53 Chapter 53
◎A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger◎
Seven days later, the Spring Examination.
On the ninth day of the second month, the first test was three questions on the meaning of the Four Books and four questions on the meaning of the Five Classics.
On February 12, the second round will test an essay with five choices: choose one from the imperial edict, imperial decree, and memorial.
On February 15th, the third session will test five questions on classics, history, and policy. 【1】
On February 16, the candidates left the Imperial Examination Hall and the examiners conducted closed-door marking of the papers.
On February 27th, what was finally placed before the examiners were two papers that were equally excellent but had different styles.
The chief examiner, the Minister of Rites, looked at the paper in his left hand and said, "The handwriting on this paper is vigorous and smooth, the meaning is excellent, the arguments are pertinent and clear, although it does not fully penetrate the essence, it is meaningful." After that, he looked at the paper in his right hand and said, "The handwriting on this paper is beautiful but not well-made. The words in the essay are sharp and to the point, but the writing is too neat and loses some of its spirit."
"Both have their own strengths and weaknesses. It's really hard to choose," Liu Shangshu looked at the deputy examiner next to him with a tangled face and said, "If it were Lord Zhao, which one would you choose?"
The scholar Zhao who was being asked was wearing a round-necked green robe with a white pheasant pattern and a black hat. He had an upright posture, a thin and stern face, and an elegant yet somewhat fierce temperament. When he was asked by his superior, he was calm and composed: "You already have the answer in your mind, why are you asking me?"
"You are such a person. After all these years, you are still so straightforward in your words and actions." Liu Shangshu shook his head and sighed, looking helpless. "If I hadn't known you for many years, how could ordinary people tolerate your bad temper?
Scholar Zhao ignored him with a blank face. Minister Liu didn't care either. He put the selected papers aside and sighed to himself, "Oh, there are so many talented people nowadays, especially this one. If you look closely, it still has some of the style of Lord Zhao when he was young. Thinking back to those days, it was such a brilliant talent. It's really nostalgic... What a pity..."
No matter how aloof and proud he is, he will still be trampled underfoot by those who are not as good as him.
On February 28th, the imperial examination results were announced.
The drums were played in the early morning to announce the good news, and tens of thousands of people were excited to welcome the golden list.
Although the night is cold, it cannot contain the surging passion in people’s hearts.
The official from the Ministry of Rites had just put up the yellow paper and left, and the next second the list was surrounded by people.
Under the list, some people are crying, some are laughing, and there are all kinds of people.
In the bustling crowd, Xiao Muyan, who was standing side by side with Jiang Jingyun, held Jiang Jingyun's hand tightly and whispered in his ear, "Are you nervous?"
Jiang Jingyun shook his head. Since he had tried his best, he would have no regrets no matter what the result was. Besides, there was still a chance for him to make a comeback. So he was not nervous at all. He was even in the mood to joke: "There are many people here today. Brother Su and his servants have been sent out to check the list. You have to help stop them later. Otherwise, if they are not careful, they will be tied up by the group of people who are trying to catch the son-in-law under the list."
"Well, what Jingyun said makes sense," Su Yuheng opened the folding fan in his hand, looking like a dashing gentleman. In the chilly spring season, he waved the fan and said seriously, "I will definitely be the first one to be arrested later. You all stand in front and stop them. My family has already arranged a marriage for me, and I will get married when I return this time. I can't let someone else kidnap me again."
Zhang Zhengbai heard this and a flash of sadness flashed across his eyes, which disappeared in an instant. No one noticed except Xiao Muyan. He said gently as always, "Then I have to congratulate you in advance, my dear brother."
Su Yuheng smiled proudly, "Among the three of us, there is finally something that I can take the initiative in!"
"..., stop fanning yourself with that broken fan, aren't you cold?" Jiang Jingyun refused to follow Su Yuheng's lead. He tucked himself into Xiao Muyan's arms to block the wind, and even stuck his head out to complain about his narcissistic friend, "And who am I talking about? I'm talking about Brother Zhengbai, who has a handsome face and is an excellent choice for a son-in-law."
"Tsk, just be graceful, no need for temperature." Although he said so, Su Yuheng felt cold after fanning himself twice. He folded the fan silently and retorted unconvincedly, "Besides, Zhengbai is good, but I think he is not bad either. You don't know how to appreciate, you vulgar person."
"Hmph, who said I don't know how to appreciate? I clearly found the best one..." Jiang Jingyun hummed softly, not letting anyone else hear it, except Xiao Muyan who was holding him tightly.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone pinched his palm, quietly and gently.
Zhang Zhengbai silently watched the quarrel between his two good friends and only stepped in to smooth things over when necessary. They got along surprisingly harmoniously.
The few of them waited for a long time but no one came back with the news. The waiting time gradually became impatient. Just when they were about to lose their patience and wanted to go and see for themselves, they heard a series of loud voices announcing good news from the front: "We got it! We got it! Gentlemen, we got it!"
"We got it right!" Upon hearing this, several people showed their joy on their faces.
Su Yuheng excitedly took two steps forward and asked anxiously, "Who won?"
"They all passed!" The person announcing the good news was panting, his body shivering from the cold, but he spoke fluently for the first time in his life, "Young Master Jiang ranked first, Young Master Zhang ranked second, and Young Master Su ranked twenty-second! Congratulations to the three of you for passing the exam!"
As soon as the voice came out, the whole audience was in an uproar.
At this time, the wealthy and powerful people who were watching secretly were also gearing up to stage a "catching the son-in-law" drama. The three people who were immersed in joy were completely unaware and forgot where they were. They just stood there in a daze, looking at each other, with only unstoppable joy in their eyes.
It was the perceptive Xiao Muyan who first noticed it and gave out three portions of the wedding money that he had prepared to the people who came one after another to bring the good news. Then, under the protection of the servants who had returned one after another, he quickly took the three people away from the place before the rich gentry rushed over.
After returning, there was another round of joyful celebration.
Then, there is the last game.
On March 15th, the palace examination was held in Baohe Hall in the Forbidden City.
It was still dark outside the grand and spacious palace, but candidates were already standing outside waiting to enter. There was silence all around, with only the occasional sound of patrolling guards' footsteps and the clashing of armor.
As the palace gate opened, a dull sound seemed to strike heavily on everyone's heart, and the candidates with different expressions walked nervously into the hall that was about to decide their fate. Jiang Jingyun, dressed in a plain robe, walked in with the crowd. Led by the official from the Honglu Temple, he bowed respectfully to the emperor and the examiners, then sat upright in his seat, waiting for the examiners to hand out the papers.
Today I only have one essay test. I entered the examination room at dawn and handed in my paper at dusk. On the paper I wrote: If the people are well-off, how can you be the one who is not well-off? 【1】
After seeing the title, Jiang Jingyun thought for a moment, then began to pick up the pen and dip it in ink without hesitation, and wrote on the paper: Since the people are rich below, the king will naturally be rich above. The wealth of a ruler is hidden in the people. If the people are rich, how can the ruler be poor alone? 【2】
The emperor on the dragon throne saw a candidate who was writing with full concentration and without showing any fear among the tense examinees in the hall. He asked curiously, "Who is that person?"
The Minister of Rites followed the Emperor's line of sight, smiled and bowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, this is the first place in this joint examination, from Qing County, Guangzhou, Jiang Jingyun."
"Oh?" The emperor raised his eyebrows. "Is that the one that Liu Aiqing mentioned who has a style similar to Wei Zheng?"
Just as Minister Liu was about to reply, Scholar Zhao at the side interrupted him, "He is just a young man who has just started out and doesn't know how to restrain himself. Lord Liu is praising him too much."
"Lord Zhao is wrong. I have noticed that this man writes calmly and calmly, not like the impetuous person you said." Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Rites also joined the conversation.
Scholar Zhao flicked his sleeves and lowered his head, saying, "Minister Zhou, judging a person's character based on appearance alone is biased."
"Then how did Lord Zhao conclude that..."
“…”
The emperor looked at the ministers who were bullying each other with great interest. He was only three-tenths curious about this candidate, but now he was seven-tenths interested. "Send his paper to me later, and I will take a look at it myself to see how talented this person is."
The king made the final decision, and the ministers could only bow their heads and say, "Yes."
Jiang Jingyun, who was at the center of the topic, was completely unaware of this. He stared at the paper in front of him, writing without stopping, trying his best to present what he had learned on this thin piece of paper.
As time passed, the sun set, and dim warm light poured in, softening the solemn and dignified hall.
As a bell rang, the examiner collected the papers on everyone's desk one by one. Jiang Jingyun, who was stiff all over, breathed a sigh of relief: The exam is finally over!
After the papers are collected, they will be randomly distributed to 8 people for marking, and each person will mark the papers with one of five marks: "O", "△", "\", "1", and "×". The paper with the most "○" marks will be the best paper. 【3】
Because the higher-ups were particularly concerned about the results this time, after the papers were collected, the officials in charge immediately stayed up late to begin the selection process.
At the morning court the next day, the ten papers with the most "O"s on them were presented to the emperor, and the one on the top was Jiang Jingyun's paper.
The emperor picked up the paper and said, "Well, the writing has form but no spirit. It's a little lacking in quality." He then looked at the content carefully.
"He is well versed in classics, his rules and regulations are rigorous, and his arguments are clear and fluent. [4] However, his words..." The emperor could not help laughing as he watched the courtiers look confused, and continued, "He is full of sarcasm and barbs. Does he know who will read this paper?"
A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger and is really bold and outspoken.
The Minister of Rites bowed his head and stepped forward, respectfully asking for the emperor's opinion: "Then according to your Majesty, how should the ranking be arranged this time?"
“He is young and daring, he should be taught a lesson, otherwise he will not know how high the sky is!” But the ranking cannot be too low, otherwise it would be unfair, which made the emperor a little difficult to decide.
Seeing His Majesty hesitate, a minister immediately reminded him: "Your Majesty, I remember that the candidate had a good appearance..."
The emperor carefully recalled the appearance of the candidate yesterday and nodded, "Indeed, he is not bad. In this case, let him be the third place winner." Then he handed the paper in his hand to the eunuch beside him, "Okay, is there anything else? If there is nothing else, please leave the court."
After he finished speaking, someone immediately stepped forward and said, "I have something to report..."
【Author’s words】
【1】From The Analects of Confucius, Yan Yuan.
[2] This is a composition written by Wang Ao, who ranked first in both the provincial and metropolitan examinations during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty.
【3】See Baidu Encyclopedia: Palace Examination
【4】 Refer to Baidu Encyclopedia’s evaluation of Wang Ao
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