Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 33 Zhaowu Order (Part )
To be precise, not only Lu Shang himself was interested in taking the military examination, but Lu Yongji, the Duke of Qi, also slammed the table and stood up after learning about the Zhaowu Order.

"Is this a God-given opportunity?"

Lü Yongji in the palace was overjoyed. He said to Lü Quan, the household steward who was waiting beside him, "Your Majesty's first special examination is not only a grand event for the court, but also an opportunity for our family. The fact that he appointed Prince Yang Lin as the chief examiner shows how much he values ​​this special examination."

"If my son can perform well in the Enke exam, his future will be worry-free!"

Even though Lü Yongji didn't know Lü Shang's abilities, he didn't expect him to win the title of champion in the special examination. He just wanted Lü Shang to enter the special examination first, perform a little, and preferably leave a good impression on King Kaoshan, which was very important for Lü Shang's future.

Although Lü Yongji was known among the nobles of Daxing as dull, this didn't mean he was truly incompetent and incapable of understanding the significance of this imperial examination. His so-called dullness was merely a protective shield; common people have their own cunning, and Lü Yongji's scheming was a reflection of that.

"I heard that the Duke of Ying submitted a memorial to Your Majesty the other day, saying he couldn't bear to see Princess Lanling suffer the pain of mourning at such a young age, and requested Your Majesty allow the princess to end her mourning period early. He was rebuked, and then the Imperial Censor Yang Su impeached Wang Yi, accusing him of being vulgar and damaging to moral principles."

Seeing Lu Yongji's happiness, Lü Quan whispered, "The censors at the Imperial Censorate believe that Wang Yi is not only unkind as a father, but also puts the princess in an unjust position. He is a criminal who is violating morals and is unjust and unkind. They request that the emperor punish Wang Yi."

The nobles had their own circles, and the housekeepers had their own circles. To avoid the struggles of the court, Lü Yongji stayed at home and rarely went out to cause trouble. Lü Quan became Lü Yongji's eyes and ears. Lü Quan got all this information from the housekeepers' circle.

After hearing this, Lu Yongji's face darkened and he sighed, "Yang Su really knows how to find an opportunity. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that Wang Yi is in a difficult situation right now. He's worried that Wang Yi will die too slowly, so he's adding fuel to the fire and giving Wang Yi a leg up!"

"However, after Wang Yi's death, Princess Lanling will surely remarry, and this will be our family's opportunity. However, with Wang Yi's memorial before her, even if Lanling remarries, she will have to observe the full three-year mourning period."

"This period of time should be enough for me to operate."

Lu Yongji paced back and forth in the room, then turned and said, "Go and call the prince back to me. This evil creature hasn't even returned home since he went to the Secretariat. Tell him that I said it, and tell him not to come back if he doesn't."

Lü Quan, who knew how much Lü Yongji cherished this only child, simply replied, "My Lord, I will go to the Secretariat and bring the prince back."

Lu Yongji thought for a moment and said, "If that evil creature refuses, you can tell him that if he doesn't come back, I will cut off his menstrual period and see if this evil creature will come back."

Lü Shang's recent spending was enormous, and Lü Yongji had noticed it all. So, knowing that Lü Shang needed money, Lü Yongji knew that if he cut off his monthly allowance, he would definitely be able to force that unfilial son to return.

"Yes," Lu Quan bowed and responded.

------

Yang Jian's Zhaowu Order was distributed from Daxing to all prefectures and counties, shocking the whole world.

Across the three hundred prefectures and counties under the Northern Sui Dynasty, countless people yearned for fame and success. To these people, the Zhaowu Order was a stepping stone to heaven. If they could achieve fame through the imperial examination, they would also be able to make their name known to the world.

Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the path to upward mobility had been controlled by the aristocracy, and the poor had suffered for a long time. Unless they attached themselves to the aristocracy and were at their mercy, they could only join the army and seek opportunities to make a name for themselves on the battlefield. However, few could survive the bloodbath.

On the battlefield, amidst the chaos of the army, aside from warriors cultivating their marrow and blood, ordinary soldiers were consumables. While warriors cultivating their internal organs were known for being able to defeat a hundred men, facing an army of thousands, a hundred men were but a tiny ripple in the sea of ​​humanity, ready to be crushed into bloody mud at any moment.

Instead of trying to get that little chance, it is better to go to Daxing to take part in the Enke. If you can get your name in the Enke, you will definitely have a good future.

In Huayin County, a tall Tibetan man, carrying a hunched ancient moon elephant trunk sword on his back, looked at the notice in front of the county government office and muttered to himself: "Zhaowu Order, March 20th, Daxingwu Examination!" "Brother Wei,"

There was a militia leader standing guard in front of the notice, who was responsible for conveying the contents to the illiterate people. This leader was familiar with the Angzang man, and when he saw that the Angzang man had stopped in front of the notice for a long time, he spoke directly.

The squad leader pointed at the notice and asked, "You want to go to Daxing?"

"The Emperor's favored examination, how could I not want to go?"

The tall and handsome man said with emotion, "A true man born in this world cannot live a life of mediocrity. To achieve fame and honor, to ennoble his wife and children, is to be a truly great man. Now that the Emperor has issued an edict to open up a path for the virtuous, this is the perfect opportunity for me, Wei Cheng, to master the arts of literature and martial arts and serve the imperial family."

The squad leader smiled and said, "Brother Wei is very generous. With his ability, he will surely become famous in the martial arts exam and bring honor to the people of Huayin."

This militia leader was not really complimenting Wei Cheng, but he really believed that Wei Cheng could make his mark in the emperor's special examination.

If Wei Cheng did not have real ability, how could he, as the leader of the official's family, smile at him?

Wei Cheng, the Flower Knife Master, was a local from Huayin. He created the Sixty-Four Moves of Flower Knife, which he used to defeat opponents in dozens of surrounding counties. He was very famous in the Green Forest Road of the North.

If even a figure like Wei Cheng cannot leave his name in the imperial examination, the squad leader can only say that Daxing is too corrupt and the behind-the-scenes operations are too shameless.

"Enko,"

While Wei Cheng was talking to the squad leader, a stern man in front of the notice read the contents of the notice and sighed.

"Alas, the Northern Emperor's widespread use of the imperial examination system reveals his true intentions. I'm afraid he's preparing to unify the north and south. Is it true that Heaven is not on our side for the Southern Dynasty? Why are our wise and virtuous rulers either frail or die young, while our foolish and incompetent rulers live long and healthy lives?"

"Perhaps, the world's fortune is really in the north, not in the south?"

Xin Yongfeng compared Chen Shubao of the Southern Dynasty with Yang Jian of the Northern Dynasty, and a bitter taste appeared on his face.

As the son of Xin Deqing, the former prime minister of Southern Chen, if Xin Yongfeng had a choice, he would definitely want to assist the monarch of the Southern Dynasty and achieve something.

However, what he saw and heard in the Southern Dynasty made him completely disappointed in Chen Shubao. If Chen Shubao had even a fraction of the ability of his father Chen Xu, Xin Yongfeng would not have thought of leaving the Southern Dynasty and joining the Northern Sui Dynasty.

After all, he was the son of a former prime minister. If he had stayed in the Southern Dynasty, his starting position would have been incomparable to that of ordinary people. With the legacy of Xin Deqing, high official positions and generous salaries were within his reach.

It was because he couldn't stand Chen Shubao's debauchery and the laxity of discipline in the Southern Chen Dynasty that he gave up everything and came to the unfamiliar Northern Sui Dynasty, hoping to achieve something in the Northern Sui Dynasty.

Thinking of Chen Shubao's tyrannical face, Xin Yongfeng could already see his future fate.

(End of this chapter)