The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Luocheng Palace.

As Wu Zetian's imperial carriage landed, she glanced at the procession of tribute scholars in the square in front of the palace, her eyes filled with anticipation.

When the Empress Dowager arrived, the officials, led by the Master of Ceremonies, entered the hall to pay their respects in the order of their ranks, with the Grand Secretary Xing Wenwei at the head, the Prime Minister in front, and the officials behind.

Today was not a formal court assembly. Wu Zetian chatted with her ministers for a while, and the atmosphere was very harmonious with laughter and cheerful conversation.

Shangguan Wan'er reported: "The first person to ascend the throne is Liu Yan from Xuzhou, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the second year of the Tiaolu era, who was once appointed as the magistrate of Jingxing..."

She arranged for those with official experience to enter first, hoping to get off to a good start and make the officials even more eager for what followed.

Wu Zetian nodded: "You've read all the masterpieces, so you must have your own plans. We'll do as you say."

Her smile faded slightly, and she changed the subject:

"However, as you just heard, all of you are eagerly anticipating who will be at the top of the list."

"Go and tell Shen Qing to add a name-calling ceremony, so that everyone can take turns entering the hall to greet each other first."

"I am also very interested to see what kind of talent this young man possesses who can write such magnificent prose!"

The palace examination originally consisted of two steps—

Firstly, the Assistant Minister of Personnel Examination led all the tribute students to an audience outside the palace and recited a prayer.

Secondly, the candidates would ascend the hall in turn, and the Empress Dowager would ask them questions on the spot, while the others would wait outside to avoid missing any questions.

Because the distance from the steps outside the hall is quite far, it's impossible to see people's faces clearly in the first segment. Therefore, Wan'er suggested that Lu Jun make his grand entrance last to buy him some time.

Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager added a step of announcing the names, requiring everyone to enter the hall in the order they were listed...

There's no way I can just pass myself off as someone else.

"Yes," Wan'er replied reluctantly.

She walked out of the main hall, silently praying that Lu Jun was indeed at Lijing Gate...

The sun was already high above the hall, its warm rays shining on her face, yet she felt somewhat stiff and cold.

"I've inexplicably dug myself into a huge hole. I have no relation to this person, so I'd better tell the truth?"

Thinking of the Empress Dowager's impending wrath, and the dark clouds hanging over the grand ceremony, Wan'er sighed softly.

My heart was in my throat.

At this moment, four figures appeared at the palace gate.

Princess Taiping led the way with her head held high, followed by Li Zhaode and Shen Quanqi in turn, and finally a tall, thin young man in plain clothes.

Wan'er thought she was seeing things because the sun was shining too brightly, so she raised her arm to shield her eyes and looked into the distance. Sure enough, it was Lu Jun!

At that moment, I suddenly felt the warmth of the sun.

At the city gate, Lu Jun expressed her gratitude for the tenth time: "Thank you, Princess, Lord Li, and Lord Shen, for saving me..."

Li Lingyue turned around and smiled, "I personally brought you out of prison. Do you thank them as much as you thank me?"

She wore a red dress that resembled the unfolding petals of a peony, delicate and alluring. Her fair face and rosy neck were lightly made up, and her fragrance was intoxicating.

According to custom, the prince consort is supposed to observe a three-year mourning period for the princess, but the princess is only required to observe a one-year mourning period for the prince consort, as the mourning period has already passed.

Actually, Zhou Xing couldn't withstand the pressure and released the person himself. Princess Feng Yan went to the prison gate to pick him up, but she insisted that she had personally brought him. There was nothing she could do.

Lu Jun bowed deeply again in gratitude: "How could I ever forget the princess's great kindness? I will always remember it."

He discovered that Princess Taiping was smarter than he had imagined; although she seemed to act tyrannically, she was actually quite cunning.

In an attempt to save herself, she forced her way into the magistrate's office with her servants and even gave Zhou Xing a hard slap.

Zhou Xing was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, a high-ranking official in one of the Six Ministries. That slap was a blow to the dignity of the Tang Dynasty and the face of the court.

Logically speaking, we shouldn't fight, nor is it necessary.

But she slapped him anyway, shouting, "I want revenge for the death of my husband!"

This makes a lot of sense. Because of this incident, the Empress Dowager felt guilty towards her daughter and wouldn't punish her severely. At most, she would just impose a few days of confinement.

Moreover, she insisted that Zhou Xing was clever in arresting Lu Jun to fabricate charges against her.

Zhou Xing inadvertently created a combo with Lu Jun, which instilled fear in him, leaving him no choice but to release the person.

They not only saved the person, but also vented Lu Jun's anger.

She has already mastered the art of winning people's hearts.

Seeing that Lu Jun remembered her kindness, Li Lingyue's beautiful face relaxed: "That's more like it. You'd better remember what you said!"

Yanran smiled again: "Chu Yu, you look different from what I imagined. You seem somewhat familiar. Feng Yan said you are a handsome man, and it is indeed true."

With just a few words, they quickly built a close relationship.

Having spent ten years in the system, Lu Jun naturally understood the importance of reciprocity:

"Your Highness flatters me. You possess the beauty of the moon, the grace of a beautiful flower, the eyes of autumn water, and the delicate figure of a willow."

"In front of the princess, even the cherry blossoms of Taichu Palace dare not compete and can only wither and fall on their own. How can I, a junior, be worth mentioning?"

They saved me and went to great lengths to win me over; I should take advantage of their generosity.

Come to think of it, the princess didn't look like he had imagined, after all... she was still breastfeeding.

Li Lingyue laughed heartily: "Oh, you're quite the smooth talker! No wonder your writing is so good!"

Li Zhaode and Shen Quanqi exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Young man, you've walked quite a wide path...

As they chatted, they arrived at the line of candidates for the imperial examination. The candidates had long heard of Lu Jun and immediately struck up a conversation.

Lu Jun bowed respectfully, and upon hearing Zhang mention his name, he became exceptionally enthusiastic: "Brother Daoji, I've long admired you!"

"Ah, Brother Chu Yu, I've heard so much about you..." Zhang said, taken aback, and suddenly felt a good impression of the young man.

Shangguan Wan'er didn't step forward to speak, but whispered a few words to Shen Quanqi before following Princess Taiping toward Luocheng Palace.

At this moment, Zhou Xing also entered the Taichu Palace, glaring fiercely at Lu Jun, his eyes burning with intense fire...

The fourth quarter of the hour of Chen (7:45 AM).

Shen Quanqi adjusted his court robes and hat, led the scholars to stand in front of the main hall, shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and recited a long prayer while holding a scroll.

The Empress Dowager summoned him to the palace to announce the names of the successful candidates, who then filed in one by one, starting with the one at the top of the list:

"Lu Jun of Luozhou, courtesy name Chuyu, is from the Lu family of Wujun. He is a student of the Imperial Academy and is eighteen years old this year."

A chorus of exclamations of admiration filled the hall:

"The Lu family of Wu Commandery has produced another outstanding figure!"

"The Examination and Merit Department has examined his family records. He is a descendant of Lu Shiheng, a surviving member of the lineage after the defeat at Qilijian."

"Weren't the brothers Lu Shiheng and Lu Shilong just as spirited and ambitious when they first arrived in Luoyang?"

Historical records state that Lu Shiheng was seven feet tall. If we use today's feet, Lu Chuyu was no less than his grandfather.

"It's quite interesting. Back then, the two Lu brothers, relying on their prestigious families in Jiangnan, were arrogant and only went to pay their respects to Zhang Sikong. Now, another talented person in this imperial examination is named Zhang Yue, who is from the Zhang family of Fanyang and is a descendant of Zhang Sikong."

"What a coincidence! The fact that they both passed the exam today is quite a remarkable story..."

They were talking about the story of the brothers Lu Ji and Lu Yun visiting Zhang Hua in Luoyang during the Taikang era of the Western Jin Dynasty.

Lu Ji's early fame aroused the expectations of many ministers, who wanted to see how Lu Jun would perform in the palace examination.

Since last month, the Prince Li has been stripped of his imperial lineage, and Li Ying can only sit in the third-rank class.

When he saw Lu Jun appear, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for so long, finally settled down, and he secretly glanced at Zhou Xing.

He lowered his head again.

When Wu Zetian finally saw Master Lu Jun, her eyes brightened like newly lit candles, and she nodded repeatedly.

He smiled at the person beside him and said, "Taiping, don't you think..."

He then waved his hand, "Alright, let's not say anything discouraging. Lu Jun lives up to her name; she truly deserves to be from a prestigious family in Jiangnan!"

Lu Jun looked up, somewhat surprised: "The Empress Dowager is so beautiful? She looks much younger than I imagined, only in her early forties..."

Suddenly, she noticed that the female official she had seen before was standing beside the Empress Dowager, gazing intently at her with a captivating look.

"Could it be Shangguan Wan'er who can stand in that position?"

"I said something to her that day, will she hold a grudge...?"

"I need to find an opportunity to apologize..."

Lu Jun dared not look any longer, her thoughts racing as she descended the throne.

Forty-six candidates made their appearances one by one, standing on the steps outside the hall awaiting imperial decree and their responses in court.

The topic was personally drafted by the Empress Dowager, and only she knew about it; even Shangguan Wan'er had not been informed of the topic beforehand.

Liu Yan entered first, and Wu Zetian ordered him to kneel in the center.

"I have three questions for you to answer."

Think carefully before you answer, and strive for brevity.

"First question: What defines a loyal minister?"

He was all smiles, but after asking the question, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and his eyeliner became menacing.

Upon hearing the question, the ministers were secretly alarmed and couldn't help but take a deep breath: "Are we going to go that far?"

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to usurp the throne from the Tang Dynasty, she asked in the palace, "What is the meaning of a loyal minister?"

That's a heart-wrenching question!