The man with the worried tone was Su Yumin, also a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), but his ranking was low and he was not able to enter the Hanlin Academy. He was still waiting for the court's arrangement, and his future was uncertain.

Su Yumin's words also served as a reminder to the other two who hadn't been assigned jobs either. Yes! Their future was still uncertain!

Hu Qingshan said, "Brother Su, there is no need to worry too much. Even if His Majesty adds a special examination, we are all legitimate Jinshi who have passed the imperial examination. We have real talents and learning. The court can't just leave us idle. The court probably has other plans."

That being said, it's still not something I can truly feel at ease about until it's actually put into practice.

"By the way, do you know the specific procedures for this additional test, and how long it will take?"

The normal imperial examination consisted of three sessions held every three days. However, this was just a normal imperial examination, and few outsiders knew the specifics of this additional test.

However, there is indeed someone here who knows some of the details.

Hu Qingshan knew some of it.

He worked at the Hanlin Academy and got to know many people. Although the Hanlin Academy was a tough place, it was also relatively quiet. He didn't get to know many practical matters, but he did get to know a lot of news.

The Hanlin Academy had connections with the Six Ministries and some members could move around in front of the Emperor, so they had many sources of information.

Although Hu Qingshan had just entered the Hanlin Academy, he performed well, knew how to get along with people, and was quite knowledgeable.

"It is said that this additional test will only last one day. I heard that the test papers were taken directly by His Majesty and did not go through the Ministry of Rites. Only the people in the Imperial Court sent the test papers to the examination hall when the test started today."

"So, the extra exam paper wasn't set by His Majesty himself, was it?"

"It's not impossible; the imperial court has introduced many new policies this year."

Although the group didn't say it outright, they were all quite capable, given their young age and excellent academic performance. They had a vague sense of impending changes in the court.

For example, some reforms or the like.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing for them.

Reform inevitably involves replacing the old system with a new one. There are still many old people in the government who represent the old system. If reform is to be carried out, new people must be appointed, and this is their chance to rise to the top.

After all, under normal circumstances, it would take at least ten or twenty years to stand out in the imperial court through the normal promotion system.

However, if one participates in reforms and becomes a sharp weapon in the emperor's hand, that's different; it represents opportunity.

However, along with the opportunities come many dangers.

Throughout history, few who have participated in reforms have met a good end. If His Majesty truly intends to reform, they, as scholars who passed the imperial examinations through special selections, will certainly be given important positions. However, if the reforms fail, these people will be finished.

Furthermore, if one were to actually get involved, the future would undoubtedly be filled with bloodshed and violence.

"Let's wait. At the latest, His Majesty will arrange our whereabouts after the results of the supplementary test are released."

With so many successful candidates in the imperial examinations, if no arrangements are made for them, the imperial court will have no way to explain this to the scholars.

"Indeed, let's not talk about that anymore. Come, have some tea. The tea at this restaurant is quite rare. I heard that the owner is a member of the imperial family, and the tea leaves are all obtained from the Imperial Household Department."

...

The conversation among these people also reflected the thoughts of the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Kangxi's actions were significant, and as intelligent people, they naturally understood the potential impact of his bold moves.

Even the scholars who hadn't yet entered the court could see what was going on, so the old foxes in the court weren't blind either, and naturally they saw it too. However, since Kangxi was currently at the height of his power, and they harbored resentment, they dared not truly show it.

After all, Kangxi is only conducting an additional special examination, and there are several more examinations. Even today's additional examination is something that students are happy to see.

If they were to refute this, and the news got out, whoever refuted it would inevitably earn a bad reputation among scholars.

In the real Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao was a ruthless warlord! Official history affirms his character, but after reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," how many people are still willing to believe that Cao Cao had integrity?

Sometimes, officials and emperors have to be lenient when dealing with scholars, because a scholar's pen can be far more powerful than a person's words.

Being insulted is just something to be annoyed about at the time, but offending a scholar can easily lead to eternal infamy.

...

The supplementary examination was over, but the results were not yet available. Many people in the court urged Emperor Kangxi to quickly arrange for the successful candidates to be appointed in the special imperial examination.

In previous years, this matter was handled by the Ministry of Personnel. However, after the special imperial examination this year, the process for entering the Hanlin Academy was the same as in previous years. However, the remaining Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examination), including those who had passed the examination with the same degree, were not assigned any positions and were left idle.

Those in the court could see that Kangxi definitely had other plans, but they could vaguely sense that these plans were not friendly to them. So as soon as the additional examination ended, they quickly submitted a memorial, requesting that arrangements be made for the new Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Emperor Kangxi kept the memorial regarding this matter.

When the court officials saw that Kangxi was doing nothing, they brought up the matter directly during court.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"Speak!"

"The scholars who passed the imperial examination have been idle at home for some time. They are all pillars of the country. I think we should arrange things as soon as possible so that they can serve the Qing Dynasty and the people wholeheartedly. This way, their years of hard study will not have been in vain."

"This servant seconds the motion."

"Your humble servant seconds this suggestion."

"Your humble servant seconds this suggestion."

"This servant seconds the motion."

...

With everyone seconding the proposal, Kangxi's expression remained unchanged. He said, "It seems that all of you ministers are very concerned about the placement of the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). I have already made a plan for this matter. Once the results of the supplementary examination are released, I will arrange their placements together. Do any of you ministers have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, hoping the other would speak up and refute them, but no one dared to utter a sound, and the matter was settled just like that.

"Lord Hong, please wait! Don't rush off!"

Upon hearing this, Lord Hong stopped and waited for the person who had called out to him: "Lord Su, what is your instruction?"

"What are you saying, Lord Hong? What guidance do you have? His Majesty said today that he would arrange the placement of these newly appointed Jinshi after the results of the supplementary examination are released. Didn't your Ministry of Personnel receive any such orders?"

Lord Hong shook his head: "No, we only just learned of His Majesty's plan."

However, this was just something we had guessed beforehand.

"That's impossible. Arranging the placement of the Jinshi graduates is your Ministry of Personnel's job. The results of the additional examination will be available soon. His Majesty has already said that the arrangements can be made as soon as the results are available. How could your Ministry of Personnel not have received any news at all?"

Lord Hong was also puzzled! Working in the Ministry of Personnel was a lucrative job, as officials' promotions, demotions, and evaluations all had to go through the Ministry of Personnel, and there was a lot that could be done there.

Putting aside other matters, just take the imperial examination held every three years. Apart from the top-ranked scholars and some second-ranked scholars who could enter the Hanlin Academy, all other scholars who wanted a good job had to bribe the Ministry of Personnel. These bribes alone were enough to line the pockets of the officials in the Ministry of Personnel.