Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 44

In the afternoon, the footsteps at the entrance of Yangxin Hall did not stop.

More than forty officials waited in line to be interviewed.

When the process was almost finished, Eunuch Sheng suddenly announced, “Your Majesty, Xu Bowei, the imperial censor of the Censorate, would like to present a memorial.”

Stunned, Xiao Yu still replied, “Let him in.”

A folding book was handed over, and the surroundings were suddenly silent.

The disasters in Weinan and Huaiyin were severe, and 80% of the crops couldn’t be harvested the following year. Xiao Yu had negotiated with the cabinet to exempt the countries suffering from the disaster from taxes and used this year’s tax revenue from Zhejiang to overcome the deficiency.

And this memorial was about the weaving bureau in Zhejiang.

Xu Bowei said that in the bureau alone, three million from ink corruption was found, not to mention from the river embankment project and so on.

Three million.

Xiao Yu rose and slammed the folding note on the table, causing a bang, and said coldly, “Three million. Even the rice in the whole Zhejiang isn’t worth five hundred and forty-five thousand stones. Three million of corruption? They’re too brazen!”

[1 stone = 6.3 kilos]

Xu Bowei bowed and said, “Your Majesty, please appease your anger.” What appeases your anger, Xu Bowei thought, the deeper we dig into the court, the more he won’t be able to appease his anger.

The Great Zhou had already reached a state of no return since the 20th of the Yongchang era.

In the past three years, the emperor had worked hard to rule and eradicate the evils, which had restored some vitality to the court, but the freezing of a three-foot field is not caused by a day’s cold, and the roots and veins are already rotten. How could it be decorated with leaves?

Xiao Yu had been dealing with corruption for the past three years. At first, he wanted to make an example of others, dealing with whatever he found without mercy. But after a year, he couldn’t help but sigh. “If the investigation continues like this, will we still have enough people in our court?”

“Xu Bowei.”

“Yes.”

“We want you to deal with this personally. The stolen money must be taken to the countries with disaster as soon as possible. Weinan was hit by another earthquake, all the houses that had been built earlier collapsed. The commoners will soon have to eat.” Xiao Yu took a deep breath. “In addition, use the excess satin, silk, grain, and wood in the imperial warehouse, the Ministry of Revenue, the offices, and the other yamens.”

With an aching heart, Xu Bowei replied, “This official heeds the decree.”

It was already the period of haishi (9-11 PM) when Xu Bowei left.

Xiao Yu looked at the folding note before him and frowned. The successive disasters, the endless corruption, the annual food shortage for the frontier soldiers…

His chest suddenly hurt, and his body swayed.

Eunuch Sheng turned pale in surprise. “Your Majesty!”

“It’s nothing,” Xiao Yu said.

Eunuch Sheng hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, Ning Yuanzheng said that your injuries have not healed since three years ago, so you shouldn’t tire, especially during the cold season. Should I call Ning Yuanzheng over to check on you?”

“What time is it now?”

“A quarter past haishi.”

“Call him tomorrow morning. I’ll go back to Jingren Palace first. I don’t need anyone to follow me.”

It was quiet in Jingren Palace. When Zhu Xin saw the emperor, she immediately bowed and said in a small voice, “This servant greets Your Majesty.”

“Has your master rested?”

“Yes.” Zhu Xin paused before saying cautiously, “This servant will wake the jieyu up.”

“No need for that.” Xiao Yu pushed open the door, only to see no one in the hall. His right hand shook slightly, and his voice raised a bit. “Where is she?”

Zhu Xin quickly answered, “Please appease your anger, Your Majesty. Master is resting at the eldest prince’s palace tonight.”

Startled, Xiao Yu walked toward the courtyard next door.

He opened the door and entered, only to see that the people behind the curtain were already asleep. He sat quietly on the round stool and watched for a long time.

He had planned to sit for a while before leaving, but Xiao Yun suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and called in a milky voice, “Mum.”

Xiao Yu couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this address.

Qin Ling immediately woke up when she heard Xiao Yun’s voice. With squinted eyes, she patted him on the back, “Are you thirsty?”

Xiao Yun hummed.

“Wait, Mum will pour the water for you.”

Qin Ling’s hair was messed up. When she got up, she was still in a daze. She casually twisted her hair twice and inserted a jade hairpin to keep it in place.

The man pursed his lips, and his jaw tightened.

How could the way she put up her hair be precisely the same as hers?

Qin Ling yawned, wore her shoes, and heard water pouring before she could touch the teapot…

Startled, she happened to meet Xiao Yu’s eyes, causing her to stagger and call in surprise, “Y-Your Majesty?”

Xiao Yu hummed.

Then he got up with the cup and sat beside Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yu helped his son to sit up, held his cheek with his palm, and said, “Drink.”

The little prince drank with closed eyes, smacked his lips several times, and immediately lay down again.

Qin Ling stared at the man in the white dragon-patterned robe, her heart pounding. She repeatedly thought about whether she had made a mistake.

She was wholly startled awake.

She asked casually, “When did…Your Majesty come.”

Xiao Yu looked at her and replied slowly, “I’ve been here for a while.”

Xiao Yu walked toward her and, without allowing her to act, pulled her hand toward him, noticing the freezing cold fingers, and looked her in the eye. “Did I scare you?”

With her heart pounding, Qin Ling nodded stiffly. “Y-Yes, quite a bit.”

After that, she took the emperor’s hand and replied softly, “Why didn’t anyone announce that Your Majesty is coming? Do you want to rest here?”

Xiao Yu looked at her, and after a long silence, he replied, “No. We still have things to deal with.”

After Xiao Yu left, Qin Ling’s mood gradually calmed down. She wanted to lie down to rest. When she raised her hand to fix her hair, she touched the erected jade hairpin and felt a thump in her heart…

Had he seen it…?

***

There would be a test in the second month.

This year was quite unique. The imperial and martial examinations were only three days apart; they could be considered held simultaneously. Xiao Yu had personally appointed two examiners for the imperial and two for the martial examinations, totaling twenty examiners each.

The preliminary round was similar to the capital examination, with three tests.

The first was about the Four Books and Five Classics, the second was about the official document and judgment, and the third was about the strategy question.

Everyone was aware that the emperor wanted to promote poor families and was thirsty for talent, so this year’s candidates were the most in history, with a total of 6,000 candidates.

The more candidates there were, the more complex the questions would be.

As a matter of fact, most of the candidates who came out of the gongyuan today were shaking their heads.

[T/N: gongyuan = the place where the exams are held.]

The man in brown tch-ed and said, “This year’s questions are tough, especially the judgment in the second test. Does this mean that people should memorize the entire law of the Great Zhou Dynasty?”

Tang Wen also sighed.

He patted Huai Jing on the shoulder. “Jieyuan Huai! How did you do in the exam?”

[T/N: Jieyuan = the number one in the provincial exam]

“It’s okay.”

“Okay?” Tang Wen continued, “Are you sure you will pass?”

Noticing a man clad in black nearby, Huai Jing coughed lightly and replied in a low voice, “Not really.”

Feeling like he had found a bosom friend, Tang Wen said, “Today-”

Since he‘d been practicing the imperial language recently, he changed how he talked. “Let us drink and not go home until we are drunk today! There will be ample time to think about the exam later, but youth is only once! Isn’t it so?”

Huai Jing subconsciously touched the tip of his nose, nodded, and hummed.

In addition to twenty examiners, this year’s imperial examination had 300 graders, so the evaluation speed was faster than usual.

To ensure the fair selection and prevent examinees from marking the test papers, the scribes re-transcribed all the test papers the examiners saw and marked them with a cinnabar stamp.

The papers would only get their ink stamp in addition to the cinnabar stamp when it was time to fill in the list.

On the fourteenth day of the second month, all the examiners gathered together to fill out the first list. Aside from the top three, the ranking order was in the hands of the chief examiner.

Only the top three needed to be discussed before they wrote the names on the list.

Almost every year, even in the Yongchang era, these examiners would fight to the death for their opinion, but it was much more harmonious this year. The ministry of the Minister of Rites said while caressing the cinnabar stamp, “Huai Jing. courtesy name Sibai. Where’s he from?”

“It says here he’s from the Huai clan of Shandong. I remember a successful candidate from the Huai clan in the imperial exam in the past.”

“I want to see what kind of person he is.”

On the day the list was released, the scholars arrived at the gate of gongyuan early in the morning. After posting the list, the official tore up the arrest warrant at the gate. 

A man asked, “Why did you tear off the portrait of the traitor?”

“Ah, it will be fine. It’s everywhere in the capital. I remember his face more clearly than I remember my wife’s. I’ll surely recognize him immediately if he stands before me, so it doesn’t matter if it’s posted or not, don’t let the pass list be stained.”

“Excuse me, excuse me. Give way.”

The pass list was slowly unfolding before everyone like a picture scroll.

Tang Wen’s eyes went directly to the last place, and when he didn’t see his name there, he felt a thump in his heart. Then he looked up, and there it was! There was his name, the third from the bottom!

He shouted to Huai Jing, “Brother Huai! I did it! I did it!”

Huai Jing replied, “Congratulations.”

“What about you?” Tang Wen turned his head and continued to look up. By the time he reached the fifth place, his heart had already turned cold. While patting Huai Jing’s arm, he said, “You shouldn’t have gone to drink every day! If only you-”

First place: Huai Jing.

Tang Wen’s voice rose in an instant. “You called this not sure? Didn’t you say you were not sure!? Brother Huai, you’re the top-scorer ah!”

The official who posted the list stepped on Su Huai’an’s portrait, looked at Huai Jing, and said, “Congratulations! Congratulations!”

Huai Jing looked at the words “arrest warrant for Su Huai’an” at his feet before raising his eyes and said in a low voice, “Thank you.”

After the gongyuan published the list, Yangxin Hall also received it before long.

After a while, Lu Ze walked in.

Xiao Yu looked at him and asked, “What about the martial examination?”

Lu Ze was one of the chief examiners of the martial examination, so he naturally knew who the emperor was asking about. “Qin Suizhi’s skills are better than those of the officials. He’s not the best at horseback archery and infantry shooting, but he still passed in one try. There’s only the literary test left, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

After speaking, Lu Ze coughed lightly and said, “Has the Ministry of Rites delivered the one from the imperial examination?”

Xiao Yu threw the folding note to him.

Lu Ze received it with both hands, looked at the first sentence, and sighed. As expected.