Emperor Zhang Yu wanted to move his fingers, but finally held back. Some subtle movements were forbidden, as unconscious actions were most likely to reveal one’s inner thoughts. Holding back his eager hands, Zhang Yu looked at Zhou Shuren. This session was special, with less than half people selected as in the previous sessions. Among the eighty people selected this time, he was most satisfied with Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren’s information only started from Pingzhou. A short period did not mean less information. Zhou Shuren had a lot of information. From Zhou Shuren’s ability to make money to his wife’s ability to resell, it all made him brighten up, and he also got a lot of hints!

When he attacked the capital, he killed a lot of people and took over a lot of houses. In the early days of the dynasty, to consolidate the government, he killed a group of officials. He had a lot of houses in his hands!

He regretted it so much. Why did he have the brains to reward houses before? You know, the more houses he kept, the better!

The Emperor thought too much and his thoughts drifted away. He took back his thoughts and thought about Zhou Shuren. What he valued most was Zhou Shuren’s decisiveness, his willingness to not suffer losses, and his willingness to take action. In addition, his answer sheet gave him a lot of hints. He was looking forward to the Lizhou City area being handed over to him.

You know, before he found Zhou Shuren, he was really worried about who to send to Lizhou City. He counted the officials in the court. They all had good fortunes as officials, but most of them were embezzled money, and the rest were rich.

There was really no one who had such a prosperous fortune as Zhou Shuren. For example, when he participated in the antique competition, he felt that there were too many coincidences as if he was giving money. Yes, the Marquis’s Mansion gave him money, and he also cheated the Marquis’s money. It was a painstaking calculation. Thinking about it this way, Zhou Shuren’s fortune was really prosperous. Although he was cheated back some in the end, Zhou Shuren still made a lot of money.

He didn’t ask for much in his heart. He just wanted to let the hungry people have food to eat and not ask the court for money every year.

Fortunately, Zhou Shuren didn’t know what the Emperor was thinking, otherwise he would have vomited blood. He also had the information about Lizhou City in his hand, okay? Don’t treat him as a fool. The information Wu Chun gave was really detailed. There were really many people in Lizhou City. Although many of them had left, they were also returning to their hometowns one after another. No place was better than their hometown, right? When the population returned, life in Lizhou City would be even more difficult.

Fortunately, Zhou Shuren didn’t know what the Emperor wanted in his heart, and he was still calmly watching the drama in the court with his peripheral vision.

The Emperor sat high, just like in the examination room. He could see any small movements below. He curled his lips. He had chosen the right Bangyan. If he had known that the Zhuangyuan was so cautious, he should not have considered the age when choosing the Zhuangyuan. It was better to be the Bangyan. It was too much to his liking.

The court was in uproar again. The imperial edict had been issued, and the Emperor had been prepared. When the ministers had recovered, the Emperor knew that someone would refute it. The Emperor had seen enough of the drama, and everything he should know was known from his expression. The Emperor stood up neatly and said, “I will not waste time. The auspicious time has come. The people in the city are still waiting for the parade of the champions. I will adjourn the court.”

After saying that, the Emperor strode away.

The court ministers, “.”

Familiar way, but they didn’t stop him today!

The Crown Prince hurriedly trotted to catch up. If he didn’t run at this time, he would be besieged. What could the Crown Prince say? Would he listen to their advice and persuade the Emperor? His goal was simple, to be a Crown Prince who listened to his Royal Father.

The reason why his father didn’t kill people in the past two years was not because he couldn’t hold the knife anymore. One was to stabilize the government, and the other was to train the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince’s eyes were deep. Now that the other princes had been trained, it was his turn to take action. There was only one throne. If he lost, his mother, his maternal family, his family, his wife’s family, and his younger brother would all be dead. He was all fighting for all their lives!

The Emperor and the Crown Prince had already escaped. The three princes who had just entered the court looked at each other and ran away while the ministers hadn’t reacted. If they were surrounded at this time, it would make them look stupid!

Zhou Shuren stood up straight. The Emperor and the Crown Prince had left, so he didn’t have to bow his head. It was tiring to bow his head. His neck was a little stiff. It was not easy to be an official in the capital!

Zhou Shuren looked at the princes who had slipped away. Hey, they were all very smart. Zhou Shuren thought silently that the Emperor had really good genes, and none of the princes were stupid. He also thought that it was fortunate that the Emperor had not had any more children, otherwise there would have been eighty or ninety dragons fighting for the throne. It would be bad if there were too many people fighting for the throne. They would only think about fighting for power, and few would work for the people. It would be better if the Emperor couldn’t have any children.

The ministers in the court saw that those who should leave had left, so they didn’t waste their time. As for the few Jinshi this year, they really didn’t have time to pay attention to them. The highest official position of these people was the fifth rank, and they were from the poorest places on the border. The others were grassroots officials. It wouldn’t be too late to pay attention to them when they come to the capital.

Now they had to go back and calculate how much power they had lost after the Emperor’s punches!

Zhou Shuren looked at the court where only the Jinshi were left in the blink of an eye. Very good, this imperial examination not only set a precedent for being sent abroad, but no one paid attention to them!

Sitting in a restaurant, Zhulan really didn’t know what Zhou Shuren had experienced. She was waiting for the parade in the restaurant she had booked, calculating the time for it to come, but still didn’t see anyone.

Xuehan stood by the window, “Mom, why haven’t Dad and Brother Wu Ming come yet?”

Zhulan, “.”

She didn’t know either. The parade she knew was all seen in TV dramas, and she couldn’t use it as a basis.

Li Shi stood on tiptoe, “Here they are, here they are.”

Zhulan stood up and saw that they were indeed here. The tall horse and court robes looked very energetic, but why did she feel that the people being paraded looked depressed?

The parade was supposed to be festive, but except for Wu Ming and Zhou Shuren who looked calm, some of the others were grinning, some were smiling too stiffly, and some seemed dazed, with an expression of “Who am I? What have I been through!”

Zhulan’s intuition told her that something big must have happened in the court today.

Li Shi, Boss Zhou, and the children were the most excited. Ming Teng waved his hands desperately and called grandpa, and even the quiet Yu Lu waved her chubby hands.

Xue Han was much more reserved, holding the window with both hands and looking out the window excitedly.

Li Shi wanted to shout but didn’t dare to. One was her xiǎo shū zi who was the Zhuangyuan and she couldn’t afford to offend, and the other was her father-in-law who she had always been afraid of. In order to express her excitement, she could only pat the head of the family’s thighs, “Look, look, the team is coming.”

Boss Zhou, “.”

It hurts, it hurts so much!

Zhulan booked a private room near the street half a month in advance and spent a lot of money. However, since the Bangyan and the Zhuangyuan were related, the owner returned the money when she came to the restaurant today and gave her tea and snacks for free!

Zhulan drank tea and thought about what might have happened in the palace. When the team came, Zhulan put her thoughts aside and her eyes fell on the Tanhua. He looked to be in his twenties and was indeed handsome.

In ancient times, people were still a little reserved. No one threw sachets, but everyone threw fake flowers. Basically, they threw them towards the Tanhua!

(End of this chapter)

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