Chapter 555 Liu Xian, the First Place Winner!
Liu Mingxin had always been troubled by the lack of a successor to his family business. He had spent his whole life cultivating his career in the officialdom, but he never expected that he would be left without a successor in his old age. He had already made preparations to support his students, and there were several outstanding students in the court. However, in the end, it was his daughter, who had always been kept in seclusion, who came out on top.
His feelings were so complicated that when his sons returned, he didn't give them a kind look.
“Look at your sister, and then look at yourselves. When will you ever have even half of your sister’s charm?”
“Father, didn’t you say that a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent?” the eldest son retorted.
Liu Mingxin immediately glared at his son, then quickly looked around in fright. Seeing that no one else was around, he sternly reprimanded him.
"How can you say such a thing? The emperor has eyes and ears everywhere in the court and the countryside. Do you want our whole family to go to Dongchuan to farm?"
The sons were all too frightened to utter a sound until Liu Xian returned, which eased the tense atmosphere.
"Why is Xian'er only coming back now?"
"Little sister, you're in high school now, why are you only coming back now?"
Compared to their excitement, Liu Xian remained calm and composed.
"It's just top three, what's there to get excited about? I've been studying diligently at the academy, reading the classics and studying the law in my spare time. This result is worthy of my studies."
Liu Mingxin and his son stared at their mother in disbelief.
Is this still the same girl who blushes easily with just a few words?
Before they knew it, the day of the palace examination arrived.
Shen Lanxi personally selected the top three winners from among the test questions, which were not ordinary questions, but rather questions about the situation in Tianjin.
"In order to establish himself in Tianjin, Zhou Ruyuan married Zhou Qiwu's daughter and took command of the Tianjin Navy. What do you think of this?"
"To fight or not to fight!"
This was a question that even the officials found difficult to answer, yet Shen Lanxi used it to test the top three, revealing her ambition.
Several senior officials discerned Shen Lanxi's intentions, exchanged glances, and focused their attention on the top three.
The other two men in the top three are from Dongchuan and the Northwest!
The only wild horse to break through was Liu Mingxin's daughter.
Dongchuan and the Northwest were once under Shen Lanxi's jurisdiction. Thinking about it carefully, it's terrifying!
Zhang Ruchang, a student from the Northwest, said: "Your Majesty, I believe that Zhou Ruyuan and Zhou Qiwu have long been colluding. Your Majesty should not show any mercy and should announce to the world that they should be stripped of their titles."
"Tianjin is just a tiny place, how can it be compared to my great Zhou Dynasty? Of course we must fight."
Dongchuan Sun Daolin: "Your Majesty, I think the same as Zhang Ruchang. Zhou Ruyuan has acted against the natural order, murdered the late emperor, and colluded with foreign tribes to rebel. Your Majesty has already shown him the utmost kindness by treating his family with leniency."
"Under His Majesty's rule, the people of our Great Zhou live in peace and prosperity, and our army is strong and well-equipped. Of course, we must fight!"
Shen Lanxi did not offer her opinion, but instead asked Liu Xian a question.
"Liu Xian, what do you think?"
Liu Xian's answer leaned more towards the conservative side.
"Your Majesty, the two scholars are correct, but I have a different opinion."
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow, seemingly very interested, and said, "Go on."
"The students feel that several years ago, our Great Zhou was plagued by war, natural disasters and man-made calamities, and it would take several more years to recover. To start a war now would be to destroy the spirit that we have finally managed to rebuild. The students feel that it is not worth it."
Shen Lanxi became interested: "Do you think there are any other ways?"
Liu Xian spoke eloquently and confidently, neither humble nor arrogant.
"I believe we can proceed gradually."
Shen Lanxi: "What kind of diagram?"
Liu Xian's thoughts were clear and her eyes were bright; she was clearly not talking nonsense, but rather had a plan in mind.
"The place is but a tiny speck of land. If my Great Zhou wanted to take it back, it would be a simple matter of lifting a finger. But if we were to wage war, it would result in heavy losses of soldiers and generals, and a drain on resources and manpower. In the end, it would be the people of my Great Zhou who would suffer."
"I believe we can use a strategy of gradual disintegration to slowly divide Zhou's power."
"Now that the four seas of my Great Zhou have submitted, the people's hearts are with us, and foreign tribes are all eager to befriend us. All the people of the world have seen this, and the people of Tianjin have naturally seen it as well."
“That area is by the sea, and although maritime trade is thriving, they have very little arable land. They rely heavily on bartering for food and cloth from neighboring regions. If trade is cut off, even if they buy food from the sea, it will be a drop in the ocean and a net loss!”
"Given enough time, the people of Tianjin will naturally flee, and the economy there will gradually decline and eventually perish on its own. Our Great Zhou army won without even having to lift a finger!"
Liu Xian's brilliant and insightful argument resonated throughout the hall, slapping the faces of many officials and shocking many others.
Liu Mingxin was equally shocked, and he looked at his daughter, who was talking non-stop, with a complicated expression.
Is this still his daughter?
There's no need to compete anymore; the top scholar in the first division has already been decided.
If anyone were to jump out and try to stop him at this moment, not to mention His Majesty, Liu Mingxin alone would jump out and fight him.
Shen Lanxi looked at Liu Xian with bright eyes and praised her highly.
"Your thoughts coincide with mine. Minister Liu has done an excellent job raising his daughter. With Minister Liu and his daughter working together in the court, I can rest easy!"
Liu Mingxin looked at his daughter again with a complicated expression.
They say that fathers and sons go to war together, but in his case, it's father and daughter who go to war together.
"By imperial decree, Liu Mingxin's daughter, Liu Xian, shall be ranked first in the first class, the Zhuangyuan (top scholar)!"
The eunuch chanted loudly, and the chants spread throughout the court and the countryside.
Liu Mingxin excitedly led his daughter to kneel down and shouted, "We thank the Emperor for his grace!"
After pondering for a moment, Shen Lanxi said to Liu Mingxin and his daughter, "I have two suitable arrangements for you. One is to serve in the Ministry of Revenue, and the other is to serve in Dongchuan. You two should think about it carefully after you go home!"
"I obey the decree."
After Shen Lanxi finished speaking, she looked at the court officials and asked, "Do any of you have any objections?"
Does anyone have it?
Who would dare to have it?
Anyone who dared to do so would be offending both His Majesty and Liu Mingxin, two formidable figures. If it weren't for the fact that the Grand Tutor was the chief examiner for this imperial examination, and all the other examiners were selected for their impeccable backgrounds and had no connection with any factions in the court, and that His Majesty was personally supervising the examination, they would definitely have suspected behind-the-scenes manipulation.
"We have no objection!" It's all because Liu Mingxin was too cunning. On the surface, he seemed to share their hatred and belittle the women's imperial examinations, but unexpectedly, he stabbed them in the back and helped his own daughter get into the top rank.
It was definitely Liu Mingxin's scheme!
~
Then came the third and second place winners.
"You two are equally talented in literature. If I were to appoint you as the third and second-highest scholar based on your appearance, it would be a perfunctory decision. You can decide for yourselves!"
Throughout history, no monarch has ever allowed students to choose for themselves.
Shen Lanxi has once again set a precedent, both ancient and modern.
Sun Daolin: "Since ancient times, the third-place scholar has always been one of outstanding looks. I know that I am of average appearance, so I will not compete for the third-place position."
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