Chapter 230: The results are announced, the champion
It was late at night, and the lights in the examination room were on. Mr. Liu, the co-examiner, was sitting at a long table with a pile of examination papers in front of him.
They have to complete the preliminary selection of the test papers within five days, pick out the best ones, and submit them to the chief examiner for marking.
There were incense burners burning in the four corners of the room, with smoke rising from them. The scent of agarwood was intertwined with the thick fragrance of ink, but it could not soothe the tangled features on Lord Liu's face.
This is not the first time I have been an examiner, and every time I encounter some candidates who want to find a different way.
Lord Liu looked at the paper in front of him, exhaled through his nose, and was a little annoyed.
It's already the stage of the imperial examination, can't you just write honestly? Do you use oracle bone script to answer the paper because you are afraid that the examiner will have the patience to read it through?
Lord Liu glanced at the pile of papers in front of him, threw this one into the pile on the right without hesitation, and picked up the next one.
Well, this handwriting is elegant yet strong, and it looks much more pleasing to the eye.
This candidate's essay mentioned that all the generals in the previous dynasty who had their own troops and were self-reliant had a bad end. Lord Liu could hardly suppress the smile.
The King of Zhenbei was extremely powerful, and His Majesty was always tolerant of him, so that whenever the military generals in the court saw these civil officials, they would be arrogant.
That’s right, that’s right. Having an army on your own will only lead to a bad ending!
Lord Liu happily moved the test paper to his left hand side.
After several examiners finished marking the papers, they handed the selected papers to the transcriber to transcribe them into red papers, and finally sent the red papers to the chief examiner Cen Songbai.
…
At the beginning of April, the Minister of Rites Zhou Xianqing came to the Imperial Study for an audience. The official behind him was holding a box in his hand, and Cen Songbai also followed behind.
"Your Majesty, these are the ten most outstanding examination papers selected by Lord Cen, and are presented to Your Majesty for your perusal."
The weather in April has warmed up, but the hand warmer in Emperor Liang's hand is even hotter than in winter. He will personally decide the ranking of these ten examination papers, which are called "Yuan Kui Papers".
The next day, Emperor Liang ordered people to send the sorted red scrolls back to the Ministry of Rites. Zhou Xianqing and Cen Songbai compared the red scrolls with the black scrolls, and determined the qualified candidates according to their rankings and made a list.
…
The date for announcing the results of the imperial examination is set on April 15th, and the list of qualified candidates will be posted in the colorful pavilion in front of the Ministry of Rites.
In the inner courtyard of the Eastern Palace, Dong Lanxin came to the outside of Yan Xiuyun's study and gently pushed open the door.
When Yan Xiuyun saw her coming, he hurriedly stood up and carefully helped Dong Lanxin sit down. "It's cold in early spring. If you want to see me, just ask the servants to inform me. Why come out in person?"
Dong Lanxin said in a gentle voice, "I missed Your Highness, and I felt a little bored after lying on the couch for so long, so I came out for a walk."
"What if the baby in my belly gets cold?"
Dong Lanxin joked, "The baby hasn't been born yet, how can Your Highness know if it will be a boy? What if it is a girl?"
Yan Xiuyun pursed his lips slightly, a gloomy look flashed in his eyes.
Dong Lanxin keenly sensed Yan Xiuyun's displeasure and smiled as she changed the subject, "Today is the day when the results of the Spring Examination are announced. I heard that the Ministry of Rites is very busy. Why don't you go and see it yourself, Your Highness?"
"What is there to see? The rankings have already been determined. Whether I go or not, the result will be the same. It's just the Spring Examination. If there are really famous officials and capable people, I will see them during the palace examination."
…
At dawn, the stone steps of the Ministry of Rites were already crowded with people and the noise of carriages and horses.
The stone steps are tall, the vermilion gate is majestically closed, and the plaque hanging on the lintel has two golden characters "Ministry of Rites" inscribed on it, shining brightly in the sun.
An inconspicuous carriage stopped in the distance, but no one got out of the carriage, as if it was quietly waiting for something.
Zhu Lan came with Qiao Youyou, Xiao Wan and Zhu Qingyan. The women were dressed in green shirts and talked and laughed calmly, which immediately attracted the attention of many people nearby.
Those who have passed the imperial examination and come here to wait for the results of the joint examination are mostly people who have endured the imperial examination for most of their lives. There are many elderly people among them. Even young students in their thirties who appear here are inevitably called "young and promising".
Zhu Lan and her group were obviously younger, and there were only a few women among them. For a moment, everyone looked at them with admiration and jealousy.
Qiao Youyou looked around and whispered to Zhu Lan, "The 'Wenren Yuebai' that Xu Shiming mentioned should be here today too, right?"
"He should be there." Zhu Lan was also somewhat curious about this Master Wenren. Although they had never met before, he couldn't help but glance around.
Judging from Xu Shiming's narration, Wenren Yuebai's strength should not be underestimated, and he might be a formidable opponent in the imperial examination.
There was a glimmer of excitement in Zhu Lan's eyes.
As the drums of the morning hour sounded, the door of the Ministry of Rites slowly opened. Officials filed out, with Zhou Xianqing and Cen Songbai, who were in the lead, both wearing scarlet official robes, with goldfish bags hanging from their waists, and looking solemn.
When several clerks behind them carefully carried out the much-anticipated list, all the students held their breath.
After the gong sounded, Zhou Xianqing read out the emperor's edict in a loud voice, stating that a total of 280 people were admitted to the spring examination and were given the title of "Gongshi".
Next, Zhou Xianqing began to read out the names of the top ten.
"The tenth person is from Qingzhoutang County, Zhou Bo."
…
…
"The sixth place is from Zhaoping County, Jiangzhou, Zhu Qingyan."
As soon as the words fell, Zhu Qingyan was stunned for a moment, and then she was filled with ecstasy. But when she calmed down, she felt a little amused.
Another sixth place winner.
She ranked sixth in the academy examination, sixth in the provincial examination, and sixth in the metropolitan examination.
Forget it, why not stop calling yourself Zhu Qingyan and change your name to Zhu Liuliu from today on!
Zhou Xianqing continued to read out the names of the top ten, and everyone listened attentively, including Zhu Lan.
However, the top ten candidates were announced one by one, and she never heard her own name, nor did she hear Wenren Yuebai's name.
“The third place is Chu Sansi from Fanshan County, Jiangzhou.
The second place winner is Zhao Qingyun from Fang County, Yunzhou."
Zhu Lan's face remained expressionless, but he pursed his lips slightly and even slowed down his breathing.
"The first place winner..." Zhou Xianqing's voice was drawn out, and his expression was somewhat excited.
"Zhu Lan from Zhaoping County, Jiangzhou!"
Zhu Lan felt relieved. She closed her eyes and let out the tension and expectation that had been pent up in her chest. At this moment, the sun shone through the clouds on her body, and her long dress was stained with a faint halo, as if she was really blessed by the god of literature.
Zhu Lan suddenly raised her eyes and met Cen Songbai, who was standing behind Zhou Xianqing, with a smile on his face and a slight nod at her.
The crowd around was noisy, and students were scrambling to get to the front of the list to find their names.
In front of the busy stone steps, only Zhu Lan stood still, his robe fluttering in the wind. He stood like a pine tree, as if he was in another world.
She looked over the crowd, then raised her hands, folded them, and bowed deeply to Cen Songbai from afar.
At this moment, the curtain of the carriage at the corner of the street was finally lifted up, revealing half of a fair and plump face. The eyes were squeezed into a narrow slit, making him look like he was smiling.
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