The Jiang family hurriedly returned to their rented courtyard, waiting for the yamen runners to arrive with the good news.
There was a constant flow of people in front of the ranking list, but Jiang Shuyun didn't squeeze forward to see who was number one.
As they walked back, the sound of gongs and drums continued. Students who had rented courtyards nearby or stayed in inns had passed the exams, and messengers had come to their doors with gongs and drums to announce their good news.
Congratulations kept coming, making it impossible to tell who they were being congratulated to.
Amidst these celebratory voices, the voices of those who were disappointed, lonely, sorrowful, and desperate were ignored.
When the yamen runners delivered the good news to their door, the Jiang family breathed a sigh of relief. Passing the imperial examination was now a certainty.
Steward Li prepared very generous red envelopes, much more than those for the provincial examination.
In the capital city, everything is a cut above the rest.
After seeing off the neighbors who came to announce the good news and offer their congratulations, Jiang Shuyun and her family could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
My mood has been fluctuating wildly since this morning, and I'm incredibly nervous.
"There's nothing much to do now, everyone can take a break. You've all been busy all morning and are exhausted."
Jiang Shuyun herself was also tired; she had gotten up too early and was on edge.
As soon as he finished speaking, a series of yawns could be heard.
In the afternoon, Jiang Shuyun and the others went to check the list again and learned that the first place was Chu Mufeng, a scholar from Jiangnan, who was a middle-aged man in his thirties.
The second place went to Han Chensheng, a student from a poor family. He was already quite famous before the imperial examination, even though he was only in his early twenties.
The third place winner is said to be Li Duanyun, a young prodigy from a prestigious family.
Jiang Shuyun didn't recognize any of them. After looking at the list and getting a general idea, she returned to her courtyard to prepare for the palace examination.
Meanwhile, in a nearby inn, many stewards and officials-looking men were already making contact with the successful candidates.
"Scholar Chu, my master greatly admires you. Knowing that both you and my master are scholars from Jiangnan, he has specially prepared a banquet and cordially invites Scholar Chu to attend."
Chu Mufeng readily agreed. He knew that someone of his status would not be able to work alone when he served as an official in the court; he would always need to find a powerful patron to rely on.
People from other factions were doing the same thing; after the annual imperial examinations, this had become a common occurrence.
The most unusual thing was the inn where the second-place scholar, Han, stayed, and the steward who came was a wealthy and burly man.
“Scholar Han, my master is a royal merchant who is in charge of many affairs of the Imperial Household Department. He knows that Scholar Han is very learned, and since my master is a person who appreciates talent, he would like to become related to Scholar Han.”
My young lady is sixteen years old, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Most importantly, her dowry is generous, which will be helpful to Han Jinshi's future career.
The portly butler twirled the ring on his finger and rattled off a long list of benefits of the marriage alliance between the two families.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I already have a fiancée at home."
Han Chensheng refused without hesitation. He came from a poor family and his fiancée had given him her full support; he couldn't forget his roots.
"Scholar Han, what can your fiancée do for you? Money, connections, nothing. Once you enter officialdom, you'll find that money and connections are essential for becoming an official."
The fat butler spoke with great enthusiasm, his tone revealing his disdain.
Han Chensheng remained unmoved and politely saw the fat butler off.
Because among the top three, the first place is a middle-aged man, who must have a wife and children. The third place is from a prominent family, and he wouldn't marry into such a family casually.
Han Chensheng, who came in second place, was a highly sought-after prize. Unfortunately, this prize was already taken.
Other candidates who made the list also had their own experiences, but Jiang Shuyun stayed at home without any of these troubles.
Since arriving in the capital, he has kept a low profile and rarely participates in student gatherings, living like a nobody.
After two days of excitement, the day of the palace examination arrived.
The final rankings can only be determined after the palace examination.
Early in the morning, Jiang Shuyun got up, burned incense, took a bath, dressed neatly, and went to participate in the palace examination.
The palace examination was held in the imperial palace, mostly in the main hall.
Jiang Shuyun and all the other students who participated in the palace examination followed the officials who guided them to first pay homage to the memorial tablets of the loyal and brave martyrs, expressing their respect for the sages' loyalty and courage.
Afterwards, they entered a specially set up temporary examination room and took their seats in order.
During the exam, candidates will choose one question from the set of questions to answer. The time allotted is two hours, and candidates must complete their answers within the allotted time, ensuring that their handwriting is neat and fluent.
The most dangerous thing was that examiners and the emperor would be watching. In particular, the emperor would occasionally walk up to a candidate and pause briefly, making everyone extremely nervous.
Jiang Shuyun walked along without daring to look around. He had originally hoped to see how this palace differed from the Forbidden City he had visited, but in the end, apart from the stone-paved road beneath his feet, he saw little else.
After receiving the exam questions, he chose one of them and wrote about something related to education, which was his forte.
It wasn't written in a grand or elaborate style, nor did it use overly ornate language; it simply described the current state of reading in a factual manner.
Within the allotted time, Jiang Shuyun finished her exam paper and carefully checked it again, making sure there were no taboo words and avoiding any special words.
After the palace examination ended, everyone left in an orderly manner, awaiting the results.
Jiang Shuyun wasn't too worried. His answer sheet wasn't particularly impressive, but it didn't cross any lines that shouldn't be crossed either.
As someone from modern times, he doesn't have a deep understanding of many of the unspoken rules of ancient times; all he can talk about are academic theories.
However, my experiences living in ancient times over the past few years, the things I've heard and seen, and the real-world issues related to education and reading have given me some insights.
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