To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 322 Planning for the Imperial Examination!

"Hahaha! As expected, nothing can escape the Immortal Master's divine calculations!"

Xiang Liang laughed triumphantly, "The one who has prepared this banquet to await the Immortal Master is none other than the Prefect of Kuaiji Commandery, Fang Zhenge!"

The group exchanged smiles, said no more, and entered through the hidden door of Ji Honglou.

The top floor of Ji Honglou.

The private room was filled with a delicate fragrance, and the screen blocked out the noise from the outside world.

Fang Zhengge, the governor of Kuaiji, had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Xiang Liang leading people in, he quickly stood up and his eyes immediately fell on the fake Zhang Fan, who was dressed in a blue robe and had an otherworldly temperament.

"Oh dear, this must be the Great Qin Immortal Master mentioned in Xiang Gongxin, who can see through the secrets of heaven, right?" Fang Zhengge hurriedly stepped forward, his politeness even carrying a hint of awe.

Ji Dan nodded slightly, his right hand resting lightly on his hand, his wide sleeves hanging down, and a calm smile on his face.

He slowly spoke: "The Great Dao is fifty, and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine. I am merely someone seeking a glimmer of hope in this chaotic world. I am unworthy of the title 'Immortal Master,' much less 'Immortal Master of the Great Qin!'"

Lord Fang's life palace glowed with a restrained red light, yet it concealed a thunderous aura. To see it today is a matter of fate.

Fang Zhengge was stunned. Although he didn't understand anything, judging from the demeanor, he immediately thought to himself:

Master!

This is absolutely a true immortal master!

As the group sat down, fine wines and delicacies were served in a continuous stream.

Fang Zhengge's smile faded slightly, his brows furrowed, and he began to pour out his grievances: "Immortal Master, Lord Xiang, to be honest, ever since that incident in Shangdang County a few days ago, although the court hasn't publicly announced how it handled it, its actions behind the scenes have been quite significant!"

I have a feeling... things aren't going to be peaceful in Ji County anytime soon. There have been a lot of unfamiliar faces in the city lately; I'm afraid the Black Ice Guard has been mobilized.

Mentioning Shangdang County.

Xiang Liang's face instantly darkened, and he said with grief and indignation, "What a pity for my nephew Xiang Tuo! He sacrificed his life for the great cause at such a young age, and now his body is nowhere to be found! That tyrant Ying Zheng is utterly devoid of conscience!"

Hearing this, Yu Miaoyan, who was lurking on the roof beam outside the window, was so angry that her nose was crooked. She muttered to herself, "It was clearly you who rebelled, Xiang Ta deserved it!"

And... just curse Zhang Fan, that bastard, but don't drag His Majesty into it!

inside the house.

Ji Dan's eyes flickered slightly. He calculated with his fingers and then said quietly, "Lord Xiang, please accept my condolences. I had already calculated the matter of Shangdang before. This is an omen of 'a hidden dragon entering the abyss'."

Although there were ominous signs and some damage to our vital energy, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and the outcome... is ultimately beneficial to my grand plan.

"Oh?"

Xiang Liang and Fang Zhengge exchanged a glance, their worry instantly turning to joy. "Is the Immortal Master's words truly true?"

"The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. All you need to know is that it is a matter of putting yourself in a life-or-death situation to survive." Ji Dan's persuasive words were so effective that the atmosphere in the room instantly became lively again, and the others flattered him even more.

After several rounds of drinks, Xiang Liang finally put down his wine cup, his eyes sharpening as he looked at Fang Zhengge:

"Lord Fang, let's get down to business. As the prefect, have you figured out the ins and outs of that tyrant's 'imperial examination' system? How should our people intervene?"

Fang Zhengge lowered his voice, his fingertips tracing patterns on the table: "The imperial examination is divided into county examination, prefectural examination, and palace examination. Each level of selection seems fair, but in reality, it is extremely dangerous!"

The county examinations are controlled by the local authorities, the prefectural examinations are probably directly supervised by my prefectural office, but the final palace examination is sent to Xianyang and reviewed by His Majesty… by that tyrant himself!

After listening, Xiang Liang sighed and said in a roundabout way, as if unintentionally, "The imperial examination is good, but as Lord Fang knows, most of the Xiang family's sons are people who make a living on horseback. They are all brave and good at fighting, and it is no problem for them to take the enemy general's head in the midst of a large army!"

But when it comes to writing articles… alas, our Xiang family is truly small and isolated in this officialdom!

Who is Fang Zhengge?

He was a seasoned veteran of officialdom, and upon hearing this, he immediately understood.

The Xiang family are powerful figures; they want to use him, the prefect, to help the young men of Jiangdong get into the imperial examinations.

Fang Zhengge pondered for a moment, then looked at Ji Dan, who was resting with her eyes closed, and tentatively asked, "Immortal Master, where do you think we should begin writing about this matter?"

Ji Dan opened her eyes and softly uttered four words: "Passing off inferior goods as superior ones!"

"Passing off inferior goods as superior ones?"

Xiang Liang and Fang Zhengge exchanged a glance, both seeing joy in each other's eyes.

Since Zhang Fan was the originator of the imperial examination system, although the details of its implementation were controlled by the Left Chancellor Li Si, a single suggestion from Zhang Fan was worth more than a thousand schemes.

"Immortal Master, please explain in detail! How do we mix this pearl? And how do we hide the fish?" Xiang Liang eagerly stepped forward, his eyes filled with greed.

Ji Dan's palms were actually sweaty at this moment.

Although he was wearing Zhang Fan's bionic mask and his appearance was impeccable, it was indeed a bit of a stretch to ask him, a "descendant of the former Crown Prince of Yan," to explain the official system of Qin in detail.

Fortunately, he had spent a lot of time in brothels and had thoroughly studied Zhang Fan's deeds.

He steadied himself, gave a cold laugh, and retorted sarcastically:

"Lord Xiang, Lord Fang, do you truly believe... that the imperial examination system is for the sake of so-called 'fairness throughout the land'?"

Fang Zhengge was taken aback, and hesitated before saying, "Isn't this... to break the system of clan-based recommendation and to recruit talented people from all over the country?"

"wrong!"

Ji Dan slammed down his wine cup and said in a low voice, "The so-called imperial examination is nothing but a pretext used by His Majesty... nothing but a tyrant to weaken old ministers and consolidate power in his own hands!"

Rules are rigid, but people who enforce them are flexible. Lord Fang, you are stationed in Kuaiji Commandery, the very deity in charge of the examinations here. Do you really have any worries about not being able to obtain the examination questions?

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang and Fang Zhengge were first stunned, then burst into knowing laughter.

"Hahaha! Immortal Master, your words have truly awakened me from my dream!"

Xiang Liang laughed until tears almost came to his eyes. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "We were really fooled by this imperial examination system. We always thought we could rely on our talent and knowledge to force our way through!"

But they forgot that with Lord Fang here, what is the point of this so-called "prefectural examination," and who passes? Isn't it all just a matter of Lord Fang's pen?

Fang Zhengge blushed and repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting: "Immortal Master is right! These past few days I've been so focused on dealing with the imperial inspection that I forgot the principle of 'being near the water tower gets you the moon first'."

"As long as we maneuver a little in that county examination, why should we, the sons of Jiangdong, not be able to leap over the dragon gate?"

Yu Miaoyan, who was on the roof beam, almost fell off when she heard this cheating strategy.

"Bastard! Bastard!"

Inside the room, seeing that the atmosphere was right, Xiang Liang immediately gave Xiang Yu a wink.

Xiang Yu understood immediately, took out a box of precious pearls from the East China Sea from his bosom, and pushed it in front of Fang Zhengge.

"Lord Fang, this is a small token of the Xiang family's appreciation, a little donation to your residence!"

Xiang Liang smiled slightly, "From now on, I hope Your Excellency will give due consideration to the descendants of the Xiang family on the list of candidates for the imperial examinations. Under the recommendation system, it was extremely difficult for us old nobles to advance, but with the opening of the imperial examinations..."

"My Xiang family will fill the court of the Great Qin with the seeds of my Jiangdong people!"