"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. How could I mistake you for someone else? I was just teasing Ziyan."
Qin Yu smiled as his large hands roamed restlessly over Zhao Yan's body.
Seeing Qin Yu's shamelessness, Zhao Yan naturally didn't bother arguing with him.
"Alright, Your Majesty must have come to my palace today for some reason, right?"
Zhao Yan gently pulled Qin Yu away from the crowd, and then asked.
Qin Yu was somewhat surprised to see her so quick-witted today.
"How did my beloved concubine guess that I came to see you for something? Couldn't I have simply come to see you because I missed you?"
Qin Yu looked at Zhao Yan with a curious expression and asked.
Zhao Yan pursed her lips slightly.
“In the past, Your Majesty would at least finish dealing with official business before coming to see me after court. But today Your Majesty came to my palace as soon as court was over, so I dare to guess that Your Majesty needs my help.”
Listening to Zhao Yan's analysis, Qin Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the girl had become smarter recently.
"Haha, my beloved concubine guessed correctly!"
Qin Yu smiled and nodded.
He then called out to the outside and let Anfu in.
"Anfu, have you taken note of all the praises given to the top three scholars' essays in court today?"
Seeing that Qin Yu was asking about this matter, An Fu quickly nodded.
"This servant has noted it all down."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu finally looked at Zhao Yan.
"My beloved concubine, I know that your Zhao family has many people in the capital, so I would like to ask you to do me a favor and spread the word about the praise given to the imperial examination essays by the officials in the court today. It would be best if everyone in the capital knew about it."
Qin Yu wasn't incapable of using his own methods to spread the word about this matter.
But now most of the Blood Droplets have been sent to the front lines to monitor the Sima family, and the rest have their own tasks.
While the female special forces team has now taken shape, such a high-profile publicity campaign is not suitable for women to undertake.
So he had no choice but to ask Zhao Yan for help.
"Your Majesty, could it be that this imperial examination produced some masterpiece? Otherwise, how could it have garnered such high praise from all the officials in the court?"
Zhao Yan became curious at this moment.
Seeing that her attention was focused on this, Qin Yu and An Fu both showed unusual smiles.
"Anfu, hurry up and bring out the essays that won the top three honors so that the Empress can take a good look at them!"
Qin Yu immediately spoke to An Fu.
Anfu then produced the answer sheets "written" by Zhang Tingyu and the other two.
Zhao Yan took it and read it carefully.
But she soon realized something was wrong.
This is hardly a masterpiece; it's clearly a sycophantic piece meant to curry favor.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, these are the top three winners of this palace examination?!"
Zhao Yan looked at Qin Yu in disbelief.
Qin Yu nodded.
"this……"
Zhao Yan's face froze.
Even though she is just a woman, her writing would probably far surpass the so-called top scholar's essay in front of her.
But then she remembered something.
"Your Majesty, didn't you just say that this article has received unanimous approval from the officials in the court?!"
Zhao Yan quickly looked at Qin Yu.
"Indeed, just now in the court, the officials were very generous with their praise, even saying that this is the finest work in the Confucian school!"
Qin Yu nodded.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan glanced at the article in her hand again, and then her eyes lit up.
At this moment, she finally understood Qin Yu's purpose in asking her to spread the message.
Such utterly worthless writing has garnered high praise from officials in the court, including the prime minister. If this were to spread, it would be a major blow to their reputations.
This is undoubtedly a great thing for the Zhao family.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yan immediately called Zi Yan in.
"Your Majesty?"
Zi Yan looked at Zhao Yan with a puzzled expression.
"Take my token and leave the palace. Give the order to..."
Zhao Yan recounted Qin Yu's plan.
Qin Yu also had Anfu write down what the officials had said in court.
With specific figures involved, the common people and scholars will have someone to vent their frustrations on.
After doing all this, Zi Yan immediately left with Zhao Yan's token and the court officials' quotes written by An Fu.
Qin Yu believed that with the Zhao family's power, they could definitely amplify the public outcry over this matter to the greatest extent possible.
However, after finishing his business, Qin Yu had no intention of leaving.
"Your Majesty, it's still early. Shouldn't you return to the Imperial Study to handle official business?"
Seeing Qin Yu getting closer and closer, his eyes growing increasingly intense, Zhao Yan quickly asked.
However, Qin Yu just chuckled and pulled Zhao Yan into his arms.
"A moment of bliss in spring is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Rather than wasting time dealing with those trivial matters, I would rather spend time with my beloved concubine!"
As Qin Yu spoke, his restless hands began to move up and down, lifting Zhao Yan's clothes and skirt.
Anfu, who was respectfully serving at the door, consciously closed the door for Qin Yu.
What followed was a series of sounds that made one blush and their heart race.
...
Just as Qin Yu was indulging in the Empress's palace, a piece of news quickly spread throughout the entire capital.
"The top three winners of this imperial examination have been announced. I've heard that their essays are exceptionally brilliant, and all the officials in the court have praised them highly!"
"What? Could it be that someone has written a masterpiece comparable to the great masters of antiquity? Otherwise, how could it have won the praise of all the officials in the court?"
"It is said that after listening to the scholar's essay, Prime Minister Sima was so captivated by it that he pondered it for a long time before he came to his senses."
"Now that you mention it, I'm suddenly looking forward to it. I'm also very curious to see what kind of article could make the Prime Minister so fond of it."
"Just wait, when the results are posted tomorrow, those outstanding articles will naturally be published as well."
"..."
At this time, people in taverns, brothels, bookstores, and courtyards throughout the capital were discussing this matter.
With the added endorsement of the court officials, almost no one doubted the quality of the essays written by the top three candidates in this imperial examination.
For a time, the entire capital city was filled with anticipation for the release of the results the next day.
...
Meanwhile, in the Prime Minister's residence.
"Ever since I met you three talented individuals, I have always felt that you are exceptionally gifted and destined to become pillars of our Great Xia Dynasty. It seems that I was right after all. It is truly a cause for celebration that the three of you have once again achieved the top three positions in the palace examination. Guards, bring the gifts for the three young masters!"
At this time, Sima Lie had already summoned Zhang Tingyu and the other two to his residence and hosted a banquet in their honor.
A short while later, servants from the Prime Minister's residence came up with the gifts he had prepared and placed them in front of the three of them.
The three of them gently lifted the red cloth covering the tray and were almost blinded by a burst of golden light.
Sima Lie actually rewarded them with a thousand taels of gold.
It must be said that Sima Lie was quite willing to spend a lot of money when it came to bribing people.
However, the three of them exchanged a glance, and a cold glint appeared in their eyes.
But when facing Sima Lie, they still wore fawning smiles.
"Your Excellency is too kind. Such a generous gift is truly undeserved!"
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