Chapter 123 Spring Examination Spring Examination
"Lord Wang! Are you here so early?"
"Master Gu! Aren't you up pretty early too?"
"Master Li is here too. Nice to meet you."
"Master Bai hasn't arrived yet? This old Bai is always the slowest. His slowness is really unbearable."
"Shh, keep your voice down, Master Chi is here!"
At the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall, at first glance it looked like the Hanlin Academy was holding a team-building event. Almost the entire Hanlin Academy came out in full force, including a few people from the Ministry of Rites. The officials all had smiles on their faces, but deep down they probably wanted to go out and curse.
Who made the current emperor have a sudden idea to let the scholars from the north and south take the examination together this year, directly breaking the rules set by Emperor Taizu.
That's fine, after all, the current emperor does a lot of unexpected things, so just combine the lists. However, the examiners of this session have a heavy responsibility, and if they are not careful, the same unpleasant cheating cases as those in the North and South will happen again.
Unexpectedly, when the Spring Examination came around, the current emperor had another brilliant idea. He smiled and said in the court, "I know you are worried that after the combined northern and southern examinations, the chief examiner's selection will inevitably be unfair. I have a good idea."
At that time, the adults in the court were all rejecting it in their hearts, and they wanted to shout, "Your Majesty, please stop giving me random advice."
Unfortunately, the emperor failed to understand their grief and bluntly said, "It is indeed easy for one person to make the decision and be unfair. If a northern official is in charge of the examination, the southerners will certainly be dissatisfied. If a southern official is in charge of the examination, the northern scholars will also be worried."
"I've pondered this over and over in the palace, and finally, I've come up with a foolproof plan," the emperor said cheerfully. "I've drawn up a list, with half of the candidates being from the north and half from the south. They'll vote to determine the rankings. If there are any objections, the Crown Prince will have the final say. What do you think?"
After saying this, the emperor smiled and asked several university scholars: "My dear ministers, what do you think of my idea?"
The most prestigious Grand Tutor Zhang and Grand Tutor Li looked at each other.
Grand Tutor Zhang said, "Your Majesty's idea is excellent, but it would be a bit of a hassle to mobilize so many troops."
Li Taifu also said: "Although the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, the imperial examination is of great importance. This move is inappropriate."
The Emperor smiled and said, "Precisely because the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and the Imperial Examination is a major event in selecting the pillars of the Great Zhou, it is only natural for him to be the first. Since neither of the two nobles objects, this matter is settled."
After the court was dismissed, Li Taifu sarcastically said, "Teacher Zhang is so resourceful that he actually managed to convince the emperor to let the crown prince come forward."
Grand Tutor Zhang scoffed, "Isn't this your doing, Grand Tutor Li? What good would it do for the Crown Prince to intervene in the combined North-South list? Not only would it not benefit his reputation, it would only bring him trouble."
The two looked at each other again, sneered at each other, and left.
Grand Tutor Zhang made a detour and went to the East Palace. When he entered, he happened to hear the prince's hearty laughter. It was obvious that he was in a very good mood.
Grand Tutor Zhang couldn't help but frown, especially when he saw Chi Liangjun from the Hanlin Academy beside the prince, his brows frowned even more.
The prince saw that he looked unhappy and asked quickly, "What's wrong, Grand Master?"
Grand Tutor Zhang glanced at Chi Liangjun and said, "The outcome of this Spring Examination is unpredictable. Your Highness, please proceed with caution."
The prince waved his hand and said, "I know. Thank you for your concern, Grand Master."
Seeing his indifferent look, Grand Tutor Zhang knew that the prince did not take his words to heart. He originally wanted to persuade him a few more times, but when he saw the smell of alcohol on the prince, he became angry and left with a flick of his sleeves.
As soon as he left, Chi Liangjun said, "Your Highness, Grand Tutor Zhang seems very unhappy about this? Could it be that he doesn't like me taking the title of Chief Examiner? I heard that Grand Tutor Zhang's own son also wanted to..."
The prince also frowned, but still said, "Don't worry, the Grand Tutor won't make things difficult for you because of this."
"Grand Tutor Zhang is right. Who said that the Emperor asked me to preside over the imperial examination? However, this year's combined northern and southern examinations could easily lead to chaos. We must be cautious. I'll leave this matter to you. Make sure no one can find any fault."
"Yes, I obey your command." Chi Liangjun agreed with a smile.
When Grand Tutor Zhang walked outside the East Palace, he happened to see the Crown Prince's Tutor Chu Jiang coming towards him, his face not looking too good.
Seeing Grand Tutor Zhang, Chu Jiang quickly bowed his head. Grand Tutor Zhang waved his hand, frowning and saying, "Go and persuade the Crown Prince. Combining the North and South rankings might not be a good thing, especially not this year... If things go wrong, it could offend both sides and make scholars all over the world dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. He is the Crown Prince, so why bother getting involved in such matters?"
Chu Jiang smiled bitterly and said, "I have tried to persuade you, but Your Highness feels that this is a sign of His Majesty's trust and a good opportunity."
Zhang Taishi understood immediately after thinking about it. As the prince grew older, his younger brothers began to work and were evaluated for their performance, but he stayed in the palace year after year without any strengths.
Now that the emperor had finally handed over the important matter of the imperial examination to the crown prince, the crown prince was naturally happy to take it over and would never refuse.
"Who suggested to Your Majesty that the Crown Prince be the invigilator?" asked Grand Tutor Zhang.
Chu Jiang could only shake his head and say, "I can't find out. I haven't seen anyone come to the palace to see His Majesty these past few days. Perhaps it's just a sudden whim."
The two looked at each other speechless. After all, there are so many sudden ideas nowadays that they really have nothing to say.
The emperor had a brilliant idea. Not only did he let the crown prince supervise the examination, but the number of examiners this time also reached a staggering eighteen.
You should know that in previous years, the imperial examinations were presided over by the Ministry of Rites, and there were usually about eight examiners. This time, the emperor waved his hand and sent out eighteen examiners, which was truly unprecedented.
There were eighteen examiners, and officials from the south and the north were divided equally. If the Hanlin Academy was not enough, the others would be used to make up the difference. It is no exaggeration to say that if anything went wrong with the imperial examination this time, and this group of examiners were held responsible and convicted, the Hanlin Academy of the Great Zhou Dynasty would probably be empty.
In a sense, the emperor's method is effective. At this time, everyone is in the same boat. Unless someone is willing to give up so many people and drag down many noble families, no one will make trouble.
If one person causes trouble, everyone will suffer, and they can also supervise each other. This is also a good idea.
The emperor was satisfied, but the examiners who came to supervise the examination were cursing in their hearts. Looking at the familiar faces walking into the examination hall, they looked calm on the surface, but in fact, their mouths were full of bitterness.
The only exception was probably Chi Liangjun. He was entrusted by the prince to preside over this matter. He felt that he was different from others and was ready to do a big job. When he walked in, he was energetic and radiant.
When the news spread that the Crown Prince was supervising the examination and that eighteen officials from the north and south were jointly presiding over the joint examination, the scholars in the capital talked about it with relish and didn't know what to say for a while.
It was the ninth day of the first lunar month. Although it was still dark, the lights in the Scholars' Building were on. Manager Liu had not slept all night and personally had people steam the top scholar cakes to give to the scholars, wishing them success in the imperial examination.
He Tang grabbed the Zhuangyuan Cake and ate it in three or two bites, saying, "It tastes pretty good."
"Eat slowly, be careful not to upset your stomach." Su Fengzhang reminded with a smile.
He Tang sighed and said, "How could such a small amount of food upset your stomach? The Crown Prince is in charge of this examination. Ultimately, it is unfair to us southern scholars, but no one dares to speak out."
"Then why are you still talking here?" Su Fengzhang glared at him.
He Tang laughed heartily and whispered, "I'm not just telling you this. Everyone knows that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has always been highly respected by northern officials and has a diametrically opposed relationship with the Xu family. I'm sure he has no good feelings towards us southerners."
"Not necessarily. The prince is the crown prince. In his eyes, there should be no distinction between the north and the south." Su Fengzhang said.
He Tang didn't believe what he said, but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he smiled and said, "Regardless of whether he divides it or not, Brother Su, you will definitely be on the list. In terms of reputation and talent, you are one of the best. No one can pull you down."
Su Fengzhang raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Are you trying to flatter me?"
He Tang laughed again when he heard this. Just then, Lin Yuye came over, smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother Su, do you want to go together?"
"Then let's go together. We're all going the same way, so it'll be more lively if we go together." Su Fengzhang also agreed with a smile.
So the scholars from the Scholars' Building went out together to the Imperial Examination Hall, and a series of carriages looked neatly arranged.
Seeing scholars from the north and south coming together, even talking and laughing happily, a hint of hesitation flashed in Su Qu's eyes.
Deliberately avoiding people, Su Qun asked, "Yuye, when did you become so close to Su Fengzhang and his group? Don't you always dislike southerners and feel disgusted with them?"
Lin Yuye touched his nose awkwardly and pretended to be calm as he said, "Su Fengzhang is quite talented. I've been thinking about it these days and I think you're right. Talented people can be befriended, regardless of north or south."
"Some southerners are quite annoying, but there are a few who are quite nice. We've been learning from each other these days and it's been beneficial. Living in the same building and constantly arguing with each other isn't conducive to studying."
Su Que was stunned for a moment. He had said this kind of polite talk many times, but Lin Yuye had always been a bit cynical and never listened. He didn't know what kind of magic potion Su Fengzhang had poured into him that made him say such words.
Lin Yuye continued, "Although the North and South are combined, everyone will serve as an official in the future. We might even be colleagues. There's really no need to quarrel with each other. This is fine."
Su Qun acted as if he didn't recognize him and forced a smile, saying, "It's great that you think so, but there are differences between the north and the south. Even if we are colleagues in the future, I'm afraid there will be many conflicts."
Lin Yuye said, "Let's talk about it when there's a conflict."
After saying this, Lin Yuye finally realized something and patted Su Qun on the shoulder and added, "Don't worry, if one day you come up against him in the future, I will definitely stand by you without hesitation."
Su Qun's eyes darkened slightly, but he said, "Thank you very much. I don't want that day to come either."
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