"yes."
Eunuch Su hurriedly ordered the Grand Eunuch in charge of the seal to go out and deliver the imperial decree. Now he was the most favored eunuch by the emperor's side, so of course he could not easily leave the old emperor's side.
The eunuch in charge of the seal left feeling frustrated, and Eunuch Su became even more careful and cautious when serving the old emperor.
"What has Xiao Liu been doing lately?"
"This servant was just about to report that a few years ago, Ganzhou and Qingzhou suffered a severe drought, resulting in a complete crop failure for thousands of miles. In order to survive, the people all migrated south. Although they later returned, the grain seeds that were once quite productive in the two states could no longer be found. His Majesty was very angry about this at the time, and Marquis Wenyuan suggested that seeds from various places could be collected for emergencies. This was the first task that His Highness the Sixth Prince took on when he first entered the court."
"Now, this task can be considered completed."
As he spoke, Eunuch Su brought over a memorial, which was written by the Sixth Prince, the son of Consort Li.
The old emperor nodded and sighed as he read, “He has saved me a lot of trouble. I remember that the chief and the crown prince were unwilling to do this job, but he was the only one who didn’t pick and choose. Even this hard job that no one else wanted to do, he could calm down and do for two years. This memorial is also well written.”
"Who says otherwise? I heard that Consort Li didn't want the Sixth Prince to go either. She said that he had been gone for two years and didn't miss his mother at all. The Sixth Prince said that collecting grain seeds seemed easy, but it was actually a major matter for the country and the people. He was also afraid that the people below him would not do their job well, so he went to more than a dozen prefectures and built many warehouses to store seeds, just in case the grain seeds would run out of sources."
"He is quite efficient and has thought of all aspects, so he should be rewarded."
The old emperor pondered as he spoke, perhaps unable to think of a reward for the moment.
Eunuch Su was unwilling to let go of this good opportunity and tentatively said, "Speaking of which, Marquis Wenyuan is truly worthy of the Emperor's favor. He not only diligently guards His Majesty's safety on ordinary days, but also comes up with a way to collect grain seeds to share His Majesty's worries."
"Hmph, he's just a soldier, how could he know anything about these political affairs? It was originally his son Pei Yanzhi's idea."
"Prince Wenyuan? It was his idea?" Eunuch Su asked, feigning surprise.
"That's right, Pei Qing said it himself. He really speaks highly of Pei Yanzhi. I heard he's some kind of child prodigy. By the way, I heard he took the autumn exam this year? How did he do?" the old emperor asked with great interest.
Marquis Wenyuan was promoted by him, so if Pei Yanzhi achieves good results, he will also gain face.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is first in place."
"First place?"
A look of surprise flashed in the old emperor's eyes. The imperial examination was difficult, with thousands of soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge. It was not that there were no sons of court officials who had passed the examination, but to be ranked first in the Mid-Autumn Festival examination was the first time that the Great Jing Dynasty had achieved this.
"Quickly, quickly, bring out his essay for the autumn exam so I can take a look."
Eunuch Su went to find Pei Yanzhi's exam paper again. Of course, this was the official story, but in reality, he had already prepared it in advance.
When the old emperor saw his exam paper, he was first struck by the free and flowing handwriting.
Upon reading the article, I found it to be full of insightful and practical knowledge, and I lovingly stroked the exam paper.
"No wonder Old Pei always praises his son. He is indeed talented. It was his idea to collect grain seeds and build a granary. If only such a talent could be used by me."
"Your Majesty, since the Crown Prince has achieved first place in the autumn examination, he will surely do well in the spring examination as well. At that time, the Emperor's disciples will certainly serve Your Majesty."
"What do you know? I'm short of people right now, not holding the imperial examinations—"
The old emperor paused for a moment, realizing the key point.
He is currently lacking talent.
Pei Yanzhi is a perfect example.
The other party is the son of Marquis Wenyuan, whom I rely on. Isn't that one of my own?
Thinking of these things, the old emperor was very tempted and immediately issued an edict summoning Pei Yanzhi to the palace.
The Marquis's Residence.
The old Marquis was on leave at home today, and was stunned when he heard the imperial edict delivered by Eunuch Su.
"Eunuch Su, did I hear that right? It wasn't summoning me, it was summoning Yan Zhi?"
"You jest, Your Majesty. How could His Majesty be wrong? Your Majesty is a favorite general of His Majesty. Hearing that the young master had come first in the autumn examination, you were curious and read the young master's exam paper. The young master is a genius, and every word he wrote was a gem. In particular, the essay on the people's livelihood was written exceptionally well. His Majesty was very pleased and wanted to meet the young master."
The old Marquis didn't understand much about exam papers, policy essays, and other such things, but he roughly knew that his son had been appreciated by His Majesty, so he immediately urged Pei Yanzhi to go see the emperor.
This was Pei Yanzhi's first time showing his face in front of the old emperor, which was definitely a big deal for the Marquis's mansion.
Even the old lady was alarmed, and Jiang Shuwan, not to be outdone, directed the maids and servants to help Pei Yanzhi change his clothes.
Unlike the other cheerful people, she had some doubts in her heart.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Jiang Shuwan quietly moved to Eunuch Su's side, and handed him a small goldfish in her slender hands. "Eunuch Su, why did His Majesty suddenly summon the Crown Prince? I heard that the court is in a heated argument over commercial taxes, could it be..."
"Young mistress, there's no need to worry. His Majesty is in high spirits; perhaps something joyous is about to happen."
As he spoke with a smile, Grandpa Su weighed the little goldfish in his hand, finding it quite heavy.
The silver notes the Crown Prince sent last time were no less than this.
They were definitely not from the same family.
Thinking of this, Eunuch Su smiled even more kindly at Jiang Shuwan.
Jiang Shuwan felt something indescribable rising in her heart; she had a vague feeling that another change was about to occur.
"Let's go."
A peerless figure emerged from the house.
The young man, dressed in a long robe and wearing a jade crown, had exquisite features and eyes that shone like stars. The way he walked was graceful and elegant, making one want to use all the beautiful words in the world to describe him. Even his left hand, hanging in front of his chest, was a bit of an eyesore, but it couldn't suppress his unparalleled elegance and unique temperament.
Amidst the admiring gazes of everyone, Pei Yanzhi entered the palace.
During this time, he answered fluently and meaningfully about everything, from the etiquette and rules of entering the palace to the old emperor's tricky questions.
As soon as he left, the old emperor clapped his hands in delight.
"Okay, okay!"
He said "good" three times in a row, and then immediately drafted an imperial edict appointing him as the principal officer of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Your Majesty, this is not proper. The Crown Prince has not yet taken the imperial examination."
"Then let him take the exam. It's not like I'm forbidding him from taking it. Anyway, a successful candidate in the provincial examination is qualified to be an official. I'll appoint him as the head of the Ministry of Revenue and have him handle the commercial tax matters. If he does well, I will not only reward him handsomely, but also grant him permission to take the imperial examination again next year."
The more the old emperor talked, the more he felt this was feasible.
This way, Pei Yan's future will not be delayed, and the commercial tax matter can be handled.
damn it.
If the officials in the court can't or don't want to do something, can't I find someone to do it myself?
“Your Majesty, the head of the Ministry of Revenue is merely a minor official of the sixth rank. How can he be in charge of all commercial taxes? Even if the heir is from the Pei family, the people below him will not necessarily listen to him.”
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