Then, full of apologies, he looked towards the young Emperor, "Your Majesty, they are just young and foolish, please be lenient."

A clever Scholar immediately realized what had happened and began to kneel before the young Emperor.

"This humble one greets Your Majesty, may our Emperor live for ten thousand, ten thousand of ten thousands of years!"

"Having heard that Your Majesty appreciates talent, I boldly request that Your Majesty be our advocate, asking Master Lin to take us as apprentices. After we have learned and achieved something, we will certainly serve Dayou well."

Seeing this Scholar of quick comprehension, the young Emperor was quite pleased.

If Dayou could have more young people of such boldness and talent, there would be no worry about the lack of good Generals.

"Good! So audacious! I grant your request!" The young Emperor, in high spirits, readily agreed.

Immediately, thunderous applause rang out from below; the lofty Emperor actually had the patience to listen to a common Scholar's request, which was indeed rare.

"May our Emperor live for ten thousand, ten thousand of ten thousands of years!"

In this way, the young Emperor left an impression of a benevolent and people-loving Emperor amongst the common people, who were all exceedingly excited.

Now the young Emperor was happy, but Lin Yi was not.

He stealthily glanced at the young Emperor and could not help sighing.

'My dear Lord of Heaven, you have fulfilled the people's wishes, but could you spare a thought for your husband? I don't wish to take on any more apprentices.'

'Your husband must lead troops into battle, assist you in conquering the six palaces and the court, I'm truly busy. Only a prodigy, like Divine Doctor Zhang, with self-illuminating talent is worthy to be my apprentice.'

'Alas, how could you agree so quickly.'

Hearing Lin Yi's complaint, the young Emperor awkwardly furrowed his brows, and sure enough, Lin Yi looked utterly dispirited.

'I was too excited, eagerly answering on your behalf, but no matter, I will take care of it.'

With that thought, the young Emperor pointed to the poetry Lin Yi had referred to earlier.

"It's not impossible for you to wish to be apprentices to Master Lin, but Master Lin does not easily accept disciples. Well, today, I will decide for you and test you."

On such a grand festival, the young Emperor suddenly missed his father, the Emperor.

'Father, seeing this prosperous era of Dayou, as you wished, did you see it?'

Thinking this, the young Emperor slowly said.

"Since it's the Qixi Festival, let us use 'nostalgia' as the theme; do not hold back, let your talent shine."

Upon hearing this, Fourth Prince immediately stepped forward, full of apologies, "Your Majesty, just now my steward came to report that there is an urgent matter at home, I must take my leave first."

At this critical moment, Fourth Prince's exiting, to those who were perceptive, signified that Fourth Prince was conceding defeat, fearful of losing face again.

Fortunately, the young Emperor did not take it to heart and facilitated Fourth Prince's leave.

"En, Fourth Imperial Uncle has also worked hard today, someone come, escort Fourth Prince, also, the 500 taels of silver that I promised, send them to the Fourth Prince Mansion as well."

It would have been alright not to mention it, but as soon as the words fell, the smile on Fourth Prince's face instantly froze.

After sending off Fourth Prince, more than a dozen teachers and students began eagerly participating, all wanting to leave behind a good poem as a ticket to becoming Lin Yi's apprentice.

But Lin Yi simply said, "No need to rush, take your time writing, there is plenty of it."

A quarter of an hour later, more than a dozen Scholars had left their excellent works.

"In sickness, my soul is disordered as if in a dream, not dreaming of mundane things, dreaming only of you."

"I watch the sky in the morning and the clouds at dusk, whether moving or still, I think of you."

"One day apart, my thoughts of you border on madness."

"My sash widening over time, for you I have no regrets, for your sake, I wither."

...

One has to say, the works the Scholars submitted were of high caliber; Fourth Prince really missed out, what a pity.

The young Emperor was very pleased with these poems and asked Lin Yi for his opinion.

"Master Lin, your evaluation, please. Among these poems, who is qualified to be your apprentice?"

Lin Yi smiled without speaking and instead picked up a brush and paper, and wrote with grand flourish.

"Ten years of living and dying, broad and vague, without trying to recall, yet impossible to forget. A thousand miles of lonely graves, nowhere to talk about the desolate. Even in meeting we may not recognize each other, my face covered in dust, my temples like frost."

After finishing, Lin Yi presented the verse to everyone, confidently saying.

"My word alone does not count, I believe that having Your Majesty and the common people as judges will be the most convincing."

The common people clapped their hands in admiration, considering it a poem that expressed nostalgia to the extreme.

Little did they know, the young Emperor was already overwhelmed with emotion, the lonely graves a thousand miles away, the desolation nowhere to speak of, all reminded him of the Emperor.

Noticing that something was amiss with the young Emperor, Lin Yi quickly went over to comfort him.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Someone, summon the Imperial Physician."

"No!"

The young Emperor quickly waved his hands and then said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking of my late father."

This was beyond Lin Yi's expectation; the poem that was clearly written for his deceased wife actually made the young Emperor think of his father.

He really wanted to embrace the young Emperor and comfort him with all his heart, but amidst the public court, he could only stand by the Emperor deeply concerned.

"Your Majesty, shall we end this poetry competition? The upcoming song contest will be more interesting."

Seeing his consort upset, Lin Yi could only think of ways to make his consort smile more.

After all, it is most important for a pregnant woman to maintain a pleasant mood.

The young Emperor knew what Lin Yi was implying, but he couldn't just end things so abruptly; a dozen diligent Scholars were waiting for their chance to find a master to study under.

After gathering his emotions, the young Emperor stood up.

"The performances of these young individuals today were commendable, showing great potential, but there is still a gap compared to the poetry of Minister Lin."

"I wonder what the opinion of the people present is?"

The commoners, excited to judge alongside the reigning Emperor for the first time, huddled together to discuss, and a representative spoke up.

"We are willing to follow Your Majesty's decision. Long live Your Majesty, long, long live Your Majesty!"

The young Emperor was very pleased; her subjects understood well how to read the royal will.

"You all have shown admirable courage and talent. I have decided to allow you to study at the Hanlin Academy for a while, and after three months, we will re-assess to see if there has been any improvement."

The Scholars were overwhelmed with gratitude, kneeling and kowtowing to the young Emperor to express their thanks.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

In ancient times it was not easy to enter the Hanlin Academy; without the right connections, it was nearly impossible.

But this time, simply for being fortunate enough to participate in a poetry competition set by the Emperor, they received such a rare opportunity, as if even their ancestors' graves could not bring them such good luck.

The Scholars who had missed their chance to go on stage earlier were full of regret, itching to rush forward, but Cheng Hu stopped them.

"Presumptuous! The Emperor is here; do not be disrespectful!"

The Scholars who hadn't gone on stage were dissatisfied, feeling that fate was unfair.

The young Emperor, seeing through their little schemes, spoke sharply.

"Opportunities are for those with courage and preparation. If you lacked the courage to try earlier and missed out, then you must accept the consequences."

"Of course, our great country hopes for more courageous individuals to contribute to the nation's development."

As the Emperor's words ended, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd, and the regretful Scholars began to come to terms with their situation.

Suddenly, a young woman's voice came from the crowd.

"Your Majesty, can women also hold office in the court?"

As these words were spoken, the air instantly froze. They all turned toward the source of the voice and saw a slender woman in green attire with a white veil and a Jade Flute at her waist.

In ancient times, where a woman's lack of talent was considered virtuous, women were expected only to attend to their husbands and children; there had never been a precedent for them to hold office in the court.

The young Emperor's heart quivered at the question; being a daughter herself, she knew women were no less than men, but in the eyes of the world, holding court and ruling the lands was a man's task.

Seeing that the young Emperor was at a loss for words, Lin Yi spoke out loudly.

"Miss, you are very thoughtful. Would you mind stepping forward to speak?"

The young woman stepped forward lightly, approaching the stage with grace.

Watching her approach, Lin Yi felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

'Strange, why does this lady feel so familiar, have I seen her somewhere before?'

'No, how can I recognize her scent so distinctly? Who is she?'

While Lin Yi was still guessing, the young Emperor gave him a displeased glare.

'How dare you, Lin, to be able to recognize a lady's scent; could it be she too has been claimed by you?'

'How many women have you been secretly keeping behind my back? Now confess!'

"Ying Qi!"

At the Emperor's command, Ying Qi drew the long sword from his waist and pointed it at the masked woman.

"Halt! Before you approach the Emperor, remove your veil!"

...End of this chapter...

ps: Two chapters combined!

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