As they approached the Academy and entered the meadow, they found that the pink and tender flowers were not the same. The most blooming apricot flowers were peach blossoms, but peach blossoms were the most numerous. The first peach blossoms hid behind the apricot flowers, looking up at the people who came to disturb their peace, full of shyness.
Sangsang raised her little face and curiously looked out of the window through Ning Que's shoulder. She looked at the Academy that was getting closer and closer, and the mountain behind the Academy that was mostly covered by clouds and mist. She found that she did not feel uncomfortable, and her thin willow-shaped eyes squinted with a smile, full of joy.
The students waiting for the exam got off the horse carriages one by one and lined up in front of a spacious stone platform under the direction of the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the instructors of the Academy. Then they entered the two rows of Yanyu Verandahs to rest.
The students waiting for the exam came from different places. Most of them were personally selected by the instructors of the Academy in the various counties and villages of the Tang Empire, and the rest were recommended by various departments. Among them, there were more than 70 candidates recommended by the Military Ministry alone. Although there were so many students sitting in the Yanyu Verandahs on both sides of the stone platform, it did not seem crowded at all. One could imagine how spacious the place was.
Above the stone platform was the main building of the Academy, hidden in the light mist of the flowers and trees. However, because the building itself was extremely tall, and the two slanting corridors were like the wings of a phoenix, it did not look like a pretty girl from a humble family. Instead, it gave off an indescribable feeling of freshness and straightforwardness.
Ning Que was not concerned about the appearance of the Academy at this time. If he could enter the Academy, he would have several years to measure the vastness of the Academy with his feet and admire its beauty with his eyes. What he was more concerned about now was that there might be more than 500 candidates waiting in the Yanyu Verandahs, and the Academy would only admit 200. Two out of five was not a very high ratio, so he could not help but feel a little worried.
Under the Yanyu Porch, the students waiting for the exam were all calm and collected. No one chatted with each other, and no one took out the test papers in their arms to make a final sprint. They were the most outstanding youths in the Tang Empire, and even the whole world. Yes, among them, there were officers over thirty who were born in the frontier fortress and had a weather-beaten face, and there were also gifted children who were brought back to Chang 'an from a despicable village school and had a childish, ignorant, and uneasy look on their faces. Nevertheless, they were all considered youths. No one wanted to show their lack of confidence at this time.
Ning Que's confidence was getting weaker and weaker, and his right hand was slightly trembling. Several times, he was about to reach out to Sangsang to ask for the test papers in her bag, but he forcibly withdrew his hand. Just as he was about to give up all his dignity and practice what he was best at, a solemn palace music suddenly sounded around the stone platform.
The Yulin Royal Guards arrived, the guards of honor arrived, the officials from various departments arrived, and then the onlookers who bought tickets arrived, the palace guards arrived, the Prince arrived, the Empress arrived, and His Majesty arrived. Thus, the students waiting in the Yanyu Verandahs stretched their waists, which were slightly sore from sitting for a long time, bowed deeply, and shouted "Long Live Your Majesty". Then there was no more time to study hard. While Ning Que was nagging in his heart, he suddenly saw a beautiful, luxuriously dressed girl with a peaceful temperament walking on the stone platform. Who else could it be other than the Princess?
The Fourth Princess of the Tang Empire, Li Yu, walked slowly across the stone platform under the protection of eunuchs, maids, and nannies. She walked past the envious and admiring eyes of the young unmarried students in the corridor, and the surprised and uneasy eyes and whispers of the ministers. She walked along the long path and came to the main room of the Academy. She came to the stone balustrade and bowed slightly to His Majesty and Her Majesty, and then quietly stood by the left side of His Majesty.
Different from the malicious imagination of the enemies of other countries in the world, and different from the imagination of some conspiracy theorists such as Ning Que, there was no conflict between the imperial power and the Academy within the Tang Empire. Only a few people knew that the current Emperor of the Tang Empire had once studied in the Academy incognito for two years when he was young. After he ascended to the throne, he would come to the Academy for a rest no matter how big or small the festivals were. He might even stay in the Academy for a whole month in winter.
If the imperial power of the Tang Empire was really afraid of or even checked the power of the Academy, then the imperial court would not have put on such a big show when the Academy opened, and the Emperor would not have treated the Academy as his second home.
The ministers in the court knew the Emperor's feelings for the Academy, and knew the importance of the opening ceremony of the Academy to the Emperor. That was why they could not suppress their shock and exclaimed when they saw the Fourth Princess, Li Yu. They looked at the high balustrade and looked at the girls standing on the left and right of His Majesty, and their feelings were extremely complicated. The Fourth Princess had returned from the grassland for less than a month, and she had already shown the world how much she was loved. No one knew what Her Majesty, who was standing quietly on the other side of His Majesty, was thinking at this moment.
The bell behind the mountain rang crisply. It was the first gathering of the Academy's entrance examination. Hundreds of students waiting in the Yanyu Corridor filed out under the direction of the instructors of the Academy. They walked across the flat path under the balustrade of the main building of the Academy and walked into the courtyard.
The Emperor of the Tang Empire looked at the handsome students who filed in under his gaze. He could not help but stroke his thin beard and showed a satisfied and happy smile.
The Fourth Princess, Li Yu, saw her father's expression and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Father. All the talents in the world have fallen into your hands."
The Emperor heard this and laughed. He did not think much of it, but did not feel disobedient.
Her Majesty did not say anything. She just smiled and looked up at her husband. Her eyes were full of admiration and admiration, and her soft right hand gently touched his hand to show encouragement.
The Emperor looked at his wife and daughter beside him, the ministers on both sides, and countless future pillars of the Empire. He could not help but feel a great sense of satisfaction. Suddenly, he felt as if someone was missing from his side. He frowned and asked a minister behind him, "The Headmaster … still refuses to come?"
The minister bowed in fear and said, "The Headmaster said that the entrance examination of the Academy is to select talents for His Majesty and the Empire. He … does not need to come. He needs to prepare his luggage and will leave in two days."
The Emperor remembered this and his face was full of regret. He was like a child who did a good deed but did not receive praise from his father. He patted the stone balustrade and sighed, "I almost forgot that the Headmaster will leave for the Empire earlier than usual this year."
He looked back at the looming mountain in the clouds behind the Academy. After a moment of silence, he bowed.
In a pavilion by the roadside about ten miles away from the mountain, a monk and a Taoist were drinking tea and chatting. It was still early in the morning, and no one knew why they were in such a good mood.
The monk was about 30 years old. He looked handsome and peaceful, and naturally had a sense of transcendence. He looked at the vertical and horizontal lines on the ground and then looked up at the mountain and the Academy in the distance. He suddenly said, "I heard that the Headmaster is very tall."
The Taoist usually looked solemn, but today he seemed very carefree. He reached out his hand and flicked the air lightly. He replied, "The Headmaster … is, of course, very tall."
"How tall?"
"How would a nobody like me know?"
"Even the Nation Master of the Tang Empire doesn't know?"
"You are the younger brother of the Emperor of the Tang Empire, but you also don't know?"
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