Wu Feng had never thought that Fang Zhengzhi was weak. In fact, before he knew that Nangong Hao was participating in the court examinations, and before he saw Nangong Hao's natural heart of dao...
He had always seen Fang Zhengzhi as a strong competitor.
Especially in the theory examinations.
To be able to finish all six sets of test papers in four hours, and not a single one of them was not bad at all, this kind of ability was definitely not a coincidence.
Wu Feng had tried it before. Two scripts was his limit.
Six scripts...
To use one word to describe it, it would be "monster".
However, he had no choice but to see Fang Zhengzhi as a foil. It was not that Fang Zhengzhi was weak, it was that Nangong Hao was too strong!
Fang Zhengzhi was oblivious to all of this. He was happily writing his own strategy, honoring the virtues of his ancestors.
He ignored everything else and focused on writing the Six Nations Theory.
Of course, Fang Zhengzhi's "Six Nations Theory" was different from the real "Six Nations Theory". He only used the concepts in the "Six Nations Theory" as a foundation.
After all, the historical circumstances of the "Six Nations Theory" were different from the current Great Xia Dynasty.
However, unyielding ideals and central thinking would not be out of place due to historical circumstances. For example, a weak company could use unyielding ideals when facing strong enemies on all sides.
As such...
What about a strong company?
It could also use the concept of being unyielding. Unyielding represented a fighting spirit. If a strong person slacked off, he would immediately become weak.
This was a very simple concept.
However, in order to make his "New Six Nations Theory" more in line with the dynasty and history, Fang Zhengzhi had to change some of the sentences.
For example, one of the sentences.
"Even though the world is vast, the story of the fall of the six nations is still below the six nations."
This meant that if a country that unified the world followed the footsteps of the fall of the six nations, it would be below the six nations again!
Fang Zhengzhi highlighted this as the main point. Moreover, there was a detailed description at the back, adding the current situation of the Great Xia Dynasty.
If one was not an idiot...
They would be able to tell that this was referring to the current Great Xia Dynasty. They had the ability to unify the world. However, if they were not strong enough, their neighbors would think that they were pushovers.
In the end, the flames of war rose everywhere.
At this point, Fang Zhengzhi's policy discussion was nearing its end. He did not describe the current situation of the Great Xia Dynasty. Instead, he analyzed a period of history from the perspective of an outsider.
The reason was …
He didn't understand the situation at all.
"Hmm … it looks pretty good!" Fang Zhengzhi put away his pen, picked up the script and slowly read through it. Very quickly, he found a typo.
There was also another sentence that was written backwards.
Ugh!
Sure enough, checking was a good habit. No matter what you did, checking more than once was never a bad thing. This was a principle that our teachers often taught us.
He made some changes and polished up the sentences.
He looked at it again.
Satisfied.
The next step was to make a careful copy of the draft and hand it in as an official answer sheet.
Lifting his head and looking around, he discovered that the surrounding examinees were all frowning. Some of them were even biting their pens, looking like wolves that had been starved for three days.
They weren't pandas, why would they eat bamboo?
Fang Zhengzhi shook his head in disdain. Then, he turned to look at Yan Xiu, who was at the side. Using his eyesight, he realized that Yan Xiu had already started writing. From the expression on his face, he seemed to be very confident.
Regarding this... Fang Zhengzhi was not too surprised.
Even though Yan Xiu seemed to be preparing for something similar, he was still a disciple of the Yan Family. He was extremely sensitive to the state of war. Writing a strategy to pacify the country should not be a problem.
Then, he looked at Wu Feng. He realized that Wu Feng had also begun to write. However, he looked slightly worried. Compared to the smile on his face before, there was a clear change in style.
"Is Nangong Hao writing?" Fang Zhengzhi suddenly thought of something and subconsciously looked at the youth in white not too far away.
He saw Nangong Hao sitting in his chair, his pen placed neatly on the table. His eyes were closed, just like a statue.
Is he here to make a joke?
Fang Zhengzhi was a little disdainful.
What happened to being the number one scholar? Thinking about a strategy for pacifying the country for so long, isn't that a little challenging? Sigh, I am too weak. There is no challenge at all.
Fang Zhengzhi did not look around anymore. Instead, he retracted his gaze and calmed himself down. He moved his arms and began to write leisurely.
A quarter of an hour later, the "New Six Nations Theory" was completed.
"I'm handing in my script!" Fang Zhengzhi had always had the habit of sleeping in during the Theory Examinations. The reason was that the examination halls were sealed off and did not allow him to hand in his papers.
However, the court examinations did not mention this rule.
As such...
He decided to experience the thrill of handing in his script early. After all, he had done this many times in his previous life.
He would treat it as nostalgia.
"Hand... hand in his script?!"
"Is he already done?"
"How can he be so fast? I just started."
"Start? I haven't even thought about it yet. "
All of the candidates were shocked by Fang Zhengzhi's actions. It had not even been an hour since the start of the examination. Why was Fang Zhengzhi handing in his script?
Most importantly, they all knew that Fang Zhengzhi had come unprepared for the court examinations.
How could he finish so quickly?
This was even faster than those who had prepared for it.
The officials standing beside Emperor Lin Mubai, as well as the imperial messengers scattered around the White Jade Plaza, were all equally stunned.
Handing in his script early?
Nothing like this had happened in the past few centuries.
Preposterous!
Was there anything more preposterous than this? This was blatant disrespect for the court examinations. Regardless of whether Fang Zhengzhi had really finished his script, his attitude showed that the Emperor's questions were too easy.
"This Fang Zhengzhi was born a commoner. Is it possible that he did not know about the strategy for pacifying the country? Is that why he wrote it so carelessly?" One of the officials was shocked and confused. After all, it was strange for someone to finish a strategy in such a short period of time.
"If that is the case, and he handed in his script early, he will probably be kicked out of court. I'm afraid he'll be kicked out of the court soon. "Another minister shook his head.
"You mean to say that he really wrote an excellent Anbang policy treatise?"
"I don't know, but I know that not long ago. We all thought that Fang Zhengzhi was an idiot and an ignorant villager. However, reality has proven that he is not stupid at all. In fact, he is very smart. He must know that handing in his script early and making things up is a serious offense. "
"That makes sense. However, what kind of strategy could he have written in such a short period of time? "
"Aish... I don't know. However, the Emperor personally ordered Fang Zhengzhi to assist the Ministry of Rites. Even though he did not specify his duties, I think... there must be a reason for this."
"You mean that the Emperor discovered Fang Zhengzhi's talent in diplomacy? However, something was not right. After Fang Zhengzhi entered the capital. After Fang Zhengzhi entered the capital, he did not have a good relationship with the nobles. "
"I don't think so. Who is Yan Xiu? He is a direct descendant of the Yan Family. He is cold and does not even talk to anyone. However, look at his relationship with Fang Zhengzhi. Take Princess Ping Yang for example. Who would dare to offend her? And Chi Guyan? Look at Xing Qingsui of the Stabilization Constabulary and Nangong Mu of the Nangong Family. Which one of them is not easy to get along with? However, all of them have some sort of relationship with Fang Zhengzhi! "
"Now that you mention it... Is Fang Zhengzhi really that talented in diplomacy? "
"It is too early to say. We will only know after he finishes the court theory examinations."
"That's true." The official nodded. She nodded her head lightly and fell silent. She looked at Fang Zhengzhi with a strange expression.
Su Qing smiled as he walked in front of Fang Zhengzhi.
"Official Fang, are you going to hand in your script early?"
"Can I?" Fang Zhengzhi did not answer Su Qing's question.
"Of course you can. However, why don't you think about it a little more? "Su Qing's lips curled into a smile as he purposely raised his voice.
Instantly, the shocked expressions on the officials' faces changed. They looked at Su Qing, then at Fang Zhengzhi. Their hearts were as clear as a mirror.
Ever since Su Qing's speech at the Eastern Palace, even though he was not officially promoted, he had temporarily taken over the position of Chief Imperial Messenger of the Imperial Academy.
Initially, they were not too happy about it.
However, after seeing Fang Zhengzhi's methods today, they could not help but sigh.
It was just one sentence, but its meaning was extraordinary.
Emperor Lin Mubai had made it clear that he hoped the candidates would investigate the matter carefully. Su Qing was now advising Fang Zhengzhi. Clearly, he was trying to tell everyone that Fang Zhengzhi's actions did not take his words to heart.
That one sentence was equivalent to giving Fang Zhengzhi a blow without leaving a trace.
All of the officials turned to look at Emperor Lin Mubai.
Emperor Lin Mubai raised his hand at this moment. Immediately, a palace maid brought a pot of freshly brewed tea in front of him.
Emperor Lin Mubai tasted the tea. He did not say a single word. His gaze did not change either. It was almost as if he did not see what was happening.
All of the officials were shocked.
Ever since the competition and hunt, Emperor Lin Mubai's attitude towards Fang Zhengzhi had been unclear. Furthermore, no matter what Fang Zhengzhi did, he did not reprimand him.
Why was that?
All of the officials did not speak. If Emperor Lin Mubai did not speak, then they would not be able to either. They did not even have the right to question Fang Zhengzhi.
"I have already looked through it. Look, I have a draft here." Fang Zhengzhi said as he handed Su Qing the revised draft.
Su Qing subconsciously looked at the draft in Fang Zhengzhi's hand. He raised his hand slightly and was suddenly jolted awake.
He took a step back.
He was too curious just now. Everyone present was curious about what Fang Zhengzhi had written.
However, he was jolted awake at the crucial moment.
The scripts of the court examinations were sealed immediately after they were handed in and sent to the Emperor. How could a mere rank four imperial messenger like him read them?
Even the previous Chief Imperial Messenger, Chao Changfeng, did not have the right.
"This fella... did it on purpose?" A drop of cold sweat formed on Su Qing's forehead. When he looked at Fang Zhengzhi again, he was clearly different from before.
Fang Zhengzhi waved the script innocently at Su Qing. He smiled innocently, almost like an innocent child.
"Do you want to read it? Come take a look! "Fang Zhengzhi waved the script as he called out to Su Qing enthusiastically.
"I don't dare to read the script of the court examinations." Su Qing was shocked by Fang Zhengzhi's actions. He hurriedly took three steps back, not daring to lift his head.
"You don't dare? Alright... I thought you were going to investigate on behalf of the Emperor. "Fang Zhengzhi smiled innocently.
As for the officials standing beside Emperor Lin Mubai, they were all shocked to see this scene.
It seemed like a simple exchange, but there was a hidden meaning behind it.
Su Qing had used the Emperor's words to attack Fang Zhengzhi, and Fang Zhengzhi had used the same method to attack Su Qing. Fang Zhengzhi had actually gained the upper hand.
On purpose? Or not?
All of the officials could not be sure.
All of them looked at Fang Zhengzhi with conflicted expressions.
At this moment, a figure slowly stood up from his seat. Then, he bowed slightly towards Emperor Lin Mubai who was seated on the Dragon Throne.
"Hand in!"
It wasn't a loud voice. It was clear and crisp, but the tone was extremely calm. It was as calm as the smoke drifting in the air above the village in the valley.
It floated out from the village and blended with the clouds in the sky.
However, all the courtiers looked at that figure in horror.
If Fang Zhengzhi's actions were said to have shocked the officials, then the figure who stood out in front of them definitely terrified the officials.
Fang Zhengzhi handing in his script early may have been unexpected, but it was acceptable.
He was Fang Zhengzhi.
But...
What did Nangong Hao mean by handing in his script early?
Most importantly, Nangong Hao had been sitting quietly in his chair with his eyes closed ever since the start of the court examinations. His answer scroll was blank.
He had not written a single word.
But now...
Nangong Hao stood up and said the same thing as Fang Zhengzhi.
"Hand in!"
What the hell was going on?
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