Lu Junda said nothing because even he couldn't figure out why Li Long and Zhang Han were ranked in front of him.
For such a question, I have already received great convenience to be able to get into the top three.
These two people...
After pondering for a while, he pondered and said, "Could it be them too...?"
When Lu Heng heard this, he shook his head and said, "It's unlikely."
"Zhang Han is the eldest son of Duke Dingguo, and the person standing behind Li Long is Li Changkong, who belongs to the Marquis of Wuling."
"Although these two families are also powerful, they are from military generals and belong to a prestigious group, and they are not exposed to talent promotion ceremonies such as the provincial examination."
"Even if you really want to do something, there is no way and nothing you can do!"
When Lu Junda heard this, he lowered his head again.
That means he is truly talented and learned.
He is a waste if he co-authored it!
"I took too big a risk on this matter, and I didn't manage enough money before."
"The superiors are urging me again. It is expected that at least fifteen thousand taels will be needed."
When Lu Junda heard this, he raised his head with a cry, his brows furrowed and his face full of surprise.
"Why are you looking at me like this? Could it be that I stole your money?"
"You! You are just too young. You don't know that in official circles, there are so many humanities and sophistication everywhere!"
"I don't know how much money it will cost to go down layer by layer."
"Go back early and prepare. It will be delivered to my house at noon tomorrow."
After Lu Heng finished speaking, he turned around and left.
Lu Junda looked at his back, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.
Fifteen thousand taels!
Even for a kid from a famous family like him in Yingzhou, it was still a huge sum of money.
What's more, he had already given Lu Heng ten thousand taels before this.
Lin Lin summed it up, and found that there were a total of twenty-five thousand taels of silver!
Would your family really spend so much money on you? After all, you are not the only descendant of the Yingchuan Lu family in this area.
If I can win the Jie Yuan for the Qiandu Urban and Rural Examination, twenty-five thousand taels would be fine, and the family would not refuse.
But now, he only got a third-place finish.
Lu Junda looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.
The sky is as blue as water.
But he clearly saw only dark clouds looming over the city and a bleak future.
…
Late at night, Manna Hall.
Emperor Jing Xing was reviewing the memorial.
A full month has passed since the provincial examination. Counting the days, winter is almost here.
With the onset of winter, cold disasters are inevitable in various places.
So the imperial court is going to distribute relief food. Where does the food come from?
Naturally it is the treasury.
But this treasury still has to support the Ministry of War to train soldiers and attack Nanchen.
Then there is the Shanzi Camp that Li Changkong proposed before, and it is also selecting talents for its formation.
All these require is money and food.
Therefore, the imperial court is also stretched thin, but can there be less relief food for this cold disaster?
Obviously not!
Especially the relief food from Yizhou is absolutely indispensable.
Yizhou had suffered a shipwreck before the autumn harvest, and it was unknown how many people were displaced.
Nowadays, if the relief food cannot arrive before the cold winter, it may trigger a civil uprising.
Emperor Jing Xing has been the king for so many years, and more or less, he has his own set of standards in his mind.
In his opinion, this people is the purest!
As long as you keep them fed, they will be obedient people.
If you can still wear warm clothes on top of having enough to eat, it will be a time of great governance.
If he could still eat meat occasionally, that would be really incredible. The current emperor is afraid that the gods from heaven have descended to earth and want to erect an immortal memorial arch for him at home.
Ordinary people are that simple.
But if you can't even eat enough, then it's a shame, as obedient people will most likely turn into mobs.
Therefore, Yizhou’s food is a top priority!
But where does the food come from, where does it come from, how does it get to Yizhou, and how to avoid layers of exploitation in the process.
These are all things he needs to consider.
"The Queen has arrived!"
Emperor Jing Xing raised his head when he heard the shouts coming from outside Ganlu Hall.
Sure enough, Empress Lu walked over in full stride.
The maid behind him was holding a tray, and on the tray was a steaming bowl of soothing soup.
This is the reason why Lu Shu has been able to maintain a respectful relationship with Emperor Jing Xing for so many years.
She is Emperor Jing Xing's true virtuous wife.
I know that every winter, the emperor must be busy until late at night, but he often has to get up early for the court meeting tomorrow, so it is inevitable that he will not get a good rest.
So she brought a bowl of soothing soup every night so that the emperor could sleep better at night after drinking it.
"Queen, thank you for your hard work." Emperor Jing Xing said softly.
"Your Majesty is the one who works the hardest. It is a blessing for the people of Daqian to have a king like you."
After hearing this, Emperor Jingxing took the Soothing Soup. After drinking it, he shook his head and said, "If I were really wise, there wouldn't be so many frozen corpses on the roadside every winter."
"The cold disaster is caused by God's anger. How can you blame Your Majesty?"
"Queen, Queen, you are trying to find reasons for me in different ways."
"But as an emperor, you can't believe it. If you believe it, where will the people of the world be put?"
"What Your Majesty is saying is that I am a woman, and my knowledge is naturally not as wide as Your Majesty's."
"I just want to manage the harem well and not cause more trouble to His Majesty. That would be great."
These few words of Empress Lu really spoke to Emperor Jing Xing's heart.
Even the cold wind outside the house suddenly felt less cold.
However, at this moment, Zheng Ying walked in with a serious face.
When he saw Queen Lu, he was stunned for a moment and lowered his head. When he raised his head again, his expression was normal.
He knew that Emperor Jing Xing did not like to discuss state affairs in front of the queen.
"Eunuch Zheng must have come to see your Majesty for something important, so I left first. Your Majesty must finish this soothing soup."
"I understand." Emperor Jing Xing smiled, quite enjoying the feeling of being controlled.
After Empress Lu left, Emperor Jing Xing returned to his businesslike attitude, turned around, looked at Zheng Ying, and said, "Tell me, what's the matter?"
On the surface, Zheng Yingming was the palace manager, but in fact, he was one of Emperor Jing Xing's most important informants.
With a history of more than 300 years, there are only two secret service agencies handed down from ancestors: the Imperial City Division and the Secret Guard.
Among them, the Imperial City Secretary was mainly responsible for supervising the officials in the Ming Dynasty, while the secret guards were in the dark and were responsible for assassinating and protecting the king.
Zheng Ying is one of the main persons in charge of the Imperial City Department!
He came late at night without informing him in advance. It was obvious that something big had happened!
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid someone is cheating in the provincial examination!" Zheng Ying lowered her voice and said.
When Emperor Jing Xing heard this, he frowned. The rural examination was an important part of the imperial examination, and this imperial examination was a ceremony for recruiting talents, and it was of great importance.
There has been no fraud in decades. If the news is true, it is indeed a big deal!
"sure?"
"It's basically been verified. All that's left is evidence. If the stolen money can be found from his home, we'll have it all."
"Who is it?"
"Lu Heng, the left minister of Hubu, and his disciple, Lu Junda of the Lu family in Yingzhou."