The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 417: Chapter 410: I’m Just Obsessed With Good Looks 52

The Second Prince and the Third Prince stirred up another incident.

After the results of the Imperial Examination were posted, the Second Prince and the Third Prince came to blows over issues concerning the Jiangnan Salt Administration.

This truly enraged Emperor Taichu.

He intended to severely punish both the Second Prince and the Third Prince, but before he could act, the Empress removed her hairpin to plead for their guilt, nearly kneeling at the entrance of Taiji Palace.

The Noble Consort was both coquettish and obstinate in her behavior.

One of these women was his wedded wife, a woman whom Emperor Taichu highly respected, while the other held a dear place in his heart, beloved and cherished. He could not bear to discredit either of them, and thus had to grit his teeth and endure the situation, also having to clean up the mess for those unfilial sons.

Because of this matter, Emperor Taichu treated Prince Su even better.

After all, Prince Su was now the only son who could give him peace of mind, love without concerns, and who never caused trouble.

Emperor Taichu could only find some semblance of father-son affection in Prince Su.

Though he was an emperor, high and mighty, he was of a certain age after all, and still longed for that kinship of having his children around him.

Perhaps it was to suppress the Second and Third Princes, or perhaps to warn them.

During this imperial examination, Emperor Taichu did not appear but instead had Prince Su preside over the exam, even having Prince Su mark the examination papers.

Emperor Taichu simply instructed Prince Su that the matter was entirely in his hands, and he could judge as he pleased.

Perhaps Emperor Taichu also felt pity for Prince Su in his heart, thinking that Prince Su, lacking both power and wealth, would not have an easy time after his demise. Regardless of which unfilial son ascended to the throne, they would likely suppress Prince Su, his elder brother, making Prince Su’s life difficult.

Emperor Taichu thus wished to give Prince Su some power while he was still alive, and also let him amass some wealth, so that at least he wouldn’t be penniless in the future.

Prince Su very much understood Emperor Taichu’s intentions.

When the time for the imperial examination arrived, he indeed appeared grandly in the Jinluan Palace.

Xiao Yuan was quite taken aback when he saw Prince Su.

He had felt that Prince Su was quite agreeable when they opened the Xizhi Gate together, and he enjoyed their conversation, even considering forming a close friendship. Who would have thought that the man was actually the Eldest Prince?

Nevertheless, Xiao Yuan was a man of broad perspective, not frightened in the slightest, and he didn’t make a fuss. Once the topic for the discussion essays was distributed, he began writing diligently.

Coincidentally, the topic was about controlling water disasters, which he had previously discussed with Anning, as well as border issues.

Xiao Yuan might not excel in other areas, but he was knowledgeable about border issues.

His family had been in trade for generations, and Xiao Yuan had a sharp mind, genuinely skilled in commerce.

Had he gone into business, he surely would have outshined Mr. Xiao, possibly even amassing a fortune to become the wealthiest in the Dajing Dynasty.

Thus, in Xiao Yuan’s mind, border issues could be completely resolved through trade.

He had also discussed this with Anning, who found it feasible—a most stable and bloodless approach.

Xiao Yuan first wrote about the border issues, eloquently detailing his thoughts. The main idea was to penetrate the enemy country slowly through trade, ultimately controlling their economy, forcing them to become dependent on Dajing for survival. With this strategy, they could solve a century-old problem without waging a war.

Xiao Yuan then wrote about controlling water disasters.

Indeed, Xiao Yuan’s ideas were quite progressive. He had traveled extensively with Mr. Xiao in commerce since he was a teenager and had been to the Yellow River, understanding the origins of its flooding issues.

He proposed two methods; the first was to build tall dikes and narrow the river channel to speed up the flow, using the rapid current to wash the sediment into the sea.

Another solution is to plant trees and create forests along the banks of the Yellow River, as well as to plant some pastures and the like, in any case, to prevent soil erosion and improve the living environment where loess dust fills the sky.

These two methods are both very innovative, and no one has ever mentioned them before.

Nowadays, the Dajing Dynasty’s water control mainly follows the ancient Yu’s way of water management, focusing on dredging and constantly widening the river channels.

However, as a result, the water flow slows down, and over time, silt accumulates, making the Yellow River’s riverbeds rise higher and higher, eventually towering above the ground, with changes in the river’s course occurring from time to time.

The concept of narrow river channels and high embankments put forward by Xiao Yuan is something that no one has ever considered before.

Not to mention afforestation – that is even more unheard of.

Prince Su had been walking around when the scholars were answering the questions, and when he got to Xiao Yuan’s side, he just happened to see Xiao Yuan writing about the problems of border troubles, and he couldn’t help but stop to see what Xiao Yuan thought.

He was mesmerized at a glance.

When Xiao Yuan proposed his method of managing the Yellow River, Prince Su couldn’t help but repeatedly marvel in his heart.

He originally said Xiao Yuan was good at bragging, but now it seems that this man truly has great talent.

In the palace, when several scholars from the Hanlin Academy saw Prince Su standing by Xiao Yuan for a long time, they all knew that Prince Su valued this scholar. Looking closer, they realized it was none other than the top scorer of the Imperial Examination who won five elements – certainly, he must have written something brilliant to please Prince Su.

They even thought Xiao Yuan’s essay must be splendid and magnificent.

But little did they know that Prince Su was different from other princes.

Prince Su had stayed at the border and even battled on the battlefield.

Although he is young, his insights are truly extraordinary, and he does not care about your writing style, but whether you have offered practical solutions.

In Prince Su’s eyes, Xiao Yuan may lack some literary grace, but his essay was simple and touching, and the proposed solutions were indeed feasible – that is a sign of great talent, the kind of talent the court truly needs.

After the examination, the scholars were led to rest in a side hall while several Hanlin scholars hurriedly collected the examination papers to review them one by one.

Of course, there was no need for anonymity at this point, as the imperial examination rankings are typically announced on the same day.

The Hanlin scholars, knowing that Prince Su valued Xiao Yuan, picked out his paper first.

Then they looked at the other scholars’ papers.

Soon, the top ten papers were presented to Prince Su.

Prince Su read the other nine papers and then, with a brush dipped in vermillion ink, marked Xiao Yuan’s as the top scorer: ”Should be ranked as the top scorer.”

Then, he marked the paper of the son of an Imperial Censor from Lu, a representative of the Northern Party and the Qingliu, as second place, and another scholar with a very handsome face who came from the Jiangnan Water Town as third place, and he left the rest unattended.

Naturally, the Hanlin scholars had no objections.

This time, Prince Su took everyone into account, and there could be no more reasonable result than this; who would dare to say anything.

The son of the Imperial Censor was from the Lu region, an official of the Northern Party, and also represented the Qingliu faction – making his son second place indicated the court’s regard for the Qingliu.

The third place was the scion of an official from the Southern Party, yet came from a noble background.

And Xiao Yuan was the man Prince Su valued.

By doing so, he took care of all sides – the Northern Party, the Southern Party, the Qingliu, and the nobles – meaning everyone had a part in the celebration, splitting the spoils together.

After the scholars rested for a while, names began to be called.

Xiao Yuan, as expected, ranked as the top scorer. Alongside the second place and third place, he donned the official robe provided by the court, wore a red flower on his head, and began to parade through the streets on horseback.