After Su Xian made the decision to "hold the literary test tomorrow".
While it was still early, he entered the imperial city again.
When I arrived at Princess Lanling's mansion, I had a private chat with Lanling for a long time. I didn't leave until the sky turned dark.
The news of the advancement of the literary examination spread to both inside and outside the imperial city as quickly as possible. The queen, the prince, the literary talents, and the melon-eating people in the city all learned about it at almost the same time.
The Queen felt quite strange about this. She had just sent someone to tell Su Xian today not to be afraid of trouble and try to perfect the "Lake Name Method". It was okay to delay for some time.
As a result...Su Xian announced in the afternoon that the literary test would be advanced.
Could it be that there is a blind person secretly coercing Su Aiqing?
The Queen's heart sank, and she hurriedly sent someone to inquire. The results of the inquiry showed that Su Xian made this decision himself, and no one was secretly coercing him.
The queen was relieved.
Then she began to look forward to it——
The martial arts test a few days ago failed to select one. From the perspective of recruiting a son-in-law, the martial arts test was undoubtedly a failure. I hope that the literary test tomorrow will be a great success...
East Palace.
After hearing the news, the prince, princess, Qian Zhongshu and others were startled at first, and then looked ecstatic.
Regardless of the reason, Su Xian moved the literary test earlier and stopped delaying it. In their eyes, it was their "success"!
Qian Zhongshu's persistence these days was not in vain, and he went to the palace every day to pay homage to the Queen.
…
finally.
Time comes the next day.
The literary test was held as scheduled.
In the morning, more than a thousand literary talents gathered in a wide square in the imperial city and conducted scriptures, oral examinations, arithmetic and other subjects in sequence.
These subjects were relatively routine in the imperial examinations, and the intellectuals were well versed in this, so only a few hundred were screened.
In the afternoon, it’s the highlight of this literary test—strategy discussion!
The location is still the large square in the imperial city.
The Queen, together with the shy Princess Lanling, as well as the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, gathered on the tower to supervise the exam and wait for the final result.
In a blink of an eye, the policy discussion was over.
Su Xian also took the final test.
The result of the final test was...no one passed!
Thousands of talented people, all failed!
In other words -
Su Xian spent more than half a month launching a nationwide "draft", and went through martial arts and literary tests, consuming countless manpower and material resources, but in the end... no one was selected!
Princess Lanling's recruitment of a son-in-law attracted great attention from the Queen and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. Everyone let Su Xian do it, but ended up feeling lonely?
There was an eerie silence.
In such a huge imperial city, I couldn't hear a single sound.
Things are getting serious.
The Queen might be furious.
…
But soon, this terrible situation was broken.
Because Su Xian made arrangements in advance to let the officials from the Sixth Department of Shangshu, the Criminal and Prison Department, the Zhongshu Province, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Henan Prefectural Government and other yamen to serve as reviewers.
In the past imperial examinations, none of the great scholars employed were used!
The result of this operation was that, as if they had discovered a treasure, the superiors of each yamen crowded in front of the Queen holding the examination papers to plead for Su Xian.
The scene was once very spectacular.
After the Queen asked, she realized that these literary talents were all rare talents!
The policies and theories they wrote in the examination papers can actually solve the practical problems of various major yamen!
This is incredible.
No wonder the superior officials from all major government offices interceded for Su Xian one after another.
There were some thorny problems that gave even the Queen a headache. Unexpectedly, these talented people could come up with solutions.
Although those plans are not very complete, they can be used directly with slight modifications.
The Queen was overjoyed and laughed heartily. The gloom just now was swept away, and she praised Su Xian for selecting a large number of outstanding talents for the court!
Talent!
It was what the Liang court was eager for.
Especially after the Queen ascends the throne.
When the Queen came to the throne, she suppressed the aristocratic families in all aspects. Suppressing the aristocratic families was a good thing for the entire court and the world.
However, this is a method of "destroying the enemy by one thousand and injuring yourself by eight hundred".
The aristocratic family suppressed them, and most of the available talents in the court were removed.
There can be no one in the DPRK!
This is why the Queen attaches great importance to the imperial examination. However, the imperial examination system has serious shortcomings and cannot select outstanding talents at all.
The Queen is often worried about this...
Now, Su Xian not only contributed the "Lake Name Method", but also took advantage of the situation to select a large number of available talents for the court!
In one fell swoop, the two major ailments weighing heavily on the Queen's heart were relieved.
good!
Very good!
For a time, the entire city tower was filled with laughter and laughter.
The Queen was laughing; the Shangguan officials from each major government office each had a copy of the test paper, and they were commenting among themselves, twirling their beards and nodding from time to time; Yan Dashan and other generals were also laughing. This scene reminded them of the martial arts test a few days ago, and they also Many high-quality talents were obtained through the martial arts examination.
It was a joy.
The king and his ministers are happy together.
Su Xian looked around at the smiling queen and ministers, feeling quite emotional in his heart.
Yes, the main purpose of tinkering with the martial arts and literary examinations was not only to delay time and come up with a perfect strategy, but also to select talents for the imperial court.
It seems that everyone is very satisfied.
Su Xian also became happy...
suddenly.
Just when everyone was very happy,
An extremely discordant voice sounded from the tower out of thin air:
"But Your Majesty, the matter of finding a son-in-law for the princess..."
That's Qian Zhongshu's voice!
Qian Zhongshu only said half of what he said, but everyone present knew what the other half contained.
This half-sentence was like a hailstorm, or like a heavy snowstorm with a biting cold wind. Under the hood, the Queen, Lan Ling, the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, etc. felt a chill in their hearts.
The smile froze for an instant, and then slowly disappeared.
Yes!
After working hard for so long, Lanling still hasn't found a consort!
Everyone was so happy just now that they forgot that this was business.
Lan Ling's face immediately sank. She thought she could get over this lake while everyone was happy, but now it seems that this is not possible.
She hated Qian Zhongshu, the prince, the princess and others...
The smile on the corner of the queen's mouth disappeared completely. Although her face was not cold, it was not very good-looking either. She was still quite depressed because Lanling failed to recruit a son-in-law.
The civil and military ministers all shut their mouths and exchanged glances secretly. They all secretly guessed in their hearts how the Queen would handle this matter. What will be your attitude towards Su Xian?
When the prince saw this scene, he felt happy and resolutely stepped forward as Lanling's brother and said to the queen:
"Your Majesty, it is a serious crime that the Taiwei failed to recruit a son-in-law. However, for the sake of selecting talents for the country, I dare not say anything more. It is just about the marriage of my young wife..."
Before the Queen spoke, Lan Ling on the other side couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, does not need to worry about my marriage."
The prince glanced sideways at Lan Ling, his eyes filled with the eldest brother's responsibility and responsibility, and said righteously: "Young mother, I am your elder brother. Since ancient times, an elder brother is like a father, so I cannot help but care about your marriage!"
Lan Ling curled his lips, feeling speechless and disgusted.
She had already discovered that there was a fierce light hidden under the prince's "brother-like responsibility and responsibility" eyes. This brother wanted to kill her. He insisted on "worrying" about her marriage, which was tantamount to a weasel giving a rooster a New Year's greeting!
But even so, Lan
On the surface, Ling was very gentle. Yingying bowed and said, "Thank you, brother."
"Um."
The prince nodded proudly. He found that the identity of "brother" was really useful. Even if it could not cause substantial harm to Lan Ling, it could at least overwhelm him.
This feeling is quite wonderful!
While the prince was secretly happy, he faced the queen again and said, "I think it is time to choose a son-in-law for my mother again. I am not talented, but I am your mother's brother. I am willing to take on this important responsibility!"
When Lan Ling heard this, her beautiful eyebrows immediately condensed. If the prince really chooses her son-in-law, needless to say, the consequences will be very serious!
The civil and military ministers looked at each other and whispered to each other. Some were looking forward to it while others were worried.
Su Xian stood aside and winked wildly at Lan Ling... He dared to hold the literary test today and deliberately chose not to choose one. Naturally, he had the confidence.
Yesterday afternoon, he entered the princess's mansion again and had a long private conversation with Lan Ling.
The content of the secret agent is exactly the "perfect strategy" that he has been thinking about for a long time!
The two agreed that after today's essay test, Lan Ling would take the initiative to propose the complete strategy, and then Su Xian would find a way to convince the queen...
But now, the prince was trying too hard and wanted to choose a son-in-law for Lan Ling himself, but Lan Ling was still dilly-dallying.
Hurry up and come up with the perfect solution!
Su Xian was anxious for her.
I even almost crossed Lanling and came up with the perfect plan myself...
Lan Ling naturally noticed Su Xian's eyes, but she still had a calm expression on her face. She looked at Su Xian from a distance, as if to say, "Don't be in a hurry, speak slowly first."
However, when Lan Ling turned around, he saw that the Queen's expression seemed... quite emotional?
not good!
Did the Queen agree with the Prince's remarks?
Do you want to leave the burden of "selecting a son-in-law" to the prince?
In an instant, the luck and uncertainty in Lanling's heart disappeared completely.
The Queen must not be allowed to nod in agreement!
After all, the Queen is a noble person. There is a saying that "a gentleman's words are hard to follow" and "a gentleman has no joke." Once the Queen agrees, it is an established fact!
Flustered, Lan Ling could no longer care. He turned to face the Queen and loudly said:
"Your Majesty, I have my own ideas regarding my marriage, and I hope your Majesty will make it happen!"
The queen was about to agree to the prince's request. After hearing this, she turned to look at Lan Ling with a hint of kindness on her face: "My dear, tell me, I will give you whatever you want."
"My son, I thank your Majesty."
Lan Ling took a breath and finally managed to attract the Queen's attention before she promised the prince.
She composed herself, looked solemn, and said loudly to the Queen in front of the Queen, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and all the civil and military officials:
"Your Majesty, I have recently become interested in Taoism and have been studying it for a long time. My idea is... not to get married, to become a nun and become a nun, and to practice on my behalf!"
"..."
As soon as these words came out, it was shocking.
There was an eerie silence on the tower at first.
An uproar ensued.
The ministers discussed it heatedly, some sighed, some were happy, some were sad, and so on.
Su Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Lan Ling finally expressed his "needs" before the queen promised the prince. The next step was to find a way to deal with the queen.
The prince, princess, Qian Zhongshu and others were dumbfounded on the spot, dumbfounded, what? To become a nun? Practicing on behalf of others? Lan Ling's "random punch" plan caught them off guard, causing them to stagger...
The Queen looked stunned at first, then frowned, stood up, walked to Lan Ling, and advised with serious words:
"Young lady, how can you have the idea of becoming a monk? No, I don't agree. You are my daughter. You
She is a princess from the Liang Dynasty. How can a princess become a monk? "
The prince suddenly woke up and intervened as Lanling's brother:
"Yes, my dear, you are a beautiful princess. You should be matched with the best husband in the world and become a monk... If you tell me, it will bring shame on my royal family!"
The Queen took Lan Ling's hand and said again:
"Young lady, please think about it carefully. I know that you have been working too hard these days and it is inevitable that you will have random thoughts. This matter is not urgent. We will make a decision later."
Lan Ling ignored the prince and held the queen's hand with his backhand, his eyes very firm and said:
"Your Majesty, this is not an impromptu decision. This is actually the result of careful consideration. I have decided to become a monk, and I hope your Majesty will make it happen!"
"Young lady, you..."
The Queen naturally did not want Lanling to become a monk.
So I was discouraged in every possible way.
For his own purposes, the prince also blocked it as his elder brother.
However, Lan Ling was determined and would not let go. No matter what methods the Queen and the Prince used, she had only one sentence: "My son has decided to become a monk. Please grant it to Your Majesty!"
There was a moment of stalemate.
…
Su Xian thought that the time was ripe, so he winked at the superior officials of the Sixth Department of Shangshu, the Department of Criminal and Prison Affairs, the Henan Prefectural Government, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
These people are all smart people, and they understood Su Xian's meaning instantly. In addition, they had just received a large number of talents thanks to Su Xian, and they all accepted this feeling.
Furthermore, the six ministers were originally Lan Ling's subordinates and naturally supported all Lan Ling's decisions.
There are also Shaosikou, Tang Ju, etc., who all have a close relationship with Su Xian. Even if there is no talent matter, they will fully support Su Xian.
As a result, about two-thirds of the civil servants in the dynasty stood by Lanling's side, begging the queen to be kind and grant Lanling's request to become a nun.
Faced with this situation, although the Queen was reluctant to let Lan Ling become a monk, she had to consider it carefully...
Seeing the queen's hesitation, Su Xian winked at Yan Dashan and other generals from the Longwu Army, Shence Army, Yulin Army, Jinwu Guard, Qianniu Guard, and Prison Guard.
Yan Dashan and other generals also understood immediately. They all accepted Su Xian's love and received a large number of talents. How could they not reciprocate the favor?
As a result, about two-thirds of the military attachés in the court also interceded for Lan Ling, begging the Queen to be extra kind and allow Lan Ling to become a nun.
Just as the Queen was hesitating, suddenly, the prince's family also changed their tune and expressed support for Lan Ling's becoming a monk.
It turned out that the prince's family gradually realized that after Lanling became a monk, he would definitely live in a Taoist temple and practice spiritually. How was this different from getting married?
Anyway, it is impossible for Lan Ling to hold the position of "Shang Shu Ling" at the same time anymore...
Seeing this, the Queen thought deeply and finally nodded in agreement: "In that case, I will...accept the request of the young lady."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lan Ling let out a long sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty is wise!" All the ministers complimented in unison.
Deep down in her heart, the Queen did not want Lan Ling to become a monk after all. She held Lan Ling's hands and said with concern: "But my dear, you are still young. Can you bear that kind of hardship?"
Lan Ling bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Since becoming a monk is my own decision, I will not regret it."
"Hey." The queen looked complicated, and finally said: "It's hard for you."
