Today is the day for reading papers, and everyone in the court knows this. As the first spring visit of the Jingtai Dynasty, it naturally attracted the attention of the whole court.

In the lobby of the Ministry of Rites, Uncle Hu Dazong held a purple clay pot in his hand and took a sip from time to time. He also held a volume of storybook that he had found from nowhere, reading it with gusto.

Of course, it's not that he has been very diligent during these days, and Mr. Hu has developed a habit for a long time. No matter what happens, he cannot easily relax until the dust settles at the last moment.

The Spring Festival can be said to be the most important event of the year for the Ministry of Rites. Although it has come to an end now, all that is left is for the emperor to select the first-class Jinshi and pass the examination, and that is the end of the matter.

However, even this last step, which was almost error-free, Mr. Hu did not take it lightly. He rushed to the Ministry of Rites early in the morning and waited for news from the palace.

According to the normal process, the emperor would be able to decide on the candidate for the first class by noon at the latest. However, what surprised Hu Hui.

For some reason, there was no news in the palace for a long time. He put down the storybook in his hand. Mr. Hu rubbed his eyes and felt a little uneasy. Just when he was about to send someone to the palace to have a look, the official outside the palace left in a hurry.

Come in, said.

"Uncle Zong, Eunuch Chengjing has arrived."

Hu Hui's originally lazy expression suddenly turned away and became solemn, saying.

"please come in!"

Not long after, Cheng Jing, dressed in a python robe, walked in hurriedly with two young eunuchs, bowed his hands, and said before Hu Xi could ask a question.

"Grand Uncle, Your Majesty has urgently summoned you. Please follow me to the palace immediately to see you."

It has to be said that Hu Hui is a person who has experienced strong winds and waves. The more moments like this, the more he is able to calm down. When he heard Cheng Jing's urgent tone, he did not stand up in a hurry, but put down the purple sand in his hand.

Pot, leaning forward, asked.

"May I ask Eunuch Cheng, why did your Majesty call you so urgently? Is it related to Chun Wei?"

Hu Xi's tone was neither urgent nor slow, but there was an unexpected sense of majesty in it. Even Cheng Jing, who was dealing with these ministers in the court, was stunned at this moment.

After hesitating for a moment, Cheng Jing's tone softened and he said.

"Uncle Zong is indeed very perceptive. Just now in the Wenhua Palace, several examiners submitted the top ten examination papers. After reading it, His Majesty felt that the evaluation was biased, so he summoned the six departments, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the cabinet to come together.

After entering the palace, we will review the palace examination plan again."

"The others are already rushing to the palace. The eldest uncle should not delay and enter the palace as soon as possible. Your Majesty is still waiting!"

With so many important ministers summoned into the palace, this matter could not be kept secret. Therefore, Cheng Jing did not mince words. He simply explained the matter and continued to urge Hu Hui to enter the palace.

This time, Hu Bi did not hesitate much. He stood up neatly, said a few words to the official Lang beside him, and then followed Cheng Jing out of the lobby of the Ministry of Etiquette and rushed towards the palace.

"Old minister, see your Majesty!"

After entering the Wenhua Hall, Hu Hui took a quick glance and found that he had arrived quite early.

In addition to the cabinet closest to the palace, he should be the first to arrive among the ministries.

However, the atmosphere in the palace seemed a bit depressing.

Several file readers stood aside with their heads lowered, looking dejected. As for the two important ministers of the cabinet, Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue stood alone on the other side, frowning at Jiang Yuan and others opposite.

"Huai'en, give me a seat for the eldest uncle, the first assistant, and the second assistant."

On the throne, the emperor's face was calm, but the several unfolded test papers on the imperial desk seemed to indicate something.

However, facing Hu Hui, the Emperor's attitude was still very warm. He first gave instructions to Hua En beside him, then turned around and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Uncle Zong is here. There are still a few gentlemen who have not arrived yet. Please sit down first and discuss matters after everyone has gathered."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Hu Xi handed over his hand to thank him, then sat down with Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue. They exchanged glances without trace, but saw that they both shook their heads slightly. Obviously, they were still unaware of what happened.

Because it was an urgent call, it inevitably took some time. After about a stick of incense, except for Jin Lian, the minister of the Ministry of Justice who was not in Beijing, the ministers of other ministries and the censor of Zuodu all hurried over.

Seeing that everyone had gathered, Zhu Qi Yufang opened his mouth and said.

"Since ancient times, the imperial court has selected scholars and held a ceremony to promote talents, which has been an important matter for the country. Since the founding of the country by Taizu, our dynasty has attached great importance to scientific examinations, which is the foundation for promoting talents and stabilizing the country."

"The General Examination and the Palace Examination are the last steps for the imperial court to select scholars. Logically speaking, they should be strictly controlled and the best should be selected from the best. However, when I read the papers today, I feel that although the literary talents of the candidates are good, they are hardly qualified to be top-notch talents. , Kuang Ce discusses the same topic and has different opinions, so why do ten people reading the volume all infer the same theory?"

"This is an extraordinary matter. When the country recruits talents, it should recruit those who have unique opinions and have gaps in their minds. They should also be fair-minded and promote talents only based on virtue. The Spring Festival is an important ceremony for the country and should not be careless."

"Now that there are doubts about the palace examination papers, you should make a clear decision. I have just ordered the Supervisor of Ceremonies to re-shuffle the order of the palace examination examination papers and transcribe them anonymously. They will be distributed to you gentlemen later. A total of two hundred and ten One copy, more than twenty copies for each of you gentlemen, and in two hours, ten policy papers will be produced and presented to me for my review."

Although it was said to be a discussion, the emperor obviously had no intention of discussing it and directly issued the decree. This resolute attitude made all the ministers present look at each other and became extremely cautious.

You must know that although the Spring Festival is important and is a grand ceremony of the country, after all, the newly elected Jinshi who are selected once every three years, although their status is noble, are just raw melons and eggs in the officialdom. Even if they are awarded official positions a few years later, they will not He is just a censor or a Hanlin official.

Therefore, although it is important, it does not mean that the top ministers of the imperial court, such as the Six Ministers, should all put aside their government affairs to work on this matter. Let these ministers and cabinet ministers do it, which is considered to be very important.

However, now, the emperor hurriedly summoned all of them to the palace and asked them to re-mark the papers. This shows that this matter is no longer just as simple as the court recruiting scholars.

Due to time constraints, the Imperial Examination only lasts two days for marking, so it will not be the same as the National Examination, where names are anonymized, transcribed, and go through strict procedures.

But now Tianzi has added these programs back, and the intention is self-evident.

The elders looked at each other and the examiners on the other side with somewhat complicated expressions.

The emperor detained these file readers in the Wenhua Palace and summoned them directly. It was obvious that he did not want the two sides to have the opportunity to communicate.
Chapter completed!