Jiang Cenyun heard Yao Yi's voice was as cold as ice, so he stopped teasing her and asked seriously, "Do you have any good works?"
Yao Yi shook his head and spread the test paper on the table. "Look at it yourself."
This time, Jiang Cenyun deliberately expanded the scope of the talent show to include every state in the country. Her goal was to recruit talented men, but to understand the people's sentiments. Through these well-off women, she wanted to understand the governance of each state. Therefore, the questions she asked during the policy discussion were all about people's livelihoods. For example, how were the harvests in your hometown over the past three years? Was there any flood or drought? What decrees had the governor issued and how were they being implemented?
As a result, she lowered her head to look at the test paper, and her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
"Old Yao, I asked you to be the examiner because, firstly, I was afraid that seeing their beauty in person would affect my judgment, and secondly, I wanted you to help screen out a bunch of losers. But how come you didn't screen out these... these nonsensical papers?"
"I have already eliminated the more unsightly papers. What Your Majesty has seen now are those that I consider barely acceptable."
Seeing Jiang Cenyun's displeasure, Yao Yi continued, "Your Majesty, these people are all men. They only see the trivialities of the inner mansions. How could they care about the people's livelihood?"
"But Xiwei knows everything. These questions come to him without any thought. Although he is not in Ruzhou, he is well aware of the situation in Ruzhou."
"You compare Li Xiwei to these good girls, but where in the world is there another Li Xiwei?"
Jiang Cenyun sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and read on patiently. She filtered out the papers that hadn't answered a single question, as well as those filled with praise, each one akin to "Your Majesty is wise." She kept the papers that were relatively sincere and had a slightly broader perspective.
Suddenly, there were only about twenty people left out of the more than one hundred people.
Seeing the familiar handwriting, she held it up and waved it in front of Yao Yi. "Look at it, Xiwei's words are like pearls of wisdom."
"Yes, yes, your left prime minister is very talented in writing." Yao Yi was amused by her childish actions.
Jiang Cenyun pouted proudly, then flipped to the next test paper, his eyes lighting up. "Well, not everyone is completely useless. This person's answer was pretty good, too. While not as concise as Xiwei's, his words showed he had the truth."
Yao Yi leaned in closer and read the name at the end of the test paper: "Chen Youzhi. Chen? From Huzhou. Who is there in Huzhou with the surname Chen?"
The attendant, Cengluan, said, "Your Majesty, Grand Tutor, this man is not from a prominent family, but the son of a commoner."
Jiang Cenyun sighed, "It is my fault that such a talented person has been left among the people."
She decided to meet Chen Youzhi another day.
After the number of showmen was reduced by half, the expenses in the palace were reduced a lot. Jiang Cenyun was no longer anxious and asked the female officials of the Sixth Bureau to polish these rough gems carefully.
She couldn't give them the status they wanted, but she could give them some guidance so that it would be easier for them to find a good family after leaving the palace.
Li Xiwei remained obediently within his own courtyard, never stepping a step beyond the bounds of law. Among the remaining good family members, some sought to cling to him and curry favor, while others, believing the emperor showed clear favoritism toward him, resented him. He remained indifferent to those who flattered him, giving the jealous few no opportunity to retaliate.
Ten days later, Jiang Cenyun conducted another policy essay test. This time, the questions were more detailed, and several candidates handed in blank papers, packing up their belongings and leaving the palace in disgrace. Li Xiwei was still the best performer, followed by Chen Youzhi.
Jiang Cenyun felt itchy and used the same old trick again, disguising herself as a female official to observe the girls from good families. This time she chose Xue Fengyu's tea art class again. When Xue Fengyu saw her, he was able to ignore her and did not show any clue on his face.
After two rounds of selection, the remaining six were all handsome young men, and Li Xiwei possessed the most striking presence, making him impossible to ignore. Jiang Cenyun admired his tea-making technique for a long moment, then shifted his gaze to observe the others, locking onto the man in the last row.
The clothes are made of ordinary material and the jewelry is rare. This young man in green must be Chen Youzhi, right?
Xue Fengyu coughed, and Jiang Cenyun looked up and found that Li Xiwei was looking at her.
"Auntie, can you do Xiwei a favor?"
It took Jiang Cenyun two seconds to realize that Li Xiwei was talking about her, and she said, "What's the matter?"
"Xiwei noticed that the tea whisk I used this time is a little worn. Could you please get me a new one?"
Xue Fengyu's calm expression was about to break. Jiang Cenyun looked at Li Xiwei helplessly. "Okay."
How could this person not even tolerate me looking at others a few more times? This was a bit too much, but I was in a good mood today, so I didn't bother with him for now.
Jiang Cenyun left slowly without getting any tea whisk, but not long after she left, she was stopped by someone.
"His Majesty."
She turned around and found that it was the young man in green who called her.
"How do you know my identity?" she asked curiously.
"Your Majesty is so dignified that even if I am shortsighted, I cannot ignore you." The young man looked down at his feet, not looking directly at her.
Jiang Cenyun smiled and said, "Chen Youzhi, right? I've read your two strategic essays. You're not one for sweet talk. I want to hear the truth."
The young man glanced at her cautiously, then lowered his head again. "Lord Zuo Xiang holds a high position of power, and all the other ladies in the palace treat him with the utmost respect. Even the notoriously strict Xue Fengyu treated him with great courtesy and courtesy. However, when you spoke to him, your words were concise and your attitude was calm, which is unacceptable for someone who is not close. Apart from Your Majesty, I don't think anyone else in the palace has a close relationship with the Left Xiang."
"I thought the more I spoke, the more mistakes I made. I didn't expect that the less I said, the more I exposed myself." Jiang Cenyun sighed and asked, "Then why did you leave the table to look for me?"
"I would like to ask for a favor."
"Shall I let you out of the palace?" Jiang Cenyun raised an eyebrow. She felt that this young man was not very warm to her and did not want to stay in the harem.
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