Chapter 108 - 93 Prince Consort (4K)_2
It took a full half an hour for everyone to take their seats. Afterward, the Emperor and Empress delivered speeches to encourage the candidates, singling out He Fanshuang, Pei Jing, Yong Hongzhong, and over ten others for friendly inquiries.
The Emperor and Empress were clearly already familiar with some of the candidates’ backgrounds. When it came to He Fanshuang, they first praised her elder brother’s accomplishments (it was only then that some of the candidates learned that her brother was the Academic Palace Top Scholar from eight years ago, who is now the Left Spring Palace Middle Officer, He Siping) and asked about the situation in her hometown in Youzhou.
When asking about the candidate recommended by the Ministry of War, they not only called out his name but also mentioned the names of his father and brothers, the rank of the border army unit they served in, their military achievements on the battlefield, and how Yu Country was grateful for his family’s contributions. This made the candidate recommended by the Ministry of War so touched that he nearly prostrated himself dozens or hundreds of times right there in the hall.
Then there were the Hu Ren disciples who, after expressing their gratitude, performed a ritual dance between two "bows with head to the ground" as a customary expression of submission and adoration towards the Heavenly Khan.
Not bad, it actually looks quite the part.
Li Ang silently gave high praise to the dance performance by his Hu Ren classmates. The Emperor and Empress on the main seat also burst into hearty laughter after a momentary stun, officially declaring the start of the banquet.
Court Dancers entered the scene, the sound of strings and bamboo instruments rose, and Palace Attendants brought forth dishes and fine wines.
Finally able to relax, Li Ang silently heaved a sigh and sipped the wine from his jade cup, smacking his lips slightly.
The palace wine isn’t that great, huh? It’s all sweetness, no real taste of alcohol—they probably deliberately chose low-alcohol wine, afraid of getting these underage scholars, who aren’t used to drinking, drunk and causing some sort of embarrassing scene.
Li Ang pondered the various arrangements in the Imperial Palace, while the Emperor and Empress on the main seat called the previously unaddressed candidates forward to chat casually, displaying a congenial attitude. This made the scholars, inexperienced in worldly matters, feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze, all swearing to devote themselves to Yu Country—including those from Alien Clans.
And the Mountain Master... Mountain Master Lian Xuanxiao sat with his eyes closed, nodding his head little by little in time with the music, seemingly asleep yet not.
Uh... is this the most powerful Cultivator in Yu Country, the headmaster of the Academic Palace...?