Episode 7 recap: Mu Zhuo Hua passed the imperial examination.
Many people saw Liu Yan bringing Mu Zhuo Hua over, but Liu Yan was one of the main examiners this time. If something fishy was going on, he wouldn't have openly escorted Mu Zhuo Hua to the door. Shen Jing Hong greeted Mu Zhuo Hua when he arrived. Having heard the rumors about Liu Yan's inhumane behavior, Mu Zhuo Hua felt grateful and offered to share a secret formula for enhancing virility at a low price with Liu Yan. However, Liu Yan simply walked away upon hearing this.
The emperor had a physician come to treat Liu Yan. The physician stated that Liu Yan only had some old injuries and was not seriously harmed. The emperor mentioned that he had ordered a search for An Wei's information from previous years, and it would be sent to Liu Yan when available. Liu Yan expressed an intention to visit the Empress Dowager, but the emperor explained that the Empress Dowager was unwell and not receiving visitors, so Liu Yan didn't pursue the matter further. Liu Yan also knew that the newly built tomb with ceremonial attire belonged to someone, so he asked Zhi Jian to investigate and gather all the relevant information about the tomb.
The examination began with the first section, which involved recitation of scriptures. Mu Zhuo Hua was aware of his own proficiency and knew that while he couldn't claim to have a perfect memory of the various philosophical texts, he could recite them accurately enough. He was confident in performing well in this section. The Crown Prince and Liu Yan were present, reviewing the examination papers. One of the officials noticed a flawless paper. The Crown Prince believed it must be Shen Jing Hong's paper, but Liu Yan challenged him to a bet. If the Crown Prince lost, he would have to give Liu Yan his jade pendant. Surprisingly, the flawless paper belonged to Mu Zhuo Hua. Although Shen Jing Hong's paper was also error-free, the Crown Prince ended up losing the bet.
The second subject of the examination was poetry. Mu Zhuo Hua knew that she was not good at this aspect, so she could only try her best to stay on topic and maintain proper rhythm and rhyme. Many people in this examination misunderstood the topic and thought that the "yellow flowers" mentioned in the question referred to chrysanthemums, but in fact, the poem was referring to rapeseed flowers.
The third subject of the examination was policy and theory, and the topic this time was border stabilization strategies. Mu Zhuo Hua wrote a very bold essay, proposing a strategy of peaceful coexistence and border development. The Crown Prince strongly disagreed with this viewpoint as he was a proponent of war, believing that all these years of warfare would be in vain if they pursued a policy of peace. However, Liu Yan thought that the viewpoint was quite good and expressed that the purpose of warfare was to have an opportunity to make others obedient.
Mu Zhuo Hua finally finished the examination and felt exhausted. She wanted to eat something delicious. Guo Ju Li was waiting outside for Mu Zhuo Hua and said that everything was prepared.
The Empress Dowager learned that Liu Yan personally accompanied Mu Zhuo Hua to the examination hall and ordered a thorough investigation into Mu Zhuo Hua's family background. The Empress Dowager felt that she had always worked for the good of her son and grandchildren, but they all seemed to be particularly close to Liu Yan, which made her feel troubled.
Soon, it was time for the results to be announced. Mu Zhuo Hua hesitated but decided not to go and check the rankings. She believed that if she had achieved the top position, someone would come to her house to inform her. If she hadn't achieved a high ranking, she didn't want to subject herself to ridicule. Song Yun came to find Mu Zhuo Hua and suggested that even if she didn't achieve a high ranking, she could still establish herself here based on her medical skills. However, Mu Zhuo Hua stated that the bustling capital was not suitable for her to study, and art was only a means of making a living. She still wanted to enter officialdom. Guo Ju Li came back and told Mu Zhuo Hua that she ranked 17th, with Shen Jing Hong taking the top spot. Mu Zhuo Hua felt that 17th place was not bad at all. Song Yun shared this news with her sisters, and everyone came to congratulate Mu Zhuo Hua.
Rou Jia Gong Zhu returned to pay respects to her ancestors. The Emperor mentioned that she had grown up in the Jiangnan region, and he felt that he hadn't shown enough care for her. Rou Jia Gong Zhu expressed that she had also learned a lot from her maternal ancestors. The Emperor brought up the matter of Rou Jia Gong Zhu's husband, who had observed a five-year mourning period for his deceased fiancée. Now it was time to consider marriage matters.
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