There was a moment of silence in the hall, and the three people who had come to their senses knelt down to express their gratitude. Xiao Yantai and Song Ziqian had excitement and excitement in their eyes. The others who were not in the first class of the imperial examination looked at the three people with envy.
Finally, the second-class candidates were announced and awarded the title of Jinshi. There were more than one hundred people in the second class, and more than two hundred people in the third class.
After the imperial edict was read out, officials from the Honglu Temple went to Chang'an Street to hang the edict, headed by Yu Qizhe, followed by Song Ziqian and Xiao Yantai, and several people left the Fengtian Hall.
Facing the envious gazes of the crowd, Yu Qizhe walked down the winding white marble steps and walked towards the Meridian Gate.
There are three doorways in the Meridian Gate. On normal days, only the emperor, the supreme ruler, can pass through the middle gate. In addition, when the emperor gets married, the empress can also enter the palace through the middle gate. Otherwise, only the top three candidates in each imperial examination can leave the palace through the middle gate after the palace examination.
Civil and military officials entered and exited through the two gates on the east side, while the two gates on the west side were for royal family members and princes.
The three new top-class students walked towards the middle door that was now opened for them. This was the supreme honor.
The sunlight was quite bright at noon, covering the entire grand and solemn imperial palace, illuminating it with a warm yellow glow. The glazed tiles in the distance reflected the sunlight, and the red palace walls that separated the power, wealth and splendor were no longer long.
Although other successful candidates in the same exam were envious of Yu Qizhe, this man was already the number one scholar chosen by the emperor. As a newly crowned number one scholar at the age of seventeen, he had a bright future ahead of him.
After leaving the palace, someone came forward to congratulate Yu Qizhe. Yu Qizhe spoke to the person who came to congratulate him with a calm and polite expression.
Song Ziqian was chatting and laughing with someone on the side, and glanced at Yu Qizhe slightly.
This man is so young yet calm and low-key. He studied hard for ten years and now has become the center of attention, but he never shows his joy.
Even though he is seven or eight years older than him, he is still not able to do this. When he becomes an official in the same dynasty in the future, he should not be underestimated.
Noticing Song Ziqian's gaze, Yu Qizhe smiled faintly and nodded slightly at him.
Song Ziqian also smiled back, withdrew his gaze, and talked to the person next to him.
Many people also gathered around Xiao Yantai. Someone from the Xiao family had been waiting outside the palace gate. When he walked past Yu Qizhe, he looked down on him, "Yu Zhuangyuan is a good man! Don't think that you can rise to the top in the future just because you passed the imperial examination. There are countless people who enter the officialdom through imperial examinations in every third grade. You have to know that the officialdom is ups and downs, and only one or two out of ten can really gain a foothold in the officialdom. You won't be so lucky every time."
Yu Qizhe looked at him, neither humble nor arrogant, "Good advice is hard to hear, thank you Xiao Tanhua for your kind reminder."
Xiao Yantai snorted, as if punching cotton. He said in an evil voice, "Who is reminding you kindly? I just want you to be careful!"
He deliberately bumped Yu Qizhe's shoulder and walked towards the Xiao family's carriage.
The people on the sidelines saw this scene and turned a blind eye. Everyone knew that Xiao Yantai's father was the Minister of Rites, and they could not afford to offend him. Moreover, this new top scholar was of ordinary family background and had no one to help him. Even if he got the first place, as Xiao Yantai said, he would be in the ups and downs of officialdom without a big tree to rely on and relatives to help him, so he might not go far.
He and Xiao Yantai actually became enemies, and it was not something they could get involved in.
Yu Qizhe's face remained calm, he just smiled slightly and said goodbye to everyone.
Several officials came out from the two gates on the east side, saw the new number one scholar, came over to talk to him with a smile, and joked that he was so handsome and outstanding, and that in three days he would ride a horse in a parade through the streets, and he might throw fruits on his carriage to kill Wei Jie.
Among them was Liu Zhanshi. He came forward and patted Yu Qizhe's shoulder to show his closeness. "I know you were busy preparing for the palace examination after the examination, so I didn't ask the servants to come to your house to disturb you. Gao Yunsheng wrote to me several times, asking about your recent situation in the capital. Now that the palace examination is over, you have won the first place, and you should celebrate. Your relatives are far away in Qingzhou, and as your teacher, I should take good care of them. I have prepared a small banquet for you in my mansion."
When the people around him heard this, they were very confused.
"Liu Zhanshi, are you and the new champion old acquaintances? Could it be that I, the champion, am your student? Why have I never heard you mention me?"
Liu Zhanshi smiled. After all, he had been in the officialdom for many years, so he was very thick-skinned. He said, "He is from Changkui County, Qingzhou. I was entrusted by Changkui County Magistrate Gao Yunsheng to take care of Yu Qizhe and accepted him as a student."
A small sixth-rank prefectural chancellor actually accepted a brilliant top scholar as his student. It can only be said that although Liu Zhanshi did not have much ability as an official, he had a great eye for people!
Enjoying the surprised looks of the crowd, Liu Zhanshi felt a little complacent, completely forgetting how he had treated Yu Qizhe coldly when he first came to Beijing to visit him, and how he had asked his servants to go to his house to ask for his name card and the plaque for attending classes at Shanshuiju back.
Seeing Grand Scholar Shen coming out of the east door, Yu Qizhe smiled faintly, "Thanks to Master Liu Zhan for his kindness, Qizhe has never performed the ceremony of paying respect to you, so I am not worthy of being your student. When you asked for your name card back, I think you had rejected me. Besides, Master Liu Cifu selected Qizhe, so I am your tutor."
When the officials heard this, they all understood. They worked together and how could they not know what kind of person Liu Zhanshi was.
It's probably that when Yu Qizhe, who came from an ordinary family and a poor family in the north, came to visit Liu Mao, he looked down on him and thought that he would not be able to pass the imperial examination and never looked at him seriously. But now that he sees that he has passed the imperial examination and become the top scorer, he comes to try to establish a relationship with him and regards himself as a teacher.
Liu Zhanshi's face suddenly looked a little embarrassed and unhappy. He was about to say something when Shen Jinchun came over. He smiled at Yu Qizhe and said, "I was just about to look for you. The teacher has a family dinner at home and invites you to come over."
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