"No need to be polite, Master Hu. Have you ever had lunch?"
Hu Pi had come to the East Palace to wait for a long time, but at this time, Li Chen knew full well and did not directly invite Hu Pi to sit down. The meaning was obvious.
Although Hu Pi was old, he was not sluggish. He hurriedly replied: "I have used some before I came here. I am quite ashamed to say that. The old minister is old, his stomach is weak, and he was sick some time ago, so the doctor advised him
Daily meals need to be specially prepared.”
Li Chen nodded, very satisfied with the old man's knowledge.
He was not happy to force an old man in his seventies and eighty years to come in while they were having a pleasant lunch with Gong Huiyu.
"Then I will not invite Hu Shangshu to sit down and have lunch together."
Hu Pi hurriedly saluted and said, "Your Highness, please do as you please. I will just wait for you."
"No wait, you are so old, it would be ugly to have you waiting for me to eat."
Li Chen introduced the topic while eating.
"The imperial examination will be held in a few days. I know what your officials are worried about."
"But today, I will make it clear to you."
"This palace examination is the first after my father fell ill. It is also the palace examination that students all over the world have been waiting for for three years. It is also an important palace examination for the court that is thirsty for talents to continue to replenish fresh blood."
"So no matter what happens and no matter who objects, this imperial examination will be held."
"I know that some officials in the court are criticizing behind their backs, saying that since ancient times, the candidates for the palace examination have been personally given the examination questions by the emperor. Therefore, when they enter the palace examination, they can call themselves disciples of the emperor. This disciple of the emperor does not have to kneel down even when meeting his parents and officials.
No shackles, and now my father is seriously ill and unable to preside, but even if I am the prince, I cannot replace my father and accept these disciples of the emperor, otherwise it will disrupt the ancestral system and the court."
Li Chen said these words while eating. He said it in an understatement and his voice was a little vague, but it was no less than thunderous in Hu Pi's ears.
He quickly saluted and said, "Your Highness, please calm down."
"Calm down?"
Li Chen said with a smile but not a smile: "I have no anger at all, how can I calm down?"
"Have I received less criticism along the way? This is already good to hear. Those who said something unpleasant could have just openly shouted that I wanted to kill the king and usurp the throne, so that I could sit on the dragon throne as early as possible.
"
No one dares to take up this topic.
Not to mention Hu Pi, even Zhao Xuanji could only remain silent when he came.
"As I said before, no matter who or what is said, the imperial examination must be held."
Li Chen said calmly: "I have read several test questions sent by the Ministry of Civil Affairs before. They are too conservative and I don't like them."
"The world today is in a state of chaos that has not been seen in a century. The country is in turmoil, the society is unstable, internal and external troubles go hand in hand, and there are always thieves who want to destroy us, the Qin Dynasty."
"So at this time, what the imperial court wants are talents who dare to think, dare to do, and dare to be the first in the world, not those sour Confucian scholars who shake their heads and talk about eight-legged essays, but in fact have no ability at all."
"So you officials don't have to worry about the questions in the palace examination this time. I will personally set the questions on the day of the palace examination. I will make my own decision about the survival of the fittest."
When the conversation reached this point, Hu Pi, who was unwilling to fail in the imperial examination, immediately stood up to express his gratitude without saying a word.
