With a sweeping gesture: Yang Xiaowen to be the top scholar, Gong Dafu the second, Zhou Jie the third. The matter was settled with a strike of the gavel.
The Emperor had intended to make Yang Xiaowen the top scholar, thus allowing the couple, Liuliu, to be more grateful for imperial favor and informing him of everything first, just as they did with the charcoal incident. Fortunately, he had given her a large plot of land. No, he gave them a large plot of land, how would they have time to do everything else? The emperor was in a dilemma!
