In early April, the results of the spring examination were announced and a notice was posted at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall. The top thirty were named by the emperor himself.
The candidates who came to see the list were those who had participated in the Spring Examination and their families. Common people and those who did not take part in the examination were not allowed to come and see the list today, in order to avoid confusion caused by too many people and a stampede.
Officers and soldiers surrounded the Imperial Examination Hall in advance, and only candidates with admission tokens were allowed to bring their families in to see the list.
There are still some who are happy and some who are sad. Only thirty people are happy and can take part in the palace examination. Most people will return disappointed and have to wait for the next three years.
Xiao Hechuan and Jiang Sui, as well as Qi Xiuyuan and Lu Yao, a group of four people came to see the list. There were already quite a few people gathered at the scene.
They protected Jiang Sui in the middle and squeezed through the crowd. They found Xiao Hechuan's name on the large notice board at a glance.
As expected, he still got first place. The questions were all the same ones he had taken in his previous life. In this life, he even answered them better than in his previous life. It can be said that no one could surpass him in answering his questions.
At that time, all the officials in the Ministry of Rites who were marking the papers were amazed. Even the Minister of Rites had to admit that Xiao Hechuan was too strong. Once this test paper was submitted to the emperor, his grandson's dream of passing the imperial examination would be shattered.
The Minister of Rites was very angry. He was a little angry why the King of Chu did not take over the power of managing the imperial examination given by the emperor this time. With his help, the test papers of the two could be swapped. Anyway, they would not be posted at that time and only the results would be counted.
But this time, King Xun was there. He joined in the marking and participated in the entire process without leaving for a moment. They were not allowed to have any ideas at all.
In fact, His Majesty had considered many things when he appointed Helian Heng as the chief examiner of the imperial examinations. He knew very well that the Minister of Rites was from his mother's maternal family, yet he still dared to let the two of them work together. Wasn't he afraid that they would join forces to cause trouble?
Of course I’m scared, but this is also a test, isn’t it?
In his previous life, he failed to notice anything was wrong because their ways of cheating were different, and Guo Gan’s character was established in his early years. He had high hopes for him, and it should be said that he had high hopes for talents. As a result, when the things done by the Guo family were exposed later, the emperor was very angry.
"Xiao Hechuan, that's great. You are the first place again. This time you will be the champion!" Following Qi Xiuyuan's exclamation, everyone looked at them.
Let's take a look at who the person who got first place in the Spring Examination is. Among these eyes, there are some eyes from aristocratic families.
Because they knew that the time had come to get to know the new nobles in the court.
Everyone originally thought that the person who would attend the gathering this time would be the grandson of the Minister of Rites, but unexpectedly it was someone else. Guo Gan's abilities had been rumored to be miraculous, but no one expected that there was someone stronger than him.
What does that mean? This means that he has the ability to get the first place, and his future official career is assured. If he becomes the top scorer and enters the Hanlin Academy, he will definitely be a rising star in the future.
In this spring examination, Lu Yao's name was not on the list, but Qi Xiuyuan was on the list, ranking fifteenth.
In fact, Lu Yao had already felt it a long time ago. It was normal for him to fail the exam since he did not perform well, but he was already a juren now. With his qualifications, it was already very good to pass the exam at such a young age.
However, after searching for a while, Luo Ming's name was not found. Did he fail the exam too?
This is a bit surprising. His overall strength is stronger than Qi Xiuyuan, but he is not on the list, which is a pity.
Most of the reasons were probably due to his personal emotions, and his bad condition was also partly the reason. He went to Beijing alone and lived in poverty. He regretted that he failed the exam and could only wait for the next three years.
"Hey, pack up. We can go back to Jeju in two days." Lu Yao's tone was a little depressed.
Qi Xiuyuan patted his shoulder to comfort him:
"Don't be discouraged. We are still young. If you can't do it this time, just wait for the next time. Even if you failed, you can get married soon when you go back and get your beautiful girl!"
Lu Yao had been mentally prepared, so it wasn't that hard for him to accept.
Qi Xiuyuan was right. If it didn't work this time, he could wait for next time. He had just reached adulthood and was still young, so he had plenty of opportunities.
When I looked at the list this time, I didn’t see Guo Gan. I guess he already knew the result, so he was too embarrassed to show up.
He was the second place in this spring's imperial examination. Earlier he had vowed and expressed with confidence that he would be able to get the top three places, but he didn't expect that there is always someone better than you.
Although second place was not low, he still felt very embarrassed.
Qi Xiuyuan and his companions looked around but did not see Luo Ming. Perhaps he had seen the result early and left quietly. Lu Yao wanted to ask him to go back to Jeju together.
Knowing that Xiao Hechuan was the top scorer in this spring's imperial examination, some of the failed young men from noble families around him took the initiative to come forward and make friends with him.
"This brother is the top scorer in this spring exam, right? I just heard your companion mention your name, so please forgive me for disturbing you. I am the eldest son of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Xie Cheng'an. Nice to meet you!"
"The first place winner of the Spring Examination is indeed extraordinary. I am Zhou Yizhi, the second son of the Guanglu Temple Minister. May I have the honor of making friends with Xiao Huiyuan?"
"And me, my father is the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Supervisory Council, my name is Fu Yinghuai!"
Several young men from noble families who had participated in this spring examination came over and chatted with Xiao Hechuan, behaving like gentlemen.
Xiao Hechuan also returned the greeting very naturally and chatted with them.
This was a necessary process, similar to the previous life. After the results of the Spring Examination were announced, as the first in the Spring Examination, the children of aristocratic families all began to take the initiative to make friends with him.
There was still about a month of preparation time for the palace examination. During this period, different people asked him out every day, wanting to have a drink with him. Even some poetry gatherings and tea parties began to send him invitations to participate.
Such occasions are attended by the sons of noble families and ladies of Kyoto. As long as you have made achievements and attained accomplishments, and your abilities and future benefits are noticed by others, these people will flock to you.
If they really want to make friends with you from the bottom of their hearts, Xiao Hechuan knows how much of it is true and how much is false.
They were all people of appearances, speaking politely, and Xiao Hechuan handled them with ease.
Qi Xiuyuan was also on the list, so he also got to know a large number of children from aristocratic families.
Someone immediately suggested that we go to Juxianlou for a small gathering in the evening, where we could exchange ideas and experiences, drink some wine, and compete in poetry, thus making friends through literature.
In the next half month, socializing and entertaining will be inevitable.
Xiao Hechuan did not refuse but agreed and said that he would be there in the evening. Not only that, he also took the initiative to introduce Jiang Sui to everyone as his wife, who was accompanying him to Kyoto for the exam.
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