"The time limit is two hours, you may all begin your papers now!"
After Zhao Ji finished speaking, he waved his hand, and eunuchs immediately began distributing writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to them.
All the court ministers stood divided on either side, watching these young scholars showcase their talents one by one.
Han Mo had practiced this essay many times before, and all the necessary preparations were complete. After several revisions, the entire essay was now etched in his memory.
Taking the paper and brush, Han Mo pondered for a moment before immediately putting pen to paper.
He had to admit that this question was indeed very obscure. The students in the Tai Xue's upper division normally focused entirely on the Four Books and Five Classics when they studied.
At this moment, presenting such a practical question was clearly designed to make things difficult!
Many of them were now bewildered, and some had even turned pale.
From their expressions, it was evident that they were likely bookworms who had only studied the teachings of the sages and paid no attention to anything else.
How could someone who was practically rotting away in a study be able to produce such a specialized and professional essay?
Seeing Han Mo writing diligently, even Zhao Ji became interested.
This young man was already a focal point of his attention, and now, while others were still contemplating, he had already started writing.
Even he was very interested to see what this young man was writing.
"His calligraphy is not bad!"
As the Emperor of Calligraphy and Painting, Zhao Ji naturally cared most about a person's calligraphy!
In order to have the final say at home and for his own future enjoyment, Han Mo had put in a great deal of effort this time.
Although his Slender Gold script was only an imitation of the form, his wrist strength was astonishing, and when he wrote, it truly had a unique charm.
Hearing the Emperor praise him from behind, Han Mo couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"It looks good, and it was all bought with the country..."
"Your Majesty, please look here!"
Seeing the Emperor unable to move from Han Mo's side, Cai You immediately felt uncomfortable.
If this boy were to be appointed as the top scholar today, their future plans would be in serious trouble.
After all, according to past practice, the appointments of the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, andTanhua were personally designated by the Emperor.
If this matter bypassed the Ministry of Personnel, they would not even have time to act!
He could not suppress his anger unless he got rid of this boy!
"No hurry, no hurry. What good articles there are, I will wait to read them slowly!"
Zhao Ji spoke as he waved his hand, stopping Cai You.
Looking at the Emperor's demeanor, Liang Shicheng cast a deep glance at Han Mo.
This boy had indeed not disappointed him; it seemed likely that he would be the top scholar in today's palace examination.
However, at this moment, his eyes suddenly lit up.
Why not ask him about the matter of the Grand Protector of Daliang?
Although only one night had passed, he had already heard many rumors.
Not only was Cai Jing determined to secure the position of Grand Protector of Daliang, but Prince Yun had also begun to make his move.
What troubled him was that all the people around him had questionable backgrounds, making it extremely difficult to secure this position at the moment.
As long as he dared to present someone, they would immediately reveal compromising information in return, which was a naked threat.
As for the people around the Crown Prince, not only did he not dare to use them, but their positions were generally too low. The position of Grand Protector of Daliang required at least an official of the fourth rank.
The veteran officials around the Crown Prince were, at most, only fifth-rank officials.
Moreover, these people were all too upright and thus did not gain the Emperor's favor. Even if they could be promoted, they would likely struggle to pass the Emperor's scrutiny in the end.
This problem was a constant worry for him; he had tossed and turned all night and still had no solution.
Fortunately, it was the palace examination today, otherwise, the list for the Council of State might already be out.
Although Han Mo was still a student about to enter officialdom, he dared not underestimate Han Mo's strategies.
With this thought, his gaze towards Han Mo immediately changed.
If he could keep this boy by his side, it would truly be a valuable asset!
On such a grand occasion, almost everyone of note in the entire Bianliang city had come.
Seeing that the Emperor was standing behind Han Mo and not moving at all, the eyes of the Crown Prince and Prince Xin immediately changed.
Up to this point, Zhao Huan still regarded Han Mo as one of his own.
After all, if it weren't for Han Mo's continuous provision of two good ideas to him, whether he could still stand here now was another matter entirely.
"Father!"
Cai Jing saw the Emperor's reaction, and although his old eyes were dim, he was not blind.
Just as Cai You was about to say something, he was stopped by Cai Jing with a look.
Although Han Mo's attention was entirely on the paper, he knew that the Emperor was still watching him from behind.
To win more marks for his paper, he wrote extremely slowly, meticulously crafting each character.
While the appearance of the paper was good, the writing was indeed a bit too slow, and Zhao Ji was becoming impatient.
A "policy essay," to put it simply, was essentially a "thesis" in later ages.
In this essay, Han Mo had fully considered the Emperor's stance. Therefore, he did not mention rectifying officialdom, nor did he intend to continue exploiting the poor common people. And third, and most importantly, he had absolutely no intention of encroaching upon the scholars' private gardens.
Instead, he proposed several practical and targeted wealth-gathering schemes.
Of course, all the schemes ultimately boiled down to two words: sailing overseas!
Although the Maritime Trade Office already existed, it currently merely collected taxes and exploited foreigners who came to trade.
The amount of money it contributed annually was rather pitiful; the few major Maritime Trade Offices across the country combined contributed less than one million guan.
If it were other matters, Emperor Zhao Ji might not have been able to understand the specifics in terms of professionalism.
He might not have had the interest to delve into the detailed aspects either.
But this boy Han Mo had truly struck the Emperor's vital point.
Instead of directly discussing the court's policies and shortcomings like others, he presented the Emperor with a grand vision: an annual income of ten million guan!
Of course, if it were just a grand vision, the Emperor would not have been so easily convinced.
Therefore, Han Mo then proceeded to break down this ten million guan, detailing which policy, at which stage, could yield how much money!
With this, let alone Zhao Ji, any emperor at this point would surely be unable to move their feet...
This boy had, without the Emperor realizing it, directly trapped him!