Chapter 23: The Imperial Examination System
The Empress’s beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with irrepressible shock.
This was a plan to drive a man to his ruin, a cutthroat scheme that would leave not even his ancestors of eighteen generations in peace!
Zhao Yi, however, acted as if he did not see her stunned expression. Instead, he grew more excited as he spoke, lowering his voice to explain every detail of the operation.
"First, find the most skilled carpenter and use fine agarwood to carve a small wooden effigy."
"The carpenter must be someone tight-lipped, someone whose family we have leverage over. Once the task is done, silence him permanently to ensure no loose ends."
"The third step, and the most crucial one, is to bury the wooden effigy, inscribed with his birth date and hour, deep within his estate."
"This must be handled by an expert, preferably one of your Imperial Guard elites, who can infiltrate the Wang residence and do it flawlessly."
"Once everything is set..."
A smile appeared on Zhao Yi’s face—a smile that looked innocent and guileless, yet sent a chill down one’s spine.
"We wait."
"We wait for a suitable moment, perhaps when you are feeling slightly unwell, and immediately spread rumors that someone is practicing witchcraft to curse Your Majesty."
"Then, arrange for a ‘patriotic’ citizen to ‘inadvertently’ report to the authorities that they saw ghost fires flickering in the Wang residence at the dead of night!"
"When the time comes, we send men to dig. With both the human and physical evidence in hand!"
"Witchcraft is a crime punishable by the extermination of one’s nine clans! Even if Wang Defa had ten thousand mouths, he would never be able to explain himself!"
As the last word fell, a deathly silence descended upon the Imperial Study.
Empress Wu Mingkong felt a cold shiver race from the base of her spine straight to her crown. Looking at the man before her as he spoke with such ease, she felt as though every word he uttered was a jagged shard of ice dipped in potent poison, piercing her heart and making it tremble.
Too ruthless.
This was simply too damn ruthless!
How exactly was this bastard’s brain wired?
She had lived for twenty years and considered herself to have seen more schemes and plots than the average person had eaten meals. But compared to Zhao Yi’s, those so-called conspiracies were like children playing house—childish and laughable.
This was not just a strategy.
It was a foolproof trap, a chain of interlocking events that left no room for survival!
After a long while, the Empress managed to force a smile onto her beautiful face—a smile more harrowing than tears—and spat out a single judgment through gritted teeth.
"You... truly are a scoundrel."
Zhao Yi, however, shook his head. The smile faded from his face, and his expression grew solemn once more.
"Your Majesty, while this plan is poisonous, it is not the ultimate strategy."
The Empress was taken aback.
"Oh?"
"Think about it, Your Majesty," Zhao Yi’s voice dropped. "That old dog Wang Defa is a veteran of three reigns with protégés and former subordinates scattered across the court."
"It would certainly be satisfying to use the witchcraft plot to destroy him."
"But what happens after he falls? What will those deep-rooted forces of his, those officials who have benefited from his favor, think? They will only feel threatened and band together to oppose you."
"By then, the court will be in turmoil, and the people will be panicked. It would be a loss that outweighs the gains."
"It is easy to kill a Wang Defa, but behind him are hundreds, even thousands of smaller Wang Defas."
"Wildfires cannot burn everything; the spring breeze brings life anew."
Zhao Yi paused, lifted his eyes to look at the Empress, and said every word with deliberate weight.
"Your Subject has another plan."
"This plan can solve the problem once and for all. It will not only strip an old dog like Wang Defa of his foundation but also allow Your Majesty to build an iron-clad empire that belongs truly to you, one that will stand for ten thousand generations!"
The Empress’s pupils contracted sharply.
She was highly intelligent and instantly grasped the weight of Zhao Yi’s words. Her body leaned forward uncontrollably, her phoenix eyes locked onto Zhao Yi, her voice tinged with urgency.
"Speak!"
"Speak quickly!"
As she leaned forward, the neckline of her slightly loose black casual robe inevitably slipped down a fraction further.
The breathtaking curve, the bottomless valley, the blinding, milky-white expanse.
*Tsk.*
She’s got it.
She’s really got it!
Zhao Yi’s gaze once again drifted uncontrollably toward the magnificent scenery.
However, this time, he was caught red-handed.
The Empress’s eyes shifted from his face, clashing precisely with his unabashed gaze in mid-air.
The air seemed to freeze.
The urgency and anticipation on the Empress’s face vanished, replaced by bone-chilling coldness.
Her red lips parted, her voice laced with extreme danger.
"Look again."
"And I will dig your eyeballs out!"
*Damn it!*
*This woman is at it again!*
Zhao Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and the lecherous look on his face vanished in an instant.
He straightened his posture, his eyes became clear, his expression solemn, and his tone righteous.
"Your Majesty! You have misunderstood me!"
"I was just organizing my thoughts! I was racking my brain!"
"The plan I am about to offer is an open conspiracy unprecedented in history, a state policy to shape the heavens and the earth! It concerns the century-long foundation of our Great Zhou and the eternal imperial power of Your Majesty!"
"I was terrified of speaking incorrectly and offending the Imperial ear, which is why I was momentarily lost in thought! My eyes, my heart, and my mind are filled only with the fate of the nation!"
He looked as if he wanted to carve the word "loyalty" onto his face.
Watching him immediately cower while still being stubborn, the Empress’s mouth twitched.
She couldn't even be bothered to expose him.
Forget it.
Let’s first hear what other outrageous things he has to say.
Seeing that she was not going to pursue the matter, Zhao Yi immediately cleared his throat, and his entire aura shifted.
He was no longer that grinning lecher, but rather a peerless strategist pointing out the course for the empire.
"Your Majesty, I dare ask, where do the officials of our Great Zhou currently come from?"
The Empress frowned and said, "Naturally, they are recommended by noble families and endorsed by the imperial clans."
"Exactly!"
Zhao Yi slapped his thigh hard.
"That is precisely where the problem lies!"
"They are people of the noble families, people of the clans. They owe their loyalty to their families, not to Your Majesty’s imperial authority!"
"They form cliques for selfish interests, promote one another, and have turned the imperial court into their own backyard! Scholars from humble backgrounds have no chance to rise!"
"If this continues, the country will cease to be a country!"
Zhao Yi’s voice was resonant and deafening.
"Therefore, my plan is to completely shatter this old world!"
"We must start anew! We must create an entirely new system!"
"This plan is called..."
He drew out his words, finally speaking two syllables slowly.
"The Imperial Examination!"
"The Imperial Examination?"
The Empress repeated, her phoenix eyes full of inquiry.
"Exactly!"
A light that had never been seen before shone in Zhao Yi’s eyes.
"We can proclaim to the world that we are opening the examinations to select scholars!"
"Regardless of background, regardless of status! As long as they are scholars among the subjects of our Great Zhou, anyone can participate!"
"We will set up testing centers, issue unified questions, determine rank by essays, and judge heroes by their talent!"
"Those who pass will be the Emperor’s own protégés!"
"They have studied for ten years in the cold, and upon passing, to whom will all their glory and power belong?"
"It will belong to you, Your Majesty!"
"They will only be loyal to you! They will only protect the system that allowed them to realize their ambitions!"
"In this way, the noble families' monopoly on the officialdom will be completely broken! All the heroes of the world will fall right into Your Majesty’s net!"
"This is the true meaning of cutting the firewood from under the cauldron!"
"This is the true meaning of a grand achievement that will last a thousand years!"