The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 69 Do You Know? 23

June 19th.

The day after the palace coup, the old emperor closed his eyes forever after being visited by several important court officials.

The Prince of Yan, holding the imperial edict, ascended the throne before the spirit tablet, inheriting the great lineage.

The new emperor ascended the throne, changed the era name to Qianyuan, and appointed the former Princess of Yan as Empress and his only son, Zhao Huaiying, as Crown Prince.

Emperor Qianyuan then swiftly and decisively hunted down and dealt with the remnants of the Prince of Yong.

Prince Yong had cultivated his influence in the court for many years and had a large following. After dealing with these people, he went to court again and found that almost a third of the people were gone. This made room for Emperor Qian Yuan to reward meritorious officials and establish special imperial examinations.

While rebellion carries enormous risks, the rewards for success can be substantial.

All those who assisted the King of Yan in ascending the throne were either promoted or rewarded with gold and silver, each receiving a title and honor.

Take Jing Wangqiu, for example. He was originally just a minor official of the fifth rank, but now he has transformed into a third-rank Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Emperor Qianyuan would naturally not forget Sheng Changfeng, who had done a great deal for him. In particular, Sheng Changfeng had found the edict from the previous emperor that established Zhao Zongquan, and immediately wanted to grant him an official position, but unfortunately, he refused.

Emperor Qian Yuan's expression was not good after being rejected. He had not been on the throne for long, and no one dared to contradict his decisions, especially his bestowal of favors.

Sheng Changfeng remained as composed and confident as when the two first met, but his words were full of youthful vigor:

"Your Majesty, I am confident in my talent and learning, and my failure in the previous imperial examination is a disgrace to my life. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to participate in this special examination and redeem myself!"

That's youthful spirit after all!

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianyuan laughed heartily, all his previous displeasure vanishing: "If you have such ambition, I will certainly grant it. I am just waiting for you to pass the imperial examination with flying colors and achieve great success."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Sheng Changfeng respectfully withdrew.

It's not that he doesn't want to be an official, it's just that now isn't the best time.

He had only rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor, and all the officials in the court were watching. At this time, he was just a commoner. Even if Emperor Qian Yuan specially granted him a higher official title, how high could he be appointed?

It would be better to keep this favor until he enters officialdom through the proper imperial examinations, which would make his career path much smoother.

Besides, nothing stays hidden forever. The things Emperor Qianyuan did before ascending the throne will eventually be discovered by those with ulterior motives. The officials who are being rewarded now will be ostracized by the veteran ministers then.

If he wants to avoid trouble in officialdom in the future, it would be best to separate himself from them as soon as possible. In any case, he contacted the Prince of Yan in private, and no one else knew about it.

As for his later rise to become the emperor's confidant...

He's exceptionally capable, so isn't it normal for him to be highly regarded?

New emperors would hold special examinations upon their ascension to the throne to select their trusted confidants, and Emperor Qian Yuan was no exception.

The addition of a special examination could be either to select candidates for the provincial examination or to select candidates for the metropolitan examination. Since the court was currently in dire need of personnel, Emperor Qianyuan undoubtedly chose to add the metropolitan examination, which was scheduled for September. Soon, the decree to add the special examination was proclaimed to the world.

"Now that the Emperor has bestowed his grace upon us and established a special imperial examination, you are not allowed to go anywhere recently. Stay at home and study hard to prepare for this examination. If you make any mistakes again, I will show no mercy with the family rules." Sheng Hong warned Sheng Changfeng.

Now that Sheng Hong has been promoted to the fourth rank, he speaks with much more authority.

After Emperor Qianyuan rewarded his meritorious officials, he promoted many more officials in order to win over the hearts of the people, including Sheng Hong.

He had served as a fifth-rank official for quite some time, and his performance was quite good. In addition, thanks to Sheng Changfeng's influence, he was promoted to the fourth rank.

Emperor Qian Yuan originally intended to promote Sheng Changbai, since he and Sheng Changfeng were brothers.

But thinking about it carefully, he and Prince Yong were brothers, and in the end they almost fought to the death.

Besides, he had no connection with Sheng Changbai and was unclear about his specific abilities. After much deliberation, Emperor Qianyuan gave up the idea.

Sheng Changfeng hasn't gone anywhere these days; he's just stayed home and focused on preparing for the scientific expedition.

Lin Xiaoniang busied herself with taking care of everything for him. She enshrined portraits of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in Linxi Pavilion, and kowtowed three times every morning and evening, burning incense morning and night, praying that Sheng Changfeng would pass the imperial examination and not fail again like last time.

Days passed by, and before we knew it, September had arrived.

Sheng Changfeng packed everything up and entered the examination hall with the earnest expectations of Sheng Hong and Lin Xiaoniang. Three days later, he came out looking dejected.

A month later, the results were released. Sheng Changfeng was confident of victory and not flustered at all. Lin Xiaoniang, on the other hand, got up early to check the results and was so nervous that she could hardly walk.

Without a doubt, Sheng Changfeng topped the list. Lin Xiaoniang was so happy she almost jumped for joy, bursting into tears: "Changfeng, did you see that? You passed the exam! You're number one! You're the top scholar! You've made your mother so proud!"

After keeping a low profile for several days, Lin Xiaoniang once again showed her triumphant expression, returning home to set off a cart full of firecrackers and scattering two large baskets of wedding money.

This prompted Madam Wang to grumble a few more times. Back when Changbai passed the imperial examination, Qi Heng and Gu Tingye, who were studying at the Sheng family, did not pass either. Old Madam Sheng was afraid that the two families would be unhappy, so she did not allow a grand celebration. The family simply had a private meal to celebrate. It was nothing like the glory of Sheng Changfeng passing the imperial examination today.

Sheng Hong was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling because Sheng Changfeng had passed the imperial examination with top honors. He felt that he had raised his son well and walked with a swagger for several days in a row.

The palace examination, to be held half a month later, saw Sheng Changfeng give it his all. Emperor Qian Yuan watched him take the exam closely, and once he finished writing, he had someone take it over for a closer look.

He thought to himself: "My dear minister, you are indeed exceptionally talented. Your writing flows smoothly and brilliantly, every word and sentence is profound and meaningful." Overjoyed, he immediately appointed you as the top scholar in the imperial examination and admitted you to the Hanlin Academy, where you were appointed as a compiler of the sixth rank.

Back home, another scene unfolded, revealing the full spectrum of human nature. Aside from Lin Xiaoniang and Sheng Hong being overjoyed, Old Madam Sheng remained silent, Madam Wang looked grim, Sheng Changbai and his wife felt a pang of sadness, Sheng Rulan was carefree, and Sheng Minglan became even more depressed.

The old lady remained silent because she disliked Lin Xiaoniang and felt that Lin Xiaoniang's character was improper, and that her children would naturally follow suit.

But now that Mo Lan has married into the royal family and Sheng Changfeng has become the top scholar in the imperial examination, these two events have slapped her in the face, telling her that her previous ideas were wrong, and she is naturally speechless.

Madam Wang's grim expression stemmed from the fact that Sheng Changfeng had become the top scholar in the imperial examination, meaning she would no longer have the opportunity to sell Lin Xiaoniang.

You should know that Madam Wang's greatest wish in life was to sell Lin Xiaoniang.

Sheng Rulan was carefree and didn't care about anything at home. She spent her days eating, drinking, and having fun, ignoring everything else and entertaining herself.

Sheng Minglan felt that there was no hope of avenging her mother, and her mood became even more depressed. She now wished she could take a knife and rush to Linxi Pavilion to stab and kill Lin Xiaoniang.

But she couldn't do it!

It was precisely because she couldn't do it that she felt even more distressed.