Chapter 110 is the best.
Chengtian Hall.
The sun rises from the east to its zenith, then slowly sets back down. By evening, the examiners announce the collection of papers, marking the end of the entire day's palace examination.
The Chinese candidates left the palace in a daze, and their exam papers were sent to the Donghua Pavilion, where the examiners reviewed them overnight.
The exam was held on the 15th, the evaluation was completed on the 16th and submitted to the Emperor for review, and the first, second and third ranks were determined. The announcement of the winners was held in the Golden Hall on the 17th.
The pace is very fast.
This is good, as it saves the candidates a lot of anxious time. Before, after the provincial examination, the candidates still had the mood to visit friends and have a literary gathering, and to have a celebration before the results were released. Now they have all calmed down and are like quails, obediently staying at home or in the clubhouse and inn to wait for the results.
In the unprecedentedly quiet capital, there was only one place where the atmosphere was most intense and tense.
Donghua Pavilion.
All eyes were on that place, but those inside were all high-ranking officials, so that it seemed like an untouchable place to ordinary people. Even with the Duke of Ying's abilities, he couldn't get a hand in it.
The fact that none of the fourteen high-ranking officials came from military families illustrates the rise of civil officials and the marginalization of military officials.
"Brother Xin, you need to be prepared and take it in stride." A messenger from the Duke of England's residence conveyed the Duke's message.
After everyone left, Lin Xin, who had just gone to the Imperial Academy to retrieve his Jinshi robe and cap, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed).
He rarely showed such a dejected expression. Xu Rong didn't take the visitor's words to heart—he had already passed the exam, so what else could he do?
She adjusted quickly and truly regained her composure. She unfolded the scholar's robe and turban to examine it. This was what Lin Xin would wear for the imperial examination tomorrow. She hadn't seen it before, and it was quite novel. The robe was a dark blue silk robe, and the turban was similar to a black gauze hat. The set was very dignified.
After she finished reading, she turned her head and saw that Lin Xin was still in the same position without moving. She walked over and nudged him: "Are you really only interested in first place?"
Lin Xincai nodded.
He was surprisingly resolute.
Xu Rong was a little puzzled. Although she felt that he was fully qualified to win first place and looked forward to him riding a horse and wearing flowers in his hair, which would surely be a pleasing sight, she had never seen him so competitive before. He was not just competitive, but seemed to be obsessed and unable to get over this hurdle.
"It's a pity that even the Duke couldn't find out anything," she said. "If he knew that we were in the top ten, he would have a better idea of what to expect."
Whether a book can be ranked in the top ten is a watershed moment. Although the emperor might select more books to read from outside the top ten, the chances of that are too small. First, even a wise ruler would be too lazy to do that. Second, the wiser the ruler, the less likely he is to do it, because it would mean that the emperor is questioning the judgment and knowledge of the examiners. Only Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet and the Nine Ministers could serve as examiners. This would offend all the ministers in the court, and even the emperor would not be able to handle it.
Therefore, while this phrase can boost the confidence of test takers before the exam, it's unnecessary to use it to comfort oneself and gamble on the odds after the exam.
"Xiao Bao, human strength has its limits, but the way of Heaven is predetermined."
She thought for a moment and then persuaded him, "No matter what ranking the imperial edict gives you, in my heart you will always be number one, okay?"
Lin Xin's eyes lit up, as if he was tempted, but after hesitating for a moment, he shook his head: "No. It's either yes or no. I don't want to lie to you."
Why is she being dragged into this again?
Xu Rong couldn't understand, but looking at him, she found it a little funny—it wasn't that she couldn't empathize, but the way he slumped there made him look three or four years younger. She couldn't say it out loud, nor could she really laugh, so she could only hold back and say, "Alright then, try to think more positively."
He then calculated with his fingers, "It's this late, the papers should all have been delivered to His Majesty by now."
**
Xu Rong's calculations were correct; at that moment, the examiners were gathered before the emperor.
"...Therefore, if the punishment is appropriate, even if only one person is punished each year, the whole world will be convinced of its worth..."
"...I have heard that the world has great laws for achieving good governance and fundamental principles for achieving good governance..."
One article after another flowed smoothly from the mouths of the examiners. After about an hour, all ten articles were finally read, and these top-ranked articles were presented to the emperor by the eunuchs.
The scrolls were filled with writing and drawing. In addition to the text, there were also circles, dots, and seals used by the examiners for evaluation. At the same time, the examiners also made a preliminary ranking of the top three in the first class. However, this was only for the emperor's reference.
The examiners determine the top ten, and the emperor then selects the top ten from among them. This is the power division between the emperor and his officials in the history of the dynasty. If either side crosses this line, it may lead to unpredictable consequences.
The first-ranked papers were originally submitted separately, but the emperor did not pay attention to them. He mixed them together with the other seven papers and then personally removed the sealed pages one by one.
The examiners watched without intervening, as there was little point in doing so anyway. With so many papers, how could they not guess who it was if the names were covered up?
The senior officials knew exactly who the top candidates were in each subject, which of them came from humble backgrounds and which came from prominent families, and what their writing style and even handwriting were like. By the time they reached the palace examination, they had a good idea of all of this.
A eunuch whispered, "Your Majesty, let me do it."
The emperor ignored him and continued dismantling the structure.
As he unpacked the last portion, Longmu stared intently for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
Then I glanced at the article. Actually, it didn't matter whether I read it or not. Having come this far, and being able to stand out among the final three hundred outstanding students, how could the article be bad?
The examiners below exchanged bewildered glances, realizing that His Majesty wasn't reading the essays at all; he was actually looking for someone!
The Emperor's heart had already set its sights on someone.
Cabinet scholar Xie couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, this article was originally ranked seventh in the second class—"
It's at the bottom of these ten articles, but it's acceptable when placed in a list of three hundred people.
It wasn't that he didn't want to push things down further, but with so many problems, even if the examiners shared similar interests, it would be difficult for them to be truly of one mind. Some examiners thought that this boy had always been the top scholar, the provincial scholar, and the metropolitan scholar, and had never made a mistake. But in the final palace examination, he suddenly dropped to the second or third class. How could he convince the public?
At the very least, they should be among the top two in the class to avoid causing a great deal of controversy.
It was supposed to be a very safe and sound plan, but who knew that something would go wrong?
As the Emperor picked up his brush, he casually remarked, "Hmm, you gentlemen have quite a few disagreements about this piece, haven't you?"
Scholar Xie paused for a moment, then replied, “Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. After several discussions, we believe that this article is too sharp, but its brilliance cannot be overshadowed. Therefore, taking into account all factors and acting in accordance with public opinion, we have determined this ranking.”
The Emperor smiled and said, "Is that so?"
It's not that I don't want to suppress it, it's that I can't suppress it.
Without hesitation, the vermilion brush fell.
**
Whether Lin Xin was happy or not, a new day arrived as scheduled.
Early in the morning, he put on his scholar's robe and stepped out the door, looking like a jade tree, which stunned Xu Rong for a moment.
He had a stern expression, and seemed unhappy about his uncertain ranking.
Xu Rong: "..."
Everyone wanted to advise him not to be so ambitious.
But saying those words was like a blow, so she held back. Finally, after he left, Xu Rong also stopped staying in the mansion and went out herself.
The rankings will be announced when the results are announced in the Golden Hall, followed immediately by the Imperial Street Parade.
Xu Rong went out for this. She couldn't see the imperial examination, but the official commendation was a grand event for the whole city, and all the people of the capital would flock to watch it. Xu Rong had already arranged for a suitable teahouse to watch the event. Although she usually preferred quiet, she still wanted to join in the excitement.
The thought that Lin Xin might be the most handsome but also the most grumpy among the three hundred newly appointed scholars made her want to laugh.
I really don't understand what's wrong with him.
I've never seen him so impatient before.
The teahouse was not far from the palace. Xu Rong and Lin Dingwei went out together.
They arrived early, but there were even earlier arrivals; the teahouse was already more than half full, all waiting to see the newly appointed scholars.
This wait is quite long, and the palace procedures will take a lot of time. In this world, anything related to etiquette is never easy.
Fortunately, food and drinks were readily available in the teahouse, and there were storytellers to keep you entertained if you got bored, so the time didn't pass by too tediously.
"Are they here?"
"Is it here—?"
As the sun rises higher, the streets outside gradually become noisier.
"They're here! Look!"
"Really? Move aside, let me see!"
*Snap!* Lin Ding also got excited, pushed open the window with one hand, and leaned most of his body out.
Their view was good, but the scholars' procession would have a better view once they got closer. Right now, they could only see a large, bustling group of people slowly approaching from the other end of the long street, but they couldn't make out their faces yet.
But all sorts of rumors had already flooded our ears.
"Where is the top scholar? I want to see the top scholar!"
"That's the one in the middle wearing the red robe, such a young top scholar!"
"Are you sure you're not mistaken? I think that's the third-ranked scholar! Only the third-ranked scholar is that handsome!"
"How could you be wrong? The third-ranked scholar doesn't wear a red robe; only the top scholar can wear one!"
"Wow, I see it! He's so handsome!"
Lin Dingyue became increasingly sour: "Young? Handsome? These people are really ignorant. He's just a top scholar, what's so special about him?"
He hadn't seen through it yet, but that didn't stop him from standing up for his son and giving this unknown top scholar a good scolding.
In any case, according to the British Duke's intelligence, Lin Xin will definitely be pushed down, and it's unknown what ranking he will get.
Someone leaned out of the window next to them and retorted, "Sir, you don't care about being the top scholar? You're just being a sour grapes."
Lin Ding retorted stubbornly, "I don't care. Maybe it's just good luck. I see many people around who didn't get the top score, and their talents are no less than the top scorer's—"
The two of them were bickering through the window, while the procession of scholars parading through the streets below drew closer.
Of the three hundred people, only the top three could ride horses. Among the top three, only the top scholar was first, and he changed into a red silk robe. The flowers on his hat were also different. Generally, the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) wore green leaf and velvet flowers, while the top scholar wore kingfisher and silver flowers.
When Xu Rong could see the difference between the flowers and leaves, she finally saw the scholar's face clearly—she had no choice but to see it clearly, for the scholar's face was tilted high towards her, and almost at the same time she focused her gaze, he also noticed her.
There were some other voices nearby asking, "The most handsome one is the top scholar, but what about the third-ranked scholar? Where is the third-ranked scholar?"
Xu Rong didn't know where the third-ranked scholar was; she was simply so shocked she was speechless.
"Sir, do you perhaps brew vinegar at home?"
"You're the one who's jealous! I'm just telling the truth, you—"
Lin Ding was still engrossed in arguing with someone, not even looking down. Finally, Wei Shi, who was squeezed next to him, couldn't help but tug at him: "Stop talking."
Lin Ding still listened to her, and pointed sullenly at the next room: "I'll let you off the hook today, but let me tell you, being the top scholar isn't anything special!"
“But,” Mrs. Wei looked down, still in a daze, and could only honestly and straightforwardly say, “the top scholar is Xiao Bao.”
Lin Ding: "...?"
Lin Ding's eyes widened in surprise!
The red-clad scholar on his tall horse finally arrived at the window. He reached out and pulled out a silver flower from his hair, then threw it upwards with force amidst the instinctive gasps of the crowd.
...
The parade couldn't stop. After the procession of the successful candidates had passed, Xu Rong, holding the silver flowers in his hands, finally found some sense of reality.
She didn't even know how she caught it, but she definitely caught it.
"Let me see," Lin Ding said impatiently. Xu Rong gave it to him, and he held it in his hands, looking at it over and over for a while before carefully returning it to Xu Rong.
"You keep it. My hands are rough, so I don't want to break it."
Xu Rong also carefully wrapped it up with a handkerchief.
"This, sir," the man next door strained to reach over, "what is your relationship with the top scholar? Why did he throw the flower to you?"
Lin Ding was about to grin, but under the man's envious gaze, he became reserved and coughed, saying, "He is my son."
"..." The man's eyes widened, and he said in awe, "Master just said that the top scholar is nothing, and that there are many scholars among the Jinshi who are more learned than the top scholar. Master is truly selfless and strict in educating his son. No wonder he was able to raise a top scholar!"
Lin Ding: "..."
Lin Ding retorted angrily, "That's nonsense! The top scholar is number one, the best!"
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