Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 153 Li Yi: Reject unspoken rules!

The official heard this, with the smile on his face unchanged, and spoke.

"The top scorers in the imperial examinations were all chosen by the king. Who would dare to cheat?"

"Madam, please go and invite Ms. Fu out!"

"The king is waiting to meet the top scholars. I dare not keep him waiting for too long!"

Just as they were talking, the door of the woodshed in the courtyard was pushed open, and Fu Shanxiang walked out with an expression of disbelief on her face and asked.

"I...I really got it?"

When the clerk saw the real boss coming, he forced a flattering smile on his face and said.

"To reply to Mr. Zhuangyuan, that is natural."

"You are the first in the female subject chosen by the king. You are the first female champion in the Tang Dynasty and the whole world!"

"There is a bright future ahead!"

When Fu Shanxiang's aunt heard this, her expression became very complicated.

However, she still forced a slightly forced smile and spoke.

"Shanxiang, please get ready quickly and then go with the official to see him."

"Don't keep the king waiting for too long!"

As she spoke, she took out a purse from her bosom with a look of pain on her face and began to give rewards to those who came to report the good news.

She really doesn't want to give this reward!
But thinking that her family might need help from this niece who was the top scorer in high school in the future, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and pay the reward money.

Upon hearing this, Fu Shanxiang immediately prepared to go back and change her clothes, but was stopped.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhuangyuan. We have brought here the clothes bestowed by the king..."

……

Soon, Fu Shanxiang was taken to the reception room of the palace, waiting to be received by Li Yi.

There were already several people queuing up ahead of her.

They are all the first place in the imperial examinations, that is, the top scholar.

Li Yi met with them one by one, and then personally assigned official positions to them, as a way of showing his importance to these people.

Soon, it was Fu Shanxiang's turn.

Fu Shanxiang walked towards the reception room. As she got closer, she could clearly feel her heart beating faster and faster in her chest.

Li Yi looked at the woman in front of him who was wearing the top scholar's court dress and had a dignified and beautiful face, and a hint of imperceptible surprise flashed in his eyes.

To be honest, when Li Yi saw the name Fu Shanxiang while marking the papers, he was a little bit unbelievable.

Only when he saw that Fu Shanxiang's hometown was Jiangning Prefecture did he dare to believe that this Fu Shanxiang was the Fu Shanxiang he knew.

Then, Li Yi couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

He didn't expect that he not only poached Chen Yucheng, Li Xiucheng, Luo Dagang, Chen Chengyong and others from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but also Fu Shanxiang, the top female scholar of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

However, Li Yi soon stopped feeling guilty.

It's so funny. We are all brother troops fighting against the Qing Dynasty. Can the things between brothers be called poaching?
At most, it's considered stealing my sister-in-law...

Ah, forget it, just pretend he didn’t say anything!

Let them poach my people, as long as I have no morals, no one can morally blackmail me.

Soon, the surprise in Li Yi's eyes when he looked at Fu Shanxiang faded, and then he spoke.

"Fu Shanxiang, right? Sit down!"

As a person in a superior position, the most basic requirement is to control your emotions and not show your emotions.

Li Yi can naturally do it as well.

After Fu Shanxiang sat down, Li Yi continued to ask.

"Mr. Fu, I'm very curious, why did you choose the third question in the imperial examination? Discuss the impact of industry, agriculture, and commerce on social development?"

"When I was marking the papers, most people answered the first question."

The first question of the policy essay section of this imperial examination was "Why will the Qing Dynasty be doomed to perish, and why will the Tang Dynasty be victorious in the end?"

To put it bluntly, this is an easy question.

As long as you flatter well enough and make your words meaningful instead of talking nonsense, the examiners will basically give you a thumbs-down.

In order to be safe, many people choose to answer the first question.

But Fu Shanxiang did the opposite and chose the third question, which made Li Yi a little puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Fu Shanxiang spoke frankly without hiding anything.

"In reply to your Majesty, the reason why I chose the third question is because when I entered the examination room, I found that there were almost no women taking the exam."

"I think as long as I answer the questions honestly, it shouldn't be a problem to be selected."

"But if you want to achieve a good result, you have to make it more difficult."

"So, I chose the third question!"

Li Yi suddenly understood after hearing this.

It turned out that Fu Shanxiang chose a more difficult question because she felt she had a sure pass in the imperial examination, hoping to get a good ranking.

It turns out that her choice was correct!

Amidst the endless stream of flattering articles, there suddenly appeared a clear and meaningful article, and naturally she would be the top candidate.

Li Yi nodded slightly.

"That's a good answer. I really like your words: agriculture is the foundation, industry is the priority, and commerce is the use."

“That sentence sums it up really well!”

“Agriculture is the foundation of all industries. Without agriculture, there will be no stability.”

“Industry is the most important of all industries, and without industry, there is no strength.”

“Business is the basis of all industries, and without business there is no wealth.”

"Your views coincide with mine, so I have chosen you as the top scorer in the women's category."

Upon hearing this, Fu Shanxiang stood up from the stool and bowed. "I thank the king for his great grace!"

Li Yi raised his hand and said.

"Get up, no need to be polite, this is what you deserve."

"The imperial examination is over, and I will be appointed as an official soon. I want to know what you think, Mr. Fu."

Upon hearing this, Fu Shanxiang continued.

"It's all at the king's command."

Li Yi pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"Well, I'll give you three choices, and you pick one."

"First, go to the Propaganda Department's cultural troupe and become its director."

"The court has just recruited a group of actors and is planning to have them compose and perform songs for public performances, and be responsible for publicity work."

"There are many women among these operas, so we need a female official to be responsible for the organization and management."

"If you are interested, the position of head of the art troupe will be yours. The official rank is seventh grade, the same level as the county magistrate."

"The second is the Medical Department under the General Staff Logistics Department."

"The Medical Department has just formed a nursing team composed of all female nurses to accompany the army to take care of the wounded. We need a female officer to manage it."

"The official title is also seventh grade."

"Third, it is my secretariat."

"The secretariat has just been established and is currently short of staff. If you want to come, I can make the decision to give you a third-class secretary position."

"The official rank is not high, only the ninth rank."

Upon hearing this, Fu Shanxiang said without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, I wish to join the Secretariat."

Although Li Yi seemed to have given her three choices, there was actually no need to hesitate.

The first two choices seem to have higher official titles, but one is in charge of actors and the other is in charge of nurses, so basically they have no future.

But what about the Secretariat?
Apart from anything else, one or two of them are enough to turn the others into ashes in seconds.

You know, there is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister?
What’s more, he is someone close to the king Li Yi?
Although his official title was the ninth rank, it was only the ninth rank in front of Li Yi.

After going out, she represented the great king Li Yi. Not to mention the seventh-rank county magistrate, even the fourth-rank prefect had to be polite to her.

If she stayed by Li Yi's side and was chosen by Li Yi and accepted into his family, she would be soaring to the sky...

No matter what, it’s better than speaking out loud!

Upon hearing this, Li Yi nodded slightly and agreed.

Then he said.

"Very good, retreat and go back to wait for the imperial decree."

Although Li Yi had feelings for Fu Shanxiang, joining the secretariat was not just a treatment for her.

Li Yi also extended invitations to the top scorers in several other subjects, and all of them agreed.

It’s just that he was most attentive to Fu Shanxiang.

As for the reason?
Of course it’s because she is talented and capable?
What else could it be?

Li Yi is a gentleman, he would never take advantage of his female subordinates!
Li Yi met with several top scorers of the first imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty and assigned positions to each of them.

Afterwards, he continued to prepare for the Northern Expedition.

There were many things to do in this Northern Expedition, and many of them needed to be decided by him personally, and he could not be careless.

……

The fifth day of the fourth month of the first year of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhaowu reign, outside Guangzhou city!
The scorching sun burned the earth and the heat waves rose.

But the air was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

Boom!dong dong!

The dull sound of war drums resounded throughout the city of Guangzhou.

Soon, there was a sound of footsteps.

Wearing steel helmets, neat military uniforms, and military boots with thousand-layer soles, the soldiers of the Restoration Army, carrying muskets, lined up in neat rows and slowly walked out of the city gate.

On the muzzle of the gun, the sharp bayonet reflected a creepy cold light under the sunlight.

The gray-black military uniforms made the Tang army soldiers look not only heroic, but also full of solemnity and awe.

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"

"Drive out the Tartars, restore China, equalize land rights, and bring peace to the world!"

"Northern Expedition! Northern Expedition! Swear to destroy the Qing demons! Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

The neat and loud slogans resounded throughout Guangzhou.

Large flags with Tang characters on them fluttered in the wind under the sunshine.

The sound of horse hooves rang out.

The Tang cavalry, carrying muskets and riding tall horses, walked out of the city gate of Guangzhou in rows of five.

When the people inside and outside Guangzhou saw this scene, they couldn't help but gather together to discuss it.

"The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are so majestic. They look so handsome in their military uniforms."

"Who said it wasn't true? Can you believe that my neighbor's little son actually joined the army just to wear a military uniform like this?"

"As expected, they are an elite force that can defeat the foreigners. They are incomparable to the Green Camp soldiers of the Qing Dynasty!"

"With this elite army, our Tang Dynasty will surely be able to drive out the Tartars and restore China!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Yi, wearing a neat military uniform and riding a tall horse, also drove out of Guangzhou surrounded by a group of guards.

Two infantry divisions, plus a guards brigade, an artillery regiment, a cavalry regiment, and the civilian laborers needed to accompany the army, totaling nearly 100,000 people, were known as the Northern Expedition Army of 200,000, and they marched northward in a mighty force.

Everyone can realize that the war is about to begin again!

(End of this chapter)