The young eunuch hurried in to report, and then the Minister of Rites Xie Wencheng stepped steadily into the imperial study.
The imperial examination this spring was hosted by the Ministry of Rites in the capital. What Xie Wencheng presented was a carefully selected list of one chief examiner, three deputy examiners, eighteen room officials, and many stewards.
Chen Jin stepped forward and respectfully took the memorial with both hands, "Thank you, Your Excellency."
Li Longze slowly unfolded the memorial and scanned each name.
The list was very similar to the candidates he had previously discussed with the Ministry of Rites. The chief and deputy examiners were mostly cabinet ministers and assistant ministers, all of whom were from the Hanlin Academy. Moreover, these people were also the best in the previous imperial examinations, most of them were the top scorers, second place winners, and third place winners, and all of them were talented.
The chief examiner this time was Xu Kui, a veteran of two dynasties and Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion. His name was particularly eye-catching on the list.
However, when Li Longze's gaze moved to the deputy examiner's column, he found something strange.
Among the three originally selected candidates, Yang Jizhao, the runner-up in the first year of Wulong and currently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had his name crossed out.
"Wasn't Yang Jizhao the candidate I had decided on a long time ago? Why was his name removed?" Li Longze's tone revealed a hint of displeasure.
Xie Wencheng bowed and reported, "This matter requires your Majesty's approval. Yesterday, Yang Jizhao's family submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Rites, stating that Yang Jizhao had suddenly suffered a hemiplegia last night, and half of his body was unable to move. The doctor they sent for examined him and stated that acupuncture treatment was necessary. It would take at least two months for him to be able to walk again."
Chen Jin's tone was filled with regret. "Alas, speaking of which, when Lord Yang was ranked second in the imperial examination, he was already over forty years old. Over the years, he has worked so diligently that he inevitably neglected to take care of his body."
Li Longze frowned upon hearing this, but remained unmoved. "Yang Jizhao was born in poverty. Although he now serves as an official in the capital, his family tradition remains simple and frugal. What could he possibly know about the art of health preservation?"
Chen Jin smiled slightly, sensing that Li Longze had no intention of blaming him, and he said, "If the hemiplegia becomes severe, even speech will become slurred. I'm sure Lord Yang is in the mansion right now, and he must be extremely worried, fearing that he won't be able to perform his duties for His Majesty."
Li Longze stood up from behind the desk and slowly moved to the high couch beside him and sat down.
Chen Jin was quick-witted and immediately took the teacup and gently placed it on the small kang table.
"Send a message to the Imperial Hospital, asking them to go to Yang Jizhao's home for treatment, and select some herbs that can invigorate blood circulation and unclog the meridians. Let him recuperate with peace of mind and not worry." Li Longze picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then gave the order.
"I obey your command," Chen Jin replied. "This spring, the Jeju Prefecture sent in the finest deer antlers and ginseng as tribute. I will have someone carefully select them and then send them to the Yang Mansion."
Li Longze nodded in satisfaction, and then added: "Don't forget to send some to the Xingyuan Marquis' Mansion. His young master's broken bones cannot be taken lightly."
Xie Wencheng stood in front of the emperor, keeping his hands down and his head lowered, listening quietly to the conversation between the emperor and his ministers, not daring to say a word.
Chen Jin gently waved the whisk in his hand, cleverly directing Li Longze's gaze towards the direction of Xie Wencheng.
Li Longze saw through his little trick and realized he was a shrewd man. So he scolded him with a smile, "You have no eyesight. Why don't you bring a round stool over here?"
Chen Jin smiled knowingly, immediately picked up a round stool beside him, and said, "Thank you, sir, please sit down."
"Thank you, Eunuch Chen." Xie Wencheng thanked him respectfully and then sat down on the round stool.
Li Longze gently turned the jade ring on his finger, and his eyes moved to the desk next to him. After thinking for a moment, he had an idea in his mind.
"Regarding Jiang Wenbai's resignation, I will grant his request. However, before that, he must fill the vacancy left by Yang Jizhao, the Deputy Examiner. Just complete this last task for me."
Upon hearing this, Xie Wencheng couldn't help but nod in praise.
"Your Majesty is wise. Jiang Wenbai was a successful Jinshi during the previous emperor's time. His son will also take part in this spring's imperial examination. This will truly be a glorious story."
…
The imperial edict appointing Jiang Wenbai as deputy examiner of the Spring Examination was delivered to Jiang's residence the next day.
Because Jiang Lun was temporarily living in the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion, his mother Qiao also sent someone to deliver a letter to inform him of the good news.
At this moment, in the mansion of Marquis Xingyuan, the afternoon sun was quietly shining. Xue Shanqiu, accompanied by his maid Xiaohe and two servants, walked slowly towards Yasongzhai.
Before I even reached the front door, the mother in charge came to greet me with a smile on her face.
"Fifth Miss is here. Why don't you take a break in the middle of the day?"
"I came to talk to my third brother." Xue Shanqiu said, gently holding up a stack of exquisite flowery paper in his hand.
The housekeeper glanced into the courtyard and said softly, "The young masters have been reviewing their lessons since this morning. How about I go and call the third young master out alone?"
Although it was okay for Xue Shanqiu to come to Yasongzhai to talk with his brother in the past, it would be better to be cautious now that there is a man from outside the family around.
"Okay, then I'll trouble you, Mom." Xue Shanqiu nodded gently.
The surrounding bamboo forest swayed in the sunlight, and the light and shadow softly fell on Xue Shanqiu.
After a while, Xue Jiyan walked out of the yard. When he saw his younger sister, a warm smile appeared on his face.
"What's wrong? Do you want me to help you copy poems again?" he asked softly.
Xue Shanqiu smiled playfully, and the light and shadow made her skin look even more creamy and her eyes look beautiful.
She presented the flowery note with both hands and said, "I'm not bothering my third brother for nothing." As she said that, she took the two exquisite amulets handed to her by Xiaohe and gave them to Xue Jiyan.
"This is the amulet that my fourth sister asked for at Baiyun Temple. Third brother, you should take it with you when you take part in the Spring Examination. Everything will surely go well for you and you will get the top spot on the list." Her words were full of blessings and expectations.
Xue Jiyan took it, raised his eyebrows, and said jokingly: "I don't need to carry two tickets for myself, do I?" He already knew in his heart who his fourth sister asked for the other one.
"You're asking even though you already know the answer. Third brother, do you still need to think about it? Of course it's Fourth sister..." Xue Shanqiu blinked and asked.
Xue Jiyan laughed and responded readily: "Okay, okay, I got it. When the flower note is finished tomorrow, I will ask the mother in the courtyard to send it to you." He rubbed Xue Shanqiu's forehead lovingly, his eyes full of tenderness.
"Yeah!" Xue Shanqiu responded happily, and the smile on his face bloomed like a spring flower.
However, this scene was seen clearly by Yan Boxi who was standing by the window.
He seemed to be under a spell, unable to move, with only Xue Shanqiu's graceful figure in his eyes.
During the few days he stayed in the Marquis's mansion, he occasionally guessed from the servants' gossip that the woman he was thinking about and dreaming about was none other than Xue Shanqiu, the daughter of the Marquis's mansion.
At this moment, he stopped at the window and gazed at her affectionately, as if he wanted to engrave every subtle movement and every sweet smile of hers deeply in his heart.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Xue Yuanchu returning to the yard from the corner of his eye. He felt an inexplicable panic in his heart. He quickly turned around and sat back at the desk, pretending to be calm and continuing to review his lessons. However, the ripples in his heart took a long time to calm down.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
