Did the eldest daughter ascend the throne today?

"The Emperor has a confidant named Ning Qiu Sheng, who is now the commander of the Imperial Guards. He is a young talent, and you and him are a good match."

Ning Qiu Sheng was born in the Youth Camp. He followed Ning Zhiwei in battles since he was a child. He was trained by Ning Zhiwei and was deeply trusted by Ning Zhiwei.

Duan Ronger was stunned, staring at her elder sister blankly. Commander of the Imperial Guards? That position was too important. If you were not a direct descendant of the family, it would be impossible for you to sit in this position.

So, you want to use her for marriage?

"Eldest sister, when Mrs. Ning passed away, she wanted to choose a scholar with a clean family background for me, a newly-appointed Jinshi."

That kind of family is suitable for her, and she also prefers gentle and elegant scholars.

The generals were all about fighting and killing, and they had nothing in common with her.

Duan Xinyu frowned slightly. Everyone had to sacrifice for the family, no one was an exception.

She patiently explained, "It takes at least a dozen years for a Jinshi to have a say, but right now, our Duan family is in imminent crisis."

"My grandfather is already old, and none of our parents can support the family business. When it comes to our generation, our brothers are still too young to enter the center of power for a while. You should know what this means."

Duan Ronger frowned. She was also a well-educated person and knew that this meant that the family was going downhill, falling step by step and declining. This was very scary.

Duan Xinyu said earnestly, "Our Duan family used to be the top family in Beijing, but what about now? Who still remembers our Duan family?"

"A new emperor appoints new ministers. If we, the old families, don't seize the opportunity, we will completely disappear in the dust of history and become the most ordinary people in the market."

The hottest topic in the capital nowadays is Nuhou Lane, and the most glorious one is the Ninth Marquis of the Ning family. The Ning family is undoubtedly the number one family.

Duan family? I don’t know them.

Duan Ronger sighed softly, "Does it have to be like that?"

Duan Xinyu looked at her steadily, her expression extremely serious, "Once I enter Qingluo Villa, I will have no choice but to act on my own. I urgently need an ally."

She wanted to stay in the capital alone, but could she say no? The Ning family would not let a pregnant woman stay alone in the capital.

She stroked her belly gently, "The baby in my belly is the key for our Duan family to return to its peak, and we cannot afford to lose it."

Duan Ronger looked at her belly and pursed her lips slightly.

All the children of the Ning family are treasures. Boys are granted the title of duke or marquis, girls are granted the title of county lady, and no matter how inferior the child in the eldest sister's belly is, there will be a title.

If you are lucky, you can still fight for a higher position.

Yes, the future of the Duan family depends on this child.

However, she always felt that something was wrong, "The Emperor may not want us to get married."

This empress was a woman of great talent and determination, and she would not allow her subordinates to work together.

Duan Xinyu showed a determined look on her face, "Let's think of a way. Even if something goes wrong, she won't make a big move at this time."

"But, after this period of time, it's hard to say, do you understand what I mean?"

Duan Ronger understood that during the period of mourning for Old Madam Ning, Ning Zhiwei would be more tolerant, so if she wanted to cause trouble, she had to take advantage of this opportunity.

She felt bitter. Although the children of large families lived a glorious life, their future paths were actually arranged from the moment they were born, and they had no freedom in their lives.

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

Duan Xinyu's eyes sparkled, "Rong'er, I won't hurt you. We sisters should help each other and keep our glory together."

Madam Ning's funeral was presided over by the Ministry of Rites. She was buried with the specifications for a first-class lady of honor. All officials came with their families to pay their respects. It was a great posthumous honor and a major event in the city.

There was another big event in the city, which was the palace examination.

This was the first imperial examination after the founding of the country. It had caused a lot of controversy before, with people saying that Rong Jing, as the chief examiner, had cheated and leaked the questions to the second-generation officials, which was really unfair.

However, Rong Jing's reply was simple, which was to post the first 20 test papers on the wall so that everyone could see them clearly.

The students who had originally been dissatisfied with their failure fell silent after reading the test papers.

I have to admit that I am indeed better than them.

Looking at the hometowns of these people, 70% were of ordinary origin, 10% were poor, and 20% were from aristocratic families.

The first one, Wuan, was born in poverty, the second one, Mo Yichen, was born in a wealthy family, and the third one was the descendant of a great Confucian scholar.

That is to say, there is no descendant of a high-ranking official.

The entire accusation was a joke.

On the day of the palace examination, Ning Zhiwei sat on a high throne, looking at the students kneeling down in unison, and smiled slightly.

This is the future pillar of Dayong.

Hopefully, they can keep their original intention.

She set the questions herself. The first question was, "As if protecting a baby, seek the answer with a sincere heart."

The second topic is river defense strategy.

The third topic is to reorganize the troops.

Each question discusses national affairs. River defense affairs are major national affairs, so they test the governance capabilities of the students.

Some students, as soon as they get the test papers, are very energetic and ready to take them.

Some students looked worried and anxious.

All of this fell into Ning Zhiwei's eyes.

She paid special attention to the top three students in the final exam. They were all sitting still, thinking about problems, and their expressions were very calm.

The results of the palace examination were announced on the same day. Rong Jing brought several examiners to mark the papers on the spot, picked out the top ten, and presented them to the king, who decided the ranking.

Ning Zhiwei considered it carefully and simply adjusted the rankings of the last few places, from seventh to third and from eighth to tenth.

Just like that, a fresh list of Jinshi was released, with 200 Jinshi and 100 Tong Jinshi.

Wu'an was the top scorer, Mo Yichen was the second, and Jiang Yueming was the third. They all brought their newly minted Jinshi degrees to meet the king.

Ning Zhiwei said a few words of encouragement and announced an important decision.

Everyone has to undergo three months of pre-job training, with her personally teaching the lessons.

After three months, you will be assigned an official position based on your performance.

When the news came out, all the civil and military officials in the court were shocked. This had never happened before.

However, this class is really lucky and can truly be called disciples of the emperor.

Although it was a first of its kind, no one stopped it.

Everyone knew that the empress wanted to personally train a group of officials who shared the same political ideas as her to serve as the team for her future administration.

This cannot be stopped.

After being named on the imperial examination, the new scholar was draped in red and decorated with ribbons, and rode the imperial horse in a parade through the streets, looking very high-spirited and proud. The streets were deserted, and countless people gathered to watch, casting envious glances at him.

The spring breeze is blowing, and the horses are galloping. I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.

The Ning Mansion and the mourning hall were packed with people who came to pay their respects, but the atmosphere was weird.

Everyone is waiting for news from the palace. This is the seventh day.

A servant rushed in and shouted anxiously, "Madam, the emperor is here."

Everyone was shocked, "Quick, let's go and welcome the Holy Emperor together."

In the crowd, Duan Xinyu glanced at her sister calmly. Duan Ronger pursed her lips and nodded slightly.