The names of the three top scorers were chanted three times. Then, an official from the Honglu Temple led the top scorer, second scorer, and third scorer out of the class, and they knelt on the imperial path.
"Your Majesty, I, Liu Lishun, thank you for your grace." Liu Lishun's voice trembled with excitement.
If history had not changed, Liu Lishun would not even have passed the imperial examination this time.
It was not until the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign that he was appreciated by Chongzhen and won the top spot on the imperial examination when he went to Beijing for the tenth time. He was already 52 years old and was recorded in history as a top scholar who died for his country.
Now, I am almost forty years old, which is the prime of my life and full of life experience.
He was young, mature, came from a poor family, and was a disciple of Master Yuan. After comprehensive consideration, Zhu Youxiao gave him the top spot.
"In the second year of the Tianqi reign, the second place in the imperial examination was Wen Zhenmeng!"
The roll call continued when Wen Zhenmeng was led out of the class, knelt down beside Liu Lishun, and kowtowed to express his gratitude.
If history had not changed, Wen Zhenmeng would have been the top scorer in this exam, but he didn't know it and was so excited because he got the second place.
"Third place in the first class of the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign... Feng Yuanbiao!"
"Your Majesty, I, Feng Yuanbiao, thank you for your grace."
"Lu Xiangsheng, first place in the second class of the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign...!"
"The second place in the second class of the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign... Wen Anzhi!"
…………
The singing of the list continues, but it is only sung once and does not lead to the class.
The so-called top three scholars are only honored for a few days and will eventually be lost in history. How many famous people and officials in history were among these first three?
There have been more than 700 top scholars in Chinese history, but except for a few like Yang Shen and Liu Gongquan who achieved high achievements, most of them were mediocre and it was difficult for their names to be passed down through the ages.
Anyway, Zhu Youxiao seemed to remember that Wen Tianxiang was the only one who was a top scholar. It seems that he was lucky to have a good name.
It can be seen that a person's ultimate achievement is closely related to his or her own hard work, opportunities, etc., and cannot be determined by one high school degree.
If I get it, I am lucky; if I lose it, it is my fate. I hope Lu Xiangsheng can be calm and unrestrained, live up to my expectations, and grow up as soon as possible.
Zhu Youxiao was most optimistic about Lu Xiangsheng, but he hoped that Lu Xiangsheng would take the path of military career. If he was selected as the top scholar, he would probably give up this idea and continue to pursue a career as a civil servant.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao ranked him fourth. And this fourth place also has a name in history, which is called "Chuanlu".
In other words, Lu Xiangsheng's ranking in history is not as good as this, so I can say this is an improvement.
After the names of the civil scholars were called out, it was the turn of the military scholars.
If we add the military examination to be held in autumn, there will be two top military champions this year. Because there was no palace examination in the previous military examination, this time's top military champion can be called the first in the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, military and civil scholars participated in the "Da Chuanlu" and subsequent "Yujie Kuaguan" ceremonies together and were treated equally.
The emperor's intention was very clear: to elevate the status of military personnel and give equal importance to both civil and military affairs.
The top scorer in the martial arts exam this year was Shao Darui, and his mere presence in the imperial examination was a testament to his educational attainment. He excelled in comprehensive assessments of strength and horsemanship, and also performed well in policy essays.
After the roll call, the Zhonghe Shao music played "Xianping Zhizhang" and the civil and military Jinshi candidates performed the three-kneeling and nine-kowtow ceremony. Then, an official from the Ministry of Rites held the list, supported by a cloud plate, and led by a yellow umbrella, they exited the Taihe Gate and the Wumen Gate.
The emperor can return to the palace now. He is just here to show up today.
Next, all the Jinshi scholars, princes and officials followed the notice out and hung it outside the East Chang'an Gate (east side of Tiananmen today).
The number one scholar leads other Jinshi candidates to view the list, and then there are activities such as praising officials in the Imperial Street to motivate the students and demonstrate the court's emphasis on the imperial examination.
Of course, for the people of Beijing, this is another good opportunity to watch the excitement, and they are quite enthusiastic about it.
The filthiness of the past is nothing to boast about, but today my unbridled thoughts have no limits.
The horse gallops in the spring breeze, and all the flowers in Chang'an can be seen in one day.
In ancient times, scholars had few options. Most of them studied hard just to pass the imperial examination one day.
More than ten years, or even twenty or thirty years, the best time is spent on this, and the ecstasy after the dream comes true can be imagined.
Tomorrow, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War will host the "Qionglin Banquet" and the "Huiwu Banquet" to celebrate the civil and military scholars. Celebrating with food and drink is probably the most common form of celebration in the world.
But all this clamor and bustle had little to do with Zhu Youxiao. While the scholars could indulge themselves for two days, he still had a lot of things to deal with.
Several newly appointed cabinet members were also very busy, including Sun Chengzong, Li Qiyuan, Tao Langxian, Bi Zisu, and Xu Guangqi. They were all ministers trusted and valued by Zhu Youxiao, and were responsible for implementing the young emperor's reforms.
"New Jinshi to observe government affairs?" Zhu Youxiao thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Then let the ministers select from among them. It can't be too many."
Although Zhu Youxiao wanted the Jinshi candidates to start as local officials, there were not enough vacancies and no one could be assigned to them immediately. It would be okay for them to practice in various ministries first.
Sun Chengzong bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, yesterday a tribute student submitted a letter to the Ministry of War recommending himself, expressing his ambition to be the leader of the Wolf's Lair. After reading it, I think he is worthy of training."
Oh, Zhu Youxiao was very surprised. The results of the palace examination have not come out yet, why did they turn to military generals? Could it be that they saw that military scholars were also valued?
Seeing the emperor's doubts, Sun Chengzong couldn't help but smile bitterly and explained, "It is indeed wrong to respect literature and suppress military affairs. However, if a Jinshi is transferred to a military general, it is different..."
The practice of respecting civil officials over despising military officers was a long-standing flaw in the Ming Dynasty. Military officers, even of the same rank, were expected to pay respect to civil officials and consider themselves inferior. Even when military officers submitted memorials to the emperor, they were often rebuked by civil officials.
In his early years, the famous general Yu Dayou submitted a petition to the Judicial and Censorate. The Censor angrily said, "How can a military academy be qualified to submit a petition to express its opinions?"
So Yu Dayou was beaten and stripped of his military title of Qian Hu. Shen Yourong also suffered a similar fate, although not as tragically, but it also shows how low the status of military men was.
The civil officials thought, "You guys are just a bunch of crude warriors. You should just lead the troops and fight. What can you do to submit memorials to the emperor and express your opinions?" If you were capable, why would you need us?
But it is different for a military general with meritorious service. He is a Confucian general, proficient in both civil and military affairs, and the civil officials dare not look down on him.
Before Shen Yourong joined the army, his uncle Shen Maoxue, who was the top scholar in the fifth year of the Wanli reign, advised his nephew to take the imperial examination first. However, Shen Yourong ignored his advice and started with the military examination, embarking on the path of becoming a military commander.
Of course, Shen Yourong also had a bumpy road and suffered many setbacks.
So that's how it was. After listening to Sun Chengzong's explanation, Zhu Youxiao understood the Jinshi's thoughts, but he didn't blame him. Instead, he asked with interest: "What's the name of this Gongshi? He thinks long-term."
Sun Chengzong smiled and said, "This man is the official appointed by Your Majesty, Lu Xiangsheng of Changzhou."
"Lu Xiangsheng?" Zhu Youxiao was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile, "He is indeed worthy of cultivation. Master Sun, please spend more time cultivating him!"
Sun Chengzong said: "I want to select him to join the ministry to observe government affairs, and then go to the martial arts school to further his studies."
"That's great." Zhu Youxiao agreed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
