CHAPTER 581: CHAPTER 488: THE FIRST GAME, OVERWHELMING VICTORY

Prince Jin doubted his ears.

A literary test, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t it be on the Four Books and Five Classics, or essay debates? How did it turn into farming?

An Emperor isn’t a farmer!

Not only Prince Jin, but his five brothers and many court officials were equally stunned.

Prince Ming glanced at Lu Zhaoyan and whispered, "What’s going on?"

Lu Zhaoyan replied softly, "How would I know? When has anyone ever been able to guess Father’s intentions?"

It wasn’t as though he’d never tried to probe for the exam content, but the three top ministers and nine senior officials who emerged from the Imperial Study Room had kept their mouths sealed tightly—none had revealed a single detail.

That said, he wasn’t as shocked as Prince Jin.

Following conventional logic would hardly be something Father would do.

Prince Ming asked worriedly, "Second Brother, can your son handle this? I mean, with his delicate, pampered face, can he even farm?"

Lu Zhaoyan gave him a death glare: "Who are you calling delicate, pampered?"

Prince Ming awkwardly rubbed his nose and took two steps away, only to bump into the Fifth Prince, Prince Fu.

Prince Fu remarked, "Be careful, Sixth Brother."

The Fifth Prince, Prince Fu, was the son of Consort Jiang. Ever since Consort Jiang and the Crown Prince Mansion had found a mutual adversary in Consort Hu, relations between Prince Fu and the Crown Prince Mansion had improved marginally.

Prince Ming’s eyes gleamed with mischief: "Fifth Brother, let’s make a bet."

Prince Fu replied sternly, "You still haven’t settled the debt from your last bet. I haven’t even mentioned it to Father yet."

Prince Ming sheepishly slipped back beside Lu Zhaoyan.

Lu Zhaoyan glared at him.

Prince Ming: "Fine, I’m the delicate, pampered one."

Once back in his place, Prince Ming glanced toward Prince Jin, Prince Rui, and Prince Fu opposite: "Hey, Second Brother, their expressions don’t look too good either. Seems they didn’t expect Father to make farming the subject of the literary test."

Mr. Zimu and Gongsun Yanming were present today as well, standing beside the princes, at the forefront of the civil and military officials.

The two exchanged brief glances; Mr. Zimu snorted coldly, while Gongsun Yanming averted his gaze.

Mr. Zimu had lived in seclusion for years and was an expert in agriculture. It didn’t take much guessing to figure out that this idea had been his suggestion.

However, the specific exam questions were ultimately decided by Emperor Liang.

So, what kind of questions might Your Majesty ask?

Eunuch Yu unfurled a scroll filled with exam questions and read aloud, "First question: What are the Five Grains?"

Lu Qi and Lu Yuan stood at the center of Jinluan Palace. As soon as Eunuch Yu finished speaking, Lu Qi immediately answered in a clear, decisive voice: "Rice, wheat, millet, beans, and sorghum."

Prince Jin’s expression relaxed.

Eunuch Yu turned toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan replied, "Oh, my answer is the same as his."

"Ha~"

Among the officials, someone couldn’t suppress a derisive laugh.

Eunuch Yu glanced at the scroll and announced, "Indeed, the answer is rice, wheat, millet, beans, and sorghum."

At this point, one official spoke up: "The Commandery Prince answered first—could it be that Prince Changsun is cheating?"

Prince Ming squinted and said, "Old bastard, a lackey of the Hu Family."

Prince Fu agreed, "Hmm."

Prince Ming: I wasn’t talking to you! We’re not even close!

Eunuch Yu continued reading aloud, "Second question: When are the Five Grains sown?"

Lu Qi replied calmly, "Sorghum is sown in spring. Wheat is sown in both spring and autumn. Rice is sown in spring and summer. Millet and beans are sown in summer."

The weight pressing on Prince Jin’s mind completely lifted.

He had thought his son possessed literary talent alone, but who knew he was so learned, even mastering farming techniques?

Prince Ming furrowed his brow: "This is bad news. That kid really knows his stuff. Second Brother, why do you think he knows all this?"

Lu Zhaoyan, of course, understood the reason. A while back, he had personally delivered books on agriculture to Lu Qi and made him study them late into the night, all to convince Mr. Zimu to come down the mountain.

Clearly, this was what Lu Qi had learned during those nights.

A true case of hoisting oneself with one’s own petard.

Eunuch Yu once again looked toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan answered breezily, "Oh, it’s the same as his."

The court erupted in an uproar.

Once could be excused as chance, but twice, boldly copying answers and merely saying "the same as him"—this was even more disgraceful than pretending to know what one didn’t.

Everyone turned their gaze to Emperor Liang seated on the dragon throne.

The Emperor’s brows knitted slightly, and the pressure of his imperial aura made it hard for anyone to breathe.

Prince Jin spoke up: "Qi’er, you are the younger brother, and should understand the importance of humility. Next time, don’t snatch your elder brother’s turn."

A fine sentiment about not snatching—Prince Changsun was a fool! Giving him the first chance to answer would only expose him immediately!

Lu Qi replied, "Yes, Father, I understand."

He turned to Lu Yuan and said, "Brother, you answer the next question first."

Prince Ming clutched Prince Fu’s arm nervously: "Don’t agree, don’t agree, don’t agree... Keep playing dumb."

Prince Fu: "Sixth Brother."

Prince Ming: "Let him answer first, let him answer first!"

Prince Fu sighed.

Lu Yuan curled his lips into a sly smile: "Very well."