A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Upon hearing Gao Shi's words, the expressions on their faces became strange.

He even felt a pang of pity for Li Linfu.

No matter how deep Li Linfu's scheming or how ruthless his methods, he was helpless when faced with this situation.

You can only consider yourself unlucky.

Next, all they need to do is wait until the imperial examination results are released, until Li Bai's identity is exposed, and then they can wait for Li Linfu to self-destruct and die.

The Ministry of Rites' Examination Hall.

The examiners arranged by the imperial court were standing in a row, and in front of them stood a figure dressed as a monkey in a crown.

This person was Li Linfu's steward.

"The questions for this imperial examination must be difficult, and the grading must be strict. Only through strictness can we select truly talented individuals."

"The current imperial court has enjoyed a period of prosperity for several years, and official positions are extremely scarce. There are not enough vacant positions available for those mediocre and incompetent individuals."

"Do you understand?"

Butler Wang Sanyin chuckled.

These examiners dared not oppose the rising star Li Linfu, and could only nod in frustration.

Wang San chuckled. He had been able to serve Li Linfu for so long because his ability to read people's expressions was exceptional.

"You guys are still young."

"There are almost no vacancies in the imperial court now. If these candidates enter officialdom, what official positions will they be given?"

"I believe that it would be most appropriate to grant you all your official positions."

What do you all think?

Wang San sneered, thinking to himself that these scholars were just cheap bastards.

The examiners naturally refused to give up their official positions to these newcomers.

They all put in a lot of effort to get this prestigious official position.

"It's better to die for my fellow Daoists than for myself, so I'm sorry to these little brothers."

"Then, Prime Minister, how many people do you intend to recruit?"

The examiner quickly asked.

"What Prime Minister?"

"This is my advice to you; what does it have to do with the Prime Minister?"

Wang San frowned and said, "Let's distance ourselves from Li Linfu in this matter. Prime Minister Li is pure and innocent, how could he do such a thing?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I misspoke, I misspoke."

"What suggestions do you have?"

The examiner quickly replied.

I think so.

Wang San's face was full of sinister smiles. "It would be best to consider the imperial court and not choose any of them."

"Your Majesty is now building a new palace, and the national treasury is empty. Every penny saved is precious."

The examiner was indignant. How much salary could a mere ninth-rank official earn? Could it compare to the salary of a single brick in the new palace?

But he only thought it to himself and dared not say it out loud, otherwise he wouldn't even see the sun rise tomorrow.

"If no one is chosen, His Majesty will surely notice something amiss, and then..."

"That's not something you should be thinking about."

Wang San stared coldly at the examiner. "Look at that sun, so big and round, so beautiful."

"It's a wonderful thing to be able to see it, isn't it?"

"Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood."

The examiner was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly bowed, bent over, and nodded.

Wang San nodded slightly, his tone seemingly pointed. "I heard that Lord Zheng's grandson is still young. It's good for children to see the sun more often; they need to get plenty of sunshine to grow up healthy."

"I understand, I understand."

The examiner was practically kneeling before Wang San; how could he not understand the underlying meaning in Wang San's words?

If they don't do as Wang San says, his whole family won't see the sun the next day.

"Well, this is just my suggestion. As for the imperial examination, we should still listen to the opinions of you gentlemen."

Although Wang San said that, no one dared to take it as his advice unless they didn't want to die.

After Wang San left, all the examiners looked at the chief examiner.

The examiner sighed and said helplessly, "You all know what to do now, right? We can't afford to offend that person, and we can't risk our lives to pave the way for these students."

"I can only apologize to these students."

"These students have studied diligently for decades, hoping to pass the imperial examinations and achieve fame and glory for their families. It's such a pity."

"It's all the work of treacherous officials!"

One of the examiners said angrily, and the others quickly stopped him, saying that some things shouldn't be said.

People will die!

"Please begin grading the papers, and please be mindful of your conduct while doing so."

The examiner spoke, then began grading the papers.

Several days later, this grueling task of grading papers finally came to an end.

The examiner took another paper, his eyes filled with regret.

"What a pity! Such an outstanding talent encountered such a treacherous minister; otherwise, he would surely have entered the court as the top scholar and served the country."

"Sir, there's no need for that."

The assistant examiner next to him had also seen the paper. "Such a talented young man, if he were to enter the imperial court now, it might not be a good thing."

Reminded by him, the examiner suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. The current court is indeed not suitable for those seeking official positions."

"Your Majesty was so wise and powerful at the beginning of the restoration of order, but now..."

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's prepare to report the results."

The examiner looked at the admission details in his hand, a smooth, blank sheet of paper, and sighed again.

"If I hand over this paper, I'm afraid it will only leave me with a bad reputation in the history books."

The examiners remained silent; their fates were unlikely to be any better.

The Secretariat dared not be negligent upon seeing the results of the imperial examinations. Li Linfu had instructed them to report the results to him immediately as soon as they were released, without delay.

Especially when they saw the admission results, they dared not delay any longer, and even regretted having two eyes, why they were so greedy to look!

What's so interesting about it?!

Upon seeing the admission notice, Li Linfu was overjoyed and immediately took the results to the Daming Palace to meet Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji).

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!"

"What's there to be happy about?"

Li Longji looked at Li Linfu below with surprise and asked in confusion.

After a while, he remembered that today should be the day the imperial examination results were released.

"Could it be that this imperial examination has produced a national talent?"

Li Longji laughed.

"Far more than that, Your Majesty."

Li Linfu smiled obsequiously.

"oh?!"

Li Longji was somewhat surprised, but his face lit up with joy. He pressed on, asking, "Could it be that this imperial examination has produced several exceptionally talented individuals?"

"Not only, not only at all!"

Li Linfu said.

"Oh? What exactly happened? Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me."

Li Longji said with a smile.

"Your Majesty has implemented benevolent policies and has searched for talented people throughout the land for many years. Now, the court is full of talented people."

"This nationwide recruitment has failed to find a single outstanding talent. There are no hidden gems left in the land! Even in the mountains and fields, there are no more untapped geniuses."

"All the heroes of the world have now fallen into Your Majesty's grasp, therefore I congratulate Your Majesty."

"Is this really true?!"

Li Longji was overjoyed to hear this. His idol, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, had once said during the imperial examinations, "All the heroes of the world are now within my grasp."

Even so, the imperial examinations still produced countless outstanding talents.

Unexpectedly, he surpassed Emperor Taizong and gathered together the most talented people in the land!