Chapter 22 Water Conservancy (First Update)

In the palace.

Lord Sun was so impressed by the article that he couldn't wait to read it a second time.

At this moment, the three princes also arrived.

The sons of King Duan, King Qi, and King Zhao were Chen Zhuo, Chen Yang, and Chen Zhi, respectively.

The four people were all around the same age. The oldest was Chen Zhuo, who was a year or two older than Ye Jianshan. The youngest was Chen Zhi, who was a year younger than Ye Jianshan. Chen Yang was the same age as Ye Jianshan.

The three of them were a little uneasy when they were summoned to the palace. Their father had told them what was going to happen last night when he returned from the palace.

Checking homework is a real headache.

Moreover, now there's a control group, Ye Jianshan. No matter how good their education was from childhood, it's impossible to say that they'll immediately become the top scholar in the next exam.

So when he saw Ye Jianshan was also there, his momentum naturally weakened a little.

Ye Jianshan exuded an aura as firm as a pine tree, his entire demeanor calm and composed. The cat cuddling around him and acting cute softened his aloofness to some extent, but it only made him appear more at ease.

Although her attire was not as luxurious as that of the three princes, her overall demeanor far surpassed theirs, and her manners were impeccable. Her greetings to the three princes were graceful and pleasing to the eye.

Even the Emperor was somewhat surprised. He hadn't paid attention before, nor had he specifically asked someone to teach him, because he knew Ye Jianshan was well-mannered, but he didn't expect him to be so well-mannered.

It seems that the Crown Princess's teaching of Ye Jianshan is very comprehensive.

Chen Zhuo and the others were also taken aback and hurriedly returned the greeting. Compared to Ye Jianshan, they were somewhat flustered and not as composed.

The group of people were all quite young, their emotions written all over their faces, and they looked very innocent.

The Emperor ordered a few people to bring out their assignments from the past few days: "Lord Sun will read yours after he finishes reading Da Shan's essay. Please have a seat."

"It's my imperial grandfather."

Ye Jianshan was already seated in the position closest to the Emperor, with Lord Sun on the other side.

Chen Zhuo's face darkened, and he could only sit down behind Ye Jianshan.

He couldn't very well refuse to sit next to Lord Sun, could he?

It seems that Ye Jianshan's position in the Emperor's heart is not just talk; he has clearly been ranked ahead of them.

Lord Sun stroked his beard: "Ye Jieyuan's article is very well written. The angle is novel, and the word choice, sentence structure, and allusions are all very skillful. Moreover, the content is also very rich and well-reasoned. There are many lakes and seas in Qingyang, and Ye Jieyuan has a thorough understanding of water conservancy. Qingyang is building a dam, right? I wonder if it will really be effective in flood control and farmland management after it is completed."

Ye Jianshan humbly cupped his hands in greeting: "The students were fortunate enough to participate in the construction of the dam, so they have a more thorough understanding of it."

The Emperor and Minister Sun exchanged a glance, and then it dawned on them: "You were the county school student who proposed the plan?"

"Yes, the student studied at the county school and the prefectural school. He had just passed the imperial examination and become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations)."

That happened just a year or two ago.

The emperor was so excited that he stood up: "Why didn't you say anything?"

Ye Jianshan scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "That wasn't just my idea. Our county school also contributed, and it's still not finished yet."

What's there to say?

The Emperor felt as if his precious child had returned. At only a teenager, the child was already proficient in water conservancy and had even persuaded the prefect to agree to build a dam. This was simply unbelievable.

Chen Zhuo and the other two: ...

So what did Grandfather call them here for?

Are they using their stupidity to highlight Ye Jianshan's excellence?

From afar, they could see that the writing on the paper was exceptionally beautiful; compared to the three of them, it was simply divine handwriting.

Ye Jianshan was truly well-prepared, and he performed exceptionally well in every aspect.

Such a person is the most cunning; the Crown Princess must have come prepared.

She left for over a decade while pregnant, all for this day, so that Ye Jianshan could make a name for himself, secure his position as the Crown Prince, and then exact revenge on the Chen family.

As for how to respond, of course, one would wait until one ascends the throne before responding to each of them.

Chen Zhuo was somewhat anxious. Ye Jianshan was no ordinary person; he was too outstanding.

They completely suppressed the three princes.

Lord Sun and the Emperor each praised Ye Jianshan's article to the skies, concluding with, "It's very well written. If this were the style of the imperial examination, he would definitely be in the top three."

Lord Sun didn't dare to make grand pronouncements, but he had previously served as the chief examiner for the imperial examinations, so his words still carried weight.

Ye Jianshan was somewhat pleased, and his heart was relieved to hear this.

"Thank you, Lord Sun, thank you, Grandpa Chen. Now I can focus on my seclusion and prepare for the palace examination."

Time was of the essence, and Ye Jianshan also had his own plans.

Everyone present was surprised by his words.

"You're going into seclusion?"

"Yes, that's a student's habit."

Ye Jianshan answered honestly.

The Emperor recalled that Ye Jianshan hadn't appeared for several months before the exam, so he figured he was probably in seclusion.

Lord Sun was eager to ask: "Well, I'm not sure if it's appropriate, but I'd like to inquire about the teacher of Scholar Ye."

Ye Jianshan scratched his head: "They are the teachers in the county school. I didn't become their apprentice, but the teachers taught very well. Also, my mother would sometimes find rare books for the students to read."

There are no other options.

Practice makes perfect.

The Emperor knew at a glance what Lord Sun was up to: "You just love taking on disciples. We in Dashan don't have master-disciple relationships. Forget about it."

Lord Sun and the Emperor have known each other since childhood, so the Emperor doesn't hold back when he speaks.

Lord Sun said with a wronged expression, "I just couldn't bear to see such promising talents being wasted."

"Alright, all the promising talents have already become top scholars. Stop thinking about it. Quickly check how Zhuo'er and the others are doing with their studies. I've been quite busy these days and haven't had time to check their work."

The emperor usually delegated most of the daily government affairs to the crown prince, so he only had time to supervise the studies of his grandsons.

Because Ye Jianshan was still alive, Lord Sun spoke more tactfully.

But the emperor's expression was not so pleasant; it was obvious that this was a hastily completed task done overnight to appease him.

Chen Zhuo and the other two had their heads almost touching their chests.

I've been afraid of this part since I was little, and I'm even more afraid now that I'm older.

Fortunately, the Emperor still cared for them, offering only a few simple comments without pursuing the matter further.

But they also understood that this was to save face for them in front of Ye Jianshan.

"The four of you should communicate more in the future."

The Emperor still hopes that the younger generation can get along well.

Ye Jianshan was used to being alone, and apart from his older brothers and sisters in the Ye family, he didn't have much interest in making friends with outsiders.

But since these three were all princes, Ye Jianshan respectfully cupped his hands in greeting: "Please give me your guidance."

"It's getting late, serve the meal."

The Emperor was worried that Ye Jianshan would go hungry, and seeing that he was getting restless, he quickly ordered someone to serve him a meal.

Ye Jianshan went to the outer room to check on Guo Yu and his third uncle. Seeing that there was quite a lot of food in front of them, he was immediately relieved and said to his third uncle, "Third Uncle, the Emperor wants us to stay for dinner."

Ye Lei glanced at Guo Yu, who was not qualified, and sent the two people inside.

After Ye Lei went inside, he didn't dare to sit down completely.

This is imperial cuisine.

Ye Jianshan wasn't so reserved; while eating, he also took care of Ye Lei, which warmed Ye Lei's heart.

My nephew has really grown up.

Moreover, the Emperor and Empress were quite understanding, so Ye Lei gradually became less nervous.

The Empress Dowager was afraid that Ye Jianshan would go hungry, so she kept having people put food on his plate.

"This child has a big appetite and loves spicy food."

The Queen Mother smiled.

Ye Jianshan just smiled and didn't say anything; his whole family loved spicy food.

Ye Jianshan was very satisfied with the meal. He could only say that the imperial cuisine was indeed delicious.

After finishing his meal, Ye Jianshan said to the Emperor, "Grandpa Chen, Great-Grandma, Grandma Li, I will not enter the palace before the exam."

The Empress Dowager became a little anxious: "I've already given you the token from your great-grandmother. You can enter the palace whenever you want. This palace is your home."

How could I not go to the palace?

Ye Jianshan said with a wry smile, "No, I'm going into seclusion to prepare for the palace examination. I'll see you again after the exam, and I'll try to get a good ranking then."

The Empress Dowager laughed at his coaxing: "Good boy, you are ambitious and hardworking. You need to find a comfortable place to live while you study. Your great-grandmother has a garden. Go study in your great-grandmother's garden. Once you pass the exam, the garden will be yours."

Ye Jianshan declined, but the old man was stubborn and insisted on giving it to him the more he said no.

Finally, the Emperor told Ye Jianshan to accept the gift, and whether or not he went there to study was up to him.

Ye Jianshan was truly dumbfounded; this was far too generous.

He was somewhat hesitant to accept it.

"Don't be upset, consider this a reward for passing the exam in advance."

The Emperor patted Ye Jianshan on the shoulder to comfort him.

So Ye Jianshan accepted it: "Thank you, Great-Grandma."

After finishing this matter, Ye Jianshan took Ye Lei out of the palace.

If he didn't leave the palace soon, Ye Jianshan felt that his third uncle was going to be extremely nervous.

Unexpectedly, his trip to the palace yielded great rewards, with his carriage piled high with gifts from the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager.

Actually, other people in the palace wanted to send gifts, but they were all stopped.

When Ye Jianshan returned to the courtyard, he found that there was also a pile of things in the courtyard.

The eunuch who came along said, "This was a special reward from the Emperor. He said that Ye Jieyuan had made meritorious contributions in assisting the construction of the dam, and this is a supplementary reward. Others also received it."

But it's definitely not as valuable as Ye Jianshan.

The items had already been delivered, and the excuse had been prepared, so Ye Jianshan had no choice but to accept them reluctantly.

This wasn't going the way he expected; why were they rushing to give him things?

I couldn't refuse.

In the palace, the emperor kept Chen Zhuo, Chen Yang, and Chen Zhi behind.

The three of them stayed for dinner, and the meal was eaten in complete silence and discomfort.

Grandpa, Grandma, and Great-Grandma didn't even notice the three of them anymore; they were all focused on Ye Jianshan.

Moreover, my great-grandmother was incredibly generous, giving away her unique gold medal and such a large garden that others didn't want, just as readily.

Even my great-grandmother has never been this generous to my uncle.

This is truly bizarre.

Moreover, Ye Jianshan's behavior also made them envious.

In their minds, Ye Jianshan was a country bumpkin, and they all said that Ye Jianshan grew up in a butcher's family and had never seen the world.

Who knew that when they actually met face to face, it was they who were the ones who had never seen the world before.

Their eating habits were more disciplined than the others, and their posture was more upright.

She spoke to her grandfather in a very open and natural manner, and would often quote classical texts to make him laugh.

They even have difficulty understanding it.

These things weren't taught in class at all.

They knew those allusions, but they couldn't use them as fluently as Ye Jianshan.

The emperor exchanged pleasantries with his three grandsons and then sent them back.

The three of them returned home and began to study diligently, which made Prince Duan and the others anxious.

They cannot compare to the Crown Prince, and their sons cannot compare to the Crown Prince's sons.

What kind of world is this?

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Author's Note: First update is here! There will be more during the day [pat on the head][pat on the head] Thanks for your support!