Chen Ge spread his hands and said helplessly, "I want everyone to compete fairly, but, as you can all see, she has the money! I can't do anything about it. Four months have passed quickly. Why don't you just wait a little longer?"

Audience: ...

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Pandora's box has been opened, how can it be closed just like that?

"Mr. Chen, when will your beauty salon open? I'd like to go and have some conversation."

"Probably around the middle of next month. After we've chosen a location, we'll need to renovate it, hire staff, and a whole bunch of other things to finalize... But, when it gets closer, just go wherever the action is. You can't go wrong."

…

"Thank you all, fellow countrymen, brothers and sisters. We'll end here today." Finally, Chen Ge didn't forget to advertise his shop: "If you need medical advice, come to [Xingyitang]!"

Perfect and successful!

As soon as Chen Ge announced the end, Wang Rong dragged him into the backyard and started yelling, "Are you crazy? That's over five thousand taels of silver, enough for a monthly subscription from Li Xingshou! Don't give it to me. I'm busy running around, so why are you donating it to Han, the Third Envoy? He still owes your family tens of thousands of taels of silver. You're just throwing meat at a dog."

"Honestly, I didn't expect Fatty to be so generous. She spent five thousand taels of silver without blinking an eye." Chen Ge was heartbroken, with a look of regret on his face. "I thought it would be at most one thousand taels of silver."

Chen Ge paused and said, "Of course, these five thousand taels of silver are not wasted. I will go to his house to collect the debt in a few days. I want to see if Han is really that evil."

Wang Rong: You are also a black-hearted person...

"Have you heard? There's another wave of trouble in this year's palace examination!" Wang Rong suddenly said to Chen Ge in a mysterious and excited tone.

"What could possibly go wrong during the palace examination?" Chen Ge asked curiously.

Wang Rong didn't keep anyone in suspense. "According to traditional rules, the palace examination consists of one poem, one fu, and one essay; five policy papers; ten scrolls from the Analects; and ten interpretations of the Spring and Autumn Annals or the Book of Rites. Originally, the schedule for this year's exam was no different, but when the editors were preparing to distribute the Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites, the emperor suddenly ordered that the rhyme books no longer be distributed."

"You mean to say that this palace examination will not test poetry or memorization of scriptures?" Chen Ge reacted instantly.

China has had many dialects since ancient times. In order to prevent candidates from making mistakes in rhyme, rhyme books will be distributed as a reference during the poetry and prose exams. Failure to distribute rhyme books means that poetry and prose will not be included in the exam content this year.

"Yes!" Wang Rong nodded. "This time, the palace examination has been changed to three policy essays. Zizheng, you're good at policy essays but not at poetry. This change will be a great benefit to you."

"Is the news reliable?" Chen Ge's face was filled with joy. In the provincial exam in the first month of the year, his poems were too artificial, lacking natural beauty. The examiner gave him two Xs, dragging down his overall score. This was why his ranking plummeted, dropping him outside the top 50.

"It's absolutely reliable. Brother Bingwen told me that when we were drinking last night." Wang Rong patted his chest and guaranteed.

"Brother Bingwen?" Chen Ge knew that Wang Rong had a wide circle of friends and that he could never catch up even if he flattered him.

"Fang Yuan, courtesy name Bingwen, is the son-in-law of Zeng Gongliang, one of the other three great men in the Secretariat. He heard it from Zeng Gongliang himself."

"Fang Yuan?" A hint of doubt flashed through Chen Ge's heart. In the Northern Song Dynasty materials he had read, there was no mention of a person like Fang Yuan, nor had he heard that Zeng Gongliang had a son-in-law.

"According to the time, it's almost March. I think news will come out from the palace in the next few days." Wang Rong added.

Chen Ge recalled the knowledge he had in his memory: "According to the ancestral system, on a certain day in March, the government appoints the palace examiners and locks the academy. The next day, the Jinshi exam will be held. The third day, the exams will be held for all other subjects. After three or five days, the names will be announced and the rankings will be awarded. The preliminary examination, the reexamination, and the final decision will take ten days."

After some calculations, there are only more than twenty days of preparation time at most. It is better to sharpen your sword before the battle, even if it is not quick.

For policy essays, if you can guess the emperor's thoughts, you may still be able to guess the topic correctly. However, the emperor's mind is unpredictable, and the court has countless policies, big and small, so it is difficult to guess the topic correctly.

"Zi Zheng, why do you think the emperor did this? He didn't even consult with the court officials and just made the decision directly." Wang Rong winked at Chen Ge, clearly implying that he had inside information.

"It has to be you, Yuanze. You have a wide circle of friends and are well-informed." Chen Ge praised Wang Rong and waited for the answer.

Wang Rong grinned from ear to ear: "Shutan, you understand me. I heard that the emperor is challenging all the officials."

Chen Ge was speechless: "Does the government still need to compete with them?"

"Why not?" Wang Rong said with a stern air, "The emperor is young and has just ascended the throne, so his prestige is still lacking. What kind of people are in the court? They are all veterans of three dynasties, and they think highly of themselves and hinder the emperor in every way."

"Take the Song Dynasty's treasury, for example. It's so empty that even a mouse could escape. Last year alone, it suffered a deficit of five million guan. The emperor wanted to start with himself and proposed several cost-saving measures, including cutting back on food, clothing, and other necessities. However, the court was met with widespread opposition."

"I think they just can't bear to give up their own little salary. They eat the emperor's salary but don't know how to share the emperor's worries. When I enter the court, I will exile these court parasites to Lingnan one by one..."

Wang Rong wanted to say something more, but when he saw Ouyang Qingqing coming out of the house, he couldn't help but shudder. After confirming the look in her eyes, he knew that she was the one who had done something evil to him. The past was too painful to recall.

"You two can chat. I remembered this matter and decided to leave first." Wang Rong gave an awkward smile and pulled Cai Jing and Cai Bian, who had just entered, out. "You two have to be discerning. Don't do anything that spoils the mood at this moment."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!