It took a full half an hour for everyone to take their seats. Afterward, the Emperor and Empress delivered speeches to encourage the candidates, singling out He Fanshuang, Pei Jing, Yong Hongzhong, and over ten others for friendly inquiries.
The Emperor and Empress were clearly already familiar with some of the candidates' backgrounds. When it came to He Fanshuang, they first praised her elder brother's accomplishments (it was only then that some of the candidates learned that her brother was the Academic Palace Top Scholar from eight years ago, who is now the Left Spring Palace Middle Officer, He Siping) and asked about the situation in her hometown in Youzhou.
