Chapter 1320: One Examination Determines a Lifetime, Part Five (Frantically Begging for Monthly Tickets)

The female officials and palace maids patrolling inside and outside the examination hall walked back and forth, while the several male and female examiners each sat in two side rooms, waiting for the candidates to finish their papers.

After receiving the papers, they would immediately begin grading; once the grading was done, they would send the papers to Emperor Zhu for spot-checking. Among the top-ranked papers, Zhu Cilang would personally review every single one, so it was impossible for the examiners to go easy on anyone.

But Pan Shuchen still wanted to help Ding Yuying as much as possible, so while chatting idly with Zhu Cixuan, he deliberately and casually mentioned that an extraordinarily hardworking girl was currently living in his residence.

"Ding Yuying, number 355?" Zhu Cixuan had an excellent memory; after a moment's thought, he remembered. "Her French is no good! A girl from a humble family can't be expected to have martial skills either. Even if she's clever, she can only do well in mathematics, Confucian studies, and natural philosophy—there's no way she could catch my imperial brother's eye."

According to the current examination rules, anyone who could score above 430 points total across the five subjects of Confucian studies, mathematics, natural philosophy, French, and martial arts had a chance to be selected as Crown Princess—it all depended on how Emperor Zhu scored the interview!

But those 430 points were not easy to get! Especially for girls from humble families, because both their martial arts and French were very difficult to score well in.

The martial arts Emperor Zhu wanted to test were not boxing or wrestling, but the arts of battle formations. It looked simple, with nothing flashy about it, but it required long-term accumulation to master. Moreover, the cost of such training was very high, and ordinary families could not afford it.

And French was even more of an "aristocratic subject"—ordinary people had no use for it at all. Only scholars who needed to study foreign academic materials, military officers who treated the French and European armies as hypothetical enemies (know yourself and know your enemy!), some officials involved in foreign affairs, and a few merchants had any use for it; everyone else would never use it in their entire lives. Even the official examinations of local and many court offices did not test French, so most of the new-style schools among the common people did not place importance on French (the main purpose of attending the new schools was still to become an official!), let alone girls' schools.

The girls' schools in the Great Ming that truly taught French well could be counted on one's fingers; apart from two "commoner schools" in Shanghai and Quanzhou, all the rest were aristocratic girls' schools.

"Her French is improving very quickly—by leaps and bounds!" Pan Shuchen said. "During this period, I hired a teacher from Wuhan University to tutor her in French, and I also personally taught her martial arts. This little girl not only has a good brain, but she's also willing to work hard. She's a promising talent!"

"Really?" Zhu Cixuan raised an elegant eyebrow, now somewhat interested. "How many hours a day does the tutor you hired for her give lessons?"

"One hour," Pan Shuchen said. "For three months straight."

"What level has she reached now?" Zhu Cixuan asked.

"She can hold extended conversations, write long essays, and read the Bible in French."

"That much progress?" Zhu Cixuan nodded. "If she truly has that ability, then she is indeed a promising talent!"

Being a top student himself, Zhu Cixuan of course knew that learning was a kind of ability—a top student's learning ability was far stronger than a poor student's!

And in the next few years, the Crown Princess would need to simultaneously bear a heavy load of study, attend to the Crown Prince's bedchamber needs, and bear children for the imperial family—the pressure was imaginably enormous. If her learning ability was lacking and she was not diligent enough, she might very well not be able to cope.

"How is her constitution?" Zhu Cixuan asked again.

What Zhu Cilang wanted was not a delicate, frail Crown Princess; if she fell ill every few days, what use would she be?

"Excellent!" Pan Shuchen said. "She hasn't been sick once in these past few months. Don't look at her short stature—she has no small amount of strength, and her bones and sinews are sturdy. Otherwise, how could she train so hard in martial arts?"

Zhu Cixuan nodded. "Then let's have a look!"

What he wanted to see were Ding Yuying's scores in the French and martial arts subjects, and whether her five-subject total could reach above 430 points. If so, she could be recommended to Emperor Zhu.

The landlord king thought to himself: If this girl can squeeze out those Zheng family girls, it would also let the Empress vent her anger!

At the same moment, the Great Emperor Zhu was in a reception room inside the Red Fort, drinking tea together with Wei Zaode, Li Yan, Zheng Zhilong, Shen Tingyang, Ma Shiying, Luo Dagong, and others—and Empress Wu Sanmei was actually there too!

"We and the Empress have invited you all here mainly to discuss one matter," Zhu Cilang said, gently rotating the teacup in his hand. "What should the interview ask? The interview is worth 100 points. For a woman who can squeeze into the top ten, the interview score will decide whether she can ultimately win. What do you all think We should ask?"

"Your Majesty," Wei Zaode said, "this subject believes military studies must be asked about! The army is a matter of great importance to the state, the path of survival or destruction, and must not be neglected. The consorts Your Majesty selects for the Crown Prince and the various vassal kings will all have a certain chance of serving as Regent and administering government affairs in the future. Therefore, the Crown Princess and the consorts of the vassal kings must understand something of military affairs."

In truth, the Crown Princess's military knowledge was likely superfluous, because Zhu Cilang's health was excellent, and no one knew when the Crown Prince would ascend the throne—it was still early for the Crown Princess to become Empress or Empress Dowager!

But the consorts of the vassal kings truly did need a certain amount of military knowledge, because the vassal states were mostly situated on the front lines. When a king led troops on campaign, he needed his consort to remain in the rear, protecting the heir and acting as Regent. If the consort understood nothing at all, how could she oversee the state? Leave it all to the ministers? That would be no good thing for either the regent ministers or the vassal kings.

Zhu Cilang nodded, seeming to deeply agree.

"Your Majesty," Zheng Zhilong said, "the way of managing finances must also be asked about! Only with money to pay the troops can one maintain a strong army, and only with a strong army can one discuss military affairs—otherwise it is all empty talk on paper. Your Majesty is selecting consorts for the princes, not only the Crown Princess but also the consorts of the various vassal states. At present, most of the twelve vassal states in the Southern Seas are in financial difficulty and need virtuous consorts to help manage affairs. Although the United States' finances are somewhat more comfortable, its expenditures are also large, and it must also manage the royal family's enterprises—it likewise needs a virtuous consort skilled in financial management."

Zhu Cilang nodded, seeming to also approve of Zheng Zhilong's opinion.

Luo Dagong glanced at Li Yan of the Ministry of War. A daughter of his and Hong Niangzi's had also entered the second round, but her scores were only in the middle range and she did not seem likely to take first place, so he had little interest in speaking.

Since Li Yan did not speak, Luo Dagong opened his mouth: "This subject believes Your Majesty should also ask about the great affairs of the world. The world today is no longer just the Celestial Dynasty alone—there are also India, Europe, the New Continent, and the Arab states of the Western Regions. The future empress and consorts cannot be completely ignorant of these!"

Zhu Cilang nodded along as well, but it was merely a nod; he said nothing.

Ma Shiying, Minister of Justice, stroked his white beard and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this subject believes what is asked is not of great importance; the key is to see whether the young lady has the bearing of a mother of the nation, whether she is good at interacting with people, and whether her appearance can catch the princes' eyes."

The old man had a point too!

Being able to charm people was also very important, and moreover, it was a matter of natural talent—it could not be cultivated after birth!

Zhu Cilang said with a smile: "We have taken note of all that you have said. Today's tea gathering shall end here!"

The several ministers all rose, bowed to Emperor Zhu and Wu Sanmei, and then withdrew from the reception room.

Wu Sanmei watched them leave, then turned back and asked Zhu Cilang: "Your Majesty, why not let Xing'er also participate in the interview? After all, she is to be his consort—he should at least find her pleasing to the eye, shouldn't he?"

Zhu Cilang looked at Wu Sanmei and thought to himself: You still think that boy Zhu Hexing has taken a fancy to Wu Ahuan, don't you? Ah, you still don't understand your son's heart!

"Of course," Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "But for now, we cannot tell anyone else, lest complications arise."

"Complications?" Wu Sanmei asked. "What is Your Majesty worried about?"

Zhu Cilang chuckled: "Sanmei, you still don't know—that nouveau riche son of Ours has already been sleeping with Princess Ahai from the Khoshut Kingdom!"

"What?" Wu Sanmei was startled. "How can that be allowed? That's utterly shameless! Your Majesty, are you not going to do anything about it?"

Zhu Cilang laughed: "Do anything? Dry kindling met a blazing fire—how could We do anything? And they've been sleeping together for quite some days now; perhaps a life has even been created! But We do not wish the Crown Prince to be like the King of the United States, so you must not let anyone know that the Crown Prince will also participate in the interview."

"This consort understands!" Wu Sanmei nodded emphatically. "This consort will keep it strictly secret and tell no one!"

(End of Chapter)