In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 1181 - 1093: The Clever First Princess

Chapter 1181: Chapter 1093: The Clever First Princess

This series of measures had never been seen in the previous dynasties.

When the students had all entered their cabins, Qin Yi led the chief examiners following him in a walk around the examination hall, carefully inspecting unfinished affairs within the examination hall.

Speaking of which, this series of reforms was also related to Pan’er.

During the Autumn Imperial Civil Service Examination, some candidates cheated, and although many were severely punished in the end, a group of them still went unpunished. Unsatisfied with the result, Qin Yi was determined to bring about strong reforms for the Spring Imperial Civil Service Examination. He spent several days resting in the Imperial Study.

Su Pan’er originally wanted to leave the palace. After hearing about this and pondering for a while, an idea came to her mind.

So, taking advantage of the presence of several ministers, the First Princess bounced into the Imperial Study.

The Imperial Study, a place of importance, was off-limits unless one was summoned by a Prince.

But the First Princess, favored by His Majesty, was immediately admitted when Qin Yi, troubled by issues and suffering from a headache, heard of her arrival and allowed her to be brought in without further question.

"Yan Yan, what brings you to the Imperial Study today?"

Qin Yi teased.

"Yan Yan came to see Father! Yan Yan hasn’t seen Father for several days, and I missed you, so I came. Father, am I disturbing you from dealing with state affairs?"

The beautiful and adorable First Princess, though young, already bore hints of the demeanor of an Imperial Princess.

"No matter, I was about to take a break. Now that Yan Yan is here, you can join me for some pastries. Come, have something to eat to fill your stomach."

Qin Yi pushed forward the pastries that the Eunuch had just brought in.

"Okay, thank you, Father. You should eat too," she responded.

Little Yanyan cheerfully hopped into Qin Yi’s arms. She picked up a pastry and stuffed it into Qin Yi’s mouth, delighting him until his eyes creased with a smile.

Father and daughter shared pastries, enjoying a harmonious moment.

Little Yanyan turned and saw several old ministers inside the Imperial Study, each keeping to themselves in silence. She smiled brightly and said, "Why aren’t you uncles eating? Eunuch An, these uncles have been discussing state affairs with Father and must be tired. Please serve them some pastries as well. And bring some hot tea, so everyone can have something to eat and drink."

The caring attention the First Princess showed the courtiers deeply touched the few old ministers. These seasoned ministers saw the pride in His Majesty’s expression and proceeded to lavish praise on her.

But the First Princess, as if by right, held her small chin up high.

"Of course! I naturally care about Father the most."

She swayed her little head proudly, her gaze falling on a few exam papers on the Imperial desk.

"Eh, what’s this?"

Before her hand could touch the dossier, Qin Yi’s larger hand had already taken it away, scolding her in a stern voice, "Yan Yan, stop it. This is a matter of state, and you, a little girl, should not meddle."

"How am I meddling... Oh! I get it! Father, you covered the names on the dossier. Are you trying to make it impossible for Yan Yan to guess who wrote these papers? You’re so bad, Father, deliberately covering the names and keeping Yan Yan from knowing."

"Cover up the name?"

Qin Yi’s movements came to a halt, and he lowered his head to look at Little Yanyan by his side.

Little Yanyan, however, wore a look of confusion and tilted her head as she looked at him, "Could it be that this dossier was actually written by you, Father Emperor? Are you worried that Little Yanyan would recognize your handwriting, so you had someone recopy it?"

"Have someone recopy the dossier again?"

Qin Yi murmured to himself once more, but the light in his eyes grew even stronger.

Looking up, he met the gazes of several old ministers seated below, and instantly he had an epiphany!

That’s right!

Traditionally in the Imperial Examination, students from humble backgrounds had limited learning conditions, and their knowledge was mostly mediocre, not as outstanding as the young masters from aristocratic families. But these talents cultivated by aristocratic families, as good as they were, had intricate connections with the powers within the court. Once they became officials, it was inevitable that they would form factions and engage in the selling and buying of offices, a phenomenon that was repeatedly banned but persisted.

If there were people buying offices, naturally there were those selling them, and in order to score high, there would naturally be subtle markings made, or even secret codes left behind. Others might develop a distinctive style of writing, for the reviewers to recognize and allow them to leap through the dragon’s gate.

But what if, just as they had been contemplating before, after the examination was complete, the names were covered up, and the dossiers were assigned sequential numbers for someone to recopy before being handed over to the Chief Examiner for review?

In this way, the occurrence of cheating could be greatly reduced.

The moment this idea struck him, how could Qin Yi remain composed!

He immediately burst into hearty laughter, and lifted Yan Yan high into the air: "Yan Yan, oh Yan Yan, you truly are Father Emperor’s lucky star!"

Having found a solution, he naturally discussed it with the several old ministers in secrecy. It was not announced until the students had entered the examination hall.

Thinking back to those faces as if mourning at a funeral, Qin Yi still led several officials as they inspected the examination hall’s walkway, a fierce ambition spontaneously igniting in his heart.

This time, he was determined to put an end to the malpractice of cheating in the examination hall!

It was now the time of Longtaitou Festival in February, and the weather remained bitterly cold.

In the cabins, students were not allowed to bring their own food and quilts, while the examination hall provided a meal of one meat dish, one vegetable, one soup, and a serving of rice, with an additional bamboo tube of clear water for grinding ink.

In front of each exam number, there was a special official soldier on guard who watched the cabins almost without moving a step. Since talking was not allowed during the examination, students who needed attention could knock on the window to signal.

The food for Su Ke on the first day was delivered to his cabin in the evening.

Indeed, as his mentor had said, two large bowls placed upside-down and a bamboo tube were directly brought in. Lifting the upside-down bowls, the rice inside was cooked with aged rice, giving off a faint musty taste when eaten. And the meat... Su Ke stirred the pickled mustard greens and finally found a few bits of minced meat. There were also a few bitter-tasting green vegetable leaves, purportedly an additional dish specially commanded by the Empress for every student. Fortunately, there were plenty of pickled mustard greens which were sufficient for eating with rice, at least filling the stomach.

He took a bite of rice and, after chewing for a moment, swallowed it down despite the grating sensation in his throat. He couldn’t afford to be picky and forced himself to finish the bowl of rice. The Spring Imperial Civil Service Examination spanned nine days, but excluding the time for entering and exiting the examination hall, it was seven days and eight nights. Spending such a long period in a palm-sized space like a prison, especially with the weather still being cold, one could only imagine how challenging the days would be, let alone answering the questions.

Only then did he pick up the bowl of hot soup and drank it to the last drop.

The hot soup wasn’t scalding, but just lukewarm, which was a rarity in such conditions.

He reached for a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, only to remember that he couldn’t bring it into the examination hall. Left with no choice, he used his sleeve to wipe his face randomly and placed the two bowls along with the bamboo tube by the window. Then he went back to sit on his "bed" and closed his eyes. This cabin was clearly smaller and narrower than the ones in the Autumn Imperial Civil Service Examination, so he could only curl up, wrapping himself in the stiff cotton quilt as he closed his eyes.