In the Imperial Study of the Imperial Palace, Emperor Jin Geng was reading the Palace Examination papers.
The Great Examination held once every three years was Great Xia's important means of selecting talent. It concerned the foundation of the state, so he took it extremely seriously.
After the Palace Examination ended today, he had been in the Imperial Study marking the Tribute Students' papers.
"Excellent essay!" The paper in his hand made him praise it despite himself.
The essay cited classics with ease, its writing was brilliant, every word a gem. Among all the papers he had read, it was absolutely one of a kind.
Emperor Jin Geng turned to the candidate's name and saw the name "Li Shiming."
His expression froze slightly. The name Li Shiming had been mentioned many times in recent intelligence reports.
Most importantly, Li Shiming was very close to Gu Jia, the Royal Offering. Gu Jia had gone to Li Shiming's residence many times, and Li Shiming had also attended several gatherings of cultivators.
From this point alone, Emperor Jin Geng was certain that Li Shiming was also a cultivator.
With Emperor Jin Geng's understanding of Gu Jia, even he, the emperor, could not make Gu Jia show him much respect, not to mention getting along with him.
"What a pity. Such a talent, yet he cannot be put to use!" Emperor Jin Geng shook his head. He had originally intended to name Li Shiming as Number One Scholar, but knowing full well that Li Shiming could not possibly become an official, he could not choose such a person as Number One Scholar.
In fact, the more he liked Li Shiming's essay, the more he hated the fact that Li Shiming could not be used by him.
Emperor Jin Geng very much wanted to place