Chapter 363 [The Palace Examination is Coming]

"I heard that a powerful female general emerged from the Bol Grassland. She was a divine warrior sent from heaven and was known as the Grassland Valkyrie. She defeated the Loulan Kingdom west of the Bol Grassland and forced it to cede nine cities in exchange for peace. Bol's territory is still expanding."

"And this news was already reported years ago."

"A female general? Is that a rumor? Our Dasheng is full of talented people. Women can even learn martial arts, and there are even martial arts schools for women. How come there's no female general like this?"

Some impatient generals couldn't help but curse: "Where on earth are the supplies coming from in that godforsaken place called the Bol Grassland?"

"Winter on the Bol Grassland is unbearably cold. In previous winters, they would come to Dasheng to exchange their cattle, sheep, and war horses for coal and grain. But this year, there's been no movement at all. They didn't even send an envoy! How bizarre!"

Emperor Qingning waited for the envoys from the Bol Grassland from the end of the year until the end of the year, but no one from the Bol Grassland came.

Emperor Qingning was very worried, so he asked Yao Chengping, who was stationed on the northwest border, to send an envoy to the Bol grassland with some food, coal and an invitation, inviting Bol to send an envoy to the capital of Dasheng to attend the Lantern Festival banquet.

As a result, the envoys from Dasheng were driven out by the herdsmen as soon as they arrived at the Gada area on the border of the Bol grassland and were turned away.

The civil officials were all terrified, and the prime minister's face was wrinkled into a bitter face.

"Looking at the northwest border of our Great Sheng, the farmland has severely degraded and can no longer grow food. Famines, both large and small, are frequent. The court's continuous subsidies seem to be filling a bottomless pit."

"People in the northwest border areas had no choice but to migrate south, resulting in severe population loss. The market in Jingshui County, which previously connected to Bol, was also forced to close."

The Imperial Censor's voice trembled: "The environment on the northwest border is becoming increasingly difficult. If this continues, it is only a matter of time before the ambitious Burr breaks through our northwest border defenses!"

"The Bol tribe is now strong and powerful. I heard that they not only survived this year's cold winter safely, but their cattle and sheep have increased exponentially, and the quality of their war horses has far surpassed that of the Dasheng!"

Emperor Qingning felt like he was being stabbed in the face by these cowards. "I know what you are talking about, don't I? Why don't you think of a solution for me?"

The ministers suddenly became as quiet as chickens, and were ready to be scolded.

Emperor Qingning angrily clenched the letter in his hand. In his hand was the news handed over by Yao Chengping, the fierce general guarding the northwest border.

The reason why he was able to get rid of the Xin family father and son, a serious threat last year, was because the two generals he cultivated, Yao Chengping and Song An, were young and strong, had strong troops under their command, and were trustworthy.

These two men, one led troops to guard the northwest border, and the other led troops to guard the northern border. The two could support and check each other, unlike before when Zhaoping Hou's family controlled the entire northern defense line, making him unable to sleep or eat.

After sentencing the Xin father and son, Emperor Qingning was finally able to sleep well. He did not expect that in less than a year, the Bol grassland on the northwest border, which was originally evenly matched with him, suddenly became powerful as if it had taken a strong medicine.

The Xin family father and son guarded the border for five years, and both the northwestern grasslands and the northern border were at peace.

Now there are two generals guarding the north. Yao Chengping, who is guarding the northwest border, is not only busy dealing with various problems in the northwest such as food, trade, and water shortage, but Song An is barely able to cope with the northern border, and he really has no energy to support the northwest.

Emperor Qingning couldn't help but wonder, if the Xin family father and son were still at the border, would they be able to suppress the rising Bol?

Can Xin Che, known as the God of War of Dasheng, win against the Valkyrie of Bol Grassland?

Emperor Qingning quickly took a sip of bitter coffee, unable to think any further. He had made his move without regret.

The changes in the northwest were simply due to the good fortune of the Khan of the Bor Grassland. The livestock on the grasslands grew well this year and were not sick, and he also found such a Valkyrie.

I heard that this Valkyrie was the orphan of a general from the Boer grasslands, and that Khan Yan Chaoyue met her in the mountains while hunting. This Khan was really lucky.

Why don’t I have such great luck? !

Emperor Qingning rubbed his brows, waved his sleeves, and drove away this group of guys who only added to his troubles, leaving behind three examiners who were participating in the discussion on the questions for the imperial examination.

One of the examiners bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the palace examination will be held in eight days. I heard that this year's examination is full of talented people. Your Majesty, why don't you consult these outstanding candidates and gather their ideas?"

Emperor Qingning looked suspicious: "These candidates are new to the school, and you're throwing such a difficult question at them?"

The examiner stroked his beard and replied, "Let me be frank. Sometimes these new brains work better than our old brains!"

Upon hearing this, another examiner rolled his eyes and began to flatter him: "Your Majesty, Dasheng is a prosperous nation, and you are the true emperor. If the rough and ignorant Bol grasslands in the northwest can find a Valkyrie, what if a Wenquxing descends upon us in this imperial examination?"

He wasn't kidding. While grading papers, he had read a political essay and was struck by the insightful statement, "The ruler is the boat, the common people are the water; the water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it." Furthermore, the candidate's insightful and insightful approach to the exam question was truly eye-opening.

Unfortunately, the names of the candidates were bound together, and the examiners followed the rules and could not know the identities of the candidates.

He was sure that this candidate would make it to the palace examination. If it was this candidate, would he be able to come up with an amazing solution to the Majesty's question this time?

“Okay, okay!”

Emperor Qingning's frown finally relaxed a little. At least the content of the questions for this palace examination had been decided. All he had to do was see if there was any outstanding person among this group of talents who could provide some ideas for breaking the deadlock.

Time flies, and it is the morning of the palace examination.

Candidates must enter the temple at dawn.

Xue Wei in the team resisted the urge to sleep and yawned quietly.

He started a live video broadcast in the class group, but there was no audience online. These guys in the class said yesterday that they wanted to see what kind of Shura battlefield the palace examination was, and the whole class wanted to cheer for him, the glory of the class.

But now no one comes to support us, everyone is sleeping, how hateful!

Xue Wei tidied up his clothes. Only Li Li sent him a can of coffee last night. Thanks to this coffee, he was able to cheer up today. However, when he thought about becoming an official in the court in the future and getting up earlier than the chickens every time he went to court, Xue Wei felt a headache!

After the candidates entered the store at dawn and went through a series of repetitive procedures such as roll call, distributing papers, praising and bowing, the examiner issued the policy questions.

The content of the Dasheng Palace Examination was to write an essay based on the topic, which was similar to writing a long argumentative essay.

Xue Wei was well prepared, and with the diligent Xiaopang getting up first to provide him with off-field assistance, his thoughts flowed smoothly when he wrote.

After the policy discussion was over, it was already dawn.

Next, Emperor Qingning personally examined the candidates for the palace examination.