The emperor, who was over fifty years old, sat high up at the head of the table. His bright yellow robe was embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon, and his every move revealed his natural imperial majesty.

The students prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to look directly at his face, and knelt down with all the civil and military officials.

"Long live the emperor."

After five bows and three kowtows, the emperor raised his right hand slightly and said, "Stand tall."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Qi Sheng took only one look and then lowered his eyelids.

All the officials dispersed. The Minister of Rites took the examination questions prepared by the emperor and said loudly: "In the 23rd year of Hongwu's reign, there are 210 candidates for the palace examination. All officials are ordered to withdraw, and the new candidates will answer the papers in Baohe Hall.

Qi Sheng sat in the seat closest to the emperor, feeling neither sad nor happy as he felt the gazes falling on him.

The emperor was extremely excited, but he was used to not showing his emotions on his face, and there was no sign of it on his face.

The family had difficulty in having children. He worked hard for half his life but only had a son and a daughter. What's more, his only son was lost. He thought there was no hope, but unexpectedly, there was a ray of hope.

His daughter, Princess Mingjing, was born early and married the youngest son of Duke Rong. They now have a son, Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu is gentle and polite, one year older than Qi Sheng, and has many supporters in the court.

Besides him, there is the Prince of Ming, Ximen Yao.

Prince Ming was the emperor's only half-brother. He also had difficulty in having children and had only one son, Ximen Yao.

Ximen Yao was skilled in marching and deploying troops, and had already led his army to victory twice. He was also very popular in the court.

If we really compare, Ximen Yao has more supporters.

After all, Zhao Yu's surname is Zhao, not Ximen.

However, compared to Zhao Yu's ambition, Ximen Yao did not have such big ambitions. It seemed more like he was pushed by the Ming King. Therefore, the two factions fought for more than ten years, making the court a mess, with the victory and defeat being fifty-fifty, with no one winning or losing.

The emperor looked at Qi Sheng. In the past, he allowed the two factions to fight each other, but now that he has recovered his bloodline, he will make Qi Sheng, no, Ximen Sheng, the crown prince after he has cleared the obstacles for him.

After the palace examination, Hou Qisheng was chosen as the top scorer and appointed as an editor in the Hanlin Academy. Yunlan ranked second and was selected as a Hanlin Academy scholar after the imperial examination, waiting for the assessment three years later.

Song Xuan was still a little lacking in skills and failed the imperial examination, but he had a good attitude and was now studying in the Imperial College, still living next door to Qi Sheng.

As for Qi Han, he didn't even pass the provincial examination. When he heard the news about Qi Sheng and Yun Lan in the village, he was even more upset, especially when the villagers compared him with them, saying that he was like Zhongyong. With his poor psychological quality, he couldn't study for a day.

Yun Qiao was stunned for a long time when she heard that he failed the exam. Without his sister, Qi Han couldn't even pass the exam to become a juren, let alone become a second-class jinshi and be sent to serve as an official three years later.

Qi Sheng was brought before the emperor as soon as he took office.

"You have resentment towards me, and I understand. You are a smart child, and some things cannot be avoided by running away. Once your background is known, even if you have no intention, you will become a target of public attack."

Qi Sheng knew this too well. Seeing his hesitation, the emperor said, "Where there's struggle, there's sacrifice. You have a wife and children, and it's natural that you'll feel constrained. But I promise I'll keep them safe."

Thinking of his five grandchildren, the emperor felt sad. The timing was not right now, but one day he would recognize them and let them call him Grandpa Emperor in broad daylight.

The two people talked about a lot of things. They were guarded outside and no one knew what they said. They only knew that Qi Sheng would follow the emperor from then on. This was not uncommon in all dynasties, and it was only thought that the emperor intended to promote him.

When Qi Sheng and Yun Lan returned home from their shift, Yun Yuan was already waiting with the children. Seeing the master of the house come back, the maidservants went down sensibly, leaving the space for this warm family.

The Shujishi did not have a special residence. At Yun Yuan's request, Yun Lan still lived with his brother-in-law. He was very sensible and stayed in his own yard when he had nothing to do, playing with his nephew and niece, buying them gifts, and never disturbing the couple's life unless necessary.

"Today is your first day on duty. I cooked eight-treasure duck, squirrel fish, Buddha jumps over the wall, and bamboo fungus stewed chicken. I wish you all the best and a bright future."

Because he was always being monitored, Yun Yuan hadn't used the space for a long time.

The ingredients on the table were all bought by the kitchen. They were not as good as the ones raised in the space, but with her cooking skills, the taste was no worse than that of the palace.

Qi Sheng felt warm in his heart, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I will eat more."

These dishes were cooked by his wife herself, which was not common. He always knew that his wife was a good cook and was always amazed every time she tasted them. He didn't want his wife to be tired, so he could only seize the opportunity to eat more.

"Thank you, big sister!" Yun Lan was visibly happy, with a smile on her lips, and she bared her teeth silently at Qi Sheng, to see who could eat the better of whom.

Qi Sheng→_→, my brother-in-law is not busy with his studies and has been letting himself go recently. We need to find him something to do.

Yun Yuan: "The wife of the Minister of Revenue came to inquire about the situation today. She wants to marry the second wife's concubine to my brother."

The Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Revenue is of the fifth rank. Considering Yunlan's current situation, it can be considered as marrying down. However, Yuwenlang Sun is already over fifty years old. If his descendants are not promising, he will have to retire and return home in a few years.

Yun Lan almost choked on the soup, cleared his throat, and looked away.

"There's no rush for marriage. Wait until three years have passed and I have a formal official position. It won't be too late to get married then."

Qi Sheng said bluntly: "You are already twenty-one, it's not too late. I am not as old as you, but I already have five children." He held his head high, proud as if he had won a battle.

Yun Lan said disdainfully: "You're talking as if you were born alone. It's all thanks to my eldest sister."

Yun Yuan blushed, and the next moment her hand was held by Qi Sheng.

"Indeed." He looked at Yun Yuan tenderly, his eyes full of affection. "The greatest luck in my life is meeting my wife. I acknowledge this."

Their eyes intertwined, so sweet that it seemed as if they were drawing a thread.

Yunlan put down her chopsticks, unable to eat anymore.

No, he ate three bowls, one more than usual.

Yun Lan did not dare to offend the Yuwailang of the Ministry of Revenue openly, and planned to find a fault to refuse. However, before he could refuse, the concubine of the second wife came first.

"You come from a poor family, how can you be worthy of my daughter? If you have any sense, go to my mother and explain it clearly, don't waste my life."

Sun Qian'er held her head high with disdain. Even if she was a concubine's daughter, she was still the daughter of an official, a Shujishi, with no official rank and no salary. She relied on the little rice she received every month. She probably didn't even have enough betrothal money. How could she support herself?

Yunlan had a good temper and asked someone to deliver a letter to the wife of Yuanwailang. First, he thanked her for liking him, and then tactfully said that he was not worthy of Sun Qianer. In the end, the matter did not work out.

Yunlan was rejected openly by the girl, but he did not feel sad or ashamed, and he maintained a good attitude.

However, Lord Sun was furious and scolded his second son Sun Chang and his wife Li.