Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

"Congratulations, General Zhou! Your family has produced a scholar who has passed the imperial examination. This is truly a great joy! Today, General Dingguo's family not only has a military commander with great military achievements, but also has added a talented civil official. It can be said that they are both talented in civil and military affairs, and the whole family is honored!"

After the morning court session, the Minister of War bowed and congratulated Zhou Antai with a smile on his face.

Zhou Antai was naturally overjoyed upon hearing this, but he still stroked his graying beard with a feigned humility, laughed heartily, and said, "Your Excellency, Minister, you are so kind! My grandson only caught Your Majesty's eye because he was quite good-looking."

At this moment, the Minister of Personnel standing nearby suddenly interrupted with a sarcastic tone, "Haha, that's right! Everyone knows that the top three in the imperial examination may not be the most knowledgeable, but the third place winner is definitely the most handsome!"

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue, who had always been at odds with the Minister of Personnel, immediately stepped forward and retorted, "Sir Cao, you can't say that! Even if Mr. Zhou Er had a slight advantage in looks during the palace examination, he at least passed the examination with his own real talent and knowledge. What do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally lively scene suddenly became silent.

Everyone lowered their heads in silence, each with their own thoughts.

It turned out that the Minister of Personnel, Lord Cao, had a little son who was extremely intelligent since childhood and was hailed as a child prodigy.

When this boy was only seven years old, he entered the Imperial Academy to study. His talent and genius are truly amazing.

However, what was unexpected was that in this imperial examination, this highly-anticipated young master of the Cao family did not even pass the joint examination.

Although everyone secretly hoped to see Lord Cao lose face because of this incident, due to his power and status, no one dared to express this idea.

Because almost everyone has sons and nephews who take the imperial examinations, except for a very few who are favored by Emperor Jing, they will be directly granted official positions.

For most candidates, they have to wait for a comprehensive review by the Ministry of Personnel to determine whether they can fill the vacancy.

Some candidates waited at home for several years but still couldn't get a vacancy.

At this moment, the Minister of Revenue saw that Lord Cao ignored him, his eyes rolled, and he quickly moved to Zhou Antai's side.

He smiled broadly and said flatteringly, "General Zhou, I remember that your second son hasn't found a partner yet, right? Coincidentally, my youngest daughter is about the same age as your son. Perhaps we can help them find a happy marriage!"

You know, this Minister of Revenue is famous for his shrewd calculations.

Normally speaking, it would be somewhat embarrassing for a woman to bring up the matter of marriage first.

But Zhou Lin is no ordinary person. He comes from a prominent family and is the new top scholar in the imperial examination.

At this moment, if you hesitate for a moment, such an excellent son-in-law will probably be snatched away by someone else!

After all, there is a saying among the people that "catch a son-in-law from under the list". When the Minister of Revenue brought up this matter at this moment, he even secretly regretted in his heart whether it was too late.

Faced with the enthusiastic proposal of the Minister of Revenue, Zhou Antai remained calm and composed.

He responded with a proud smile, "Thank you, Lord Shangshu, for your kindness. However, my son Hanzhi is still young and should focus on his career first before considering starting a family. Let him gain a few more years of experience and calm down. It won't be too late to discuss marriage in a few years."

The smile on the Minister of Revenue's face froze in an instant, just like the frozen surface of a lake in the cold winter, stiff and lifeless.

Regardless of whether what Zhou Antai said this time is true or false.

However, whatever he proposed had already been rejected.

At this moment, Dequan, the chief eunuch beside Emperor Jing, was taking his signature small steps, hurriedly chasing after the ministers who had just left the court and were about to leave the palace and return home.

As Dequan ran, he kept shouting in his shrill, distinctive voice, "General Dingguo, please stay! His Majesty invites you to the Imperial Study for a conversation."

Hearing the call, Zhou Antai was stunned at first, then he reacted quickly.

After bowing goodbye to his colleagues around him, he followed Dequan without hesitation and walked quickly towards the imperial study.

Lord Cao, who was standing aside and witnessed this scene, raised a sarcastic sneer at the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at the gloomy-looking Minister of Revenue beside him and said sarcastically, "So what? Your wishful thinking is going to be shattered! In my opinion, Zhou Hanzhi will soon become the emperor's son-in-law!"

After saying that, Lord Cao no longer paid any attention to the Minister of Revenue, but walked towards the palace gate in a swaggering manner, leaving the Minister of Revenue alone there, gritting his teeth in anger but helpless.

......

After Zhou Antai returned to the mansion, he took a short rest and immediately called Zhou Lin to the study.

After Zhou Lin finished his greeting respectfully and stood in front of the desk, Zhou Antai slowly asked, "Hanzhi, grandfather wants to hear your thoughts on your future career path."

Zhou Lin pondered his grandfather's question for a moment, then replied calmly, "According to custom, the top three candidates in the imperial examination will spend a year observing government affairs in the six ministries. The court will then make final position assignments based on our performance and assessment results during this period. So, I plan to complete this year of observation first, and then consult Chu Ning's opinion after the year is up before making a decision."

Ever since his grandparents said they would go to the Shen family to propose marriage as soon as the results were announced, Zhou Lin had been certain deep down in his heart that Shen Chuning would definitely become his wife.

Therefore, when he communicated with his grandfather, there was no longer any reservation in his words.

"Today in the Imperial Study, His Majesty asked me whether you want to stay in Beijing or be sent out in the future. If there is a position you like, you can decide on it in advance." Zhou Antai calmly picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then said calmly.

"Determined in advance? Even the top scholar probably wouldn't have such special treatment. Why is it so generous to me? What terms of exchange did His Majesty propose?" Zhou Lin couldn't help but frown and asked with a puzzled look on his face.