Chapter 286: Chapter 286

"Wait, Zihou said that the person just now was really His Majesty?"

"So Zihou, you knew from the very beginning..."

Perhaps because of the shock, it wasn't until half a month later at the palace examination, when he saw that familiar yet slightly unfamiliar face at the front row, that Su Zizhan finally fully registered it.

Brother Zi'an really was His Majesty?

A man with the aura of an immortal and a carefree, unfettered famous scholar—he clearly wore a hint of a smile, yet there was an inexplicable gravity about him far beyond ordinary men: truly the reigning emperor.

Su Zizhan lingered on that brief impression of how much a person's bearing could change in such a short time, then, being naturally lighthearted, he quickly snapped back to his senses and resumed sweeping ink across the paper before him.

Contrary to many people's expectations, this palace examination's topic had indeed been personally selected by An Ning the emperor, but the content was not what people had earlier guessed—nothing about economics, land, or taxes.

Instead, it was a broad essay on official administration.

Mentioning that, people couldn't help but recall the petition submitted to court before His Majesty took the throne: some ministers had proposed building a dam to block the Beiliu River and divert the Yellow River into the Liuta River—an artificial rerouting meant to split the flow and thereby mitigate future flood damage.

It was said that the old emperor had initially been very inclined toward this plan, but Princess Zi'an, newly entered into court, had opposed it vehemently.

By every measure and data point, it was straight-up impossible for the Liuta River branch to accommodate the Yellow River's volume; if implemented, the Liuta branch would breach its banks within days.

When that happened, a huge portion of Hebei Road would be swept away—at least millions would suffer the disaster.

They said the current His Majesty had written a memorial of tens of thousands of characters; the documentation was so detailed and the data so precise that even the long-serving ministers could not find a single fault, and only then did the old emperor abandon the idea.

Because the memorial's content was so exhaustive, many officials in the court had quietly copied it into their records for their students to study.

Thinking of this emperor's great achievements, everyone became that much more careful when putting pen to paper.

Several hours later, An Ning had collected about a dozen outstanding answer sheets selected by the examiners.

Seeing the familiar name Zhang Heng on the first page, An Ning felt a small pang of regret.

Such meticulous logical thinking—what a mind for both the sciences and the humanities! No, rather, a top-tier talent evenly balanced in both fields.

Economics, water control, even the upcoming road construction—after glancing at the paper for ten seconds, An Ning had already imagined countless "paths" for this top scholar brother.

Make sure he can continue to shine.

By the way, didn't I see someone named Shen Kuo in a list of county officials a few days ago?

Hmm... looks like I'll have to fish him out when there's time.

Zhang Zai—his classical texts were truly excellent. To pull so much back despite a weaker policy essay was impressive.

The reputed educator, academic, and persuasive mentor—no, educator—seemed quite adept.

And that Zhang Dun I'd seen earlier—one must admit, in practical affairs, and especially in raising descendants, that family really has something...

Or their genes must be something special?

He just had a somewhat aggressive style, not as steady as my nephew. His advantage was daring ideas and daring action—willing to accept novelty.

As for the others, each had their strengths...

With a slight nod, An Ning watched the closing of the Jiayou second year imperial exams...

After the names were called in the Golden Hall and the ceremonial parading through the streets, the festivities ended and the appointment stage quickly began.

Unlike previous practice of assigning successful scholars, especially the top-ranked, to posts across the provinces, this time the top five in the first division were personally designated by An Ning the emperor.

The top three of the first division were even admitted directly into the Hanlin Academy to work closely with His Majesty in the future—everyone could see the intention to personally cultivate them.

Besides that, departments that lacked personnel could have the heads set examinations and hold assessments a month later, at which point outstanding candidates could be selected.

The remaining candidates sent to various prefectures as supervisory and deputy officials...

Although they still had to pass further tests after the examinations, who wouldn't want the chance to remain in the capital?

Thinking of that, the exhausted students who had just finished a round of work quickly dove back into their studies.

On the other side, after many busy days, An Ning happily gave herself a mental pat on the back for successfully recruiting several high-level secretaries.

As for working later alongside her own nephew, with that nephew placed just a notch higher, she had no idea what certain brothers might be feeling at this moment.

But it was strange that this Zhang brother had not been ashamed of being ranked below his nephew—he hadn't refused the edict, nor had he discarded the appointment and chosen to re-enter the exams. That was odd...

She couldn't help but feel somewhat curious!