The imperial examination of the first year of Ying Shi (1867) has ended, or rather, many people are now eagerly waiting for the results to be released.
Zhu Yunying didn't need to pay too much attention to this; he only needed to wait and see what happened next. Alternatively, he could have Song Zhong and Wang Chengen secretly give him instructions to subtly push things along—that was what he cared about.
As for the scholars who watched anxiously, waiting with a mixture of pride and unease or high aspirations for the results, there's really no need to worry too much. These scholars probably didn't realize that, for example, they hadn't even entered the court yet, but had already become involved in some affairs, becoming pawns of the current emperor.
Countless people were waiting for the results to be released, including idlers and scoundrels from Yingtian Prefecture.
Xu Zengshou was sitting in a restaurant in front of the examination hall. As Xu Da's youngest son, Xu Zengshou dared not compare himself to his elder brother, but his status was special. Moreover, the current empress was his sister, and the crown prince was his nephew.
However, Xu Zengshou was also well aware that without his background, he wouldn't have received any important appointments. And even if he were, it would obviously be in comparison to his second brother. As for comparing himself to his eldest brother, Xu Zengshou wouldn't even dare to think about it.
"Go and have someone keep an eye on things," Xu Zengshou said, putting down his wine cup. "If the scholars from the north are really stupid, we need to make them realize that this imperial examination was unfair, and we need to make them start a commotion as soon as the results are announced."
A young man standing behind Xu Zengshou immediately replied, "Yes!"
In truth, Xu Zengshou was also confused. He thought that since this was the emperor's first imperial examination, everything should be peaceful and uneventful. But now, he had actually received the emperor's instruction to cause trouble when the results were announced.
Just then, Song Zhong also appeared.
Standing before Xu Zengshou, Song Zhong bowed and greeted him, saying, "Song Zhong, the commander, greets the Vice Commander-in-Chief."
Xu Zengshou raised his hand and said to Song Zhong, "Commander Song is joking. I was only appointed as the Vice Commander-in-Chief because of my father's influence. Commander Song, you are a close confidant of His Majesty."
Song Zhong was the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a third-rank official. Xu Zengshou, on the other hand, was the Vice Commander-in-Chief, a first-rank official.
In fact, the ranks of most officials in the Five Military Commands were higher than those in the civil service system. The Left and Right Commanders-in-Chief were first-rank Assistant Commanders-in-Chief, and the Junior First-rank Vice Commanders-in-Chief were second-rank officials. There were basically no Left or Right Commanders-in-Chief or Assistant Commanders-in-Chief in the Five Military Commands, but the appointment of Vice Commanders-in-Chief gradually became more diversified.
Previously, the governors-general were all military generals who had made military achievements and were promoted. This form of appointment remained the main way of appointing officials even after the Grand Governor's Office was changed to the Five Military Governor's Offices.
However, besides this situation, there are two other trends in appointments. The main reason is the appointment of some older or retired mid-level military officers as Vice Commanders-in-Chief. The other is the special appointment of the sons of meritorious officials and noble families as Commanders-in-Chief of the Governor-General's Office.
Xu Zengshou was clearly an official who received official privileges through hereditary privilege.
However, these things don't need to be worried about too much for now; the main thing is to do these things well. One's background is truly an art, and sometimes it's something you can't envy; there's no denying it.
The two men were simply sitting in the restaurant, watching the scholars outside the examination hall and observing what was to come. Whether those scholars were happy or sad was of little concern to them at the moment, and perhaps not even that important.
Having completed the task assigned to them by the emperor, that was the most important thing, and the only thing they cared about now.
Amidst the anticipation of countless people, the results were finally released. This is when a myriad of reactions occur: some are ecstatic, bordering on madness, while others take it all in stride, remaining calm and indifferent. And of course, some are filled with sorrow and despair, or simply cannot accept it...
This wasn't just something that happened in the first year of the Ying Shi reign; every imperial examination was like this. You get used to it, after all, those who passed this year's examination have practically achieved a great leap forward; they're now considered officials.
After all, normally, as long as one is a tribute student, the only thing missing is the palace examination. Under normal circumstances, a tribute student will definitely become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and they will basically not be eliminated. At most, it's just a matter of being ranked in the first, second, or third class, but becoming a Jinshi is basically a sure thing.
Yin Changlong, a native of Taihe, Jiangxi, became the top scholar in the provincial examination, a day of immense glory for him. Although achieving even the highest score in the second round of the imperial examination was often difficult, Yin Changlong's status as the top scholar gave him an advantage in the upcoming palace examination. He had high hopes for his ranking in the palace examination—a top-three finish!
Zhu Yunying didn't really care much about the provincial examination; he still trusted Ru Chang, Mei Yin, and others. For Zhu Yunying, and even for this particular imperial examination, his goal wasn't necessarily to pass the examination and become an official; he was playing a much bigger game.
Of course, if this department could produce a few promising talents, Zhu Yunying would be overjoyed. These were actually just some seemingly insignificant matters; what he was currently considering was the rising civil service group.
In a good mood, Zhu Yunying looked at the memorials. Now he just needed a little more patience; things were proceeding smoothly. So far, many things were progressing relatively well, and he felt quite confident.
I was a little anxious. Were the scholars in this cohort too honest? There was still no sign of them at this point!
Actually, it wasn't completely quiet at this time; the area in front of the examination hall was bustling with activity. It's just that at this moment, everyone seemed to be focused on the successful candidates who had passed the imperial examinations, rather than considering anything else.
These are the things that seem normal, and these are indeed things that often happen during the imperial examinations. As for other things, people can't see them at this point, and there's no need to pay much attention to them for the time being.
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