An Lao San had a ferocious look on his face, making people around him think he was crazy. Such people were not uncommon here, and there were always a few crazy people every time. The crowded list squeezed out two steps of space for him.
Taking advantage of this small gap, An Lao San ran all the way back to his residence.
An Jingzhi was preparing for the palace examination at his residence. Actually, there wasn't much to prepare. This kind of question would definitely be difficult to collect.
He could only judge the emperor's preferences through the various policies issued after he ascended the throne, so as to cater to his tastes.
When An Lao San brought back the news, he just looked up and said "hmm", then started to look through the information again.
An Lao San didn't care. He knew his son was busy and was already imagining what his son would look like after becoming an official. His expression was like he had gone crazy, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes worried, sometimes crazy.
I wonder if his son's official position will be as high as that of the county magistrate after he becomes an official? Alas, his son is such a high-ranking official, there must be many people asking for help, how can he refuse? His son is an official, so he is an official. As the father of this official, shouldn't people also call him "Master"? If the villagers also call him "Master", wouldn't it be strange? No, no, we have been fellow villagers for decades. Who calls him Master An? He is so approachable. Allow them to call him by his old name. Hehehe.
…
Imperial Palace.
A majestic, dignified middle-aged man in a dragon robe asked, "Lord Zheng, are there any good essays for this year's Jinshi candidates?"
"Your Majesty, the situation is no different from before, except that one person's writing is quite remarkable, each word a gem. Most importantly, this person is a farmer's son, only seventeen years old."
The emperor became interested. It was surprising that he was only seventeen years old, not to mention that he was a farmer's son. The fact that his article received such praise from Minister Zheng showed that he was a talented person.
"Submit this person's article."
Minister Zheng handed the article to the eunuch beside him.
…
The Golden Throne Hall. Today is the day of the palace examination.
The emperor looked at all the examination essays presented and said to the crowd, "I am very happy that another group of talented people can become the pillars of my Great Qi."
The emperor said a few more words that captured the hearts of the students. They were all excited and wanted to devote themselves to the Great Qi until their death, and be loyal to their benevolent master.
Everyone was so excited, if he acted too calmly, it would be too conspicuous, so An Jingzhi had to use his acting skills.
After finishing his speech, the emperor, still unsatisfied, said:
"Who is An Jingzhi? The youngest and most beloved minister in my court."
An Jingzhi walked out of the crowd and bowed, "Student, I greet Your Majesty."
After the palace examination, this group of people were considered disciples of the emperor, so it was not surprising that they called themselves students.
The Emperor of Da Qi looked at An Jingzhi with a look of satisfaction. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and his appearance was like Song Yu. He was so talented that he almost couldn't help but give him the title of Tanhua. "Good!"
The emperor called the names of two more people.
Two more people came forward and stood side by side with An Jingzhi, one was 25 years old and the other 27 years old, both of them had extraordinary temperament.
The emperor looked at the three men with satisfaction and wrote down their rankings. "An Jingzhi, the top scorer in the Golden Examination."
"Wang Shixi, runner-up."
"Tian Weifu, the third place winner"
Judging by his appearance, An Jingzhi would have been ranked third in the imperial examinations, but the emperor had more important matters for him to attend to, and he needed the title of first place to be able to carry out his duties. An Jingzhi's essays resonated with his philosophy. Most importantly, he was young, which meant daring, and he was also a farmer from a clean family.
In front of the palace, the awards were conferred and the next step was a parade through the streets.
The top scholar in the imperial examination was even more handsome than the third place. An Jingzhi, who was sitting on a horse while parading through the streets, was hit by the purses of many young ladies.
An Lao San, who was in the crowd, was so excited that he kept pulling the people around him and saying, "That's my son! Look! That's my son! The top scholar standing in the front is my son!"
Hahaha, I am the number one scholar’s father!
The consequence of An Lao San's words was that he was surrounded by many people who asked him about his son's situation. Some wanted to exchange tokens directly as an engagement.
Fortunately, An Lao San was not dizzy. Knowing his son's temper, he reluctantly rejected the man named General and hurried home.
The figure was so slick that even the battle-hardened general couldn't catch it. Tragic loss of a son-in-law who was the top scholar.
…
Anjia Village had a top scholar, and the entire village's status was elevated. Village Chief An took the lead and quickly contributed money to build an ancestral hall. Many merchants nearby wanted to donate money to help build the hall, but Chief An refused. The money was not easy to come by, and they were not interested in the small amount. So, the family members chipped in, with the An family contributing the lion's share, and the hall was built.
Grandpa An became the first clan leader. Who could have helped him have such a good grandson? Nowadays, the village only recognizes the clan leader, not the village chief. But Village Chief An wasn't angry; instead, he was pleased.
Didn't you see the county magistrate personally come to the An family to announce the good news? The county magistrate, the highest official in their county, actually came to the An family to announce the good news, and he seemed so kind. He was lucky to just be a member of the An family, so why would he think of competing with Grandpa An for power and profit? Unless he was crazy, nowadays, as long as they mentioned they were from Anjia Village, who wouldn't give them some face and look up to them?
The surrounding villagers all want to marry their daughters to Anjia Village, and the young men in Anjia Village have no trouble finding wives.
The county magistrate's wife's family waited and waited for An Jingzhi to come back, and they felt that this family was tactless.
Unexpectedly, An Jingzhi went to the capital to take the imperial examination, and was now personally selected by the current emperor as the top scorer in the imperial examination. Just when they were so happy, they wanted to ask someone to increase the stakes and directly finalize the marriage.
Upon learning of this, the county magistrate told them to stop courting at the An family. He knew the character of his wife's nephew, a man of many vices, a drunkard, a whoremonger, and a mere merchant, who was merely clinging to his name. If An Jingzhi were chosen as the top scholar in the imperial examination, his rank would surely surpass that of a seventh-rank magistrate. Wouldn't that directly offend a seventh-rank official in Kyoto? It wasn't worth it for a worthless person.
An Jingzhi originally thought that he would be granted a fifth-rank official position and sent to the Hanlin Academy to edit books. Unexpectedly, the emperor ignored the opposition and directly granted him a fourth-rank position, and he was a prefect in An Jingzhi's hometown.
Logically speaking, officials were not allowed to hold office in their hometowns. After the emperor had found An Jing, he finally understood what the emperor was planning.
political reform.
The emperor wanted to reform the law, and An Jingzhi was the one he chose to carry out the reform.
Since ancient times, those who presided over reforms have never had a good end. An Jing instinctively wanted to refuse, but the emperor's order was unretractable.
The emperor gave him three months of rest, and after three months he had to go to Yazhou Prefecture to take up his post.
There was no other way, so he had to go all the way home, thinking of a feasible solution.
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