The next day.
All the ministers who participated in the assessment went to the side hall of the Hanlin Academy for the assessment.
The chief examiners were Prime Minister Li and Lord Shi.
Before entering the side hall of the Hanlin Academy, the ministers participating in the examination were searched before being allowed in.
The ministers who were originally not nervous couldn't help but become nervous when they entered the side hall of the Hanlin Academy.
Some people began asking others if they were sure.
After a while, the ministers who arrived at the examination room first started talking.
"I was so nervous. I didn't sleep all night. Look at the dark circles under my eyes."
"Who isn't? The Emperor is being so strict, even those who weren't nervous to begin with are feeling a bit uneasy."
"What are you afraid of? I heard that Li Yunhe and Mu Chen will participate in this assessment. Are you sure you can't beat them?"
A great man walked in with a smile and said to the ministers gathered together.
"really?"
"Then which department's assessment will they participate in?"
"Where did you hear that, sir?"
As people were asking questions, Li Yunhe and Mu Chen walked in one after another.
The discussion stopped abruptly, and everyone in the examination room looked at the two of them.
Although there is only one examination room, the seats for each department are separate.
Seeing the two men sitting in the assessment seats of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel respectively, the ministers looked at each other. Before they could say anything, they returned to their seats when they heard the bell ringing.
Li Yunhe sat by the window, ignoring the inquiring gazes cast upon him, and looked at the scenery outside the window with a calm expression.
"Quiet."
Prime Minister Li and Lord Shi came in holding the test papers, stood at the top and said in a deep voice.
The ministers who were originally talking in low voices immediately quieted down and sat up straight.
"The test will take one hour. Everyone is familiar with the rules, so I won't elaborate further."
"Also, anyone who violates the assessment rules, no matter who they are, will be sent directly to the Emperor for his punishment."
After Prime Minister Li finished speaking, he raised his hand to Lord Shi and asked him to say a few words.
Lord Shi held up the sealed test paper in his hand.
"The test questions are all sealed. The Prime Minister and I just got them from the Emperor. Now we will open them in front of you all."
The two of them separated the test papers and distributed them to everyone taking the test.
Prime Minister Li said loudly, "The examination has officially begun. Everyone may begin answering the questions. Those who have finished and checked their papers first may submit them early."
"After the assessment is completed, the examiner's information column will be sealed and will not be opened until the grading is completed."
The emperor told them to do this to ensure fairness to everyone, so that no one would accuse the examiner of favoring anyone after the exam.
The ministers who received the test questions began to answer them seriously and had no intention of caring about others.
Li Yunhe picked up the test paper in front of him and read through it all. He picked up the pen, wrote his name, and began to answer the questions seriously.
The examination room was completely silent, with only the sound of people flipping through papers and the chirping of birds outside.
Prime Minister Li and Lord Shi walked around the examination room with their hands behind their backs, then sat at the top to observe the people's every move.
As the sun gradually rose and its rays streamed into the examination room, Prime Minister Li said, "There's still half an hour left."
Some ministers who were still answering the questions slowly became nervous after hearing this and could not help but speed up their answers.
At this moment, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor was heard in the quiet examination room. Although the sound was not loud, it was still clearly audible in the examination room where it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's eyes turned to the source of the sound, only to see Li Yunhe standing up.
"Your Excellencies, I have finished answering."
Lord Shi glanced at Prime Minister Li and said, "Please check carefully. Once you hand in your paper, you can't regret it."
"Thank you, Lord Shi, for your reminder. I have checked it thoroughly."
Li Yunhe picked up the inkstone on the table and pressed it on the test paper to prevent it from being blown away by the wind, then walked out of the examination room.
"Come here," Prime Minister Li called someone in, "seal the information on the test paper of the person who submitted the test."
Li Yunhe left the examination room and walked to the gate of the Hanlin Academy in the warm sunshine, where he saw the emperor holding Yu Yiluo coming towards him.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
[The assessment hasn't ended yet, so Li Yunhe handed in his paper early?]
Today, because the ministers were undergoing an assessment, the emperor did not attend the morning court. It was a rare occasion for Yu Yiluo to sleep until she woke up naturally, so she was particularly energetic at the moment.
"Get up, did Master Li hand in his paper early?"
The emperor's eyes fell on Li Yunhe, who was wearing a white brocade robe. He stood up straight, and the breeze brushed the corners of his robe. The circle of peach blossoms embroidered on it was extremely clear in the sunlight.
Li Yunhe opened his rosy thin lips slightly and bowed to the emperor.
"Yes, I will go and answer the questions for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince now."
[This Junior Master is quite competent in his duties, and even at this time he was able to avoid delaying the Crown Prince.]
Yu Yiluo's gaze fell on the corner of Li Yunhe's robe, and she smiled secretly in her heart.
[It turns out Li Yunhe is a reserved and flirty person. The circle of peach blossoms on the hem of his clothes is really unique. If he changed into a pink dress with peach blossoms, would he be even more flamboyant than the Second Emperor?]
Li Yunhe noticed Yu Yiluo's gaze and raised his eyes slightly to meet Yu Yiluo's dark and watery eyes.
The little girl even winked at him. The sunlight shining on her fair little face made her already fair skin even more flawless and fair.
[You know what? Li Yunhe looks pretty good looking now. It must have been an illusion that I thought he looked like the man in my dream that day.]
[Otherwise, we have nothing to do with each other, so it would be very rude for him to appear in my dream.]
[That's not right. That didn't seem to be my dream either. I didn't see myself either.]
"Go ahead."
After the emperor finished speaking, he hugged Yu Yiluo and walked past Li Yunhe and left.
Yu Yiluo poked her little head out from the emperor's arms, wanting to verify again whether Li Yunhe's back was really the person in her dream, but the other party was still standing there, smiling at her.
Only when the emperor's back disappeared did Li Yunhe withdraw his gaze, put away his smile, and turn away.
…
The emperor carried Yu Yiluo to the entrance of the examination room, but did not go in. He just watched quietly by the window.
After watching for a while, Prime Minister Li noticed the emperor, whispered a few words to Lord Shi, stood up and walked out.
"No need to be so polite, Prime Minister."
The Emperor interrupted Prime Minister Li's greetings and walked to the adjacent corridor, saying, "I've come to see what the Prime Minister thinks of your performance in this assessment."
Prime Minister Li followed behind the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have inspected the situation several times and saw that everyone was answering the questions very seriously. I think they put a lot of thought into it."
Now that the assessment results have not yet come out, it is not appropriate for him to make any promises.
The Emperor was silent for a moment. "Then, Prime Minister, do you think Li Yunhe and Mu Chen can pass the test?"
Prime Minister Li looked at the emperor's back and carefully considered his words.
"I think there's nothing wrong with Mu Chen. As for Li Yunhe, there shouldn't be any problems either."
"should?"
The emperor turned around and glanced at Prime Minister Li who had his head lowered.
"Prime Minister, do you have so little confidence in your own son? Or do you want to avoid suspicion in front of me?"
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