Chapter 262 The Imperial Examination
Five days later, the palace examination was held as scheduled.
Just as Chenshi (7-9 AM) arrived, the 268 successful candidates in the imperial examinations gathered at the palace gate from all directions of the capital.
Song Zhihang arrived before Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin. As soon as he got off the carriage, he was surrounded by the other candidates, who tried to get some inside information about the palace examination from him.
To be fair, among the more than two hundred candidates, Song Zhihang had the highest social standing and his family was the most trusted by the emperor.
If anyone had inside information about the imperial examination, it would be Song Zhihang.
Song Zhihang knew these people's intentions, and kept his mouth shut tighter than a clam shell.
If someone gets annoyed by the questions, they'll simply put on a cold face and give the person asking the question a stern look, and the person will wisely shut up.
There's nothing we can do; their family background is excellent, and besides, they came in second place in the imperial examination, so they can't possibly ask them for help.
After dismissing the group, Song Zhihang stood there waiting for Xu Jinnian.
At this moment, Xu Huaining walked over amidst the envious gazes of others and asked in a gentle voice, "Brother Yuanli, after the palace examination is over, would you do me the honor of coming to Zhuangyuanlou for a drink?"
Song Zhihang wasn't interested in drinking with him, but instead brought up the matter of his ranking in the provincial examination: "You ranked twenty-eighth this time, which is quite an improvement. I think you'll have no problem passing the palace examination this time."
These words were not meant to be sarcastic; he was genuinely surprised by Xu Huaining's remarkable progress in just six months.
It should be noted that Xu Huaining ranked nineteenth in last year's Dongjiang Prefecture provincial examination.
This ranking is quite good in Dongjiang Prefecture, but it's not very impressive compared to other candidates from all over the country.
Moreover, in this imperial examination, Xu Huaining ranked twenty-eighth, surpassing several top scholars from remote areas. It is no exaggeration to say that he made rapid progress.
Xu Huaining hadn't expected Song Zhihang to bring this up. His hand under his sleeve stiffened slightly for a moment, but he smiled calmly and said, "Brother Yuanli, you flatter me. This was truly a stroke of luck."
Song Zhihang shook his head, thinking he was being modest: "Luck is also a reflection of your ability. I look forward to your performance in the palace examination."
Xu Huaining seemed unsure what to say, and smiled without speaking.
Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin arrived in the same carriage. When they got off the carriage, they immediately saw Song Zhihang and Xu Huaining standing together.
Tan Zhenlin frowned and said, "This kid's eyesight isn't very good."
He hadn't forgotten the rumors that plagued the dead fox last year, some of which were attributed to Xu Huaining.
When he attended Song Zhihang's poetry gathering last time, he didn't think much of Xu Huaining's presence. Now it seems the two are quite close.
Xu Jinnian patted Tan Zhenlin on the shoulder and reminded him, "Don't get into arguments with people at the palace gate."
Tan Zhenlin rolled his eyes; he wasn't stupid.
As the two were talking, Song Zhihang saw Xu Jinnian and immediately stepped over Xu Huaining, who was blocking his way, to greet him with a beaming smile: "A day apart feels like three autumns, Mingyu, you've kept your brother waiting!"
After saying that, he was about to give Xu Jinnian a big hug.
Unable to resist his enthusiasm, Xu Jinnian quickly stepped aside, saying, "Song Yuanli!"
Seeing this, Song Zhihang regretfully took two steps back: "We're all men, what's there to be ashamed of?"
Xu Jinnian: "..."
If this young man hadn't revealed that he had several female companions in his backyard, he would have mistakenly thought that the young man had ulterior motives.
Tan Zhenlin couldn't stand it anymore and stood between the two of them, saying, "Song Yuanli, tone down your reckless behavior. If you want to be wild, go to Nanfeng Pavilion and have your fill."
Ever since that day when he shared a wonton with Song Zhihang, Tan Zhenlin's idealized image of Song Zhihang has been completely shattered, and he speaks to him much more casually now.
Hearing Tan Zhenlin's words, Song Zhihang was not angry. He even winked at Xu Jinnian: "If Mingyu is interested in Nanfeng Pavilion, I can personally take you there to see it for yourself."
Xu Jinnian didn't want to waste her breath on an unreliable person, so she walked towards the palace gate, trying to get away from Song Zhihang.
"Hey, hey, I was just joking. How could I dare to do that without my sister-in-law's permission!"
Song Zhihang hurriedly chased after her, fearing that Xu Jinnian would get angry and ignore him, thus eliminating any chance for him to freeload at the Jiang residence.
Seeing his expression, Tan Zhenlin rolled his eyes.
Xu Fox is really unlucky to be stuck with someone like this!
However, this scene has a completely different meaning in the eyes of others.
When did the relationship between the first and second place winners in the provincial examination become so good?
Xu Mingyu, in particular, dared to give Song Yuanli the cold shoulder, but Song Yuanli was not angry at all and even chased after her to coax her.
this……
Recalling Song Zhihang's cold attitude towards them, each of them felt a mix of emotions.
It's true that different people have different fates!
Xu Huaining stared intently at Xu Jinnian and Song Zhihang, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.
Regardless of what they thought, every single one of these scholars greeted Xu Jinnian warmly.
This person is the top scholar in the provincial examination. Based on past experience, as long as he performs normally in the palace examination, it is impossible for him to fall outside the first rank.
Moreover, he is on good terms with Song Zhihang, and his teacher is the brilliant and well-connected genius from the Jiang family of Jinling. How could his future be bad?
In short, building good relationships is never a bad thing.
Xu Jinnian and Song Zhihang attracted everyone's attention, and even Tan Zhenlin, who was with them, received some attention, with people privately inquiring about his identity.
Some people of humble origins, upon learning that he had a father who was a fourth-rank official in the capital, treated him with unusual enthusiasm.
Tan Zhenlin was a master of social interaction and showed no impatience whatsoever, quickly becoming one of the group.
At 3:45 AM, 268 candidates, lined up neatly and led by Xu Jinnian, stepped into the palace gate and headed to the Hall of Supreme Harmony under the guidance of eunuchs.
Upon entering the hall, everyone knelt and bowed in unison: "Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live Your Majesty!"
The palace examination was personally presided over by the monarch of the country, who was not only responsible for setting the questions, but also personally supervised the examination and graded the papers, and determined the final rankings.
At this time, in addition to the person sitting high on the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there were also the six ministers and the five regents of the cabinet.
Such a scene caused some of the candidates who were not in a good mood to sweat with nervousness, and some of the more timid ones trembled with fear, lest they be kicked out for being disrespectful in front of the palace.
Their little actions did not escape the notice of those sitting high up.
Emperor Jinghe, with a dignified expression, fixed his gaze on the person at the head of the assembled scholars and couldn't help but inwardly praise him:
With outstanding appearance and extraordinary figure, he truly deserves to be Jiang Qing's prized disciple!
For a moment, Emperor Jinghe's expression turned sinister, though no one dared to look at his face, and no one noticed.
After offering a few words of encouragement, Emperor Jinghe announced the start of the palace examination.
Soon, Xu Jinnian and the others took their seats.
As Emperor Jinghe announced the examination questions, a faint rustling sound began to fill the hall, where one could hear a pin drop.
Xu Jinnian did not rush to start writing. He lowered his eyes, closed them, and pondered for a moment before rolling up his sleeves, picking up his brush, dipping it in ink, and slowly putting pen to paper.
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