The Emperor, the officials, the Eastern Palace Crown Prince, and the Imperial Prince were all standing in the throne room, waiting for a commoner who was eating a bun.
How unbelievable was that?
Hundreds of officials were indignant, each and every one of them was filled with righteous indignation. Some of them even thought that such actions could even be labeled as deceiving the Emperor. However, in the end, none of the officials said such words.
The reason was very simple. Even though Fang Zhengzhi was a commoner, but, he was the Theory Roll Champion of this Imperial Examination. He had scored full marks in all six examinations, and furthermore, in the combat examination, he had killed the Demon Vice Domain Chief Ying Shan.
Most importantly, he didn't know who had leaked the news.
Overnight, the entire Yan Capital knew that Fang Zhengzhi was entering the throne room to meet the Emperor. As such, countless speculations arose. Some said that the Emperor wanted to reward Fang Zhengzhi for his contributions in killing the demon.
Some also said that Fang Zhengzhi performed exceptionally in the Imperial Examinations and would be promoted.
Of course, the sword incident had always been a hot topic. Naturally, some people mentioned that the Emperor was doing this for the sword...
This way.
All of the officials knew very well that Fang Zhengzhi would not be killed on the spot just because of his delay in entering the throne room.
That was tyranny. It was also a move that would chill the hearts of the commoners.
Of course, no one dared to mention it.
However, this was not a reason for Fang Zhengzhi to look down on the Imperial Court. Such an audacious act had to be severely punished.
"At least fifty strokes of the cane!"
"Fifty? In my opinion, less than a hundred would not be enough! "
"He is still too young and inexperienced. He does not know the gravity of the situation. When I first entered the throne room to meet the Emperor, I knelt in front of the throne room for a full six hours."
A few of the officials discussed softly. They were all discussing how to convict Fang Zhengzhi when he arrived.
At this moment, a loud shout rang out from outside the door.
"Fang Zhengzhi, enter the throne room to meet the Emperor!"
"He's here?!"
"This guy has been eating buns for an entire hour. Why didn't he choke to death? "
"Isn't he just eating chicken soup? He probably won't choke to death. However, he might be beaten to death. "
Hearing the voice from outside the door, all of the officials were filled with anticipation. If even they were angry, then the even more precious Crown Prince, King Duan, and the Emperor... How could he not be angry?
"Eh? You haven't started morning court yet? "
A leisurely voice sounded from outside the door. Immediately after, a figure dressed in a long blue robe stepped through the doors of the throne room and walked in confidently.
"Commoner Fang Zhengzhi greets the Emperor!"
"Fang Zhengzhi, you are really audacious. What time is it now?" One of the officials stepped forward when he heard what Fang Zhengzhi said.
Naturally, the Emperor would not personally criticize a commoner. Then … Thus, they, the high-ranking officials, were the ones who rose to the challenge ahead of time. This was the example of a high-ranking official who understood the Emperor's will and won the Emperor's heart.
"Time? I really came early! At that time, I told them that it was still early, but the eunuch in charge of leading the way did not believe me. When this commoner heard that His Majesty had summoned me yesterday, I was so excited that I did not sleep the entire night. I only managed to close my eyes in the wee hours of the morning. I did not expect that I would still disturb the morning court assembly. Should I go outside and kneel for a while? "
As Fang Zhengzhi spoke, he turned around and really took a step forward. He prepared to kneel outside the door for a while longer.
"Stop, you … you come back here …" How could the official expect Fang Zhengzhi's skin to be so thick? He was clearly late by almost two hours, yet he insisted that he was early?
All the civil and military officials of the imperial court had been standing in the throne room for a very long time. Which one of them did not have back pain? How could they allow Fang Zhengzhi to delay any longer?
"Alright, those who do not know are innocent. Fang Zhengzhi was born in a mountain village. This is the first time he was summoned here, so he did not know the time of the morning court assembly. This is understandable. Come in! "Emperor Lin Mubai spoke at this moment.
"His Majesty is so kind!" The group of officials all praised Emperor Lin Mubai in unison.
After hearing Emperor Lin Mubai's words, Fang Zhengzhi turned around and looked at the angry officials with an innocent expression on his face.
"Fang Zhengzhi, I heard that you killed the Demon Vice Domain Chief Ying Shan in the World of the Sage. I am very comforted. What reward do you want?" Emperor Lin Mubai asked.
Of course, he could not directly question the matter of the sword. This was the heart of the Emperor. When the Emperor came to the court, what he wanted was harmony. As such, what he wanted to do was naturally positive.
As for the matter of the sword …
He believed that the officials below would naturally speak. What he needed to do was to make a decision. Under such circumstances, he had no choice but to make a decision.
"Contributing to the dynasty, sacrificing my life and spilling my blood. This is my life's wish. I do not desire money or riches. If Your Majesty insists on rewarding me, I feel that if you can give me a Death Exemption Medallion, that would be enough." Fang Zhengzhi replied with a righteous expression.
"Death Exemption Medallion?!"
"This guy is really not polite at all!"
"How can a human be so shameless? Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, there have been less than five Death Exemption Medallions issued. Which one of them wasn't a great achievement and meritorious service? But this guy actually dared to ask for the Death Exemption Medallion after killing a Vice Domain Chief of the Demon Race?
When the officials heard Fang Zhengzhi's words, they all glared angrily. They had never seen such a shameless person.
"Ahem …" Emperor Lin Mubai coughed lightly. Even he did not expect Fang Zhengzhi to reply in such a manner. Death Exemption Medallion was definitely not something that he could give.
However, since he asked and Fang Zhengzhi answered, there was nothing wrong with that. It could be said that he had the heart of a newborn.
"It is not that easy to obtain the Death Exemption Medallion. You still need to achieve greater merits. However, you are only 15 years old now. There are still many opportunities in the future." Emperor Lin Mubai shook his head lightly and revealed a slight smile.
"I see …" Fang Zhengzhi seemed slightly disappointed.
On the other hand, the officials standing on both sides naturally knew what they should say. Just as they were about to move, Law Official Wan Chong took a step forward and stood out from the crowd.
He was the main judge of the Imperial Examination. Hence, he naturally had the most say.
Today's situation had already obtained the approval of the Emperor, the Crown Prince and all the officials in the Imperial Court. The merit was in the bag. He only needed to stretch out his hand and he would be able to obtain it safely. Hence, how could he fall behind others?
Snatching merit, knowing the Emperor's intentions …
This had always been a test of an official's judgment. To be able to become one of the Six Council Officials, Wan Chong naturally had a unique vision in this area.
"Fang Zhengzhi, I am the Ministry of Law Official Wan Chong, and I happen to be in charge of the case of Han Changfeng in the Imperial Examination. There is something that I need to discuss with you. I heard that when you killed Ying Shan, you used the sword that Sagely Battle God Meng Tian left behind in the World of the Sage. I wonder if this is true?" The Ministry of Law Official Wan Chong got straight to the point with a single sentence, using the opportunity of inquiring about the case to cut in.
As to why he asked if it was true when he already knew the answer.
This was his scheming. Of course, he knew that Fang Zhengzhi would say no. However, he had plenty of witnesses and evidence in his hands. How could he allow Fang Zhengzhi to lie through his teeth in the Imperial Court?
If Fang Zhengzhi was lying, he didn't mind accusing Fang Zhengzhi of deceiving the Emperor. Then, he could kill two birds with one stone and double the merit.
"Yes!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded, his face full of sincerity.
"This sword was left behind by the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian. It is of great significance to the dynasty. Fang Zhengzhi being able to obtain this sword in the Imperial Examinations was a stroke of luck. However, it is still a meritorious deed. Your Majesty, reward Fang Zhengzhi with a thousand pieces of silver for his contribution!" The Minister of Law was slightly disappointed when he saw Fang Zhengzhi nod his head.
However, this wouldn't affect his plan. It would only cost him some merit.
When the other officials heard this, they all knew that Fang Zhengzhi was using this as an excuse to force Fang Zhengzhi to hand over his sword. This was what the Emperor wanted. The fact that Wan Chong was able to become the Minister of Law was a testament to his abilities.
"I agree with Official Wan's words. Fang Zhengzhi being able to obtain the sword of Sagely Battle God Meng Tian in the Imperial Examinations is indeed the fortune of our empire and the fortune of the people. However, a thousand silvers is not enough to show his merits. I hope that Your Majesty can reward him more generously!"
"I also think that such a great merit should be rewarded more generously!"
"I agree!"
"I agree!"
"..."
Before Fang Zhengzhi could speak, a group of officials stood up one after another. They didn't even give Fang Zhengzhi a chance to reject.
All of them had a noble expression on their faces as they asked for Fang Zhengzhi's merit.
That kind of excitement, that kind of merit, filled the Throne Room and lingered for a long time.
When Emperor Lin Mubai saw this, he seemed to be in a difficult position. He seemed to be hesitating about something and didn't show any signs of speaking.
Regardless of whether it was killing the Vice Domain Chief of the Demon Race or retrieving the sword for the dynasty, these are all rare achievements. Now, even though the Imperial Examination has been delayed, Fang Zhengzhi, as the Theory Roll Champion, has consecutively passed the Broken Bridge, the Twin Stone Tablets, the Stone Hut and the three obstacles in the combat examinations. He has already passed four rounds. Why don't Your Majesty grant Fang Zhengzhi the title of an official? I believe it wouldn't go against the rules of our ancestors! " At this moment, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping walked out from the front of the officials. He was also asking for Fang Zhengzhi's merit.
However, he was asking for an even greater merit.
One had to know that passing the Imperial Examination would give one the right to enter the court as an official. However, one had to wait. It could be as short as half a year, as long as three to five years, or even decades.
Fang Zhengzhi was only 15 years old. To enter the court as an official at the age of 15 was an extremely rare occurrence in the history of the Great Xia Dynasty.
But now …
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping directly requested for Fang Zhengzhi to become an official. This seemed to go against the rules of the ancestors, but in reality, it was an extremely smart move. Granting Fang Zhengzhi the favor of the heavens could raise the Emperor's name and make Fang Zhengzhi a person that all the scholars in the world would be jealous of.
This was the Minister of Justice's strategy of killing two birds with one stone. It could be said to be a great feat of killing two birds with one stone.
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