After my soul traveled to ancient times, I don't want to be cannon fodder

"Your Majesty, please revoke Wenren Ye's qualification to take the imperial examination. A treacherous villain like him is not worthy of standing in this palace!"

After hearing this, Wen Renye just rolled his eyes and then looked at Zhong Ning.

Zhong Ning glanced at Emperor Yong, only to see his eyes were as deep as water. He immediately curled his lips slightly and said calmly, "Then according to your opinion, if you were the magistrate of this place, what would you do?"

The candidate slowly raised his head, his eyes revealing determination and confidence, as if the whole world was under his control.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly, and then, in a deep and powerful voice, he solemnly said to the people above, "National policy is the foundation of the country. It concerns the rise and fall of the nation and the safety of the country. How can we tolerate any violation of it?"

"As subjects, we should strictly follow His Majesty's will and prioritize the interests of the country."

"While the implementation of this national policy may bring temporary hardship to the people, it is also for the long term."

"We must endure this heartache and give up some small gains in order to achieve the great cause of our country and allow our descendants to bask in the glory of a prosperous era. If we abandon national policy out of fear of the people's hardship, it would be tantamount to destroying the Great Wall and ruining the future of our Great Yong!"

Therefore, we have no choice but to make the people suffer first, and then comfort them when the country is peaceful and the people are safe!"

"What if the people starve to death because the taxes are too heavy and they are unable to afford them? Will you take responsibility for that?" Zhong Ning asked, and all the court officials under him changed their expressions.

The examinee's expression froze slightly, then he argued, "Everyone has their own destiny! Even if there's a famine, it's their destiny!"

"You mean, we should just watch them starve to death and do nothing about it?" Zhong Ning's voice was cold and his face expressionless.

The candidate's face paled at the criticism, and he forced an explanation: "How could they starve to death? All they had to do was mortgage their land to the nobles and live as a tenant. That way, they would have enough to eat."

"Oh, the remaining 30% of the land should also be mortgaged to the nobles. Then I ask you, where should the court collect taxes from?"

"This..." The candidate finally realized that something was wrong and said hesitantly, "Aren't there other counties that can collect taxes? It's not a big deal if one or two are missing."

As soon as he said this, he felt a little insecure, and there was a hint of guilt in his expression as he looked at Princess Zhaohua.

"As you said, all the land in the county should be in the hands of the nobles. The court only needs to collect taxes from other counties. Then, what use is there for the court to have you? Pay you a salary so that you can be a watchdog for the nobles?"

"You...you..." The candidate was so angry at the word "watchdog" that he was shaking with anger. When he was about to make an accusation, he suddenly realized that this was not his home, and the person he was facing was not an ordinary person, but the princess of the current dynasty.

He was led into trouble by Princess Zhaohua's questions.

Before he could argue, he heard a cold voice from above: "You stepped out without permission, defied the law, and slandered your classmates..."

Every time Zhong Ning spoke, the candidate who stood up to accuse Wen Renye trembled. In just a moment, his forehead was covered with beads of sweat.

Zhong Ning's voice continued, "I eat your food, but I can't share your worries. What's the point of keeping a good-for-nothing like you?"

"Drag him on, strip him of his Juren status, and for the next three generations, they will not be allowed to take the imperial examinations!"

Two imperial guards stepped forward with swords in hand and dragged the candidate, who was kneeling on the ground begging for mercy, away.

After this discussion, everyone's expression changed.

Only Emperor Yong had a much gentler expression. There were some things he was not willing to say directly, but Zhao Hua was considerate and actually told him everything that was in his heart.

He is worthy of being called his best replacement!

"Zhaohua, it's over..." Emperor Yong said lightly, with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Zhong Ning quickly apologized, "Father, I overstepped my bounds. I was so eager to recruit truly talented individuals for the court that I lost my composure. Please forgive me, Father!"

"Forget it. Considering this is your first offense, I won't do it again!"

"Thank you, father, for your generosity!"

The two of them worked together to blow the whole thing over. The imperial censors and ministers below watched helplessly as the shameless father and daughter acted out their act, their teeth itching with hatred.

Minister of Rites Zhou Qingzhi's face was extremely ugly at this time.

The reason is simple. The person who stood up to impeach Wen Renye just now was the child of his Huai'an Zhou family's branch.

This time, three nephews and nephews of the family successfully passed the imperial examination, and Zhou Yi, who was dragged away, was one of them.

Now, not only did he fail to gain fame, but he ended up in trouble!

Princess Zhaohua's words clearly showed that she was standing against the aristocracy, not only the noble ministers and aristocratic families, but also countless wealthy gentry and rural landlords.

As expected, when everyone was still thinking about how to turn the tables, Zhong Ning openly defended Wen Renye: "I think the answer to this question is very consistent with the national conditions of Dayong. Master Wenren, it's not bad!"

Wen Renye was the knife that Zhong Ning helped to stand up and fight for her.

Reform is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It requires a fearless warrior who rushes to the forefront and uses the most drastic means to expand new territory!

Wen Ren Ye's face lit up with joy, and he thought to himself that he had indeed chosen the right path. As long as he could please Princess Zhaohua, he would not be afraid even if the whole world went against him.

Of course, this is not because he likes a woman, but because the other person has something he wants.

As long as he can go back, as long as he can get revenge, he is willing to give it a try even if he has to be a dog that bites people everywhere!

In the face of overwhelming hatred, he can put aside any dignity and self-respect!

After Princess Zhaohua expressed her opinion, Su Qi instinctively looked up and saw Emperor Yong nod slightly, which meant that he agreed that the question had passed.

The others wanted to object, but there was the precedent of Zhong Ning directly annihilating the Qinghe Cui family, and there were also the newly developed firearms of the imperial court.

Even if they wanted to unite the front and resist the court's policies, they had to think about their own families.

Do you want the lives of your entire clan, or do you want to spend a little money?

Although they had to pay a large amount of taxes every year because of those lands, no matter how unbearable it was, it was better than the whole clan losing their lives.

Of course, there were also those who wanted to rebel. For example, King Luo, whose fiefdom was in Sichuan, learned that the court had suddenly issued a policy requiring all gentry to pay taxes. He openly stood up in resistance and joined forces with King Chen and King Ping to rebel.

Zhong Ning personally led the troops, carrying more than ten red cannons, and directly blew up the lair of the three princes.

All the prince's direct descendants were killed, and the entire family was demoted to commoners and sent to the coal mines in northern Xinjiang, never to return.

Of course, this is a story.

Back to the present, when Wen Renye took the lead in the imperial court's consultation, the other candidates fell silent.

Gu Mingzhe's expression did not change. He just stared at the lovely girl sitting on the high platform. He witnessed her praising another man with his own eyes, and his heart felt sour again.

He probably understood what Zhong Ning meant. She needed a group of reform pioneers, and Wenren Ye was the sharp weapon she favored. But the key was that this Mr. Wenren was really handsome, and he was a little worried that his little princess would be seduced away.

While he was thinking, a second question came from the platform. This question was not a simple question, but a case.

There was a girl named Xiaolian, who was only twelve years old. Her father had died early and her mother had just passed away. During the period of mourning, she was sold by her uncle to a widower in the same village as his wife.

Xiaolian was angry and injured her widower's right arm with a knife on her wedding night. Now she is arrested by the government. She asks: How should this case be judged?

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was not the life-threatening question just now. Answering it would offend the aristocratic families, and not answering it would offend the royal family.

They were really scared by this kind of question that forced people to take sides.

(The data has hit rock bottom. I'll wait another week to test the book and then finish it next month.)