Chapter 311 312. The new number one scholar, the sixth place winner Miao Yurui!
300 people were admitted in the spring examination.
As expected, Miao Yurui won first place and became the champion, and the palace examination was held shortly afterwards.
The palace examination is also known as the "court examination" or "imperial examination". Before the tribute students enter the palace examination, they must undergo a re-examination. The re-examination is of medium difficulty and can generally be passed successfully. Then they will enter the palace to meet the emperor and participate in the palace examination to determine their ranking.
Miao Yurui, Shu Ge'er and Shen Qiqi, who was barely selected, were all tribute students, but Gong Yangshi was not selected and could not enter the palace with them.
The palace examination is the most subjective and fastest-ranking exam. It lasts from morning to afternoon and the results are released at 3:00 PM. The twenty most experienced examiners give scores according to their preferences and rank the candidates according to the total scores. Finally, the emperor decides the final ranking.
Miao Yurui's article is undoubtedly outstanding, but for various reasons, it is only ranked in the upper middle among the papers submitted by the examiners.
The emperor undoubtedly favored the Changning Marquisate.
then--
"New number one scholar Miao Yurui——"
When the rankings were announced, Miao Yurui walked out from among the tribute students with an open and generous manner, bowed respectfully to the emperor, his face neither arrogant nor impatient, his tone neither humble nor overbearing:
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite."
Emperor Wanqi Xia raised his hand with a gentle smile on his face and spoke a few words full of appreciation and satisfaction.
When the newly crowned number one, number two, number three, and the second and third place Jinshi had all come out, they would ride on horses through the streets in brocade robes and red flowers to receive the greetings of the people of Kyoto.
At this time, the young ladies and gentlemen who had been following many rules were able to come out to see the new scholars. Most of them were on the second floor of the street market, covering their faces with round fans and veils, revealing a pair of eyes that glanced at the scholars on the street.
Officials in the court who have children of marriageable age will also observe these new scholars after the results are announced. Those who they like may become potential sons-in-law in the future.
This is the grand event that takes place every three years - choosing a son-in-law from the list.
Having a wife with a strong family background to help in their careers would be a great help to these new scholars, especially if they could have a daughter-in-law who was from a prominent family or a high-ranking official, which would save them twenty years of hard work.
Therefore, students who are confident that they can pass the exam generally do not get married early. If they get married too early, they may be labeled as "addicted to sex", "indulging in trivial love affairs", and "lacking ambition". Therefore, Lei Shengjiang, who got married too early, had a very low reputation before.
But this year, it is a little different.
The man who was leading the way had a handsome and delicate face unlike other Jinshi. He wore a red robe with a big red flower, which made his appearance as beautiful as the moon and as graceful as a bamboo.
"This year's top scholar is even more handsome than the third place winner!"
"I wonder if they're married?"
"This number one scholar looks so familiar, I feel like I've seen him somewhere..."
"Stupid! This is the wife of the Crown Prince of the Changning Marquisate. How could your family be so slow to catch on to the news?"
"Is this the guy who ranked first in the academy exam and the provincial exam last year?"
"Big six yuan... there haven't been many six yuan since the founding of the dynasty. It would be great if he was a son."
The young ladies and brothers from the noble families upstairs were whispering to each other, but the ordinary boys and girls from the common people on the street didn't think so much. When they saw such a handsome and powerful top scholar, they threw the flowers in their hands to him in clusters.
The flowers fell on Miao Yurui, and a pink peach blossom landed right on his temple. Suddenly, his face and the peach blossom matched each other's red, but the peach blossom was not as bright as his face, which stunned many girls and boys on the street.
At such an important moment, the Lei family, especially Lei Shengjiang, could not be absent.
Lei Shengjiang was certain that Miao Yurui would get a good ranking. As soon as Miao Yurui came to the market on horseback, he saw him at a glance. Seeing that he was the top scorer, he was even happier than he was himself. He excitedly waved at Miao Yurui and called his name.
"Yu Rui!"
"Yurui, you are awesome!"
"You are the first number one scholar in our family!"
The streets are bustling.
Lei Shengjiang shouted and waved for a long time before Miao Yurui caught his voice in the noise. He subconsciously looked down and saw that familiar smiling face.
"Yu Rui!"
"Ginger..."
Miao Yurui also smiled at him. He had an elegant and delicate face, and his smile was like a spring breeze blowing on flowers, adding a bit of beauty and being very eye-catching.
Lei Shengjiang held a basket full of flowers in his hand and threw them hard towards Miao Yurui. Seeing that others threw more than him, he threw even more, as if he was competing with others, which was a bit childish.
Miao Yurui couldn't help laughing, his eyes following Lei Shengjiang's figure. Lei Shengjiang followed him all the way, and he followed him even after all the flowers in the basket were thrown away.
The horse gallops in the spring breeze, and all the flowers in Chang'an can be seen in one day.
It is the time when spring flowers are in full bloom. There are many families in Kyoto who grow flowers. They have now opened their doors, waiting for the new Jinshi to pick a flower from their garden and share in the new Jinshi's joy and blessings.
The horse race through the streets is over.
Miao Yurui could not return to the Changning Marquis Mansion yet because there was a Luming Banquet in the evening to celebrate the new Jinshi.
The Lu Ming Banquet was a royal meal served by the emperor to entertain students taking the imperial examinations, with deer as the main dish, to express the emperor's great grace and respect for talents.
Deer have always been revered as immortal beasts, and symbolize rare talents. The emperor is the Son of Heaven, and "ming" means a gift from heaven. Therefore, this imperial meal with the emperor as the host and talented people as the guests is named "Lu Ming Banquet", which means a banquet where the emperor seeks and values talents.
At the Lu Ming Banquet, not only the emperor will attend the banquet, but also some ministers in the court. This is also the time for new scholars to choose their sides. If they are noticed by a high-ranking official and can become his disciple, it means they have gained an extra help.
The Marquis of Changning would naturally go to his mansion.
At the Lu Ming Banquet, the emperor simply said a few words of encouragement, stayed for a while and then left.
The newly-appointed Jinshi scholars each went to visit the adults they had chosen. The reputation of Marquis Changning in Kyoto was mixed, with the bad being the majority. The cautious Jinshi scholars would not easily choose to show themselves in front of Lei Li, for fear of being targeted by other adults.
"Daddy."
Miao Yurui naturally did not hesitate. As soon as the emperor left, he went to Lei Li.
"Be good, come and sit down."
Lei Li looked at Miao Yurui with a smile and waved at him, "How do you feel? Yurui stole the show today, wearing the red robe of the top scholar, he is so handsome."
"What a pity! If Daddy were twenty years younger, he would definitely like Yurui as well."
“Daddy…”
Miao Yurui blushed a little and said, "I feel fine, no different from usual."
Normally, Miao Yurui would represent the Changning Marquisate to attend some banquets and appear in front of the public, so even though he recognized more people and was more enthusiastic when playing horse racing in the street today, he was indifferent in his heart.
Being loved and admired by so many people is not as touching as being tired of ginger's smile.
"After today, the Ministry of Personnel will arrange a position for you. Usually, it will be placed in the Hanlin Academy or a good position of the sixth or fifth rank. There are also cases of posting you outside the capital."
Lei Li said, "The Ministry of Personnel is all His Majesty's people. I'll ask His Majesty to bring you here. You can work with Lei Shengjiang or just hold a sinecure."
"I want to share Daddy's worries like Jiang."
Miao Yurui said.
Although he did not like to enter official circles and socialize with others, he was well aware of his family's situation. If he held an idle position and did nothing, there would definitely be people who would say that the emperor was partial to their Changning Marquisate and gave him the top spot.
If he could do something concrete in his own name, others would not look down on him or the Changning Marquisate, and his father's situation would be much better.
"I also want to serve under the Marquis."
Shuger and Shen Qiqi also said so.
The two of them came here with Miao Yurui. They were Lei Zhouzhou's friends, so of course they were standing at Marquis Changning's mansion to prevent Marquis Changning from being left out at this time.
They really admired Marquis Changning and admired how he could carve out a path for himself in this era when men were officials and emperors. Not only did he expand and strengthen his business, but he was also appreciated by the emperor for his own abilities and rose to become the super-first-class Marquis Changning overnight.
Throughout history, even among men, how many could be as upright and resolute as Marquis Changning?
"OK."
Lei Li was naturally happy. The two men's personalities suited his taste and their abilities were quite good. He had long wanted to get them to work for him, but since they were Zhou Zhou's friends, he felt embarrassed to exploit the younger generation.
Since they both spoke sincerely, he should "mercifully" agree to it!
"I'll find you a good position in a couple of days and make sure you can shine." He was very busy.
"Thank you, my Lord."
Shen Qiqi laughed happily, and Shu Ge'er also smiled.
Shen Qiqi was still young, only eighteen and unmarried, and she still had the innocence of youth. Shu Ge'er, on the other hand, was already married. He took the county exam to protect Zhou Zhou, but now he really wanted to become an official, to use his position as a stepping stone to escape the high walls of being a wife and raising children.
No one is as capable as him, no one has a high position like him. Even if you are his husband, you have to go home and take care of the children, otherwise he will divorce you!
Shu Ge'er thought to himself that since he came from a wealthy family, even if they divorced, he could still live well with his children, and he could let others talk about his reputation.
There were also some Jinshi at the Lu Ming Banquet who wanted to give it a try. Since they couldn't show up in front of more stable adults, it was better for them to be familiar to Marquis Changning than nothing.
So after a brief observation, several Jinshi came to visit Lei Li.
Lei Li has a good temper and a kind personality. He also likes to play the pig and eat the tiger. Compared with other powerful officials, he is the most approachable.
But he did not test their academic ability, but gossiped about their feelings.
"Do you have a wife or husband at home?"
"Do you have a sweetheart?"
"You didn't like anyone when you were in school? So many guys and girls didn't catch your eye, so what kind of person do you like?"
But these problems are much more difficult for these Jinshi scholars than the test of talent and learning.
As we all know, scholars will be laughed at for their love affairs. Although it is just a small emotional issue, it questions their way of dealing with people and things. They should think twice before making a decision!
Lei Li, who was just gossiping, said: "......?"
Are his questions difficult to answer?
Not long after, several Jinshi expressed their opinions. Some were righteous and put the country first, while others knew the situation of the prince of Changning Marquis's Mansion and answered conservatively. Only one person answered the question honestly.
"At home, I have a wife who is my childhood sweetheart, and two lovely children."
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