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

Night falls silently.

The Daxing Hall was brightly lit.

Chu Ling leaned against the soft cushions, reclining on the daybed, with an exam paper in his hand. Although he had reviewed it many times before, he was still looking at it now.

On a small table to the side, there were several more servings.

The top three scholars (状元郎, 榜眼郎, 探花郎) will be determined.

But the current situation is that all these exam papers are written in equally good or bad quality!

Before the palace examination was held, Chu Ling had some concerns. Based on the selection of candidates for the imperial examination, another examination was set up, and it was in the form of policy essays to select the new candidates for the palace examination. What if the result was too unsatisfactory?

Always consider both the good and bad aspects of things.

There wasn't a single one that could be pushed out; this was the worst-case scenario Chu Ling had envisioned.

However, as dozens of exam papers stood out, Chu Ling knew one thing: his proposed new system for the palace examination was able to stand the test of time.

These exam papers were the ones that left the deepest impression on Chu Ling.

In short, the newly appointed scholars who wrote these examination papers came from different backgrounds, environments, and experiences. Through the examination question on governance, they pointed out some of the existing problems and shortcomings of the Great Yu Dynasty from their own perspectives and proposed insightful solutions.

Some of their insights even coincided with what Chu Ling wanted to do!

Although Chu Ling didn't know much about these people, their policy essays had already given him a clue about their future. If they could withstand the tests and challenges in their subsequent careers, their paths would lead them upwards as Chu Ling had laid out.

This is the advantage of being a disciple of the emperor!

"Your Majesty, the Prince Consort of Jinshan has arrived."

As Chu Ling pondered how to determine the top three scholars, Li Zhong lowered his head and entered the hall. Upon reaching the emperor, he respectfully bowed and greeted him.

"Xuan."

Chu Ling said succinctly.

Li Zhong bowed his head and left the hall. A short while later, Yin Yu, dressed in an official robe, bowed his head and entered the hall.

"Your subject... Yin Yu greets Your Majesty!"

The tall and imposing Yin Yu raised his hand and bowed to the emperor.

How are the preparations for the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations going?

Chu Ling put down the exam paper, leaned forward, and looked at Yin Yudao.

"Your Majesty, everything has been arranged."

Yin Yu said calmly, "All the rituals and procedures required for this grand ceremony, as well as the corresponding personnel, have been repeatedly clarified according to His Majesty's decree."

"I am confident that this grand ceremony will be a success!"

"You should know what this grand ceremony means for the nation, right?" Chu Ling reached for his teacup and looked Yin Yu up and down.

"Your Majesty understands!"

Yin Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty is concerned about the well-being of the nation, so you have added the Palace Examination to the existing system of selecting talents in the central government, in order to improve the system of selecting talents. However, there are many dissenting opinions about this matter in the court and among the people."

"While I do not know their motives, I do know one thing: the selection of talented individuals by the central government is the foundation of the nation. The successful convening of the announcement ceremony is to make it clear to the whole world that Your Majesty and the central government attach great importance to this matter!"

He is a smart person.

Chu Ling took a sip of tea and looked at Yin Yu with considerable approval.

Being able to see the problem so clearly, and more importantly, being able to articulate it logically, is what makes Chu Ling think highly of his brother-in-law.

Among all the imperial sons-in-law, whether from the reign of Emperor Taizu or Emperor Taizong, Chu Ling valued only these three: Liu Chen, the imperial son-in-law of Wu'an; Luo Zhi, the imperial son-in-law of Yongning; and Yin Yu, the imperial son-in-law of Jinshan. The three had different temperaments and different styles of doing things, but they had one thing in common.

They were not related to royalty.

Rather, it's because they are clear-headed about important matters and can distinguish right from wrong!

The world has no shortage of smart people.

so what?

Those who cannot distinguish right from wrong and repeat the same things regardless of the occasion are unreliable and cannot be trusted.

Unlike Liu Chen's quick wit and Luo Zhi's taciturnity, Yin Yu is somewhere in between, especially in his actions, where he has his own ideas.

If you roughly explain what you want to do to Yin Yu, he will try his best to achieve your desired outcome based on his own understanding and analysis. This is one of the reasons why Chu Ling asked him to take up the post of Minister of State Ceremonies.

"The day after tomorrow, I will hold a grand court session in the Taiji Hall."

Chu Ling put down his teacup and looked at Yin Yu, saying, "As for how to make the arrangements, you should consult with the Commander of the Imperial Guards regarding matters involving the palace, and with the Magistrate of Yudu regarding matters involving Yudu. I want all the civil and military officials, as well as those inside and outside Yudu, to know about the unusual nature of this grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations."

"I accept the decree!"

Yin Yu bowed and said.

"Go ahead."

Seeing that Yin Yu didn't say anything else, Chu Ling then spoke.

"I resign!"

Yin Yu bowed twice.

However, as Yin Yu stepped down, Chu Ling noticed her slightly furrowed brows and knew that Yin Yu was under considerable pressure.

It's no easy task to set everything up in such a short time.

Even so, Yin Yu did not complain, because he knew that whether he could hold the position of Minister of State Affairs was a test he had to pass.

"Eunuch Li."

After leaving the hall, Yin Yu went straight to Li Zhong.

"My Lord."

Li Zhong lowered his head slightly and said.

"Please have Eunuch Li send someone to take me to see Duke Cheng."

Yin Yu raised his hand in a gesture of respect.

"Yes."

Li Zhong avoided Yin Yuxing's greeting and bowed slightly, but in his heart, he couldn't help but think much more highly of this prince consort.

Even under such circumstances, he was still able to consider things so thoroughly. Knowing that someone of his status could not casually meet with the Duke of Cheng, who had just assumed the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards, he sent someone from the Imperial Guards with him. This avoidance of suspicion was done discreetly.

After watching Yin Yu's figure disappear into the night, Li Zhong turned and walked into the hall.

"His Majesty."

Li Zhong bowed in greeting.

"Send someone to convey my imperial edict to the Duke of Pingguo." Chu Ling leaned against the cushion and reached out to Li Zhong, saying, "These next few days, the entire Northern Army will be under martial law and responsible for ensuring the safety of the inner city of Yudu."

"Slave, let's do it now."

Li Zhong hurriedly bowed and said.

"besides."

Chu Ling thought for a moment, then looked at Li Zhong and said, "Tomorrow, you will personally go to Shanglin Garden to deliver an imperial edict to Marquis Chenyang, ordering all units of the Shanglin Army to be on high alert."

"The slaves obey the order."

Li Zhong suppressed his surprise and doubt, and without hesitation bowed in response.

At this moment, Li Zhong couldn't fathom what the Emperor intended to do by ordering Marquis Chenyang to lead the Shanglin Army on guard. However, he knew one thing: Marquis Chenyang was definitely going to do something big.

With this thought in mind, Li Zhong bowed his head and withdrew.

Chu Ling leaned against the soft cushion, looking at the several exam papers laid out in front of her. At this moment, without any hesitation, Chu Ling resolutely picked up an exam paper.

You're the one!

The curtain is about to rise, and someone needs to step up. The person who wrote this exam paper is none other than the first top scholar under the new system of the Great Yu Imperial Examination!