Chapter 24 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Twenty-Four) The Rebellious Son of a Farmer...

After Su Changxing finished reading the second scroll, Emperor Shunyuan's expression remained indifferent. It was because Song Ce's scroll was a gem, and although the second scroll was also ornate and eloquent, upon closer examination, it was far less concise and clear than Song Ce's scroll.

After Emperor Shunyuan finished listening to the third essay, he sat back with his arms crossed. The scholar's words were earnest and his writing flowed like water, but his solution to the empty treasury was to increase taxes and profit from war, completely disregarding the lives of the people of the Dali Dynasty. His insights into the rebellion of the Five Princes of the previous dynasty were indeed unique, conveying the message throughout: Your Majesty should treat your relatives kindly, implement benevolent policies to appease them, and delegate power to the princes and nobles; this is the way to ensure long-term stability.

This scroll made Emperor Shunyuan laugh in anger. Yes, a power grab among the imperial relatives. They'd be satisfied the day he, the emperor, was dragged off the throne, a new dynasty was established, and a member of the imperial family took over.

This is absolutely outrageous!

"These are the top three as judged by the examiners?" Emperor Shunyuan asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

Xia Changlin had served the emperor for many years and knew Emperor Shunyuan's temperament well. Upon hearing this, he stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, you may listen to the remaining dozen or so scrolls as well before making a decision."

Emperor Shunyuan then asked, "What do you all think?"

All the ministers were shrewd and astute; when Emperor Shunyuan asked this question, how could they not understand? They all replied, "Let's hear about the other scrolls as well."

Su Changxing read through three more scrolls, and Emperor Shunyuan remained expressionless until the seventh scroll discussed strategies for dealing with an empty treasury. Only then did he straighten his posture slightly.

The ministers below were always watching Emperor Shunyuan on his high throne. However, after reading just two articles, most of them had already figured out the emperor's intentions.

After Su Changxing finished reading all fifteen scrolls, Emperor Shunyuan waved his hand, and an eunuch immediately stepped forward to serve Su Changxing tea. Upon seeing this, Su Changxing hurriedly accepted the tea with both hands and knelt down to express his gratitude.

Emperor Shunyuan tapped the table lightly, and the eunuch standing beside him bowed and took the scrolls, beginning to read out the order in which the emperor had assigned the fifteen scrolls.

After the eunuch finished reading, Emperor Shunyuan said, "The opinions of all the examiners are my opinions. The first paper, which received the most first-class marks, should be the top scholar. What do you all think?"

Shen Songbo stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying, "It is entirely up to Your Majesty." The civil officials echoed, "It is entirely up to Your Majesty!"

Seeing this, Xia Changlin was not to be outdone and knelt down, saying, "This boy has lofty ambitions, and the title of top scholar is well-deserved."

Seeing that no one objected, Emperor Shunyuan immediately wrote a decree in vermilion ink, directly designating Song Ce's paper as the first-place winner in the first class.

Seeing that the top scholar had been decided, the examiners suggested that the seventh paper be ranked second in the first class. Emperor Shunyuan, seeing that the top scholar's position was in his favor, ultimately gave face to his ministers and said, "You may all express your opinions and recommend him."

Aside from the top three, who were those Emperor Shunyuan truly favored, the rest were handled by the ministers. Once the rankings of these outstanding scrolls were finalized, the standing eunuchs, at Emperor Shunyuan's signal, removed the sealed information on the left side, including names and place of origin.

Looking at that familiar name and place of origin, Emperor Shunyuan clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "My ministers have worked hard today, you may all step down!"

The ministers quickly bowed again and left Hanyuan Hall in turn. Once outside the second gate, the ministers stopped pretending and immediately huddled together with their faction members, whispering and discussing something.

Shen Songbo walked ahead with a flick of his sleeve, and Xia Changlin quickly caught up, saying indifferently, "Minister Shen, did this year's imperial examination go as you wish?"

"I don't understand what you're saying, Prime Minister Xia. I'm just sharing the Emperor's burdens, so how can you say I'm agreeing with him?" Shen Songbo said with a smile.

Xia Changlin shook his head. "Minister Shen, please take care of your health. I'll be taking my leave now."

Shen Songbo put away his smile, stepped onto a low stool, climbed into the carriage, lowered the curtain to block the gaze of all the court officials, and returned to his residence.

On the morning of March 26, all the civil and military officials were already waiting in front of the Jiying Hall. At this time, the doors of the Jiying Hall were wide open, and the current prime minister, Xia Changlin, stood at the head of the audience, with the Minister of Personnel, Shen Songbo, and the second-rank Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, Su Changxing, standing half a step behind him.

Before long, the candidates for the palace examination gathered at the foot of the steps of the Hall of Heroes under the guidance of the palace eunuchs. They were all wearing the robes, hats and boots issued by the court to the candidates. They stood in order according to their ranking in the metropolitan examination. The candidates were in high spirits. After all, they had studied hard for many years. Which one of them was not looking forward to this moment of glory and honor?

"His Majesty has arrived!"

A eunuch chanted loudly, and all the civil and military officials and the newly appointed scholars performed the grand kowtow. Emperor Shunyuan raised his hand slightly, and a voice said, "All of you, rise!" The officials and the newly appointed scholars slowly rose, their expressions solemn, and they dared not move an inch.

Emperor Shunyuan sat high on the main throne. At this moment, two chief eunuchs emerged from the Jiying Hall, carrying the imperial edict and the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Gao Feng, the Minister of Rites, hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and accepted the imperial edict. Carefully unrolling it, he began to read it aloud to the civil and military officials and the newly appointed scholars:

"In accordance with the will of Heaven and the times, and by the mandate of Heaven: On the 26th day of the third month of the 24th year of the Shun Yuan reign, the results of this imperial examination were announced in the Jiying Hall. According to the ancestral system of the Sage, three people were selected from the top three ranks. The first-ranked person was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, without needing to take the morning examination; the second and third-ranked persons were appointed as editors in the Hanlin Academy; the second-ranked person was selected as 59 people, who were granted the title of Jinshi; and the third-ranked person was selected as 162 people, who were granted the title of Tong Jinshi. I have received the imperial decree and will personally convey it. May Heaven bless our Great Li Dynasty with peace and prosperity, and may its military prowess flourish!"

After the imperial edict was read aloud, all the newly appointed scholars prostrated themselves on the ground and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

At this moment, Prime Minister Xia Changlin bowed and accepted the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination. He slowly unfolded it, and when he saw the first name, his eyes narrowed.

It really was him.

"Song Ce from Qingzhou County, ranked first in the first class of the imperial examination in the ninth year of the Shunyuan era!"

The officials from the Court of State Ceremonial on either side were ordered to run down the steps and chant in unison: "The first place winner of the first class in the palace examination of the ninth year of Shunyuan, Song Ce from Qingzhou County!" They chanted it three times.

Song Ce was stunned, utterly at a loss for words. Although this was merely a small world to him, he had been personally appointed by the Emperor as the top scholar, emerging victorious among thousands of scholars, achieving first place in the palace examination, and attaining the triple honor of being the best in all three levels of the imperial examination! What an honor this was! A surge of complex emotions overwhelmed him, leaving Song Ce rooted to the spot.

The two officials from the Court of State Ce who had just called out the names came to Song Ce's side and said with a smile, "New top scholar, please follow us into the palace to kneel and pay homage to the Emperor."

At this moment, two eunuchs walked out of the Jiying Hall and shouted in a shrill voice: "Summon the newly appointed top scholar, Song Ce, to enter the hall and pay his respects!"

Song Ce composed himself, stepped into the main hall, and found that the officials who had been announcing names had already left. Apart from the important court officials, he was the only one standing in the center of the Jiying Hall.

"Song Ce of Qingzhou County pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Excellent, excellent, excellent! Truly worthy of being the youngest triple-crown scholar in our Great Li Dynasty! A truly outstanding talent!" Emperor Shunyuan exclaimed three times, then asked, "Does the top scholar have a family?"

"Your Majesty, I am already married, and my wife is pregnant," Song Ce said earnestly.

"Good! From now on, the top scholar must use his knowledge to serve my Dali and set an example for your future children!" Although Emperor Shunyuan knew that Song Ce had gotten married, seeing that he did not hide anything and did not try to curry favor, he laughed loudly and said a few words of encouragement. Song Ce knelt down and stepped aside. Emperor Shunyuan then ordered the eunuchs to summon the second and third place scholars.

The second-place scholar who entered with her looked to be about thirty years old and was named Sun Chengming. He was the eldest son of the eldest branch of the Sun family, the maternal clan of the Empress. He appeared to be a very refined and cultured man. The two had exchanged a few words during the Chinese banquet, and he seemed to be a very upright scholar.

The third-ranked scholar was from the capital. He had ranked seventh when the names were called at the teahouse. His surname was Qin and his given name was Wangfu. He looked only a few years older than him and was handsome, living up to his reputation as the third-ranked scholar.

Song Ce knew that this person had quite a background. He was the elder brother of the Second Prince's concubine, although they were not from the same mother. However, he was raised by the concubine's mother herself, and the two siblings had a very close relationship.

The three officials stood respectfully to one side, and after the official conclusion of the announcement ceremony, the civil and military officials respectfully saw Emperor Shunyuan off.

Outside the Hall of Heroes, music and ceremonies began again. Song Ce, dressed in the robes and hat bestowed upon him by the court by palace servants, was ready to be honored as the top scholar. The second and third place scholars also changed into new clothes and wore palace flowers in their hats. They were about to begin their procession through the Imperial Street.

For all the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), being paraded through the imperial street was a glorious moment that brought honor to their ancestors. Although they were not as dazzling as the top three Jinshi, it was still a rare opportunity to receive the congratulations of the people.

The three top scholars emerged from the main gate of the palace amidst drums and ceremonial processions. Outside the gate, tall horses adorned with red flowers awaited the three scholars: the top scholar, the second-ranked scholar, and the third-ranked scholar.

The horse at the very front naturally belonged to the top scholar, Song Ce. At this moment, standing to the right of the horse were two very familiar people—Song Ce's mentors: Su Changxing and Zhao Shixiu.

Upon seeing this, Song Ce quickly stepped forward, bowed, and addressed him as "Teacher."

Su Changxing smiled and nodded in return, saying, "Today, I am honored to be the Imperial Horseman of the Three-Rank Scholar, and it is my great honor to have such a student."

Song Ce said he dared not, and bowed respectfully again.

Zhao Shixiu stepped forward and said with a smile, "Your Excellency is in the limelight, and I am very pleased. This horse was personally selected by me. It is gentle in nature, so Your Excellency can rest assured. Today, I, this old man, will help Your Excellency mount the horse, so that we may have good luck."

Song Ce repeatedly said he dared not, but only after the insistence of his two mentors did he finally mount his horse.

The honor guard of the top three scholars marched along the Imperial Street in the capital, with crowds lining both sides of the street, jostling to get a glimpse of the champion, runner-up, and third-place scholar.

Seeing that the top scholar was so young and handsome, the second-place scholar was so refined and upright, and the third-place scholar was so beautiful, the people were extremely excited. They cheered loudly and excitedly, throwing flowers at the three of them.

"Young Master Song!" "Second-ranking Scholar Sun!" "Third-ranking Scholar Qin!" The shouts of the people rose and fell. When they saw the gaze of the top scholar looking over, the people were in an uproar, waving their hands and shouting, "Look over here! Young Master Song!"

Because the Imperial Street Official was carrying out His Majesty's decree, all officials, regardless of rank, were required to kneel and kowtow before the decree, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" upon learning of the Imperial Street Official's arrival.

After walking around the Imperial Street of the Imperial City, the drum and music procession had to escort the top three scholars—the first scholar, the second-ranked scholar, and the third-ranked scholar—to their doorsteps. Naturally, the first place they went was the small courtyard rented by Song Ce and Du Ningwan.

Upon receiving this joyous news, the Fan family immediately dispatched their shop assistants to greet Du Ningwan at the courtyard gate. The two maids that Madam Fan had prepared for Du Ningwan earlier also came in handy, happily helping Du Ningwan to welcome the top scholar at the courtyard gate.

Song Ce rode his horse all the way to the small courtyard rented by the couple. He saw Du Ningwan waiting for him at the gate from afar. He dismounted and almost walked quickly to Du Ningwan. He bowed deeply and thanked his wife for her companionship and support.

After paying his respects to Du Ningwan, T bowed and thanked Manager Fan. Feeling the envious gazes of the neighbors, Manager Fan dared not be presumptuous and quickly bowed deeply, saying that he did not dare to accept a bow from the top scholar.

After the excitement of praising the officials on the Imperial Street subsided, Song Ce returned to the courtyard with Du Ningwan, thus avoiding all the curious or envious glances.

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Author's Note: Our car finally won first place, hahaha! Time to speed things up! This section feels like it could be a whole book in itself. My daughter's piece will be shorter; I've already started writing it. Thanks for your support!!

The above content regarding the "Top Scholar" and "Praising Officials on the Imperial Street" is taken from Baidu and compiled by Baidu. Thank you! Please feel free to save this if you like.

Sending love~