Empress Wu listened to the emperor's joke, which was not funny at all, but she laughed and said: "Then the magpie can't run to the palace of the concubine every day to call, and the chirp can't make a noise to kill the concubine!" ”

But the emperor said: "What is dead, don't talk nonsense!" His expression feigned displeasure.

Empress Wu hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, don't talk about the concubines!" She stretched out her hand and patted the emperor's hand gently, and the emperor was happy again.

Tong Guinu has long been accustomed to such an emperor and empress's warm tricks, but they don't have them, their official positions are too small, but they don't have the opportunity to see the emperor and Empress Wu all the time.

The three of them thought in their hearts: "Actually, Your Majesty and Niangniang are also the eldest and not a small person, and they are so affectionate!" ”

The emperor had a lot to say to Empress Wu, but when he turned his face to face the examiners and them, he had nothing to say, and there was an expression of "you read the name, and hurry out after reading"!

Empress Wu looked very concerned, and said, "Submit the roster, let Your Majesty and the palace see who this year's new science and technology scholars are!" ”

The emperor said: "Queen, just talk to me after reading it!" He yawned, and it seemed that he was a little sleepless today.

Tong Guinu hurriedly took the roster and handed it to Empress Wu, Empress Wu opened the roster, and the first name she saw was "Hong Li", she smiled and said: "The first name of the first class in this branch is Hong Li, or the Chang'an clan, why haven't you heard of this person's name before?" ”

The examiner Wai Lang hurriedly said: "Wechen is also the first time to hear the name of this person, and this candidate is not recommended, but he is ranked first by the article, Wechen also wants to see him, what kind of talent can write such a good article!" ”

In the re-examination, there is an interview, which was personally requested by Empress Wu, so it is impossible for the examiner not to see "Hong Li", but Empress Wu did not ask, why haven't you seen this candidate, did you close your eyes during the interview?

But Empress Wu didn't ask, but went to look at the next name, she smiled and said: "Li Rizhi, Xingyang Li Rizhi, isn't this the young man who solved the case of Jidouguan last time, speaking of which, he can be regarded as saving our lives!" ”

The emperor sighed and said, "Li Rizhi, this young man remembers it, he is a good person, I didn't expect the article to be so good!" But why isn't he number one? ”

The examiner Wailang hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Li Rizhi's article is excellent, and during the interview, he actually knows a lot about "Tang Law Shuyi", and the questions raised by the micro-ministers are answered fluently, not to mention other candidates, even the micro-ministers are admired, and he has an extraordinary temperament and good looks, so he is the first and second place in the undergraduate, which is definitely deserved, and the level of the third-place candidates is far worse than him!" ”

The two deputies behind him nodded together, and even one of the deputies had a rich expression, and the expression on that face was actually reminiscent of that Li Rizhi, could it be a rare talent in decades!

But the more the examiner Wailang praised Li Rizhi so much, the more strange the emperor became, of course he wasn't surprised by how Li Rizhi was, he had seen Li Rizhi, he was just strange, Li Rizhi was already so strong, so that Hong Li still had to rank above him, wouldn't that be even more powerful, who is Hong Li?

Just now, the emperor heard the "loophole" in the words of the examiner, why didn't he see Hong Li's appearance, didn't Hong Li have been asked face-to-face? If there is no question and answer, then how can you rank first?

The emperor was too lazy to ask just now, usually when he encountered this situation, Empress Wu asked, and then asked Empress Wu to solve it, so he didn't bother to care about it, but this time Empress Wu didn't ask, and the emperor's curiosity was hung up, so he had to ask in person.

The emperor asked: "Have you seen Li Rizhi, and when he answered the question and answer, it was the most difficult "Tang Law Shuyi", but you said that you wanted to see Hong Li, that is, Hong Li had not participated in the question and answer, so how could he be ranked first?" ”

The admiration on the face of the examiner, as an examiner, how could he have admiration for a candidate, this is also a very inexplicable thing!

The examiner Wai Lang said: "Just because this candidate named Hong Li is really talented, his answer to the paper is really beyond everyone, even if the second place Li Rizhi is so good, but it is difficult to get as good as this Hong Li...... No, it's even half of the Chengdu difficult to get up! ”

The emperor laughed and said: "How is this possible, then Li Rizhi has any ability, I am very clear, according to me, there can be no person in this world who is twenty times stronger than him, and even ten times stronger!" ”

Empress Wu also nodded again and again, and said: "Your Majesty is right, then Li Rizhi is already a young talent that has been rare for decades since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there are few people in this world who can be stronger than him by half a percent, how can there be people who are ten or twenty times stronger than him, as a foreign examiner, you can't be so open-mouthed!" ”

After listening to Empress Wu's words, the expression on the face of the examiner Wai Lang changed instantly, from the original face full of worship to a face full of grief and indignation, he was very anxious, as if if he didn't praise the candidate Hong Li, then the Tang Dynasty would lose a pillar, and even the Tang Empire would become a country!

The examiner said loudly: "Your Majesty, Niangniang, Weichen is dedicated to the public, how can he open the river, that Hongli's ability is indeed far beyond Li Rizhi, Niangniang said that Weichen is open, Weichen is not convinced!" ”

Empress Wu turned her head to look at the emperor and said with a smile: "Yo, he still doesn't accept it!" ”

The emperor sighed and said, "Is that Hong Li really powerful?" ”

Tong Guinu has been watching quietly, he originally wanted to wait for the time when the examiner Wailang's performance was not good, he would help out, so that they could take a big fart to the emperor and empress together.

But he didn't expect that the examiner Wailang would be so involved in the play, the expression on his face changed so quickly, it could be described as unpredictable, he changed when he said it, and it became very thorough, as for the sycophants, he didn't need his help to shoot at all, the examiner Wailang was all covered by himself, with a very thick face and an exaggerated expression!

Tong Guinu secretly said in his heart: "Fortunately, this guy didn't become a eunuch, otherwise with his sycophant skills, I'm afraid he would have to replace me, he is a civil official at most a six-rank, and he can be promoted to a five-rank, but if he is a eunuch, it is estimated that he will be on the same level as me, and he will have to be a third-grade!" No, I can't let him perform alone anymore, it's time for me to speak! ”

Taking advantage of the gap between the emperor and Empress Wu's speech, Tong Guinu said to the examiner Wailang: "Since you are so sure, then submit Hong Li's volume and let His Majesty and Niangniang Yu read it, then what you said is true or false, wouldn't it be clear at a glance!" ”

The emperor clapped his hands and said: "Yes, there is no basis for what you say, you take the scroll of Hongli, I want to take a look, see how powerful he is, he is ten times and twenty times stronger than Li Rizhi!" ”

Empress Wu nodded and said, "Well, I have to take a look!" ”

Normally, Empress Wu is very thoughtful, and she is basically the leader in dealing with things, and when the matter is resolved, she will ask the emperor, is it okay for the concubines to do this?

The matter has been resolved, and if you ask if it's okay, isn't that nonsense, so the emperor usually says okay, and the matter will be done according to Empress Wu's wishes!

But today this matter is different, Empress Wu did not lead the development of things, but led by the emperor, Empress Wu has been echoing the voice, has been according to the emperor's temperament, when the scroll was presented, Empress Wu did not take the first look, but the emperor opened it to watch, she looked like a little woman, lying on the emperor's side, probe and the emperor to see together.

The emperor enjoyed Empress Wu's performance as a "little bird", and he probably couldn't enjoy it usually, so he was in a happy mood, and when he took a look at the volume, he couldn't help but sigh!

The handwriting on the volume, he recognizes, and it is so familiar that it can't be more familiar, this is obviously the handwriting of the prince Li Hong, could it be that the candidate Hong Li is the prince Li Hong?

The emperor immediately said, "Isn't this trace Hong'er's?" There will be no second person in the world who writes like this! ”

Li Hong as the prince of the Tang Dynasty, since childhood received the best education, writing naturally has a famous teacher guidance, since childhood practice, so in calligraphy is beyond the ordinary, although the penmanship is not mature, but absolutely unique, over time, Li Hong will definitely become a calligrapher when he becomes an adult, this is certain!

Empress Wu also said in surprise: "This, this is obviously Hong'er's handwriting, Your Majesty will not be mistaken, and this palace will not be mistaken!" ”

Empress Wu turned her head and said to Tong Guinu: "Tong Aiqing, you can also take a look, this is the prince's handwriting, right?" ”

Although Tong Guinu is still a eunuch leader in terms of identity, he is a provincial supervisor in the palace, and he is a minister in status, although Tong Guinu still calls himself a small slave, but he can't always be treated as a slave, so Queen Wu calls him Aiqing!

Tong Guinu hurriedly stepped forward, pretended to look at the scroll very carefully, and then thought about it very seriously, and then nodded and said: "The little slave thinks that this is the handwriting of His Royal Highness the Prince!" ”

While they were talking, the emperor had already finished reading the article on the volume, and he smiled and said: "Sure enough, it's a good article, it's well written, it's so well written, it's too much stronger than Li Rizhi, in my opinion, let alone ten times or twenty times, even if it's a hundred times, it's possible!" ”

The articles on the volume, not only the handwriting is the prince's, but also the style and words are all the prince's Li Hong's, for the emperor, of course, such articles are more pleasing to the eye the more you look at them, and of course they are even better!

Empress Wu smiled: "You haven't read Li Rizhi's article yet, how do you know that it will be a hundred times stronger than him!" Take Li Rizhi's article, this palace will look at him first, and then look at this Hongli! ”