Although the top candidates in the palace examination were chosen by the emperor himself, they were usually selected by the cabinet ministers. After the candidates were determined, the decision was made by Emperor Mingzheng.
The cabinet decided that the top scholar was Song Ziqian, the second was Wu Yun, and the third was Xiao Yantai, while Yu Qizhe, the top scorer in the imperial examination, was not among the top scorers.
Emperor Mingzheng picked up the red pen, intending to cross out a name from the three people selected by the cabinet. The ministers in the court had many complaints about his worship of Taoism and fasting for sacrifices. Whenever he wanted to transfer money from the inner treasury, all parties would stop him. Judging from what Yu Qizhe had just said, he was a smart person who suited his taste. If he was trained and promoted in the future, and if there were people in the court who advised him to take the elixir again, this person could become a good dog to be driven by him.
Seeing that Emperor Mingzheng was hesitant, Cheng Ying suddenly spoke up, "I think with Yu Qizhe's talent, this person is worthy of advancing to the first place and the top three places."
As soon as the words fell, the faces of the princes all changed. Some wondered why Cheng Ying would speak for Yu Qizhe, while others were jealous. You know, Cheng Ying was a big shot around Emperor Mingzheng, and his words might really change Emperor Mingzheng's decision.
Cheng Ying's words hit the mark exactly what Emperor Mingzheng wanted. After thinking for a while, he crossed out Wu Yun's name and wrote the three words "Yu Qizhe" after the first place in the imperial examination.
If you want to tame a hyena that bites and is obedient, first you have to give it enough sweet treats, and second you have to let it know who holds the power over its honor, as well as its life and death.
Emperor Mingzheng was quite proud of this. Cheng Ying was the mad dog he had trained. He could make Cheng Ying so powerful because this mad dog was actually a very useful killing knife.
"I don't think so. Yu Qizhe is only seventeen years old. He lacks insight into worldly affairs and sophistication in human nature. Although his writing is brilliant, it still needs polishing." Although Liu Yu didn't understand why Cheng Ying suddenly wanted to support Yu Qizhe, this was definitely not a good thing. After these words were spoken, everyone knew that Yu Qizhe should not have been the top scholar. If Yu Qizhe was chosen as the top scholar, he would be put on the fire and would have made enemies with others in the palace before entering the officialdom.
After hearing this, everyone thought that it was a good thing that there was a famous and upright official like Liu Ci Fu who spoke out to stop him. Even though Yu Qizhe had some connections with the Liu family, he was still able to be impartial and fair. No wonder he was a pillar of integrity among the loyal officials.
But once these words were spoken, if Yu Qizhe fell behind others in ranking, he would definitely feel resentment towards Liu Ci Fu.
Yu Qizhe, who was at the center of the controversy, just stood there quietly with a calm expression, as if it was not him who was being debated.
"Liu Ci Fu is wrong." Cheng Ying smiled casually, "Yu Qizhe is so talented in writing before he even reached adulthood. He is a young talent. If he grows up in a few years, he will be a nobody. Although I have little education, I understand one thing. Don't look down on people just because they are young. If you only judge people by their age, there are countless old scholars who failed the imperial examination after they were over fifty. Shouldn't they all be the top scholar?"
Cheng Ying's words were really sophistry. In front of the emperor, a eunuch could speak so arrogantly and argue with the current second prime minister. Dozens of candidates were secretly shocked and they realized the high status of Cheng Ying.
Emperor Mingzheng smiled warmly, as if trying to smooth things over. "What Cheng Ying said is not without reason. I have read Yu Qizhe's examination essay, and it is very well written. His state governance strategy shows real talent and hard work, and he should be among the top."
Liu Yu intended to suppress Yu Qizhe's ranking and place him in the inconspicuous second class to cultivate him well in the future, instead of putting him in the center of attention and being plotted against as soon as he entered the officialdom. But now the emperor has greatly admired Yu Qizhe's questions and answers during his furnace training and has decided to put him among the top three in the first class.
Since this is the case, Liu Yu thought about it for a while and said, "This boy's demeanor is worthy of the emperor's elegant and beautiful young man, as bright as a jade tree in the wind. Since the emperor is optimistic about him, in my humble opinion, this man can be the third place in this year's imperial examination."
If Yu Qizhe was chosen as the top scholar, his first place in the imperial examination would be too eye-catching. If he was chosen as the third place, with Liu Yu's words, people would think that he only won by his appearance, which would somewhat reduce his edge.
After Liu Yu said this, Emperor Mingzheng actually looked at the dozen candidates standing in front of his palace. Although Yu Qizhe was the youngest among them, he was indeed as handsome as a slender orchid and a beautiful tree. He was truly worthy of the title of the third place winner of this year's imperial examination.
But Cheng Ying spoke again, "Yu Qizhe is clearly a top scholar, why does Liu Ci Fu want to suppress this person just because he is handsome?" He smiled and said to Emperor Mingzheng, "I think the imperial examination should focus on talent, not appearance. If you only judge by appearance, I should be the third place in the palace today!"
In this hall, if we only talk about beauty, no one can match Cheng Ying.
Emperor Mingzheng laughed when he heard this and said lightly, "No rules!" But there was no trace of annoyance in his voice.
After being interrupted by Cheng Ying, Emperor Mingzheng did not hesitate any longer and said, "I hereby announce that Yu Qizhe will be the first place winner of the imperial examination in the spring of the eleventh year of Mingzheng, Song Ziqian will be the second place winner, and Xiao Yantai will be the third place winner."
Once the golden words are spoken, there is no room for maneuver.
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