The Farm Life Of a "Fool"

Side 23-25

Aside from Tangtang, the other nine students were gloomy, particularly those who had recently been highly recommended.

They might even see these ministers changing their minds one by one as a result of the two so-called anecdotes recounted by Shen Qingling. 

Meanwhile, Shen Qingling distributed Xu Qing's paper to those who hadn't already seen it. Shen Qingling had been clutching Tangtang's paper because he was hesitant to offer it to others.

Shen Qingling only told two stories without stating his position, while the others couldn't. They needed to express themselves because the Emperor was still waiting.

The Emperor looked at the overly quiet ministers below and smirked, "Have you heard the stories told by Minister Shen just now? What do you think of them?"

The Emperor addressed Shen Qingling as Aiqing in front of the other ministers, but Minister Shen in front of Shen Qingling. The Emperor was undoubtedly reminding those ministers that Shen Qingling was the court's youngest minister as well as the former Number One Scholar selected by the past Emperor.

The three males in the Shen family were all significant court officials, and Shen Qingling's father was the prime minister. As a result, there was no need to explain why Shen Qingling was defending this man named Xu Qing at this time. 

Prime Minister Shen was one of the few officials who said nothing when the officials displayed their attitudes just now. Although Prime Minister Shen didn't generally take sides, there was more to his silence this time.

The ministers below exchanged glances, knowing that things would not proceed as planned. At the very least, the candidates they had previously recommended were not those desired by the Emperor. 

Those who were on the fence quickly went on board and began recommending Xu Qing. They even stated why they hadn't previously recommended him. 

It was due to the fact that they had not read his article, which sounded extremely plausible. Shen Qingling observed the scene with disdain. 

Did these people treat the Emperor as if he were an idiot by pulling such tricks on him?

Even if the Emperor did not summon them immediately, it wouldn't be long before he did something to them. 

Meanwhile, more and more individuals were promoting Xu Qing. Because some people had started it, others would naturally follow suit. 

These people were able to enter this hall since they were all astute watchers. Even though he had accomplished his purpose, the Emperor was still dissatisfied. 

After hearing Shen Qingling's story, he realized that these people were similar to Qin Hui.

The Emperor did not agree with anyone. Instead, he asked Shen Qingling's father, Prime Minister Shen, "Prime Minister Shen, what do you think?"

Prime Minister Shen stood up, got out of his seat and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, what the ministers said makes sense. I also believe Xu Qing's paper is the finest. However, I encourage Xu Qing not because of my son's stories, but because I believe Xu Qing has a genuine genius. Is anyone here familiar with the backgrounds and ages of these ten students? Only Xu Qing, as far as I know, does not hail from the capital city. Furthermore, he is still under the age of 18. He hasn't yet reached the age of maturity. Such a youngster has such excellent understanding in his paper, and I admire him greatly. As a result, I believe Xu Qing is qualified to take first place in today's Final Imperial Examination."

Prime Minister Shen appeared to have spoken a lot, but if one listened carefully, one would find his answer somewhat unclear, which was great. When Xu Qing's family background was recounted, however, something occurred to the Emperor.