The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Wu Chengsi had a tall and straight figure, clear and bright eyes, and a purple robe and jade belt that accentuated his noble demeanor.

The Wu family were all good-looking. The Empress Dowager was a given, Wu Sansi was a handsome man, and the next generation, Wu Chongxun and Wu Yanxiu, were even more dashing and debonair.

But at this moment, the prime minister under the corridor of the capital raised his head, his eyes slanted upwards, and a fierce and aggressive look appeared on his face.

Xing Wenwei, Su Liangsi, and the others were puzzled when he questioned Lu Jun's background, and they all looked at him blankly.

Among the candidates, several people began to discuss:

"I heard that after Lu Shiheng's defeat at Qilijian, his entire clan was exterminated. How could he have any descendants left?"

"Recently, there have been many cases of forged genealogies. Anyone with the surname Lu is said to be from Wu County. Since it's far from our hometown, who's going to bother to verify it?"

"I remember that during the Zhenguan era, the selection of officials still followed the old system, either based on family background or recommendation by famous scholars. As a result, many people forged their genealogies and were exiled by Emperor Taizong one by one..."

"That's right. If it weren't for Dai Zhou, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, advising them according to the law, Emperor Taizong would have executed them!"

"Of the eight branches of the Lu family, only the Dantu branch and the Taiwei branch have produced notable individuals in this dynasty. Who has ever heard of any descendants of Lu Shiheng?"

"That's most likely a fake..."

Lu Jun turned her head and saw the same group of people who had been coldly watching her earlier, led by Wang Gou and Wen Tui.

He immediately realized that Wu Chengsi had not only hosted a banquet for him yesterday, but these people who were singing in unison were mostly his retainers.

"My lord, I have a family genealogy, belonging to the Jiangling branch, which can be traced back sixteen generations. My distant ancestor was indeed..."

Before he could finish explaining, Wu Chengsi interrupted him: "Step down! I was just saying it; investigation is not my duty."

He raised his hand and said to Zhang, "Continue with stating your name."

This effectively shut Lu Jun up.

Lu Jun knew that he was intentionally suppressing him to avenge yesterday's grievances. This man's temper was indeed ridiculously petty. No wonder he didn't become the crown prince and died of anger.

"My distant ancestor was indeed the Prefect of Pingyuan, General of the Rear, and Grand Commander of Hebei during the Western Jin Dynasty..."

You tell me not to say it, but I'm going to say it anyway.

Lu Jun continued to recite his family genealogy, even listing Lu Ji's official positions and titles, to prove his innocence.

"Step back!" Wu Chengsi shouted.

His sleeves billowed high, his shoulders and back straightened instantly, and his long eyes blazed with fury, his aura menacing.

It was morning, and a cool breeze was blowing under the eaves, but the other prime ministers felt scorching hot beside them, as if they were being roasted with charcoal.

Shen Quanqi was secretly anxious when he saw that the process had been disrupted and that Lu Jun had been humiliated by Wu Chengsi on the spot. However, he was helpless.

The other candidates were already nervous, and seeing the prime minister's stern expression, many of them immediately lowered their heads.

Wu Chengsi lowered his arm and pointed at Zhang, saying, "Next, continue! Why aren't you saying anything?"

Zhang Shuo bowed deeply: "My lord, Lu Chuyu is reciting the name of our ancestor; it is proper not to interrupt."

Righteous!

A sudden surge of respect rose in Lu Jun's heart.

No wonder later generations praised Zhang Yue for "being upright and honorable, and deeply devoted to the principles of loyalty between ruler and subject and friendship"—his reputation was well-deserved!

Lu Jun turned and bowed deeply to him, then rose and raised her head, speaking in a stern and clear voice to the people under the eaves:

"My ancestor was Lu Shiheng, the Prefect of Pingyuan, General of the Rear, Grand Governor of Hebei, and Marquis of Guanzhong during the Western Jin Dynasty."

"Our fourteenth generation ancestor once went to Wu County and checked with other branches of the family in the village. The elders and servants served as witnesses, and the family seal was drawn on the document."

"Passed down through generations to the present day, these seals belong to the Jin, Jie Zhao, Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Sui, and Tang dynasties."

"The ancestral genealogy must not be dishonored by a younger generation!"

He recited his name and lineage in one breath, his tall and proud figure like a pine tree, his face radiating righteousness.

The other prime ministers, seeing this, secretly praised, "This is the true demeanor of a noble family; Lu Chuyu is worthy of her lineage!"

He also greatly admired Zhang Yue: "The descendants of the Zhang family of Fanyang possess extraordinary courage and strategic acumen!"

Even Wu Youning nodded quietly, thinking her cousin was being petty: "Why bother with a teenager..."

Shen Quanqi and the other candidates admired Lu Jun and Zhang Shuo greatly, but were also secretly worried about them. They kept their heads down and glanced at Wu Chengsi out of the corner of their eyes to see his reaction.

When Wu Chengsi was confronted by the two scholars, a ball of heaven-devouring fire shot up to his head!

Just as he was about to rebuke the young man for his rudeness, Xing Wenwei suddenly spoke up: "Since it has a clan seal, it must be genuine."

Cen Changqian and Fan Libing refrained from saying anything out of consideration for Wu Chengsi, but he was very outspoken and dared to speak his mind.

Su Liangsi laughed and said, "The top scholar debated with the prime minister in the palace examination yesterday, and he has come again today. I'm afraid the Empress Dowager will still award him first place."

This was an attempt to smooth things over, and also a reminder to Wu Chengsi...

Zhang's reasoning was quite sound: a scholar can be killed but not humiliated; interrupting someone to mention their ancestral names was indeed an impolite act.

Forcibly suppressing it would appear rude and petty, and would give one a bad reputation.

Moreover, Lu Jun was the top scholar chosen by the Empress Dowager, and was even summoned after the palace examination. Even if he made a fuss, he might not win.

Upon hearing Xing Wenwei and Su Liangsi's words, Wu Chengsi glared angrily at Lu Jun and gave a soft snort.

With a dark expression, he turned his head away and stopped talking.

After the court session ended, the prime minister returned to the Hall of State Affairs. Shen Quanqi finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to Lu Jun and Zhang Shuo with a smile, "You haven't even taken office yet, but your reputations are already spreading!"

His classmates bowed and said, "Brother Chu Yu and Brother Dao Ji are not afraid of the prime minister; we are honored to share in their glory..."

The scholars of the Tang Dynasty possessed a strong sense of pride, and even when facing the emperor and nobles, many still upheld morality.

According to the order of the results, they already considered Lu Jun the best, and now they were even more willing to befriend him.

Wang Gou, Wen Tui, and the others who had been speaking sarcastically remained silent, huddled together, and looked disdainful.

After paying their respects to the prime minister, the clerk led the way to the Secretariat to meet the Palace Attendants, with Lu Jun still in the lead.

The Imperial Attendants were the emperor's literary advisors, who were usually interested in the imperial examinations that admitted candidates based on their writing, or the special examinations named after "elegant writing," "magnificent prose," or "erudite and eloquent words." This year's examination was for candidates "capable of governing the country," which was supposed to be just a formality.

However, the situation is somewhat strange.

After Lu Jun introduced himself, Zhang Jiafu, the attendant, suddenly asked, "Young Master Lu, do you have any fine poems or essays? Could you try reciting one?"

It sounds like he's being made to publicly read out his best work and be publicly executed.

Zhang Jiafu later became prime minister, and Lu Jun still remembered him.

This person first curried favor with Wu Chengsi, then with Empress Wei, and persisted in being a lackey for twenty years, which can be considered to be consistent from beginning to end.

It seems they're targeting me too...

"My writing skills are lacking, and I dare not embarrass myself before you," Lu Jun politely declined.

There are certainly many excellent works, but the Tang Dynasty had a vast number of poets, as brilliant as the Milky Way, immortal for a thousand years.

At this point, one can neither be rich nor noble...

I wouldn't even be a dog.

"With such poor writing, how could this essay possibly deserve first place? Never mind, did anyone else produce a good piece?"

Zhang Jiafu shook his head repeatedly, bypassed Lu Jun, and asked the candidates standing in the back row a question.

Wang Gou, Wen Tui, and others immediately took out scrolls of paper from their pockets and eagerly presented them. Zhang Jiafu took them, unfolded them one by one, and read and commented on them on the spot:

"Hmm, not bad. The language is beautiful and the writing is fluent. How could such writing not be rated as second-class?"

"Spanning several hundred words, meticulously crafted and with refined rhyme, it possesses the elegant style reminiscent of the Southern Dynasties..."

"Exquisitely crafted, yet retaining a fresh and natural feel, quite reminiscent of Xie Kangle's style..."

Shen Quanqi, a master of poetry and prose, chuckled inwardly: "These are considered masterpieces? Is Zhang Sheren just putting on a show?"

Knowing that Lu Jun excelled in policy discussions but lacked literary talent, they deliberately embarrassed him in public to dampen his spirits.

Sure enough, after Zhang Jiafu finished his comments, he shook his head at the other five students: "Your words are unrefined; you don't deserve to be the top scholar..."

Fine, I'll put up with you.

Questioning genealogies is very damaging because forgery violates the law and will be ridiculed; therefore, it must be refuted.

Questioning my writing skills... whatever, I'm not on that difficult path anyway.

A poet wouldn't even be a dog.

Lu Jun ignored it, silently completed the procedures, and then returned to Wenchangtai in the East City to thank Shen Quanqi, which was called expressing gratitude.

At that time, the custom of the chief examiner being the host and the successful candidate being the student had not yet been formed. The real host was a noble relative who made a request. The Assistant Minister of Personnel, a mere sixth-rank official, could not usually determine the order of admission and was not in a position to be the host.

It wasn't until the Kaiyuan era, when the influence of the Vice Minister of Rites in charge of the imperial examinations weakened, that the host became important.

Therefore, expressing gratitude is just a simple procedure.

Lu Jun was grateful to Shen Quanqi and thanked him sincerely, speaking at length.

During the preliminary examination, Shen Quanqi selected his essay on the spot and reported it directly to the Empress Dowager, which made his path so smooth.

On the day of the palace examination, someone was sent to Chengjun Academy to question him, guessed his whereabouts, and risked going to the prison to rescue him.

They have shown me both kindness and a life-saving grace; they are not merely a simple examiner, and I must express my sincere gratitude.

Seeing this, the other candidates also put in their best effort, trying to use all their eloquence to speak for as long as possible and prolong the duration.

The thank-you ceremony has never been this complicated...

This part is open to the public, and in previous years, high-ranking officials and nobles would often come to observe and admire the demeanor of the newly appointed candidates.

This imperial examination was unprecedented in scale, and the Empress Dowager personally conducted the palace examination, selecting many outstanding talents. As a result, hundreds of officials came to watch, expressing their admiration for Shen Quanqi.

"Tsk tsk, the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel Examination has always been prestigious and respectable, but none have achieved the same level of popularity as this year!"

"Shen Gong is truly fortunate; this year's imperial examination has produced a great talent, and they will surely remember his kindness in the future..."

"This top scholar is said to be exceptionally eloquent, answering questions fluently during the palace examination, even the prime minister couldn't refute him, yet he is so grateful to Lord Shen; he is truly a man of great loyalty and righteousness!"

"I also want to transfer to the Performance Evaluation Department and try my luck as a Vice Minister. This scarlet robe is not as good as mentoring my students..."

"Indeed, official careers are subject to change. If one takes on many protégés, there will always be support and assistance from the court, which will also benefit one's descendants..."

Hearing the discussion, Shen Quanqi felt incredibly proud.

He stroked his long beard frequently with joy, his white face shining brightly like the sun.

As the event ended, he took Lu Jun's arm and said, "Chu Yu, come visit my humble abode in Gong'an Lane sometime, let's catch up on our shared hometown."

He was from the Shen family of Wuxing. Wuxing and the Lu family's ancestral home, Wu County, are not far apart, so he claimed to be from the same hometown.

Suddenly lowering his voice:

"Chu Yu, be careful that someone doesn't try to trip you up when we meet."

"Just now in the Imperial Academy, Cui Xuanwei told me that the Duke of Zhou had privately discussed something with Zhang, the Imperial Academy official."

"Zhang Sheren then instructed the minor official on something, and Lord Cui overheard words like 'meeting at the appointed time' and 'making a fool of oneself.'"

"Most likely, they're here for Chu Yu!"