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

After leaving the palace, Jiang Zuo started towards Shen Ye's residence.

When we arrived at the gate of the mansion, we could see many sentries guarding it, and some guards were hiding in the dark, always on guard.

The amount of manpower invested in this imperial examination was unprecedented. In just one late night, there were more than ten people protecting the surroundings. Perhaps even the mansion in Jiang Zuo did not have so many guards from the Thousand Cavalry Division.

"Greetings, Lord Jiang."

Qianqi Si, who was guarding the door, saluted.

"Is Master Shen in there?"

Jiang Zuo asked.

"Yes, Prime Minister Jiang, please wait a moment. I will inform Master Shen right away."

After a while, Jiang Zuo arrived in front of Shen Ye's study.

During this day, Shen Ye never left the study. Ever since he experienced the danger that day, he no longer dared to go out without permission.

Seeing Jiang Zuo coming, Shen Ye quickly stood up to greet him, "Greetings, Prime Minister Jiang, what brings you here?"

Jiang Zuo said: "I heard that you were in danger yesterday, so I came here specially to visit you."

Hearing this, Shen Ye was touched and lowered his head, saying, "Thank you Prime Minister Jiang for your concern. I am fine."

Having said that, there was clearly something wrong with Shen Ye's expression at this moment, and Jiang Zuo could see it at a glance.

"Why are your hands shaking?"

Jiang Zuo asked with concern.

Shen Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead, forced a smile, and said, "Maybe I'm too tired."

As he spoke, the muscles on his face twitched inexplicably.

This demeanor is obviously not normal.

"Could it be that what happened that day has left him with a mental illness?" Jiang Zuo speculated in his heart. "His mental endurance shouldn't be that weak, right? Could it be that he has other concerns?"

Shen Ye's condition made Jiang Zuo a little worried.

The palace examination in a few days will be of great significance. I hope Shen Ye can perform well.

Although Jiangzuo would still try to employ him even if he did not pass the imperial examination, if he became the first number one scholar in the imperial court, there would be reason to place him in a more important position.

Jiang Zuo gently patted Shen Ye's shoulder and said earnestly: "The palace examination in a few days is very important to both you and the court. Now you just need to forget all your worries and concentrate on the palace examination. Do you understand?"

The sweat on Shen Ye's forehead flowed down. After a moment, he nodded and said, "I understand."

Jiang Zuo added: "There are many people outside the mansion protecting you now, there is no need to panic. If you encounter any trouble, just tell me and I will help you solve it."

Only by saying this can Shen Ye feel relieved.

"Thank you Prime Minister Jiang for your concern. I am really fine. On the day of the palace examination, I will definitely perform well and will never let Prime Minister Jiang down."

Shen Ye nodded firmly, and the panic on his face became less intense.

Jiang Zuo reminded him again: "Just stay in the mansion for the next few days, don't go anywhere, and let your mind go. I am counting on you."

"Thank you, Prime Minister Jiang."

Shen Ye lowered his head and looked at the mottled floor beneath his feet, with more complicated thoughts in his mind.

Time passed and it was already four days later.

Today is the day of the palace examination. Before dawn, many people in the palace have already begun busy preparations.

Jiang Zuo had prepared carefully for this imperial examination for several months and would not allow any mistakes to happen.

Jiang Zuo arrived at the palace early and directed his trusted men to make final arrangements before the exam.

He stretched and felt a little sleepier.

This palace examination was arranged in the Hall of Sages.

The imperial guards were standing guard outside the hall vigilantly, and no one except the candidates and the examiners could approach the Hall of Sages.

In order to feel more at ease, Jiang Zuo came to the Hall of Sages in person this time to supervise everything, including the test paper in his hand, which was still sealed before the exam began.

Jiang Zuo personally handled the entire process, from setting questions to supervising the exam, following the orders of the empress to eliminate all possibilities of cheating.

Prior to this, Jiang Zuo had already conducted a survey on more than 80 candidates for the palace examination, most of whom came from humble backgrounds. This group of people had no connection with those aristocratic families and were the talents that the court urgently needed to recruit.

A few days before the palace examination, many nobles wanted to visit Jiangzuo, perhaps this was related to the palace examination.

In order to avoid all trouble, Jiang Zuo has declined all meetings and concentrated on handling this imperial examination for the emperor.

As long as it succeeds this time, the court will benefit greatly in the future.

By that time, the examination room had already been set up.

The more than eighty candidates, escorted by the Thousand Cavalry Division, arrived at the palace and prepared to enter the examination room.

"Go here and change into new clothes."

The examiner present said to the candidates.

The entire process of changing clothes was supervised by the palace guards.

In order to prevent cheating, Jiang Zuo tried every possible means.

Only after strict inspection can the candidates enter the examination room one by one.

Jiang Zuo was sitting in the Hall of Sages, watching all this silently.

His gaze rested on Shen Ye.

Today, Shen Ye still seems to have a worried look on his face.

Jiang Zuo couldn't help but frown, not knowing what Shen Ye's condition was. In order to avoid suspicion, Jiang Zuo would not say a word to any of the candidates.

The time has come and the palace examination officially begins.

No noise can be heard inside or outside the Hall of Sages.

The examiner was supervising the test very seriously to prevent anyone from cheating with evil intentions.

The first imperial examination of the State of Yan still adopted the format of three test papers, divided into civil affairs, politics and history. This was the first time that the test papers were issued in Jiangzuo, so there were still some imperfections.

The candidates held their pens and answered the questions nervously.

Time passes minute by minute.

Jiang Zuo's attention was always on Shen Ye, who was often wiping the sweat from his forehead and looked very nervous.

When Jiang Zuo first met Shen Ye, he felt that he was a confident person, but now his personality has changed drastically. What happened that day that caused Shen Ye to be so frightened?

After an unknown amount of time, some candidates had already put down their pens.

Shen Ye held the pen in his hand and stared blankly for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking about.

"Why doesn't he write anymore?" Jiang Zuo wondered.

Looking back, it was almost time.

Shen Ye's hands remained motionless.

After a moment, he began to write, as if his ideas were flowing like a spring, and he wrote down his ideas at a rapid pace.

After a quarter of an hour, almost all the candidates had stopped writing, leaving only Shen Ye still writing.

"The time has come!"

When the examiner said this, Shen Ye had just finished writing the last word.

"Not bad..." Shen Ye breathed a sigh of relief. His condition today was really too bad.

The test papers began to be collected and sealed for marking.

Shen Ye raised his head and looked at Jiang Zuo. They both nodded slightly, as if everything was self-evident.

As for the results, Shen Ye himself was not confident.