vrcanaries Chapter 406
Chapter 406
No, the noble families haven't figured it out yet. It's not suitable for anyone else to die for the time being!Someone else is courting death again. Do I still have to be this annoying deputy chief examiner? Just thinking about it makes me feel like it's a huge hassle!
And the thing a slacker like her feared most was trouble.
[How about you appoint someone capable and with enough status to suppress the situation as the chief examiner, Master? You came up with the newly added mathematics questions this year. Don't you want to see how the candidates answer them as soon as possible?]
Hearing that someone was pulling little tricks again in this year's spring examination, many officials who originally wanted to compete for a position in the examination hall couldn't help but shrink back.
As much as they previously hoped to be noticed by Yue Fuguang and the Emperor, they now hoped just as much to be treated as invisible by these two.
In cases of imperial examination fraud, if things went south, not only would one lose their own life, but their entire family would suffer along with them.
However, some people were not afraid. Since they knew about this in advance and the Junior Preceptor was involved, there was truly nothing to worry about.
Yue Fuguang scanned the officials below once more. Seeing those who were cowering, she directly skipped over them; she was unwilling to use people who could not shoulder heavy responsibilities.
Finally, her gaze landed on the Crown Prince, who was standing straight. The Crown Prince also felt her gaze and returned a smile.
Having married and become a father, the Crown Prince had indeed matured a lot over the past two years. He was diligent and steady in his work, and his status was sufficient. She hoped that those people, seeing that the two of them were joining forces, would rein in their horses at the edge of the cliff and stop in time.
At this moment in the capital city of Shangjing, they really didn't need a few more heads rolling!
Yue Fuguang made up her mind, smiled, and pointed at the Crown Prince, saying, Your Majesty, how about choosing the Crown Prince as the chief examiner?
[Capable and obedient, the Crown Prince is indeed a good choice. Even if someone really tries to cheat in the examination, with the two of you there, you can crush them on the spot.]
The fairness of the imperial examination cannot be broken by anyone, otherwise, even the most stable dynasty will be finished.
Emperor Mingxi and his son looked at each other, both feeling that the two ancestors were absolutely right. If this court were filled entirely with nobles from aristocratic families and hereditary officials, the Xie family's throne would be neither stable nor long-lasting.
What did an emperor who loved playing the game of balance fear the most?
Factionalism!
Hearing Yue Fuguang's suggestion, Emperor Mingxi nodded without much hesitation and said, The Crown Prince is indeed a good choice.
As for the list he had previously chosen but hadn't yet had Eunuch Qian announce on the spot, Emperor Mingxi chose to ignore it.
Moreover, choosing Yue Fuguang as the deputy chief examiner for this metropolitan examination was something Emperor Mingxi had carefully considered. Not to mention that the mathematics questions in this exam were all created by Yue Fuguang.
There was also the popular support she had accumulated among the common people due to high-yield seeds and agricultural tools, as well as the prestige she had built among scholars and students due to her early children's enlightenment books, the schools she had promoted for nearly two years, and her recent poetry.
Her serving as the deputy chief examiner was inherently indisputable. As for Song Nian and Ye Lin, Emperor Mingxi selectively ignored them.
The metropolitan examination would begin on the ninth day of the second lunar month and last for nine consecutive days. During these days, Yue Fuguang could not leave the examination hall. This amount of time was enough for Emperor Mingxi to completely clean up the remnants of the noble families, without a single drop of blood splashing onto Yue Fuguang.
As for the doubts among the common people regarding the Divine Maiden due to the drought, Emperor Mingxi narrowed his eyes. Once he dealt with the noble families, these voices would naturally fade away.
By the time the grand court assembly ended, the entire leadership team for the metropolitan examination in the early spring of the eighth year of Yuankang had been finalized.
Even Wu Yong was requested by Yue Fuguang to serve as the sealing officer.
On the ninth day of the second month of the eighth year of Yuankang, before the east was bright, Yue Fuguang was woken up in the middle of the night. Since coming to the Great Yan dynasty, this was the earliest she had ever gotten up, aside from the time she fled the Zhou family in the dark of night.
The carriage drove smoothly on the cement streets. Over the past two years, the major streets and minor alleys of Shangjing City had gradually been paved with cement roads.
Just because people no longer had to step into mud on rainy days, Yue Fuguang's reputation among the citizens of Shangjing City could not possibly be bad.
The night breeze blew past the copper bells on the carriage, producing a clear and pleasant ringing sound that echoed far away down the empty streets.
It even attracted a squad from the Night Patrol Division. Once they clearly saw the insignia on the carriage, they silently and orderly bowed in salute and stood respectfully on both sides.
Only after the carriage had gone far away did a young soldier crane his neck, looking at the carriage that was now just a speck of light, and asked his captain, Boss, was the person sitting in the carriage that just passed really our Junior Preceptor?
The middle-aged man addressed as boss smoothed out his lapels, which had been wrinkled from tension just now, his tone full of certainty. How could it be fake? The Junior Preceptor's carriage is built to the specifications of a Prince of the Blood. Who else but that esteemed lord would dare to ride in it?
He glanced at the childish-looking rookie. What, why are you asking so clearly? What are you planning?
The night patrol captain immediately became alert. Having caught many spies and been repeatedly educated by his superiors in various classes, he now pondered over the slightest anomaly, feeling that everyone was suspicious!
Seeing his boss's face suddenly turn a bit fierce, the young soldier waved his hands repeatedly, denying it with a triple negation: No, no, no, I don't, I'm not, Boss, you've misunderstood!
He rubbed his head in embarrassment and said, Before coming to our Night Patrol Division, I went to test for the Yue Army, hehehe, but unfortunately, my physical fitness didn't meet the standards.
A hint of frustration showed on his face. Let me eat well for another year, build up my strength, and then I'll go again!
The captain was a bit speechless. It turned out his division was just someone's fallback option! Their Night Patrol Division was basically raising and training soldiers for someone else! However, if that someone else was the Junior Preceptor, it wasn't unacceptable.
The captain forcefully patted the young soldier's thin shoulder and said, Then you must eat well and train hard. The Yue Army is entirely made up of elites.
The young soldier nodded vigorously, jogging to keep up with the team while saying, Our whole family is especially grateful to the Junior Preceptor. Last year, our family bought land confiscated from the aristocratic families and planted sweet potatoes and potatoes.
My younger brother and sister are eight years old and attend the enlightenment school run by the Junior Preceptor. My older sister and I also went to night school last year to learn how to read. Over the past two years, the Yue Army's recruitment required all applicants to know at least a few words.
Next came the sound of the young soldier reciting, Heaven and earth, dark and yellow, the universe, vast and desolate...
Yue Fuguang had no idea about what was happening behind her. Her carriage had already arrived at the gates of the examination compound.
Unlike other places that were still slumbering, this place had long since awakened. It was brightly lit everywhere, bubbling with a cacophony of voices.
She looked out through the gauze curtains; the parents, relatives, and friends sending off the examinees were even more numerous and nervous than the candidates themselves.
This couldn't help but remind Yue Fuguang of when she took the college entrance exam. Her parents were absent, and only a butler had escorted her to the testing center.
What was her mood at the time... It seemed too long ago, and she couldn't quite recall it for a moment. She only vaguely remembered watching from the car for a long time as other parents fussed over their children's comfort. For her, that was not a pleasant memory.
It was at this moment that Yue Fuguang suddenly realized she hadn't thought about her past life in a very long time, and her memories of the past were growing increasingly blurry.
As Yue Fuguang's carriage drove in, the two heavy, vermilion-lacquered doors of the examination compound slowly opened in the dark like the maw of a mythical beast, revealing the seemingly endless green-grey corridor hidden within the night.