Chapter 1961 Test
Changyu took Manbao to watch the fun without much hesitation, so Mingda dropped the book in his hand and wanted to go too.
The three of them walked over there and talked, "Didn't you say you wouldn't go?"
Mingda said, "Since you two have gone, it doesn't matter whether I go or not. You will tell me when you come back anyway, so I might as well go and see it myself."
Manbao said, "I think you should just tell His Majesty directly and go and see for yourself and choose. After all, it's you who chooses the husband."
Mingda laughed, "Aren't you afraid that I won't be able to choose Bai Cheng?"
Manbao said, "Although he is my junior fellow apprentice, you are also a friend. This kind of thing naturally requires mutual consent. If you think there is someone more suitable than him among the eighteen people, then choose him."
"The Emperor will never agree to this. At most, he'll decide on a few candidates and then let Mingda have his say."
As the three of them were talking, they arrived at the hall where the emperor was meeting people.
That’s right, it’s the main hall!
They said they were letting people appreciate the flowers, but in the end they didn't even let them see the flowers. Instead, they dragged them into the main hall to test their knowledge.
Those who were unaware of the situation thought that the emperor was impressed by their talents and wanted to use them, so they were trying their best to answer the questions.
Bai Cheng also tried his best to answer.
Apart from the Imperial College examination that year, this was the first time he felt such great pressure in an exam.
Bai Cheng was even more cautious than when he took the entrance exam. He went over the answers in his mind first before writing them down. His handwriting was very neat. He was even surprised by himself. He was really amazing.
When they arrived at the place, Changyu felt a little hesitant, so Mingda walked in front and led the two of them forward quietly as if they were familiar with the place.
The guards were used to it. They just turned a blind eye and pretended not to see anything.
The eunuchs and palace maids were more familiar with the situation, so they watched Princess Mingda quietly slip into the door, dragging one person with each hand, and then hiding behind a screen.
Not to mention the eighteen students sitting in the hall, even the emperor sitting above didn't notice it.
He was currently looking down at the poems they had just written. After reading one, he would throw it to the left, middle, and right. The ones on the left were those that barely passed, the ones in the middle were those that needed to be tested, and the ones on the right were those that didn't need to be considered at all.
It was Gu Zhong who stepped forward to add more tea for him and gave him a slight hint. Only then did the emperor look up and glance around the hall, and then he saw three little heads poking out from behind the screen.
The emperor's heart skipped a beat and the paper in his hand began to tremble a little.
Gu Zhong reminded cautiously, "Your Majesty?"
The emperor took a look at the poem in his hand and threw it to his right.
Gu Zhong took a quick look and thought that the poem by Meng Zhijie from the Imperial College was quite good, at least not worse than the one the emperor had placed on his left.
However, Gu Zhong did not dare to say a word. This was a selection of a son-in-law, not a selection of talents. Who knew which of his words did not meet the emperor's expectations?
The emperor turned a blind eye and pretended not to see the three little heads.
Chang Yu, who rarely had the opportunity to stay here, felt a little bolder and whispered to Man Baomingda, "Who do you think is good-looking?"
Mingda: "This is a son-in-law selection, not a beauty pageant. What's there to look at?"
"Of course we have to," Manbao and Changyu said in unison, "Appearance is still very important."
Manbao took the opportunity to recommend her junior brother, "Look at my junior brother, he's quite good-looking, isn't he?"
Changyu understood it soon after. It turned out that Manbao wanted to match Mingda and Bai Cheng. She felt that Bai Cheng was not worthy of Mingda.
But Mingda seemed to like him, so Changyu didn't say anything. She then carefully examined the appearances of the other seventeen people, then nodded slightly and said, "If we just look at his face, he'd be in the top five."
"The top three," Manbao said fairly, "only that one and that one are better looking than him, the others can't compare."
"I also think those two are the best looking, but those two are good too."
Manbao refused, "He's not as good-looking as Bai Cheng. If you don't believe me, ask Mingda."
Mingda looked carefully and nodded, saying, "Manbao is right. Those two have a slightly inferior temperament and look exhausted."
Bai Cheng quietly raised his head and looked to the side, and immediately met the gazes of the three people. Mingda shrank back and pulled Changyu and Manbao.
The two of them also retracted their heads.
Bai Cheng was stunned. He said that he always felt that he heard someone talking, and there was a familiar voice among them...
He looked around and saw that everyone was busy writing and seemed to have discovered nothing, so he quickly lowered his head and continued thinking.
Once the thoughts were interrupted, it was difficult to continue. Bai Cheng remembered scratching his ears and cheeks, and couldn't help puffing out his cheeks.
With his head lowered, he didn't notice that the emperor sitting at the top was squinting at him. Then he turned his head to look at the three people hiding behind the screen. For some reason, he couldn't help but snort.
When the time was almost up, the emperor looked directly at Gu Zhong.
Gu Zhong glanced at the still burning incense and lied, "The time has come. Please hand in your papers."
Some people handed it in calmly, some felt regretful and frustrated, and some looked happy. Bai Cheng had a conflicted look on his face. He scratched his head and handed in the paper anyway.
The emperor asked them to sit back on their mats and, while scanning their papers at a glance, asked, "I originally wanted to summon you to the palace to admire the pomegranate flowers today, but I found that the pomegranate flowers are gone, but pomegranates have grown instead."
The emperor said, "Everyone thinks having many children is a good thing. Tell me why this is so good. If you were in my situation, how many children would you want in your lifetime?"
This was the question posed by the Queen. Actually, he said, this question was unnecessary, because who wouldn't want many children? And naturally, the more children, the better.
Students who didn't know the inside story thought this was a metaphor. Those with rich thoughts had already extended the idea from the emperor's current princes' disputes to the current local military governors, thinking that the emperor wanted to establish a few more Jiedushi to disperse the power of the current Jiedushi, etc.
The students who knew the inside story only thought about Princess Mingda's body.
There were those who were unwilling to be a prince consort like Liu Huan, and naturally there were also those who wanted to be a prince consort like Bai Cheng. So everyone racked their brains to give the emperor a perfect answer in order to achieve their own goals.
Bai Erlang thought seriously, and then told the emperor, "Your Majesty, I don't think you need many children. Three or two is best."
The emperor had heard a lot about "many children bring good fortune," and some people mentioned filial piety and loyalty. He had also heard half a lot about "offspring are determined by fate." This was the first time he heard such a specific number. He asked, "Why three or two, and not five, six, seven, or eight?"
Changyu thought: Is it a pig to give birth to so many children?
Manbao thought that even the best body would be ruined by having so many children, just like her mother.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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