Chương 881: Chapter 882: That Brat Dares to Deceive Me_1

Looking into Ye Zi'an's eyes was an array of probing, intense scrutiny, and even Baili Yan did as much.

The Emperor's first sentence sounded somewhat dangerous; the first layer of meaning seemed to suggest that he wanted to promote him heavily, while the second was that the runner-up in the examinations would not go to the Imperial Academy but would instead directly enter one of the six ministries.

It is known that the top three scholars are generally expected to spend some time in the Imperial Academy before being assigned to one of the six ministries; the unluckier ones might even spend a lifetime there, yet this was not the case for Ye Zi'an. But the final question that arose, with some danger attached, was that the Emperor said he would need to think it over, but for how long might he consider? A few days, months, or even years?

That wasn't even the key point; the key was that last sentence.