Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

The following day, in the Fengtian Hall, the ministers stood on both sides, with three tables placed in the middle.

Mu Zexuan said, "Let them in."

"Summon the students to an audience!" Little Li shouted.

A short while later, Su Mingxuan, Gu Mingxuan, and a man who looked to be in his thirties walked in together.

"This humble subject, Su Mingxuan/Gu Mingxuan/Li Yi, pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Regent! Long live the Regent!"

"flat body"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

When Mu Xinchen saw Gu Mingxuan, he was very surprised. He thought to himself, "Isn't this Princess Ping Le's childhood sweetheart? He is actually a student of the current Academy of Sciences, and he is even among the top three."

When Mu Jinchen heard his name, his gaze unconsciously fell on him and lingered for a while before he said, "As the saying goes, there are three ways to govern a country: reason, force, and benefit. Reason comes first, which is called the way of the king. By following reason, the people will support you, and you can persuade, educate, and inspire them. By restraining yourself and restoring propriety, you can rectify people's hearts, purify customs, and create a civilized society. The way of the king is established because human nature has the potential for goodness, and society is based on cooperation. However, human nature also has the desire to harm others and benefit oneself. Therefore, we must use force to intimidate and guide people with benefits to jointly promote the way of the king. If the way of the king fails, there is the way of the hegemon and the way of the cunning. One prioritizes force, and the other prioritizes benefit. Both of these methods can be effective in governing a country quickly, but they cannot last. In your opinion, what should be the way to govern a country?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them walked to the table, sat down, picked up their pens, and began writing furiously.

An hour later, Little Li shouted, "Time's up!" and the three of them stopped.

Then, Xiao Li went downstairs and handed their answer sheets to Mu Zexuan.

After Mu Zexuan looked at it, he gave it to Mu Jinchen.

When Mu Jinchen saw Gu Mingxuan's article, he couldn't help but look at him, but quickly looked away and said, "Take it and let the other officials take a look."

So, Li Zi took the three answer sheets and distributed them to the ministers.

The ministers praised it highly after reading it, especially Su Mingxuan's, which even Prince Qing and Prince Min could not find fault with.

"What do you gentlemen think?"

Zheng Xiao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said: "I think it is very good, especially Su Mingxuan's article, which is very comprehensive and mature, and feasible."

"I also think that Su Mingxuan's article is good and deserves to be the best."

"I think Li Yi's is better; it is concise, eloquent, and elegant."

"I believe that Gu Mingxuan's work is also excellent, with every word a gem, profound and exquisite."

The officials expressed their opinions and argued endlessly, but Su Jing'an and Song Mingxian stood straight and remained silent.

"What do you think, Lord Su and Lord Song?" Mu Jinchen asked, looking at them.

Upon hearing this, Su Jing'an and Song Mingxian came out.

"I believe that each of the three men's writings has its own merits."

"I also believe that each has its own strengths."

Mu Jinchen didn't make things difficult for them. He looked at Mu Zexuan and asked, "What does Your Majesty think?"

"I believe that the eldest son of the Su family is superior and deserves to be the top scholar."

"In that case, let him be named the top scholar, Li Yi the second-ranked scholar, and Gu Mingxuan the third-ranked scholar."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Regent," the three knelt down in unison to express their gratitude.

"Step down."

"Yes".

Then, the three of them left.

"You may all step down," Mu Zexuan said, then stood up and walked away.

Mu Jinchen followed closely behind.

"Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty, respectfully seeing off the Regent."

After they left, Song Mingxian said to Su Jing'an, "Lord Su, congratulations."

Su Jing'an replied with a smile, "Lord Song, congratulations to you too."

Mu Xinchen walked over and said, "Lord Su, Lord Song, congratulations! You two are very fortunate."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Others also came over and congratulated the two of them.

"Lord Su, congratulations! Your son has achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, truly surpassing his master."

"Lord Su is truly blessed; we are all very envious."

"Lord Su, I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

"You're too kind, Lord Li."

"If you ask me, I think Lord Song had a good eye. He married his daughter into the Su family early on, and now she's the wife of a top scholar."

"Who says it's not?"

"Lord Bai is too kind. My daughter's marriage was arranged by my father. I dare not accept such an honor."

"Young Master Su is indeed worthy of being a student of Grand Tutor Song; he is exceptionally talented and learned."

"It is my son's good fortune to be favored by Grand Tutor Song."

Su Jing'an and Song Mingxian chatted with them for a while longer before making an excuse to leave.

Pinshixuan

Because the business would be opening in a few days, Su Qianrou was a little worried, so she came here to carefully check everything to avoid any oversights.

Lin Xiaoyang and Lin Yulin stayed by her side.

"Don't worry, I've checked everything, there won't be any problems."

"Thank you for your hard work, cousin. Without you, my restaurant wouldn't have been able to open in just three months."

“We’re all family, so it’s too formal to say that. Besides, the Lin family also has a share in this restaurant, so naturally I should do my part.”

"And me too, I put in a lot of effort. I personally supervised the making of all these tables and chairs. So, cousin, are you satisfied?"

"Of course I'm satisfied. It's all thanks to my cousin Yulin. If it weren't for you keeping an eye on things, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to make so many tables and chairs in such a short time, especially this table, which is quite special."

"You're too kind, cousin. It's all I should do."

Su Qianrou and Lin Xiaoyang smiled but didn't say anything.

The three of them then went up to the second floor. As they were walking, they suddenly heard Li An's voice from downstairs, "Miss, Miss, Young Master, Young Master has become the top scholar in the imperial examination."

Upon hearing this, Su Qianrou quickly walked to the fence, looked at him, and said, "What did you say? Say it again."

Ang Lee excitedly said, "Miss, the young master has become the top scholar in the imperial examination."

"You mean, my older brother became the top scholar in the imperial examination."

"Yes, and there's also Young Master Gu, who is a third-place scholar in the imperial examination."

Su Qianrou was overjoyed, extremely happy.

“I knew it, Mingxuan would definitely be able to do it,” he said, then added, “No, I have to tell my grandparents this good news first.” After saying that, Lin Yulin quickly ran downstairs.

Lin Xiaoyang looked at him helplessly, but didn't say anything. After all, he was also happy for Su Mingxuan.

"Big cousin, I'll head back now. I'll leave things here to you."

"Go ahead and have a good celebration with your aunt and the others."

"Okay, I'll be going now. You should go home early too."

"it is good".

Then, Su Qianrou couldn't wait to go downstairs.