"Your Majesty..."
"Silence! Minister Li, you're already fifty-eight. Stop meddling in certain matters, lest you lose face."
Minister Li quietly shut his mouth.
Jiang Shuyue burst out laughing. [The old fatty got put in his place! Well done, Your Majesty! Tell him off when he deserves it. Don't spare his pride! You might as well throw him out. He's fifty-eight anyway, only two years from retirement. Letting him retire early would be pretty good, too.]
The emperor was stunned. Just as he eagerly waited to hear what early retirement meant, Zhou Yunshen spoke.
"Your Majesty, the test questions are also of paramount importance. In my opinion, you should set them personally."
"Marquis of Zhennan, you're an unconventional genius in military matters. I believe you should set the questions this time."
"I must decline. My wife's second elder brother will also be taking the Military Selection this year. It would be best for me to avoid any suspicion of favoritism."
Standing at the back of the crowd, Jiang An cursed Zhou Yunshen another hundred and eighty times in his heart.
He had thought that if the Marquis of Zhennan set the questions, he could exploit the opportunity and secretly arrange for someone to accuse the marquis of leaking them. He had never expected him to withdraw of his own accord and leave himself completely above suspicion.
This Zhou Yunshen really did cut off his every avenue of retreat.
Huahua: [That old bastard from the Ministry of War is the worst. His belly is full of nasty schemes. Earlier, behind the Minister of Revenue's back, he had people tamper with the weapons. Some candidates got ordinary ones, while those with exceptional talent but poor family backgrounds got shoddy weapons. Anyone who bribed him got the high-quality stuff.]
Jiang Shuyue couldn't resist giving