Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 733: Chapter 359: Those Who Believe Will Believe_4

Everyone thought that the emperor held the imperial examination just to deal with the aristocratic families. In reality, it was not merely so; the most important aim was to select talents for the court.

Given the emperor’s emphasis on the imperial examination, future court officials will have to pass the examination. The emperor is wary of the aristocratic families and will definitely favor ministers from humble backgrounds. Before these scholars from humble backgrounds pass the exam, he will associate with them and help them. When they excel later and take office in the court, they will surely support him.

Moreover, the empress is right. He is responsible for the imperial examination in Jinling, and for the scholars from humble backgrounds in Jinling, he can be regarded as their mentor. Regardless of whether they support him in the future, they will harbor some gratitude towards him.

"Your Highness, do you not plan to preside over next year’s provincial examination?" Song Qingyun asked. "Compared to this year’s three exams, next year’s provincial examination is the most important."

"I understand. I will strive to preside over next year’s provincial examination," said Prince Jing. He certainly did not want to miss next year’s provincial examination, and if possible, he would also like to be in charge of next year’s metropolitan examination. However, due to his lack of seniority, the emperor would definitely not agree for him to preside over the metropolitan examination. But he could still strive for next year’s provincial examination in Jiangnan, provided, of course, that he successfully holds this year’s three imperial examinations.

"Your Highness, about Prince Wei...?" Song Qingyun did not finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. "Prince Wei is seriously injured in Peng City; it is the perfect opportunity to act. If we miss this chance, it will be hard to find such a good opportunity to eliminate him in the future."

"Prince Wei?" Prince Jing sneered, "What is he worth?"

"Your Highness, Prince Wei is the Crown Prince’s trusted aide."

"Trusted aide? You really overestimate him," Prince Jing said disdainfully, "He is merely a dog by the Crown Prince’s side. We don’t need to deal with him; the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen will make him the scapegoat."

Song Qingyun thought about it and agreed.

"You should deal with Li Jue and the others," Prince Jing threw the chess piece into the box, stood up, and looked down at Song Qingyun, "You’ve been lenient with them, but they may not appreciate it. If you continue to be soft-hearted, you could end up dead."

"I will remember your words, Your Highness," Song Qingyun stood up, took a few steps back, then saluted Prince Jing, "Rest assured, Your Highness, I will not be lenient again."

Prince Jing squinted at Song Qingyun and said indifferently, "You’d better mean what you say."

Song Qingyun felt a tightness in his chest and his face grew solemn, "I will certainly do as promised."

Prince Jing gave Song Qingyun a deep glance, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

At the door, Meng Gang, who was guarding the entrance, hurriedly held an umbrella for Prince Jing.

"To the Imperial Examination Hall." The place hosting the imperial examination was called the Imperial Examination Hall. The county exam had ended, but the chief examiners were still reviewing the exam papers there.

A carriage was already waiting at the entrance of the Song Family. Prince Jing boarded the carriage and asked Meng Gang, "How is the situation at the Imperial Examination Hall?"

"Everything is normal," Meng Gang replied respectfully, "The Imperial Examination Hall is heavily guarded, and no one dares to cause trouble in or near it."

Prince Jing nodded slightly and then rested against the carriage.

A moment later, Prince Jing’s carriage arrived at the Imperial Examination Hall.

The Hall was brightly lit but very quiet.

The soldiers at the gate saw Prince Jing approach and saluted respectfully.

Prince Jing noticed the soldiers were drenched and instructed Meng Gang to prepare ginger soup. Although this period had been hot in Jinling, the rain over the past couple of days had cooled the nights down. If drenched, it was easy to catch a cold.

The soldiers quickly saluted and expressed their gratitude.

As Prince Jing entered the Examination Hall, he heard loud arguments coming from within. His heart sank slightly, and he hurried over.

The examiners were arguing about which essay was the better one.

They informed Prince Jing that most of the scholars who participated in the county exam were extremely talented and their essays were outstanding, which impressed them greatly.

Prince Jing casually picked up an exam paper and found that indeed the essay was very well written.

Jiangnan truly was a land of outstanding talents.

Seeing Prince Jing had arrived, the examiners asked him how to rank the top three essays. They had been arguing intensely because they felt these three essays were equally excellent, not knowing who should be ranked first.

Since the names on the exam papers were obscured, Prince Jing did not know who these top three papers belonged to.

"Before I came to Jinling, my father specifically instructed me that the imperial examination was not just about writing good essays but also testing their ability to handle affairs." He said, then examined the top three papers more closely. He found that these three scholars, though their essays were excellent, lacked practical content.

"Gentlemen, take a look at their policies on local governance."

The chief examiners took the papers, reviewed the answers of the three scholars in detail, and found that indeed, their writings on this aspect were not very strong.

"Gentlemen, the purpose of my father’s imperial examinations is to select practical talents. Do you understand?"

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your guidance. We understand."

"Then take another careful look."

Prince Jing accompanied the chief examiners as they reviewed the papers for a while. Before leaving, he repeatedly reminded them not to engage in favoritism or fraud, for the consequences would be beyond what they could bear.

In a house somewhere in Jinling City, Zhao Yao looked at the severely injured Prince Wei and sighed pretentiously, "Brother Eight, even if you wanted to get hurt, there was no need to go to such extremes."

Prince Wei glared at Zhao Yao, too lazy to respond.

"Eighth Brother, your frail frame was already weak; now you’ve suffered such severe injuries, do you still want to recover?" There was no need for Brother Eight to hurt himself so badly for the sake of putting on an act. "Brother Eight, your current injuries almost rival that incident."