Volume 1, Chapter 39, Thirty-Eight People
Imperial Study
Liu Xingjian handed the three examination papers to Xiang Yun, and said, "Your Majesty, the provincial examination has ended, but the first place is still controversial.
I am undecided among these three people, please make your decision, Your Majesty!"
"Oh, there are actually examination papers that the literature experts can't decide. How excellent must these three candidates be? I must take a good look at them."
Xiang Yun pretended to pick up the test paper and looked at it carefully, but Liu Xingjian, who was standing next to him, blushed when he heard it, but did not say anything.
Xiang Yun only took a quick look and understood everything in his mind. He couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
The answers on the test papers of these three people were almost the same, and there was no special feature at all. Even though Xiang Yun was not well educated, he could tell at a glance that they were all mediocre.
How could such a mediocre person become the champion of the provincial examination and the representative of the literati of the Great Sun Dynasty? Wouldn't this be a laughing stock to the world!
Look at the names of these three people again. Wow, they are Jia Jinyu, the son of the Minister of Revenue Jia Yuan, Zhao Sifang, the son of the Minister of Personnel Zhao Sanqi, and Jin Bao, the son of the Minister of Works Jin Dazhao.
Each of them holds a high position of power. How could these people not tell who is number one? It is obvious that these three Shangshu are not easy to offend. Do you want me to offend someone first?
The three-province and six-department system was also implemented in the court of the Great Sun Dynasty.
Liu Bu, Wang Teng and Qin Yu, the heads of the Secretariat, Shangshu and Menxia Province, were all arrested or killed by Xiang Yun, resulting in a significant reduction in the power of the three provinces and the strengthening of the power of the six ministers. However, this also further strengthened the deterrent power of the imperial power, which can be said to have both advantages and disadvantages.
In the past, there were three auxiliary states to fight against the imperial power, but now there are six.
Xiang Yun had already known the result of the imperial examination. After thinking about it, he stopped reading and asked, "I wonder how the son of Minister Liu performed?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xingjian quickly replied: "I am ashamed to say that my son is stupid and failed the exam this time."
Xiang Yun frowned upon hearing this, and was somewhat surprised: "This old guy is very cunning. Everyone is trying to build momentum for his son, but this old fox is not moved at all. Could it be that he wants to act calmly and protect himself?"
However, this move was indeed brilliant. It was so tactful that it made Xiang Yun temporarily give up the idea of attacking him.
Xiang Yun thought for a moment and handed over the three examination papers, saying, "The top prize winner will be Jia Jinyu."
Not long after Liu Xingjian left, Xuanyuan Dabing came in holding a big red box and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, the Zhen family has delivered something!"
Xiang Yun immediately stood up from the dragon throne upon hearing this, then realized that he had lost his composure, and hurriedly sat down again, saying immediately: "Hurry up and bring it up to me!"
Although Xuanyuan Dabing didn't know what was going on, he still felt excited and quickly put the box on Xiangyun's jade table.
Just as he was about to open it for Xiang Yun, Xiang Yun suddenly put his big hand on the big red box, looked at the Xuanyuan Pancake with a smile, and did not say anything.
Xuanyuan Dabing was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood what it meant. He chuckled twice, then left the imperial study and closed the door.
Xiang Yun then opened the big red box by himself, and inside were the examination papers of the provincial examination, but without exception they were all handwritten copies.
As early as when he decided to start this imperial examination, Xiang Yun did not set his sights on those who passed the examination.
Just imagine, in a dynasty where all officials are corrupt, it will never be possible for truly talented people to come to the fore.
Xiang Yun believed that those who could pass the imperial examination this time were definitely people who had connections, money, or power.
Such a person is of no use to Xiang Yun. Even if he has some talents that can be used, the entire court will still not see any improvement and will still be as rotten as before.
Therefore, before the provincial examination began, Xiang Yun wrote a letter and asked Zhen Dajin to mobilize the Zhen family's huge network of relationships to find people in various parts of the Da Ri Dynasty who had a good reputation, whether famous or notorious. As long as they failed the exam, they would find their test papers and send them to the palace.
If a person with literary talent fails to pass the imperial examination, it can only mean one thing: he has a clean background and no support.
Such a talented person without any background is what Xiang Yun needs most now, and this is also the real significance of this imperial examination.
Xiang Yun plans to screen these test papers personally. Anyone who stands out may become a pillar of the dynasty in the future.
This took the whole day. Even though Xiang Yun was in excellent physical condition, he still felt physically and mentally exhausted after finishing reading these test papers.
Finally, Xiang Yun selected a total of thirty-eight people. Without exception, all of these people were people of great wisdom and talent. After reading these test papers, Xiang Yun felt a little excited.
With such talents, why would the dynasty not prosper?
Everyone's discussions elaborated in detail on the pros and cons of opening the imperial examination system for the country, which opened up many new insights for Xiang Yun.
What surprised Xiangyun even more was that many people made many suggestions on the country's official system, and some people even directly cursed the court officials on the test papers, which was really bold.
Among these thirty-eight people, three of them impressed Xiang Yun and he liked them very much.
The first person was named Wang Shu. The policy essay he chose for the exam was about the country's official system. He was the most harsh in criticizing everyone, and he cursed almost every position in the court.
The key point is that he not only scolded, but also proposed corresponding solutions, which is amazing.
Although it is not perfect and detailed enough, it does have some verifiable parts, and he was actually a proponent of the war in the northern border. His poems are full of heroic spirit, which does not sound like those written by a literati at all. It is as if he is a general fighting bravely on the battlefield.
Such a great talent deserves to be reused.
The second person was named Zhu Qiyu. He was a thoroughgoing scholar. Most of his articles were about how to govern the country and ensure the safety of the people, as well as the development of agriculture and industry to benefit the people. Xiang Yun knew at a glance that he was absolutely an anti-war person.
However, it was not stated explicitly in the article, and even the poems used tragic plots to describe the suffering of the people during the war. This shows that this person has a very high emotional intelligence and knows that the current emperor likes war, so he does not anger him.
This kind of talent is exactly what Xiang Yun needs now. Capable people who can govern a region and the world are rare in the world.
Obtaining this person could allow the Great Sun Dynasty to recover rapidly after the bloodbath, solving a major worry for Xiang Yun.
The third person surprised Xiang Yun. This person was Liu Yiyi, a remarkable woman who made Xiang Yun look at her with new eyes.
The reason why she was chosen was definitely not because of Xiang Yun's selfish motives, but because the articles she wrote directly pointed out the corruption among officials in the court, and proposed some suggestions for improvement. She also brought forward several typical cases, pointing directly at several officials appointed by the court.
Xiang Yun couldn't help but sigh at Liu Yiyi's courage. If he hadn't lived in the palace now, she would have been in immediate danger of death once the test paper was discovered by the examiner.
Xiang Yun originally thought that it was great that Liu Yiyi could pass the examination and become a scholar, but he did not expect that this girl had such great talent. In Xiang Yun's opinion, even if Liu Yiyi was not the first place in the provincial examination, she could at least be the second place.
Xiang Yun sorted out the list of these people, and quickly called Xuanyuan Dabing in, handed him the list, and ordered: "You must immediately order people to travel day and night, and rush as fast as possible. No matter what method you use, you must summon all the people on this list to the capital for me. I will be of great use to them!"
Xuanyuan Dabing quickly agreed, took the list, turned around and left.
After waiting for a while, Xiang Yun suddenly said loudly in the imperial study: "Anbu listen to my order and do your best to protect the lives and safety of these people. There must not be any mistakes."
As soon as the words fell, a black shadow on the roof of the imperial study disappeared.
Xiang Yun then lay down on the dragon chair and took a breath. At this time, Xiao Guazi ran in. Seeing Xiang Yun looking tired, he hurried forward and wanted to give Xiang Yun a massage.
Xiang Yun stood up from the dragon throne and yelled, "Get out of my way! Did you do this?"
Little Guazi was so frightened that he didn't know what to do and had no idea why he had angered the emperor.
Xiang Yun was so upset that he thought for a moment and then directly ordered, "Move to Changle Palace!"
After that day, Xiang Yun arranged for Liu Yiyi to live in Changle Palace, but she was never given a formal status.
And Xiang Yun never came to see her again after that day, but the palace maids and eunuchs who served her did not dare to look at her with displeasure.
After all, with a beauty like this woman, it is only a matter of time before she is favored by the emperor. If she reports them to the emperor, she will be beheaded.
Liu Yiyi was in a very nervous mood today. The results of the provincial examination were announced, which determined whether she had passed the exam or not. However, she was in the deep palace and was not allowed to leave without the emperor's decree. Naturally, no one told her the news, so she was extremely anxious.
At this moment, a message was issued: "The Emperor has arrived~"
Just as Liu Yiyi was about to stand up and salute, Xiang Yun strode in, found a main seat and sat down, then ordered: "No need to salute, stand up, come and rub my shoulders and massage me."
Liu Yiyi hesitated for a while, but still walked over with a pout and gave Xiang Yun a massage. She wanted to ask him about the imperial examination, but she was still a little hesitant and did not ask for the time being.
More than ten minutes later, Xiang Yun suddenly grabbed Liu Yiyi's delicate hand, frightening her so much that Liu Yiyi took several steps back. She quickly withdrew her hand and cried out, "No, Your Majesty, Yiyi... is still in pain. It has not fully healed after ten days. I can't bear your Majesty..."
As she was talking, Liu Yiyi was about to cry. Xiang Yun was so upset that his head turned black. He smiled awkwardly and said, "What are you thinking about? I haven't listened to music for a long time. Sing a song for me!"
How could Liu Yiyi refuse? Without any hesitation, she quickly took out the pipa from the room, sat down and started playing it. However, her voice was obviously trembling when she sang.
Xiang Yun looked at her strangely, and said with some displeasure in his heart: "It's just one night, I'm not going to eat you, are you so afraid of me?"
After a while, when the song was finished, Xiang Yun looked at her with a half-smile and asked calmly, "Are you afraid of me?"
Liu Yiyi nodded without even thinking, "Of course I am afraid. The emperor is too powerful. Yiyi is weak and I value my life. I don't want to die in bed in this life."
"Ahem!" Xiang Yun started to cough violently. His old face turned red and he said awkwardly, "What kind of words are these! Vulgar and crude? Is this how I am in your heart..."
Xiang Yun mumbled for a long time but couldn't think of any words to describe the insults he received. It was obvious that he was at a loss for words and not knowledgeable enough.
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