At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

"Lord Xiao, it's not that I want anything, but given what has happened, how will the central government give an explanation to the students of the world?!"

I sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere inside the hall.

Liu Chen flicked his sleeves and met Xiao Jing's gaze, saying, "The imperial examination questions have been leaked. If the central government turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to this and chooses to hold the imperial examination as scheduled, I don't know what kind of official this is?"

"Is it like taking off your pants to fart?"

"Furthermore, Lord Xiao mentioned that the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrested students who gathered in groups. Although this action was excessive, it was understandable, after all, the imperial examination was about to begin."

"Then I would like to ask Lord Xiao a question: what exactly are the students who went to Vermilion Bird Avenue for? And what are they?"

"Minister of the Imperial Guard, watch your words!!"

No sooner had Liu Chen finished speaking than Bao Yuan, who was sitting down, slammed his hand on the table and said, "This is a meeting of the three provinces, discussing matters of great importance concerning the very foundation of the nation, not something you can do as you please at home!"

"I have taken Lord Bao's words to heart."

After hearing this, Liu Chen bowed slightly to Bao Yuan.

"Since Your Excellency has mentioned gathering students, I would like to ask you a question: how can you be sure that the so-called imperial examination questions circulating in the streets are genuine?"

In the Secretariat, where the Grand Councilor was in charge of state affairs, just as Xiao Jing was about to speak, he preemptively asked, "Just because they gathered a crowd or went to the Vermilion Bird Avenue, does that mean we can be sure they're telling the truth?"

"If that's the case, let alone what happens before the selection of candidates, just when the list is posted, if any of the unsuccessful candidates feel that they are not on the list and then harbor malicious intentions, distort the facts, incite the unsuccessful candidates to gather on Zhuque Avenue and shout that the selection of candidates is fraudulent, what should the court do?"

"Furthermore, since the selection exam questions for this year's imperial examinations were finalized, they have been sealed in the Ministry of Rites' archives. All officials involved this year have been sent to various places according to regulations, not to mention the strict surveillance by the Imperial Guards. The Prince Consort said that the exam questions were leaked, so who would be so bold as to do such a thing?"

You old fox, you tried to trap me, didn't you?!

Liu Chen's face remained unchanged, but he cursed Qi Sheng in his heart.

What Qi Sheng said, seemingly questioning Liu Chen about what happened during this year's imperial examination selection, was actually a fallacy of equivocation.

If Liu Chen doesn't answer this question well, he will be in a dangerous situation.

"There's more."

As Qi Sheng finished speaking, Wen Shao, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, flicked his sleeves and stared at Liu Chen, saying, "Leaving aside the meaning behind Your Highness's actions of ordering the Military Command to conduct large-scale raids and arrests, and also leaving aside the meaning behind Your Highness's deathbed remonstrance at Taiji Gate, in front of all the officials in the court, I would like to ask Your Highness, how exactly did you know that the so-called imperial examination questions circulating in the streets were leaked real questions? Could it be that Your Highness had seen them in advance?"

At this point, Wen Shao looked at Liu Chen with a half-smile.

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly changed.

As the crowd gathered there discreetly observed their surroundings, their gazes were all fixed on Liu Chen.

The convening of this conference of the three provinces, seemingly centered around the various issues arising from the selection of tribute students, was in fact inseparable from Liu Chen.

Without him.

His actions of sealing off and arresting officials, and his subsequent suicide plea at Taiji Gate, have led some to try to muddy the waters and sabotage the idea that the selection of candidates for the imperial examinations could proceed as scheduled.

Not to mention the military command and the patrol battalion. Many of the students they arrested came from unusual backgrounds. With them arrested, how can they participate in the imperial examination selection?

If they can't participate, then what are they doing in Yudu?

What about what I did in Yudu before?

Whether it's the leaks or cheating that occurred in the Kogon selection process, it may seem to be limited to issues of fairness and oversight in the Kogon selection, but in reality, it involves far too many layers and too deep a problem.

This is why.

In the various imperial examinations held in Dayu, there have been instances of this kind of thing happening. Many people are unwilling to get too involved because they might offend a large number of people without even knowing it.

If you offend some people locally, there's still room for negotiation and compromise. After all, if your superiors are powerful enough, some things can be resolved through trades and exchanges.

But if you offend someone in the central government, things become much more complicated.

"Lord Wen, do you mean that I obtained the examination questions for the imperial examinations through some means?" Under these circumstances, Liu Chen smiled and stared at Wen Shao.

"That's not what I meant."

Wen Shao was taken aback for a moment, then calmly replied.

"What does Lord Wen mean?"

Liu Chen maintained his smile and said, "Isn't what Lord Wen is trying to say that I want to use the imperial examination to gain fame and reputation, so that I can secure my position in the court?"

"Is this not the end of it? Taking advantage of the Jinyiwei's arrest of students who gathered in groups, are they using personal grudges to retaliate, stir up changes in the court, and then seek illegitimate gains?"

Liu Chen's behavior, on the contrary, made many people frown.

Especially Wen Shao, this was completely different from what he had expected.

"Wen Shao! What are you doing, making a scene like this?!"

Liu Chen suddenly slammed his fist on the table and roared, his eyes fixed on Wen Shao, "What good will this do me?! In terms of power, it was His Majesty's dissatisfaction with the inaction in the court that led to my appointment as Minister of the Imperial Guard!!"

"As the Minister of the Imperial Guard and concurrently in charge of the Military Command specially established by His Majesty, if I do nothing in the face of such a major incident in Yudu, that would be courting death!"

"Furthermore, in terms of lineage, I am the imperial son-in-law appointed by Emperor Taizu Gao, Princess Shangwu Anchang. As a member of the imperial family, do you think our laws are just for show? Or is it because Emperor Taizu Gao killed people that I dare to have such thoughts?!"

"Don't forget, Emperor Taizu Gaozu did kill members of the imperial family. How dare I go against what he disliked?!"

No wonder His Majesty favors Liu Chen so much.

Liu Chen's words caused a change in Xiao Jing's expression. Taking advantage of Wen Shao's questioning, he avoided the trap set by Qi Sheng and, following Wen Shao's question, laid out what he wanted to accomplish, pushing it to a whole new level. Liu Chen's cunning and scheming were truly unfathomable.

At that very moment, Xiao Jing suddenly realized that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the emperor to heavily rely on his relatives and friends to secure positions in the court.

Especially considering the current national situation.

Perhaps they had their own selfish motives, but as members of the imperial family, they knew better than anyone else that if the Great Yu dynasty were to encounter problems, they would not be able to escape either.

Most importantly, it is not that being a member of the imperial family guarantees being given important positions. Rather, it is those with genuine talent and unique insights who will be promoted and given important positions by the emperor simply because they are members of the imperial family. This logic must not be confused.