The upright young man raised his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes, and did not answer immediately.

The emperor's reaction was completely beyond his expectations.

After he publicly embarrassed the emperor and exposed the corruption of the imperial examinations, the highest authority of the Great Wei Dynasty did not fly into a rage, nor did he even intend to punish him. Now, he was even kindly asking his name in front of all the officials.

This unprecedented attention gave Song Xun a dreamlike feeling, unable to believe everything that was happening before his eyes.

Jiang Chen was left hanging like that, but he wasn't angry.

As the emperor, he had this much magnanimity. Moreover, he could tell that the young man on the ground was not deliberately being rude, but was flustered by surprise, an unintentional mistake, and there was no need to dwell on it.

Waving away Feng Jin, who was about to reprimand him, Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and said,

"Why are you silent? Weren't you very eloquent just now?"

"You spoke so passionately, and even dared to stake your life, trying to force me to submit. Now you're mute?"

Hearing the teasing in Jiang Chen's words, a look of shame flashed across the young man's face, but he quickly recovered, and said calmly,

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this commoner is Song Xun from Yunzhou!"

"Not bad, that's more like it!"

Jiang Chen nodded, a hint of appreciation rising in his eyes.

This man had courage and resourcefulness, a mind full of strategies, and what was even more rare was his clean background. He was indeed a rare talent who could be given important tasks!

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Chen bent down and personally helped him up, saying,

"Song Xun, I admire you!"

"You are only thirty years old, yet you were able to leave your hometown, travel thousands of miles, and come to the capital to file a lawsuit. This courage is rare in the world!"

"The Great Wei needs people like you to build it, and I also need people like you to assist me... You, and your classmates, don't need to participate in the imperial examinations anymore. Go to the Ministry of Rites later and report directly to the court!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of the several scholars present were filled with ecstasy, and they were even a little dazed by this pie in the sky.

They, they were going to become officials?!

However, Song Xun did not show any emotion.

His eyes were clear, his back was straight, and he cupped his fist towards Jiang Chen, firmly saying,

"This commoner appreciates Your Majesty's recognition, but I must decline!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar.

They speculated whether this kid was so happy that he had lost his mind, and was now failing to appreciate the favor and uttering wild words to offend His Majesty.

Just as everyone was waiting to see a good show, Song Xun raised his head and said powerfully,

"Your Majesty, this commoner wants to participate in the imperial examinations, and compete with those aristocratic sons in the palace examination!"

"This commoner has studied diligently for more than twenty years, without a single day of懈怠 [xiè dài, being slack], and I believe that my knowledge is no less than others. This commoner also wants to compete for the position of Zhuangyuan (Number One Scholar)!"

As soon as the words fell,

A snicker suddenly came from nowhere.

Immediately afterwards, the laughter grew from small to large like a wave, and finally spread to everyone. Some proud officials even cast contemptuous glances.

"Haha, a poor kid, whose family has been poor for three generations, actually dares to boast that he wants to be a Zhuangyuan (Number One Scholar). He really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, and is embarrassing himself!"

"That's right, that's right, look at his poor appearance. I guess he can't even afford books, and he still says he's full of knowledge. It's just laughable!"

"Hmph, people from small places are just ignorant. They think their little ink is amazing, but in reality, they are just frogs in a well, unable to make it to the stage!"

"Hehe, a mud leg who climbed up from a remote place actually dares to say that he can stand shoulder to shoulder with talents like us. Isn't he afraid of his tongue being cut off by the wind? If we meet in the examination room, this young master will definitely humiliate him!"

"..."

Malicious ridicule poured in from all directions.

At this moment, words seemed to be given weight, pressing on this plainly dressed young man, causing his straight back to bend little by little.

Song Xun wanted to argue, wanted to shout out and defend his dignity.

However, thinking of his background, thinking of the unwritten rule of the Great Wei Dynasty favoring aristocratic families, his eyes dimmed, and the intense emotions in his heart were extinguished by something.

The imperial examination was unfair, and he could risk his life to file a lawsuit, so that the Son of Heaven could give justice to the poor scholars.

But how could he, alone, eliminate the rules of thousands of years and the prejudices in people's hearts?

Just as Song Xun was feeling a little disheartened, Jiang Chen suddenly let out a loud shout!

"Good! That's ambitious!"

"This is how the sons of the Great Wei Dynasty should be!"

Jiang Chen laughed loudly, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation, and patted him on the shoulder, saying,

"Song Xun, since you have such ambition, I will naturally help you."

"You can participate in this imperial examination!"

"However, let's get the ugly words out first. There are not many places for admission in this palace examination. If your results are not good enough, you may be brushed off and lose the qualification to be an official, do you understand?"

Jiang Chen's reminder seemed unkind, but it was full of concern inside.

For poor scholars, the cost of the imperial examination was undoubtedly huge, and sometimes it could even drag down a family.

If Song Xun refused his olive branch, and was unfortunately not admitted, Jiang Chen could only send Song Xun back to his original hometown without favoritism, and his poor family would obviously not be able to support a second trip to the capital. This was undoubtedly a waste of talent.

Therefore, Jiang Chen repeatedly reminded him like this.

Song Xun could feel this appreciation and importance.

His heart warmed, and the fighting spirit that was about to be extinguished was rekindled by this unexpected support.

Meeting Jiang Chen's tolerant gaze, his lips moved a few times, and then he knelt on the ground and said firmly: "Your Majesty, this commoner's family is poor, but my heart is not!"

"If this commoner enjoys some privileges, it would be unfair to others."

"This commoner still wants to participate in the imperial examination, and take the opportunity to enter the court in a fair and upright manner, to prove the worth of thousands of poor scholars!"

"Even if I am unfortunately not selected, this commoner will have no complaints!"

Saying that, Song Xun bent his straight back and gave Jiang Chen a deep bow.

He knew that his current behavior was very stupid, but a gentleman would do certain things, and not do certain things.

Whether it was the eyes of outsiders, or fame and wealth, they could not shake the principles in his heart!

He, Song Xun, would only walk the path he had chosen!

Jiang Chen looked at the young man kneeling on the ground, nodded slightly, and did not dissuade him any further.

"Shi Ping, take Song Xun for a pre-examination check. I want to see him in today's palace examination."

After speaking, Jiang Chen turned to the people on both sides of the street, stood with his hands behind his back, and said,

"Is there anyone else who was not selected in the examination due to behind-the-scenes machinations, but wants to participate in the palace examination?"

When he spoke, he deliberately used his internal strength, so that his voice could be heard in all directions, and the people in the streets and alleys could hear him clearly.

Instantly, the crowd boiled over.

In a few breaths, a scholar with dark skin came forward and knelt in front of the imperial carriage, saying: "Your Majesty, this commoner is Zhao Kuo, from Tongzhou. I was not selected because my article was plagiarized. May I have the honor to participate in the palace examination?"

"Go prepare, I allow it!"

Immediately afterwards, nearly a hundred more unsuccessful scholars walked out of the crowd, wanting to participate in the palace examination and gamble on a future.

What was hateful was that the reason for these people was that their articles were misappropriated or plagiarized, so they were deprived of their qualifications.

Jiang Chen kept this matter in his heart, and when the palace examination was over, he would pick up the butcher knife and settle the score!