in2ebook Chapter 272 Question
Chapter 272 Question
In the Jinluan Hall of the imperial palace, hundreds of civil and military officials stood in a row.
The people kneeling in the main hall were all the top twenty scholars in the examination.
Among them are Sima Teng, who was mentioned earlier, and Ji Xianyuan, who ranked second.
As Sima Teng was ranked first in this competition, it was natural for him to kneel in the first row.
What he was wearing at the moment was elegant but not luxurious, bright but elegant.
At first glance, it seems that a long time has been spent preparing.
Ji Xianyuan, who was supposed to be kneeling in the first row with him, was pushed to the fourth row for some unknown reason.
Ji Xianyuan didn't understand the rules in the court and thought that was the arrangement.
Therefore, he would kneel down wherever he was asked to do it.
So who is kneeling in Ji Xianyuan’s place?
It was the young man in purple shirt from the morning.
His father was the younger brother of the Minister of Rites of the dynasty.
Although he only got ninth place in this examination.
But through his father's operation, he bribed the maids and eunuchs in the palace, and he was able to squeeze into the first row and sit down on his knees.
Sima Teng secretly raised his head and glanced at the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, who was standing with his hands tied, and his father Sima Yan.
At this moment, Sima Yan and a group of ministers were quietly waiting for the emperor to go to court.
To be honest, he had been the Minister of the Ministry of Finance for so long, and he had never met the emperor a few times in total.
Every time, the emperor always appeared at the door of their government office like a ghost.
If you are timid, you will be scared to death by him.
This is the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China that such a formal court appearance has been held.
If Sima Yan and other ministers say they are not nervous, that is pure nonsense.
However, judging from the few exchanges he had with the emperor, the emperor was quite amiable.
Sima Yan saw his son looking at him and gave him a reassuring look.
He is quite proud of his son. Whether it was his talents or his conduct as a person, he was deeply pleased.
As long as he helps him pave the road, he will definitely have a place in the court in the future.
Suddenly, a little eunuch rushed out and said loudly to Manchao Wenwu:
"The emperor goes to court, and all the officials kneel down and worship."
When all the ministers heard this, they knelt down one after another and shouted in unison:
"Long live the Holy One, long live the Holy One, long live the Holy One."
I heard a burst of brisk footsteps coming from behind the Golden Palace, and then a figure slowly walked to the dragon chair and said to the ministers:
"Everyone, get up."
The voice was not loud, but it was full of energy, exuding a sense of majesty despite its calmness.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
All the ministers stood up one after another, and Bo Shang stood up and began to play:
"For your information, Your Majesty, those kneeling in the hall are the top twenty in this examination. Please ask Your Majesty to give them questions on the spot and test them."
Tang Xiaoyu sat on the dragon chair and looked at the group of people below acting so seriously. He was too embarrassed to cross his legs.
I could only cooperate and say:
"Okay, I understand. You all stand up too."
The twenty students in the main hall stood up carefully.
Before the palace examination, the civil servants had already told them the rules.
When meeting the emperor, you cannot raise your head or look directly at him. You should bow your body to show respect.
Therefore, even if the emperor asked them to stand, none of them dared to raise their heads.
"Everyone, please raise your heads and let me see what the country's pillars of talent look like."
After hearing this, all the students in the hall looked at each other and then slowly raised their heads.
Sima Teng cautiously glanced at the man on the throne.
It doesn't matter if you don't look at it, you will take a breath of cold air when you look at it.
I saw the emperor sitting on the throne, with a tall and straight posture and a majestic appearance.
His whole body exuded the majesty of a king, and his face was shrouded in a golden cloud, making it impossible to see his true appearance.
He couldn't help but feel horrified.
Are the rumors true? The emperor is truly a man of destiny, completely different from ordinary people like them.
Tang Xiaoyu looked at the shocked scholars below and couldn't help but smile:
"What? Is there something wrong with my face? What are you all afraid of?"
When Bo Shang heard this, his expression immediately changed and he scolded the scholars:
"Bold! How can you blaspheme the majesty of the Holy One!"
Only then did all the scholars react and quickly lowered their heads to look at the floor.
Tang Xiaoyu waved his hand disapprovingly and said:
"I made them look up. Why did you yell at them?"
Little did Tang Xiaoyu know that all the local creatures on the battlefield had this image when they saw them, the foreign lords.
The same goes for Zhang Peng, Chen Xiaoxiao and others.
Locals can tell their differences with just one glance.
It's ridiculous, he thought he had been acting so well that these local Spirit Roots couldn't tell the difference.
Bo Shang raised his hand again and said to Tang Xiaoyu:
"Your Majesty, please give them a test."
When Tang Xiaoyu heard this, his head felt a little big.
I'm not good at poetry, lyrics or anything like that. If he makes a fool of himself, he will be laughed at.
"Then let me test your strategies for governing the country."
When Bo Shang heard it, it was okay. Anyway, besides poetry and songs, the palace examination could only test the strategies of governing the country.
"Your Majesty, this proposition is too broad. Why don't you explain it in more detail?"
Tang Xiaoyu thought about it. Ruling the country involves so many aspects.
"Then let's talk about the land issue. Let's talk about how the land in our country should be owned and managed so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment and the imperial treasury can be rich."
The expressions of the ministers standing on both sides changed solemnly when they heard this question.
This question cannot be answered carelessly. If you get the answer right, you may not get merit, but if you get it wrong, you will definitely be punished.
Who doesn't know that the land issue has always been the ultimate problem for any dynasty.
The ownership and management of land have troubled China for thousands of years. Countless dynasties have risen and fallen because of this unresolved problem.
This problem is destined to be unsolvable.
Between benefiting the country and benefiting the people, one can only choose one end.
But these ministers all eat royal food and use their salaries to serve the court. How can you not speak to the emperor?
Sima Yan looked at his son Sima Teng with worried eyes.
Sima Teng was not in a hurry to answer this time. He also knew that this question was difficult.
He wanted others to step on the thunder first and test the emperor's attitude. In this way, he knew how to answer the emperor.
No one in the audience took the initiative to speak, just when Tang Xiaoyu arrived impatiently and wanted to call someone by name.
But I saw a dark-skinned young man in the fourth row wearing coarse linen clothes and said softly:
"Your Majesty, the student is willing to answer this question."
Tang Xiaoyu glanced at the young man with satisfaction and asked:
"What's your name? How many people did you take the exam this time?"
It didn't matter if Tang Xiaoyu didn't ask. As soon as he asked, three people at the scene immediately started sweating profusely.
One is the Minister of Rites, a young man in purple shirt in the first row, and the other is the eunuch who arranges the seats for the scholars.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, my name is Ji Xianyuan. I was lucky enough to get the second place this time."