Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 632: Chapter 314 Zhao Yao’s Proposal_2

Sun Kui and Sun Doudou, who were guarding the door, heard the emperor’s hearty laughter. Their curiosity piqued, they both poked their heads into the East Warm Pavilion.

The emperor called Sun Kui in and asked him to bring a basin of warm water.

Soon, Sun Kui brought a basin of warm water. The emperor personally wiped Zhao Yao’s face. After wiping his youngest son’s face, he didn’t mind the used water and wiped his own face.

Seeing that it was getting late, Sun Kui reminded the emperor that it was time for dinner.

The emperor ordered the meal and had dinner together with Zhao Yao.

During dinner, the emperor mentioned that Mr. Meng wanted Zhao Yao to visit Jinling and asked Zhao Yao if he wanted to go.

Zhao Yao said without any hesitation that he wanted to go, very much so.

Initially, the emperor was not inclined to let Zhao Yao go to Jinling, after all, the situation in Jiangnan was not very settled. However, after hearing his youngest son’s desire to experience the imperial examinations, the emperor changed his mind and planned to let him go to Jinling.

After the New Year, the emperor planned to hold the imperial examinations, which would cause disturbances in the capital.

"Father, may I discuss something with you?"

Seeing his youngest son’s flattering expression, the emperor could guess what the young boy was up to without much thought.

"Speak, what do you seek from me?"

Zhao Yao put down his chopsticks and smiled ingratiatingly at the emperor, "Father, when I go to Jinling, I also wish to visit my maternal grandparents in Yangzhou. Is that okay?"

"Sure." The emperor knew that his youngest son was asking something more and looked at him amused, "You really want to ask if you can stay in Jiangnan for a while, don’t you?"

Zhao Yao nodded vigorously, "Can I, Father?"

"Considering your idea of the imperial examinations, I kindly allow you to stay in Jiangnan a little longer."

Hearing this, Zhao Yao immediately jumped up with joy, "Thank you, Father."

The emperor gestured for Zhao Yao to sit properly, and he promptly complied.

"Father, I plan to visit Mr. Meng in Jinling after the Yuan Festival. Is that okay?"

The emperor planned to let Zhao Yao visit Mr. Meng in Jinling when the weather turned warmer.

"In such a hurry to go to Jinling?"

"Father, didn’t you say Mr. Meng is seriously ill? I must go visit him quickly." Zhao Yao was worried that waiting for warmer weather might be too late to see Mr. Meng. "Besides, the sooner you visit a sick person, the better, right?"

The emperor thought of Mr. Meng’s poor health, likely unable to hold on until spring.

"Fine, go to Jinling after the Yuan Festival." After the Yuan Festival, the court would return to normal, and they’d be busy with the imperial examinations.

Zhao Yao was overjoyed when the emperor agreed, "Thank you, Father."

"Mr. Meng is unwell, so don’t cause him trouble when you visit, understood?"

Zhao Yao quickly raised his hand to swear, "Don’t worry, Father. I definitely won’t trouble Mr. Meng."

Since the Yuan Festival was still far off, the emperor didn’t dwell on this topic with Zhao Yao much, knowing that discussing it now would be forgotten by his youngest son later.

"Regarding the imperial examinations, once you leave the East Warm Pavilion, you must not mention it to anyone, understood?"

Zhao Yao nodded obediently and said, "Understood."

"Not even to your fourth and eighth brothers." The emperor’s demeanor suddenly became somewhat serious, "Once you leave the East Warm Pavilion, forget about the imperial examinations."

Zhao Yao understood the emperor’s intent and replied with a compliant expression, "I’m forgetting it now."

The emperor was amused by his youngest son’s words. He placed a piece of meat in the young boy’s bowl and chuckled indulgently, "You cunning little thing."

"Oh right, Father, I forgot to mention, besides the imperial examinations, we can also conduct military examinations to select military talents." He had nearly overlooked the military examinations, fortunately, he remembered now. "There are those who love to read, but surely there are those who dislike it. Hosting military examinations can provide a path for those who dislike or are bad at studying, a chance to change their destiny." Of course, the greatest impact of the military examinations was to break the monopolies of the aristocrats or elite families in the military camps.

The emperor became interested upon hearing this.

"Explain in detail."

Subsequently, Zhao Yao continued his meal while discussing the military examinations with the emperor. Of course, these examinations should not only assess martial arts or archery skills, but candidates should also be tested on the Four Books and Five Classics. However, it shouldn’t be too difficult for military candidates.

The emperor, after listening, felt that Zhao Yao’s suggestion was very good. Nowadays, the Great Zhou was mostly at peace, unlikely to go to war easily. Without battles, soldiers would find it hard to earn merits. Without merits, promotions were difficult, but with the military examinations, soldiers would have opportunities for advancement, which would be a good thing for them.