Zuo Xiang Yu Yiping also put down the teacup in his hand at this time. Although he didn't look at Su Qing again, his expression looked a little moved.
Su Qing saluted again to show respect for Prince Lin Tianrong.
"Going back to Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Palace Examination is the most important grand ceremony of the Great Xia Dynasty. If the military examination can be held in the Southern Mountains, firstly, it can show our Great Xia Dynasty's trust in the Southern Mountains and try again. More importantly, We can use this to explore the attitude of the Southern Mountains towards the Great Xia Dynasty, and even if the Southern Mountains have objections, they will never dare to openly disobey. This is the first step to relieve the saint's worries." Su Qing finished his work. After the ceremony, he did not delay any more and said directly.
Prince Lin Tianrong nodded slightly when he heard Su Qing's words.
"The Imperial Examination is the best opportunity to show off the great strength of our Great Xia Dynasty. Countless talents have entered the Southern Mountains. This is a shock. The art of war is clear. It is the best strategy to conquer the enemy without fighting! If we can allow When the Southern Mountains see the national strength of our Great Xia Dynasty, they will definitely think twice before taking action! This is the second best, Anbang!" Su Qing continued.
"Okay! With these two gains, this plan is feasible. I dare to ask Mr. Su, what about the third and fourth gains?" Prince Lin Tianrong couldn't sit still after hearing this.
"This third achievement is closely related to the second achievement. To shock the Southern Mountains, the candidates taking the test alone are not enough. Therefore, we have to borrow the power of the military sect to coordinate the general sect's drills with the martial arts test. Combine and mobilize troops into the Nanyu Mountains, so that even if Nanyu Mountain wants to oppose it, it will be impossible!"
"Indeed, if troops are mobilized into the Southern Mountains just for military exercises, although the Southern Mountains would not dare to object, it would always be suspected of being deliberately shocking. However, according to the actual rules of the palace examination, the candidates who take the examination will be allowed to We bring troops to enter the country, but it is in line with the friendship between the two countries!" Prince Lin Tianrong thought for a moment and nodded again.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's gaze is as bright as a torch, and I feel ashamed. In this way, according to the rules of previous palace examinations, His Highness the Crown Prince is qualified to participate in the palace examinations and share the worries of the Holy One. Since the Holy One is in charge of the capital, it is impossible for him to enter the Southern Mountains in person. So, the Crown Prince His Highness will be able to take advantage of the situation and become the main organizer of the martial arts test. On the contrary, Prince Duan will assist from the side, and the military drill will also be led by His Highness the Crown Prince, then... "
"Okay, very good! Let's talk about this last achievement!"
"The last solution is to kill someone with a borrowed knife. Duan Wangsu and Fang Zhengzheng are not on good terms, so His Highness the Crown Prince only needs to make some small plans. I thought, how could Prince Duan let go of such a God-given opportunity?" Su Qing said this and said: Kneel down respectfully.
"Master Su, please wake up! That's right. The location of the martial arts test is in the Southern Mountains, and there are military sects participating. As long as this prince pretends to be invisible when he writes, the sixth brother will never let go of such a huge opportunity, haha Haha... Okay, okay, Prime Minister Zuo and the ministers have any different opinions on Mr. Su's proposal?" Prince Lin Tianrong raised his hand and looked extremely satisfied.
"Master Su has profound wisdom, and I have no different views!" At this time, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping also stood up from his chair and bowed respectfully to His Highness the Crown Prince.
The other courtiers looked at each other one by one. They all nodded, they were not stupid, Su Qing's plan was indeed very good, and Prince Lin Tianrong and Zuo Xiang Yu Yiping agreed. How dare they have any other opinions.
"Okay, then follow Master Su's plan!"
…
It's late at night and people are quiet.
In a hidden secret room in Prince Duan's Mansion.
A young man wearing the casual clothes of a palace guard stood respectfully in the middle, and above him sat Prince Duan Lin Xinjue, dressed in rich clothes.
To the left and right of Duan Wang Lin Xinjue were Mr. Hua, dressed as a scholar, and Mr. Wen, dressed in a black and white Taoist robe.
"According to His Highness's instructions. I have presented my strategy to the Crown Prince in public today. Judging from the Crown Prince's expression, I think he agrees with it very much!" After speaking, the young man in casual clothes of the guard slowly raised his head.
It was Su Qing, the fourth-grade courtier who was in the Prince's Mansion in the East Palace during the day.
"Well, it was done well!" Duan Wang Lin Xinjue also smiled when he heard Su Qing's words.
"Your Highness, Su Qing's suggestion this time should be the first contribution!" Mr. Hua stood up at this time, walked in front of Su Qing, and helped Su Qing sit down on the chair next to him.
"Thank you, Mr. Hua. However, the matter is not over yet. It is too early to ask for credit now. I have already brought the crown prince's reward. Please take it back!" Su Qing saluted Mr. Hua, and then Then he turned to Duan Wang Lin Xinjue and said sincerely.
"Hahaha... Mr. Su is willing to take such a risk this time and successfully hide it from the left prime minister. You can take the reward from the prince yourself. In addition, I have an east pearl here, which is a tribute from the country. I’ll give it to you!” Prince Duan Lin Xinjue waved his hand generously, and a round bead as bright as a star was thrown out.
"Thank you, His Highness Prince Duan!" Su Qing immediately kowtowed.
"Your Highness, everything is ready now. Just waiting for the palace examination to come, my subordinates will set off to the Southern Mountains overnight to prepare!" Mr. Wen also stood up at this time.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Wen. Only Mr. Wen can control the Southern Mountains. Whether this plan can succeed or not depends entirely on Mr. Wen!" Duan Wang Lin Xinjue saw Mr. Wen getting up and stood up too. He stood up and saluted Mr. Wen.
"Your Highness is serious! I resign!"
"Mr. Wen, it's a little dark outside, let me take you out!" When Mr. Wen turned around, Mr. Hua also stood up and walked to Mr. Wen's side.
"Okay!" Mr. Wen glanced at Mr. Hua beside him and nodded.
…
The Double Ninth Festival, also known as the Double Ninth Festival, the Autumn Festival, and the "Autumn Festival", is one of the four most important ancestor worship festivals in the Great Xia Dynasty. It includes activities such as traveling to appreciate the autumn, climbing high to overlook, viewing chrysanthemums, and planting dogwood trees. .
This year's Double Ninth Festival in the Daxia Dynasty has another more important meaning.
The sun is shining brightly.
In the square at the east gate of the imperial city, the autumn mood is refreshing. Golden chrysanthemums are placed around it. In the middle, a huge high platform is built, covered with bright red silk cloth, which looks festive and noble. .
Rows of guards wearing golden armor stood around the square with solemn expressions. The civilians who were watching in circles stretched their necks and kept jumping behind the guards.
On the high platform.
With the Queen headed by the Holy Lord Lin Mubai, all the princes stood up to worship.
As one of the grandest festivals, the etiquette of the Double Ninth Festival is complicated, but an hour has passed from early morning to now, and the required etiquette is almost the same.
After the Holy Master Lin Mubai spilled the glass of wine in his hand on the ground, the ancestor worship on the Double Ninth Festival was officially completed.
The sun shines brighter and brighter.
but. But not one of the civil and military officials and princes left, because besides worshiping ancestors, there was another important thing today. It is the day when the preliminary examination for the imperial examination and the re-examination for the imperial examination start.
There are certain reasons why the preliminary examination is scheduled after the Double Ninth Festival. First, it is to commend the ancestors for their merits. Let the candidates who participated in the palace examination be baptized so that they can be more loyal to the emperor and the country in the future. Secondly, because the martial arts test of the last imperial examination was unexpectedly interrupted, it would be inconvenient to hold a re-examination specially.
Because of this, the re-examination of the imperial examination was renamed the pre-examination of the palace examination, and it was set after the Double Ninth Festival. It was declared to be an event of the Double Ninth Festival.
Letting talented people compete in front of their ancestors to show their strength is also a kind of etiquette to pay tribute to their ancestors.
A gong sounded.
The preliminary examination for the palace examination officially began.
Because of the accident in the last imperial examination, there were only a dozen or so talented people who actually survived. So, it's not too complicated.
The rules are also very simple. The order of the competition is determined by drawing lots.
Not long after, names appeared on the list, including Fang Zhengzheng, Yan Xiu and others. In addition, there were Xing Qingsui, Nangong Mu and so on.
only…
But there is no Qingyang.
Pingyang, who was dressed in a golden-red dress, sat on the right hand side of the Holy Master Lin Mubai. Her pink lips pouted vigorously, obviously very unhappy.
But the civil and military officials sitting below were not surprised by this result.
after all. Everyone knows in their hearts that Qingyang is Pingyang.
However, this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that Pingyang just ran out of Yanjing City a few months ago carrying the Holy Master on his back. Being able to avoid scolding is already a great favor.
How can we let Pingyang continue to mess around in the palace examination
The competition in the preliminaries of the palace examination was based on the rankings entered in the Holy Sky World last time. At that time, most people only entered the third round.
Only Nangong Mu, Xing Qing Suihe and Fang Zhengzheng can be considered as candidates who have truly entered the fourth round.
So, in the first round of testing. These three names are also listed out and directly included in the second round of trials to show fairness.
Every candidate is ready.
but…
To the surprise of the civil and military officials, there were Nangong Mu, Xing Qingsui, and Yan Xiu on the candidates' seats, but there was no Fang Zhengzheng.
Ten days ago, Fang Zhengzheng's defeat of Yuwen Gu in Donglin City had long been spread in the Great Xia Dynasty, and the journey from Donglin City to Yanjing City logically only took seven days.
But the fact is that Fang Zhengzheng did not show up, and there was not even any news that Fang Zhengzheng entered Yanjing City.
late? !
This is definitely something that civil and military officials dare not think about. After all, this is the preliminary test for the palace examination. Throughout the ages, the palace examination has been the most important ceremony for the dynasty, and it is also the most important thing in the hearts of talented people from all walks of life.
Where is the precedent for being late
"Such behavior is simply a disgrace to men of letters!"
"More than just a shame, I think this Fang Zhengzheng is so arrogant that he despises the imperial examination, right?"
"There are an unprecedented number of people participating in the palace examination this time. I guess Fang Zhengzheng abstained on purpose, right? But no matter what, if he doesn't show up when it's his turn, he should be considered a loser!"
"Although according to his ranking, even if he abstains, he can still be regarded as passing the preliminary examination of the imperial examination. However, it seems that he cannot be ranked among the top three in the imperial examination."
"It seems that the top three candidates in this imperial examination will be Xing Qingsui, Nangong Mu and Yan Xiu."
"Yan Xiu has just entered the Amaterasu realm not long ago. Although he ranked second in the literary test, he still needs some luck to get into the forefront in the martial arts test."
"I'm afraid Yan Xiu's luck is not good!"
There were low voices of discussion below.
In fact, Yan Xiu's luck was really not very good. Although he was not competing against Xing Qing Sui and Nangong Mu, he was the strongest among the remaining candidates.
A middle-aged man who is close to forty years old and has already entered the middle stage of Amaterasu.
"The third game, Yan Xiu versus Chen Yuanfang!"
After two games, a voice finally sounded.
Everyone's eyes were immediately focused on Yan Xiu, who was sitting in the examinee's seat with his eyes slightly closed. Today, Yan Xiu was wearing a white outfit and a pair of white leather boots.
Physically, there is not much difference from a few months ago.
However, judging from his expression, Yan Xiu looked a little tired today, and his cheeks seemed to be slightly thinner than a few months ago.
"I heard that Yan Xiu has been staying in Yan Mansion in Xiliang these past few months and has never left the house. I wonder what he is doing?"
"No matter what he is doing, it is impossible to move from the early stage of Amaterasu to the middle stage of Amaterasu in a few months. What's more, the other party is someone who has been waiting for five years in Amaterasu."
"I think Yan Xiu has a chance of winning. After all, what he is holding is the Shanhe Qiankun Fan, one of the five treasures of the Yan family. However, it will be more difficult."
"This competition is bound to be exciting. I have long heard of Yan Xiu's extraordinary appearance, and today I will just take a look!"
Yan Xiu ignored the comments around him, but slowly stood up from the chair, his eyes still slightly narrowed, and walked up to the ring step by step.
In a moment, they arrived at the ring.
Opposite Yan Xiu, stood a middle-aged man wearing a suit of armor, holding a huge fiery red ax in his hand.
A hot breath emanated from the middle-aged man, and faint red ripples swirled above his head.
Weapons can always tell a person's fighting method.
Generally speaking, those who use their father as a weapon are extremely powerful.
As for the middle-aged man Chen Yuanfang, he is a representative figure in power.
"The competition begins!"
As the invigilator shouted, Chen Yuanfang moved. With a horizontal movement of the huge fiery red axe, a fierce aura completely erupted.
Nearly forty years old.
Although Chen Yuanfang failed to advance in the imperial examination, he has a supreme reputation in the army and is known as the Barbarian Bull. Once he runs, he is more terrifying than the ferocious beast Barbarian Bull.
His long career in the military has given him extremely rich practical experience.
Of course he knew about the Shanhe Qiankun Fan in Yan Xiu's hand, so he couldn't let the Shanhe Qiankun Fan in Yan Xiu's hand unfold. He had to seize the opportunity as soon as possible.
"Xiliang Yan clan? Yan Xiu, you are a genius! It's a pity that you are still too young! I have seen your mountains and rivers last time, but you have not seen my flaming bull!" Chen Yuanfang's double His eyes were wide open, he thrust the ax in his hand forward, kicked his feet on the ground, and the flames were burning in his body, like an angry charging bull. (To be continued.)