Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 54: Divine Lesson (Part )

Yang Lin's black boots crossed the threshold of the triple-layered gold bricks, the soles of his shoes touching the bricks, making a very soft echo. He faced the emperor, holding the list in both hands, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to preside over the special examination. Now that the examination is over and the list has been issued, I have come to submit my order."

"Present it here," the emperor raised his hand slightly, and the eunuch Chen Dexin, who was serving beside him, immediately understood. He hurried forward with small steps, took the list from Yang Lin, and carefully presented it to the emperor's desk.

Yang Jian unfolded the list, his eyes narrowed slightly, his expression calm as he slowly scanned each name. The eunuch Chen Dexin stood by with his hands hanging down, his eyes fixed on his nose, his nose on his heart, holding his breath, like a rotten tree.

"The top three in the special examination are Lü Shang, Wei Cheng, Xin Yongfeng, and Shang Silang." Yang Jian paused at the list and suddenly said, "The second place winner is Wei Cheng. His hometown is listed as Huayin, Hongnong. I remember Yang Su, he is also from Huayin, Hongnong, right?"

Yang Lin stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Wei Cheng is an exceptional warrior with extraordinary martial prowess and exceptional swordplay skills. He is virtually unrivaled and truly a rare military talent. The fact that he and Imperial Censor Yang Su are both from Huayin is merely a coincidence."

Yang Jian narrowed his eyes slightly, and said thoughtfully, "From this perspective, Huayin is truly a treasured land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. However, how come Xin Yongfeng and Shang Silang are ranked third together?"

Yang Lin replied, "Your Majesty, Xin Yongfeng and Shang Silang are equally skilled. Several duels have proven them neck and neck. Fellow examiner Yang Su and I have weighed the pros and cons and have found it difficult to decide. Finally, we have placed both of them in the top three."

After Yang Jian finished looking through the list, he said, "A total of twenty-five people were admitted to this special examination?"

He received a report from the Hundred Cavalry Division stating that there were three to four thousand candidates who took the Daxing Military Examination. Of those three to four thousand, only twenty-five were admitted. While it was better to have fewer than fewer candidates, this admission ratio was indeed quite low.

"Uncle, since this is a special examination, wouldn't it seem stingy to only select twenty-five people? Besides these twenty-five, I would select another one hundred and fifty people, regardless of whether they are from the north or the south, and grant them official positions and receive court salaries, so that they can be deployed to the military in various prefectures and counties. What do you think?"

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu says: "One catty of enemy food is equivalent to twenty catties of our own."

Therefore, Yang Jian always believed in more talent, preferring to nurture them with official positions rather than let them be used by the enemy. There were only so many talented people in the world, and if Yang Jian gained more, the Southern Chen would have less. As one gained, the other lost, and the people naturally favored the Great Sui.

Yang Lin said softly, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. This will not only demonstrate your eagerness to recruit talented people, but will also strengthen the military strength of the prefectures and counties, and consolidate the foundation of our Great Sui. Let these talents be used by the Great Sui, and let the people of the world see your majesty's generosity and benevolence."

Yang Jian's lips curled up slightly, and he cast his gaze towards Chen Dexin, saying, "Go and convey my oral instructions. Tomorrow, I will hold a banquet in the Wude Hall to welcome the warriors of the Great Sui Dynasty and let them know my expectations and reliance on them."

"Tell the Guanglu Temple that this banquet must be grand and solemn. Do not lose the dignity of the Great Sui Dynasty."

Chen Dexin bowed and replied, "Yes,"

Yang Jian said, "Uncle, you should go back and prepare early. I will need your help with tomorrow's banquet."

Yang Lin bowed and said, "Then I, this old minister, shall take my leave."

After saying this, Yang Lin steadily exited the hall. After watching his uncle leave, Yang Jian's gaze once again fell on the list of the top three candidates in the imperial examination. He murmured to himself, "Wei Cheng, Xin Yongfeng, Shang Silang, will you be the generals of my Great Sui Dynasty?"

During these two days, Yang Jian kept Yuan Yun in the palace and often asked him about astrology. Yuan Yun was also very knowledgeable and Yang Jian learned what astrology was. Astrology is different from constellations. Constellations are the gods of the upper realm, while astrology is a type of destiny.

The most important thing is that Yuan Yun once said frankly that although the three-star destiny of Sha Po Lang came into the world and he was the destined general of the Sui Dynasty, success or failure was also determined by fate. After his destiny was completed, it would be the time for the host of the three-star destiny of Sha Po Lang to die.

"Destiny!" Thinking of destiny, Yang Jian sighed again. All the generals have their destiny. As the emperor of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian also has his own destiny.

When Yang Jian was born, purple air filled the courtyard, horns sprouted from his head, and scales covered his body. The nun Zhixian of the Prajna Temple said he was destined to be an emperor. She persuaded Yang Zhong and his wife to place Yang Jian in the Prajna Temple, where he would be raised by Zhixian, whom Yang Jian called Acharya.

Acharya, a Sanskrit word, means teacher.

Yang Jian's nickname, Naloyana, was given by the nun Zhixian, meaning indestructible.

It can be said that Yang Jian had a connection with Buddhism since he was a child. That is why, unlike Emperor Yuwen Yong who destroyed Buddhism during the Jiande reign, after he ascended the throne, Yang Jian ordered the restoration of temples and Buddha statues that were destroyed and damaged during the reign of Emperor Yuwen Yong.

Not only that, he also changed his almost stingy and frugal lifestyle, continuously allocated money and food, and vigorously built temples, so that he was honored by the Buddhists in China as the Wheel-Turning King and the Buddha-Hearted King.

This may be his destiny!

------

The next day,

Inside the Wude Hall, the lights were bright. Yang Jian sat on the dragon throne, his eyes quietly examining the people in front of him through the hazy light.

In the hall, the twenty-five people who were admitted through the special examination had already stood in a neat row. They were wearing brand new crimson official robes. Although they pretended to be calm, Yang Jian could still see the excitement and nervousness in their bones.

Of course, some pretended to be calm, while others were genuinely composed and unfazed by the emperor's majesty. As the top scorer in the imperial examination, Lü Shang stood at the front, but he didn't seem to be feeling any fear. Instead, he was intently surveying the Wude Hall.

Wude Hall, Wude, Li Yuan’s reign title is also Wude!
His eyes gently swept over the people in the hall, especially the top three. After lingering for a moment, Yang Jian chuckled, raised his hand and gestured for everyone to take a seat, and said, "Don't be so reserved, my friends. Today's banquet is only for the purpose of meeting you talented people, nothing else."

Everyone sat down as they were told, still standing straight, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Yang Jian raised his wine glass and said, "This is a toast to you all. May you all achieve great things in the future and live up to your life's ambitions. The prosperity of the Great Sui Dynasty cannot be achieved without the support of virtuous people like you."

After saying this, he drank the wine. Everyone stood up, raised their glasses and shouted "Long live the emperor", and drank the wine in their glasses.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly lively, and everyone's previous restraint gradually dissipated in the face of Yang Jian's friendliness.

However, except for Yang Jian and Yang Lin, no one noticed that the attendants and officials beside Yang Lin were somewhat out of tune with the atmosphere in the hall.

Yuan Yun pretended to be an official of King Kaoshan, with a gloomy face, silently observing everyone in the hall, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, constantly calculating the fate of these people according to the birth dates given by Yang Jian.

(End of this chapter)