The warm fan can relieve the hot summer heat.
The weather in Jiangnan is just like this, unpredictable.
Although it is the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the autumn heat is still unreasonable.
Minglun Hall was much cooler than the examination room, but even so, Xu Yan was sweating profusely, his clothes soaked.
After finally getting to the point where he could hand in his paper, Xu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No one was allowed to stay in the examination room, so Xu Xiaolangjun handed in his paper and left.
At this moment, the candidates in the examination room also handed in their papers one after another, and the crowd gathered together, adding to the stuffy feeling.
Fortunately, there are not too many candidates leaving the venue at this moment, otherwise they would be in great trouble.
Following the crowd out of the prefectural academy, Xu Yan headed towards the Huilai Inn. With so many people and so many papers, it would take Magistrate Ma several days to review them all. There was no point worrying about the rankings now; it would be better to return to the inn for a few drinks and wait for good news.
He had walked about ten steps when he heard someone calling him.
Looking back, it was indeed Chen Maoli.
"Wait for me, brother!"
Chen Maoli trotted a few steps to catch up, and said with a wry smile: "This weather is really too hot and humid. My clothes look like they have been soaked in water."
Xu Yan also said, "Who says it's not? But it's good to get used to it. The Autumn Examination will be held in mid-August, and it will be even hotter than this."
"How did you do on the test, my dear brother? I saw that you finished the questions early, so you must have been confident."
Chen Maoli shook his head and tried to recite another poem, but Xu Yan interrupted him, saying, "I can only say that your performance was okay. The ranking will be decided by the Lord of the Mansion."
"Anyway, it's a blessing to only have to take one exam. Otherwise, in this sweltering weather, it would be too much of a torture to have to take the next one if I didn't pass the main exam."
Chen Maoli paused and said, "Brother Yishi, since we have finished the provincial examination, we will not go home until we are drunk!"
Xu Yan nodded and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
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After the provincial examination, it was the turn of the prefect Ma Shanyuan to feel uncomfortable.
There were countless articles waiting for him to read. Even though the prefectural school instructor helped with the initial screening, it was still really annoying.
The weather was so hot and humid that after reading dozens of articles, Magistrate Ma could not stand it anymore. He ordered the instructor of the prefectural school to select two hundred excellent articles and present them to him, and the rest would be discarded.
Although it feels good to be a hands-off boss, Magistrate Ma still has some concerns.
It is easy to screen out the students who have passed the provincial examination, but it is a bit difficult to determine the top few rankings.
Especially the first place in the provincial examination is a piece of fat meat in the eyes of countless people.
At first he wanted to protect Xu Yan, otherwise he would not have hinted at the question to him.
But the wind direction has changed a bit now. Cui Shu, the magistrate of Yin County, came to him to complain yesterday. Zhang Shiyang, the second master of the Zhang family, went to the county government office in person and asked to ensure that his son Zhang Yinian won the first place in the provincial examination.
The Zhang family of Chahu is the first of the four most prominent families in Yin County.
Zhang Bangqi, the head of his family, was a Jinshi (Jinshi) in the 18th year of the Hongzhi reign, rising through the ranks to become Minister of Rites, having passed away just three years ago. His nephew, Zhang Shiche, was no less impressive, having passed the imperial examination in the 2nd year of the Jiajing reign and enjoyed a meteoric rise in officialdom. Earlier this year, he resigned as Governor of Sichuan and was appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. How could Magistrate Ma afford to offend such a prominent family?
But Magistrate Ma hadn't expected the Zhang family to be so greedy. Zhang Yinian had already won the first place in the county exam, so now they wanted to take the first place in the prefectural exam as well?
But Xu Yan was not someone who could be manipulated casually. This person was a close friend of Zhejiang Governor Zhu Wan, and was also said to be Qian Dehong's last disciple.
One is the nephew of the then Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and the other is a close friend of the immediate superior, the Governor of Zhejiang Province. It is really a difficult problem to choose who to be the first in the case.
Oh, headache, headache!
In fact, in the imperial examinations at the county level, as long as the level of the essays is not too bad, the family background is what ultimately determines the ranking.
Magistrate Ma knew this too, but now he was caught in the middle, feeling completely caught in the middle.
When he thought of this, he began to secretly curse Yin County Magistrate Cui Shu for being cunning and throwing this hot potato to him.
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Let’s put these aside for now. It is said that when Emperor Jiajing received the white tortoise presented by Zhu Wan, the governor of Zhejiang Province, in early September, he was very pleased and issued an edict to reward the person who presented the auspicious gift.
Governor Zhu Wan was among them, and the list also included Ningbo Prefect Ma Shanyuan and Dinghai County Magistrate Zhao Ruohai.
Naturally, something like delivering an imperial edict could not be delayed. Eunuch Wang set out from Tongzhou by boat and traveled all the way via the Grand Canal, arriving in Hangzhou on September 12. After delivering the edict praising Governor Zhu Wan, he rushed to Ningbo without stopping.
Coincidentally, the day Eunuch Wang arrived in Ningbo City, the provincial examination had just ended two days ago.
As a result, Magistrate Ma no longer had the energy to review the papers and determine the rankings. He hurriedly ordered people to set up the incense table in preparation for receiving the order.
When Eunuch Wang arrived at the government office, officials of Ningbo Prefecture, both high and low, were already kneeling on the ground.
Wang Bing finally got a chance to go out and convey the emperor's orders, so naturally he wanted to show off his power.
He glanced at everyone in the hall, cleared his throat, and asked, "Where is Magistrate Ma?"
Ma Shanyuan quickly moved his knees and said with an apologetic smile, "Your humble servant, Ma Shanyuan, the prefect of Ningbo, greets the imperial envoy."
Eunuch Wang nodded and said, "Are Dinghai County Magistrate Zhao Ruohai and the student Xu Yan here?"
Prefect Ma quickly replied, "Reporting to the Imperial Envoy, County Magistrate Zhao should be in the county seat. Dinghai County is not far from the prefectural capital. I will send someone to fetch him. Xu Yan just took the prefectural examination, and since the results are not out yet, he must be in the city as well."
Receiving imperial edicts usually only involved officials; ordinary people without official positions or official titles would find it difficult to participate. But since the imperial envoy had asked, Magistrate Ma naturally answered everything he knew and reported Xu Yan's whereabouts.
"That's good. Magistrate Ma, please send someone to do it quickly, so that we don't have to make another trip. When everyone arrives, we will announce the decree together."
Eunuch Wang had just arrived in Ningbo Prefecture from Hangzhou, but he didn't want to have to go to Dinghai County before he could even get comfortable.
It would be best if we could gather everyone together to read the imperial edict.
Seeing that Magistrate Ma and the others were still kneeling, Eunuch Wang frowned and said, "Ma Magistrate, please stand up first. I haven't announced the decree yet. I can't bear your kneeling like this."
Ma Shanyuan finally dared to stand up. He straightened his robes and stepped forward, saying flatteringly, "Your Majesty, you have worked hard on your journey. Please take a seat."
Eunuch Wang was not polite either. He took a few steps forward and sat down with his horse and sword in his hand.
Magistrate Ma naturally ordered his men to treat Eunuch Wang with good tea and snacks. Although his face was calm, he was extremely excited in his heart.
The emperor sent an envoy to Ningbo to convey his decree, explaining that the auspicious offering had pleased the emperor. The long-awaited turning point in his career was finally here!
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P.S.: Hehe, this wave of foreshadowing has finally paid off. I’m begging for some recommendation votes, brothers. The new book period is crucial for a book. Your support is Lao Kun’s motivation to continue writing.
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