Chapter 531: Palace Examination
The next day, Tang Li and Wei Qing both got up early.
After they put on their clothes, washed up, and had breakfast, they left the yard and went to the living room.
In the living room, the three young men, Wei Ziang, Xu Jue and Zhuo Shu, were all dressed neatly and sitting obediently.
The three teenagers looked very energetic.
"Are you nervous?" Tang Li asked.
Wei Ziang and Xu Jue shook their heads, and Zhuo Shu followed suit.
Tangli looked at them with a smile.
Under his mother's gaze, Wei Ziang admitted obediently: "Mom, I'm actually a little nervous."
That is the palace examination, presided over by the current emperor himself. The students have studied hard just for this day.
If he could shine in the palace examination and attract the emperor's attention, he would have a bright future.
Wei Ziang thought, feeling both nervous and excited. He wondered if His Majesty was as majestic as he had imagined, and what questions His Majesty would give him...
Wei Ziang thought a lot and fell asleep very late.
After getting up, seeing Xu Jue's calm appearance, he wondered if he had overreacted.
"Actually, I'm a little nervous too." Xu Jue said obediently.
No matter how mature he is, he is still a child and it is inevitable that he will be nervous.
However, his nervousness did not show on his face.
Zhuo Shu also nodded vigorously.
He was so nervous!
But seeing that Wei Ziang and Xu Jue both said they weren't nervous, he didn't dare to say it...
"It's normal to be nervous about such a big exam," Tang Li said. "When Mom is nervous, she takes a few deep breaths."
"If Dad is nervous, just go out and run a few laps." Wei Qing said.
Wei Ziang felt that the method his mother gave him to relieve tension was more reliable.
"Don't think too much and put pressure on yourself, just perform normally." Tang Li said.
The three teenagers nodded obediently.
After a while, Manager Hua and Cao Ji arrived, and a group of people and two carriages went to the palace.
The palace examination was held in the Wenhua Hall in the palace.
Naturally, the parents could not enter the palace, so they all waited outside the palace.
Wei Ziang, Xu Jue, and Zhuo Shu got off the carriage and were taken into the palace.
They came to a large hall where many students were already outside.
The students' positions are divided into two groups.
One group just glanced at them, while the other group surrounded them.
"Brother Wei, Brother Xu, you're here!"
"The palace examination is about to begin. After it's over, His Majesty will personally select the top three in the Wenhua Palace. I think the number one will be one of you."
These are students from the Imperial College.
A sneer came from the side, it was a student from out of town.
"I didn't mean to laugh, it's just that Brother Qin is here, and you guys are bragging too much."
The student from the Imperial College wanted to retort but was stopped by Wei Ziang.
"The palace examination is coming soon, so there's no need to waste words." Wei Ziang said.
"Yes, let your true ability speak for itself!" said the student from the Imperial College.
"Just speak like you really can!" the out-of-town student replied without showing any weakness.
The two groups of students stood on both sides, clearly separated, leaving a path in the middle.
Wei Ziang looked up and saw the three large characters "Wenhua Palace", shining with golden light in the sunlight, solemn and majestic.
The door of Wenhua Hall slowly opened.
"Please come in, all the tribute students." A shrill voice sounded.
Just as Wei Ziang was about to take a step, a hand was placed on his shoulder.
Wei Ziang turned his head and met Xu Jue's encouraging eyes. They smiled at each other, walked together, chins raised, and walked towards the hall.
The Wenhua Hall is very large, with 300 seats and a large empty space in the middle.
Three hundred tribute students stood in the empty seats.
"The emperor is here!" a shrill voice rang out.
All three hundred tribute students knelt down.
"Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty."
"My whole life." The emperor's voice was deep and majestic.
Three hundred tribute students stood up.
"The imperial examination is a way for my Great Zhou to select talents. You have all passed numerous tests to reach the palace examination. You are talents! Talents are the foundation of governing a country and the foundation of the country. I also hope that you can help me govern the Great Zhou well." The emperor said, looking at the tribute students in front of him.
The age range of these tribute students is very wide. Most of them are in their twenties or thirties. The oldest ones look to be in their forties. The youngest ones...
The emperor's gaze fell on two of the young men. They had childish faces and looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old.
The young man stood out among the tribute students.
"What's your name, the tribute student on the far left of the first row?" asked the emperor.
Wei Ziang stood on the far left of the first row.
Wei Ziang looked up and saw the emperor wearing a bright yellow dragon robe. He was surrounded by a dragon's aura, and he was majestic without even being angry. He took a look and immediately lowered his head with a respectful attitude.
"Your Majesty, this is student Wei Ziang."
"Wei Ziang..." Emperor Zhou quickly remembered who this name belonged to.
A student of the Imperial College and the adopted son of Wu Aiqing.
Wei Ziang was the best student of this year's Imperial College, and Liang Yu had mentioned him in front of him.
Emperor Zhou's gaze fell on the young man next to Wei Ziang.
The 'two gems of the Imperial College' that Liang Yu was talking about were of similar age, so I guess this was...
"Are you Xu Jue?" asked Emperor Zhou.
"Your Majesty, I am your disciple," Xu Jue said respectfully.
The two young men were very respectful, but not nervous, which was rare for someone meeting him for the first time.
Emperor Zhou nodded and said, "Take a seat."
The tribute students took their seats one after another.
"My fellow tribute students, I would like to hear your strategies for governing the country. If you think there is any good strategy, please write it down. Just one or more are fine. Speak freely." said Emperor Zhou.
The candidates all knew that this was today's exam question, which was about state governance.
This question is simple and difficult at the same time.
Some candidates picked up their pens to answer the questions, while some candidates fell into deep thought.
Wei Ziang did not answer immediately, but closed his eyes and pondered.
He closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. Everyone around him was writing furiously, and many had already written a page. Only then did Wei Ziang open his eyes.
He picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write on the white paper.
His handwriting is beautiful, neat and elegant, but very stylish.
The exam lasted a full three hours, from early morning to afternoon.
When the bell rang, everyone stopped writing.
The candidates' answer sheets were collected.
The palace servants prepared snacks and tea for the tribute students.
The tribute students waited in the hall for the results of the palace examination.
The time of waiting for the results is the most difficult, and the students are all anxiously waiting.
Wei Ziang was hungry, so he picked up a piece of cake. He turned around as if sensing something and saw Xu Jue looking at him.
"How?" Xu Jue asked with his lips.
Wei Ziang nodded.
"What about you?" Wei Ziang also asked with his lips.
Xu Jue raised his chin slightly and smiled confidently.
Wei Ziang also laughed.
Looking at Zhuo Shu again, his face was red, but he did not frown or feel upset. I guess he performed well.
In the inner hall.
The Zhou emperor sat in the first seat.
There were several Hanlin officials below, reviewing the papers.
They selected the best papers and submitted them to the emperor for review. The emperor then selected three top candidates from among the excellent papers.
The Hanlin scholar placed more than ten answer sheets in front of the emperor, three of which were placed separately.
"Your Majesty, please take a look at these three. I have read them many times." The Hanlin scholar's eyes lit up, and he obviously liked these three articles very much.
The emperor finished reading the others first, and then he looked at the three articles, and he picked up one of them.
"Good! This article is very good!" Emperor Zhou couldn't help but praise.
When it comes to this kind of state governance strategy, many students would quote classics and repeat the same old things, but this first article is refreshing, which shows that this candidate has a lot of ideas.
Emperor Zhou continued to pick up the second article. He originally thought it would be inferior to the first one, but after reading it, he felt that it was better than the first one.
The first article has good ideas, but compared to the second, it feels a bit floating and not as down-to-earth. The second article proposes three strategies for governing the country, each of which is based on the current situation and is incisive.
Emperor Zhou picked up the third article, which only proposed a strategy. However, this strategy was written in great detail, taking all aspects into consideration. It did not sound like something written by a candidate or a tribute student who had not yet entered officialdom.
Emperor Zhou read the three articles back and forth, and finally selected the last two. He hesitated for a long time, not knowing which one to give the first place.
In the end, Emperor Zhou placed the third chapter at the top, the second chapter in the middle, and the first chapter at the bottom.
From top to bottom, they are the top scorer, the second scorer, and the third scorer.
Emperor Zhou suddenly remembered something.
Wei Ziang and Xu Jue were very close to Old Six...
Wei Ziang and Xu Jue are not only Wu Aiqing's adopted sons, but their grandfather is also General Gu.
If the top scholar comes from among them, then the Wu family and the Gu family will also be extremely prosperous.
And the sixth brother already has the Liang family, plus the Wu family and the Gu family...
He knew that the third brother was close to a student from Liangzhou. The student from Liangzhou was extremely talented and had previously had a debate with Wei Ziang, but the result was a draw.
So who is this top scholar?
To ensure fairness, the names of the candidates are covered on the test papers.
Emperor Zhou picked up the article he had chosen as the top scholar and opened the covered name...
Wei Ziang.
Emperor Zhou looked at the names of the second and third place winners one after another.
Xu Jue and Qin Zhao.
Emperor Zhou pondered for a moment and felt that the third son’s vision was still not as good as the sixth son’s.
Emperor Zhou reached out his hand, wanting to swap the first and third positions...
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