The emperor was still hesitant in the end, and finally summoned several cabinet ministers, as well as the eldest prince, the fourth prince, the fifth prince, and Xiao Mochen to discuss the matter.
The opinions of the individuals were also divided, with the biggest controversy surrounding Han Yu and Ji Tongwen as the top scorers.
Ji Tongwen was the grandson of Grand Secretary Ji, and the eldest prince strongly advocated for him to be the top scholar in order to win over Grand Secretary Ji.
Xiao Mochen stood up and objected, "Ji Tongwen may indeed be better at writing than Han Yu, but his insights on this policy essay are certainly inferior to Han Yu's."
Xiao Moyan thought Xiao Mochen was contradicting him and said angrily, "Ji Tongwen is the grandson of Grand Secretary Ji. He is definitely much better than that unknown Han Yu in terms of literary talent and policy analysis."
Xiao Mochen retorted, "The purpose of the imperial examination in our Great Yan is to select talents and give students from humble backgrounds a chance to become officials, not to discriminate based on their family background."
In this policy essay, it is clear that Han Yu's insights are more effective in resolving the problem.
In fact, the emperor thought so too, but with Grand Secretary Ji present, he had to consider his feelings to some extent.
So he asked, "Minister Ji, what do you think?"
Grand Secretary Ji: ...
Grand Secretary Ji was in a dilemma. He really wanted to recommend his grandson, but how could he answer the emperor's question?
If he were to recommend his own grandson, what would the court officials think of him, and what would the emperor think of him?
Ji Tongwen is the pride of the Ji family; he has been groomed as their successor since childhood.
Before Ji Tongwen took the imperial examination, Grand Secretary Ji was full of confidence, believing that the top scholar would undoubtedly be his grandson.
Who knew Han Yu would suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Grand Secretary Ji finally said through gritted teeth, "Although Tongwen is exceptionally talented in literature, far surpassing ordinary people, he may not have the same practical experience as Han, who comes from a humble background."
Upon hearing this, the emperor slapped his thigh and said, "Grand Secretary Ji is indeed righteous. Since Grand Secretary Ji also agrees to appoint Han Yu as the top scholar, then it's settled."
Grand Secretary Ji: ...
When did he ever say that? The Emperor is deliberately distorting his meaning.
Immediately following was a chorus of compliments, praising Lord Ji for his meritocratic approach to appointing people and his love for younger generations, truly deserving of his reputation as a veteran of three reigns and a model for the officials of the Great Yan Dynasty.
Grand Secretary Ji felt like a herd of grass mud horses was galloping through his mind. "Do you want this role model?"
His grandson lost the title of top scholar in the imperial examination.
Since the emperor had personally selected Han Yu as the top scholar, Ji Tongwen could only be ranked second.
The third-ranked scholar was Mu Yang, and the one who passed the imperial examination was naturally Xing Wenfeng.
Although this person was ranked in the second class, he was actually the first in the second class.
Why was Mu Yang chosen as the third-ranked scholar? Mainly because Mu Yang was good-looking. Although the other three were not bad-looking either, Mu Yang was particularly outstanding.
After all, none of the previous third-place finishers were ugly.
All four were granted the title of Jinshi (进士) upon passing the imperial examination.
The results of the palace examination were announced on the spot.
Han Yu hadn't expected to become the top scholar, after all, he could sense that there were quite a few talented people among this year's candidates.
Moreover, he didn't have any powerful backing, so the top scholar position shouldn't have fallen into his lap.
Regardless, this outcome is still good.
The people who ranked higher congratulated each other.
Ji Tongwen was also very gracious; although he missed out on the top scholar title, he still had a smile on his face.
He takes this matter in stride, believing that there are always people more capable than oneself, and that there's always something beyond our understanding.
He was convinced that Han Yu had become the top scholar.
The group of people were all quite young, and they even made a pact to go to Zhuangyuanlou for drinks when they had some free time.
But their story isn't over yet; the top three scholars (状元, 榜眼, and 探花) are required to be paraded through the streets on horseback.
This is a tremendous honor, and they are naturally delighted.
News from the palace spread quickly.
Ruyi had just placed her bet when the results of the palace examination came out.
Ruyi couldn't help but feel a little nervous, since their lady had staked 50,000 taels of silver.
This represents half of their wife's personal wealth.
This was the remaining silver from when their wife sold off their family property last time, plus the money the emperor had given them when their wife was granted the title of Second Rank Imperial Consort, as well as the gifts from various families, which were then converted into cash again.
If we lose that amount, it won't be a small sum.
So when the gambling den's scout came in panting, Ruyi was more nervous than anyone else.
The casino owner himself stepped forward and asked, "So, is there a result yet?"
The servant was so exhausted that he could only nod in acknowledgment.
The gambling den owner then asked, "Who came out on top with the highest score? Was it Ji Tongwen, the grandson of Grand Secretary Ji?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the gambling den turned their attention to the messenger.
Most of them placed bets, with many betting on Ji Tongwen, though some also bet on others, such as Yan Qingqing.
However, such people are extremely rare.
Amidst everyone's anticipation, the servant shook his head.
Everyone looked disappointed upon seeing this.
Even the casino owner looked disappointed; he had placed a bet himself.
After his initial disappointment, the gambling den owner pressed on, "Tell me then, who exactly became the top scholar?"
The servant paused for a moment before speaking haltingly, "Han Yu, a student from Chengyang Academy in Xuancheng Prefecture."
This statement caused an uproar. How could it be Han Yu? They should have bet on Han Yu.
Han Yu was also very talented, but his family background was lacking. However, it was too late for them to regret it.
Ruyi, who was standing to the side, was overjoyed upon hearing this. It really was Young Master Han!
Their lady placed a bet of 50,000 taels of silver, with odds of 1 to 10. That's a lot of money! This time, the lady has really made a fortune.
Moreover, she herself placed a bet of fifty taels of silver, which was all her savings.
Now she's quite wealthy, and none of the servants in the mansion can compare to her. She'll have a lot more confidence when she gets married.
Thinking of this, Ruyi didn't care about anything else and quickly got into the carriage to head home.
She wanted to tell the lady about this as soon as possible.
Yan Qingqing was discussing the opening of the shop with Li Xiang'an.
Li Xiang'an smiled and said, "The shop has been completely renovated according to Mother's requirements."
Moreover, our Rouge Workshop in the suburbs of Beijing has already produced the first batch of goods.
However, the quantity is small. Should we ask them to speed up production?
Yan Qingqing shook her head and said, "No need. These high-end products are different from ordinary products. We need to use scarcity marketing."
"After all, it's a high-profit product; if it's scattered all over the streets, it'll lose its value."
Having studied business under Yan Qingqing for a long time, Li Xiang'an has some understanding of scarcity marketing.
However, when Li Xiang'an heard Yan Qingqing's eyes light up when she mentioned the huge profits, his eyelids twitched violently. He had a feeling that his mother was about to do something drastic.
So, somewhat nervously, he asked, "Mother, how do you plan to price these products?"
Yan Qingqing casually picked up a pre-written price list from the table and handed it to Li Xiang'an.
Li Xiang'an gasped after seeing the price Yan Qingqing had set. That's outrageous! Has his mother gone mad with poverty?!
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