The difficult path of cultivation for a grassroots female practitioner

Chapter 1096: Did He Retain His Memories?

The emperor was interested in a scholar who had already achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations and wanted to take a closer look, which the court officials found quite normal.

In fact, not only the emperor was interested, but also the court officials who had never met Pei Xueyan were very interested.

Everyone wanted to see this student who had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations six times, a feat that could potentially be recorded in history.

Pei Xueyan slowly raised her head, quickly glanced at the emperor on the throne, and immediately lowered her gaze to show respect.

This was a handsome young man with a calm demeanor; his every move showed no sign that he was the son of a small landlord.

Xiao Han looked at the person in front of her. Although the person in front of her looked completely different from Xue Yan, she had a feeling that this person should be the reincarnation of Xue Yan.

Oh dear, I wonder if this great evil cultivator retained any memories of his previous life after reincarnation.

If they kept it, that would be terrible!

Such a person, kneeling below at this moment, may appear respectful, but in his heart, he is probably plotting how to overthrow the dynasty and sit on the throne for himself.

Otherwise, how could he live up to his identity as a great evil cultivator?

The thought of this possibility made Xiao Han feel like the sky had fallen.

If she were to possess the body of an emperor and not only fail to achieve any political success or manage the country well, but also become a ruler who brings about the downfall of his kingdom, she would be utterly ashamed to face her elders in Jiangdong, let alone pass the second round of the divine official examination.

She can't be that unlucky, right?

If she were to discover that the other party still retained his memories and wanted to rebel, then she would reveal her identity and ask him for merit.

It's impossible that I was forced to give him half of my merits, and then he ruined my assessment task.

She would be so angry she'd vomit blood and die.

The palace examination continued according to procedure. When all the students began to write furiously, Emperor Zhengde, as the emperor, would also get down and take a walk around to inspect the proceedings.

Under Xiao Han's influence, Emperor Zhengde stopped in front of Pei Xueyan's desk to watch Pei Xueyan take the exam.

The emperor's pause only caused Pei Xueyan to pause her pen slightly, after which she continued answering the questions without any further disruption.

Seeing Pei Xueyan with her eyes downcast and focused entirely on her homework, Xiao Han glanced at her for a few moments before walking away.

Don't panic, don't lose your composure.

So what if he's a powerful evil cultivator? I'm the emperor who holds his life and death in my hands now, while he's just a powerless and insignificant tribute student.

After the palace examination, ministers would present the graded papers to the emperor for his review.

Generally speaking, the top three in the palace examination are not necessarily the top three in terms of actual ability. This is because the palace examination involves more human intervention than the provincial examination, and the ranking is not necessarily based on exam scores.

In order to balance the power of various factions in the court, these cabinet leaders would not allow a student from one region or one faction to repeatedly monopolize the top scholar position.

Even if the top three candidates were personally selected by the emperor, the papers presented to the emperor were actually those of candidates whom the cabinet had tacitly decided to choose.

In a way, Pei Xueyan was quite lucky.

Whether it was because of the auspicious event of collecting six top scholars to pass the imperial examination, or because Chief Minister Liu had no outstanding students and therefore no obstacles were needed, he was fortunate to encounter no setbacks.

Of course, Pei Xueyan has already gone this far, and Xiao Han will not intervene at this time.

After all, there was still Liu Hongchang in the court who controlled the government. At this time, even if Pei Xueyan had the memories of the great evil cultivator, he was still just an insignificant little karami in front of Liu Hongchang.

As expected, Pei Xueyan became the top scholar in the imperial examination, achieving the highest score in all six categories.

Generally speaking, the top three students in the first-class examination will be admitted to the Hanlin Academy.

As expected, Pei Xueyan was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a position of the sixth rank.

Although Xiao Han really wanted to bring Pei Xueyan over immediately to observe whether he still retained his memories, she didn't interfere in order to avoid attracting attention and let Pei Xueyan do his work in an orderly manner.

After Pei Xueyan has been in the Hanlin Academy for a month or two, Xiao Han will let him enter the palace to serve, for example, as a clerk.

The most tiring job for a secretary is to listen to government affairs from the emperor's door.

That is, during the morning court session, the officials' words and actions were recorded and compiled into a morning court summary.

During the morning court session, the ministers argued animatedly, and the scribe had to write down their words with great speed and accuracy.

This job is very hard.

Although Grand Secretary Liu Hongchang practically ruled the court, he rarely expressed his opinions easily. He always had his subordinates speak on his behalf.

Although Liu Hongchang was powerful, there were always a few people in the court who opposed him, such as the second minister Zhou Han.

Whether it was for fame or out of genuine sense of justice, Zhou Han's men were bound to cause trouble for Liu Hongchang's men, and the two groups argued and quarreled in the court.

It was Pei Xueyan's first time serving as the head of the secretariat, and Xiao Han's mind wasn't on the morning court session. She was thinking about calling him over after the court session so she could take a closer look at him.

So after the court session, all the civil and military officials left, but Pei Xueyan was led by a eunuch to Emperor Zhengde.

Watching Pei Xueyan kneel and bow respectfully, Xiao Han felt inexplicably pleased.

You little brat, in my past life you used threats and bribes to make me act like a quail in front of you, living in constant fear.

Finally, the tables have turned, and it's my turn to threaten you from above.

Ah, no wonder everyone wants to be emperor. Even a puppet emperor, just to maintain appearances, has to be respectful to the Zhengde Emperor, let alone the still weak Pei Xueyan.

The feeling of seeing your enemies, who once bullied you, groveling at your feet is incredibly satisfying.

Xiao Han, sitting above, was secretly pleased with himself and hesitated to let Pei Xueyan get up. This made even the usually calm and composed Pei Xueyan's palms start to sweat.

He wondered if some important sentence had been omitted from today's morning court proceedings, otherwise why would the emperor want to see him, make him kneel, and ignore him for so long?

Xiao Han was smug for a moment before calmly saying, "Get up."

Pei Xueyan stood up after expressing her gratitude, but still kept her head bowed respectfully with her hands at her sides.

Xiao Han then spoke up: "I appointed you as the top scholar not because of the auspicious omen of six scholars passing the imperial examination, but because I valued certain policies for governing the country in your essay. What are your thoughts on the matter of opening up the seas that was discussed at the morning court today?"

Pei Xueyan respectfully replied, "Your subject dares not make any presumptuous remarks."

Xiao Han said calmly, "Speak freely, and I will grant you acquittal."

The most heated argument today was about the opening of the fishing season.

Xiao Han naturally wanted to open the seas; she was all too aware of the dangers of closing the country off from the world.

Moreover, the huge business opportunities brought about by the opening of the sea could enrich the national treasury, which was what she coveted most.

However, Liu Hongchang disagrees with opening the sea to the sea, making it very difficult to accomplish this task.

Xiao Han wanted to see which side Pei Xueyan was on.

Then Pei Xueyan said decisively, "I believe that the seas must be opened!"