At that time—

Such a mess, even Empress Dowager would probably struggle to clean it up.

Emperor Yongcheng’s actions are not merely foolish but akin to willingly placing a noose around his own neck.

Feng Shou could not sit down; he could not let Emperor Yongcheng continue with such reckless behavior.

Without much thought, Feng Shou entered the palace.

"Master, you are here?"

With a decision in his heart, Emperor Yongcheng felt some apprehension.

Seeing his most trusted Master Feng, Emperor Yongcheng temporarily forgot the previous unpleasantness between teacher and student.

He warmly greeted him, face full of joy as he spoke to Feng Shou. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Feng Shou suppressed the anxiety in his heart, discreetly exchanging pleasantries with the Emperor.

Indeed, in the moment he entered the palace, Feng Shou regretted it somewhat.

He shouldn’t have been so impulsive.

The little Emperor was different from the late Emperor; though the late Emperor was suspicious, he still had a line—Feng Shou was considered trustworthy.

As for the little Emperor, he’s sensitive, insecure yet capricious and arrogant.

If Feng Shou rashly inquired whether he was going to implement some sort of examination for selecting officials, the little Emperor would surely become dissatisfied—

Oh, Feng Shou, how dare you plant spies beside me!

In fact, as the greatest strategist of the late Emperor, Feng Shou was able to plan strategically without missing a step.

Besides his high intelligence and strategic skills, he must have had enough sources of information as well.

Including the late Emperor and all the Military Merits, everyone speculated that Feng Shou certainly had a team skilled in gathering information.

Calling him the biggest spy master of Dayuan Dynasty might be an exaggeration.

But the fact that he had people stationed within the Imperial Palace and in the backyards of various military merit households was widely accepted.

And Feng Shou had no intention for an official career; after the establishment of Dayuan Dynasty, he quickly "retired."

Otherwise, the late Emperor would not have tolerated Feng Shou long ago.

The late Emperor, for certain reasons, not only did not eliminate Feng Shou but also did not overly cleanse the palace of spies.

He only cleared people around him, but in other palace quarters, like Empress Dowager He’s side, Feng Shou still had his informants.

Emperor Yongcheng was not like the late Emperor; the people around him were arranged by Empress Dowager He, the Three Great Ministers, and other authorities.

Among them were Feng Shou’s people.

Feng Shou did not intend to monitor the little Emperor, but was worried about him, protecting him in secret.

However, once Emperor Yongcheng knows the "truth," he might not appreciate it, fearing Feng Shou, thinking he has feelings of disloyalty.

Feng Shou had already experienced Emperor Yongcheng’s unreasonable, ungrateful nature, and did not dare to probe further.

Alas, the little Emperor lacks sufficient magnanimity and trust in him, so these matters should be concealed as much as possible.

Feng Shou regretted recklessly entering the palace, but having arrived, he couldn’t turn back halfway.

Therefore, he concealed his emotions, starting to consciously guide Emperor Yongcheng.

Someone like Feng Shou, a crafty old fox, if set on extracting information, could quickly achieve his goal.

And Emperor Yongcheng, feeling apprehensive and excited, wanted to find someone to "share."

After hearing Feng Shou casually chatting for a moment, he excitedly said, "Master, now that the Salt Administration Bureau is about to be established, I want to emulate Father Emperor’s method and conduct an examination to select officials!"

Feng Shou’s eyes lit up; oh, not entirely foolish yet!

Using the Salt Administration Bureau as an opportunity and waving the flag of the late Emperor to conduct a small-scale experiment was not outlandish.

"Additionally, I want to conduct a grand examination, examining officials from the Three Provinces and Six Ministries down to the commanderies!"

"Those who pass the examination can continue in their positions; those who fail will be eliminated!"

Feng Shou:... Indeed, cleverness lasted less than three seconds.

This just after I praised you as "not entirely foolish," you immediately hit me with a heavy one.

A national examination for officials?

Such grandiose actions, such mobilization; if mishandled, it could backfire.

Moreover, the significance of such an examination is minimal.

Because from top to bottom, from "examiner" to "examinee," they are all from noble families or officials.

It’s not to say there’s collusion among officials, but the unwritten rules in the officialdom are plenty; honestly, it’s not something a little Emperor can manage.

If mishandled, after going through a lot of trouble, the little Emperor won’t get the results he wants; instead, it would waste resources and cause widespread complaints within the court.

How is this different from implementing a nationwide examination?

Not only can’t truly desirable talents be selected, but he might be calculated and deceived by noble families.

In the end, the little Emperor’s prestige will continually decline, and might even be quietly killed by noble families, directly replacing him with Prince Liang!