Chapter 118 This official believes in Miss Jiang's abilities
After leaving the Duke of Chu's residence, Yan Ruihua went straight to the palace, where the Emperor was waiting for his report. Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, he explained the preparations for the assessment.
After a moment of silence, the emperor asked, "Zheng Yutian, one of the reviewers, seems to be a student of the great Tang scholar."
Yan Ruihua broke out in a sweat and quickly explained, "I have considered the marriage ties between the Tang family and the Duke of Chu's mansion, but..."
“I know,” the emperor interrupted him, “I was just asking a question.”
"Yes." Yan Ruihua wiped the sweat from his brow. He was somewhat confused by the Emperor's meaning. Using the most difficult examination questions indicated that he did not want Jiang Yu to become an official, but why did he not object to Zheng Yutian, who had connections with the Duke of Chu's mansion, being one of the examiners?
Upon closer reflection, he understood. Zheng Yutian was only one of the examiners; the result wasn't solely up to him. Moreover, if Jiang Yu didn't answer the questions well, that would be one thing, but if she did, no one would distort the truth.
After all, Jiang Yu's exam paper would be made public, so it was impossible to distort the truth. In that case, the Emperor would have no need to hold a grudge against Zheng Yutian and upset the Duke of Chu's mansion and the Tang family.
Having figured all this out, he felt utterly exhausted. In the years since he came to the capital to serve as an official, he had barely stopped working, deliberating and weighing even the smallest matters for a long time. His hair was falling out in clumps, and now he was almost bald.
Actually, going back to Jingzhou would be nice, but is it even possible to get back?
He glanced cautiously at the emperor, and seeing that his expression was calm and showed no displeasure, he knelt down with a thud. The emperor looked at him but did not speak. Yan Ruihua kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to transfer me back to Jingzhou."
"You've made it to the capital and even entered the Ministry of Personnel—it wasn't easy for you. Why do you want to go back?" The emperor's voice was nonchalant, but sweat was already dripping down Yan Ruihua's forehead.
"Your Majesty, my mother, who lives in Jingzhou, is bedridden and I wish to return to care for her," Yan Ruihua said.
"Serving the sick?" The emperor's voice remained calm. Then he continued, "It seems you are a filial son, but you have official duties and cannot serve the sick in peace. You should resign and return home."
"Thump." Yan Ruihua collapsed to the ground, and then heard the emperor say again: "However, you should wait until Jiang Yu's assessment is over before you resign. After all, you are in charge of this matter, and it is not appropriate to replace you at the last minute."
"Yes...yes." Yan Ruihua was on the verge of tears when the emperor waved him away. Yan Ruihua got up and staggered out. He never imagined that after a lifetime of striving, this would be the end of his life.
After Yan Ruihua left the imperial study, the emperor gave a light hum. He had Yan Ruihua's entire past investigated, but hadn't been able to find out who was truly backing him; sparing his life was already a mercy.
........
Two days later, early in the morning, Jiang Yu chose a jade-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a light gray long robe. She simply styled her hair into a bun and wore a jade hairpin. She looked fresh and clean. Accompanied by the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan, she arrived at the Ministry of Personnel.
Upon hearing that the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan had arrived together, Yan Ruihua immediately led a entourage out to greet them. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jiang Yu was led to a private room. The room contained only a table, chairs, writing brushes, ink, paper, and a small bed; nothing else.
Jiang Yu slightly curled her lips. In her previous life, she had experienced countless exams, big and small. She never expected that she would have to go through the same exams in this life in ancient times.
She opened the exam paper and glanced at it, her eyes involuntarily narrowing slightly. What a clever trick! The questions were so obscure; I'm afraid she might actually pass!
But having spent twenty years in school in her previous life and over a decade in this one, these test questions were no challenge for her. Rolling up her sleeves, she picked up her pen and began to answer the questions...
Meanwhile, the faces of the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan outside were unusually gloomy. They had also received the test paper for Jiang Yu's assessment. They knew the test would be difficult, but they did not expect it to be this difficult.
"Aren't subjects like Mingjing and Zhuke no longer tested in the provincial examination?" Marquis Anyuan asked Yan Ruihua.
Yan Ruihua smiled ingratiatingly, "This humble official believes in Miss Jiang's abilities."
What could he say? That was all he could say.
Marquis Anyuan was furious and wanted to argue with him, but Duke Chu stopped him and shook his head. The Emperor had definitely seen the exam questions and had already approved them; there was no point in arguing.
Marquis Anyuan could only suppress his anger and sit there quietly waiting.
Normally, exams consist of three sessions over nine days, with set times. However, Jiang Yu's exams didn't have set times, which saved her a lot of time. But she had been eating and sleeping in this one room for the past few days.
One day, two days, three days...
Almost all the powerful and influential people in the capital were paying close attention to this examination. Not to mention Lu Yifang and Lady Anyuan, who spent almost every day in the Buddhist hall, even Tang Yuchuan and his wife were constantly chanting Amitabha Buddha's name.
Of course, many more people didn't want Jiang Yu to pass the assessment.
The Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan had been guarding outside for the past seven days, but the Ministry of Personnel had prepared rooms for them to rest in, so they did not suffer. However, the inner torment they endured was something that ordinary people could not bear.
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Yu stepped out of the room. Apart from being a little pale, she hadn't changed much. Seeing the eager gazes of the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan, she quickly went over and bowed to them, "Grandfather, maternal grandfather."
"Very well, very well." The Duke of Chu patted her arm, seemingly no longer caring about the outcome. Even if she failed the exam and couldn't become an official, the Duke of Chu's mansion would still be fine under her management.
Marquis Anyuan patted her on the shoulder and said, "Good girl, just do your best."
Jiang Yu smiled at them. Actually, she was quite confident in her answer. As long as the examiners were impartial, she felt there shouldn't be any major problems.
At this moment, a young eunuch came running over. He bowed to the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan and said, "His Majesty has decreed that the examination papers be reviewed in the Imperial Study."
Jiang Yu exchanged glances with the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan, then followed the young eunuch towards the Imperial Study. Upon arrival, they found several other people already seated inside: Tang Huai Ren, the Prime Minister, the Ministers of the Six Ministries…
Jiang Yu and the others couldn't guess what the emperor meant, and there was no time for them to guess or analyze. The three of them bowed to the emperor.
The emperor personally helped the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan to their feet, then said with a smile, "I thought you must all be curious about how Jiang Yu did on the exam, so I had someone quickly review the papers. I also summoned several of my ministers. After the papers are reviewed, I will give Jiang Yu another test, and that will be the palace examination."
Jiang Yu and the others quickly replied that the emperor wanted them to admit defeat in public and also wanted to tell those who wanted to recommend women for official positions that it was extremely difficult for women to become officials.
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