Chapter 152 The Third Scholar
Upon learning that Emperor Jian'an had agreed to the marriage and the granting of a separate residence, the Sixth Prince and Vice Minister Wang were overjoyed and bowed to thank Emperor Jian'an together.
Emperor Jian'an gestured to Liang Qisheng to bring in the sedan chair. As the chair was being lifted, he suddenly said, "Return Meng Guanqi's examination paper to me. This is not your chance to act. If you anger the Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet, you will not go far."
A hint of disappointment flashed in the Sixth Prince's eyes, but he still bowed and agreed, signaling Shuangxi to bring out Meng Guanqi's exam paper. Liang Qisheng carefully put it away and waved his whisk: "Start the sedan chair procession."
The sixth prince and Vice Minister Wang watched Emperor Jian'an leave Qinghe Palace.
Once his figure disappeared from sight, Vice Minister Wang clasped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Sixth Prince."
The Sixth Prince slightly raised one corner of his mouth: "Well done, you deserve credit."
Vice Minister Wang said happily, "Thank you for the compliment, Sixth Prince."
The Sixth Prince said, "Go back and prepare to receive the imperial decree. The Emperor has bestowed a marriage upon me, and the date will not be set too far in the future. I need to leave this awful place as soon as possible."
"yes."
Emperor Jian'an did not say a word for a long time after returning to his palace.
Liang Qisheng dismissed all the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall, leaving only himself to accompany Emperor Jian'an. He brought up a bowl of hot tea and said, "Your Majesty, have some water to soothe your throat."
Emperor Jian'an accepted the tea with a blank expression and took a sip.
Liang Qisheng then asked, "Is Your Majesty tired? Would you like to go to bed and rest?"
Emperor Jian'an suddenly asked, "Liang Qisheng, how credible do you think the sixth prince's words are?"
Liang Qisheng's heart skipped a beat: "This servant did not know."
Emperor Jian'an's eyes darkened: "You don't know? If you don't know, then go and find out everything. Find out every single word Wang Yongqin said, every single sentence!"
Liang Qisheng responded with a "yes" and turned to leave, but Emperor Jian'an suddenly said, "Come back."
Liang Qisheng returned to his standing position, and Emperor Jian'an looked at him: "Is there something you want to say to me?"
The two were so familiar with each other that they knew what the other was thinking just from a single expression or gesture.
Liang Qisheng remained silent.
Emperor Jian'an sighed, "I forgive you for your crime. We've been through so much together for decades. Can't I even hear a few words from your heart?"
After considering for a moment, Liang Qisheng said, "Since His Majesty has already made up his mind, there is no need to turn back."
Emperor Jian'an was taken aback, and anger gradually rose in his eyes: "What did you say?"
Liang Qisheng boldly said, "Your Majesty has already made your choice, hasn't he? What if it is discovered that the Crown Prince was wronged? How will you face yourself then?"
Emperor Jian'an didn't react for a long time, and finally slumped back into his wheelchair.
He had already understood the implication of Liang Qisheng's words.
After listening to what Vice Minister Wang and the Sixth Prince said, he made a decision on the spot: release the Sixth Prince and bestow a marriage upon him and Vice Minister Wang's daughter, thus finding a powerful in-law family for the Sixth Prince and creating a formidable opponent for the Crown Prince. But after returning to the palace, he ordered him to investigate whether what Vice Minister Wang said was true or false. Was it really necessary?
His heart had already accepted the statements of Vice Minister Wang and the Sixth Prince, and he had already condemned the Crown Prince on the spot. Having been emperor for over thirty years, surely he understood the importance of not blindly believing everything he heard? Yet he had forgotten even this basic principle, making a decision on the spot—it had almost become an unconscious act. What need was there then to investigate the truth?
If it turns out to be fake, how will he face himself for making the wrong decision?
Liang Qisheng, as expected of the person who knows him best, actually saw through his thoughts under these circumstances and told him to stop investigating.
Because when he made that decision, it was entirely driven by his personal selfishness, and had nothing to do with the truth.
Emperor Jian'an felt as if his face had been slapped repeatedly, and for the first time, he felt utterly ashamed.
After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Then let it go. Send Meng Guanqi's exam paper back to the Ministry of Rites and tell them that the day for the palace examination results will be announced as usual, and that nothing has happened in the past two days."
Liang Qisheng responded softly and left the sleeping quarters.
He personally returned the exam paper to Zhou Huaijin, who was stunned: "Where did you find it? Who took it?"
Liang Qisheng smiled and said, "Lord Zhou is mistaken. His Majesty took the paper because he thought it was too excellent. There is no such thing as it being lost. However, this matter is against the rules, so there is no need for you to spread it. His Majesty has ordered that the results of the palace examination be announced as usual. Thank you for your trouble."
Zhou Huaijin was taken aback, but after Liang Qisheng finished delivering the message, he bowed and left, leaving Zhou Huaijin alone, holding Meng Guanqi's exam paper, looking bewildered in the wind.
So, did he really take Meng Guanqi's exam paper?
But he immediately denied it. He said he could take Meng Guanqi's exam paper openly and honestly; why would he need to drug the clerk? Did they think he was stupid?
If he were a member of the Censorate, he would definitely have submitted a memorial impeaching Emperor Jian'an.
Unfortunately, the Ministry of Rites was also responsible for the loss of the examination papers, which served as a wake-up call for him. He needed to strengthen the guarding of the Ministry of Rites' property in the future. This time, the examination papers were returned intact, so he decided to pretend that nothing had happened for the time being.
The news that Emperor Jian'an had gone to Qinghe Palace quickly reached the Crown Prince's ears. The Crown Prince's expression was uncertain: "You said that Father dismissed his attendants and stayed inside with my sixth brother for more than an hour?"
Wan Quan said, "Yes, and Wang Yongqin, the Vice Minister of War, was summoned to an audience along the way."
The Crown Prince said, "It seems that my sixth brother is about to come out. Minister Wang might as well stop pretending and go directly to him."
Wan Quan said, "Does Your Highness have a plan? Since His Majesty dismissed his attendants, our men cannot find out what they said."
The Crown Prince said indifferently, "It was expected. It was already difficult to keep Li Chengyao locked up for ten months. I knew that my father and mother would not keep Li Chengyao locked up for life when they protected him. However, my mother once advised my father to grant him a place far away from the capital to save his life, but my father did not express his opinion. I suppose he still wanted him to stay in the capital."
As for what they said in this private conversation, we couldn't find out, so we didn't bother to find out.
The Crown Prince said, "That's good. We need to release him to find out what his next move will be. Li Chengyao will never give up on his plan to bring me down."
The two brothers have already fallen out, so there's no need to maintain a facade of harmony anymore.
The Crown Prince said, “Since Father has already gone to see him, the time for his release is not far off. Perhaps it will be after the results of the palace examination are announced? I really don’t need to be in a hurry. Meng Guanqi has entered the top ten, and Gu Henian is willing to join the Eastern Palace. With two more generals added, why would I be afraid of a child who is only a teenager?”
Wan Quan sighed, "It's a pity that we haven't been able to find out the power behind him after all this time, which shows how deeply he's hidden."
The Crown Prince said, "The enemy retreated completely as soon as they saw Li Chengyao trapped. They are not to be underestimated. Now, a Ministry of War official has been captured and a Ministry of War vice minister has been brought to justice. Who will be next?"
However, looking at it from another angle, since they've been investigating for so long without finding any clues, perhaps the other side will start making moves after Li Chengyao's release? In that case, his release might not be entirely a bad thing.
As the two were talking, a young eunuch came to report: "His Majesty has given an imperial decree requesting Your Highness to move to the Wenhua Hall to discuss the results of the palace examination."
The crown prince stood up: "I understand, I will go right away."
When the Crown Prince arrived at the Wenhua Hall, Yang Shimin and the others were already there. Emperor Jian'an looked calm and was looking at the top ten papers. The Ministry of Rites had already ranked them according to the scores, and Emperor Jian'an was making the final adjustments to the rankings.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince enter, Emperor Jian'an said calmly, "Your Highness has arrived. The ministers have already ranked the top ten. Do you have any objections?"
The crown prince took the exam paper and looked at it. He glanced at the ranking and was slightly taken aback.
Meng Guanqi ranked third, the third-place finisher.
After the Crown Prince finished reading the other candidates' papers, Emperor Jian'an asked, "Does the Crown Prince have any objections to the ranking?"
The Crown Prince said, "I think that the essays of Liu Lianzhen, who ranks fourth, and Tan Yuxing, who ranks fifth, are worse than those of Meng Guanqi. Why don't we move their rankings forward and put Meng Guanqi in sixth place?"
Meng Guanqi's seventh place in the provincial examination and sixth place in the palace examination would probably not attract much attention.
But if he jumps directly to the third place, some people might criticize him, thinking that he only relies on his looks.
Emperor Jian'an took out Liu Lianzhen's paper and glanced at it again. The difference in quality among the top ten was very small, and the ranking was largely due to personal preference. Moving one place up or down wouldn't really make a big difference, but Emperor Jian'an put it down after only one glance: "Liu Lianzhen is already thirty-nine years old, the age to be a grandfather. Wouldn't it be disappointing to appoint him as the third-ranked scholar?"
Before the Crown Prince could speak of Tan Yuxing, Yang Shimin smiled and said, "I also think it is excellent that Meng Guanqi was chosen as the third-ranked scholar. Of the 312 candidates in the palace examination, he was the most outstanding."
Zhou Huaijin also said, "Does Grand Secretary Yang think so too? I thought I was the only one who had developed a fondness for beauty. I think he is young, good-looking, and has such outstanding literary talent. He is truly rare. I have no objection to appointing him as the third-ranked scholar."
Xie Jijiu also agreed. It was the Da Wu Spring Examination to select the most handsome one from the top ten as the third-ranked scholar. Unless all ten of them were extremely ugly, they would still choose the tallest among the short ones. If no one was good-looking, they would choose someone tall, younger, and more pleasing to the eye as the third-ranked scholar.
After the results of the palace examination were announced, the top scholar led the newly appointed scholars in a parade through the streets on horseback. Everyone was drawn to the appearance of the third-ranked scholar, Meng Guanqi, who was handsome and had a high chance of being selected as the third-ranked scholar when he ranked among the top ten.
Emperor Jian'an wrote with a flourish: "Then it is settled. Ma Boting is appointed as the top scholar, Zhu Sijie as the second-ranked scholar, Meng Guanqi as the third-ranked scholar, and Liu Lianzhen as the chief examiner. The rankings of the others will remain unchanged. There will be three in the first class, two hundred in the second class, and one hundred and nine in the third class. Tomorrow, once all the students have entered the palace, the results will be announced according to this list."
The Crown Prince and the officials responded in unison. Zhou Huaijin carefully put away the imperial edict, rolled it up, and put it in his sleeve. This was to be kept in the Ministry of Rites.
Emperor Jian'an, seeing that the list was finalized, said no more and had Liang Qisheng push him away.
The crown prince watched his departing figure, a shadow passing over his eyes.
He could sense that Emperor Jian'an's attitude towards him had changed. The previous kindness and trust seemed to have been covered by a veil and suddenly disappeared without a trace.
He had a gut feeling that this matter was related to the Sixth Prince, but he wasn't in such a hurry now.
He turned and walked towards the East Palace.
On the morning of May 29th, the day of the announcement of the results of the palace examination was held. Meng Guanqi, with a nervous heart, followed the procedure and entered the palace. He waited outside the Taiji Hall with the other candidates for the imperial examination, waiting for Emperor Jian'an's summons.
The spring imperial examinations have concluded, and today is the day the results are announced. Regardless of how well they performed, the outcome is already decided, so the candidates are in relatively good spirits, chatting and joking in small groups. Meng Guanqi stands alone in a corner, attracting no attention whatsoever.
At the hour of Chen, a eunuch came out and announced: "All candidates, please line up in four rows and enter the Taiji Hall."
They've arrived! The scholars perked up and, under the eunuch's direction, quickly formed four rows and entered the Taiji Hall in a slow but orderly manner.
Emperor Jian'an sat high on the dragon throne, flanked by officials of the third rank and above, all sizing up the newly appointed scholars. Once the imperial edict was announced, they would officially become the new Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).
Seeing that they were standing in place, Liang Qisheng gestured, and all the scholars knelt down, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and kowtowing to Emperor Jian'an.
Emperor Jian'an said, "No need for formalities, rise."
All the candidates stood up and stood at attention. Emperor Jian'an said, "The results of this year's spring imperial examination are out. I'm sure you candidates have been waiting for a long time. I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Liang Qisheng, announce the decree."
Liang Qisheng stepped forward in response, took out the imperial edict, and read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: On the 19th day of the fifth month of the 32nd year of Jian'an, the imperial examination was held for 312 candidates, including Wang Junyong. The three candidates in the first class are granted the title of Jinshi (进士): First place: Ma Boting, from Gengzi County, Suzhou; Second place: Zhu Sijie, from Lu'an County, Qingzhou; Third place: Meng Guanqi..."
Meng Guanqi felt a sudden "buzz," her mind went blank, and her heartbeat seemed to skip a beat before returning to normal.
He came in third! He actually came in third place!
A long-lost joy suddenly rose up from the soles of his feet, and he felt as if he were soaking in hot water, with every pore feeling comfortable.
His cheeks flushed involuntarily, a mixture of excitement at being chosen as the third-ranked scholar and shame at his petty thoughts after the palace examination. He had thought that Emperor Jian'an's constant observation of him that day would make things difficult for him, but he never expected that the emperor would still choose him as the third-ranked scholar.
The following process was rather chaotic. Emperor Jian'an bestowed upon the newly appointed top scholar, Ma Boting, a black gauze robe with gold flowers, an imperial horse, and the emperor's ceremonial guard led the way, holding red plaques that read "Announcement of Good News," "Passing the Imperial Examination," "Passing the Imperial Examination," and "Top Scholar," and slowly walked around the top scholar's imperial horse out of Zhongtian Gate and onto the most prosperous street in the Ming capital.
The second-place scholar, Zhu Sijie, and the third-place scholar, Meng Guanqi, dressed in dark green robes with palace flowers in their hats and red capes, rode side by side behind the top scholar. When the top scholar went out into the street, he faced the crowd of people who cheered and congratulated him. He smiled broadly and kept bowing and thanking them. Flowers and purses were thrown in his direction, but he didn't have time to pick them up. This was the most glorious day of his life.
But his face quickly froze, because the flowers and purses had somehow passed him and landed behind him on Meng Guanqi, who was dressed in green.
Meng Guanqi was covered in colorful silk threads, all because of the countless purses and handkerchiefs thrown at him. The tassels on them had somehow come out and kept multiplying, forming a spiderweb that entangled him completely. Meanwhile, heavy objects like flowers and hydrangeas were constantly being thrown at him from the second and third floors, almost knocking his hat off. He was in pain from the flowers, his hat was askew, but he couldn't afford to get angry.
The girls' screams were all directed at him alone. The constables maintaining order had somehow formed a wall around his horse, just to block the young women and wives in front of him...
The second-place scholar, Zhu Sijie, had a rather strange connection with him. It turned out that he was the tall man who stood in front of him on the day of the palace examination. He was originally quite aloof, but when he saw the handsome third-place scholar next to him being entangled in rouge and powder and unable to get away, he couldn't help but chuckle strangely.
He was tall and imposing, but not handsome at all. Compared to Meng Guanqi, he looked more like a brute. As a result, he was clean and didn't even have a purse.
He chuckled and joked, "Brother Meng, why are you troubled? This kind of good fortune is something Brother Ma and I couldn't possibly ask for..."
Meng Guanqi couldn't break free no matter what she tried, so she simply gave up and let the flowers, purses, and handkerchiefs be thrown at her face and body. She felt that the street was so long that she could never walk to the end.
Seeing Zhu Sijie teasing him, he couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Would you like to give this kind of good fortune to Brother Zhu? I already have a fiancée and don't need it—"
Before he could finish speaking, he heard a whooshing sound, as if something heavy had hit him.
Startled, he was about to dodge when Zhu Sijie's expression changed and he quickly pulled him aside. He swayed, and a teapot that had fallen from the high school shone with a "crack" as it grazed past his shoulder and shattered on the ground.
Meng Guanqi's expression changed, and he quickly looked up at the building. He saw a figure flash by a window and then disappear instantly.
Zhu Sijie was furious: "Who threw the teapot? Are you trying to kill someone?"
Throwing a teapot down from the third floor on such a joyous occasion? If it hit Meng Guanqi on the head, would he still be alive?
A nearby constable saw this and squeezed forward: "Gentlemen, has something happened?"
Meng Guanqi pointed bluntly to the window on the third floor and said, "Someone threw a teapot down here, trying to kill me. Please, officers, go up and arrest the manager and ask him who is in this private room."
The constables exchanged a glance and immediately ran to the restaurant. Meng Guanqi and Zhu Sijie, fearing that staying behind would cause traffic congestion, didn't bother to ask about the result and hurriedly urged them to leave.
After crossing the street, Meng Guanqi immediately returned the horse to the yamen runner, eager to leave.
Zhu Sijie's home is not here. Seeing that he was about to leave, he quickly said, "Let's meet at the palace gate at 9:00 AM tomorrow for the Imperial Banquet."
Meng Guanqi nodded casually, took off his red cloak, and held his hat in his hand. At least he wasn't so conspicuous anymore. Then he turned a corner and hurriedly ran back.
On his very first day of passing the imperial examination, someone tried to kill him with a teapot. If he doesn't find out who it was, won't he have to be on guard all the time?
Before he could run two steps, he saw a familiar face, pulling a man along in his direction.
His eyes lit up: "Smile!"
Li Xiaoxiao's face was full of murderous intent. She only calmed down when she saw Meng Guanqi arrive. Then, she kicked the two men to the ground with two loud thuds. The two men hugged their legs and groaned in pain.
Meng Guanqi rushed forward: "Who is this?" But after seeing the faces of the two people clearly, his expression also darkened: "Meng Guanyun, Meng Guanfeng?"
It turned out to be his two cousins?
Upon hearing their names, Li Xiaoxiao was stunned: "What? Your relatives? These two are the ones who threw the teapot at you from the third floor. They tried to run away after throwing it, but I caught them."
Meng Guanqi felt a warmth in his heart. So she had been following him all along. How wonderful...
Meng Guanyun and Meng Guanfeng had already been beaten up by Li Xiaoxiao, and she was going to drag them to see the officials. When they saw that Meng Guanqi recognized them, they were both ashamed and frightened.
Meng Guanyun said in a trembling voice, "Brother Qi, Guanfeng, he... he didn't mean it..."
Li Xiaoxiao said without any politeness, "You stand here, and I'll go up to the third floor and throw a teapot at your head. After your brains are splattered out, then you can say I didn't do it on purpose, okay?"
Meng Guanyun trembled with fear. This woman was terrifying. They had already evaded the search by the yamen runners, but she appeared out of nowhere and subdued them with a single move.
In truth, Meng Guanfeng threw the teapot in a fit of anger, and regretted it immediately afterward. Ever since Meng Guanqi passed the imperial examination, his and Meng Guanyun's lives had become exceptionally difficult. The old Minister Meng looked down on them, and their respective mothers constantly brought up Meng Guanqi, saying that he was far less studious than the two of them when they were young, so why did he pass the provincial and imperial examinations together while they failed...
After talking about it so much, the two of them were filled with jealousy and hatred towards Meng Guanqi. Today, when the results of the palace examination were announced, they couldn't help but run out to see if Meng Guanqi would fall out of the top ten in the palace examination. As a result, he actually became the third-ranked scholar!
When Meng Guanfeng saw him riding the imperial horse, dressed in red and covered in purses, handkerchiefs and colorful threads thrown down by the girls, he lost his mind and threw the teapot off the table at him without thinking.
He was stunned when he threw it, but Meng Guanyun reacted first, grabbed his hand and ran outside, almost getting caught by the yamen runners.
They had narrowly escaped the clutches of the constables, only to be grabbed and beaten by this woman who suddenly appeared. She even tried to drag them to the authorities. Terrified, they begged for mercy. It wasn't until Meng Guanqi came to them that they realized they were all together.
Meng Guanfeng said with shame, "Sixth brother, I'm sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have accidentally thrown the teapot at you out of jealousy. You can hit me, you can scold me, you can make me pay for it, just please don't tell Grandfather about this..."
If Minister Meng finds out, he will definitely not let them off the hook.
Meng Guanyun also pleaded for mercy from the side. Although he didn't throw the teapot, Li Xiaoxiao beat him up as well. Now his face was bruised and swollen, which was quite satisfying to see.
Meng Guanqi coldly said, "You're all older than me. Don't you know that throwing things from such a height can easily kill someone? What if it hit someone else instead of me? With human lives in your hands, do you still want to take the imperial examinations?"
The two lowered their heads in shame.
Li Xiaoxiao looked at Meng Guanqi questioningly, asking whether they should still send them to the yamen (government office).
Meng Guanqi shook his head: "You can leave now. Don't ever appear in front of me again. I'm letting you go this time not because I forgive you, but because I find your behavior very disappointing. How can you convince others that you've already achieved the qualifications of a scholar?"
Meng Guanyun and Meng Guanfeng's faces turned deathly pale in an instant.
Meng Guanqi didn't look at them again, and left with Li Xiaoxiao in his hand.
Li Xiaoxiao waited until they were a little further away before saying, "Are you just going to let them go like that? That's too easy on them."
Meng Guanqi sighed, "Actually, seeing them become like this, I feel quite sad. If these two don't adjust their mindset, I'm afraid they'll never pass the imperial examination in their lifetime. Their minds are already unbalanced, what punishment could be harsher than this?"
Li Xiaoxiao asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Meng Guanqi affectionately pinched her nose: "How could I not know? Didn't I go through the same thing? Alright, let's hurry home. Does Mother know I became a third-ranked scholar? I didn't expect to do even better than I thought after the palace examination results came out!"
Li Xiaoxiao recalled the ten days she had spent in fear and anxiety, and grabbed his ear: "You still dare to mention it! You kept lying to me that you didn't do well on the exam, which made me worry to death these past few days."
Meng Guanqi cried out in pain, grabbed her hand, and laughed, "Then when I have some free time, I'll go to Hongluo Temple with you, okay? Haven't you always wanted to go..."
The two held hands and chatted and laughed as they went home.
Unbeknownst to her, not far away, a pair of eyes, reddened with jealousy, were fixed on their clasped hands, and his affectionate pinching of her nose was driving her mad.
Wang Liuniang trembled all over, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Who is that bitch? Why is Meng Lang holding her hand so tightly, and behaving so intimately?
Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao walked home hand in hand. Just as they reached the door, they heard Asheng shout, "The top scholar is back!" He then lit the firecrackers that had been hung up beforehand, and the crackling sound immediately echoed throughout the entire alley.
Liu stood at the door with Rui Rui, followed by a large group of servants, all of whom looked at Meng Guanqi with excited eyes.
Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao covered their ears and jumped up and down, laughing as they waited for the firecrackers to burn out. Liu Shi and her servants rushed forward and surrounded the two of them.
With tears in her eyes, Liu looked at Meng Guanqi's brand-new green robe, the hat adorned with palace flowers, and the red silk. She quickly pulled Meng Guanqi away, saying, "Come on, let's go inside and let your mother see you in these clothes."
Once inside the courtyard, she made Meng Guanqi get dressed again, then circled him around and around until he was dizzy: "Mother, it's just a new outfit, what's so interesting about it?"
Li Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly beside her, "So handsome, so handsome! Just now when he was patrolling the streets, it was like Tang Sanzang entering a spider demon's cave. Pouches and handkerchiefs were flying all over him. Even the top scholar wasn't as glamorous as him!"
Liu said with pride, "The third-ranked scholar in every imperial examination is the dream lover of countless young girls in the capital. Not to mention that Brother Qi is so handsome, it's normal for him to be popular."
She added with a hint of regret, "It would look even better if I could wear a red robe."
Meng Guanqi was speechless. The red robe was a special privilege for the top scholar, and it was already far beyond his expectations that he could pass the exam as a third-place scholar.
However, Madam Liu was not disappointed. Thinking of the upcoming happy event, she said happily, "But don't worry, you'll be able to wear the red robe soon."
Meng Guanqi couldn't help but glance at Li Xiaoxiao, her face flushing red.
Li Xiaoxiao belatedly realized, "Huh? What's wrong? Why are you blushing?"
Liu and Meng Guanqi exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
She is as oblivious as ever to certain things.
Meng Guanqi was beaming: "Mother, I'm going to attend the Imperial Banquet tomorrow. After the banquet, I'll go to the Court of State Ceremonial to learn court etiquette, and then I'll be appointed to an official position immediately. I ranked third in the first class, so according to the rules, I should be a seventh-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy. After three years in the Hanlin Academy, I'll be appointed to one of the Six Ministries."
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "You just passed the imperial examination and you're already a seventh-rank official! Your father has been an official for so many years and he's only a seventh-rank official!"
Meng Guanqi's face stiffened for a moment, and he said weakly, "My father used to be a principal officer in the Ministry of Personnel, a sixth-rank official. Later, he was demoted to Biyang County and was reduced to a seventh-rank official."
Li Xiaoxiao sighed. Magistrate Meng was quite tragic. While other officials rose higher and higher in rank, his rank kept decreasing.
However, Meng Guanqi was about to become an official, and she immediately remembered something that she found very interesting. Her eyes lit up as she asked, "You became a seventh-rank official as soon as you passed the imperial examination. How much salary do you receive each month?"
A seventh-rank official in the capital must have a pretty good salary, right?
Meng Guanqi's face stiffened further, and his eyes began to dart around as he guiltily avoided looking at her.
Li Xiaoxiao asked in surprise, "You don't know either? Is the monthly salary very low?"
Liu smiled helplessly and personally explained to her: "The annual salary of a compiler in the Hanlin Academy should be forty-five taels of silver plus forty-five shi of rice. Converted into a monthly salary, it is a little over three taels but less than four taels of silver, plus three shi of rice."
Otherwise, how could there be the saying "poor scholars"? Many scholars from humble backgrounds were so poor that they had to borrow money to make ends meet.
They were, after all, from a respectable family. Although their family fortune was meager, they weren't completely without resources. Of course, if it weren't for Li Xiaoxiao's abilities and the Crown Prince's bestowal of such a fine house upon her, their family wouldn't have been able to afford a house in such a prime location.
Li Xiaoxiao was shocked. A seventh-rank Hanlin scholar only earned a little over three taels of silver a month, less than four taels? He had studied for so long and only earned a little over three taels a month. Yet, even the lowest-ranking servant in their household earned five hundred wen a month. Managers like Granny Qi and Zhao Jian earned three taels a month, and head maids like Liu Zhi earned two taels a month, with double the bonus during the New Year. Their household had twenty or thirty servants of all ranks, and their monthly expenses alone amounted to thirty or forty taels of silver, equivalent to Meng Guanqi's annual salary.
My goodness, if he really had to rely on his salary to support his family, how could he possibly support so many people?
She looked at Meng Guanqi with pity: "You don't even earn as much as Granny Qi..."
The room fell silent instantly. Granny Qi looked as if she had been struck dumb, Liu Zhi and A Sheng were dumbfounded, and Liu Shi looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She closed her eyes in pain and decided to give her a proper lesson later on how important it was for a newly appointed scholar to "enter the Hanlin Academy".
Moreover, the annual salary is only the most basic and public income. No official in the court really relies solely on this small amount of money to make a living. There are also many unsavory sources of income.
Meng Guanqi felt as if a flock of crows were cawing overhead, and all that remained in her mind was the thought, "You don't even earn as much as Granny Qi~"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com