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

"Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return?"

"Have you not seen the bright mirror in the high hall reflecting the sorrow of white hair, like black silk in the morning turning to snow by evening?"

"Enjoy life to the fullest when you are successful, for you should not let your golden goblet stand empty before the moon."

"Everyone has their own unique talents, and though I may spend all my money, it will come back again."

"Let us feast on roasted lamb and slaughtered oxen, and drink three hundred cups of wine in one go."

"Master Cen, Master Danqiu, let's drink! Don't stop drinking!"

"I'll sing you a song, please lend me your ear."

"Bells and drums, delicacies and jade are not worth treasuring; I only wish to be drunk forever and never wake up."

"Sages and worthies of the past are all forgotten, only drinkers have left their mark."

"When Prince Chen once held a banquet at Ping Le, he drank ten thousand cups of wine and indulged in merriment."

"Why does the host speak of having little money? Just go and buy some wine to drink with me."

"A dappled horse, a thousand pieces of gold, call the boy to exchange them for fine wine, to dispel with you the sorrows of ages past."

Li Bai couldn't help but write a poem. After finishing it, he habitually reached for his wine pot, only to find it empty once again.

Upon seeing this, everyone burst into laughter.

After resting for a few days, Li Bai continued to take everyone out for banquets, outings, and composing poems.

After the results of the imperial examinations were announced, the men entered officialdom and were no longer so carefree.

When Li Bai went out, he often encountered students who had come to take the imperial examinations that year. After that banquet, almost everyone recognized Li Bai.

When we see him while we're out for a walk in the countryside, we always greet him.

Some students, upon seeing Li Bai, immediately gathered around, wanting to join Li Bai's group and become acquainted with him.

Li Bai had no choice but to agree, as he couldn't very well send them away.

After this incident, the news spread, and more students flocked to tourist attractions across the country, hoping to catch a glimpse of Li Bai.

Li Bai, who had sent people to inquire about the situation, was in a terrible mood. Fortunately, he had sent people to investigate beforehand, otherwise he would have definitely run into dozens or even hundreds of examinees today.

Just thinking about Li Bai makes my scalp tingle.

"I'm sorry everyone, I'm afraid we won't be able to go out and have fun for the next few days."

Li Bai spread his hands and smiled bitterly.

Gao Shi and the others smiled slightly, not caring about it.

Li Bai's residence was also quite large, with gardens, ponds, bamboo groves, and much more.

The point isn't where you are, but who you're with.

The group was at Li Bai's residence, and they didn't feel bored at all.

Their relationship grew closer after they started interacting regularly.

Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites' examiners were busy grading the papers, scoring and selecting each one.

When someone finished the exam and picked up their paper, they found that there was no name on it, and the handwriting was exactly the same as the papers before and after it. It was all copied by special people sent by the court, so they had no way to identify whose paper it was by the handwriting.

"The measures of anonymizing names and copying texts did indeed make the imperial examinations much fairer."

"In the past, there were always some high-ranking officials and nobles who wanted to bribe us to ask us to be lenient with their family members and disciples."

"Because of the other party's status and position, we are sometimes forced to do things against our will."

"Otherwise, we may face retaliation."

"Now, even if we wanted to, we couldn't do it."

"Then you can stand tall and grade papers fairly."

One of the examiners spoke with a hint of delight, yet still retained the integrity of a scholar.

Some examiners agreed, while others looked indignant.

As examiners for the Ministry of Rites, they usually received low salaries and lived in poverty, relying on the income from the imperial examinations to supplement their income. Now, even that path has been blocked.

"Focus on reviewing the papers; His Majesty and the officials are waiting."

The examiner scolded.

The examination hall fell silent again, with only the rustling of pages turning.

Suddenly, one of the examiners exclaimed, "Brilliant!"

All the examiners turned to look at the source of the sound, but the examiner remained engrossed in the exam paper in his hands.

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"

"Lord Zhai, have you encountered an excellent examination paper?"

"I asked the examiner."

Everyone else's attention was also drawn to it, because there was a scroll in there belonging to Li Bai, the disciple of the Prince of Yan.

The examiner surnamed Zhai then snapped out of his reverie and quickly handed the paper to the chief examiner.

"My lord, please take a look. The policy essays in this volume are extremely well written and brilliant. Every word is precious and insightful."

The examiner took the paper and quickly scanned it.

The previous sections were a perfect recitation of the classic works, word for word.

The central section provides insightful and penetrating commentary on the various classic texts.

The final strategy was full of brilliant insights.

Many of his insights surpass those of others.

The examiner had a hunch that this was probably the other person's paper.

"Lord Zhai, let's score according to the rules, and then everyone can score individually."

After handing the exam paper back, the examiner said.

"Yes, sir."

The examiner took back the papers and began grading them.

Once the marking was complete, the examiners placed the papers in order of ranking, and sure enough, the paper that had been selected was at the top of the list.

"I will send the examination paper to His Majesty immediately."

After the examiner finished speaking, he led two men to deliver the papers to Li Longji's desk.

Li Longji was forced to return from the warmth of the harem, looking with a headache at the stack of scrolls in front of him that was several people high.

Fortunately, he only needed to look at the top-ranked papers; he could just randomly pick a few from the rest to make sure there were no problems.

He first picked up the first one, the one that was unanimously considered the best by all the examiners, and started looking at it.

Li Longji glanced at the preceding classic texts and annotations, then paid no further attention.

He mainly looked at the policy essays at the end, which stated that the equal-field system was gradually being relaxed, powerful families were seizing farmland from the people, and the rent, labor service and tax were not being paid in full. He asked how to limit the amount of land, provide relief to displaced people, and encourage agriculture and sericulture.

The population was not yet numerous, customs were still extravagant, households lacked proper storage, and public funds were scarce. Consequently, the availability of currency was far less than in previous dynasties. The text then clearly outlines the merits and demerits of government policies and strategies for long-term stability.

Border defense and people's livelihood are difficult to balance. The militia is exhausted and the number of annexations is increasing. How can we balance agriculture and military affairs to consolidate the foundation of the Tang Dynasty?

And finally, the six major crimes of Li Linfu.

Li Longji was somewhat tired while in the inner palace, and initially watched the show in a semi-reclining position.

After reading the first policy essay, he sat down.

After reading the second policy essay, he began to sit up straight.

After reading the third policy essay, he stood up straight.

After reading the fourth policy essay, Li Longji was drenched in sweat.

He put down the exam paper, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

The audacity of this exam paper clearly indicates whose paper it is.

He walked to the window and paced back and forth in the palace, his mind filled with Li Bai's scrolls.

"Your Majesty, it's time for your meal."

It wasn't until the eunuch entered that Li Longji realized that several hours had passed and it was already dark.

After finishing his meal, Li Longji returned to his room, put Li Bai's scroll aside, and began reading the second scroll.

After reading the papers that many examiners considered acceptable, he pulled out a few more from the back of the paper, which were clearly inferior to the ones in front.

Li Longji nodded, understanding the situation.

He turned to the right to look at Li Bai's paper, and the complex look in his eyes gradually turned into a hint of fear.

Li Bai was indeed extremely talented and also had a prestigious status.

If Li Bai were to enter the court, I fear no one could control him.

This was somewhat difficult for Li Longji to accept.

He could accept Li Linfu as prime minister because Li Linfu was incompetent, easy to control, and not a threat.

However, Li Bai was different; given his status and position, he would be difficult to control.

This will be a true prime minister.

But can he remove Li Bai from office?

The answer is obvious: no!

He couldn't even be ranked second; he had to be the top scholar.

The more this happened, the more heartbroken Li Longji became.