The Red Mansion

Chapter 62: Emperor Taishun: Let Him Take the Imperial Examination (Part 2)
The next day, March 13th.

It is still raining in Shenjing City, but it has changed from heavy rain yesterday to light rain today.

The drizzle was continuous and thin, covering Changchun Garden located in the western suburbs of Shenjing City.

The raindrops gently hit the blue bricks and black tiles of Danning Residence, as if humming a silent poem.

Danningju stands quietly in the rain, like a painting in ink and color.

In the warm room, the sound of rain came in through the carved window lattices. A bronze incense burner in a corner emitted wisps of green smoke, and the faint scent of sandalwood filled the air, adding a bit of tranquility and Zen.

Emperor Taishun was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and sitting cross-legged on the Arhat bed, discussing state affairs with Prince Zhongyi.

When the monarch and his ministers had finished discussing state affairs, Prince Zhongyi suddenly reported, "Your Majesty, Brother Yi requested an audience with me yesterday, saying he wishes to take the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination next month."

Even Emperor Taishun was so shocked by this that his eyes widened.

After realizing what was happening, he frowned and said unhappily, "Why is he taking the imperial examination?! What nonsense!"

The sound of rain was still falling outside, but the atmosphere in the warm room suddenly became solemn because of these words.

From ancient times to the present, there has never been any record in official history of a prince taking the imperial examination.

The imperial examination system was originally a means for the imperial power to weaken the nobility and recruit people from humble backgrounds. It was a path for humble scholars to rise to prominence. However, the imperial princes, as members of the ruling elite, were outside this system. If a prince passed the examination, it would easily raise questions about imperial interference.

Emperor Taishun said coldly, "How could he possibly be taking the imperial examination? He's just being restless and trying to attract my attention!"

The sound was like thunder, echoing in the warm room, and even the sound of rain outside the window seemed to be stagnant.

Prince Zhongyi smiled faintly, his expression composed, as if he had anticipated Emperor Taishun's reaction. He whispered, "Your Majesty, when I met Yi Ge'er yesterday, I briefly examined him and found him to be quite knowledgeable. He has a particularly remarkable memory, practically capturing everything he has seen. I believe that if Yi Ge'er were to take the imperial examination, he might be successful. A prince taking the imperial examination is unprecedented and a novelty."

Emperor Taishun was surprised: “As far as I know, he is not good at studying. Is it true that he is good at studying and has an excellent memory?
Prince Zhongyi laughed and said, "How dare I deceive Your Majesty with such a thing?"

Emperor Taishun's expression eased slightly, and after a pause, he asked, "What are you thinking of?"

Prince Zhongyi's smile widened as he spoke slowly, "Let Yi Ge'er take the exam! If he succeeds next month, it will be an extraordinary achievement, a Juren at only fifteen! But don't give him the title of Juren, and don't let him retake the imperial examination. This way, we can prove his talent without arousing suspicion of imperial interference. Furthermore, I know Yi Ge'er is also quite skilled in martial arts. If he possesses both civil and military prowess, even if Your Majesty doesn't recognize him as a prince, he can still be used in the court. After all, Yi Ge'er is Your Majesty's flesh and blood. How can he remain a commoner for long?"

Emperor Taishun pondered for a long time with a deep look in his eyes.

There was a sound of rain outside the window, but it was quiet in the warm room.

Finally, Emperor Taishun nodded and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I will allow him to take the exam!"

He cared a little about his son Jiang Nian, and he also believed in promoting people based on their merits.

Because the retired emperor Jingning had said that if the fact that Emperor Taishun had a prince among the common people was suddenly revealed, it would be detrimental to Emperor Taishun's throne, so it should be kept secret.

Emperor Taishun had originally intended to keep Jiang Nian in the eastern suburbs, hoping to wait until Emperor Jingning passed away before he could consider arranging for Jiang Nian to enter the imperial court. Although Emperor Jingning was old and ailing, he probably wouldn't die for another year or two, but it was unclear how many years from now he would pass away.

Now Emperor Taishun suddenly changed his mind.

He wanted to see whether Jiang Nian, a fifteen-year-old commoner prince, could really pass the provincial examination next month.

He peered through the window lattice at the rain outside, and sighed inwardly, "I only select people based on their talent, let alone their own flesh and blood! If this boy is truly exceptionally talented, I will surely bring him into the imperial court!"

Prince Zhongyi followed Emperor Taishun's gaze as he glanced at the rain outside the window, then fixed his gaze on Emperor Taishun's face. He continued, "Brother Yi isn't even a scholar, and his household registration is still in Jiangning. He must be granted the status of a student at the Imperial College so he can take the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination. Furthermore, there's only a month left before the provincial examination, so we should urgently hire a teacher for Brother Yi to teach him the art of the imperial examination. This is something Yi Brother begged me to do yesterday." Emperor Taishun paused for a moment, then frowned and said, "The Imperial College student status is easy to arrange, but as for hiring a teacher, I don't know who can take on the task in such a short time."

Prince Zhongyi smiled faintly. He had already considered this matter yesterday and had a candidate in mind. He calmly replied, "I think Li Shouzhong is very suitable. He is a Jinshi (Jinshi) graduate and has served as the Imperial College's chief academic officer. He is knowledgeable and particularly skilled in the art of imperial examinations. He also lives in the eastern suburbs, not far from where Yi Ge'er lives."

Emperor Taishun paused and said, "Li Shouzhong is now the Junior Minister of the Imperial Rites. He has his own official duties, so how could he waste a month teaching Yi'er the art of imperial examinations? Moreover, Li Shouzhong is married to the Rongguo Mansion. Recently, Wang Ziteng, who was very close to the Rongguo Mansion, was punished. This matter is related to Yi'er."

When Prince Zhongyi saw that Emperor Taishun rejected his proposal, he did not argue. To him, this was just a small matter.

Emperor Taishun pondered for a while and said, "Let Qu Jishan, the son of Qu Tai, teach Yi'er."

Prince Zhongyi: “…”

Qu Tai served as a reader in the cabinet, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, and also as the chief academic officer of the Imperial College during the Jingning Dynasty.

In the 52nd year of Jingning, Qu Tai resigned due to illness.

In the 60th year of the Jingning reign, Emperor Taishun, then Prince Yitai, was on a mission to pay respects to his ancestors' mausoleum on Emperor Jingning's orders. En route, he encountered rain and stayed at Qu Tai's home. During their conversation, Prince Yitai asked Qu Tai if he had any sons serving in government. Qu Tai replied that his fifth son, Qu Jishan, had been a successful candidate in the Shuntian Prefecture. Prince Yitai then expressed his desire to meet Qu Jishan someday.

After Emperor Taishun ascended the throne, he wanted to make use of Qu Tai and appointed him as a cabinet scholar.

Just yesterday, Qu Tai came to Changchun Garden to meet with Emperor Taishun, and Prince Zhongyi was also present. During the meeting, Qu Tai's fifth son Qu Jishan was mentioned, and it was learned that Qu Jishan would participate in the Enke examination in September this year.

Now, Emperor Taishun wants Qu Jishan to teach Jiang Nian the art of imperial examinations.

In Prince Zhongyi's opinion, this matter has more benefits than disadvantages for Jiang Nian.

The disadvantage is that Qu Jishan is now just a juren.

The advantage is that Qu Jishan has no official position and has to take the imperial examination this year. In the next month, he can teach Jiang Nian carefully and prepare for the exam with Jiang Nian.

In addition, Emperor Taishun wants to use Qu Tai, and if Qu Jishan can pass the imperial examination, he will most likely be used by Emperor Taishun... This means that Jiang Nian may be able to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from Qu Jishan and get to know Qu Tai and Qu Jishan, two future important officials of the court!

Prince Zhongyi didn't know what Emperor Taishun was thinking, so he thought to himself, "Perhaps Fourth Brother is deliberately trying to get Brother Yi to connect with future important officials of the imperial court, so that Brother Yi can have some extraordinary connections in the future? So that he won't be isolated and helpless?"

Unbeknownst to Jiang Nian, he almost became a student of Li Wan's father, Li Shouzhong...

Some book lovers don’t want to read this book because the male protagonist is not handsome.

Now let’s talk about the male lead’s appearance.

The author wrote that "although he is not handsome in appearance, he is above average and has a strong body."

What it means is that the male protagonist’s appearance is good, better than average, and has nothing to do with being ugly.

The male protagonist of almost all Red Mansion online novels is very handsome, and they often write about Jinchai being fascinated by the male protagonist's handsomeness...

Uh, is this necessary? This isn't a female channel.

It is enough that the male protagonist of this book is above average in appearance.

Throughout history, there haven’t been many handsome princes, right?

Are most of the readers of this book handsome guys, and they will not feel involved in the story if the male protagonist is not very handsome?
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(End of this chapter)