Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 250 Second Class A
"Bai'er?"

As soon as Sheng Changbai returned, Madam Wang got up first, took a few steps out of the front hall, and grabbed him.

"Bai'er, you?"

Madam Wang hesitated, wanting to speak but unsure whether to. Her face was filled with worry.

As a mother, Wang Ruofu may have made some mistakes, but if we only consider her intentions, she is undoubtedly very competent, at least much better than Sheng Hong.

"Mother!"

Seeing Madam Wang's anxious expression, he responded.

"Mother, rest assured, nothing unexpected happened during your imperial examination!"

Sheng Changbai remained as composed as ever. He grasped Madam Wang's hand in return, nodded to her, and explained the procedures for today's palace examination.

In fact, it wasn't just Madam Wang and others who were curious about the process of the imperial examination; even Sheng Hong, who had participated once before, perked up his ears and listened quietly.

Back then, although Sheng Hong had also participated in the palace examination, he was extremely nervous and apprehensive, and had no time to observe anything else. Therefore, he was not very clear about the specific details of that palace examination.

Not to mention, so many years have passed, how could Sheng Hong possibly remember?

However, now that Sheng Changbai has entered the palace examination, he should be able to achieve something if nothing unexpected happens.

The biggest difference is simply the ranking.

Those who achieved the highest rank in the palace examination were naturally the top three scholars: the first-ranked scholar, the second-ranked scholar, and the third-ranked scholar, who were granted the title of Jinshi (进士).

The second class was the second grade, awarded the title of Jinshi (进士), with about a hundred people passing the exam, accounting for one-third of the total number of candidates. The rest were the third grade, who were also Jinshi.

Back then, Sheng Hong was just a third-class candidate, but he still managed to get the title of a third-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

"...Therefore, Mother can rest assured!"

Finally, Sheng Changbai said this.

After Sheng Changbai's explanation, Madam Wang was immediately certain.

She knew that Sheng Changbai was always reliable in his words and deeds, and since he had said so, it must be true.

"Cough cough!"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't hold back any longer!

"Changbai!"

Before anyone knew it, Sheng Hong had already arrived near Sheng Changbai. He stepped forward, adopting his usual stern fatherly demeanor, and asked in a deep voice, "What do you think of this year's palace examination?"

"Is...is there any chance we can hit the target?"

Sheng Hong asked a question after careful consideration.

Although Sheng Hong didn't say it explicitly, everyone present could tell that he was asking Sheng Changbai if he could get into the top three.

A top-tier team!
Sheng Changbai shook his head at this.

"Father!"

"My son isn't confident this time!"

Sheng Changbai released Wang Ruofu's right hand, bowed respectfully to Sheng Hong, and then said solemnly, "Father, I know that I am not a prodigy!"

"He has no extraordinary talent in the imperial examinations. The reason my son has achieved this is simply through hard work!"

"I think to myself, even if I am extremely lucky in this imperial examination, I will at most be ranked in the second class and be granted the title of Jinshi!"

"As for the first rank, my son is absolutely out of the question!"

Sheng Changbai was very clear about his own position. He knew that he did not have the same talent as his younger brother in the imperial examination essays. In fact, he was even somewhat ashamed of himself compared to Sheng Changfeng.

As he himself said, he was able to surpass Sheng Changfeng and participate in the palace examination because of his solid academic foundation. In other words, Sheng Changbai persevered with extraordinary willpower and ultimately turned the tide, defeating Sheng Changfeng, who was more talented than him.

In fact, Sheng Changbai was just being modest.

Perhaps Sheng Changfeng is a little more talented than him, but Sheng Changbai's talent is not to be underestimated. In fact, he is much smarter than most people.

After all, the imperial examination was a way for the court to recruit the best talents in the country, and Sheng Changbai's ability to stand out must have been due to his extraordinary qualities.

"what?"

"Bai'er, what are you saying?"

Hearing Sheng Changbai belittle himself like that, Madam Wang was delighted!
Ignoring Sheng Hong, who was about to speak, she blurted out without thinking, "Bai'er, your participation in the palace examination is already the greatest honor for the Sheng family!"

"How can it be as terrible as you describe?"

Madam Wang looked displeased. She brushed the dust off Sheng Changbai's clothes with a handkerchief and comforted him, "If you're not a genius, then who is?"

"Bai'er, in your mother's heart, you are truly the unicorn of the Sheng family!"

At this point, Madam Wang seemed afraid that her husband would relapse into his old habit of scolding their son, so she quickly added, "Besides, your father wasn't much different back then!"

Ignoring Sheng Hong's darkening expression, Madam Wang continued, "In fact, he's not even as good as you!"

"You know, he was only a junior Jinshi back then, not even as good as my Bai'er who was granted the title of Jinshi!"

Wang Ruofu trusted Sheng Changbai, his son who looked remarkably like his father, and was very convinced by his judgment, even concluding that Sheng Changbai had already qualified for the second tier of the imperial examinations.

However, as soon as Madam Wang said those words, the atmosphere in the whole room changed instantly!
Changfeng, Rulan, Molan, Minglan, and Sheng Changquan, who were standing behind Sheng Hong and his wife, were all starting to have headaches.

"That lady really doesn't know when to speak!"

Everyone thought the same thing, and even Ru Lan couldn't help but feel a little disgusted.

They never expected that in front of all the children, Madam Wang would be so "open-minded," directly exposing the shortcomings of Sheng Hong, the father.

It should be understood that in today's world, such behavior is definitely not something to be encouraged.

After all, such an action is almost tantamount to "setting a child up as unfilial"!
In other words, Madam Wang can speak, but the children cannot listen; otherwise, it would be considered unfilial!

So, the children looked at each other for a few moments, and then, with their tacit understanding built over the years, they each stepped back, preparing to leave the space to Mr. and Mrs. Sheng Hong.

Of course, perhaps we should add Sheng Changbai as well.

From this day forward, Sheng Changbai is finally qualified to carry on the legacy of the Sheng family.

……

No one knows exactly how Qi Heng negotiated with the people from the Prince of Yong's mansion. Even Princess Pingning and Princess Jiacheng were completely unaware. Only the two people directly involved at the time knew the truth.

However, Qi Heng eventually managed to bring the Duke of Qi back from the Prince of Yong's residence.

However, after he finished doing all this, he suddenly fell ill and was unable to attend the celebration banquet held by the Sheng family.

That's right, Sheng Changbai's prediction was extremely accurate!
He truly did rank second, just as he himself said.

Moreover, his ranking is quite good; apart from the top three, there are only fourteen people above him.

Although there are quite a few people in the second tier, their rankings are extremely important because they represent each person's standing in the eyes of the officials.

That said, the reason the Sheng family didn't hold a celebration banquet for Sheng Changbai's success in the provincial examination was not only because of concerns about Qi Heng and others, but also because of their current concerns—they wanted to wait until Sheng Changbai succeeded in the palace examination before celebrating together.

Of course, this idea was only a tacit understanding between Old Madam Sheng and Sheng Hong. As for Madam Wang's idea, it would be best to hold two events!

I haven't been feeling well lately, so I'm going to organize my thoughts!

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(End of this chapter)