Time flies, and the final exam of the autumn examination is just around the corner.
For several days in a row, everyone was under a lot of mental stress and had difficulty eating and sleeping, so they all looked rather listless.
The exam this time was a policy question, and as expected, Chi Yan saw the same question, which only contained two lines of poetry—
The literary tradition continued for three generations, and the family's glory was bestowed upon him alone. (Note 1)
The original meaning of this sentence is that the achievements of three generations of literary figures are continuous, and the glory of the family is all attached to one person. It sounds like a praise for the family's inheritance and continuation.
However, according to Chi Yan's observation of the policies and trends in the court over the past two years, Emperor Chongde was clearly dissatisfied with the phenomenon of aristocratic families inheriting titles and ranks through generations due to the influence of their ancestors.
It must be understood that the officialdom today is still dominated by powerful families. These families band together to suppress and exclude officials from humble backgrounds, firmly protecting their own interests.
Everyone has selfish desires. If a person in a position of power holds power and resources, would he be willing to abandon his own blood relatives and let outsiders share the spoils?
Of course, there were also upright individuals like the Xie family, but the Xie family held an extremely high position in the hearts of the common people, especially scholars. They could be said to have a large following, so how could the emperor not be wary of them?
As a result, everyone was united in spirit, and partisan strife became inevitable!
Although the imperial examination system was greatly promoted, providing a channel for children from poor families to enter officialdom, without a background or connections, it was extremely difficult to get ahead!
Chi Yan couldn't help but deduce that Emperor Chongde had long intended to suppress the aristocratic clans, and this imperial examination was precisely his test.
After much deliberation, he decided to approach the topic from a novel angle.
When the examiner Zhu passed by, he saw that the examiner wrote with great inspiration, as if his thoughts were flowing freely, and he couldn't help but feel amazed.
He had been watching for several days, thinking that Chi Yan was up to something, but to his surprise, he actually answered the questions honestly and didn't cause any trouble at all!
Tsk, could it be that Young Master Chi has really changed his ways?
The examiner, Zhu, couldn't help but step closer to look at his answer, and what he saw shocked him greatly!
He said, "Why is this kid so honest? Turns out he was holding back something big!"
How can you say something like that? We're letting you speak your mind, and you actually believed us? Don't you want your head?
Examiner Zhu couldn't help but scrutinize Chi Yan several times with a look of astonishment. It wasn't that his writing was particularly shocking, but Chi Yan's content was simply too radical!
Compared to him, the radicals in the court all seemed excessively conservative.
He could even imagine the sensation this exam paper would cause if it were handed out!
He even wanted to grab Chi Yan's shoulder and ask him, "How dare you do that?"
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, for Chi Yan gave him an impatient glare.
Exams are already annoying enough, what are you standing there looking at?
Examiner Zhu: "..."
——
As the gongs and drums sounded, the autumn imperial examinations finally came to an end, and the candidates walked out of the examination hall one after another.
The Chi family members were waiting nearby early on, including Shen Tangning.
Master Chi even took a day off, anxiously standing on tiptoe to look around: "Why hasn't that kid come out yet? Could he have fallen asleep and no one has woken him up?"
It's no wonder he had this concern, given Chi Yan's past record.
Madam Chi said with displeasure, "Don't talk nonsense. Ayan promised me that he definitely won't fall asleep this time!"
Upon hearing this, Xue Qing, who was standing behind Shen Tangning, couldn't help but twitch her lips and asked Ba Liang in a low voice, "Has the Second Young Master always acted this way?"
Ba Liang said proudly, "That's right, our second young master has always been unrestrained and wild!"
lilac:"……"
That's way too outrageous.
Madam Chi clasped her hands together and pressed them against her chest: "Amitabha, I wonder if my daily incense burning and prayers are actually effective?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
