May 13, the tenth year of the Xuanli calendar.
The marking of the papers at the Imperial College has been completed.
Fu Xiaoguan spent a full three days reading through the more than 3,000 test papers that the Imperial College had selected as top-grade.
He once again eliminated more than 1,800 copies and selected 1,200 of them.
Among these 1,200 policy papers, Sima Che's article was actually ranked fourth!
When the names were revealed, Fu Xiaoguan discovered that the first one was Yun Xiyan!
This kid is an incredible talent, especially his unique business sense. Fu Xiaoguan decided to keep this kid by his side and set up the Wofengdao Secretariat. He will be the first secretary-general and lead Shi Yiming and others to form his own staff.
But Sima Che is a problem.
This is a woman. It’s not that Fu Xiaoguan is prejudiced against women holding official positions, but secular views do not allow it.
Disguising as a man might work temporarily, but it's definitely not a long-term solution, so... I need to discuss this with His Majesty.
"Thank you all for your hard work. Tomorrow I will present the list to His Majesty. I will wait for His Majesty's order before announcing the results."
Fu Xiaoguan bowed to the civil servants in the room, and the officials headed by Shangguan Wenxiu all returned the greeting:
"The words of the Earl of Ding'an are important. It is our duty to select people for the court."
After some greetings, Fu Xiaoguan left the Imperial College. It was already late in the evening, with a bright moon hanging in the east.
…
…
Dieyi Palace.
The candlestick lanterns were already lit.
Fu Xiaoguan arrived rather suddenly, and did not expect that the Third Princess and her mother, Concubine Ning, were also here.
Emperor Xuan glanced at Fu Xiaoguan and said, "Empress Shang cooked for us personally today. How can you have such a keen nose?"
Fu Xiaoguan chuckled, greeted Emperor Xuan and Consort Ning, and sat down opposite Emperor Xuan. "I've been craving a lot lately, and I just happened to be thinking about paying my respects to the Monk Empress for a long time. I didn't expect to be able to do so just in time. This is such a treat!"
Emperor Xuan glared at him and asked, "Has the imperial examination for the official position been completed?"
"Well, the results will be announced after tomorrow's morning court session, after we review them for you."
"Hmm..." Emperor Xuan nodded and changed the subject: "Something happened in the palace yesterday. The Dali Temple Minister Su Shanyue sent people to arrest more than ten censors from the Censorate." As he said this, he looked up at Fu Xiaoguan, who looked surprised.
"Led by Huang Zhong, some rumors about you have been spread in the court."
Fu Xiaoguan spread his hands and said, "I have been imprisoned in the Imperial College for the past three days. I really don't know about this matter... What has that old man Huang Zhong framed me with again?"
Emperor Xuan smiled faintly: "He said that if powerful ministers are in power, the country will no longer be a country."
Fu Xiaoguan frowned, "Then Su Shanyue did the right thing. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Of course I trust you, but since the establishment of the Censorate, their primary function has been to report rumors. Therefore, I believe this is a harmless matter. Tomorrow, go to the Dali Temple and ask Su Shanyue to release them. They will remember your favor and will probably not give you any trouble in the future."
Your Majesty wants to calm the situation and do you a favor at the same time.
However, Fu Xiaoguan didn't want to let Huang Zhong go so easily. I didn't provoke you, but you just had to provoke me!
Do you really think I would care about Ding Anbo's reputation and be hypocritical with you?
That's impossible!
Fu Xiaoguan smiled sinisterly, which made Concubine Ning and the Third Princess feel uneasy - this Earl Ding'an didn't seem to be as kind as the rumors said!
Empress Shang walked in at this moment, followed by several palace maids carrying bowls and plates. Seeing Fu Xiaoguan, she was a little surprised and said with a smile, "If I had known you were coming, I would have made another braised lion's head dish."
Fu Xiaoguan quickly stood up and greeted, "Your Majesty, please don't embarrass me. I'm already embarrassed to come uninvited, but how dare I trouble you to add another dish!"
"You little brat..." Queen Shang waved to everyone, "Come, please take a seat. Family members should be more casual."
Fu Xiaoguan was naturally not polite. He poured a glass of wine for everyone and toasted everyone one by one starting from Emperor Xuan.
"The imperial physician said Wenyun will give birth around mid-June. I plan to send Wenyun back to the Princess Residence in early June... I'll have to trouble the Empress and Noble Consort Ning then. I really can't help with the birth."
"Look at what you said. I watched Wen Yun grow up, how could I distance myself from her? You can rest assured."
Fu Xiaoguan grinned and raised his glass to toast Concubine Ning. "Speaking of which, the matter between Her Royal Highness the Third Princess and Huo Huaijin...isn't it time to put it on the agenda?"
Yu Qinglan blushed immediately and lowered her head, her heart pounding.
"Your Majesty means that after Huai Jin's mother arrives in the capital and proposes marriage, we can ask the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose a date."
Fu Xiaoguan thought about it and felt that it would take some time, and he would probably be in Wofeng Road by then.
"Huo Huaijin and I are like brothers. Please write me a letter in advance when the time comes."
"Of course. Wenyun is about to give birth. I have prepared some things for the child and will have Qinglan deliver them to your Ding'an Marquis' residence in a few days."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Everyone at the table was having a great time drinking and eating. Emperor Xuan was very happy, and so was Empress Shang.
At this time, Fu Xiaoguan stated the purpose of his visit:
"Your Majesty, during this imperial examination, I discovered an excellent essay while reviewing the papers. After reviewing it with the other officials of the Imperial College, I ranked it fourth."
"To be able to stand out among more than 30,000 candidates and rank fourth, one must be truly talented."
Fu Xiaoguan smiled bitterly and said, "But there is a problem now..." He paused and said, "After investigation, it turns out that the candidate who wrote this article is a woman..."
Emperor Xuan was stunned, and Empress Shang was stunned for only five breaths before she understood the purpose of Fu Xiaoguan's visit today.
Emperor Xuan frowned, "Women? Women cannot be officials!"
Official Fu chuckled, "There's a problem here. When Your Majesty issued the decree for the special examination, he didn't specify that it was limited to men. A king's words are not meant to be taken lightly, so I believe she's innocent and should be admitted. Otherwise, if this gets out, wouldn't the world think Your Majesty is biased?"
"But this is the established rule!"
"Don't worry, this is what I think. Since Your Majesty didn't mention it in your decree, and since this woman is indeed talented... Your Majesty, the world has a 50-50 ratio of men to women. The population of the Yu Dynasty is small to begin with, and half of the women are locked up at home. What a waste!"
"Why not take this opportunity to ask Queen Shang to speak up for the women and restore their reputation, allowing them to leave Xiu Pavilion and rule the world alongside the men of the world? How about that?"
"Or, Wofeng Road is a special zone. If Your Majesty is worried about something going wrong, you can try it in Wofeng Road."
Empress Shang looked at Emperor Xuan's face, which was about to turn black, and suddenly smiled, "Your Majesty, I think we can give it a try!"
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