The Young Swordsman of Dalu

The three princes who were waiting in the Northern Dynasty arrived in Yancheng. On the same day, Murong Bo, the emperor with the shortest reign in the history of the Northern Dynasty, also became the emperor with the shortest lifespan.

Upon arriving in the capital, the three princes immediately held a three-day vigil for Murong Bo. Prince Shun, Murong Hai, was the oldest of the three, having just turned twenty-two; Prince Jiang, Murong Xiao, was twenty; and Prince Xiang, Murong Li, was only fifteen.

The people of the Northern Dynasty were very concerned about the arrival of the three princes in the capital. They all hoped that the court could elect a good emperor who truly cared about the people.

Three days later, Murong Bo was to be buried. Jin Yuanying did not strip him of his title of emperor. Although he had no children, he was still buried in the Northern Dynasty imperial mausoleum according to the high standards of an emperor. The three kings kept vigil for Murong Bo in the mausoleum until the seventh day after his death before leaving.

At this point, the Northern Dynasty court began to assess the three princes.

Now that we've reached this point, let's learn about the three princes.

Prince Murong Hai arrived in his fiefdom of Shuncheng at the age of eight. Shuncheng was located in the southwest of the Northern Dynasties, bordering the Western Regions. Due to the constant incursions from the Western Regions, the economic development of Shuncheng was very slow. In fact, there was another important reason: Murong Hai was a very mediocre person, but he had a bad temper and would punish his servants at the drop of a hat. He also invented many kinds of torture, and the prisoners in the jail suffered a lot. Everyone in Shuncheng was terrified when they heard the name Murong Hai. Many people were so scared that they went to the Western Regions to herd livestock for their employers and refused to return to Shuncheng.

King Murong Xiao of Jiang, due to his frail health, did not arrive in his fiefdom of Jiangcheng until he was fifteen years old. Jiangcheng was located in the central part of the Northern Dynasty. Although Murong Xiao had only been in Jiangcheng for a little over five years, he quickly and effectively governed the city, gaining the support of its people. Murong Xiao was a composed and enigmatic individual.

Prince Xiang, Murong Li, was sent to Xiangcheng by the late emperor when he was two years old because his mother was disliked by him. Perhaps feeling it was too cruel, the late emperor granted him the fertile land of Xiangcheng. At the age of three, his mother hired a tutor for him, opening the door to knowledge. For twelve years, Murong Li diligently studied, becoming a learned scholar despite his young age. He not only excelled in his studies but also governed Xiangcheng exceptionally well. Under his rule, the people lived in peace and prosperity, and their support for Prince Xiang was strong. Murong Li's greatest strength was his ability to recognize the strengths of others, accept his own shortcomings, humbly learn from others, and always keep the people's well-being at heart.

Jin Yuanying sat on the throne in the main hall, with civil and military officials standing on both sides. Three princes stood below the hall, waiting for their grandmother's assessment.

Jin Yuanying gazed at the three imperial grandsons below the throne and said, "Today, the three of you stand in this hall to be tested by the civil and military officials of our dynasty. You must take this seriously and not be negligent. There can only be one emperor. No matter who sits on this throne, you must be a good emperor and keep the people in your hearts! Do not disappoint me again!"

"Your grandson will remember your teachings, Grandmother!" the three princes said in unison.

"Alright! Let Prime Minister Baili set the questions for today!" Jin Yuanying said.

"Your Majesty, I obey your decree!" Baili Heng walked to the middle of the hall, looked at the three princes, and said, "Your Majesty, today I have been entrusted by the Empress Dowager to conduct an assessment of you. Now listen carefully to the rules of the assessment."

"Please speak, Prime Minister Baili!" Murong Hai said.

"This is a question that I and the ministers have discussed. I ask the three princes to answer it, and then the various departments will jointly review and revise it. Finally, the one with the highest score will be selected. Have the three princes heard me?" Baili Heng said.

"That's not fair! Everyone knows that they were both well-read from a young age!" Murong Hai said.

Baili Heng looked at Jin Yuanying with a troubled expression. Jin Yuanying said, "Murong Hai, if you think you can't do it, you can give up!"

"Grandmother, if I give up, will I lose the chance to become emperor?" Murong Hai asked.

“Yes!” Kim Won-young said.

"Having finally arrived in the capital, I will never give up!" Murong Hai said.

"Do the two princes have no objections?" Baili Heng asked.

"no!"

"Bring three tables and three chairs for the three princes. They will answer questions in this hall today," Baili Heng said.

Once everything was ready, Baili Heng handed the questions to the three princes.

"Your Highnesses, you have two incense sticks' worth of time to answer! Please begin!" Baili Heng said.

Murong Hai opened the question and immediately panicked. Several large characters caught his eye: What is the first thing to do in governing your fiefdom? How do you usually treat the people? How can you gain their support?

Murong Hai cursed a thousand times in his heart. Wasn't this a question specifically designed for him? Wasn't this blatantly exposing his weaknesses? Wasn't this going to make him lose face in front of all the officials in the capital?

Murong Hai glanced to his left and right, and seeing that his two younger brothers had already answered, he thought to himself, "Don't worry! I, Murong Hai, will never be last!"

Murong Hai calmed himself down, picked up his pen, and began to answer.

Such a question was no problem at all for scholars like Murong Xiao and Murong Li. Their answers flowed smoothly, and before two sticks of incense had even burned out, Murong Xiao handed the question to Baili Heng, who was standing to the side. Then it was Murong Li's turn, and he quickly finished answering and handed in his question.

Time was up, but Murong Hai was still writing furiously until Baili Heng snatched the exam questions from his hands and said, "Your Highness! For the sake of fairness, I apologize!"

"Fair my ass!" Murong Hai blurted out a curse, startling him so much that he looked up at Jin Yuanying, who was staring at him sternly. Murong Hai lowered his head in fear.

"The three princes should go and rest first!" Baili Heng said.

After the three princes left the main hall, Baili Heng gave their test questions to Jin Yuanying. The first answer Jin Yuanying saw was Murong Hai's. Jin Yuanying frowned and said, "Mediocre! I can't understand a single word of this writing. Has Murong Hai wasted all these years of his studies?"

Jin Yuanying was very pleased to see the test questions from Murong Xiao and Murong Li. His two grandsons had really made him proud. Their writing was neat and their answers were eloquent, logical, and well-reasoned. Jin Yuanying was very satisfied.

"Baili Heng! This arduous task is entrusted to you!" Jin Yuanying said.

"Let's discuss it and then ask the Empress Dowager for a decision!" Baili Heng said.

“You may go!” Kim Won-young said.

Baili Heng led the officials out of the main hall to the Cultural Institute to grade the exam questions.

Jin Yuanying sat in the empty hall and said, "I, Jin Yuanying, have done my best for your Murong family. I hope this is the last time! I'm tired! I'm really tired!"