Unlimited Resources: Raising a Minister with a Space Supermarket-Chapter 441 - 406: House Arrest

Colorful jewels scattered all over the place, Yu Xiaolian holding a black bead in the middle of the box, looking somewhat dumbfounded.

This... could she have caused trouble?

Yu Xiaolian knelt in fear and unease, "Emperor... please forgive me."

Rather than being angry, Jun Tingye snatched the black round bead from Yu Xiaolian’s hand and laughed heartily, "What’s said to be hard as a rock is just so!

Minister Yu, you’ve unlocked the Magic Box. What kind of reward would you like? Just say it!"

Yu Xiaolian was completely bewildered at this moment; was it already unlocked?

The rare treasure, huh? Just that black bead? Is that thing a rare treasure?

To Yu Xiaolian, that black bead looked dull and wasn’t as pretty as those colorful jewels outside.

However, since the Emperor said it was unlocked, it was unlocked. No reason not to take the reward.

"Emperor, didn’t you say you’d grant me the title of Seventh-rank Academic Official? That’s enough reward, I don’t need anything else."

One shouldn’t be too greedy, besides, the Emperor is not wealthy; maybe his private funds are even less than hers!

"Then I’ll appoint you as a proper Seventh-rank Academic Official, starting today you’ll enjoy the salary of a Seventh-rank position, and additionally, a table of dishes from the Imperial Kitchen, you can take back and share with your husband!" Jun Tingye seemed to be in an extremely good mood, looking extremely excited.

After Yu Xiaolian expressed her gratitude, Fu Yi suddenly proposed to Jun Tingye that Yu Xiaolian should participate in setting the examination questions for the upcoming Spring Examination, which Jun Tingye approved.

However, Yu Xiaolian hadn’t anticipated that those who set examination questions wouldn’t be allowed any contact with the outside world before the exam, especially as Yu Xiaolian’s husband was one of the candidates preparing for the Spring Examination, Yu Xiaolian was directly forbidden from going home.

So, where to eat and stay?

Fu Yi directly arranged for her to eat and reside in the Examination Office, and sent a message to Su Jingchen.

Just when Zhao Sanyan brought the change of clothes to the Examination Office to serve Yu Xiaolian, Yu Xiaolian truly felt that she had been ’softly imprisoned’.

Facing the flattery and praise from the Praise Recording Officer, Supervisor, and Inspection Officer in the Examination Office, Yu Xiaolian could only grit her teeth and pretend to be happy.

It’s just... speechless.

After Zhao Sanyan arrived, she too was forced to stay here. More precisely, everyone in the Examination Office was not allowed to contact outsiders before the exam.

Of course, Fu Yi, the chief examiner, was an exception.

At this time, the mathematics examination was still very practical, usually consisting of challenging problems encountered in real life, such as tax issues, grain yield and rainfall issues, and not like modern math problems, which are colorful and imaginative. Fu Yi required Yu Xiaolian to set questions about rainfall.

For example, "Heaven Pool measures rain," "Round Vase measures rain," "Height measures snow," and "Bamboo tool examines snow," having her set mathematics questions relating to these aspects.

Yu Xiaolian bit the pen and pondered for a day and night, finally determining this question related to rainfall.

All counties across the state have Heaven Pool basins to measure rainfall, but knowing the water in the basin as the measure of rain doesn’t account for the varying capacities due to different basin shapes, and thus cannot utilize it to measure the rain on the flat ground directly. Given a basin with a mouth diameter of two feet eight inches, a bottom diameter of one foot two inches, a depth of one foot eight inches, collecting rainwater to a depth of nine inches, how to calculate the rainfall on flat ground?

Yu Xiaolian looked at the question, felt satisfied, and placed it in the drawer, moving on to the next question.

Examining snow accumulation for the year, the wall is one foot two inches tall, resting wood is five feet from the base, the tip level with the wall, the wood-body has a snow thickness of four inches, steep accumulation is thin while flat accumulation is thick, hoping to know the snow thickness on the flat ground?

This kind of mathematics problem for Yu Xiaolian was as easy as pie, her medals from modern math competitions weren’t won for nothing.

After finishing the rainfall questions, Yu Xiaolian also set questions on Century Chicken Method, Surplus and Deficiency Method, and the heavy difference theory of Chicken and Rabbit in the same cage.

When all types of questions were finished, Yu Xiaolian let Zhao Sanyan deliver them to Fu Yi.

Though all these questions were set by Yu Xiaolian, she didn’t really know which questions would be used for the actual exam. Though she set many, not all would be adopted, and regarding what would be used during the examination, it was up to Fu Yi to decide.

Overall, Fu Yi was responsible for selecting a few questions from everything Yu Xiaolian set to be used for the Spring Examination.

Yu Xiaolian finished the tasks assigned by Fu Yi within one day and then began counting the days.

The Spring Examination was set for February, with the examination schedule similar to the Autumn Examination, lasting nine days — February 9th, 12th, 15th; three sessions, each lasting three days.

Today was only the nineteenth of the twelfth lunar month, still over a month until the Spring Examination, meaning she’d be ’softly imprisoned’ in the Examination Office for over a month and couldn’t spend the New Year with Su Jingchen.

Yu Xiaolian now started blaming Fu Yi a little. Originally after the Emperor rewarded her, she could retire gracefully, blaming Fu Yi, who had to propose her involvement in setting Spring Examination questions.

Alas, Yu Xiaolian let out a heavy sigh.

Zhao Sanyan entered carrying the meal box, smiling brightly, "Miss, today’s meal is from the Imperial Kitchen, I heard it was rewarded by the Emperor."

Yu Xiaolian had a meal from the Imperial Kitchen a few days ago, but honestly, she didn’t find the imperial cuisine particularly delicious. That table was specially rewarded to her by the Emperor, made by Imperial Chefs anew, but today’s was leftover from what the Emperor ate, not to waste food, and to showcase his favor towards his ministers, often rewarding the leftovers to his most favored ministers.

Though they were leftovers, they wouldn’t have the Emperor’s saliva. The Emperor’s dishes were clipped onto the small plates in front of him by eunuchs, and for each dish he only ate a few bites, never in excess. Though Yu Xiaolian understood this, she still felt uncomfortable eating the Emperor’s leftovers.

No matter how good the leftovers were, they were still cold dishes and stale food; in this big winter, they weren’t even reheated, just sent to her?

Despite the disdain, she had to eat.

Not only eat, but eat cleanly too.

It’s a joke; this was gifted by the Emperor, not eating it cleanly would mean disrespect to the Emperor.

Zhao Sanyan took out two dishes from the meal box, one was steamed fish, and the other was braised lion’s head. It was apparent that the steamed fish was only touched on the fish’s face, the fish body remained intact, and the braised lion’s head seemed completely untouched, as if Jun Tingye didn’t eat a bite.

"The eunuch delivering the meal said that all the officials responsible for setting questions in the Examination Office received a portion, each had two dishes, and the meal boxes were randomly rewarded. I didn’t expect my chosen portion to be quite good, barely touched." Zhao Sanyan seemed extremely content, with a face full of excitement.

Being able to eat the same food as the Emperor, could you not be excited? If she were to tell her second sister back home, her sister wouldn’t believe it.

"Already cold!" Yu Xiaolian touched the already cold plate, her brow furrowed.