Chapter 713 A Dream of Youth 245
As the rain gradually subsided and the mist dissipated, the sparse willows along the riverbank swayed gently in the slanting breeze under the clear sky. A passing flower girl broke off a willow branch and made it into a willow whistle, handing it to a child beside her. It was late March, and the flowers had faded, their petals falling all over the city. She had come to sell flowers one last time.
Business must be good today, as the palace and surrounding areas are bustling with activity. The army has returned in triumph, the emperor is holding a banquet in the palace to celebrate, and people of all social classes, rich and poor, are also joining in the celebration to share in the joy.
This is not only a victory celebration banquet, but also the annual spring banquet.
Xie Ning and Xie Wangzhi both held official positions, so they could bring their families to the palace separately. They originally wanted to bring the elderly Xie couple, but the palace banquet was complicated and they were not young, so they declined.
So Xie Wangzhi brought Chen Wanniang and Xie Qi, while Xie Ning brought Xie Yun.
Xie Yun originally didn't want to come. Although she had developed some courage from doing business over the years, she was still from a farming family and knew nothing about such customs. It would be bad if she lost face.
In the end, it was Chen Wanniang who persuaded her that the palace banquet would allow her to make more connections, and only then did she decide to attend.
For this reason, Chen Wanniang specially taught her etiquette and palace rules for a day.
Xie Yun had never seen a large or luxurious mansion, and he had heard that the palace of this dynasty was smaller than that of other palaces in history. But no matter how small it was, it was still the imperial palace, and it had all the refinement and luxury that it should have. There were many halls and pavilions, and in Xie Yun's opinion, it was already magnificent enough.
Xie Ning is now a fourth-rank official. She should have been seated in the side halls, but unexpectedly, she was arranged in the main hall. Although her position was lower than Xie Wangzhi's, the significance was different.
"Young Master Xie, why are you sitting here?" A colleague of Xie Ning's rank asked curiously.
Xie Ning and Xie Wangzhi are from the same family, shouldn't they sit together?
Xie Ning raised an eyebrow. "I already have a seat, why should I sit in that other seat?" She was only about two ranks below her father.
Xie Wangzhi didn't receive a promotion in rank this time, as it's increasingly difficult to advance beyond a higher official position. However, he did receive a considerable amount of rewards, including an honorary title.
The official who asked the question was taken aback. Oh, I almost forgot. Xie Ning is now a fourth-rank official, and she also has a noble title.
Everyone wanted to be jealous, but they couldn't bring themselves to be.
Xie Ning's official positions were all earned through hard work and merit. Not to mention his past achievements, in this attack on Xili, without Xie Ning, those hundreds of thousands of troops would probably have been wiped out.
Who would have thought that Xili would be so ruthless as to use water as an army?
Forget it, I can't think about it anymore. It's heartbreaking to see Xie Ning, who is the same age as my daughter, sitting on equal footing with them, or even sitting higher.
However, when it came to daughters, some adults couldn't help but ask Xie Ning about the matter of female officials. They wondered how the examination would be conducted this year.
Xie Ning glanced at Yan Xi across from him, nodded slightly, and then answered the other people's questions.
After she left the capital to join the army on its westward expedition, she left Yanxi in the capital to arrange the selection of female officials.
The Ministry of Works is in a hurry to send people. Previously, they were busy with the Western Expedition, so they prioritized the Northwest. Now, however, they are starting to arrange pilot projects.
If we proceed step by step according to the imperial examination system, it will be too slow. Therefore, Yan Xi proposed that this year's selection be divided into two parts.
Some candidates were admitted through private examinations conducted by the Imperial Academy, while others were admitted in the general form of the imperial examinations. Thus, the imperial examinations were conducted separately for men and women.
Of course, the final rankings are all together, it's just that the exams were conducted in separate sessions.
The number of candidates for the private examination at the Imperial College was recommended by each province, and whether one could stand out in the end depended on one's own ability.
Xie Ning is an official in the imperial court and cannot return to her hometown to take the imperial examinations in the usual way, so she will participate in the final palace examination with everyone else.
That will probably have to wait until this fall.
Xie Ning hadn't expected such a positive response after her return from the western expedition, which saved her the trouble of setting up a scheme later on.
She originally thought that since no one dared to take the civil and military examinations, she would be the first to do so, so that others would have more courage. However, with the recapture of Lingwu, her fame grew and her influence increased. Even if she didn't continue to follow one path after another, she could still play a leading role.
The specific details of the selection of female officials will be announced soon, so Xie Ning didn't need to reveal them in advance. He just mentioned a few things and then took over from another lady, leading the group to chat with Xie Yun.
Xie Yun was in her early forties. She had taken good care of herself over the years and looked younger and younger. Her face was as white as the moon, and she was generous and cheerful in every gesture. Although she was a little nervous at first when she was interacting with the ladies, she had been doing business outside for many years and soon they were chatting.
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