When he heard that there would be new students soon, the melancholy and sadness on Lao Buyu's face disappeared, and he immediately asked, "Does the headmaster have a recruitment plan? Do you have a candidate like before, or are you going to hold a selection exam like other academies?"
"I already have a candidate in mind, but the selection exam is also an option. Anyway, don't worry, Master. I will definitely not leave you idle.
When Lao Buyu heard that a candidate had been chosen, he became even more excited and asked questions like a machine gun: "What kind of student won the favor of the headmaster? No, the headmaster has hardly left the house since he came to the capital... Never mind, how old is he? What level has he learned? I can prepare early."
He really had enough of idleness and couldn't wait to start teaching from sunrise to sunset like before.
Shen Cui said vaguely: "I am not very clear about his level, and he may not come so soon. The teacher still has plenty of time to prepare, and there is no rush."
After talking for a while, the moon was already at its zenith. The next day was a big day for the students, so the two of them went to rest without saying anything else.
…………
At dawn the next day, everyone in Cuiwei got up.
After they had finished cleaning up, Shen Cui came over with three bowls of something pitch black.
This thing is nothing else but loquat paste, which can clear away heat, moisten the lungs and refresh the throat.
Others didn't need to eat either. Only Mu Erpang, Wei Xi and Shen Aoshuang got one bowl each.
Because they entered the palace today, only the names of the three people in the first class were read out, and the names of the remaining two hundred or so people had to be read out by the fourth-ranked person.
It also has to be read clearly and loudly, which is a job that strains the voice no matter how you think about it.
In fact, Shen Cui knew in her heart that the second place was most likely to be Shen Aoshuang.
The final ranking was originally arranged according to the emperor's preferences. It was a talent to write an article that won his favor. The elders in the family have served the country all their lives, and that is also the ability of the elders in the family.
In addition, the beautiful articles he wrote were comparable to those written by Mu Erpang and Wei Xi, so it was normal that the emperor's preference tilted towards him.
This is not a privilege that makes people feel uncomfortable. After all, his real talents and skills are there, and he is already within the range of second, third, and fourth place.
And to be fair, if Mu Erpang could reach the level of Elder Shen in the future and become a high-ranking official, Shen Cui might not be able to do what he did, allowing his descendants to remain anonymous and take exams without relying on their family background.
However, seeing that Chen Aoshuang seemed to have made up her mind not to tell anyone in the academy until the exam was completely over, she just pretended not to know and prepared three bowls.
The loquat paste looked a little scary, but it tasted sweet in the mouth. After they drank it, the group left the academy and entered the palace.
After entering the palace, they were first body searched and then gathered. They were still divided into two teams, single-name and double-name, and stood according to their ranking in the examination.
Amid the sound of ritual music, officials from the Honglu Temple led them to stand outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Finally, the royal procession, or the guard of honor, came over, accompanying Emperor Xihe.
Not long after that, the sound of ministers paying homage in unison could be heard from the hall.
When the worship was over, a palace maid sang: "Announce the new scholars to enter the palace!"
Mei Ruochu and Wei Xi led the crowd and took another step under the guidance of the officials.
This time when they entered the palace, they were already officials. The eunuchs brought them the imperial robes and asked them to put them on immediately.
Only after being properly dressed can one formally enter the palace to pay homage to the emperor.
Emperor Xihe sat at the top, and all the ministers stood with their hands hanging down under the red steps. The atmosphere was solemn and dignified.
After all the newly-appointed scholars stood still, the officials of the Honglu Temple read the imperial edict aloud:
"In the fifth year of Xihe, the imperial examination was held for the candidates of the whole country. The first place was awarded the title of Jinshi Jidi, the second place was awarded the title of Jinshi Chuan, and the third place was awarded the title of Tong Jinshi Chuan."
"The first in the first class, Mei Ruochu——"
Mei Ruochu immediately followed the crowd out and knelt on the left side of the imperial road.
"Second in the first class, Chen Aoshuang——"
Chen Aoshuang also led the line and knelt down on the right side of the imperial road, slightly behind Mei Ruochu.
"Third place in the first class, Mu Hanshan—"
It took Mu Erpang a moment to react, and he realized, a little dazedly, that the person was calling him. After all, he had thought Wei Xi was better looking than him. After all, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, he was still a little immature and had not fully grown up yet.
There is also a popular saying among the people that if the levels of the candidates are similar, the emperor will usually choose the best-looking one as the third place.
Moreover, the top three winners in every subject throughout history did not have to worry about marriage - to be able to pass the exam, one must first of all be very talented and outstanding. Secondly, she has good looks that even the emperor has certified!
A talented and handsome third place winner is also a popular choice among the wealthy and powerful families.
When he went to bed the day before, he teased Wei Xi, calling him "Little Wei Tanhua" and asked him if he was going to get married soon. I don’t know which girl will be lucky enough to marry such a handsome and talented husband in the future.
The fun was over only after the red-faced Wei Xi punched him twice, neither too hard nor too lightly.
This morning, Mu Erpang even asked Chen Cui for half a bowl of loquat paste to drink, ready to show off his clear voice.
Unexpectedly, 'Xiao Wei Tanhua' did not appear, but there was an additional 'Xiao Mu Tanhua'.
Mu Erpang was waiting for the official to come and lead him out of the line. When he raised his eyes, he saw Wei Xi standing in front of him. He turned his face slightly, with a look on his face that seemed to be about to smile.
Naturally, he would not be unhappy that Mu Erpang got the position of the third place in the imperial examination, but he would exaggerate all the teasings that Mu Erpang had said before and give them all back to Mu Erpang after the ceremony was over!
Mu Erpang blushed, followed the officials out of the line, went to the left side of the imperial road, and knelt down slightly behind Chen Aoshuang to receive the reward.
"The king of ceremonies, Wei Xi, comes out and calls out the names of his people."
Wei Xi then solemnly stepped out to express his gratitude, then took the imperial edict and read it aloud:
"Second place in the second class, Li Zifeng."
…
"Second place, 20th place. Wei Shu."
…
"The fifth in the top three is Cui Fei."
…
This roll call lasted from morning to noon. Fortunately, the bowl of loquat paste in the morning warmed up his throat, and the rules had not been playing tricks on Wei Xi recently.
So even though he looked a little tired, he still persisted.
When the roll call was over, the Danhuang music started again, and all the ministers knelt down to pay homage and respectfully see Emperor Xihe off.
At this point, the ceremony of announcing the names of the successful candidates came to an end. Shangshu Wang from the Ministry of Rites held the yellow list and passed through the central route of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, out of the Meridian Gate, placed it in the Dragon Pavilion, performed the ceremony of three knocks, and finally sent the yellow list to East Chang'an Street for hanging.
All the successful candidates had to follow the yellow list. Once the list was sent outside, they would leave the palace.
At this time, the area around Chang'an Street was already filled with people waiting to see the list.
Although Shen Cui knew their rankings in advance through the light curtain, the system still settled the results based on the time she saw or heard with her own eyes, and today was also the graduation ceremony for the young men.
So not long after the young men entered the palace, she and Lao Buyu left the academy and waited here.
Compared with the long case of the imperial examination, the length of the Yellow List was several times longer, and each word was written in very large size.
Therefore, Chen Cui didn't have to squeeze to the front to see the words clearly.
After she finished reading, she immediately heard a series of announcements from the system -
[The No. 1 training candidate passed the imperial examination and ranked third in high school, and was awarded 10,000 shopping points. 】
[The No. 2 training candidate has passed the imperial examination and is admitted to high school, and is rewarded with 8,000 shopping points. 】
【No. 3……】
[No. 4…]
【No. 5...】
[No. 6…]
[Congratulations to the host for completing all the main tasks. You have passed the level and are rewarded with 100,000 shopping points. 】
[The academy has been upgraded to the maximum level, and the right to purchase all items has been opened. 】
[The host can leave this plane at any time. Do you want to execute it immediately? 】
Chen Cui first selected [No], and then opened the system mall. The first thing that caught her eye was the [Marrow Cleansing Pill] that she had been thinking about day and night for some time.
The price is not cheap, one costs 20,000 shopping points.
But for her now, it was nothing. She bought six at once and still had a lot left in her account.
[System, let’s start our new plan.] 】The smile on Chen Cui's face became more genuine.
The system's voice was also somewhat brisk, [Okay host, trap...]
Sensing Shen Cui's disapproval, he paused and continued: [The academy's enrollment plan has been opened. 】
(End of text)
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