Kangxi was still concerned that the Han people always said that the Manchus came from a barbarian land, did not understand etiquette and education, and did not understand the words of the sages.
So he made his sons study hard, almost nonstop throughout the year, except when they were sick or during holidays or special circumstances, until they came of age and were able to serve in the imperial court.
His methods were indeed effective, especially the "120-step method," which truly cultivated his sons into highly learned individuals.
He could control his son, but the Manchus had long valued military prowess over literary pursuits. Moreover, most of the Manchu nobles today had followed in their ancestors' footsteps on horseback, so it wouldn't be easy to persuade them to give up the path of military merit.
In addition, the Manchus had limited cultural heritage. Studying required both talent and cultural background. Furthermore, the path of studying for the imperial examinations was extremely arduous. Ten years of hard study was no joke. The children of Manchu aristocratic families, whose ancestors had enjoyed a life of ease, found it increasingly difficult to follow the right path through the imperial examinations.
Emperor Kangxi understood this clearly, and it was precisely because he understood this clearly that he held great favor towards Tong Xuewen, a Manchu scholar who had passed the imperial examinations.
It can be said that, based on Kangxi's goodwill, as long as Tong Xuewen did not do anything foolish and wholeheartedly followed Kangxi's path, his achievements would definitely be much greater than those of his father, Alhatu.
Emperor Kangxi took the ten articles, read them over and over again, and finally determined their ranking.
The rankings were finalized, and the originally scheduled day for the announcement of the winners had arrived.
On the day the results were announced, Tong Xuewen followed many other candidates into the palace to hear the outcome.
When the emperor arrived at the palace to announce the list of newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), the list was received by the gatekeeper and passed down to the foot of the steps, where the guards shouted the names in unison.
It was very impressive and ceremonial.
When the song had been sung for a while, Tong Xuewen heard his own name. Yes, he was the top-ranked scholar in the first-class examination.
Upon hearing this, Tong Xuewen could hear nothing else. Although his teacher and the instructors who had taught him had read his later memorized examination essay and said that he had performed very steadily in this examination and should be fine, the actual result was still different.
This is a genuine top scholar, and he was once the top scholar in both the provincial and metropolitan examinations. Now, with the addition of the top scholar title, he has achieved the triple honor of being the top scholar in all three examinations.
By this calculation, he was not only the first top scholar among the Manchu bannermen, but also the first Manchu bannerman to achieve the triple crown of the imperial examination, which was an immense honor.
Next, he mechanically followed the second and third place winners of the same year, led by the official in charge of announcing the results, to the Golden Palace, where he sat down with Emperor Kangxi to receive the list of successful candidates in the palace examination.
Emperor Kangxi sat on the throne, glancing at Tong Xuewen in the center. He was very pleased, for this was the first top scholar from the Manchu banner.
If it happens once, it will happen twice; it's a good omen.
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