The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

"Huh, they're really letting me go?"

"Aren't you going to run? Or wait to be given a one-stop service?"

After finding a comfortable environment and having a good meal, Lu Jun's efficiency returned to normal, and she completed her essay in one go.

He finished writing smoothly by the end of the Wei hour, and when he told his maid that he wanted to leave, he found that no one was stopping him.

The female official didn't come again during that time. Shen Quanqi came once and told him that he could leave his answer sheet after he finished writing it, and he would collect it himself, so there was no need to worry.

The examiner said so, so everything should be fine.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching her, Lu Jun slipped away from Taichu Palace with her head down.

Since there was only one question in the exam, most of the candidates had already handed in their papers, and they didn't see many people on their way out of the capital.

Outside the city, it was bustling with activity, as many people gathered on both sides of Duanmen Gate to look at the notices that had just been posted on the city wall.

Lu Jun also walked over quickly. This body was over six feet tall, so she didn't need to squeeze to the front to see it clearly.

"The results will be announced on the 28th of the second month. Those who pass the exam will enter the Duanmen Gate at 4:45 AM that day with their documents, and the Empress Dowager will personally administer the results in the Luocheng Palace..."

It turns out the results will be released four days later.

Lu Jun suddenly felt a long-lost sense of nervousness. She had taken the college entrance examination, the postgraduate entrance examination, and the civil service examination once each, and even though she knew her results should be pretty good, she still couldn't help feeling uneasy.

In later generations, with well-developed examination systems, fairness in written examinations is not a concern; however, in this era, it's much harder to say...

"Brother Bowen, do you know how many people were on the undergraduate admission list? And how many were ultimately admitted?"

"In the past, Class B was considered the best, and there were only a handful of people in that class. Class C and Class D were more numerous, totaling about thirty to fifty people."

"Selecting thirty to fifty people out of ten thousand? That's incredibly difficult! Looks like I'll fail again in four days..."

"Why wait four days to find out whether you've failed or not? Brother Zihan, have you circulated your papers among officials and scholars?"

"I once paid a visit to the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but I wonder if it was of any use?"

"I'm afraid Vice Minister Wei isn't influential enough... I've heard that someone has gotten close to Minister Xia, that would be much more effective!"

As soon as Lu Jun left the crowd, she heard several people talking behind her, seemingly discussing the request.

Since the Empress Dowager assumed power, she has ordered people throughout the land to recommend virtuous and talented individuals, leading to a widespread practice of visiting high-ranking officials and famous scholars in exchange for recommendations.

It is called a request.

In order to demonstrate their talent during a visit, they would present their previous works to the recipient, a practice known as "presenting a scroll".

Those with connections usually make arrangements with princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials before the exam and have their papers reviewed.

Even if you write exceptionally well, those without connections may not be accepted.

Lu Jun slowed down as she listened to the people behind her talking about the matter, wanting to hear what they knew.

hiss--

Several people exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"The Minister of War is the Empress Dowager's own nephew, yet he has managed to gain entry into her family. How can anyone compare!"

"To ensure passing the imperial examination now, one must either visit the Grand Councilor, the Left Chancellor of the Ministry of Personnel, the Minister of War, or the Director of the Palace Secretariat, or go to the residence of Princess Taiping. Other options are uncertain."

"Brother Bowen, these men are either surnamed Wu or Li; how could we, from humble backgrounds, possibly be worthy of their status!"

"Not necessarily. Princess Taiping has been widowed for over a year and is still young. Brother Zihan is handsome and might be worth a try."

"That makes sense. It's said that the princess has recently shaken off her gloom and is now treating scholars with respect, and her household is gradually becoming more lively."

"Hahaha……"

Laughter rang out, but soon subsided.

Lu Jun looked back and saw that the group of people had already headed east, not going in the same direction as her.

They mentioned several people: Princess Taiping goes without saying, but the Grand Councilor, the Left Chancellor of the Ministry of Rites, the Minister of War, and the Director of the Palace Secretariat all had the surname Wu and were the Empress Dowager's nephews.

The Grand Councilor was Wu Youning, and the Left Chancellor of the Ministry of Rites was Wu Chengsi; both of them now hold the position of Grand Councilor.

The Minister of War was Wu Sansi, and the Director of the Palace Secretariat was Wu Yizong, both high-ranking officials in the court.

Lu Jun was initially quite confident due to the Empress Dowager's preferential treatment, but upon hearing that someone had made a request to Wu Sansi, she became worried again.

"In this day and age, talent alone is not enough."

"A good family background is everything..."

"Will the Empress Dowager see my exam paper...?"

"Shen Quanqi has stopped following the updates. Is it because he thinks the later chapters aren't good enough and doesn't plan to recommend them anymore...?"

He crossed the Tianjin Bridge, lost in thought the whole way, and made his way back to Zhengpingfang before curfew.

Willow catkins filled the city like flying snow, and the sunset painted the Shangyang Palace with colorful clouds. Spring was in full bloom, but he had no time to appreciate it.

The western half of Zhengpingfang was the residence of Princess Taiping. He didn't stop there, but went directly around to the southeast corner and entered Chengjunjian.

Since the Yongchun era of Emperor Gaozong, the court has not valued classical studies, and Chengjun Academy has long lost the prosperity it enjoyed during the reign of Emperor Taizong. The number of students has decreased sharply, and there are no great Confucian scholars among the academic officials.

This was a good thing for Lu Jun, because there were plenty of dorm rooms available, with four people per room, and they were not even full.

He had only two roommates, one named Cui Jing and the other named Lu Yuan, both from prominent families in Hebei.

The two of them were reading by the window with serious expressions, but when they saw him return with a worried look on his face, they were immediately overjoyed.

I'm even happier than during Chinese New Year.

Cui Jing asked with a smile, "Brother Chu Yu, how did you do on the questions? How many policy questions were there in this year's imperial examination?"

"Just one question, about border affairs. I answered it so-so, anyway, I filled it all out." Lu Jun casually replied.

In his memory, the original owner had an ordinary relationship with his roommates, and recently the two of them have been treating him like a stranger.

It was for the purpose of resolving the legal issues.

In fact, the original owner was still studying the classic text "Zuo Zhuan" and had not yet graduated, so he should not have been able to participate in the imperial examination.

But it was because he was recommended that the Chief Minister of State summoned him over and presented him with a petition.

Although the original owner's grades were slightly better than her roommate's, they were still limited, and this treatment made Cui Jing and Lu Yuan extremely envious.

They came from families forbidden from marrying into the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, and they didn't even respect the prominent families of Guanzhong, such as Wei, Du, Pei, Yang, Xue, and Liu, let alone a son of a declining Jiangnan gentry family.

They're not happy about being overshadowed!

Seeing that Lu Jun was in a bad mood, they smiled brightly.

Cui Jing then asked, "Brother Chu Yu, you've already passed the imperial examination with flying colors. You don't need to attend class tomorrow, right?"

Lu Yuan chimed in, "That's right, we still have to deal with the ten-day and monthly exams, so Brother Chu Yu has it easy!"

Cui Jing said, "Brother Chu Yu is determined to succeed, so I imagine he has something to ask of you. May I ask which high-ranking official this is, and if you could introduce us?"

Lu Yuan clicked his tongue: "Brother Chu Yu has gained the favor of the Grand Master of Ceremonies. The Grand Master of Ceremonies is the Prince of Nan'an. Can we possibly meet him, a member of the imperial family?"

"The Tian family? Aren't the Tian family members surnamed Wu Yao?" Cui Jing asked, feigning surprise.

The two of them then burst into laughter.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies was named Li Ying. He was the grandson of Emperor Gaozu and the son of Prince Mi, Li Yuanxiao. He was enfeoffed as the Prince of Nan'an. Everyone could see that the Li clan was in a precarious state. Cui Jing and Lu Yuan resented that he had not issued a decree of release to them, so they made sarcastic remarks.

"What is the imperial family name? You two elder brothers have already decided?" Lu Jun smiled slightly.

Cui and Lu immediately shut their mouths.

Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he dared not say another word.

Just as he was gritting his teeth, a voice rang out from outside the dormitory: "May I ask, is Lu Chuyu, my beloved Lu Lang, here?"

The voice was slightly high-pitched and sounded unfamiliar, unlike someone from Sungkyunkwan Prison.

The dormitories of Sungkyunkwan Academy were guarded, and unless one was an academic official or had someone to guide them, one should not be able to enter.

Lu Jun walked to the door and saw a middle-aged man with a dark blue silk shirt, a black silk turban, and a white face without a beard, whom she did not recognize.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "My name is Lu Jun. May I ask what brings you here, sir?"

The other party is an official, so we should be more polite.

Cui Jing and Lu Yuan peeked out the window and, upon seeing the man's clothes, immediately sat up straight and stared intently at him.

The middle-aged man sized Lu Jun up and down, then said with a smile, "Young Master Lu is indeed a handsome man!"

He crossed his hands and bowed in return: "I am Feng Yan, a servant of Princess Taiping. I have come to pay my respects to Young Master Lu on the princess's orders."

"Ah? How could the princess know her..." Lu Jun was taken aback, and swallowed her words halfway through.

No need to ask, it's obvious they have informants.

A year and a half ago, King Li Zhen of Yue and his son rebelled against Wu Zetian. Prince Consort Xue Shao was implicated because his elder brother was involved, and was imprisoned and starved to death.

It seems that Princess Taiping has changed since losing her husband and is now paying more attention to court affairs and politics.

Thinking of how her writing had won the favor of the Empress Dowager and the Princess, Lu Jun's heart was filled with ripples, like spring water just beginning to melt.

Feng Yanzhi stood up and took Lu Jun's hand: "The princess has always been fond of literature and respectful of talented people. She has heard that Young Master Lu is exceptionally talented and insightful, and she admires him greatly!"

Then, he waved behind him.

Two young servants entered the courtyard, each carrying a stack of raw silk, and stood behind Feng Yan.

Feng Yan said, "Here are twenty bolts of silk, a gift from the princess. Please accept them, Mr. Lu."

A bolt of raw silk is four zhang long, one chi and eight cun wide, and weighs ten liang. Two servants each carry ten bolts.

Based on current market prices in Shendu, it would be worth approximately seven thousand coins, enough to buy nearly two hundred bushels of rice.

Luozhou is a narrow town. After the original owner's parents passed away, they only left about twenty acres of land in Luhun, which were cultivated by the old servant.

The old servant lived frugally, and after selling all the millet each year, he could barely spare three or four thousand coins to buy paper and books.

They don't even have money to make friends.

These twenty bolts of silk are equivalent to his income for two years.

Cui Jing and Lu Yuan saw through the window that drool was dripping down their chins and onto the books.

What he coveted wasn't the silk, but the princess's favor.

The good old days of aristocratic families relying on their family background and passing the imperial examinations to become officials are long gone. If they fail the imperial examinations, each generation will be worse than the last. Therefore, they all come to the Imperial Academy to study.

The purpose was that it was easier to obtain a certificate of merit at the Imperial Academy, and sometimes, by a stroke of luck, one could even become a junior official and secure a place in the imperial academy.

However, without the recommendation of a noble relative, even if one takes the exam, one may not pass, and even if one passes, one may not be granted an official position.

Since Pei Xingjian established the "List of Long-Term Names," it has been impossible to enter the selection process without holding the position for four or five years.

Unless one achieves a high score in the imperial examinations, or through a successful request.

The silk sent by Princess Taiping was actually an invitation to enter the princess's residence and become her retainer.

In Cui Jing and Lu Yuan's view, it was worth as much as a room full of gold, and anyone who didn't accept it was definitely out of their mind.

Lu Jun raised her right arm and pointed towards the courtyard gate:

"I am deeply honored by the princess's gift."

"However, I regret that I cannot accept this!"

"Please take it back!"