After arriving in Plumera City, Wenbin suppressed his overwhelming gratitude and excitement. While marveling at the harmony and prosperity of Plumera Kingdom, so unlike other countries, he studied knowledge and martial arts day and night. He only wished to live up to the grace of the woman who saved him and hoped to pass the national exam, find a place in this flourishing society, and one day repay her kindness.
His efforts and talent did not disappoint his own expectations.
As the top scorer in both the written and martial exams, Wenbin became the most outstanding candidate among the tens of thousands who took part in the national exam.
If not for the current system's many exam divisions, each with their own top scorer, Wenbin's results would have been equal to the former title of Champion of the imperial exams.
Elara read his exam papers and deeply appreciated the various philosophies and ideas he had written.
In the great hall, she looked down at Wenbin, who was kneeling with his head bowed, not daring to meet her gaze, and she smiled. "Wenbin, your results make you eligible for all nine ministries. Why don't you tell me which one you'd like to join?"
While she was in Geranium Kingdom, Elara had altered her appearance and even changed her voice. Now that she had returned to her original form, Wenbin did not recognize her.
He remained kneeling with his head down, his posture respectful and dignified. At least on the surface, there were no obvious signs of excitement or nervousness.
"Your Majesty, I will follow your arrangement."
He did not mind his background or status. That he could pass, and with such excellent results, filled Wenbin's heart with gratitude and a determination to serve loyally. He had no other wishes.
He could go anywhere.
Wherever he went, he would give his best to repay this country that had accepted him. Once Wenbin finished speaking, the various ministries, all in dire need of officials, began subtly and openly trying to persuade Elara to assign Wenbin to their department.
They were truly short-handed. Now that such a talented and well-rounded person had come, everyone wanted him.
All nine ministries, except for the Ritual Ministry, which still lacked leadership, had someone speak up to request Wenbin.
In the end, the head of the Justice Ministry, Kristof, personally stepped forward. With his eloquence, he silenced the others and said to Elara, "Your Majesty, Wenbin is talented in both civil and martial fields. Given his past, he understands human nature deeply and is best suited to serve in the Justice Ministry to help uncover and remove hidden dangers."
"And also... Your Majesty, in the Justice Ministry, aside from me, there are dozens of vacant high-ranking positions of fifth rank or above. Right now, only seven or eight are filled. I need more capable people. If I fall ill from overwork, I'll have to come to the imperial palace myself to demand compensation."
Kristof, speaking with his usual cheeky manner in court, still made his intentions clear and firm.
The high-ranking officials from other departments, seeing that Kristof himself was stepping in to recruit Wenbin, looked anxiously at their own department heads or highest officers, signaling for them to act quickly and do the same.
Unfortunately, none of the other ministers had skin as thick as Kristof's. On the whole court floor, only Kristof spoke up.
Elara thought for a moment and felt that Wenbin's abilities and experience made him a suitable candidate for the Justice Ministry. She nodded and personally appointed him as a third-rank main supervisor in the Justice Ministry, to work under Kristof in inspection. Adjustments could be made later if necessary.
Besides Wenbin, many other impressive talents stood out in this exam, surprising Elara.
Among them were the three women whose applications Mathias had shown her when she first returned, and none of them disappointed her.
Each one applied for different fields they were good at. Each one beat thousands of other competitors and ranked in the top three in their category.
Among them, two even ranked first in their respective categories.
The first was Esmira, the direct daughter of the Qin family. Her family had once served as high-ranking officials in the old Plumera Kingdom, but later retired to the mountains and went into seclusion.
Esmira was a very beautiful woman, about twenty-seven years old. She had a tall and slender figure, with elegant and intellectual makeup. She had already married four husbands and had two children. She was the eldest daughter of the reclusive and powerful Esmira family and the head wife in charge of the household.
This time, she came to Plumera City to take the national exam. She brought all her husbands with her to take care of her daily needs while she focused completely on preparing. She succeeded in earning a top-grade result in the written exam.
Because the number of exam participants this time was extremely high, the number of people receiving top, middle, and lower grades in each category was much larger than in the past.
Esmira not only got a top-grade result in the written test but also came just two points behind Wenbin, proving she was truly a woman of great talent.
Elara also read her paper and essay. This young woman from a powerful noble family had a deep understanding of the survival skills needed to interact among large noble houses since childhood.
Her essay in the written exam was titled "On the Pros and Cons of Relations with Major Powers and the Techniques of Negotiation."
In simple terms, Esmira, who was raised among powerful clans, fully understood the advantages, risks, and tactics of dealing with them.
She was especially skilled at maneuvering between different powerful groups and could clearly identify benefits for herself, using all kinds of strategies to form alliances and gain advantages.
In short, Esmira was a genius in social interaction. She could find her place within a web of complex power groups and move among them for her own gain.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of diplomatic talent Elara had been worrying about not having?
When Elara read the backgrounds of the three top candidates given by Mathias, she had hoped that at least one of them would be good at social skills. After all, Plumera Kingdom still had no official in charge of foreign affairs, especially no female diplomat. In the future, if women-led nations wanted to build relations, she would need a female official to handle it, right?
Perfect timing. The problem she was worrying about just ten days ago was now solved with Esmira's outstanding performance.
After reading Esmira's test and personal file, Elara smiled and said to her,
"Esmira, my Plumera Kingdom currently has no official for external affairs. I now appoint you as the Main Diplomatic Supervisor of the Ministry of Rites, ranked upper third grade. In addition to handling rituals and ceremonies, your main duty will be to manage diplomacy, reception, alliances, and trade with other nations. Since you're skilled in this area, I'll leave the handling of all our international relations to you. Do not disappoint me."
Hearing the approval in Elara's tone, Esmira couldn't hide her excitement and gratitude.
She knelt deeply and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, please rest assured. Since Your Majesty trusts me with such a heavy responsibility, I will not let you down!"
Elara nodded and placed Esmira in the Ministry of Rites, which had the fewest people among the nine main departments.
After Esmira, another woman who ranked first in her exam group also impressed Elara very much.
This woman was named Imema. She was also very young, only twenty-five years old, and had already married two husbands and had one child.
But compared to Esmira, who had grown up in wealth and privilege, Imema's background was much rougher.
Her family used to be wealthy and even ran a silver shop, but after chaos broke out in Plumera Kingdom, everything they had was taken by bandits. Most of her relatives died or were injured during the years of hardship. Now, only she, her two husbands, and her one child remained.
They had once been refugees, wandering for years. It wasn't until the Empress took the throne that they finally received real aid from the local government.