Xiao Jinyu coughed forcefully twice, cutting off Chu Chu's words before they could leave her lips. "Your Majesty... the rumors in the capital claiming that Grand Tutor Xue and I are to serve as chief examiners for this year's imperial examinations... are merely baseless gossip, correct?"
"Not at all, not at all..." The Emperor magically produced a scroll from behind his back. "I had intended to deliver this Imperial Decree to Seventh Imperial Uncle immediately after its drafting, but Jing Yi mentioned you were traveling incognito, so I dared not disturb you. It ended up buried at the bottom of a chest, and once buried, I completely forgot about it... Fortunately, Seventh Uncle returned just in time!"
Xiao Jinyu nearly rolled his eyes. He knew his dear nephew all too well—this was no mere forgetfulness. The Emperor had clearly been afraid he would find a way to decline and had deliberately withheld the information until the last possible moment. Had Wu Jiang not inadvertently revealed the news with his question, the Emperor likely wouldn't have "rediscovered" the decree until the day before the examinations.
Given the earlier performance, pleading illness was out of the question. Xiao Jinyu had no choice but to say, "Your Majesty... I still have several major cases pending. They are of grave importance, and I truly have no time to spare..."
"I have carefully reviewed all the memorials Seventh Uncle submitted. Those matters cannot be resolved quickly, and besides, you've already delegated them..." The Emperor's expression turned stern as he continued in a solemn tone, "The imperial examinations are crucial for selecting talent for our dynasty, directly impacting the survival of our state. However, examination fraud has persisted through every dynasty despite repeated prohibitions. Throughout our court, only Seventh Uncle and Grand Tutor Xue possess the clarity of vision and discerning judgment to shoulder this responsibility of selecting the worthy and appointing the capable. I implore Seventh Uncle to consider the long-term stability of our nation and not refuse!"
Chu Chu felt her blood surge with fervor upon hearing this, gazing with admiration at the uncle and nephew who shouldered such weighty responsibilities for the empire. She watched as Xiao Jinyu listened with a grave expression, his brow slightly furrowed, before he parted his thin lips and calmly asked, "Who taught you those words?"
An innocently smiling face instantly reappeared. "The Chief Tutor taught me..."
Though he hadn't attended court in some time, Xiao Jinyu could still unmistakably detect the slickness of Jing Yi's father's rhetoric—likely the oily smoothness passed down through generations of the Jing family.
Xiao Jinyu sighed silently. The situation was clear: if he didn't agree, his dear nephew would undoubtedly plant himself in his home today.
His dear nephew was perfectly capable of such behavior—and had done so more than once.
"I can serve as chief examiner... but I must modify some examination hall regulations."
The Emperor nodded eagerly like a pecking chicken. "I shall immediately issue an edict to the Ministry of Rites! Everything shall follow Seventh Uncle's instructions!"
"Not just the Ministry of Rites... I'll need all Six Ministries."
"Seventh Uncle need only ask!"
Xiao Jinyu sighed helplessly. With such wholehearted agreement, what more could he say...
"Thank you, Your Majesty..."
☆ 88 Braised Pork Knuckle with Rock Sugar (Part 2)
Watching as the Emperor stuffed the Imperial Decree into Xiao Jinyu's arms and scampered away delightedly, Wu Jiang panicked and quickly knelt with his hand on his sword hilt. "I heard nothing!"
Xiao Jinyu glanced at Wu Jiang's flushed face, which had turned even redder, and coldly unrolled the decree without telling Wu Jiang to rise. "Go to Three Thoughts Pavilion... bring all the visitation cards to my room."
"Yes!"
"Clean the bathhouse first before going."
"...Yes!"
******Xiao Jin Yu returned to his room and lay stiffly on the bed, his eyes tightly shut, a furrow between his brows, and the veins on his forehead still throbbing.
"Wang Ye," Chu Chu pulled over the soft silk quilt from the bed and carefully wrapped it around Xiao Jin Yu's body, "you don’t want to be the chief examiner, do you?"
Xiao Jin Yu let out a faint sigh and slowly lifted his heavy eyelids. "Chu Chu... do you know how the chief examiner for the imperial examination is supposed to serve?"
Chu Chu shook her head. "Everyone in my family works as coroners; no one could take the imperial exams... But from what the Emperor said earlier, being the chief examiner sounds so impressive!"
Xiao Jin Yu smiled bitterly. "What if I told you that you wouldn’t see me for over half a month? Would it still be impressive then?"
"Ah?" Chu Chu anxiously threw herself into Xiao Jin Yu’s arms. "Why?"
"To prevent favoritism and cheating, examiners must enter the Imperial Examination Hall on the day they are appointed... They cannot leave, receive visitors, or communicate with the outside world until the results are posted."
Chu Chu was on the verge of tears. Even a single day without seeing him felt unbearable, let alone over half a month. "No! No!"
Xiao Jin Yu stroked her head as she shook it like a rattle drum. He wanted to say "no" even more than she did.
Although the Emperor had spoken cheerfully and said a lot of meaningless things, Xiao Jin Yu understood his intentions clearly. Ever since ascending the throne, the Emperor had repeatedly hinted that Xiao Jin Yu had offended too many people in the court. If he didn’t strengthen his influence, even the smallest spark could ignite into a raging fire, consuming him entirely.
Over the years, Xiao Jin Yu had indeed strengthened the influence of Prince An Manor, but those he gathered were either minor officials or people from the martial world, with few who held sway in the court.
No matter how much the Emperor fanned the flames, Xiao Jin Yu pretended not to understand. After all, such matters were never explicitly discussed by the Emperor. Even if the Emperor couldn’t hold back, Jing Yi’s father would surely help him keep it under wraps.
Appointing him as chief examiner, and even pairing him with his mentor, who was like a father to him, meant that the candidates who passed this round of examinations would rightfully become their disciples.
In other words, the court’s rising talents were being offered to him first.
He didn’t know how much pressure, persuasion, or cost his still-inexperienced nephew had endured to make this happen. Even if he had no intention of gathering influence, he couldn’t bear to reject such a precious gesture from the Emperor.
So, no matter how much he didn’t want to be the chief examiner, he had to accept.
At least he could personally help the Emperor screen talents. That was something.
"This is an Imperial Decree... there’s no way around it..."
"Then I’ll go with you!"
Xiao Jin Yu stroked her glossy black hair reluctantly. "Not this time... Rest at the manor for a few days. When you’re rested, have someone accompany you to explore the city... Last time you were in the capital, you were too busy with exams to go out and have fun, right?"Chu Chu clung tightly to his neck, nestling into his fever-warmed embrace, her voice trembling with grievance." "I don’t want to go anywhere! I just want to be with you! I just want to be with you!"
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