Since returning from the picnic, Bai Shuzhi had also paid a visit, and Wenheng had tagged along to a few gatherings.

As they got to know each other, Wenheng learned that Bai Shuzhi was an authentic southern scholar. His home was only a day’s journey from Sea City, where Wenheng’s family had previously lived.

Bai Shuzhi’s family were well-known wealthy merchants in their local area. He had come to participate in this special imperial examination without much confidence in his chances.

In his own words, he was here to broaden his horizons, gain some experience, and hopefully pass the next examination to become an Advanced Scholar.

Wenheng was stunned when he heard this. ’This is basically a mock exam from the future,’ he thought. ’Except the stakes are much higher—this guy is using a special imperial examination for practice!’

＆

Hua Shunming looked at the examination scrolls on his desk and summoned several senior ministers. "Of these few papers, who is worthy of being the top scholar?"

"This one is written well. I believe that with such a compassionate heart, he will surely be a good official who champions the cause of the people."

"Mr. Li, I must disagree. Look at this one. The brushwork is incisive, and the arguments are irrefutable. It is clear that this person is resolute and possesses a righteous character.

Most importantly, his literary flair and the strategies he proposes are truly eye-opening."

"But what if he’s merely an armchair strategist? Many can write beautiful essays but end up handling official duties abysmally."

"Lord Niu, that’s a rather biased view. Who knows how to govern the moment they take office? Many things must be learned over time."

"I think this one is good..."

"No, *this* essay is the truly well-written one. If you don’t believe me, just read it a few more times..."

"..."

Hua Shunming tapped the several scrolls on the table that they had just been discussing. "Yang Lixuan from East City, Wenheng from Dao City, Ning Yuchen from West City, and He Nan from Hua City. Who among them do you think is fit to be the top scholar, the runner-up, and the third-place finisher?"

Everyone fell silent. The names the Holy Emperor had just selected were all unfamiliar; they had never even heard of these people.

"Should we perhaps reconsider?" The Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Gold, glanced at the silent officials and finally gritted his teeth to speak.

Hua Shunming knew today wouldn’t go so smoothly. "Oh? You think other candidates’ essays are better than these? Well, since so many of us are here, why don’t you, Huang Aiqing, find one and let everyone have a look."

"Holy Emperor, I was merely making a suggestion. We still need to hear the opinions of the other ministers."

The Minister of War, Cao Xiangqian, let out a sneer, then quickly covered his mouth and looked at everyone with an innocent expression. "My apologies, my mind wandered for a moment. Please, continue."

The other ministers: "..." ’Then what’s with the mockery we can all see in your eyes?’

"Cao Aiqing," Hua Shunming called him out directly. "I summoned you to participate in this discussion. Since your mind wanders so easily, come over here and look at these scrolls. Perhaps that will clear your head."

Cao Xiangqian put on a pained expression. "Holy Emperor, you know I’m a coarse man. How could I possibly understand all this scholarly prose?

Besides, those rascals in my family aren’t the scholarly type, so I’ve paid even less attention to these things.

Just looking at these scrolls gives me a headache. They all seem more or less the same to me.

You see, most of these civil and military officials passed the imperial examinations themselves. I’m sure they’re much better at selecting talent."

The other officials: "..." ’There’s a hidden barb in that old fox’s words. Is he implying that this is all we focus our minds on?’

Hua Shunming’s lips twitched. "Cao Aiqing, you might as well just stand aside and wait.

These few were meticulously selected by me and several senior ministers. The scrolls over there have also been ranked in order. Go and have a look. If you feel any of them are on par with the four I have here, we can adjust their placement."

Now everyone was stunned. It turned out they had no real role to play today. Forget the top four places; they didn’t even have a say in the subsequent rankings of Advanced Scholars and Associate Advanced Scholars.

"Isn’t this somewhat improper?" Zhou Shicong stepped forward. "According to past precedent..."

Hua Shunming replied, "There is nothing improper about it. The selection of officials is fundamentally for the sake of the common people. I had several Grand Scholars meticulously sift through thousands upon thousands of papers to choose these candidates, then rank them by merit. I believe this method is excellent.

By not appointing chief examiners or chief reviewers, we can also reduce instances of corruption and cheating."

It finally dawned on them. The reason a chief examiner hadn’t been appointed was that the Holy Emperor had claimed he’d already made arrangements. Who would have guessed that on the day of the examination, all the papers would be sent directly from the palace, and the proctors would be temporarily drawn from various ministries?

Now, even the chance to review the papers had been stripped from them. So what, they wondered, was the point of summoning them here at all?

Hua Shunming watched their expressions flicker, deeply satisfied. For days, they had been making trouble for him in the throne room. He had endured it all, but today, he finally felt a sense of vindication.

’This is clearly my empire, yet I have to listen to these people telling me what to do,’ he thought. ’Now, let’s see what kind of brilliant arguments they can come up with.’

"Holy Emperor, this goes against protocol," Xu Zhiwen said, finally finding an opening. "The candidates have not yet undergone the palace examination. How can the rankings be decided already?"

Hua Shunming slapped his forehead. "Ah, right, there’s still that part. My apologies. This is the first special examination since I ascended the throne. How were officials selected last time? I’ve almost forgotten. Would one of you ministers care to remind me?"

All the ministers lowered their heads. The court had recently endured successive periods of national mourning, with both the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor passing away. As a result, the special examination had been repeatedly postponed. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Many vacant official posts had been filled by candidates recommended by the officials present, with appointees from every political faction.

’Now the Holy Emperor is seizing on this point, trying to force us to contradict ourselves.’

Hua Shunming smiled. "Since none of you can make a decision now, I will announce a preliminary ranking. We can finalize the order after the palace examination in three days."

＆

The next day, the results were to be posted. Wenheng went to the palace gates early, but the area was already packed with people.

"Wenheng, your senior brother is a little nervous." Liu Wenping’s fists were clenched, and beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead.

Wenheng said, "...I’m nervous too, Senior Brother."

Even at a time like this, Liu Wenping didn’t forget to comfort him. "You should be fine, Wenheng. Our academy’s dean himself said you have the makings of a top scholar. I’m another story, though. I’m afraid I won’t even make the list as an Associate Advanced Scholar."

Wenheng replied, "...We’ll know in a little while."

Wenheng craned his neck in anticipation. He didn’t see Ming Feng, who had gone to check the list, but he did spot Ye Yi, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

"Gu Juren, my Princely Heir is waiting for you up ahead."

Wenheng turned to Liu Wenping. "Senior Brother, I’ve run into an acquaintance. I’ll just be a moment."

"It’s fine, go on ahead. I can head back by myself later," Liu Wenping said, glancing at Ye Yi before lowering his gaze.

’I’d heard rumors that Wenheng was personally acquainted with the Heir of Marquis Wu’an,’ he thought. ’It seems they were true.’

＆

As soon as Wenheng stepped into the private room, he saw that it wasn’t just Bai Jinglie; Lu Ping and Shan Ke’an were there as well.

Before he could even bow, Bai Jinglie gestured for him to sit. "We’re all old friends here. No need for such tedious formalities every time.

You’re not mad I took so long to see you, are you?"

Wenheng smiled and shook his head. "You were one of the examination officials. It was only right for you to keep your distance, if only to avoid any suspicion."