Chapter 83: The Palace Examination

Chapter 83: The Palace Examination

Not long after the results of the metropolitan examination were announced, it was time for the palace examination.

Before dawn, those who had made the list in the metropolitan examination were waiting at the palace gate. They would enter one by one according to their rankings on the apricot board at an auspicious hour.

Fu Jiaze, as the top scholar, was first in line. Having been inside the palace before and with his own analysis of Emperor Chengde, he had made some plans, appearing more confident than the others.

When the auspicious hour arrived, they entered the grand hall, where Fu Jiaze saw his uncle.

The uncle and nephew exchanged calm glances, as if they were strangers.

"Your Majesty, the time has come," Fu Bin reminded Emperor Chengde.

"Hmm." Emperor Chengde acknowledged, intending to speak directly but suddenly remembered what He Lanting had mentioned about Fu Jiaze two nights ago. He could not help but ask, "Where is Fu Jiaze from Feng City?"

Fu Jiaze stepped forward. "This student, Fu Jiaze, greets His Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years."

"Raise your head."

Emperor Chengde recalled He Lanting saying that Fu Jiaze resembled Yan Ji, and now he wanted to see what Yan Ji looked like as an adult.

Fu Jiaze wore a black hat, the brim of which slightly lifted the corners of his eyes, making his features appear more slender.

A child's eyes are round and lively, and with the deer-like eyes He Lanting had given him, they appeared even more innocent, creating a stark contrast.

Emperor Chengde felt a moment of disappointment and shook his head. "Never mind, return to your place."

Emperor Chengde thought that perhaps He Lanting's longing for the child had led her to transfer her feelings. As long as Fu Jiaze performed well today, he would be named the top scholar.

"Yes."

If it were anyone else, seeing Emperor Chengde's reaction would have affected their mindset. Fu Bin was genuinely worried about his nephew.

However, Fu Jiaze was different. His attire today was deliberate.

Fu Bin's position had been shaken by Chen Pan, but he still had his own influence, so he easily learned what He Lanting had said to the emperor and passed this information to Fu Jiaze.

The emperor, Concubine Chen, Yan Ji...

Fu Jiaze sat in the dimness for a long time, speaking to Lin Yingxue. "You have seen Yan Ji; describe his appearance in detail."

Lin Yingxue naturally spoke without reservation.

As Lin Yingxue described Yan Ji's appearance, Fu Jiaze drew a portrait.

Looking at the portrait of Yan Ji, Fu Jiaze decided to use his wife's cosmetics to make himself look even less like Yan Ji.

Today, Fu Jiaze deliberately made his eyebrows arch higher and used a tinted rouge on his lips, making them thinner and slightly downturned, thus increasing the difference from Yan Ji.

Emperor Chengde was deeply infatuated with Concubine Chen. How would he react to such a starkly different appearance? He would surely think that Concubine Chen was missing her beloved son.

As long as his essay did not offend the emperor too much, he would receive a good ranking.

"Gentlemen, you are all pillars of my empire. Today, I hope each of you will demonstrate your talents and express your thoughts freely," Emperor Chengde said.

But the students present knew this was just empty words. Even Pei Jin had warned Fu Jiaze that to rank high in the palace examination, one should align their answers with Emperor Chengde's preferences.

What were Emperor Chengde's preferences?

Fu Jiaze believed that no one in the room understood the emperor better than he did. He could easily guess the emperor's intentions.

Despite not having accomplished much since ascending the throne, Emperor Chengde believed in divine right and considered himself a chosen son of heaven, whose decisions were wise and heroic, and all subjects should submit to him.

Emperor Chengde favored essays with ornate language and grandiose parallel sentences.

He preferred old customs and disliked reformist rhetoric. Using more sayings of sages and ancient phrases could catch the emperor's eye.

However, today, Fu Jiaze did not intend to fully adhere to Emperor Chengde's preferences. He planned to write what he truly believed.

The topic for today was the promotion of agriculture and suppression of commerce.

Fu Jiaze immediately thought of the correct way to win the emperor's favor. In the Great Qi dynasty, the management of household registers had become more relaxed, allowing people to change their occupations. To promote agriculture and suppress commerce, the best method would be to revert to the old system, dividing the population into different classes, such as farmers dedicated to agriculture and craftsmen to their crafts, ensuring everyone stayed in their designated roles.

This return to the old system had another benefit: it would directly limit the rights of merchants, depriving them of the privilege to wear fine silks and preventing their descendants from taking the imperial examinations, effectively suppressing commerce.

Fu Jiaze was confident that writing this way would scratch the emperor's itch, making him remember Fu Jiaze and entrust him with important tasks. Even some of the old scholars in the six ministries would likely view him differently.

But Fu Jiaze was unwilling. Merchants were not inherently evil, and while promoting agriculture was acceptable, suppressing commerce should mean limiting it.

Moreover, reverting to the old system would rob people of hope. Those in military households would face generations of war and separation, while those in artisan households, despite any talent for learning, would be confined to their crafts.

The development of Great Qi should move forward. Old systems were discarded for a reason and should not be resurrected.

After thinking for a while, Fu Jiaze began to write. This topic was something he had considered before. If he were a local governor, how would he manage agriculture and the economy?

Inspiration flowed, and his pen moved gracefully, producing eloquent prose and insightful quotes.

Fu Jiaze first emphasized that agriculture was the foundation of the nation, advocating for reduced taxes on farmers and more free education to help them read and write.

Next, he discussed methods to limit commerce, suggesting that merchants be taxed based on their number of employees, with lower tax rates for those hiring more people.

By the time Fu Jiaze finished his essay, it was time for everyone to submit their work.

Emperor Chengde picked up Fu Jiaze's essay immediately.

Upon reading the essay, Emperor Chengde's eyes twitched. He had intended to name Fu Jiaze the top scholar without hesitation, but now, seeing the content, he hesitated.

Was Fu Jiaze's handwriting good? Indeed, it was excellent, with a clear and elegant style that maintained its grace.

Does Fu Jiaze have literary talent? Of course he does; his writing is brilliant, and even Emperor Chengde, who has limited learning, can see that this is fine prose.

Does Fu Jiaze use classical allusions in his writing? Of course he does; the sayings of sages interweave with his own eloquence, making the text flow smoothly when read aloud.

Is Fu Jiaze's writing centered on promoting agriculture and restraining commerce? Of course it is; the entire piece is filled with practical measures, not empty praise, but concrete proposals.

However, from Emperor Chengde's perspective, Fu Jiaze's core measures seem naively idealistic.

The first step in promoting agriculture is to increase grain production, but how easy is that?

Want to reduce taxes for farmers? Great Qi is simply too vast, and every year there are either droughts or floods. The taxes from farmers are the easiest to collect, and without them, where would the funds for disaster relief come from?

Then there are the measures to restrain merchants, which Emperor Chengde does not consider as restrictive. It merely draws a line, forbidding merchants from engaging in certain activities, while actually broadening the range of goods they can sell.

He stared at the essay, wanting to dismiss it as utter nonsense! He even considered breaking protocol and disqualifying Fu Jiaze outright.

But then he thought of He Lanting, and Emperor Chengde could not help but sigh with tenderness.

His Ting'er truly misses the young Yan Ji, and she can sense a resemblance between Fu Jiaze and Yan Ji, despite their lack of similarity. What reason did he have to be overly harsh on Fu Jiaze?

He gave Fu Jiaze a ranking, not for Fu Jiaze himself, but for his pitiful child.

Thinking this way, Emperor Chengde felt that giving Fu Jiaze the top rank was no issue.

After the other rankings were also determined, Emperor Chengde handed the list to Fu Bin, who had been waiting, signaling him to announce the names.

Fu Bin bowed deeply, opened the slip of paper, and his eyes welled up with tears. His nephew, who had failed so many times, had finally made it to the capital city and achieved a remarkable success.

He stepped forward and used the loudest voice of his life to proclaim:

"First place, Fu Jiaze!"