Sixteen years later.
Yan Han.
Within Weiyang Palace.
Yan Han's system for selecting officials now ran on both recommendation and the imperial examinations.
Every year, the magistrates of the various commanderies and counties would recommend talented people to enter Changluo.
Besides that, there were also the imperial examinations.
The county examination was held once a year. Those who passed were called New Scholars, and all New Scholars were then qualified to take part in the once-every-three-years Imperial Examination. This was Yan Han's grand ceremony for selecting talent.
Now, the time had come once more for the triennial Imperial Examination.
The Shenwu Emperor had reached middle age. He sat high upon the throne, gazing down at the New Scholars below.
As the instinct of an emperor, he would never hand the position of chief examiner to one of his ministers. Instead, he had to personally control these New Scholars' fates and thereby forge ties with them.
At that moment, his expression was solemn. He resembled a god-king of the heavens, looking down upon the examination hall.
Every New Scholar sat rigidly upright. The only sound was the faint rustle of brush against paper.
Among them was a sixteen-year-old New Scholar in blue robes. He had red lips, white teeth, handsome features, and an extraordinary bearing.
Jiang Liuer wrote without pause, completing his work in a single breath and expressing everything in his heart. His mind and spirit felt immensely refreshed.
He raised his head slightly and saw the Emperor's gaze fall upon him. He hurriedly lowered his head to show his respect.
At the same time, a glimmer of glazed color flashed through his eyes.
The image of the Emperor that he had glimpsed earlier now surfaced in the depths of his heart.
He looked middle-aged, with slightly thin lips and