After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

Unfortunately, Shengguo has always governed the country with civil administration, unlike Anguo which values ​​martial arts. Shengguo lost all three martial arts tests, and the defeats were utter and devastating, leaving them with no chance to fight back.

"For the upcoming written examination, is there anyone among you willing to volunteer?" Emperor Sheng asked in a deep voice.

The crowd looked at each other, none of them uttering a word.

Emperor Sheng's expression grew increasingly grim, and his next words were laced with anger: "What's wrong? Weren't you all usually so loud and boisterous, wanting the whole world to know? Why are you all mute now?"

The crowd sensed the anger in Emperor Sheng's words and quickly apologized, kneeling so low they wished they could bury their heads in the ground, barely daring to breathe.

The air was thick with tension!

"Fine," Emperor Sheng's lips twitched. These were his good ministers who usually hailed themselves as pillars of the nation, but when it mattered most, not a single one of them was of any use!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Emperor Sheng's hand had already touched the teacup on the table, and he was about to sweep it to the ground when a gentle yet firm voice came from the corner.

"Your subject is willing to volunteer to compete with Anguo."

The people with their heads down exchanged glances, wondering which audacious, desperate person, driven mad by greed, dared to court death at this moment.

Those who were nearby cursed him under their breath as a madman and quietly moved away.

Emperor Sheng paused, then flipped his wrist to pick up the teacup and said slowly, "Come forward."

A thin young man dressed in a blue official robe stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your subject, Wen Tingzhu, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"It's you."

Emperor Sheng still remembered the top scholar he had chosen. He asked, "You just said that you would volunteer for the written examination in three days?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, though I am not talented, I am willing to do my part for my country. Moreover, I am only a minor official of the sixth rank. If we win, it will be a testament to the grandeur of our great nation, the Celestial Empire. If we lose, it will only be a reflection of my own overestimation of my abilities. I still need to learn from my seniors."

These words made the kneeling crowd feel a little better. That's right, how could they, as the pillars of the state, lose face in front of the Anguo people? If word got out, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Great Sheng?

"Oh, so you're saying you're not very confident about the competition?"

Emperor Sheng spoke these words in a very low, hoarse voice, making it impossible to discern his true emotions.

"There is no first place in literature, and I dare not make such a claim. However, I believe that I still have a good chance of defeating the people of Anguo."

When Wen Tingzhu said this, many people were taken aback. He really dared to say such things!

It should be noted that Anguo has sent three rising literary talents, the Su brothers: Su Zixiu, Su Ziqi, and Su Zizhi. These three brothers are all born of the same mother, are all handsome, and, more importantly, are all highly learned, having been famous since childhood.

"It seems Wen Qing is very confident!"

Emperor Sheng smiled and sighed, then changed the subject: "I wonder if any of my beloved ministers are willing to fight alongside Minister Wen for my Great Sheng?"

As soon as the words were spoken, it was as if some mechanism had been triggered, and the atmosphere that had just eased froze again, with a growing chill in Emperor Sheng's eyes.

A slight noise came from behind, and then someone spoke up: "Your subject, Your subject is willing to go with Lord Wen."

Immediately afterwards, another voice echoed, "Your subject is also willing."

Wen Tingzhu listened to the two voices, his lips twitched slightly, but he eventually calmed down.

"Good, all of you come forward." Emperor Sheng was overjoyed.