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The Minister of Personnel’s mind was exceptionally clear at the moment and he promptly answered, "Your servant has nothing, I beg to retire."

He performed the retirement ritual and immediately hurried out.

All the disciples had arrived at the Imperial Academy, so what was the point of arguing with this old geezer? It would be better to go see how people were and first try to make a good impression.

This old geezer was so shameless, there was no longer any need to be graceful. He had already lost the initiative earlier, and he couldn’t afford to lose it again.

Upon seeing this, the Minister of Rites was not to be outdone and quickly asked to retire, "Your old servant also has nothing, I shall leave first."

What was there to quarrel about? All the arguments were about vying for this disciple, and now this disciple was the key, nothing else mattered!

The two troublemakers had vanished in an instant, leaving behind a crowd too shocked and slow to react.

Hadn’t they just mentioned about giving a judgement? How could they run away before any judgement was made?

The Emperor leisurely sipped his tea, noting if there were still any clueless people standing around. With a click of his teacup lid, he slowly looked down.

The rest of the attendants panicked, hurriedly asking to retire, not daring to stay a moment longer.

Joking aside, with those two cunning old foxes as shields earlier, they could afford to stand by and occasionally interject, as His Majesty would scold them first. But now that they were gone and there was no one left to take the heat, why stay and be scolded? They weren’t foolish.

In no time, the room was empty, and the hall quieted down.

The Emperor set down his teacup, drumming his fingers on the imperial desk, deep in thought. In fact, he was very curious about Lian Mu and always had a strange feeling about him, wanting to know if he could be as capable as he imagined.

He truly wanted to see for himself, but even an Emperor couldn’t do as he pleased.

While the Ministers of Rites and Personnel had run off to see for themselves, if he went as well, it would be a different story; the Minister of Rites could well end up crying and clinging to his legs, begging him to reconsider.

After considering, he instructed Zhang Qing, "Get ready, when the examination starts in three days, I’ll go incognito to the Imperial Academy to observe."

What he was determined to do couldn’t be stopped by tears; he just needed to keep a low profile and not let too many people know.

Zhang Qing was briefly stunned, not expecting this lame exam candidate to cause such a stir, even affecting His Majesty’s thoughts.

He respectfully accepted the order, knowing he had to arrange for Hu Miaomiao to organize the guards.

Outside the hall, the Ministers of Personnel and Rites walked briskly.

The Minister of Personnel was anxious, not expecting the old codger to be so capable; despite his age, seeming light and feeble, he moved as fast as him, which made him increasingly competitive.

The Minister of Rites was secretly pleased, even though he was old, he strained every day to practice Tai Chi and brisk walking around his home to exercise, surely not something these pampered young nobles could compare with.

The Minister of Personnel, gasping for breath from the effort, walked a long distance and still couldn’t shake off the old geezer beside him who, not only was not panting or flushed but also had the nerve to smile and provoke him, increasing his irritation.

Except for urgent messages, one must not run wildly within the Imperial Palace, so he could only keep his head down and walk on.

As he walked, he suddenly thought of something, his mind settled, and he slowed his pace, no longer in a hurry, and began to stroll leisurely.

The Minister of Rites soon surpassed him and could not help but laugh heartily upon seeing this, "Master Feng, can’t walk anymore? Then you should rest a while; I will move ahead."

The Minister of Personnel watched the older minister who did not slow down at all and called out loudly from behind, "Minister Fan, you’re not thinking of going to the Imperial Academy to see that examinee, are you?

You, being the one who set the question, should avoid suspicion, as a Minister of Rites, you should know the rules, shouldn’t you? "

The proud laughter of the Minister of Rites stopped abruptly, and his face stiffened; he stopped in his tracks and slapped his thigh, "Oh, I’ve gotten muddled and forgot about that!"

The Minister of Personnel was pleased; this old thing had really worn him out.

He walked past the Minister of Rites with his hands clasped behind his back, mockingly calm and composed, "Minister Fan truly lives up to the title of Minister of Rites, recalling so quickly. You take your time with the questions. I will go have a look on your behalf first; farewell, hahaha..."

Intentionally mimicking the Minister of Rites’ earlier laughter, he laughed heartily, clearing the gloom in his heart.

The Minister of Rites could not help but beat his chest and stomp his feet, finished, finished, this youngster would take the lead!

In fact, he did not want to compete with a junior over a disciple.

He was in his seventies or eighties, had great-grandchildren, had served through three reigns, and at his age, had seen many of his proud disciples leave, familiar with the rise and fall of a bureaucratic career, and had long since become indifferent to fame and fortune; having one less or one more disciple really did not matter much.

What he couldn’t let go of were his descendants; it was the matter of what came after him.

His sons had no noteworthy achievements.

He had been shrewd all his life, yet he could not believe that the sons he had were mediocre.

He pin his hopes on his grandson, but even the grandson had not shown much promise, was too mediocre; during the Late Emperor’s dangerous times at the court, he dared not let them pursue political careers, and now, passing the scholarly exams seemed hopeless as well.

Realizing the hope was faint, he turned his attention to his great-grandchildren. Sadly, even several of his great-grandchildren were quite ordinary, lacking sensitivity to court matters; it would be enough for them to live ordinary lives peacefully.

After enduring year after year, really unease, he dared not let go, only because he wanted to support the Feng family.

Latterly, he had also come to terms with it, had given up in resignation, knowing in his heart that after his death, the Fan Family would inevitably decline, even with His Majesty’s imperial grace, the decline could not be stopped.

Thus, he had prepared all arrangements for his descendants, planning for them to leave the Capital City after his death, return to their hometown, clutching their farmland, and live as wealthy landlords.

A few years ago, he was once critically ill, on the brink of death, lying in bed, he had arranged the affairs for generations of his descendants.

Having nearly finished making arrangements, as he was about to breathe his last, his sons and grandsons, who were devoted, unable to bear the loss of their grandfather, had all agreed to let the youngest great-grandchild, who was only seven, and four or five great-great-grandchildren aged from three to eight, recite scriptures to bid him farewell as their great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather.

He appreciated the filial piety of his children and grandchildren, listening quietly with a peaceful demeanor, unwilling to let go of their devotion, he wanted to persist and listen to the end.

But as he listened, the more he listened, the more spirited he became, his eyes sparkling with vitality.

Everyone else stopped, but his seven-year-old great-grandchild, whom he had not paid much attention to usually, kept reciting without pause, even reciting works like "Doctrine of the Mean."

He couldn’t help but rise up in bed in amazement, struggling to ask his great-grandchild if he understood the meaning of the book he was reciting.

His great-grandchild nodded, saying he understood, and began to explain it quite logically. Although the views were immature, they were refreshingly novel.

He felt as if some strength had returned to his body, leading him to ask more in-depth questions, and no matter what he asked, his seven-year-old great-grandchild had his own perspectives, and even if he did not understand, he could still offer some of his own guesses.