The hall was completely silent.
After Hu Jin and the other two left, the Emperor ignored Li Qingyao. He didn't say a word, but his eyes scrutinized Li Qingyao from head to toe.
Li Qingyao was still young, and the Emperor sat at the head of the table, a figure who could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist. From the very beginning, Li Qingyao began to wonder if he had done something to displease the Emperor.
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and soon he was covered in sweat.
Ying Hao, sitting at the head of the table, was very satisfied with Li Qingyao's condition. As the ruler of the world, he was naturally someone who commanded both respect and fear. If he were not afraid, then he would have to be wary of him.
For about fifteen minutes, Li Qingyao felt as if each second was an eternity, an unbearable torment. The Emperor seemed unwilling to speak, and after much hesitation, Li Qingyao finally mustered the courage to speak.
"If Your Majesty has any instructions, I will do my utmost to comply."
Ying Hao chuckled lightly, his expression ambiguous. "Still so young."
"There is something I am indeed curious about, and I would like to ask you about it."
Before Li Qingyao could answer, the emperor continued, "The late emperor punished the Li family, and the Li family and your father suffered a terrible fate. What are your thoughts on the royal family?"
Li Qingyao was so frightened that he immediately knelt down on the ground.
"Your Majesty, please be wise! My father's actions violated the law, betraying the Emperor's grace and failing the common people. The Li family deserves this fate, and none of us in the Li family have any complaints!"
Li Qingyao banged his head on the ground, making a very solid impact.
Ying Hao above didn't say anything, his posture was casual.
Even if the Li family had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to complain. However, the Lady of Liang, whom he had personally appointed, was somewhat special. Since Pan Jinhua had taken a liking to Li Qingyao, he naturally wanted to test her.
"Hehe, you needn't be like that. I have long ago ordered that the merits and demerits of the Li family be offset. You have indeed shown your talent by passing the exams so many times in just a few years."
"Your Majesty is too kind. I owe my current position entirely to Your Majesty's benevolence. I am deeply grateful and wish to do my best to do something practical for Your Majesty, for the court, and for the people."
"Now I can rest assured."
Seeing Li Qingyao's grateful expression, Ying Hao was very satisfied.
What a fine knife! The family committed crimes, but I pardoned them. If the Lady of Liang takes a liking to the Li family, she'll surely lend a hand, won't she? The Li family is also close to the Ouyang family; they can help the Crown Prince in the future.
"In that case, I intend to have you investigate the matter of smuggled salt. I wonder if you dare?"
Li Qingyao's pupils dilated in shock, but he had no time to think further. The situation was urgent, so he could only agree.
"Your subject would gladly die ten thousand times over."
"Hahahaha, great! I have gained another loyal minister."
"No rush. After the banquet for the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), you should first take the examination for the Hanlin Academy and serve as a probationary official for a few years to temper your character."
"Daban, take him back."
"Yes. This old servant obeys."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Qingyao kowtowed again before following Zhou Daban out of the palace. After walking quite a distance, Li Qingyao finally came to his senses.
He looked like he had just been pulled out of the water, his clothes soaked with sweat, looking utterly disheveled.
"Young Master Li, watch your step."
"Thank you, Eunuch."
Li Qingyao stepped down the stairs and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"Young master, do you know that your ranking of fourth is due to the Emperor's personal selection?"
"Is that so! I am ashamed, Your Majesty is truly gracious!"
Li Qingyao immediately stopped and bowed again in the direction of the emperor's palace.
Zhou Daban was pleased; the emperor was grateful. Since the emperor had sent him to escort him, he probably wanted some guidance from Zhou.
Upon returning to the Li family home, Li Qingyao saw the joyful and excited look on his family's faces, and swallowed the matter of what had happened in the palace.
Since the Emperor has already given the order for him to take the examination for the position of Shujishi, it means that the matter is not urgent. It's a matter for several years from now, and who knows what the situation will be like then? We'll deal with whatever comes our way.
For now, let's just make our family happy!
Today, the Li family was overjoyed. They had only hoped that Li Qingyao would be among the successful candidates in the imperial examinations, but they never expected such a joyous occasion. He actually passed the provincial examination and ranked first in the second class!
After his public display of skill, Yan Min went to prepare the six rituals for formally becoming an apprentice. The sooner the better; he needed to show the Zheng family his sincerity. He would visit them to formally become their apprentice after the Qionglin Banquet the next day!
The next day, Li Qingyao entered the palace in high spirits to attend the Qionglin Banquet.
Hu Jin and his companions had arrived early. Upon seeing him, they greeted him warmly. It seemed that they had misunderstood the matter of the Emperor keeping him yesterday.
However, Li Qingyao wouldn't embarrass himself and spoke to them very naturally. During this time, he also caught up with the two classmates who had stayed in the house prepared by the Li family during the exam period.
One of these two men was Wu Xuan, a student from Ning'an Prefecture who had now passed the imperial examination. The other was from Nanze County and had some kinship ties with the Li family; he was a relative of Jiang Jiangong, the husband of Pan Jinhua's eldest daughter, Li Mudan, and his name was Jiang Yecheng. This man performed well in the palace examination and made it into the second-class list.
The two were thrilled when Li Qingyao approached them for a chat. They were also excited to learn from Li Qingyao that Lady Liang wanted to invite them to dinner after the imperial examinations to see them off as they returned to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors. They immediately agreed.
Of course, they didn't think the Li family was trying to curry favor with them. Otherwise, why wouldn't they invite the top scholar and the third-ranked scholar? It's obvious that the top scholar and the third-ranked scholar are also close to Li Qingyao. They're not blind.
Jiang Yecheng was even happier. He had just learned from their conversation that Li Qingyao was also planning to return to Nanze to pay respects to his ancestors after the imperial examination and had even invited him to go with him, which made Wu Xuan extremely envious.
Once everyone had arrived, the newly appointed scholars took their seats, and the banquet was about to begin.
The positions were determined by the rankings in the palace examination. The top three were in the front row, and the next one was Li Qingyao.
The group chatted and laughed, quickly becoming closer. Li Qingyao also intended to build good relationships with the top ten, as he would likely need the help of his classmates if he were to investigate smuggled salt in the future.
The emperor entered last, first delivering a perfunctory speech that stirred the crowd's emotions and ignited their passion. Then he proceeded to bestow official titles upon the three top scholars, leaving everyone envious.
The top scholar was granted the position of compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a sixth-rank official.
The second-place scholar was granted the position of compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a seventh-rank official.
The third-ranking scholar was granted the position of compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a seventh-rank official.
The three men stepped forward to express their gratitude, and the three top scholars were directly appointed to official positions without needing to take the imperial examination.
Those who passed the second-class imperial examination had to take the examination for the Hanlin Academy. If they passed, they would enter the Hanlin Academy as probationary scholars. After three years of study, they would take the final examination to compete for official positions.
If they fail to pass the exam, they will be assigned to various departments as administrators or sent to counties to start as county magistrates.
Those who passed the imperial examinations in the third rank, as well as those who passed the second rank but did not intend to take the Hanlin Academy exam, could participate in the imperial examinations and be directly granted official positions based on their exam results.
After the Qionglin Banquet, everyone would have to prepare for the exams again. Once the results of the Hanlin Academy and the imperial examinations were released, these newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) could apply for leave to return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors.
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