In the main hall of the Zhengyang Gate, hundreds of tables were laid out, where important civil officials usually sat for morning court assemblies and now took exams.
"This assessment will take up half of your rest day today," said Emperor Xiao Yunzhou with a raised hand.
The officials' faces turned dark.
Every five days, they had one rest day to go farming.
Now, once a month, they had to use a rest day to take exams?
Good heavens.
Was the Emperor even human?
Xiao Yunzhou acted as if he hadn't noticed, "Do scholars have rest days? Do commoners who till the land and weave cloth have rest days?"
"I and the officials are supported by the commoners, so we should be even more diligent."
In total, the ministers of Jing Country had nearly a hundred days of vacation.
In addition to the designated rest days, many ministers also had leave to visit relatives.
When officials rode carriages to visit relatives, they couldn't take the military roads, so a round trip sometimes took two or three months, even half a year.
Their vacations were truly exceptional.
Now that Xiao Yunzhou was taking away their rest days, he did not feel the slightest regret.
"Alright, start answering now."
"Don't blame me for not reminding you - the papers will be collected at noon, and any unfinished portions will be considered failures."
The officials fell silent and immediately started writing furiously.
Of course, some ministers' faces stiffened, especially upon hearing Xiao Yunzhou say that officials ranking last would be dismissed. They looked at each other and started protesting.
"Your Majesty, we became officials, not scholars."
"Is the imperial court turning into an academy? Dismissing the lowest-ranking officials based solely on their knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics is ridiculous."
"Exactly, you won't find such a thing even if you search all historical records!"
"Being an official is not about reciting books, Your Majesty!"
"What reasoning is there to examine our knowledge of classic texts every month!"
Several ministers protested loudly, and Xiao Yunzhou frowned upon seeing this.
[Tsk tsk, they haven't even finished reading the exam questions, and they want to call it off?]
[Let me see, ah yes, the ones jumping the highest are indeed those whose intelligence doesn't surpass the average eunuch.]
[Oh my, just like the semi-literate Minister Jiang!] Xiao Chuchu couldn't help but tease, closing her adorable eyes.
She couldn't even bear to look!
Hearing his daughter's words, Xiao Yunzhou felt both angry and amused.
But just as he was about to speak, a guard rushed in from outside to report.
"Your Majesty, hundreds of scholars have gathered outside the palace!"
"They're shouting outside, saying that Your Majesty is dismissing Minister Jiang Yixu because you cannot tolerate dissent and have a narrow mind!"
Xiao Yunzhou's expression changed. "Insolent!"
The guard was about to kneel and apologize.
But then the scholars' resounding cries from outside reached the Zhengyang Gate hall.
"Minister Jiang took the imperial examination seventeen years ago and has served the people tirelessly for seventeen years as an official!"
"It's only natural that at his advanced age, he has become lax in the Four Books and Five Classics and forgotten some of their contents."
"Your Majesty is using this as an excuse to examine all officials on the classic texts, but scholarly talent and governing ability are vastly different - this is unfair!"
"We have jointly written a petition in blood, asking Your Majesty to release Minister Jiang Yixu and restore his original position!"
"And to immediately cancel the examination of officials on the Four Books and Five Classics!"
These loud cries came from at least a few hundred grown scholars, an imposing force like waves crashing one after another against the hall!
Emperor Xiao Yunzhou's arm around Chuchu stiffened.
They had rebelled!
These scholars were trying to revolt!
"Your Majesty--" The ministers who had been frowning over the exam papers all knelt down together.
A hint of satisfaction flashed across their faces. "Your Majesty, this minister also requests that you retract your decree and pacify the scholars first."
"The scholars are the pillars of Jing Country's future!"
Xiao Yunzhou's hands trembled with anger.
He had long known that the scholars of the realm formed their own factions, considering themselves lofty and unafraid of imperial authority.
What's more, they had powerful backers, misleading naive young scholars into thinking they could become legends and be praised by the people just by joining the protests and submitting petitions.
But in reality, behind several academies lurked the shadows of the Empress' Tong Family and even the Fu Cha Family of the Noble Consort.
Apart from them, there were also officials from the Zhe Party, Eastern Party, and Xiang Party, promoting scholars from their own regions.
The young scholars thought they had found patrons, but were actually being used as pawns by the officials without realizing it!
Xiao Yunzhou took a deep breath and looked at the kneeling officials echoing the scholars' cries.
The voices outside swelled like waves, one louder than the next!
"Your Majesty, please release Minister Jiang Yixu immediately!"
"Your Majesty, do you have any evidence proving that Minister Jiang cheated in the imperial examination seventeen years ago?"
"Minister Jiang has dedicated his life to the people and the imperial court. Just because he can't recite books as well as in his youth at nearly fifty years old, he should be imprisoned and dismissed?!"
The incensed scholars grew increasingly riotous.
The Grand Councilor of the Fu Cha Family changed expression. "Your Majesty, we cannot let them continue shouting."
"There are five major academies near the capital. If this continues and more scholars gather, they may become so agitated that any slight commotion could lead to disaster."
Lord Liu was about to speak, thinking the situation had taken a grave turn, when another minister cut him off.
"Your Majesty, the scholars' anger is not without reason. If Minister Jiang is imprisoned today, it's possible that other scholars may suffer the same fate seventeen years from now."
A minister with an IQ of 45 stood up indignantly.
"If Your Majesty severely punishes Minister Jiang, all the scholars in the realm will be disheartened by you!"
Xiao Yunzhou closed his eyes, his chest heaving.
These people, unaware that he knew their intelligence levels, still dared to try deceiving him!
With a solemn expression, he gestured to the reporting guard, "Go, arrest the few ringleaders among the scholars--"
The minister with an IQ of 45 immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot imprison the ringleaders! Otherwise, the scholars will riot!"
Xiao Yunzhou's face darkened, but he soon let out a chuckle. "I was going to say, invite those few ringleaders inside to personally monitor your exams."
The minister with an IQ of 45 was taken aback.
Xiao Yunzhou smiled lightly, "And don't let the other scholars leave either."
The guards and ministers were all stunned.
What? They were about to storm in.
And the Emperor was telling them not to leave?
Didn't he mean to drive them away?
The Emperor smiled faintly, "Also, bring Jiang Yixu here from prison to take the exam together with the officials. When it's done, post all of your papers outside the Zhengyang Gate for me!"
Everyone was stunned.
The Emperor was still insisting on examining the officials.
But even if the results showed their current abilities were lacking, how could that prove they had cheated in the imperial examinations over a decade ago?
However, the ministers who had protested the loudest soon started flipping through the exam papers reluctantly, only to freeze in shock.
Their faces quickly turned pale, huge beads of sweat streaming down!
Xiao Yunzhou observed their expressions clearly and let out a light chuckle.
...
At noon.
Bang--
Bang--
"Time's up, ministers seal your papers!" Wei Zheng shouted loudly.
Dull thumps echoed through the hall as five or six ministers, gritting their teeth with ashen faces, pale lips, and closed eyes, fainted!
"Wei Zheng, prepare the carriage!"
Xiao Yunzhou looked mockingly at those who had fainted, the ones who had most vehemently sided with the students earlier.
"Today, outside the Zhengyang Gate, I shall allow the students to witness the capabilities of such an upright minister!"
Before long, the students protesting outside the Zhengyang Gate saw the guards emerge and post answer sheets at the entrance.
The students were still protesting, "Your Majesty, even after serving as an official for ten years, one must compose ornate literary works? What use is such armchair strategizing?"
But as they protested, the voices in the front row fell silent.
For when they looked up at the graded paper at the forefront, they were dumbfounded.
"Heavens, which high official is this... how could they even misspell the word 'appease'?"
"Ah, so the exam was not just about the Four Books and Five Classics?"
"Help, who wrote this? Disaster reports from the regions can be submitted to the capital within six months? Goodness, in six months, everyone would have perished!"
"Who wrote this?"
The protesting scholars, upon seeing the absurd exam papers, were stunned.
Then, their gaze shifted upwards, and they soon saw the seven large characters at the top of the answer sheet.
The scholars who had handed in their answers felt like vomiting blood as they almost fainted!
For in plain black and white, it was clearly written:
Answer by: Jiang Yixu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel!
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