Chapter 1 The expression on Jiang Chen's face couldn't help but turn serious after hearing those words.

He wasn't the kind of waste who couldn't move his legs upon seeing beauty.

As the emperor, as the supreme ruler of Great Wei, he was very clear about how important 'reputation' was as a force in politics.

With the support of popular reputation, even he could not easily attack this woman named Yang Muxi.

Or, to put it another way, he could no longer blatantly reveal his purpose, but had to make this woman willingly enter the palace to avoid arousing criticism.

In a short moment, many thoughts flashed through Jiang Chen's mind.

The thorns on Yang Muxi's body made him even more interested in this woman.

If Jiang Chen had only been moved by her beauty before, now, he truly had the idea of ​​understanding this woman in depth.

Well, in all senses of the word...

"Your Majesty, Daoist Yang has contributed to the people and the country. I hope you will consider her merits and punish her lightly, and not hold her disobedience against her..." Xu Mu said cautiously.

As the commander of the Imperial Guards and the emperor's confidant, he shouldn't have said these words.

However, thinking of that bright and flawless woman like the moon, Xu Mu still spoke out after much hesitation. Although he might be reprimanded and punished by His Majesty, at least his conscience would be clear.

Jiang Chen heard this, turned his head to look at Xu Mu, tapped his fingers on the table, and sneered inwardly.

See, the trouble has come.

If he were to order Yang Muxi to be forcibly taken to the palace now, or punish her, Xu Mu, this 'honest man', would probably have complaints in his heart even if he didn't say anything.

Of course, Jiang Chen wouldn't do such a stupid thing, so he smiled and said:

"You think of me too harshly. You were the one who was wronged in Yu Province. Since you are not going to pursue the matter, how can I blame Yang Muxi for these trivial matters?"

"Besides, this woman has eliminated the rat infestation in Yu Province. Such great merit deserves to be rewarded with nobility. I will not let meritorious officials suffer because of personal matters!"

Saying this, Jiang Chen paused for a moment in Xu Mu's grateful and respectful gaze, as if thinking about something.

Then he slowly said: "How about this, I will issue an order now to reward this Daoist Yang. You go to Yu Province again and convey my intentions, inviting her to the imperial capital to receive the reward?"

For Jiang Chen, there were many ways to achieve his goal.

Although this Yang Muxi was extremely beautiful and admired by the people, she was just a subject under his rule as the Son of Heaven.

He could just find an excuse to bring her to his side, and then the development would naturally be up to him, Jiang Chen. When this woman entered the palace, he could take the opportunity to accept her reputation among the people, which was undoubtedly a very profitable thing.

Xu Mu did not realize Jiang Chen's 'insidious' intentions at all, and simply thought that His Majesty wanted to reward Yang Muxi, so he happily kowtowed and accepted the order.

Even when he left, he was silently praising the current Emperor's wisdom and generosity in his heart, and deeply felt that he had met a wise ruler.

It was not until his figure completely disappeared that Jing Yue, who had been silent for a long time, walked out of the shadows and frowned:

"Your Majesty, this Yang Muxi is very clever, your plan may be seen through."

As the leader of the dark guards, her whole mind was on Jiang Chen, so naturally she didn't want him to fail.

Jiang Chen remained noncommittal and raised his eyebrows: "It doesn't matter, first courtesy, then force."

"If I want to bring the beauty back, I naturally have to show sincerity first. If this Yang Muxi doesn't appreciate it, someone will naturally stand up and suggest asking for troops to bring her back to the capital and take on the role of 'villain' for me."

After speaking, Jiang Chen smiled confidently at Jing Yue.

That look of everything being under control erased the worry in Jing Yue's eyes.

She had been by Jiang Chen's side all this time, watching him defeat many enemies. She firmly believed in her heart that no matter how extraordinary this Yang Muxi was, she would definitely not be Jiang Chen's opponent, and would eventually put down her arrogance and willingly enter the palace.

And she only needed to silently accompany Jiang Chen and welcome the arrival of all this!

A few days later, the reward team, organized by the Ministry of Rites, followed Xu Mu to Yu Province.

However, they didn't even see Yang Muxi's face this time.

A group of officials, big and small, waited anxiously at the post station for several days before receiving a short letter, which read, 'A person who avoids the world does not need rewards. These gold and silver can all be donated to the poor. Do not come again!'

After receiving the letter, these officials were still not reconciled. They joined forces with the local government soldiers to search for several days, but they could not even find a piece of Yang Muxi's clothing. Even the accompanying dark guards had no harvest.

When the news reached Jiang Chen's ears, he paid even more attention to Yang Muxi.

To be able to hide her whereabouts under the siege of soldiers in a state, and even avoid the investigation of the dark guards, such skill can be said to be rare in the world, and it would be difficult to suppress without mobilizing a large-scale army.

Jing Yue asked Jiang Chen for instructions as soon as she learned about this, wanting to leave the palace to capture Yang Muxi back in person.

But Jiang Chen refused. In a while, it would be the day of the imperial examination.

This matter was related to national policy and was of extraordinary significance. It was the most important thing at this stage. Before the imperial examination was over, he didn't have much thought to spend on women.

Anyway, Yang Muxi was in Yu Province, his territory, so Jiang Chen was very relieved.

…

Time flew by, and soon it was August.

The Great Wei court, from top to bottom, was busy. Even the prime minister, who had always been indifferent, was running to the Qin Zheng Palace more and more frequently.

Although there had never been a precedent, those who could stand in the court were all shrewd people. After a little thought, they realized what kind of changes the imperial examination would bring to Great Wei.

They actively devoted themselves to it, wanting to take advantage of this huge change to get a share of the pie for themselves and their parties.

August 16th, auspicious, suitable for travel and sacrifice, all taboos are avoided.

The palace examination was set on this day.

Of course, before this, the prefectures had already screened several rounds through the township examination and the prefectural examination, selecting the local elites.

Those who could stand here were all truly talented people.

Although some of them were born humble, everything would change after today!

As long as they could pass the palace examination, they could leap over the dragon gate, become the emperor's disciples, completely change their family status, and usher in a new life.

And some people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths could use this springboard to exert the power of their families.

As long as they could get a good ranking in the palace examination, the resources of the clan would inevitably be prioritized on them. As long as they operated properly, it was not a dream to struggle twenty years less!

In this atmosphere of national fanaticism, Jiang Chen finally reviewed the process and the examination questions again, and then led the civil and military officials to the gathering place of candidates in the imperial capital.

Because the location of the palace examination was set in the Golden Luan Hall.

Therefore, the candidates had to undergo a unified inspection before they could be escorted to the examination room by special personnel.

At this time, because of the emperor's sudden arrival, the people on the whole street were boiling, and everyone shouted "Long live the Emperor," with狂热 expressions.

Jiang Chen looked at this scene, the corner of his mouth raised in a smile.

But at this moment, the few figures in the distance made the arc on his face freeze instantly!