301 The Court Examinations Begins

Three days after Jiang Xi ascended the throne…

“Your Majesty, the Southern Nation has sent a thousand-hand Guanyin and a pair of deep sea night-luminescent pearls.”

“Your Majesty, the Chen Nation has sent over a Thousand Mountain Snow Lotus and two divine herbs that can heal the bones.”

“Your Majesty, the Yun Nation has sent over a statue made of Jade.”

During the morning court session, it was Jiang Xi’s first time attending court. The eunuch read the long list of congratulatory gifts from the side, which made the retired emperor cast sidelong glances at her. The retired emperor sat below Jiang Xi with a long face. Well, he was not angry. When he succeeded the throne, the surrounding countries had only sent him congratulatory letters or two. However, when Jiang Xi succeeded the throne… He was not angry or jealous at all!

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. This is a blessing for our country!”

“Today is the first time the empress is attending the morning court session. It just so happens to be the palace selection. Why don’t we let the empress set the topic today and choose the top three? ” Grand Tutor Xue said, the officials behind him echoing his words.

Jiang Xi raised her hand and agreed.

The examinees waiting outside the hall were overjoyed. They tidied up their clothes and strode into the hall in high spirits.

“Look, now that you’re the empress, these candidates are all dressed differently. In the past, I liked the calm and steady ones, so the candidates are all dressed like they’re old people. Now that you’re the empress…” It was Jiang Xi’s first time attending the court, and the retired emperor could not help but compare himself to Jiang Xi. He was so long-winded that he was like a chatterbox. As for those examinees, they were just as he had said. They were all dressed in white and had an imposing appearance. They were much more handsome than usual.

“These people are all eager to be my grandson’s stepfather.” The retired emperor saw through the little scheme in these examinees’ hearts with a single glance, his mouth was so fast that even the eunuch beside him could not stop him. The eunuch was almost in despair. The retired emperor was once known for being steady and quiet, but why was it that after he abdicated, it was as if he had been possessed by someone and was so talkative?

The retired emperor thought, ‘When I was the emperor, I didn’t dare to speak casually. Now that I’ve abdicated the throne, can I still not speak casually? Can’t I get by?’ Moreover, according to the way you guys are acting, if he did not say a few more words, he’ll probably be forgotten very soon! The retired emperor felt wronged in his heart. He had to go back to retire at such a young age, his heart was very painful.

Jiang Xi glanced at the candidates below. Sure enough, Jiang Si was among them and stood at the front.

“Your Majesty, there are a total of 31 candidates on the list this year. Among them, Jiang Si and Zhuang Heng are tied for first place.” The eunuch read out the script and Jiang Xi nodded slightly. The emperor was the one who set the questions for the court examination. Everyone had been trying to figure out the emperor’s thoughts for more than half a year, but in the end, the emperor had become the retired emperor. Now, the candidates were all dumbfounded. However, they thought that Jiang Xi, the new empress, was still young and should be easy to fool.

“May I ask the examinees, how do you view the current war? What should we do if the Northern Border attacks our country?” As soon as Jiang Xi finished speaking, Jiang Si stood up and said, “Your Majesty, our country is vast and has abundant resources. Our people are rich and powerful. Although the Your Majesty is young, Your Majesty is the chosen by heaven will definitely lead our country to defeat the Northern Border.

Jiang Si spoke eloquently for a while. The other examinees did not look too good. After that, a few more examinees came forward to answer the questions, but none of them were as brilliant as Jiang Si. After that, Jiang Xi asked a few more questions, which gave Jiang Si the limelight. All of the civil and military officials in the imperial court thought to themselves that it seemed like their empress was going to support her own family.

To his surprise, Jiang Xi’s tone changed the next second. “I wonder what the examinees think of the word ‘ethics’? Can you honestly say that you are not letting down the world, your parents, the people, and your brothers and sisters?”

Jiang Si’s face, which had been smiling, suddenly sank. His expression was frighteningly ugly.

The retired emperor glanced at Jiang Xi. In fact, among Jiang Xi’s acquaintances, Jiang Si was indeed a good seedling who could assist her. In addition, Jiang Si’s performance was not bad, so he could be promoted. Every emperor had to train his own men after he ascended to the throne. However, he did not expect Jiang Xi to ask such a question. Was this clearly telling everyone that she looked down on Jiang Si?

The candidates received the signal and came forward to answer one after another. Jiang Si was the only one who remained silent with a dark expression. What happened between him and Zhao Panpan was against ethics. If Zhao Panpan did not die, she would probably be drowned to death. The consequences of blood-related siblings getting together were very serious.