I embezzled 100,000 taels at the beginning, and the empress begged me to be more greedy

Two days ago, Jiang Zuo had already prepared accommodation for all the candidates coming for the palace examination.

These scholars who are about to become Jinshi are the future pillars of the imperial court.

Especially the Shen Ye in front of him, he is likely to be the top scorer in this imperial examination.

Jiang Zuo naturally made meticulous preparations to treat these talents.

"Mr. Shen, please come this way."

Jiang Zuo gestured with his hand.

After a while, the two came to a mansion.

"Mr. Shen, this is the residence prepared by the court for the candidates." Jiang Zuo introduced.

Shen Ye looked around and was stunned.

This huge mansion even has several rooms, any one of which is bigger than the house in his hometown.

"Will there be more candidates coming here next?" Shen Ye asked.

Jiang Zuo said: "This mansion is prepared just for you, Mr. Shen."

Shen Ye was quite surprised and said, "How can this be so embarrassing? This house is so big that it can accommodate many people. How can I and my servant occupy so many rooms?"

Jiang Zuo said: "Don't refuse. The court has already prepared accommodation for the other candidates. The court attaches great importance to this palace examination. Mr. Shen, you must do your best. I wish you success."

Shen Ye bowed again and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister Jiang."

Jiang Zuo waved his hand and said, "There are still fifteen days before the palace examination. Mr. Shen, please prepare here."

Shen Ye smiled and bowed again, "Thank you for troubling me, Lord Jiang. I am just a scholar, but I am very grateful for the courtesy from Prime Minister Jiang."

Jiang Zuo smiled and said, "Don't say that. After the palace examination, you and I will most likely be colleagues. By then, Master Shen will also become an official appointed by the court, and we will serve the court together."

Shen Ye leaned forward and said, "Of course, of course."

He was also looking forward to the palace examination in fifteen days.

As he spoke, Jiang Zuo brought Shen Ye to a study room and said, "This is the study room I specially prepared for you. There are books here for the content you need to review for the palace examination. Come here, this desk can let you write poems and paint to relieve your boredom."

There was a hint of surprise in Shen Ye's eyes. He looked around the study and couldn't help but stand there in a daze.

Since his family fell into poverty, he lived in poverty. Fortunately, with the help of his father's old acquaintance, he was able to read some poetry and books. At that time, he could hardly afford two meals a day, let alone buy any books.

For Shen Ye, seeing so many poems and books in front of him was undoubtedly quite exciting.

At this moment, he couldn't help but step forward and carefully took a book from the bookshelf, flipping through it carefully. After closing the book, he repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Master Jiang is so thoughtful. I am very grateful."

After saying that, Shen Ye knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Jiang Zuo.

"No, no, no." Jiang Zuo stepped forward to support him, "No need to be so polite."

Shen Ye's eyes were already slightly red. It was difficult for him to express his inner thoughts in words about everything Jiang Zuo had prepared.

In the beginning, I was able to pass the provincial and municipal examinations thanks to the textbooks distributed free of charge to scholars by the government.

Fortunately, Shen Ye is gifted, has suffered since childhood, and works harder than most people.

In this palace examination, he is bound to be the most eye-catching person.

If he could pass the imperial examination, Shen Ye would have the opportunity to revive the entire family, which is why he works so hard.

"How old is Mr. Shen this year?"

Jiang Zuo asked curiously.

Shen Ye wiped his eyes and said respectfully, "My Lord Prime Minister Jiang, I just turned nineteen this year."

"Nineteen is such a talented man with a promising future." Jiang Zuo praised sincerely.

"Prime Minister Jiang, you are really too kind. You are the role model I should learn from. You should know that you personally led the army to destroy the State of Chen and unified the north and the south. You have long been famous for this. Now you have implemented new policies, which have given a poor scholar like me a chance to succeed. I really admire you. Prime Minister Jiang, you are the most important minister of our Yan State."

Shen Ye's words were full of true feelings.

Such flattery was so overwhelming that even Jiang Zuo felt embarrassed.

Jiang Zuo smiled faintly and said: "These are all false names. Everything should be attributed to the emperor. You should be more grateful for the emperor's grace."

"That's right, that's right, thank you very much for your grace, Your Majesty." Shen Ye leaned forward and said repeatedly.

Jiang Zuo patted Shen Ye on the shoulder and said earnestly: "I think you are quite talented. The court will rely on young people like you in the future."

Although Jiang Zuo was not very old, he had been in officialdom for many years. In addition, he was quite tired after coming to the capital these days. He was "exploited" by the empress every day and had aged several years.

Shen Ye nodded firmly, and then his eyes couldn't help but linger on a familiar cup of books on the bookshelf.

He walked forward, took out the book, opened it and said, "I have read this book written by Prime Minister Jiang nearly a hundred times. I really admire it."

"How do you know that it was me who made it?" Jiang Zuo asked curiously.

Shen Ye said: "In this court, the only person with such talent and insight is Prime Minister Jiang."

Hearing this, Jiang Zuo felt a little uneasy.

If it were said in public, it would undoubtedly be tantamount to flattering Jiang Zuo.

But Jiang Zuo also understood that the young man in front of him had no ill intentions at all, and perhaps he really admired Jiang Zuo from the bottom of his heart.

Jiang Zuo said: "In fact, the emperor also participated in this book."

Shen Ye suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. In his memory, the emperor seemed to be a woman, how could he have such knowledge?

In his heart, he was still a little conservative, but facing Jiang Zuo, he continued to say respectfully: "No wonder, the emperor is of course also very talented in writing."

Jiang Zuo said: "No matter what, the future of the court still depends on you young people."

Shen Ye said: "I don't deserve it, but I do have some opinions on the current situation of the court."

"Oh?" Jiang Zuo found a seat and sat down, saying, "I'd like to hear more details."

Shen Ye put away the books and said, "The biggest problem facing the court now is land annexation. The lower-class people have no way to survive, and corruption is rampant among officials, which has led to discord between officials and the people. The uprisings in the past few years were also caused by this."

Jiang Zuo said: "Then how do you think we can solve this problem?"

This common problem of feudal dynasties has become inevitable.

Shen Ye said: "If everyone who tills the land has his own land and the land is distributed equally, the common people at the bottom will have a way to make a living and naturally they will not rebel. And if the court punishes the corrupt officials with harsh measures, most of the problems can be solved."

This view is quite idealistic.

Jiang Zuo had already reported these issues to the Empress and had begun to implement them.

However, the territory of Yan State is so vast that it is not an easy task to govern the entire country...