But when the emperor recalled the report from the Director of the Imperial Observatory a few days earlier, his eyes darkened.
Be wary of people with disabilities recently, as they are considered unlucky for the ruler.
He had initially thought the Imperial Observatory was trying to make its presence felt, but he never imagined that someone like that would actually appear in the palace examination.
And he was just a boy who was not even sixteen years old.
The emperor frowned, unsure of what to do. But he certainly wouldn't grant favors to those who were in his way.
The final rankings were not announced until the day after the palace examination.
Song Ruier walked out of the palace and exhaled a long breath of stale air.
He performed quite well in the palace examination, and he believed he could get a good ranking.
He only slept for a little over two hours each day, and with meals, he only had three hours. The rest of the time was spent preparing for the palace examination, and he also had to endure the whole Song family, all for this day.
"Brother Pang, congratulations! Even if you're not the top scholar, you're at least in the second rank." A young master from a prominent family walked over and greeted him with a cupped hand.
The results of the palace examination were divided into three grades. The first grade consisted of the top three scholars: the first-ranked scholar, the second-ranked scholar, and the third-ranked scholar. They were then granted official positions based on their rank.
The other party has been avoiding me like the plague all this time, but now they're trying to curry favor with me.
Song Ruier gave a forced smile: "It's all thanks to my brothers."
Another young master from a prominent family patted him on the shoulder: "Everyone has been preparing for the palace examination lately. Those who didn't pass the imperial examination are all busy with their own things. Isn't this also to give Brother Pang time to prepare? If we all come to disturb Brother Pang, I'm afraid Brother Pang won't be able to perform so well today. We'll still be good brothers in the future. In the officialdom, we should help and support each other."
Looking at these people's obsequious and servile faces, Song Ruier felt a surge of disgust.
This strengthened his resolve to keep climbing the ladder, for only in this way could he earn respect.
Even if such respect is hypocritical and superficial.
Otherwise, it would just be a roadside path for people to trample on at will.
His iron fingers slowly retracted, and with a sound of metal scraping against metal, they clenched together tightly.
As she walked back, more and more young masters from prominent families and wealthy households surrounded her, forming a large entourage around Song Ruier.
If Song Ruier performs well today and becomes the runner-up, her future will be limitless.
Even the young master Liu, who had taken back his private residence, came to visit in person, beaming with a smile.
“Brother Pang, the person who rented that courtyard last time is going back to his hometown, so it's vacant now. It's much more spacious than where you live now, so why don't we give it to you? That way you can live more comfortably in the future.”
Song Ruier's facial muscles twitched.
Young Master Liu simply shoved the house and land deeds into his hands: "Brother Pang, take these. If you need anything, just let me know. As an elder brother, I should help my brothers out of their troubles."
Surrounded by that group of people, Song Ruier returned to the small courtyard she rented.
On this important day, the Song family members who live in another courtyard also came to gather together.
Seeing all those wealthy young men trying to curry favor with Song Ruier, the Song family members were overjoyed.
It seems that Song Ruier is performing very well and will soon be appointed to a good official position, perhaps even starting from the sixth rank.
Their good days are just around the corner.
The emperor summoned Qiao Lian'er again.
"Today, during the palace examination, a candidate with a disability in his right hand, a fifteen-year-old boy, came. He performed exceptionally well in the hall. Although he did not rank in the top three, given his great potential, he can still be named the second-ranked candidate. However, thinking of the words of the Director of the Imperial Observatory, I am very uneasy."
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