"You are all future pillars of our Great Xia Dynasty, there's no need for such formalities. Come, sit down!"
Seeing Qin Yu's respectful attitude towards scholars, the three were deeply moved.
"Please take a seat, Your Majesty."
The three men stepped aside from the main seat and stood respectfully to the side.
"Okay." Qin Yu nodded and sat down in the main seat.
The three of them then sat down.
"I have seen the essays you wrote in the imperial examination. You should be glad that Scholar Song, who presided over the examination, is an upright and loyal minister. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't be seeing you now."
Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, all three broke out in a cold sweat, and felt grateful to Qin Yu and Song Zhenglian.
"It was I who took it upon myself to replace your articles with flattering ones, because in my view, a truly loyal minister is not one who rushes to his death like a fool, but one who preserves his life to serve the court. Of course, if you feel that these flattering articles have damaged your reputation, then it is perfectly reasonable for you to blame me."
Qin Yu slowly recounted the whole story. After listening to him, the three of them not only did not blame him for changing their articles, but were even moved to tears.
"We have no way to repay Your Majesty's life-saving grace."
The three knelt on the ground again, expressing their gratitude with tears in their eyes.
Seeing their state, Qin Yu did not immediately help them up. Instead, he smiled and asked, "I've heard that some people have severed ties with you because of this sycophantic article. Don't you hate me?"
The three of them shook their heads without hesitation.
"How could we blame Your Majesty? We are deeply grateful for Your Majesty's loving care. As for severing ties with our fellow townsmen, it was merely a necessary sacrifice to help Your Majesty eliminate treacherous officials."
Seeing their determined expressions, Qin Yu nodded silently in his heart.
The reason he risked coming to see these three people today was not only to explain the misunderstanding, but more importantly, he wanted to test their character.
In retrospect, they are undoubtedly all capable individuals.
"Good. Not rigid, adaptable, and willing to sacrifice—this is the kind of loyal minister I want."
Qin Yu laughed heartily.
Upon hearing Qin Yu's words that they were the loyal ministers he desired, the three felt their hearts surge with emotion.
"Your Majesty, you have come here today specifically to give us some instructions."
At this moment, Zhou Peishen spoke up and asked.
The other two also looked at Qin Yu.
Although this was their first time meeting Qin Yu, they had already made up their minds to pledge their loyalty to him and serve him.
Qin Yu nodded.
"The first thing I want to do today is to persuade you to participate in the palace examination."
"The students were confused before, but now they certainly won't dare to abandon the exam and return home."
The three of them quickly cupped their hands in greeting.
Qin Yu nodded slightly.
"The second thing I want is for you to learn to be complicit in corruption."
Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, all three of them froze on the spot.
To become a crook of the law?
"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this statement?"
March was the first to ask the question.
Qin Yu stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked out the window, and sighed.
"Currently, treacherous officials hold great power in the court and are purging dissidents. If you are unwilling to join them, you may also be persecuted. Therefore, I hope that when someone tries to win you over, you will accept their offer. Moreover, I need you as a spies to help me infiltrate the treacherous officials. However, this will require you to submit to their authority."
Seeing Qin Yu's worried and ashamed appearance, the three of them felt a surge of passion burning within them.
They were originally wholeheartedly devoted to serving the court, even willing to sacrifice their lives. Now, they are only sacrificing their reputation, so what do they have to fear?
"Your Majesty, this is nothing but self-destruction. As long as we can eliminate this treacherous minister one day, we will die ten thousand times without regret!"
The three men clasped their hands in a respectful gesture and spoke with utmost sincerity.
Hearing what the three said, Qin Yu felt a touch of emotion.
Indeed, someone who can write such articles is absolutely trustworthy.
"Excellent! With such a loyal minister, how can our Great Xia not prosper!"
Qin Yu excitedly patted the three of them on the shoulders.
Hearing Qin Yu's praise, the three of them felt an even greater sense of responsibility.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, three loud knocks followed by one soft one.
Upon hearing this voice, Qin Yu frowned slightly and then looked at the three of them.
"The people that old scoundrel Sima sent to win you over are almost here. I cannot stay any longer. The three of you should act according to the situation."
The three of them nodded hurriedly.
Seeing that they were alright, Qin Yu walked towards the door.
Even after Qin Yu left, all three of them still felt like they were dreaming.
"We...we really saw His Majesty just now?"
Zhou Peishen looked at the other two in disbelief.
The two nodded.
"Yes, we have indeed met His Majesty."
Upon seeing this, Zhou Peishen realized he wasn't dreaming and was overjoyed.
"Everyone says His Majesty is incompetent and foolish, but in my opinion, His Majesty is definitely a restorer of the dynasty."
Zhou Peishen said excitedly.
A good bird chooses its tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses his lord to serve. The three men had hoped that their honest but unwelcome advice would reach His Majesty's ears, but in truth, they didn't have much faith in Qin Yu.
But now that they have seen Qin Yu in person, they know that Qin Yu is the wise ruler they have been looking for.
"His Majesty just instructed us that we should try to collude with him. Do you two have any ideas?"
March looked at the two people beside him and asked.
"Haha, what's so difficult about that!"
Zhang Tingyu laughed and then called out to the door.
"Someone come here! Quickly arrange some girls to serve the men their drinks!"
As soon as Zhang Tingyu gave the order, the people at Tianxianglou immediately made the arrangements.
For Tianxianglou, the three of them were major clients.
Don't underestimate them just because they are scholars; the top three in the imperial examination are highly prestigious.
These kinds of people, as long as they're not stupid, will at least become high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above in the future.
Which future court official would dare to slack off!
Previously, the three men only drank alcohol and didn't order any girls, which worried the madam of Tianxianglou to no end.
They finally got it, and the madam was overjoyed.
Not long after, laughter and unrestrained cheers erupted from the other room, which had just been filled with sorrow.
"So... this is what it means to go along with the crowd?"
March, with one arm around a young woman, shook his head with a sigh.
...
At the same time, several Confucian scholars arrived at the foot of Tianxiang Tower.
"The top three in the imperial examination are drinking at Tianxiang Tower today. Mr. Weng has already instructed us to find out today whether these three can be of use to the Prime Minister."
The leading Confucian scholar gave instructions to the people behind him.
They all nodded.
They were not ordinary scholars, but rather lobbyists kept by Weng Tonghe.
This time, their goal is to make the top three in the imperial examinations all become the prime minister.
After the group entered, they began asking the madam questions.
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