Everyone thought of nothing else, thinking that this must be Cheng Zhangyin, who was highly valued by the emperor and had great power.
After prostrating himself and performing the ceremony of kowtow three times and nine bows, Emperor Mingzheng said, "Stand up." He glanced at the several people standing in the palace and his eyes fell on Xiao Yantai. After asking about his ranking in the examination, he asked Cheng Ying to bring Xiao Yantai's examination paper, glanced through it, and praised him for having the style of his father.
When others saw Emperor Mingzheng praising Xiao Yantai so much, they secretly thought that the top scorer in this exam might be Xiao Yantai.
Then Emperor Mingzheng asked a few more questions to the others casually, and finally looked at Yu Qizhe and said, "I heard that you won the first prize in the Qingzhou Prefecture in the autumn examination, and the first prize in the spring examination. How old are you now?"
Yu Qizhe replied calmly, "The student is already seventeen years old."
Emperor Mingzheng looked at Yu Qizhe. The boy was wearing a scarlet robe and had a handsome face. He was only seventeen years old. How young he was, just like the rising sun, full of vigor and vitality. He had a long life ahead of him. He could not compare to him and yet he longed for him.
Emperor Mingzheng glanced through his examination essay and suddenly asked, "I have devoted my life to the country and the people, and have endured great hardships. However, my body and mind are sometimes exhausted. I deeply feel the saying of cultivating in the furnace. Life must come to an end, what should I do?"
In order to prolong his life, Emperor Mingzheng liked to take elixirs and even set up a Taoist temple. Everyone in the capital knew about it. If they were loyal ministers, they would have advised against it. However, the officials in the Censorate who gave direct advice ended up in a miserable state.
Your Highness, everyone knows that when His Majesty asks a question, it seems to be about life and death, but in fact he is asking what he thinks about the elixir he takes. This question is really difficult to answer. If you flatter His Majesty and curry favor with him, you will be despised by all officials and scholars. If you advise him not to trust his words and take the elixir, you will offend His Majesty.
Moreover, life must end, and no one can escape it. Even the emperor is just a mortal body.
The others were all sweating, and for a moment they were glad that they were not the ones being asked. They secretly glanced at Yu Qizhe out of the corner of their eyes. The emperor was cruel, and if this person did not handle the situation properly, a place in the first class would be vacant.
Liu Yu, who was standing at the side of the hall, also had a somewhat solemn expression on his face. He had never expected that Emperor Mingzheng would ask such a question.
Prime Minister Shen Tian crossed his sleeves and looked like he was enjoying a good show. Although he did not participate in the imperial examination, he had already found out the origins of the ten people selected. This seventeen-year-old champion had a great relationship with the Liu family.
Yu Qizhe's expression was calm, he just bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the safety of the dragon body is related to the country and the people, it is the foundation of the country and the safety of the people. The old prescriptions have ginseng and deer antlers, but no goldfish maw, all of which are boiled in a furnace and taken. I heard that the elixir has the power to turn the tide, and I have exhausted my wisdom. Now I still use ginseng soup to send it, which is not affected by the prescription. Moreover, this medicine has no effect on cold, hot, warm or cool, and its effect is not to attack the disease, but to replenish the vital energy, which is a special function. Since it is a good medicine that is beneficial and harmless, and a good prescription for curing diseases and nourishing the body, why do you say it is evil?"
"When I was young, I was sick for a long time and was bedridden. I was unable to participate in the provincial examination in the eighth year of Mingzheng. I was still very depressed. I could not realize my ambitions and my heart was not satisfied. I went everywhere to seek medical treatment and medicine to recover from my illness and realize my ambitions. Even students are like this, let alone the safety of the emperor, which is the foundation of people's livelihood."
After Yu Qizhe finished speaking, there was silence in the hall for a moment. Everyone lowered their heads, but secretly cursed Yu Qizhe in their hearts for being too clever. Although the first half of his sentence seemed to be flattering, this person actually compared elixirs to ordinary medical treatments and used his own medical treatment to prove that the Taoist Saint took elixirs only to nourish his body and cure diseases, not to practice Taoism and seek immortality.
Emperor Ming Zheng held the gilded dragon head on the armrest of the chair for a long time, and laughter rang out in the hall.
Although Yu Qizhe was not praised, he was able to make the emperor very happy. I'm afraid that this armor would be a piece of cake for him. Xiao Yantai also thought so and was very unhappy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
