The emperor paid no attention to the other students, but walked directly behind Gu Zhixing and stood there, determined to see what Gu Zhixing could write.

He had already prepared himself mentally before coming down. No matter what Gu Zhixing wrote, even if he drew a turtle on the paper, he would not be surprised at all.

But when he stood still and saw what Gu Zhixing had written on the paper, he was still shocked.

When did Gu Zhixing come to understand these things?

He couldn't help but stand up, walk over to Gu Zhixing's side, and look down at him closely.

Gu Zhixing continued writing without stopping—

"If Your Majesty wishes to fundamentally control the Yellow River, you must use an iron fist to eradicate corruption and govern with benevolence to bring peace to the people. Without eliminating corrupt officials, even the best policies will be difficult to implement!"

The emperor's pupils contracted slightly, and he was shaken.

Where is this the same playboy who spent his days fighting cocks and riding horses?

This is clearly... a promising talent!

He couldn't help but reach out to pat Gu Zhixing's shoulder, but he forced himself to hold back and just chuckled softly.

Good lad... no wonder he's my nephew.

After reading Gu Zhixing's paper, the emperor was about to sit back down, but then he thought, since he was already down here, he might as well take a look at others and see how many promising talents there were.

He walked over to the examinee behind Gu Zhixing and took a closer look.

The examinee suddenly felt a shadow loom over him, and when he looked up, he met the emperor's scrutinizing gaze. He immediately froze.

The hand holding the pen trembled uncontrollably, the pen tip spreading a blot of ink on the rice paper, and the knees shook involuntarily, causing the desk to creak softly.

The emperor's gaze shifted from the trembling pen tip to the scroll. He saw that the answer sheet, stained with ink, contained writings from old books, such as Yu the Great's flood control through dredging and Jia Rang's three strategies for river management during the Han Dynasty.

The author's use of classical allusions is fluent, but he lacks original insights.

A bookworm who only knows how to study!

The emperor shook his head and turned to look at the next one.

With Gu Zhixing's excellent work as a precedent, he really couldn't bear to look at the answers of others.

After going around in circles, Gu Zhixing's answer still resonated with him!

If corrupt officials are not eliminated, no matter how much money is allocated, it will be in vain!