King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 806 Daiyu: Your Majesty, listen to my story
All the students were looking forward to the emperor's arrival, but when Zhu Jinghong arrived, they all felt the pressure.

After all, the person who came was the emperor, the father of all the subjects in the world, and he dominated the rise and fall of all nations in China.

After Zhu Jinghong entered the hall, he looked at the papers from the back to the front one by one, so he gave priority to the papers of the poor students.

Among the so-called poor students, the proportion of speculators is much higher, so most of the articles he read are those that sing his praises.

Of course, in general, most people follow the principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. Zhu Jinghong could tell the difference after just a quick glance at each of them.

As there were more than 300 people answering the questions in the hall, it was impossible for Zhu Jinghong to see everyone, so when there were still three seats between him and Feng Yuan, he went straight to the next row of candidates.

This greatly disappointed Feng Yuan. His article was very unconventional and extremely unconventional. Only if the emperor could see it with his own eyes could it achieve the greatest effect.

Apart from anything else, it is still possible to get a place in the second class!

But now that the emperor had passed by, his paper would only be read by the examiners. Even if there were people like Wang Pei'an who appreciated him, the possibility of him going further was still much lower.

After the results of the imperial examination were announced, students could check their own papers, so Feng Yuan already knew that he was selected by Wang Pei'an.

In other words, Wang Pei'an, the Chief Censor, was his mentor. This encounter was truly rare.

There is another way. Before the emperor leaves, I will copy the paper as quickly as possible and then present it to him for his review... Feng Yuan said secretly.

This idea was also very bold, even too daring. After all, he would be at the bottom of the list, and handing in his paper first would seem like a show-off.

At this time Feng Yuan hesitated again, because this would invisibly offend many people, and the most important thing was that it was only possible to improve his reputation, but not inevitable.

But after just one thought, Feng Yuan made up his mind and decided to stick to it.

The gap between the third, second and first class is too huge. If he were to be appointed as an official according to the ranking in the imperial examination, he would basically be sent to a remote small county and might not even become a prefect in his entire life.

Back then, he was determined to study in order to make a difference in the officialdom and no longer be bullied by others.

Feng Yuan picked up his pen and wrote quickly. He was not sure how long the emperor would stay here, so in order to finish copying as quickly as possible, he omitted some unnecessary words and sentences.

By the time Zhu Jinghong finished his circle, half an hour had passed. At this moment, he came to the throne and sat down.

After a quick look, he got the answer to his questions in the morning, but there were not many people here who could keep up with his thinking.

Even the champion wrote an article that only reflected what he saw. Compared with others, he just saw things more clearly, but he did not have forward-looking thinking.

Of course, Song Ziyu has made his position clear in the article, and he will loyally protect the emperor in the future, so it seems acceptable to select him as the top scholar.

It seems that the only way is to select them first, and then cultivate and guide them well, hoping that one or two useful people can emerge... Zhu Jinghong sighed secretly.

At this moment, there was a slight commotion at the scene, and Zhu Jinghong was interrupted from thinking. He looked up at the direction where the sound came from.

But I saw a man had already stood up, holding the paper in his hand and was about to hand it in.

The exam was only halfway through, and this guy had already handed in his paper? Zhu Jinghong was a little surprised.

At this time, an official came forward to take the answer sheet, and then led Feng Yuan out of the main hall. The latter would wait in the side hall and leave the palace with other candidates when the palace examination was over at sunset.

At this moment Feng Yuan was still nervous. He was not sure whether his paper would be seen by the emperor. But now he had done what he should do and could only leave it to fate.

Feng Yuan's worries were unnecessary. Zhu Jinghong was naturally curious about the first candidate who handed in his paper, so he ordered someone to bring the paper over.

"I have heard that the emperors who rule the world have both the virtue of ruling the country and the ability to maintain it. The combination of civil and military power is the virtue of ruling the country, while the innovation of technology is the ability to maintain it..."

Feng Yuan's opening sentence touched Zhu Jinghong's heart. He then realized that he had missed out on such a talented person and that there was actually a piece of writing on the scene that suited his taste.

Especially the sentence about innovative technology, which is the key to governance, it is just short of saying that science and technology are the primary productive forces.

So Zhu Jinghong asked Yu Hai and Cheng Ying, who were unrolling the scroll, to move closer, while Lu Tong, who was holding the lamp, moved closer on his own accord to provide the emperor with a better view.

The article emphasizes the importance of technology, and also talks about the importance of opening up the sea and building a navy, proving that these new things are the "living water" that the late emperor had in his dream.

“Okay…Okay!”

After watching it, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but praise it. All the students present heard it, which made them curious about Feng Yuan.

Previously, they thought Feng Yuan was just trying to attract attention, but now that Feng Yuan has been praised by the emperor, they have to admit that he has real ability.

After reading the entire text, Zhu Jinghong looked at the name of the writer, and then read the information about Feng Yuan from Yingtian Prefecture, Nanjing, and of course the family information described by Feng Yuan himself.

He was already very unfamiliar with the name Feng Yuan, but he still had some impression of it.

"Show this paper to the examiners!" Zhu Jinghong ordered.

The paper was handed to Lu Tong, who then walked down the imperial steps and handed it to the four examiners who were bowing and listening.

What seemed perfect to Zhu Jinghong was a perfect paper, but it looked different to several examiners, three of whom felt it was unorthodox.

Among the remaining three, Chief Minister and Grand Secretary Zhao Yushan felt that the priorities were reversed. He believed that land was the foundation of the country, and matters such as opening up the sea were minor matters, and that the article exaggerated the facts.

Although Wang Pei'an did not agree with Feng Yuan's article, he knew that he did not have a deep understanding of maritime trade, so he retained his attitude.

The Minister of Revenue, He Gujin, had no feelings about the content of the article. The emperor just wanted to give it to the top few in the second class.

In general, no one really agreed with Feng Yuan's insightful analysis except Zhu Jinghong.

"Everyone, His Majesty invites you to meet in the side hall!" Lu Tong came over and reminded.

After finishing reading the article, more than ten minutes had passed and Zhu Jinghong had left the scene and went to the side hall.

A few minutes later, everyone came to the side hall. After paying their respects, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Have you all read the paper just now?"

"Your Majesty, we have read it all!" Zhao Yushan replied.

"What do you think?" Zhu Jinghong asked again.

Zhao Yushan knew what the emperor wanted to hear, but when it came to such a fundamental matter, he was a man of principle.

Then Zhao Yushan said, "Your Majesty, I think... the writing of this paper is not in accordance with the rules. The beginning is heavy and the end is light. It is short, flat and messy. Moreover, the paper was submitted ahead of time. It shows that this person is frivolous!"

"I'm asking about the content!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

Under pressure, Zhao Yushan carefully organized his words and replied, "Your Majesty, I think the arguments in this article are superficial!"

"Since ancient times, food is the most important thing, and land is the most important thing for food. If the people have land, the country will be safe. If the people lose land, the country will be in chaos. As the saying goes, the way of heaven is to reduce the surplus and make up for the deficiency. The basis of public security lies in restraining and balancing..."

Zhao Yushan spoke a lot, not just commenting on Feng Yuan's article, but was also expounding on his own philosophy of governing the country.

To be honest, his words were recognized by the other examiners because they all received the same education.

Of course, except for Zhao Yushan and Wang Pei'an, although others know that this is the right way, they will still secretly hinder or even oppose it out of their own interests.

After all, the way of man is to take from the deficient and give to the abundant. The vast majority of people in the world are ordinary people and cannot reach the level that only saints can reach.

After listening to Zhao Yushan's words, Zhu Jinghong looked at Wang Pei'an again. After thinking deeply, the latter replied: "Your Majesty, I am not well-educated and dare not make any comments!

He acknowledged that Zhao Yushan's point of view was correct, but he could not prove that Feng Yuan's theory was wrong, so he simply answered that he didn't know.

Wang Pei'an is a relatively pure person, and at this moment he put into practice the idea of ​​knowing what you know and knowing what you don't know.

"Zheng Qing, Ye Qing, Luo Qing, what do you think?" The three people who were asked looked at each other and answered in turn. Their meanings were basically similar to Zhao Yushan's, but their words were much more tactful.

After hearing this, Zhu Jinghong was very disappointed, so he looked at He Gujin.

He Gujin didn't think too much about it. He just listened to him saying, "Your Majesty, I think this article is excellent. The maritime trade it talks about generates a lot of revenue for the court every year. You probably all know it!"

"Such a huge profit will naturally enrich the country and strengthen the army. How can it be said to be nonsense!"

Then He Gujin said a lot more, all of which were to affirm Feng Yuan's arguments, which showed that he was very clear about his position.

Zhu Jinghong nodded slightly, and then said: "As for the so-called innovation, you all think this question is sensational, but I think it is quite original!"

"Land is the foundation of a country. Can't something else be the foundation of a country? Can there only be one foundation for the two capitals and twenty-three provinces of the Ming Dynasty?"

"You all hold important positions at the core. You should look at the whole world instead of just focusing on one corner!"

"The Spring Examination is a national event. I hope you will understand my intentions and live up to my expectations!"

All the officials kowtowed, but only they themselves knew whether they really agreed with what was said.

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After saying these words, Zhu Jinghong left the side hall, and then he left the palace.

Then several examiners stood up and Zhao Yushan presided over the meeting to discuss how to set the tone for this article.

If Zhu Jinghong had not interfered, Feng Yuan's article would definitely be ranked last among the top three, but the situation is different now.

After much discussion, it was Zhao Yushan who finally made the decision and ranked Feng Yuan at the bottom of the second class.

In Zhao Yushan's opinion, this was already a big concession on his part, and others also felt that it was enough.

Only He Gujin thought that there might be more trouble in this matter, and the emperor's instructions before leaving were probably not for the purpose of getting the last place in the second class.

Soon another two hours passed, and the last candidate had walked out of the Fengtian Hall. The sun was setting.

All the papers have been collected and will be marked tomorrow, and the imperial edict will be announced the day after tomorrow.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Jinghong took a copy of Feng Yuan's answer sheet and read the contents carefully again.

And at this moment he already knew that this Feng Yuan was the person he rescued when he rescued Yinglian in Jinling.

In addition to Feng Yuan's answer sheet, the answer sheet of Song Ziyu, the top scorer, was also copied and Zhu Jinghong had already read it.

Although Song Ziyu was also very smart and his stance was very clear, he was still much inferior to Feng Yuan, which made Zhu Jinghong a little conflicted.

Should we choose Song Ziyu as the top scorer?

As for who else to choose if not Song Ziyu, the answer is obvious. Zhu Jinghong had his eyes on Feng Yuan.

This person's words touched his heart. In the first imperial examination during the Qiansheng era, the appearance of such an article would naturally be highly praised in order to announce his ability to govern the country to the outside world and to pave the way for the wave of the times that would sweep across the country in the future.

Appointing Feng Yuan as the top scholar would cause resentment among court officials and scholars, and would result in great political losses, so Zhu Jinghong had to carefully weigh whether it was necessary to do so.

After all, letting him rank first, second or third seems to have the same effect.

When Zhu Jinghong was deep in thought, Yu Hai came to report: "Your Majesty, Empress Lin is here!"

Zhu Jinghong was a little surprised that Daiyu came over at this time, so he ordered: "Please come in!"

After a few breaths, Daiyu entered the hall and walked gracefully in front of Zhu Jinghong.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

"Excuse me...why did you come to me?"

Daiyu replied, "How dare I not come since Sister Bao has ordered me to do so?"

"Why did she ask you to come?" Zhu Jinghong became more and more puzzled.

After walking to Zhu Jinghong's desk and stopping beside him, Daiyu said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that you sent someone to tell us to have dinner at Kunning Palace half an hour ago? What time is it now?"

Zhu Jinghong was stunned for a moment. He was so worried that he missed the time and forgot that his concubines were waiting for him.

"Alas, I was just thinking about something important and couldn't make a decision... so I was delayed!"

After hearing this and glancing at the two papers on the table, Daiyu guessed what was going on.

"I think both answers are excellent, which makes Your Majesty embarrassed... Who should be chosen as the top scorer?" Daiyu asked with a smile.

Zhu Jinghong did not answer, but stood up and asked: "One is the auspicious sign that one can get the top six places in the imperial examination, and the essays written show loyalty, and the court officials have outstanding essays!"

"The article written by a man is very much to my liking, but it is hated by the court officials!"

Walking behind Daiyu and holding her shoulders with his hands, Zhu Jinghong leaned his head to her neck and sighed slowly, "I'm a little confused about what to choose!"

But he waited for a long time, but did not hear Daiyu's reply, so he stood up again and asked, "Why don't you speak?"

"These are all important matters. I am a weak woman, how can I tell the difference?"

Zhu Jinghong smiled. He was not sure whether Daiyu didn't know or was afraid to say it because she was worried about the harem interfering in her politics, but he didn't intend to ask further.

Zhu Jinghong sighed again and said, "Let's go and have dinner first!"

So the two of them walked out of Kunning Palace together. At this moment, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and the eunuchs had already lit the palace lanterns.

Inside the palace corridor, Zhu Jinghong walked forward with his hands behind his back, while Daiyu followed him silently half a step behind him, neither of them saying a word.

But this silence was really uncomfortable, and the emperor's displeasure would affect the mood of the meal, so Daiyu finally couldn't help but said, "Your Majesty, I remembered an old story!"

"What old story is this?" Zhu Jinghong asked casually.

"When my father was alive, I went boating with friends. When we encountered a dangerous rapid, everyone told us to avoid it, so we turned around and went along the flat surface!"

"But there were alligators hiding in the flat water. When the boat arrived, the beast attacked. Fortunately, everyone fought hard and scared the beast away. However, they dared not go on the flat water. My father and his friends had to turn back and cross the dangerous rapids to return!"

"My father taught me that if I encounter danger, I should face it head-on. Hiding will not only fail to avoid it, but may also bring about greater danger, so..."

Before Daiyu finished speaking, Zhu Jinghong said, "So, you should not be afraid of the difficulties ahead, but face them head-on, right?"

Daiyu then smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Standing there and thinking seriously, Zhu Jinghong burst into laughter. At this moment, he had made up his mind.

Seeing this scene, Daiyu felt relieved and could finally have a peaceful meal tonight.

Unexpectedly, at this time, Zhu Jinghong asked: "If I remember correctly, Censor Lin has always been in poor health. How could he scare the crocodile away?"

Daiyu was not sure about the answer to this question. Unexpectedly, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Did your father really swim in a boat? And he even forced his way through the dangerous rapids?"

"Believe it or not, huh!"

(End of this chapter)