Chapter 219: Chapter 173: Go Princess! Defeat the Pastries!

In fact, those who came to participate in today’s palace examination already knew that Song Yan was undoubtedly the top candidate.

Song Yan had already achieved “first place in five categories,” so as long as she didn’t sabotage herself, the Emperor would certainly appoint her as the top candidate in Jinluan Hall.

Everyone tacitly understood this.

The small sedan chair in the distance didn’t attract much attention as everyone was busy feeling nervous.

Only Song Yan recognized the secret signal between her and the Princess, looking over with surprise, just in time to see the Princess wave at her, although the gesture was very subtle.

Song Yan returned a smile.

It was rare for Her Highness to get up so early for her sake; she knew how much Her Highness usually loved to sleep in.

Song Yan felt warm in her heart.

There were many tribute students, and Shen Jingxian, to avoid affecting Song Yan’s reputation, did not get off the carriage, only glanced from a distance. After all, today she not only represented Song Yan’s friend but also the majesty of the Imperial Family, serving as half an examiner.

She knew that Song Yan must have seen her, and that was enough.

There still seemed to be some distance from here to Jinluan Hall, and Shen Jingxian couldn’t help but feel her eyelids getting heavy again.

Song Yan was at the front of the line, led by the Assistant Minister, and after undergoing thorough inspections, was allowed to pass through Yao Tian Gate, finally stopping at the Central Gate.

Outside the Central Gate, the Assistant Minister instructed the tribute students to line up in two rows based on their odd and even ranking from the provincial examination, with the odd numbers heading through the Left Leaf Gate and the even numbers through the Right Leaf Gate, these being the outermost passages of the Central Gate.

The Central Gate had five passages in total, and the tribute students for the palace examination could only pass through the outermost two, the two central passages were for court officials during assemblies, and the very central passage was exclusively for the Emperor, or for the Empress entering the palace on the day of the Emperor’s wedding.

After the palace examination, the top three candidates were also granted the exceptional honor of exiting through the central passage.

Song Yan looked at the central position, her eyes filled with determination.

At this moment, no one present dared to underestimate this seemingly delicate woman; her ability deserved respect.

When the group arrived outside Chengtian Gate, the tall red lacquered gates were still tightly closed.

The Assistant Minister stood still, leading the tribute students to wait.

At the hour of Chen, as the light of the morning sun began to spread, amidst a chorus of drums and music, the tall red lacquered gates slowly opened.

Behind Chengtian Gate was Jinluan Hall, separated by a large square and a very tall staircase!!

Today, the tribute students would stand here to hear the exam questions, and then proceed to the desks inside Jinluan Hall to answer them.

Shen Jingxian had never been here before, after all, she did not attend court. Sitting in the swaying sedan chair on her first visit to the legendary Jinluan Hall, she realized just how high these stairs were. No wonder the ministers always seemed so tired; if she had to climb such high stairs every day, she would definitely cry.

The examinees were already standing on the stairs, but Shen Jingxian was seated high up and far from the stairs, unable to clearly see the figures of the distant examinees.

Beside the examinees stood many high-ranking officials of great power, said to be today’s Reading Officer, Receiving Officer, Printing Officer, Chief of Examination, Sealing Officer, Chief Examiner, Patrol Officer… and many others that Shen Jingxian had forgotten.

The Emperor was seated obliquely above her, wearing a ceremonial crown, with hanging beads strung down front and back, exuding a majestic aura.

Hmm! It’s rare to see my father looking both majestic and handsome today!

At this moment, Shen Jingxian finally felt that her father did indeed look like an Emperor.

If the Emperor knew what Shen Jingxian was thinking, he would surely cry in the toilet.

After the examinees bowed to the Emperor, the Cabinet began to recite the Holy Decree, which contained the palace examination’s policy question.

The entire palace examination required writing only one policy essay, with the Emperor posing a “policy question” and the tribute students replying with a “policy answer.” The decree, in the Emperor’s voice, sought solutions from the tribute students, prefaced with some humility about encountering difficulties in governance and so on.

However, this did not mean that the tribute students could consider themselves the supremes of the realm and freely criticize the administration. If anyone dared to do so, they would be foolish.

Shen Jingxian recalled being bored in the Imperial Palace and reading through some papers, indeed coming across one that completely criticized the Court.

The governance of Yunyi Country was deemed worthless in his commentary. If his points were truly reasonable, it would be one thing, but in Shen Jingxian’s view, the person was purely a keyboard warrior, spewing nonsense.

The person tried to stand out with this approach but was blocked at the hands of the Reading Officer, never having the chance to reach the Emperor’s presence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep