After entering the hall and standing in an orderly manner, a eunuch came in front of everyone with a ranking list of Jinshi.
Everyone's expression suddenly became stern, and they wanted to prick up their ears for fear of missing anything.
The ranking was read out from the end backwards. The first person who heard the name was immediately disappointed, but when he thought about his age, he seemed to think it was expected.
Soon the names of the top three Jinshi were all read out. The expressions of the people whose names were called were different, and they could not hide their disappointment on their faces.
After the top three were announced, the people whose names were called were asked to step out of the line and were led out of the palace by the palace servants.
As soon as they left, the crowd suddenly dwindled to half its size. Not to mention, without those elderly, wrinkled-faced, barely-able-to-stand tribute students, the remaining crowd looked much more appealing.
Although the examiners looked at the essay rather than the age when grading the papers, those old tribute students who passed the exam at this age must have had somewhat inferior academic knowledge, otherwise they would not have taken exams for their entire lives and finally achieved their wish when they were old.
If they were really good at studying, they would have passed the examination to become an official when they were young. It can be said that they were able to pass the examination at this age, which was somewhat due to luck.
Next is the second class.
Also start reading from the last ranking.
The further the names were read, the more nervous and excited those whose names had not yet been called became.
If you are not in the second class, then you are in the first class.
You should know that the first, second and third classes are not at the same level. The first class is also called the top three, and only three people are selected. The three people who can enter the first class can be directly assigned as officials without waiting for deployment.
However, the further I got, the more disappointed I became when I heard my name called. As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Soon the second class was finished. Gu Jinzhi ranked tenth in the second class, while An Yichen ranked first. They were just one step away from success, which was a bit disappointing.
I turned around and saw Gu Jinzhi looking at me with sympathy.
An Yichen: “…”
Since when did he, the top of the second class, have to be sympathized by the tenth place? Has the world become so cold and indifferent?
The rankings for the second class have been decided, and the remaining three people whose names have not been called will be in the first class.
Zhao Yiming breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had expected this, he was still somewhat nervous, and his palms were sweating.
The second-class Jinshi candidates whose rankings were already known lined up in two rows according to their rankings, thanked the emperor, stood up, and stood on both sides of the hall, waiting for the ranking of the last three people.
Zhao Yiming and two other tribute students stood side by side in the center of the hall. One of them was about 25 years old, named Zhou Chuxing. He was quite handsome and had been the first in the imperial examination. He was a famous talent in the Imperial College.
The other was Chen Wenqing, in his early thirties, with an average-looking, but passable appearance. Although considered in his prime, he was immediately outshone by Zhao Yiming and Zhou Chuxing when he stood next to them.
He came from a poor family, and was far inferior to Zhao Yiming and Zhou Chuxing in both clothing and temperament.
But it is also because of this reason that he has a better understanding of people's livelihood, which allows him to be slightly better than Anyichen and rank among the top.
Although An Yichen had good teachers to guide him, he was, after all, a son of an aristocracy and had never really experienced the lower class. Therefore, the articles he wrote were somewhat theoretical and unrealistic.
The emperor came down from the platform with his hands behind his back and walked past the three people one by one. His expressionless face made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
What everyone didn't know was that although the emperor didn't show anything on the surface, he was actually very conflicted at the moment.
Judging by the results, the essay written by Zhao Yiming this time surpassed that of Zhou Chuxing, who won the first place in the previous examination, and he is truly a top scholar.
Influenced by Tian An, his article contains many novel and bold ideas that were not mentioned by any other candidates, and the examples and data he cited are also very comprehensive.
When the emperor looked at his paper, he even wrote down several pieces of useful information and asked people to practice them after preparation.
But thinking about what was about to happen, he couldn't give the title of top scholar to Zhao Yiming.
Apart from Zhao Yiming, only Zhou Churan is worthy of the title of top scholar.
But Zhou Churan was given the title of top scholar, and the rest were only second and third place.
Zhao Yiming already had the talent to be the top scorer, so it was natural that he was more than qualified to be the runner-up.
The problem lies with Chen Wenqing. Based on his performance, it would have been most appropriate for him to be the third place winner.
But the emperor felt a little uncomfortable. As the third place winner, he should have chosen a handsome man, but Chen Wenqing was not as good-looking as Zhao Yiming and Zhou Churan.
There are two handsome men, but you choose the one with the most mediocre appearance as the third place. I'm afraid people will say you are blind.
Zhao Yiming's appearance is worthy of the title, but if he is really chosen as the third place, he will feel reluctant. He originally ranked first, and now he has given up the top spot. If he gives up the second place, he will feel even more guilty.
The ministers watched the emperor look at Zhao Yiming and then at Chen Wenqing, and subconsciously thought that the emperor was comparing the two.
Everyone looked surprised and puzzled. Although Chen Wenqing's articles were good, they were still far inferior to Zhao Yiming's.
Even if we have to compare, we should compare it with Zhou Churan!
After a long while, the emperor finally made up his mind.
"Zhou Churan is incredibly talented and ranked first in the first class."
…
After a pause, he continued, "Chen Wenqing is the second place in the first class."
"Zhao Yiming possesses both talent and virtue. He is the face of Tianling and is the third place winner."
Not talking about the third place, just saying Tanhua, this was the last consolation the emperor gave himself.
When they heard the ranking, everyone was stunned and subconsciously looked at Zhao Yiming.
Especially those officials who participated in marking the papers, they knew best how Zhao Yiming performed. He was truly a top scholar!
Not to mention Chen Wenqing, even Zhou Churan, who originally ranked first in the examination, could not compare to him.
A minister who was participating in the examination subconsciously wanted to stand up and speak, but was stopped by a colleague.
She signaled him with her eyes to look at the three people's faces.
The minister looked at it subconsciously, and after comparing the two sides, he understood the emperor's intention.
Oh! It's also Zhao Yiming's fault. Why did he have to be so good-looking? Now, not only did he not get any extra points, but he actually lost points.
Zhao Yiming originally felt a little disappointed, but after thinking about it carefully, he quickly understood the dilemma of his uncle the emperor and felt relieved.
Zhou Churan was unaware of the twists and turns involved and only thought that he had won the top spot based on his own strength. He exuded a sense of ease and relief that came from his ten years of hard study, and his face suddenly became full of pride, confidence and composure.
In comparison, Chen Wenqing felt a little guilty. He knew his own worth, and Zhao Yiming's talent was definitely above his.
As for the reason why he was able to get the second place while Zhao Yiming could only be ranked third, he guessed that it was probably because the emperor did not like his appearance and was afraid that he would tarnish the title of third place.
The reason why he thought so was because when the emperor walked past him just now, the disgust in his eyes was almost tangible.
I never thought that one day he would be glad that he was ugly. I really don’t know whether he should be happy or sad!
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