Chapter 147 Results Announcement
In a fit of rage, Emperor Jian'an injured Liang Qisheng. Upon learning the news, the Crown Prince and senior cabinet officials immediately rushed to Emperor Jian'an's bedchamber in the Taiji Hall to request an audience.
Liang Qisheng had served Emperor Jian'an since he was seven years old. He was Emperor Jian'an's closest and most trusted person. The fact that Emperor Jian'an even injured him shows the extent to which he had lost control of his emotions.
However, Emperor Jian'an ordered that no one be seen, and even the Crown Prince dared not force his way in, and could only wait outside.
After a long while, Liang Qisheng, his head covered in blood, emerged, clutching his forehead. Everyone surrounded him: "Eunuch Liang, how is His Majesty now?"
Liang Qisheng said with a wry smile, "His Majesty has summoned Grand Secretary Yang in, and everyone else is to leave. Your Highness, esteemed ministers, His Majesty already knows that his knee will not heal and is in a bad mood. It would be best for you all to lay low for the time being."
Yang Shimin dismissed all the ministers and sent them back to their work. He then glanced at the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, please take good care of your health these next few days. I'll take care of His Majesty."
How could an aging emperor possibly want to see the vigorous and young crown prince? The prince's presence would only highlight his weakness and incompetence, reminding him of his declining years, and only fueling his jealousy and hatred. The goodwill the crown prince had painstakingly cultivated over nearly a month would likely be completely destroyed by this ill-timed meeting.
Yang Shimin said tactfully, "I will convey Your Highness's greetings. It is not appropriate for Your Highness to appear before His Majesty at this time."
The Crown Prince was shocked, but after a moment's thought, he immediately agreed: "Thank you for your trouble, Grand Secretary Yang."
The Crown Prince no longer insisted on seeing Emperor Jian'an, but turned and headed towards the Eastern Palace, still savoring his conversation with Grand Secretary Yang halfway there.
This was truly the first time in his life that Grand Secretary Yang was actually giving him guidance.
This was unprecedented. Yang Ge Lao was able to reach his current position, so it was impossible for him to participate in factional struggles. He only loved his country and was loyal to the emperor. He treated all the princes, including the crown prince, equally, and dealt with matters objectively. He never showed the slightest bias, let alone offered any guidance.
But in just two short sentences, he had already given him two hints. Was he too sensitive and misunderstood, or was it something that Grand Secretary Yang did on purpose?
The Crown Prince's heart pounded wildly. Could it be that even Grand Secretary Yang was starting to side with him? Wouldn't that mean—
But he had been fooled too many times and suffered too many losses, so he was afraid that he had misunderstood and was being presumptuous, and that Grand Secretary Yang was just saying it casually.
He decided to observe further.
Yang Shimin entered Emperor Jian'an's bedroom. Emperor Jian'an was half-reclining and did not say a word when he entered.
Yang Shimin bowed, found a chair to sit down, and remained silent.
Since Emperor Jian'an specifically summoned him, he must have something to say to him.
All he needs to do is listen attentively.
Emperor Jian'an was in a bad mood because of a foot injury, but he was not a member of the imperial family, so those words of comfort were useless and there was no need to mention them.
Sure enough, after half an hour of silence, Emperor Jian'an finally couldn't hold back any longer: "You old scoundrel, you came in without saying a word, are you trying to anger me to death?"
Yang Shimin may have had average talents in other areas, but when it came to patience, no one could match him.
When he was young, he made a bet with someone to see who could go the longest without speaking to anyone. The stake was a rare book from a previous dynasty. He managed to stay silent for a whole month, outlasting his opponent.
From then on, he earned the nickname "the eternal turtle".
Seeing that Emperor Jian'an finally couldn't help but speak, Yang Shimin smiled slightly: "Your Majesty must have called me in because you have something to say, but I think it's not appropriate for me to say anything at this time, so I'll just keep quiet."
The more you say, the more mistakes you make; if you don't say anything, you won't make mistakes.
Emperor Jian'an shook his head and sighed, "You old scoundrel, after all these years, you haven't changed at all."
Yang Shimin said, "I passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-nine. When Your Majesty met me, I was already quite old. My character had already been formed, so how could I easily change?"
Yes, Grand Secretary Yang Shimin was a late bloomer and a capable minister. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 29, which was nearly 10 years later than those who passed the examination in their teens or early twenties.
But the best show is often the one at the end. Those geniuses who passed the imperial examination earlier than him were gradually forgotten like sand washed away by the waves. But Yang Shimin, who achieved great things late in life, took one step at a time and moved towards the central government. When he was forty-eight years old, he entered the cabinet and became the chief minister, a position he held for twelve years.
For twelve years, no one could shake his position.
Emperor Jian'an looked at Yang Shimin's full head of white hair and sighed, "Minister Yang has also grown old; his hair has turned white."
Yang Shimin smiled slightly: "I am sixty years old this year. I started asking the Emperor to allow me to retire five years ago, but the Emperor has never agreed. Five years have passed since then, how could my hair not turn white?"
Emperor Jian'an stared at him without blinking: "What if I grant your request now?"
Yang Shimin cupped his hands and said, "Then I will thank Your Majesty for your grace and return to my hometown to farm and fish."
Emperor Jian'an's face showed a complex expression: "Minister Yang holds a high position and has made outstanding contributions to the country. He is a pillar of strength for his family. Now that he is leaving, does he not feel the slightest bit of reluctance?"
Yang Shimin said, “I am already this old. I have experienced all the hardships and blessings that a minister should have after reaching the highest position. What is there to regret? It is only because Your Majesty asks me to continue that I am doing it happily. If Your Majesty thinks I am too old and asks me to pack my bags and leave, I will also happily prepare to go back to my hometown to retire.”
His expression was relaxed and content, as if he didn't care about the power and status of the chief minister at all, and had a kind of detached and open-mindedness.
As Emperor Jian'an watched, a look of envy appeared in his eyes: "Minister Yang lives with great clarity; I was the one who was misled."
Yang Shimin had already vaguely guessed Emperor Jian'an's plan. Since he was able to become the Grand Secretary, he was not as indifferent as he claimed. On the contrary, he was extremely meticulous and had a sharp mind. Once Emperor Jian'an started the conversation, he could follow up with what he wanted to hear and steer Emperor Jian'an in the direction he wanted him to go. Sure enough, Emperor Jian'an's expression softened.
The two remained silent for a long time, so long that Yang Shimin couldn't help but doze off. Emperor Jian'an then asked another question: "My legs are no longer good. I can no longer drag this crippled body to preside over sacrificial rites, meet foreign envoys, receive the worship of the people, and experience the strange looks from others... Perhaps it is time for me to learn from you and live a leisurely life of tending flowers and feeding fish."
Yang Shimin didn't even raise an eyebrow. Under Emperor Jian'an's hopeful gaze, he only said six words: "As long as Your Majesty is willing."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Emperor Jian'an's eyes.
Yang Shimin has already expressed his attitude.
He let Emperor Jian'an choose for himself, which means that he supported Emperor Jian'an's abdication.
If he simply refuses to back down, that's fine too.
What a cunning and treacherous vixen!
He's just not willing to suffer any loss, no matter what.
Emperor Jian'an felt very uneasy. After all, he still wanted to hear Yang Shimin repeatedly plead for him to stay, but he didn't say it. In his heart, Emperor Jian'an, who had lost a leg and suffered a serious head injury, was no longer suitable to be a monarch.
Emperor Jian'an was caught in a deep dilemma. Rationally, he knew that he could no longer handle the large amount of state affairs and memorials every day, and that forcing himself to continue might worsen his condition. But emotionally, he desperately needed important ministers like Yang Shimin to express their reluctance and urge him to stay when they learned of his impending retirement. It would be even better if they could beat their chests and cry their hearts out.
He now finally understood why he had previously forced his ministers to resign due to illness. He had only been going through the motions, and both sides knew perfectly well that the other had to leave, but they would cooperate to put on a good show.
Now he is the one who is about to step down, but his most valued minister did not disobey him.
It's impossible for him not to be disappointed.
But Yang Shimin is already sixty years old. If Emperor Jian'an were willing to take him with him when he retires, he would probably pack his bags and leave quickly. However, Emperor Jian'an feels that he is more and more useful the more he is used. With him in the cabinet, the country can be peaceful and stable. The Great Wu cannot do without such a capable minister. He needs to serve for a few more years. If he is long-lived and in good health, it would be best if he could serve until he is seventy or eighty years old, and then we can talk about the next chief minister after that.
Emperor Jian'an forced a smile: "Alright, it's getting late. You should hurry up and leave the palace. Do your job well and don't think about anything else. You old fellow look like you can work for at least another ten years."
Yang Shimin immediately shook his head: "That won't do. It's rare for someone to live to seventy. In ten years, my teeth will be loose and my hair will be falling out. How will I be able to wield a hoe to farm then? It's definitely not going to work!"
Emperor Jian'an teased him a few more times before letting him go.
Yang Shimin stayed in Emperor Jian'an's bedchamber for more than three hours, which was unprecedented. Everyone, including the Crown Prince, was extremely curious about what they had talked about, and they all felt that this conversation had the calm before a storm.
But after meeting Yang Shimin, Emperor Jian'an pretended to be focused on recovering from his injuries and, as usual, refused to see anyone. Of course, he couldn't possibly get any information from Yang Shimin.
Who dared to ask Yang Shimin and the others what they had discussed? Even the Crown Prince dared not act rashly, let alone anyone else, who, despite being anxious and scratching their heads, could not find a solution.
But neither of the two big shots mentioned it, so classes continued as usual, and life went on as before. After waiting for two days without any news, most people quieted down and went about their lives as usual.
The most important thing in the court right now is the result of the imperial examination. The examiners from the Ministry of Rites are working overtime to grade the papers. They first reject papers with spelling errors, messy paper, or illegible handwriting, and then put the good ones into boxes and send them to the examiners for grading. Except for questions with standard answers, which do not need to be graded repeatedly, all subjective questions need to be graded by three or more examiners, and the average value is taken to avoid the influence of the examiners' personal preferences on the candidates' scores, so as to achieve a rigorous and fair result.
Half a month later, the four hundred papers selected in the preliminary selection were sent to the cabinet, where Yang Shimin and the ministers made further selections. A few days later, the ministers selected a total of three hundred and twelve papers, including three first-class Jinshi, two hundred second-class Jinshi, and one hundred and nine third-class Jinshi. These three hundred and twelve people were the candidates who passed the imperial examination this year.
After discussing for a while, the ministers selected ten papers that were generally considered the best and presented them to Emperor Jian'an, asking him to choose the top three.
The first-place winner in the provincial examination was called the "Huiyuan," but not the "Zhuangyuan" of the year. A month after the results were announced, the palace examination was held. The top scorer in the palace examination was the Zhuangyuan, followed by the Bangyan and Tanhua. These were the three in the first class. The fourth-place winner in the second class was the Chuanlu, who was the first in the second class. Gu Shanzhang was the fourth-place Chuanlu in that year.
To be honest, those who made it into the top ten were all outstanding candidates in this imperial examination, and their scores were not too different. Perhaps it was just that the questions set by the examiners happened to be the ones they were good at, so they were able to get the top spot. Therefore, the officials discussed the ranking of the top ten quite intensely. Finally, they came up with an order and handed it over to Emperor Jian'an for the final decision.
Emperor Jian'an spent almost another month recovering from his injury. As long as he didn't do anything strenuous, he was no longer dizzy. However, his knee injury was healing very slowly, but he was able to sit up again. On nice days, he could even be carried into a wheelchair and pushed around the Imperial Garden to enjoy the scenery.
He still did not attend to affairs of state. All matters in the court were decided by the Grand Secretaries. Only matters with too much controversy would be reported to him for a decision. After he woke up, the Crown Prince took back his duties and continued to do them. He acted in an orderly manner without any mistakes, which made Emperor Jian'an think that it might be good to continue like this.
The list of the top ten candidates and their papers were placed in front of Emperor Jian'an. He summoned the Crown Prince, Yang Shimin, Minister of Rites Zhou Huaijin, and Chancellor of the Imperial Academy Xie Shangwen to review the ten papers together.
After the papers were selected, the anonymity was removed, and the names of the top ten candidates could be seen. Emperor Jian'an's gaze fell on a familiar name: Meng Guanqi.
He was on the list of ten, ranking seventh.
The Crown Prince also noticed, and his heart tightened. To be honest, he didn't know that Meng Guanqi could rank so high. It would have been safer for him to be ranked outside the top 50 in the second class, and Emperor Jian'an might not have noticed him. But he actually ranked in the top ten. Moreover, this was only because several ministers deliberately lowered his ranking because he was almost the youngest among all the candidates. Otherwise, judging from his paper, he should have been ranked in the top five.
“Meng Guanqi…” Emperor Jian’an murmured. The Crown Prince’s heart leaped into his throat, but Emperor Jian’an did not look at him. Instead, he asked Zhou Huaijin, “What is the relationship between this eighteen-year-old child and Meng Shiqian?”
Meng Shiqian was the former Minister Meng, Zhou Huaijin's predecessor and the previous Minister of Rites.
Zhou Huaijin actually knew: "Yes, Meng Guanqi is the grandson of Minister Meng, but it seems he is a concubine's grandson. A few years ago, he left the Meng family branch with his father."
Emperor Jian'an asked in surprise, "It's been separated? I remember Meng Shiqian was only around fifty when he retired. How could he bear to separate such a promising talent from his family?" If it's separated, then they'll be two different families. Even if Meng Guanqi becomes the top scholar, that glory won't reach Meng Shiqian's family.
The adults looked at each other, unsure how to answer the question.
Emperor Jian'an looked at the Crown Prince.
The crown prince felt a chill run down his spine and carefully said, "In any case, it's just a dispute between the legitimate and illegitimate sons."
Emperor Jian'an asked, "Does Meng Shiqian have any legitimate grandsons who participated in this imperial examination? How did they do?"
The others shook their heads. Zhou Huaijin said, "The eldest grandson of Minister Meng failed the provincial examination last time." If he didn't even pass the provincial examination, how could he possibly pass the imperial examination?
Emperor Jian'an looked at Yang Shimin with a smile: "Whether it's vision or magnanimity, Meng Shiqian is far inferior to you."
Yang Shimin repeatedly said he wouldn't dare, joking, how could he say such offensive things?
Emperor Jian'an glanced at Meng Guanqi's academic record again: "Wanshan Academy? Minister Xie, Gu Henian has embarrassed you again. Not only did you lose the debate to Wanshan Academy last time, but this time he has also managed to get his student into the top ten in the imperial examination."
He was joking about Xie Shangwen, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.
Xie Shangwen smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. Gu Henian was a graduate of the Imperial Examination back then, so it's normal for him to have a disciple who is in the top ten."
Emperor Jian'an sighed, "Gu Henian is a great talent, but it's a pity he doesn't like the intrigue and backstabbing in officialdom. He resigned from his post at a young age. I invited him to come out of seclusion several times, but he refused. He preferred to go to the mountains to run a private school and teach as the headmaster. But just by running it casually, it became the best private school in the world. It can be seen that talented people can succeed in anything. Now he has taught such a young and promising student. He can be proud of this for the rest of his life."
Yang Shimin deeply agreed. With Gu Henian's talent, if he had remained an official in the court and had the support of the powerful Gu family behind him, it would only be a matter of time before he entered the cabinet.
When the Crown Prince saw that Emperor Jian'an did not mention his relationship with Meng Guanqi, he couldn't figure out whether Emperor Jian'an hadn't recognized Meng Guanqi or was pretending not to know.
But since Emperor Jian'an didn't mention it, he naturally wouldn't stumble upon it himself. He wouldn't speak unless Emperor Jian'an asked him.
Emperor Jian'an put down Meng Guanqi's paper, then looked at the other papers, and read the first-place paper twice. He did not raise any objections: "Let's publish the list according to this ranking."
The officials received their orders and went to prepare the imperial edict.
On April 19th, before dawn, the entrance to the examination hall was already crowded with servants from various families who came to see the results. Every now and then, someone would shout and curse because their spot was taken away, making the entire entrance to the examination hall noisy.
Many aspiring scholars, eager to see the results in person, were also anxiously crowding around the site with their servants, their eyes darting anxiously.
Countless nights spent burning the midnight oil were for this day. Those who made the list ascended to immortality, while those who didn't had to go back and endure the hardship.
Li Xiaoxiao also got up very early and took out her men's clothes to wear again.
I heard there will be a lot of people in front of the imperial edict today, it will be very crowded. Ah Sheng, being skinny, definitely won't be able to squeeze past the others. Zhao Jian is too honest, so it's hard to say. Therefore, she plans to go herself.
Seeing her fully dressed up, Meng Guanqi couldn't help but tease her, "Wearing such formal attire, it'll be easier to see... By the way," he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, on which were written the names and hometowns of more than ten people, "Since you managed to squeeze to the front, besides looking for my name, also help me find out if my classmates' names are on the list, and if so, what their rankings are. Remember them and tell me when you get back." With more than five thousand candidates taking the exam together, there are many people with the same name, so you need to match their hometowns as well to confirm their identity.
Li Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded: "More than a dozen? How could I possibly remember them all?"
Meng Guanqi said in a good mood, "It's alright, there's still a long time before the results are released, you can take your time to memorize them, no rush."
Memorizing it all would only take a little time, and there really aren't many words.
In order to be the first to witness her son's success in the imperial examination, Mrs. Liu spent a lot of money to book a private box opposite the examination hall. The whole family went together, including Rui Rui.
So a funny scene unfolded in the restaurant's private room: while everyone else was leisurely drinking tea and eating, Li Xiaoxiao was the only one holding a piece of paper and muttering to herself, as if afraid of forgetting something.
Upstairs, she saw an official from the Ministry of Rites slowly walking out carrying a large box. Everyone waiting below surged forward in a frenzy. Li Xiaoxiao stood up with great energy: "I'm going!"
Everyone in the room looked at her with anticipation. Even Meng Guanqi, who had been very calm, couldn't help but get excited. The results were about to be released.
Li Xiaoxiao was highly skilled and daring. She didn't even bother to take the stairs. Instead, she jumped directly from the window and, once she was on her feet, she pushed her way forward.
When Rui Rui saw her suddenly jump out the window, she panicked and rushed to climb out as well, but Liu Shi immediately pulled her back: "What are you doing? Don't go!"
Rui Rui was so anxious she was about to jump up and down: "Xiao Xiao is gone! Xiao Xiao is gone!"
Liu could only comfort him, saying, "She's not leaving. She went to see the imperial edict. Did you see her? She's walking forward—" Her tone suddenly stopped because she saw Li Xiaoxiao rush to the back of the crowd, then push aside like she was parting water plants, instantly creating a path in the middle. She had torn a vacuum in the area on both sides of her arms, allowing only her to pass through safely.
Liu was a little worried. Even after watching it a thousand times, she still couldn't help but marvel at Li Xiaoxiao's brute strength. The little one in her arms was jumping up and down, cheering and clapping for Li Xiaoxiao, as if no one thought there was anything wrong with it.
Ignoring the surprised looks from those around her, Li Xiaoxiao squeezed to the very front of the imperial edict before stopping. The servants from other families were furious at this sudden appearance of a stranger, but there was nothing they could do about it.
As soon as Li Xiaoxiao stood still, the official from the Ministry of Rites signaled for silence, then opened the imperial edict and began reading it in classical Chinese. Li Xiaoxiao only half understood it, but the gist was that the emperor's grace was boundless and benefited the people. A total of 312 people had passed the imperial examination this year. The candidates on the list were requested to participate in the palace examination on May 19th, 30 days later. The palace examination would last for one day, and so on.
After the imperial edict was read aloud, the official opened the gift box he was carrying and took out five large sheets of red paper with black characters, on which were written the names of the successful candidates in this year's imperial examination. Ten eunuchs came out from behind the official, one applying paste and the other posting them. Soon all five imperial edicts were posted. After they were posted, two yamen runners stepped forward to maintain order. They could look at the edicts up close, but they were not allowed to reach out or tear them down, as that would be a crime.
Li Xiaoxiao squeezed to the front and looked down from the first imperial edict. She immediately saw Meng Guanqi's name. He was ranked seventh!
Li Xiaoxiao was overjoyed and roared, "My young master has won! He's ranked seventh!"
She focused her energy, and her roar pierced through the crowd, reaching the Meng family members far away in the restaurant.
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