiful?" Wei Zheng showed off the jade pendant at his waist.

In an instant, the mocking voices stopped abruptly.

This jade pendant was arguably one of the most embarrassing things Li Shimin ever did.

"Wei Zheng, do you dare to make a bet with me?" Li Shimin gritted his teeth.

"I wouldn't dare."

"Don't you want to hear what the bet is?" Li Shimin smiled.

"I'd rather not gamble."

"If you win, I will give Shuyu a princess."

"I said I wouldn't gamble, and I mean it!"

Wei Zheng could easily guess Li Shimin's intentions.

He wanted to win the jade pendant back through a contest of strategy.

Do I, Wei, look like a fool?

As for Shuyu's literary skills... well, it's hard to put into words.

On the stands, Li Shimin and others chatted enthusiastically, while their friends were also busy by the training ground.

"The Imperial Academy army, march forth!"

Led by Fang Yi'ai, his friends crouched down and swarmed over to Changsun Chong, launching a verbal attack...

"Changsun Chong, there is a woman behind you."

"Changsun Chong, you have a hole in your butt."

"Changsun Chong, you're a treacherous dog."

"Changsun Chong, your mother is calling you home for dinner..."

At first, Changsun Chong really thought something was wrong.

But when he saw his friends, he was furious.

"Who gave you permission to come out?"

Swoosh.

The kids ran faster than rabbits.

But I had barely sat down to write for a short while when I heard my friends' constant chatter again...

"Changsun Chong, you're about to pee."

"Changsun Chong, you and the turtle have a past relationship."

"Changsun Chong, you have sores on your buttocks..."

My friends are like Tang Sanzang, chattering on and on.

"ah!"

Changsun Chong roared and slammed the pen to the ground.

He ran to the front of the stands and started complaining...

"Your Majesty, Fang Yi'ai and his men are harassing me."

Li Shimin glanced at Fang Yi'ai and the others, and saw that his friends were standing straight, swaying their heads as if they were reciting poetry.

“Your Majesty, they weren’t like that just now.” Changsun Chong was extremely aggrieved.

"Alright." Li Shimin instructed, "Zhijie, no one is allowed to approach the area around the martial arts arena."

"promise."

Changsun Chong then went back.

With soldiers guarding him, Changsun Chong could finally focus on writing his policy essays.

But after a short while, the children started smashing eggs again.

They didn't smash it onto the martial arts stage, but rather smashed it below the stage.

The banging sounds were driving him crazy...

"You bastard!"

Changsun Chong smashed another pen and ran to Li Shimin to complain.

Li Shimin was speechless.

"Zhijie, keep Fang Yi'ai and the others under guard..."

Now it's finally quiet.

With Cheng Yaojin watching over them, the group huddled together, cowering like ostriches.

Time passed quickly, and half an hour went by in a flash.

"Time's up, collect the scrolls!"

Whoosh...

The soldiers went up on the stage and began collecting the papers.

Li Shimin didn't even look at it, since he would be reciting it to the public later anyway.

The soldiers were handed over directly to Kong Yingda and his group of old scholars.

After Kong Yingda and the others took it, they first opened Changsun Chong's policy essay...

Then they stroked their beards one by one, saying things like "not bad."

After reading Wei Shuyu's strategy, I was immediately dumbfounded...

Because the entire article is written in vernacular Chinese!

"..."

How should this be judged?

Does this even need to be judged?

Under the existing imperial examination system, those who failed to pass the writing test were directly eliminated!

"Your Majesty, we all agree that Changsun Chong is the one who will prevail!"

Kong Yingda and the others bowed in unison.

"Yeah?"

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Now that the judgment has been made, let's read it aloud so that all the soldiers can hear it..."

"After all, Princess Shang's competition is 'fair and just,' and the soldiers need to know who is stronger and who is weaker, right?"

As he spoke, Li Shimin glanced at Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng was not angry.

He didn't have much hope to begin with.

Anyway, there's no loss if my son loses.

"Minister Chu, please read it aloud," Li Shimin instructed.

"promise."

Chu Suiliang accepted the order.

After ascending the platform, they began to recite...

"The strength of a nation depends on its army. A decisive victory is the key. Here are five strategies: First, in battle, rely on a strong army. This means either advance or retreat. As the ancients said, 'The more setbacks, the stronger the warrior.' A strong army will instill fear in other nations. Second, in the mind, rely on momentum. Men have spirit, and so does the army. Reward and punish accordingly. In the future, wherever the banners fly, Tang will reign supreme. Third, in command, select the virtuous and capable. As the ancients said, 'One incompetent general can cause the deaths of thousands; one commander without strategy can lead to the defeat and loss of ten thousand.' A virtuous army is paramount. Fourth, in categories, consider the soldiers: Qin's elite troops, Wei's elite infantry, Tang's black armor… Fifth, in the soldiers…"

As Chu Suiliang recited, Li Shimin and others nodded frequently.

Even more impressively, he roared: "Good!"

"Congratulations, Lord Changsun! This article is beyond my ability."

"Indeed, how many of the civil and military officials in the court could write such a policy essay?"

"In my opinion, based on this article, it would not be unreasonable for him to be ranked first."

"The Duke of Zhao has given birth to a son of exceptional talent; it is truly enviable."

Several officials began to flatter Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji nodded with a smile, feeling quite pleased with himself.

However, when the messenger relayed this strategy, the soldiers were completely confused.

However, they dared not say anything.

Let the big shots show off.

“Next it’s Shuyu’s turn…” Li Shimin looked at Chu Suiliang.

"Your Majesty, I just finished reciting a passage, and my throat is a little sore," Chu Suiliang quickly replied.

"That……"

Li Shimin looked at the other judges.

However, the group kept their heads down and dared not respond.

Changsun Chong's strategy was well-written, and they were willing to show off their power in front of the soldiers.

Reading a piece of vernacular Chinese would damage their reputation.

"..."

Now it was Li Shimin's turn to be embarrassed.

Just as they were about to issue a forceful order, Wei Zheng stepped forward...

"Let me read Shuyu's piece."

Even if his son writes terribly, as a father, he still has to stand up for him!

After receiving the scroll of paper from Wei Shuyu, Wei Zheng walked up to the high platform.

Wei Zheng frowned as he unrolled the scroll.

First impression: Poor handwriting!

Second impression: colloquial language, dislike.

Sigh, no wonder they lost.

But as he read on, Wei Zheng began to find it interesting again…