After seeing off the guests, the post-house was empty. All the tribute scholars had already gone in. As it got closer to dusk, someone else came.

  This time, there were still guards accompanying him, and both the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites had sent people to come.

  But it was preparation for facing the holy one.

  After the Gongshi examination, the "official household registration" of the Gongshi had actually been transferred to the Ministry of Officials. This is a personal resume, including the province, county, and township of origin, the titles of three generations of ancestors, the number of people in the family, and the results of previous imperial examinations.

  Later, it will be added that whatever position he holds and what achievements he has made during his tenure, how is the evaluation of the Ministry of Officials' annual assessment.

  These are the first basis for national selection of officials and will be sealed and stored in the Ministry of Personnel, which is not trivial.

  But this time, it was the first inspection for the face saint, one by one called out their names, then went in, filled out the information, and further verified.

  As soon as I saw the sun setting in the west and painting half of the sky red, I called out to Li Rui.

  Fang Xin calmly walked in and saw that the person on the upper seat was a fifth-grade official. He immediately became more cautious, went forward to kneel down and bow: "Student Li Rui from Jiang Prefecture pays respects to Your Excellency."

  Kneeling on the ground, but not immediately hearing the sound of "please rise", Fang Xin felt that in this small main hall, there were several sharp eyes staring straight at him, piercing through his skin.

  Just as he hesitated for a moment, someone found it strange, after all, this didn't follow the rules. After a while, he heard the voice above say: "Are you Li Rui?"

  "It's exactly a student!" Fang Xin said, kneeling on the ground. Since he didn't shout out loud to get up, of course, he couldn't get up.

  After another minute, he heard someone upstairs say: "Get up!"

  "Thank you, sir!" Fang Xin stood up and saw an official. This official was actually very young, probably only around 25 years old, with a calm demeanor, elegant and refined, yet already a fifth-grade official.

  Among the other guards, Fang Xin could feel a strong internal energy flowing. This small team actually had three people with internal energy at the third stage and two at the fourth stage, including that young officer who was also at the third stage.

  "From Jiangfu Li Rui. I've long heard of you, 18 years old and a Gongshi, hehe, although not the youngest since the founding of our dynasty, it's still quite rare, and you're the first name on the second list, tomorrow in the palace, be sure not to lose your manners." The official at this time didn't say much either, just smiled and said with pursed lips.

  This "long heard" is indeed a place to be feared, Fang Xin's heart sank for a moment, but after all, he was just a traverser. He didn't have much fear in his heart. At this time, he responded with a series of yeses.

  It's all right now. Following the usual procedure, I re-reported it and passed, while the next Gongzi went ahead.

  When all the tribute students had registered, it was again the rehearsal of the ceremony to see the sage. In the center of the hall, a golden scroll was placed, and the 60 tribute students went forward, kneeling and bowing according to the ritual several times. The officials also learned from them, rehearsing several times, then said: "It's okay like this, new tribute students, if there are any imperfections, it doesn't matter, and when attending court, you will follow the lead of the singing official, tomorrow is an early court session, so all of you should rest early!"

  After he finished speaking, he indicated that it was over, and Gongzi thanked him and saw him out.

  The officials and scholars who had been waiting for a long time finally understood the gravity of the situation - tomorrow they would have to pay homage to the emperor, the master of this vast land and ruler of hundreds of millions of people, each with an uncertain expression.

  Fang Xin didn't care, ate a bit of dinner and went back to his room.

  "Brother Xian?" Zheng Chengyi seemed to want to say something, but Fang Xin didn't stay and said: "Brother Zheng, tomorrow is the morning court, so let's rest early."

  As soon as he entered the room, he truly felt that the entire inn was empty. He sat down by the bed and didn't even light a candle. The moon outside was full and bright, shining on this area. He took off his clothes and lay down on the bed. His keen ears picked up the sounds nearby, knowing that Zheng Chengyi was tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He ignored him and fell asleep in just a few minutes.

  But it was only at the second watch of the third hour (4 am) that someone knocked on the door, and all the tribute scholars got up. Some people hadn't slept well all night. Fang Xin put on his clothes, tidied up his new clothes, and even ate some pastries before following them up. By this time, officials from the Ministry of Rites had already arrived to lead the new tribute scholars.

  Gongsun had a carriage, with five people in one vehicle, and they set off towards the inner city in a grand manner.

  At this time, the sky was still dark. According to official rules, civilians were not allowed to go out at this hour and had to wait until the end of the fourth watch (7:00 am) before they could leave their neighborhoods. Officials, of course, were exempt from this rule.

  All the scholars were speechless, and Fang Xing looked outside, but saw that on the streets, there were soldiers passing by from time to time. He thought: "In the imperial capital, the Golden Army patrols every street, hangs drums, strikes at night to stop pedestrians, prepares for thieves, and prevents riots——it's really like this!"

  As they went along the road, even some of the official residences had already lit up, and from time to time there were servants guiding the way, holding lanterns in front, while the tribute scholar's carriage proceeded straight ahead without avoiding them - this was a special privilege for the new tribute scholar once in his life.

  Upon arriving outside the palace gate in the inner city, the Ministry of Rites ordered all tribute scholars to dismount and also had the Censorate come to arrange them in order. According to their ranking in the three grades, they were lined up one by one, without any noise.

  At this time, it was the darkest hour before dawn. Inside the Forbidden City, except for those of the third rank and above, no one was allowed to light lamps. The reason was to eliminate fire hazards. Of course, new scholars were also permitted to carry a lamp, but only one lamp was allowed at the front, and the scholars behind could only follow the person in front, and 10 meters away, they couldn't see the road or people clearly.

  Arrived at Taiji Temple (upper court), all sixty Gongshi were waiting outside and had to have an imperial order to enter.

  At this time, the sky slowly brightened, and the east showed a glimmer of dawn. A large number of officials appeared, standing on the steps according to their ranks, while the imperial guards stood in rows on the steps, holding long swords with solemn dignity.

  Suddenly, a burst of golden bell ringing, from afar came the faint sound of drum music, everyone fell silent, no longer making any noise.

  Fang Xinyi lowered his head and waited. After a moment, there was a voice inside: "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"

  As the voice sounded, all the officials waiting outside knelt down to the ground and performed the ritual of three bows and nine kowtows: "Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

  After three bows, officials and tribute scholars can stand up.

  Not much time had passed when someone relayed an imperial order: "Summon the newly-advanced scholars to enter the palace!"

  This shout was transmitted one by one, and immediately reached the location where Gong Shi was located. Under the guidance of Yu Shi and Li Bu officials, sixty Gong Shi stepped forward one by one, Fang Xinde walked up with dignity, but saw that some Gong Shi had pale faces, in this golden autumn August (lunar calendar), they still came out with cold sweat.

  The Taihe Hall is very spacious. As soon as you enter, stand in order according to the arrangement, and someone will sing: "Newly arrived tribute scholars see courtesy, bow!"

  Everyone didn't see how the emperor was, and had to kneel down again to pay respects, three bows and nine kowtows. Only then did a calm voice come from above: "All of you are the pillars of the state, in the future, the country's governance and stability will depend on all of you. I hope that you will understand the sacred way, each display your learning, and do not disappoint my intention to personally test you."

  He paused for a moment and then said: "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

  "Thank you, Your Majesty!" The sixty officials thanked the emperor and then stood up. Only then did they realize that among the auspicious creatures in the hall, including the divine turtles, incense burners, celestial cranes, and auspicious beasts, all were emitting fragrance, with mist swirling around them, while the civil and military officials were all hidden among them.

  At this time, it was discovered that there were small cases on the temple, neatly arranged, and one by one took their seats according to their names in order.

  The emperor himself wrote the topic, casually writing a topic and issuing it. The examination time was one hour, while the civil and military officials, except for the prime minister who had a seat, were only standing and waiting. Fortunately, it was not too hard since it was only once every three years.

  He looked intently and thought for a moment, without immediately taking up his brush. This contrasted with many people who hastily ground their ink, as the Emperor sat above, looking down on them from a height.

  This topic is actually about current events and does not involve economics.

  The country selects talents, but it's not to get a batch of useless bureaucratic scholars. Although it's for brainwashing and there's no other way, the imperial examination tests Confucian classics, but during the palace exam, they test policy essays. This is to see if these tribute scholars have actual political abilities - at least you know how to speak, rather than being completely clueless.

  Moreover, this on-site test can also reveal one's calligraphy skills. However, for Fang Xin, writing an article is even easier than this. The depth of administrative management in later generations is already sufficient to bring out a little bit. Fang Xin would not be foolish enough to write some "ultra-advanced" strategy in front of the king. Considering the current situation of the Great Chu, he also talks about common sense, so after a moment of contemplation, he carefully grinds the ink, his movements are meticulous and calm as water, then he starts writing with a flourish, completing it in an instant.

  After finishing, he didn't make any movement, respectfully lowering his head, not saying a word, and this was in the palace!

  However, at that time, there were still a few people who could remain calm and composed during their first audience with the emperor. Suddenly, all the high-ranking officials present noticed him.

  In fact, this strategy is very concise, with each article being only about 300-400 words long, and the total number of submissions not exceeding 60. Only then can the emperor personally review and select them.

  Time flew by, and before long, a ceremonial official came forward, saying: "Time is up, scholars put down your brushes and leave your seats!"