Chapter 127
“Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
"Can't you be faster? I'm so anxious!"
"Don't worry, there's no point in being anxious."
"The results are there, they won't go away."
On a cold February day, a group of women were jogging along the road in groups. They were all in a hurry, as if they had something important to do.
The passers-by asked in confusion: "What are you doing?"
"You are not from Beijing, are you?" The old man selling wontons said with a smile.
Passerby: "Yes, I came from out of town to stay with my relatives. Uncle, what happened to them?"
The old man smiled and said, "Today is the day when the results of the imperial examination are announced."
Passersby suddenly realized: "Oh, they all have candidates in their families."
The father-in-law laughed. "Haha, no, they're just anxious to see Miss Chu Hua's grades. If I didn't have to take care of this wonton stall, I'd want to go see it too."
Chu Huan? He knows this person!
The passerby hurriedly thanked the old man and quickly chased after him.
It doesn't matter if you don't know where the Imperial Examination Hall is when you first arrive. Just follow the direction of the group of women. The more you walk, the more people there will be. When you reach the place where the crowd is the largest, you will find that it is the entrance to the Imperial Examination Hall.
The place was filled with countless people waiting for the results to be announced, it was a huge crowd.
The most surprising thing is that most of the people waiting here are women.
They all looked anxious, some clutching their handkerchiefs, some holding their companions' hands, looking so anxious and irritable, as if they were waiting for their own results.
"Why don't you come out? I'm so scared."
"It's okay, it's okay."
"Miss Chu has two teachers, the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor. Even if she doesn't get the top three places, she won't fail the exam."
"Bah! Don't say that word!"
Passersby couldn't help but sigh: "Chu Huan is really popular."
Someone else was watching the excitement nearby, chatting with a passerby, "Isn't that right? Brother, you didn't know that before the imperial examination even started, people spontaneously patrolled the Chu residence, forbidding anyone from disturbing Miss Chu's studies."
"On the first day of the imperial examination, many girls came to escort Miss Chu to the examination hall. Miss Chu's fiancé also showed up. He was a handsome man, but before he could even say a word, he was pushed out by the girls. Their reason was quite legitimate: they said that at such a crucial moment, one couldn't be distracted by male beauty, and the more handsome he was, the worse it was."
"Pfft--" passers-by burst into laughter, and others couldn't hold it in any longer. For a moment, the whole area was filled with cheerful laughter.
Someone was really curious about what was going on and urged, "Brother, don't keep us in suspense. Go on."
The man grinned. Seeing that the results hadn't been announced yet, he had time to chat, so he added a few words: "The imperial examination lasted for three days. On the third day, when the gates opened, the outside was filled with beautiful girls dressed in gorgeous attire, dazzling the examinees. There was also a candidate with a fever, half-dead, who was carried out on a stretcher. Seeing this, he immediately sat up."
"You all know that the conditions inside the Imperial Examination Hall are not good. After three days of examinations, many people are so pale and thin that they can hardly walk. Seeing so many beautiful girls outside, all the male candidates are trying to put on a brave face and hold their breath, not daring to show any shortcomings."
"So, did the girl come to see them? Their hearts and eyes were filled with Miss Chu. As soon as Miss Chu came out, a group of girls surrounded her, asking about her health, offering her ginger soup, doctors, food, and even massaging her shoulders and wrists. It was a scene that was astonishing."
Everyone was stunned, perfectly recreating the scene of the crowd watching at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall on the third day of the imperial examination.
The man continued, "The Chu family's carriage was there, and so was her fiancé's carriage. Miss Chu was picked up by a group of girls, who reluctantly sent her home, telling her to rest and not to overthink things."
"Looking at the situation today, I guess Miss Chu didn't come. If she had come..." At this point, the man showed a meaningful smile.
The onlookers were curious: "What would happen if she came?"
"Of course it is..." The man was about to answer when the door of the Imperial Examination Hall opened and a group of people came in holding the red list.
In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on the red list, and they no longer paid attention to any gossip.
The people made way for the people from the Imperial Examination Hall. Everyone stretched their necks to look at the list. The red list was opened bit by bit, and the first place was marked with two words: Chu Huan.
The moment they saw the name clearly, the crowd was shocked.
The girls screamed: "Ahhhhhhh——"
"Chu Huan is number one!"
"Chu Huan has achieved the highest score in the imperial examination!"
"Chu Huan is so awesome!"
"Chu Huan really makes us women proud!"
"Ahhhhh——" The woman's excited screams and cries of pain echoed at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall.
Women have been suppressed for too long. Many of them have nothing to do with Chu Huan. They just want to see Chu Huan rise to a high position and do things that they can't even dream of because they are women.
Now Chu Huan has done it, overpowering all the men, and they feel as if they have done it themselves.
I was excited and proud, and I just wanted to cry out loud, crying out the grievances and sadness I had suffered over the years.
After a while, a leading girl stood up with red eyes:
"Sisters, the palace examination will be held next month. Miss Chu only achieved the third place, and there's still one final hurdle to overcome. Sisters, please save all your enthusiasm for a month from now. If she becomes the top scorer then, we'll be so happy and celebrate."
"This is just a small examination. If we act too aggressively, it will bring a lot of unnecessary trouble to Miss Chu. Sisters, listen to my advice. Let's be patient for now. We have endured it for decades, so we don't have to be afraid of this last month."
The girls reacted, wiped away their tears, packed their luggage, and became beautiful girls like flowers again.
"Yes! Sanniang is right!"
"We finally have a woman who has won the top three places in the imperial examination. We can't smear her."
"Sisters, bear with it for a while."
"See you in a month!"
After persuading and encouraging each other, the girls left in an orderly manner.
They have already seen the content they want to see the most, so it is not appropriate to disturb others to see the examination results.
There were also girls who stayed in front of the red list, read it from beginning to end, and recorded the scores of all the girls.
Chu Huan's achievements and results are so dazzling that they dim the brilliance of other women, but they still shine brightly.
Every woman on the red list lived a life that other women envied and deserved their respect and admiration.
After seeing the results, someone rushed to the Chu family to report the news and receive a reward.
Chu Huan had learned about her ranking through the system early on and was attending class with Nangong Ling at the time.
So what if the results are out? They won't lose any points for the classes they should take. In fact, because they ranked higher on the exam, the two teachers will be more strict with them.
In their words, "Since you are determined to blaze a trail for women, you must achieve achievements that will never be surpassed by future generations. Only in this way can you be talked about by everyone and never forgotten."
Just like the empress back then.
The title of "the first female emperor in history" alone is enough for future generations to remember her forever.
The old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor did not want to put too much pressure on Chu Huan and Nangong Ling, but they really hoped that they could occupy two of the top three spots. Only if their results were dazzling enough could they attract women from all over the world to study, and the women's imperial examination could continue.
Without having to explain too much, Chu Huan and Nangong Ling could understand the heavy responsibility they shouldered.
Their achievements not only represent themselves and their families, but also represent all the women in the world who are eager to change their own destiny. The only way to achieve this is to move forward courageously and reach the top.
A month later, the palace examination was held in the imperial palace.
Other people would be nervous when they came to the palace for the first time, but Chu Huan had been here many times when she disguised herself as Chu Qin. Not to mention being nervous, she even had the leisure time to chat with the system.
System: [Sister Huan, I still remember the first time you came here. We were destined to meet each other across thousands of miles.]
Chu Hua: [Don't say that to Shang Lu's face.]
The system disdains: [Tsk, that's the inconvenience of having a fiancé. You can't even make a joke.]
Officials: “…”
Candidates: “…”
Then you should not joke with people who have fiancés.
Chu Huan smiled: [Don't you really like him? You call him beautiful woman every day and always want to match me up with him.]
The system's tone became inexplicably solemn: [What you can't get is the best. Once you get it, you won't care about it anymore.]
Chu Huan: […Are you a scumbag or not?]
The system exclaimed: [How do you know my nickname is Xiao Zha Tong? ]
Everyone: “…”
Because of this incident, everyone's tense mood eased a little, and they felt a little more relaxed during the subsequent audience with the emperor and the palace examination.
Those with a good mentality took the opportunity to adjust themselves and prepare for the palace examination in the best condition. Those with a bad mentality didn't even listen to Chu Huan and the system's jokes. They were just nervous and sweating, and nothing could be done to save them.
The palace examination only tests one policy question, and the questions are set by the emperor himself. They usually ask about the current key issues that the court is paying attention to.
This year's topic is: The treasury is not full.
Candidates: ???
No, why is the treasury not full again?
If their memory serves them correctly, isn't fertilizer selling like hotcakes recently?
Fertilizers were being sold like crazy all over the country, and many merchants were carrying them to countries such as Xirong and Beidi to sell. Even if the court did not sell them at a high price, this amount was enough to enrich the national treasury.
What can we do if the treasury is low? What else can we do? Find ways to make money!
Among the candidates, there are children from wealthy families as well as children from poor families. Most of them are devoted to studying and don’t care about anything else except studying. They are at a loss when they first see this question.
Many children from wealthy families don't even know what their family's business is like or how much they earn each month. If they really need to answer, they can only give a rough idea and cannot provide any specific or professional advice.
Some people also have some understanding of this and have already made plans in their minds.
This question seems to favor Chu Huan because she is the best at making money among all the candidates present. Perhaps the emperor wants Chu Huan to get the top female scorer. However, a little thought will reveal the emperor's true intention.
In the past few years, Dasheng has produced more and more good things, just like a piece of meat that is getting fatter but has little combat effectiveness. The Western Rong, Northern Di and even the Eastern Yi have all set their sights on them. War may break out at any time. The worst case scenario is a three-front war.
By that time, no matter how many treasuries the Great Sheng had, they would not be enough to burn.
The emperor wanted to let this group of officials who were about to enter the officialdom know the crisis facing Dasheng and the court.
The insufficient treasury is a historical problem and a problem that will continue to trouble them in the future. It seems to be a question about the economy, but in fact it involves many aspects such as economy, politics and administration.
If someone fails to review the questions carefully and misses some questions, then we have to see if the students taking the same exams also missed some questions.
Chu Huan has been thinking about it for a long time.
Generally speaking, the maximum number of words allowed for answers to policy questions is 2,000. One reason is that paper is limited and too much cannot be written. Another reason is that the results of the palace examination will be announced on the second day and the results will be announced on the third day. If every candidate writes that much, the examiners will not have enough time to give the results.
But there was indeed a lot she wanted to write about, and it would be inappropriate to give up any of it, so she could only keep it as brief as possible.
If the emperor and the officials want to know more specific details, then they can wait until she enters the court as an official and then explain in detail.
After thinking about it, Chu Huan started to take action.
The emperor and other invigilators looked around the room and saw Chu Huan calmly and furiously writing, and were immediately piqued by curiosity.
There were actually many alternative questions for the palace examination. After weighing them over and over again, the emperor decided to choose this one. He was looking forward to getting some different answers, and the one he was most looking forward to was Chu Huan's.
The emperor and all the officials knew that Chu Huan still had many good things in her hands that had not been revealed. If they could take advantage of this opportunity to take them all out... wow, just imagining it made them excited.
The palace examination was over, and the candidates left one by one. The emperor's suppressed curiosity finally gave way: "Present it."
Examiners: “…”
This year, the examiners chosen by the emperor were the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Revenue and others. At this time, all the examiners looked at the emperor helplessly.
"Your Majesty, the palace examination is conducted under a system of anonymous examination."
The test paper hasn’t been copied with your name covered yet, how can you take a look at it directly?
The Emperor: "Her answers are recognizable even if her name is not covered."
Examiners: “…” Facts are facts, but this is not the way to do it.
The Minister of Rites was unwilling to give in: "Your Majesty, this is against the rules."
The emperor waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I'll wait an hour and see."
An hour later, the emperor accurately found the one belonging to Chu Huan from a large number of transcribed papers. It was so easy to recognize.
In her paper, Chu Huan mentioned new things that no one had ever heard of, such as pesticides, rubber tires, cement, and concrete, and also mentioned road and bridge construction, which they were somewhat familiar with.
Pesticides can kill bacteria, eliminate insects, prevent pests, and increase yields. They are clearly used in conjunction with chemical fertilizers. Once people become accustomed to and trust chemical fertilizers, pesticides can be immediately introduced.
Building roads and bridges is infrastructure construction. Cement, reinforced concrete can be used to build roads, bridges, houses and city walls. Convenient transportation can drive economic development and facilitate the communication of government orders.
Rubber tires can reduce and absorb shock. When used on horse-drawn carriages, carrying people and goods can be much more convenient and stable. When used in conjunction with cement and asphalt roads, people's travel is more convenient and the economy and politics of various places are more easily revitalized.
…
Chu Huan wrote a lot, but she only touched upon each one briefly, without mentioning how to make pesticides, cement, reinforced concrete, asphalt roads, etc., what the cost is, and whether there are any side effects.
The emperor was like a cat with its neck pinched. He was extremely curious but dared not move.
The Minister of Rites and others suffered the same fate after reading the papers. They could only speed up the grading and stayed up all night to sort out everyone's results.
The next day, as soon as the results came out, the system came to announce the good news: [Sister Huan, congratulations, you are indeed the top female scorer!]
Chu Hua spoke frankly: [I took advantage of the strategy and the time-travel cheat.]
[This result is quite exaggerated, and I'm not very confident about it. However, with this top scorer, more women will definitely apply for the next imperial examination, which is a good start.]
System: [Not only that, the Emperor also selected Nangong Ling as the third place.]
[The royal family of Dasheng is mostly obsessed with looks. The third place winner in each imperial examination may not have the best scores, but he must be good-looking. Otherwise, with your brother's level, how could he have become the third place winner?]
The Emperor, considering the need to encourage women to take the imperial examinations, decided to give the third place to Nangong Ling. Of course, there were also personal considerations involved. Nangong Ling and you have a good relationship, and both of you are the Fifth Prince's study companions. You already know the influence of this, even without me having to explain it.
[The Emperor probably favors the Fifth Prince as his heir and is trying to win you two over on his behalf.] The system said in a grave tone.
Chu Huan has been closest to the Fifth Prince for the past four years and understands what kind of person he is.
The women around the fifth prince are all very outstanding. In addition to her and Nangong Ling, there are also Concubine Shu, the Queen, the Second Princess, etc. Women are both civil and martial, and are good at making money and doing accounting, just as good as men.
He also saw through the system that many men were involved in all kinds of eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and many women suffered endless grievances because of this and would not completely think about the problem from the men's perspective.
If the fifth prince became the next emperor, Chu Huan thought it would be easier to seek benefits for her female compatriots.
What's more, the fifth prince is still young. By the time he ascends the throne, Chu Huan will have already built up her own power. Now that she has met an emperor who is willing to trust her, she will definitely be able to show her strength.
That's what I think, but it's hard to say what the future will be like or whether the fifth prince's character will change.
Chu Huan could only give a conservative answer: "I am a staunch neutral party. I do not side with any prince. I am only loyal to Dasheng and the people."
The system felt that this sentence had an extended meaning: [Sister Huan, are you saying that it doesn't matter who becomes emperor, as long as the country is stable and the people live and work in peace and contentment?]
Chu Hua didn't answer, but instead asked the system: "Tong'er, do you still remember how many dynasties and emperors have changed in the past five thousand years?"
The system understood after a moment's thought: [That's right, the people are permanent, but the emperors are transient. Why bother with this?]
[If you're really worried about the next emperor's character, Sister Huan, just kick him out and let him take over!]
Chu Huan: “…”
Good man, you haven't given up on making me the empress yet? You're so persistent.
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