Chapter 219 The Palace Examination is Over
Finally, Zhang Ji finished writing the test questions in a daze.
Even though he tried his best to concentrate, he still felt that his word choice and sentence structure were not at their best—but he was already at the bottom of the list, and to put it bluntly, there were a few people behind him who had smeared their exam papers, so his ranking couldn't get much worse, and it couldn't get much better either.
Morning bell and evening drum.
At the moment the sun sets, as the crimson hue of the sky dyes the edge of the clouds, the great drum, which signifies the end of the day, is struck in the capital, its sound melodious and deep.
"Bang... bang... bang!"
The Imperial Guards, tasked with maintaining order, stepped forward and began collecting the answer sheets.
Qi Chengming gave Zhang Ji a look that said "go back and wait," and without saying anything to him, he turned and left.
Emperor Hongren sat in his post for another day, but unusually, he did not show the fatigue that one would expect at his age. Instead, he asked with a bright smile, "Chengming, have you discovered any outstanding talents?"
Qi Chengming had been inspecting the area for a day and found that the top twenty or so did each have their own advantages. If he had to say, apart from Qin Liusong, no one else could clearly distinguish between the superior and the inferior.
He wasn't fooled and said quite casually, "Father, aren't all the talents here?"
The young prince gestured vaguely to the first two rows. Then he praised, "Our election system is quite precise."
Generally speaking, the rankings in the palace examination did not change much, and the difference was only within the top twenty.
Emperor Hongren nodded slowly, neither saying whether it was good or bad, and waited quietly for the papers to be graded.
The grading of the palace examination was much faster.
The examiners could easily determine whether a paper was "superior," "average," or "inferior" with a cursory glance. Finally, they would discuss and select the best papers from the "superior" stack.
"Your Majesty... the results are in." The Minister of Rites came over last, cupped his hands and explained the results: "Sixteen tribute students passed the exam with full marks and are eligible to meet Your Majesty. Only one of them came from outside the top twenty, and the rest are largely unchanged."
There's a dark horse in the game.
Qi Chengming listened with a sidelong glance.
"Bring them up," Emperor Hongren agreed, flipping through the exam papers.
The questions for the palace examination depended entirely on the emperor's wishes. Hearing that the questions set by the two sons for this year's provincial examination were related to the border war, Emperor Hongren changed his mind and set ten more major questions on more detailed war and civil affairs.
If someone is knowledgeable in warfare, they can delve into military affairs. If they are not very knowledgeable, they can still answer practical questions about civil affairs. But if someone is completely ignorant of both—what's the point of selecting them as an official?
"...Good, good!" Soon, Emperor Hongren's attention was completely drawn to the first exam paper. He looked at it intently and praised it loudly.
Emperor Hongren flipped through the other exam papers, but this time he clearly didn't spend as much time looking at them, and his emotions had calmed down considerably. Only when he saw an exam paper that pleased him would he linger a little longer, sometimes thinking about it, sometimes nodding in satisfaction.
Qi Chengming waited patiently, hoping that someone he knew would get a good ranking. At the moment, it seemed that only Mr. Qin was a sure thing.
After looking at the last picture, Emperor Hongren finally felt more confident.
With a stroke of his imperial pen, he decreed: "Distribute the top three scholars first, granting them the title of Jinshi (a high-ranking scholar). Summon the sixteen tribute students to see me." He said no more, and this decision determined the future of most of the nearly two hundred people.
"Yes." The Minister of Rites glanced back.
Those papers of average or below-average quality can be directly classified as the top three; they don't even qualify to be seen by the Emperor. Only after His Majesty officially designates the top two classes can they proceed to the next step.
The sixteen lucky individuals who had been waiting outside filed in according to Protestant etiquette, each one trembling with fear, not daring to raise their heads. After kneeling down in unison, Qin Liusong, the leader, slightly prolonged the last syllable of his words to give them time to react, and the group said in unison:
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Your Majesty's grace is boundless. Greetings, Your Highness. Your Highness, may you be well."
"..." Qi Chengming's expression was subtle for a moment.
How should I put it... this feeling is... weird.
His face was tense as he watched his familiar advisors and classmates kneel and pay their respects before him. For a moment, boundless ambition and pride swelled within him. But quickly, that feeling turned into an endless emptiness.
Having experienced modern life, Qi Chengming understood that even if he wanted to wield absolute power and enjoy the taste of authority, he was even less willing to be a lonely figure bound by imperial power, or a tyrannical landlord who oppressed the common people in feudal society.
Only he himself can grasp the right balance and avoid losing his way.
While Qi Chengming was lost in thought, Emperor Hongren had already begun talking with the tribute students. His attention was mostly focused on Qin Liusong, and he asked not only about his knowledge, but also about his family background and ambitions.
Qin Liusong remained neither humble nor arrogant, displaying the pride of a scholar without being presumptuous, and his attitude was earnest and modest without being slick or flattering: "Your Majesty, I already have someone I love, and I will come to propose marriage after today."
"Oh, that's a real pity... Well, I'll join in the fun too. Good things come in pairs, so I'll bestow a marriage upon you two later." Emperor Hongren said generously after a moment of regret, then turned his attention to others.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" Qin Liusong was genuinely delighted, and joy finally appeared in his cold eyes as he knelt down to express his gratitude.
After the imperial examinations, he and his former fiancée's family had reached a tacit understanding to present their betrothal gifts after the palace examinations. Fortunately, the initial annulment of the engagement was due to 'her' resistance... so it wasn't made too public. Now, with the Emperor's bestowal of marriage, it was a double blessing, a tremendous honor.
Qi Chengming pondered from the side, wondering what Old Deng was regretting.
The legitimate princess is about to get married, and there are no suitable daughters of the imperial clan in either the direct or collateral branches. Why is Emperor Hongren concerned about whether his new ministers are married? Could it be that he plans to arrange marriages between them and other ministers' families? This isn't a matter of equal strength and mutual support... It shouldn't be like this.
Qi Chengming was a little unsure of the situation.
He was puzzled until Emperor Hongren finished speaking with the sixteen people and the next day when the results of the palace examination were announced at the grand ceremony, and then he suddenly realized what was going on.
At that time.
The court officials gathered, and the official in charge of rites announced their names.
—The Minister of Rites personally read out the order of appointment bestowed by the Emperor:
"Qin Liusong, a tribute student from Ruzhou, ranked first in the first class, the 'Zhuangyuan' (状元), and was granted the title of Jinshi (进士) and appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy! Huang Sou, a tribute student from Yangzhou, ranked second in the first class, the 'Bangyan' (榜眼), and was granted the title of Jinshi and appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy! Ma Qianjin, a tribute student from Jizhou, ranked third in the first class, the 'Tanhua' (探花), and was granted the title of Jinshi and appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy!"
The three men stepped out from the crowd and knelt to express their gratitude. The second and third place winners were on the verge of tears of joy. Qin Liusong lowered his head, his expression revealing a mixture of relief and lingering fear.
Qi Chengming: "..."
Okay, so that's how it is.
Yesterday, Emperor Hongren privately summoned Ma Qianjin, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) among those other than Qin Liusong. However, after inquiring about him, he discovered that Ma Qianjin was not yet married and was more handsome than Huang Sou, so he promoted him to the position of "Tanhua" (third-ranked scholar), is that right?
In fact, this young talent's knowledge is enough to make him the second-highest scorer in the imperial examinations.
Moreover, compared to the other two, Qin Liusong was clearly more elegant and handsome.
It's not hard to guess what Emperor Hongren was struggling with yesterday.
Qi Chengming put himself in their shoes. These superiors didn't care about the minor changes in the rankings of the new imperial examination graduates. There wasn't much difference between the top scholar and the third-ranked scholar, since everyone had to work for them anyway. So even though Qin Liusong's knowledge far surpassed others, his appearance and eloquence almost earned him the title of "handsome third-ranked scholar."
Ultimately, it was because Qin Liusong had been betrothed the day before, while the foolish Ma Qianjin was still unmarried, and Qin Liusong's knowledge was indeed solid and far surpassed others. Perhaps it was this subtle difference that made Emperor Hongren develop an obsessive-compulsive disorder and choose Ma Qianjin as the face of the court.
Thank goodness.
Qi Chengming was also secretly relieved.
Based on his understanding of Mr. Qin, if he had studied hard for a long time but was only demoted to the third-ranked scholar position because of his appearance, Mr. Qin would be so angry that he would vomit blood and die of resentment!
Mr. Qin never hid his ambition; he was the kind of person who would climb to the highest position possible.
Fortunately, the top three teams in the first division have now been determined.
The rankings improved much more quickly after that.
The Minister of Rites withdrew, and other officials took over the task of announcing the names.
The first place in the second class was awarded to Chuanlu. Zhang Ting, who was originally ranked tenth, fought hard and won the honor. He grinned foolishly and almost lost his composure in front of the emperor.
Qi Chengming paid special attention to the dark horse who had broken into the top 20, named Shen Congting, who ultimately ranked sixth in the second division. Huang Lan narrowly lost, becoming eleventh in the second division, but he seemed quite composed and satisfied with his ranking.
Second-class graduates were all granted the title of Jinshi (进士出身), appointed to the Hanlin Academy, and given the position of Shujishi (庶吉士).
Besides the few newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who were summoned to the emperor yesterday, about thirty other people were selected into the second rank at the ceremony. However, they did not have the same advantages as the thirteen who were summoned to the emperor. Their specific official positions were not announced on the spot, and it is estimated that they will have to wait and wait for the Ministry of Rites to make the assignments later.
Although the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations was a lifelong honor for the newly appointed scholars, Qi Chengming began to find it increasingly tedious as he listened: "..."
He stood there, seemingly lost in thought, beneath the throne. To his right, the sixth prince, who had come to watch the spectacle, subtly shifted forward, intending to shield his second brother from his father's gaze before it fell upon him.
Qi Chengming, lost in thought, overheard that Zhang Ji had indeed fallen into the top three, ranking ninety-second, and was granted the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).
He glanced around.
Despite the ancient saying that "Tongjinshi" (a title for successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) had a bad reputation and were considered inferior among scholars, the remaining hundred or so "Tongjinshi" at the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations were all beaming with joy, and very few were dissatisfied. After all, countless scholars across the country had studied diligently from childhood, going through layers of selection, and finally, only a little over two hundred had stood out and become officials.
Only those officials in the first and second ranks of the imperial examinations had the right to look down on them. Everyone else, who wouldn't look up to the third-ranked scholars?
Qi Chengming admitted that he was inferior.
...He didn't even rank in the top 200 nationwide in the college entrance exam back then!
While everyone else was satisfied, only the top-ranked scholar (Chuanlu) looked like he was about to break down, struggling to suppress the undignified act of crying in front of everyone. Qi Chengming cast a pitying glance at him.
That poor kid.
The score was mediocre; a little higher and it would have placed me in the second tier, but I just barely made the cut, ending up in the third tier. So what if I'm only in the third tier? The difference between the second and third tiers is still quite significant.
All we can do is offer him our condolences.
With this, the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations came to a close.
Next came the moment of glory for the newly appointed scholars! The top scholar paraded through the streets for three days, then rode his horse to the capital before attending the Qionglin Banquet. After the festivities, the scholars from other regions ate and drank, displaying their honors, before returning home in their finest attire. The local scholars, on the other hand, had at least a month of leisure time to indulge themselves.
Qi Chengming has successfully retired. After being busy for the past three months, his head is buzzing. He can finally return to the Prince Rui's Mansion, close the gates, and rest for a while... The hustle and bustle outside is no longer relevant to him.
He was like a hardworking old farmer who had planted saplings that had now sprouted. Now, it was up to Emperor Hongren to decide which hole to move the saplings to for reuse.
Anyway, they're all his men in the shadows.
"Gantang, don't call me for anything. If the top scholar parades through the streets this morning, you can go outside to watch, but keep your voices down and don't disturb me," Qi Chengming instructed, planning to go back to his courtyard and sleep for a few days straight. He figured his friends would be fine with a few more days of bragging if they wanted to catch up.
"Yes... Your Highness has worked hard!" Gan Tang replied with a smile, readily agreeing.
However, on the third day, Qi Chengming was still gently woken up by Gan Tang.
The head palace maid stood by the bed and said quickly and softly, "Your Highness, there is an imperial edict summoning you to attend the morning court session today. The palace has also sent over a set of court robes."
Gan Tang cautiously dared not say anything more, and knelt down to present the court robes to Qi Chengming for a closer look.
Before Qi Chengming could even voice his complaint, he snapped to attention upon seeing the color of the new court robe: "This is... what I'm supposed to wear to court today??"
It was an apricot-yellow imperial robe.
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Author's Note: Yes, the next step is to appoint a crown prince!
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