Chapter 943 Entering the Palace
Being summoned by the palace is a big deal. Although His Majesty is not here, the Queen who is in power now is also the monarch to them.
After the news came out, the capital, which was already bustling with excitement because of the exam, became even more lively, and those who were on the list were nervous and excited. Not to mention the students from poor families, even those from powerful families were preparing with great confidence.
Three days later, on the day of the summons, everyone gathered in front of the palace gate early.
As more than fifty students stood there waiting to be summoned by the palace, they were clearly divided into several camps. Rongsheng Academy alone had twenty-one students, led by Li Chi and Huang Hong. More than ten children of powerful families were headed by Feng Yian from the Feng family's branch. The remaining scattered children from poor families gathered around Jin Shengyu, a student from Jiangnan.
About half of the people on the list were from Rongsheng Academy. They wore the uniform white-based black bamboo academy uniforms and wore a plaque with the word "Rongsheng" on their waists. They were particularly eye-catching standing in front of the palace gate.
"So those are the people from Rongsheng Academy? The nameplates hanging around their waists are actually made of fine white jade?"
"That's nothing. I heard that all students who enter Rongsheng Academy will have an identity badge, but it's divided into gold, silver, bronze and iron according to the four classes of A, B, C, and D. This jade badge is only given to students in the Tianzi class, and each one is made of the finest white jade."
"I heard that the word Rongsheng comes from your Majesty's name?"
"Yes, it is taken from your Majesty's courtesy name and the surname of the late Rong Taifu. Taifu Rong was once the most outstanding student in the capital. The Empress is so talented because of his teachings."
"Rongsheng Academy is really impressive this time. I think they alone account for half of the people. The others don't look as energetic as them..."
There were many common people outside the palace gate. Although they did not dare to get close because of the sword-wielding guards, they watched the students in front of the palace gate from afar and whispered to each other.
The eyes of the people around were shining, and voices could be heard faintly, mostly discussing Rongsheng Academy. The other students in front of the palace gate could not help but look over, and saw that the group of people from Rongsheng Academy were as tall as pine and cypress, with their backs straight and their faces full of confidence and pride.
"What are they so proud of? They're just relying on the fact that Rongsheng Academy was founded by the Empress. The Empress supports the children from poor families, so naturally she's partial to them."
"That's right. Now that the Queen is in power and His Majesty hasn't returned, those people in the court are blindly trying to curry favor with the Queen. Maybe even the final review favored the people from Rongsheng Academy. Who knows how they got on the list..."
On the side of the powerful, two people who were dressed in gorgeous clothes and whose limelight was overshadowed could not help but curse in a low voice.
Feng Yian turned his head and said, "Shut up. Are you accusing someone in the court of favoritism and corruption?"
He looked at the two people talking beside him with a cold gaze, his eyes full of fierceness.
"This time, the exam papers were sealed and marked with names. From the moment you finished answering the questions and sent your papers to the examination room, all the examiners reviewed them together. During this period, all officials ate and lived together, and even their restrooms were supervised. Thousands of exam papers were stacked together, and no one knew who wrote which one."
"Until the examiners determine the rankings and send them to the palace for the Empress to examine, no one knows who will make the list. How can those court officials favor Rongsheng Academy and use this to curry favor with the Empress? Do you know that if this gets out, slandering the court officials and the Empress is a capital crime!"
The two men's faces turned pale instantly after hearing Feng Yian's words.
Everyone knows how much the Empress takes this imperial examination seriously. Starting from the preliminary round, anyone caught cheating will be sent straight to jail, no matter what their family background is. Those officials who were in favoritism in setting up the examination halls were also dismissed and beheaded.
This exam in the capital was even stricter than the previous ones. The two prime ministers on the left and right, along with more than ten ministers in the court, were in charge of supervising the exam. The imperial guards, the Beijing patrol camp, and the Jingzhao Prefecture were on duty for supervision and guarding. The only person caught cheating had been executed on the spot. Who would dare to cheat for personal gain and risk losing their head and implicating their entire clan?
They were just venting their anger for the moment. The person who had spoken earlier quickly said, "That's not what I meant. I just can't stand the people at Rongsheng Academy. If it weren't for the Empress's support for the establishment of the academy, how could they compare to us..."
Feng Yian frowned and looked at him: "Narrow-minded!"
"The Empress did indeed plan to build the academy, but that only gave those people a chance to make a name for themselves. It's been less than a year since they started school. Even if the academy has taught them a little, they have the potential to flourish naturally."
"You and I come from far superior backgrounds. We were able to receive instruction they couldn't, and read books they couldn't. If you really think about it, we've always had the advantage. If they had enjoyed the same resources as us from a young age, we might not be standing here today."
Feng Yian glanced at the two officials' sons who had turned pale at what he said, as well as the others who were still dissatisfied:
"The court is no longer what it used to be. Your Majesty and the Empress will not wrong capable people. If you want to stand out, work hard on your own. Don't waste your time on useless jealousy and say things that will bring disaster to yourself and your family!"
Feng Yian gave a warning and walked towards the students from Rongsheng Academy.
"My name is Feng Yian, nice to meet you all."
Feng Yian looked at Li Chi and the others with a gentle expression: "This must be Brother Li and Brother Huang, nice to meet you."
Li Chi and Huang Hong seldom went out to socialize after entering the academy. Later, when they heard that the imperial examination was about to be held, they buried themselves in books every day. In addition, the aristocratic families and the empress were in a big fight during that period. They, the students in the academy who were nominally under the "emperor and empress", never interacted with the children of the aristocratic families, but this did not prevent them from knowing some things in the capital.
For example, Feng Yian in front of us.
I heard that this Feng Silangjun is a descendant of the Feng family's side branch. In the past, that branch was not valued by the main branch. Later, after the head of the Feng family was replaced by the current Lord Feng Qiuli, Feng Yian's lineage gradually gained attention. Feng Yian was even taken care of by Feng Qiuli personally. In this exam, Feng Yian got second place.
Li Chi and the others originally thought that a young man from a noble family like Feng Yian would definitely be arrogant and conceited, but they didn't expect him to be so friendly.
The two of them bowed quickly and said, "Greetings, Brother Feng."
Feng Yian smiled and said, "I heard my uncle mention you guys a while ago, but I never had the chance to meet you before. Now I finally get to see you."
"And this Brother Jin." He smiled and pulled in Jin Shengyu, who was standing beside him. "The students in Jiangnan are so talented. Brother Jin's poems were spread throughout the Wei Dynasty a few years ago. I have admired you for a long time, and now I finally meet you."
Jin Shengyu was handsome, and his clothes were not luxurious but elegant. Seeing Feng Yian take the initiative to greet him, he quickly said humbly, "Brother Feng, you are too kind."
Feng Yian had lived in an aristocratic family since he was a child. Even though he was from a branch of the family, he was much more sophisticated than his peers. In addition, he had inherited Feng Qiuli's "true teachings". It only took a few words for him to become close to Li Chi and the others.
The three of them chatted and laughed for a while before Feng Yian looked at the person standing behind Li Chi.
"Who is this?"
Huang Hong looked honest and said quickly, "This is Zhu Xiyan, Senior Brother Zhu. He was injured a while ago and hasn't recovered yet, so he can't speak. Brother Feng, please forgive me."
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