When Magistrate Zhou finally finalized the list, all the bureaucrats were of the same opinion.
Governor Fang glanced at them and said, "Show me the test papers of the first and second place finishers. I heard that they are both young."
Prefect Zhou immediately had his men deliver the files. Governor Fang first reviewed the Eighth Prince's paper and was very satisfied. The Eighth Prince was indeed the most intelligent of all the princes, possessing such knowledge and insight at such a young age.
When he grows up, and with the emperor's love for him, I'm afraid he will have more than a 50% chance of occupying the throne in the future.
After reading it, Governor Fang put the file aside, picked up the first-place test paper and read it carefully. When he finished reading it, his brows were tightly furrowed.
Magistrate Zhou and the others were somewhat uneasy at his expression, wondering if the Master was dissatisfied with the paper.
Just as they were all feeling uneasy, Governor Fang asked, "The person who completed this test paper was a five-year-old child?"
When Zhou Zhifu and others heard his words, they felt relieved.
It seems that Governor Fang also recognizes this boy's talent.
When they learned the boy's age, they were all shocked and found it unbelievable.
"Exactly."
Governor Fang looked at the name written on it - "Mu Zimo".
Why does this name sound familiar? I seem to have heard it somewhere.
By the way, the guy who has been very close to the Eighth Prince recently is him.
At just five years old, he's already accomplished this, demonstrating his remarkable abilities. The fact that the Eighth Prince has already established a friendly relationship with him demonstrates his foresight. Recruiting such a talented individual would undoubtedly be of great assistance in future struggles for power.
After Governor Fang figured it out, he said to Prefect Zhou and the others, "Yes, the people you selected are very good."
He didn't want his words to make them think too much, and when the Eighth Prince and that kid took the provincial examination, the examiners would have concerns and reject them.
"Keep it up during the provincial examination." Governor Fang said this and left.
The next day, Bei Yutang took Xiao Zimo and the others to the countryside, a place nestled in the mountains where life was very poor. Hua Ziyun, who had initially been enjoying the scenery, frowned upon seeing the children working in the fields.
"You're so young and you have to work in the fields."
Xiao Zimo said slowly, "Yes. During the busy farming season, everyone in the family who can contribute has to work in the fields. The family's livelihood depends on the food from the fields. If it's a good year, they can all eat. If there is a natural disaster, they will starve to death."
Hua Ziyun saw his expression and asked, "Have you experienced this?"
Xiao Zimo nodded. "When we had no food to eat before, we would just pull off tree bark or pick some wild grass from the mountains to fill our stomachs. Otherwise, we would just starve to death."
"So serious?" Hua Ziyun couldn't imagine that kind of day.
"It's even worse than this. Some families are so hungry that they eat each other's children," Dai Xiang added.
Hua Ziyun was stunned, "Eating your own children?!"
"One year, my hometown was hit by a drought that lasted for two years. No one had enough to eat. The wild vegetables in the mountains outside the village were snatched away early. In the end, there was nothing left to eat, and some families even had to trade their children for food."
Hua Ziyun asked suspiciously, "When there's a drought, the imperial court should send officials to provide disaster relief."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
