After the kowtow ceremony, Suzhen slowly stood up along with the other nine people.

They were all the outstanding candidates from this metropolitan examination.

Before them was the magnificent hall that many people might never see in their entire lives, and the important ministers governing the nation at the pinnacle of power over millions.

Unfortunately, all this grandeur and beauty now seemed to have nothing to do with her.

Staring fixedly at the man in the most prominent position in this great hall, Suzhen dug her already trimmed-short nails into her palm.

That person was too far from her, the pearl curtain from his crown hanging down lightly, half-concealing his face, making his appearance unclear.

Still in the mourning period for the former emperor, he wore a black wide robe embroidered with nine cloud-soaring golden dragons, his hands gripping the ends of the dragon throne, the robe pooling slightly at the chair’s base.

Who could tell her why just a black garment could be so overwhelming, squeezing her heart with panic, hatred, and pain? That suffocating feeling was like being tightly wrapped in thick quilts—no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t catch her breath, almost dying.

It was as if he was actually looking at her through the pearl curtain as well.

She was startled. Though neither could see the other clearly, if anyone noticed something amiss, it would be troublesome. Gritting her teeth again and again, she turned to observe the civil and military officials on both sides.

Today’s Golden Throne Hall was both the same as usual—because it was filled with civil and military officials—and different from usual, because all the court officials had been granted seats by the emperor.

On the right were military generals in red-plumed iron helmets and soft armor, displaying an imposing and valiant air. On the left were civil officials in black silk caps with tortoiseshell ornaments and crimson robes with sashes—an elegant and refined presence.

On the dragon throne, the man smiled, and with a command of “Let all officials be seated,” the entire court responded with calls of “Long live,” their dark red robes spreading slowly across the floor like water ripples, capturing all the spirited grandeur in this instant.

Ten tables and ten seats were already prepared in the center of the great red carpet, with the Four Treasures of the Study set on each table, waiting only for brush and ink to dance.

Suzhen took a deep breath. Today she would use all her strength for this appointment, even though she now thought she had guessed who that Brother Mu from the past was.

Among those ranked at the head of civil officials, there were only a few.

Mu derived from Quan, San came from Fei.

Yan Da and Wei Chenghui were among them. Besides the current Left Prime Minister Quan Feitong, who else was qualified to stand beside them?

Besides this Left Prime Minister, who else would attend examinations for fun each year, only to withdraw in the end, because this former top scholar had long reached the pinnacle of power, and could only withdraw his own papers to appreciate them alone?

Yesterday on Ning’an Street, seeing him and Li Zhaoting address each other as friends, she had momentarily forgotten who had invited Li Zhaoting.

In the National Academy, his shout of “Chao Huang, stop” —she’d heard that Chao Huang was a martial champion from years past who entered court with Feitong, served the nation, treated Feitong as a brother, and fought only for the Prime Minister his entire life.

All these things she should have realized long ago.

At this moment, Chao Huang and Huo Chang’an were positioned among the military officials on the right side of the hall. The elderly man who had accompanied Murong Liu at the inn that night was also there—who was he?

On the left side of the hall, she could see the Third Prince and Fourth Prince she had seen at the execution ground that day, along with five or six other men, including Murong Qi and Murong Jiu.

Though not everyone necessarily held real power, these should be the various imperial relatives.

But where was Murong Liu? Why wasn’t he here?

Since this person was valued by Lian Yu, how could he be absent at such an important moment?

As she wondered about this, she noticed that among the civil officials, Personnel Vice Minister Gao Chaoyi, whom she had tricked out of an examination seat, and Justice Minister Xiao Yue, who had spanked her, were looking at her with indiscernible expressions. She quickly restrained her wandering gaze, only to meet the eyes of Quan Feitong.

He smiled at her gently.

She also smiled back as if at their first meeting, as if he were still that congenial friend from that day, as if the matter of deliberately concealing his identity had never happened.

Quan Feitong frowned slightly, then his lips curved up shallowly again. Gradually, his gaze became charming as he nodded toward Yan Da’s direction.

Yan Da, this veteran minister of several reigns, was now stepping forward under the emperor’s indicated gaze to proclaim: “His Majesty decreed: Today being the palace examination period, we hope each scholar will fully display their talents before the throne, allowing the court to select pillars of the nation and beams for the people, adding new members to serve nation and people!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Suzhen could feel the excitement of her fellow candidates and the somewhat nervous observation of the officials.

She licked her somewhat dry lips, her hands clenched tightly in her sleeves. The children killed by Lian Xin, the grain, oil, porcelain, and silk at the trade exhibition, the poor men and children picking up silver… scene after scene flashed through her mind. Beyond her great revenge, something seemed about to break through the soil in her heart at this moment.

She swallowed again and listened carefully to Yan Da’s topic announcement.

“Please compose an essay discussing the advantages and disadvantages of our Great Zhou’s scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant classes, and propose governing methods to address these issues. Each distinguished official present will receive three bamboo tokens inscribed respectively with the titles of Top Scholar, Second Place, and Third Place. After the examination, each candidate will submit their papers to the officials for evaluation. Each official will give their tokens to those they favor. Thus, the three who receive the most tokens will become the final outstanding candidates of this imperial examination.”

After Yan Da finished this announcement, he himself was stunned. Palace examinations had always been personally decided by the Son of Heaven. This was…

Below in the hall, there was naturally a wave of shock.

At this time, Lian Yu slowly rose from his seat, surveying all the officials: “I have reigned only briefly and my vision is still shallow. The officials in this hall are all important ministers of our Great Zhou—experienced, knowledgeable, with… solid foundations.”

He paused here, then smiled: “This is the first imperial examination since I ascended the throne. Imperial examinations are major affairs, concerning the welfare of people and state. I’d better ask you all to help me make this decision.”

“We dare not.”

Hearing this, the officials looked at each other with doubtful expressions, all rising and kneeling.

Lian Qin glanced at Lian Jie, who quickly looked toward Yan Da. Yan Da shook his head slightly and sighed.

Wei Chenghui now glanced at Quan Feitong, seeing him lower his eyes slightly. He smiled inwardly: Oh, Lian Yu, what game are you playing? The overall situation is already decided, yet you’re going with the flow to fulfill Prime Minister Quan’s wishes?

“My mind is made up. Begin the examination.”

Lian Yu’s voice drifted over faintly—again that familiar feeling… What nonsense was she thinking? Suzhen shook her head, seeing that everyone was heading to their seats under the guidance of numerous eunuchs. She quickly followed.