"Mislead?" Fang Zhengzhi glanced at Ping Yang with disdain . How could he have misled Yan Xiu when the examination was in such an open area .

However . . .

How could he fail?

Even though he did not know what were the key pointers to look out for in a policy paper in this world, he was confident about his "New Six Nations" .

"If what Wu Feng says is true, how is it possible that both of you didn't receive the invite to meet with the Emperor?" Wen Dabao was confused .

"The meaning of the policy . " Yan Xiu said softly .

"The meaning?" Wen Dabao was confused . He had no idea what the question was, so he had no way of understanding what Yan Xiu meant .

However, at this point, the melodious music wafted out of the Intellectual Loft . It was intoxicating and calming .

"Let's go inside first . How can we enjoy the music at the door?" Ping Yang did not seem bothered about whether Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu pa.s.sed or failed .

Before Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu could say anything, she dragged them both into the loft .

Wen Dabao followed behind without any objection .

Once they were inside, Fang Zhengzhi realized that the 'fireworks' here were quite different from those he knew . There was no intoxicating lights here, only poetic and elegant art .

The inside of the loft felt like a circus tent . It was completely empty inside, with four staircases leading up to the second floor .

In the middle of the loft were dozens of tables filled with snacks and wine . There were scenic paintings all over the ceiling .

On the second floor were eight slightly raised platforms . There was a lady in a long dress on each platform, their faces covered by a white veil .

Each one of them had a different instrument .

On the third floor of the loft were four floating stages . They were in the directions of north, south, east, and west . There was a lady in a long dress on each stage .

Their dresses were in four different colors - green, red, gold, and white .

Fang Zhengzhi glanced at it . He had a feeling that the Intellectual Loft was set up rather uniquely . There were four staircases, eight stages in the middle, and four floating stages at the top .

"Four Symbols, Bagua!"

　　 . . .

"Oh? Fang Zhengzhi is here!"

"And Yan Xiu . . . greetings Princess Ping Yang!"

Very quickly, all of the talents at the center table saw Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu . Then, when they saw Ping Yang between the two gentlemen, they all stood up .

The owner of the Intellectual Loft recognized Ping Yang instantly .

The moment Ping Yang was seen, a thirty year old lady in a white dress came to them .

"Your highness, do you want your usual seat?"

"Of course . " Ping Yang raised her head haughtily .

"Your highness, please hang on a moment . I will arrange for it right now . "

"Do it quickly . "

"Yes your highness . "

Before long, they were all led to a table in the middle of the loft . From this position, Fang Zhengzhi could see all of the art inside the Intellectual Loft .

PIng Yang looked at the seat, then blinked at Fang Zhengzhi . It was almost as if she was showing off her experience to Fang Zhengzhi .

"Not bad . " Fang Zhengzhi nodded .

"Hahaha . . . of course it's not bad . " Ping Yang smiled immediately when she heard this .

All of the other talents looked on scornfully . The talents who had just been chased out of the seat brooded by the side .

"They will always be failures!"

"They will always be failures!"

"We will see who has the last laugh when the results are announced tomorrow . "

"Young Master Wu, tell us more about your policy . It will also allow some others to understand their lack of abilities . "

"Hahaha . . . "

Very quickly, chuckles could be heard from around them .

"Today's meeting should be about making friends and sharing knowledge . We should all make merry and enjoy the art . Let's not talk about the policy paper . " Wu Feng waved all the other talents off, smiling as he did so .

"Young Master Wu, you are wrong there . The policy paper is the only component of the court theory examination . Anyone who can produce such stunning work is better than those who just memorize the Law of Dao!"

"Exactly . Young Master Wu already called this a gathering of intellectuals, why hold back?"

"Even though we also partic.i.p.ated in the court examination, but we were not invited to meet with the Emperor . It is our good fortune to be seated next to Young Master Wu today . We hope that you will impart some knowledge to us . "

All of the talents pleaded with Wu Feng to discuss his paper with them .

Wu Feng looked rather conflicted even as he smirked . He knew that the policy paper discussions would take center stage today .

After making a show of rejecting them initially, Wu Feng decided to accede to their requests .

"Since all of you think so highly of me, I will just tell you all my two cents worth . " Wu Feng glanced at Fang Zhengzhi . "My policy paper is centered around honesty when dealing with the va.s.sals . "

"Honesty when dealing with the va.s.sal states?"

"Is that the statement found in the Law of Dao?"

The eyes of the talents brightened when they heard this .

"That is correct . The Emperor must ensure order and prosperity for the country . The officials must respect the wishes of the Emperor . Children must be filial to their parents and parents must be forgiving towards their kids . When dealing with other countries, honesty is the best policy . "

"I think that the Emperor values this very much . During the court examination, I noticed that the Emperor turned to look south . The uprising in the Southern Mountain Range must be on his mind . Yet, in the distance, there is also the problem of the demons . As officials, we cannot just solve the immediate problems, we must also prepare for the future . "

"Even though I do not know the details, the Southern Mountain Range have been our allies for centuries . They have also been a natural barrier against any invasion by the demons . "

"I think that the Emperor values this very much . During the court examination, I noticed that the Emperor turned to look south . The uprising in the Southern Mountain Range must be on his mind . Yet, in the distance, there is also the problem of the demons . As officials, we cannot just solve the immediate problems, we must also prepare for the future . "

"Even though I do not know the details, the Southern Mountain Range have been our allies for centuries . They have also been a natural barrier against any invasion by the demons . "

"The Great Xia Dynasty has provided the Southern Mountain Range with support as well . We have helped them in the excavation and opening of roads . The Southern Mountain Range is bound to be grateful to us . "

"In order for a country to be powerful, we must be able to accept! In dealing with others, we must be honest and trust each other . Only then can we prosper together . "

"As such, I proposed that we needed to be sincere and honest in our dealings!"

Wu Feng's voice was slightly raised when he got to this point . He sounded like he truly had a pa.s.sion to save the world .

"By being sincere, we can gain their trust? Young Master Wu is wise!"

"It is no wonder you are third on the Rising Dragon Roll . Your talents are not easily matched . Your policy paper is much better than some of the books I have written . "

"Young Master Wu's policy paper is unique . It is meaningful and draws on knowledge laid out in the cla.s.sics . I think even Nangong Hao would be hard pressed to write a better paper . "

"That is true . Even though I used similar concepts in my paper, my ideas were not as lucidly laid out as Young Master Wu's . "

All of the talents gasped in amazement when Wu Feng finished . Some others also sighed in disappointment .

"Naive . " Fang Zhengzhi's mouth twitched in disdain .

The ideas laid out were all true . However, the key was in when and how to use those concepts .

There was no problem in trust and honesty .

To advocate trust between countries was not wrong either .

However, trust was not something that was easily achieved . They could not simply say they trust each other and go about leading their lives happily ever after .

All trust was still built upon the foundation of power . Only when both sides stood to gain would there be trust and cooperation .

Without the above foundations, trust was meaningless .

Wu Feng did not here what Fang Zhengzhi said . After he finished, he turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu .

Then, he quickly walked over to the group of them .

"Young Master Yan, Young Master Fang, Princess, I wonder what the three of you thought of that?" Wu Feng asked respectfully .

Wu Feng did not here what Fang Zhengzhi said . After he finished, he turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu .

Then, he quickly walked over to the group of them .

"Young Master Yan, Young Master Fang, Princess, I wonder what the three of you thought of that?" Wu Feng asked respectfully .

All of the talents chuckled when they saw this .

For a talent who had met the Emperor to ask for advice from two failed candidates was quite the sight to behold .

They all fell vindicated when they recalled Fang Zhengzhi's arrogance during the theory examinations . This was compounded by the fact that Fang Zhengzhi had handed in his script early .

"Fang Zhengzhi, I bet you didn't expect this to happen when you handed in your script early!"

Yan Xiu glanced at Wu Feng but did not reply . He opened up his Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan and fanned himself .

Then, he turned to look at the four dancing ladies on the third floor of the loft .

"Could you please not block me?"

　　" . . . "

All of the talents, who were waiting in antic.i.p.ation, were stunned . They looked at each other in disbelief .

Could you please not block me?

Fang Zhengzhi also did not expect that someone as cold as Yan Xiu would say something so sarcastic . He wanted to give Yan Xiu a standing ovation .

After Ping Yang recovered from the initial shock, she burst out laughing, her hands clutching her belly as she did so .

"Hahahahaha . . . "

As for Wu Feng, he was completely stunned .

He looked at Yan Xiu's icy expression . His face turned red as his eyes glimmered . His lips quivered, almost as if he wanted to say something . However, he remained silent .