This was the Empress Dowager's favorite piece. The handwriting speaks for itself; judging a person by their handwriting is like judging a person by their character. She even saw Gu Shouxin on the day she returned to the palace.
She was somewhat alarmed. How exactly did her son educate his grandson? How could he have raised a scholar to behave like a military general?
They don't even look alike!
He was refined and cultured, just like his grandfather, but his views were similar to those of brave and resourceful veterans.
According to his strategic viewpoint, if it were implemented, there would be a high probability of conquering the few places left over from the previous dynasty.
With the seeds provided by the Lu family lad, the army has no shortage of rations.
"Grandmother? What's wrong?" the Emperor asked when he saw that the Empress Dowager was silent.
"Is this the person you just mentioned, Your Majesty?" the Empress Dowager asked.
"Hmm. This is the second son of the Gu family that I met when I went to Qingzhou. His policy essay is very well written, isn't it! I want him to be the top scholar! Let him stay in the Hanlin Academy for two or three years, then find a reason to let him go. When he makes a name for himself, I will promote him and give him a title when he comes back! In the future, I will have another helper!" The emperor said with a happy smile.
The Empress Dowager glanced at the Emperor and said, "Aren't you afraid that someone will come back and steal your throne after they've done their job?"
After some hesitation, the Empress Dowager still did not tell the Emperor about the Gu family's identity, but simply allowed the Emperor to select a top scholar to mentor.
And so, the top three in this year's competition were decided. As for the subsequent rankings, the emperor didn't bother with them and left it to his ministers to handle.
The next day, all the candidates returned to the palace.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites unfolded the imperial edict and began to read out the rankings one by one.
After the reading was finished, the three men were taken to a room next door to change their clothes. They would then be paraded through the streets, and after that, they would attend the Qionglin Banquet in the royal garden.
Cai Xiaolian, along with Gu Hui and Gu Xin, waited on the street early in the morning. Gu Shouxin himself had said last night that they would definitely see him during the day.
"Mom, he's here! I see Dad! He's sitting in the first seat! He looks so handsome in that red scholar's robe!" Gu Xin excitedly ran to Cai Xiaolian's side.
The crowd became lively.
Cai Xiaolian looked over and saw that the man in red, with a handsome face and a faint smile on his lips, had already seen her.
The Nine Thousand Years Old is so young!
The child is already so big, but looks only in his twenties!
Cai Xiaolian felt her heart pounding wildly.
Gu Xin tugged at Cai Xiaolian's sleeve: "Mom, Dad is smiling at us! Look, there are handkerchiefs and flowers on Dad's horse! Hahaha..."
Gu Shouxin, whose hearing is excellent: ...My daughter has such good eyesight. I'll tell her when we get back that next time she can just look at her father and not the horse.
Gu Xin pulled Gu Hui along, saying, "Huo the Prodigy, Huo the Prodigy didn't even get second place this time! He got third, hahaha..."
Huo Junhao, who was smiling and waving as he passed by, almost fell off his horse.
Gu Hui couldn't help but laugh.
A young woman standing nearby exclaimed excitedly, "Our third-ranked scholar is shy! I saw it, his ears are all red!"
"Yes! I heard that the third-ranked scholar is only fourteen years old! It's a pity my parents gave birth to me too early, otherwise, I could have married the third-ranked scholar!"
"If you don't want to marry the third-ranked scholar, you can look to the second-ranked scholar! He's just over twenty!"
"No, no, compared to the top two scholars, the second-place scholar is mediocre and looks silly!"
"That's true! I saw the second-place scholar on the day the results of the imperial examination were announced; he was actually quite handsome. So, you just can't compare people!"
"..."
The second-place scholar, Qian Liangduo, who seemed rather ordinary and foolish in comparison, said: "...Actually, I am the most handsome unmarried man in our village. You might want to consider me."
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