Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 196 This ranking is incredible!

Zhang Yuyang took the answer sheet and casually glanced at it.

Huang Wan gently held her breath.

A paper that has been approved by the examiners is called a recommended paper.

Once a paper is recommended, the chances of it being selected are at least 50%.

If the deputy chief examiner also approves of a paper and writes "select" on it, the chance of being admitted jumps to nine out of ten, practically a certainty.

Because the two chief examiners held roughly equal positions in the officialdom, and sometimes the deputy examiner even held a higher official position, only slightly less senior in the academic world.

For example, Huang Wan and Zhang Yuyang were like this. Huang Wan was a rising star in the Grand Rites Controversy and the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Although Zhang Yuyang was a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, he had no real power. Therefore, Zhang Yuyang should not refuse Huang Wan's request.

Zhang Yuyang had indeed acted in this way before. He was already a semi-retired figure, and there was no need for him to compete with the powerful Daliyi Group in the officialdom. He also personally recognized Huang Wan's level of expertise. However, after he took the exam paper and casually glanced at a few sentences, his brows suddenly twitched.

It wasn't just because the quality of the answer sheet was rather poor, but also because of the writing style, which he had seen before.

Just after the examiners for the imperial examination were appointed, Yan Song sent someone to visit him privately and made a request.

When Zhang Yuyang first heard about the request, he was shocked. He believed that this leader of the Qingliu faction was pleading for his son's success in the imperial examination.

But soon, Zhang Yuyang realized with shame that he had been judging others by his own petty standards.

Yan Song did not request that his son Yan Shifan pass the exam; on the contrary, he wanted his son to fail.

Of course, it's not about indiscriminately distinguishing right from wrong.

Yan Song compiled many of Yan Shifan's articles and sent them to him, saying that with such a level of writing, it was already a stroke of luck for him to pass the provincial examination. If his articles did not improve significantly in the metropolitan examination and remained as clever in wording but lacking in style, he would be absolutely unqualified to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and should be rejected!

Zhang Yuyang agreed wholeheartedly after reading it. This level of skill was indeed barely enough to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), and that would only be in a provincial capital where the competition was not too fierce. If it were in the culturally rich Jiangnan region, he would not even be on the list, let alone become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination).

This also makes me vaguely feel that this person is making a mountain out of a molehill.

Yan Shifan was not capable enough, and Yan Song was unwilling to pull strings for his son to get on the list through cheating. So he was naturally rejected. Why bother to give him special treatment? It was a waste of time.

But at this moment, staring at the paper handed to him, at that familiar writing style, at that large "take" character, Zhang Yuyang took a deep breath and looked at Huang Wan.

Huang Wan felt guilty and, having never done anything like this before, immediately looked away.

Zhang Yuyang was absolutely certain that the other party had done this intentionally, and that he had unwittingly become involved in the power struggle between the old and new cabinet ministers.

He closed his eyelids slightly, then picked up his pen without hesitation and wrote the word "dismissed," saying calmly, "To Chief Examiner Huang!"

Huang Wan took the exam paper, her expression changed slightly, but she didn't question it. She handed it to the servant next to her and whispered, "Disqualify him!"

The brief exchange ended without most of the examiners noticing.

After catching her breath, Huang Wan composed herself and continued grading the papers.

The candles burned brightly, and after three days and nights, all the selected answer sheets had been chosen and counted; there were 325 people.

Therefore, another group of people with lower levels of ability were selected, and more than 20 people were eliminated, resulting in a total of 298 people making the list.

The provincial examination determined whether someone stayed or left, while the palace examination determined their ranking. Being on this list basically meant that this was the list of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examination) of the eleventh year of the Jiajing reign (1542).

However, the top few still need to be ranked.

Huang Wan put aside those distracting thoughts and picked out the answer sheet she thought was the best, suggesting, "Master Zhang, this person should be the top scholar!"

Zhang Yuyang recognized him as one of the scholars from the same school and shook his head slightly.

These articles, all from the same school, are of high quality and rank among the best. If they were to win the top prize in the imperial examination, they would stand out from the crowd.

Therefore, Zhang Yuyang specially selected a document: "The text on cloth, silk, beans, and millet must belong to a virtuous and upright gentleman. I intend to appoint this person as the top scholar in the imperial examination. What do you all think?"

Many examiners circulated the papers and found them to be excellent, with comparable levels of writing skills. Even if one examiner felt that another's paper was more to their liking, there was no need to refute it.

"Since none of you are interested, then it's settled."

Zhang Yuyang pointed out the top scholar.

Then the one whose writing was precise and skillful, and whose words were refreshing to read, was ranked second.

The one with the best talent, but unfortunately underperformed in the third round, was ranked fifth;

One who was upright, elegant, reasonable, and eloquent was ranked ninth;
One who was strict in his adherence to the law and whose words were clear and resounding was ranked tenth;
Looking at the list, the chief examiner exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Truly remarkable!"

The other examiners were also amazed.

If these four people truly came from the same school, even the Eight Talented Scholars, who are quite famous in the literary world today, could not have achieved such brilliance in the past.

All four passed, and were even among the top ten! Thinking of this, Zhang Yuyang felt a mix of anticipation and envy: "When I meet the Emperor in the palace examination, I wonder how he will favor me? If I can write another excellent piece, I will surely be remembered in history and my name will be remembered for generations to come!"

……

There was still a two-week gap between the completion of the imperial examination and the release of the results.

However, unlike the provincial examination, the results of the provincial examination were usually only revealed on the day the results were announced, while the list of candidates for the metropolitan examination was revealed much faster.

This is because it also involves marriage alliances among scholar-officials.

The Ming Dynasty did not have a large-scale tradition of selecting sons-in-law through examinations.

The most common practice of "marrying a son-in-law after the imperial examination" was to arrange a marriage between a wealthy merchant and a lower-ranking scholar. To put it bluntly, it was a collusion between officials and merchants, involving the exchange of money and power.

However, once a scholar in the Ming Dynasty passed the imperial examination and became a Juren, he immediately gained a very high social status. He would either look down on families of merchants, or even if he married a wealthy merchant's daughter, he would not resort to such a degrading method as "finding a son-in-law after the results of the examination".

Secretly inquiring about the list of those who passed the imperial examination is a very good method.

Once the list of unmarried young scholars is determined, these people will be highly sought after, and those who are quick to grab them will be gone!
As a result, the Imperial College became lively.

"I've heard that you two gentlemen passed the imperial examinations at a young age and are exceptionally talented, so I've specially asked this old woman to arrange a marriage between you!"

"This lady is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her looks are absolutely stunning!"

"Is there anything else that doesn't suit your tastes? You two gentlemen are disciples of the Emperor, with boundless futures ahead of you. Many wealthy and noble families are eyeing your talents! This old woman has come today to deliver a message, and will bring your birth certificates another day to discuss it in detail!"

Haiyue finally managed to get rid of another matchmaker and returned to her dormitory, saying helplessly, "Dealing with these people is more tiring than taking the imperial examination again..."

Hai Rui, standing to the side, blushed slightly and said with dissatisfaction, "These matchmakers really dare to say such things. The results of the provincial examination have not yet been released, and the palace examination has not even been held. What do they mean by 'young people passing the imperial examination' and 'being a disciple of the emperor'? They are too bold!"

Su Zhigao walked in, bowing repeatedly: "They may be bold, but they're very well-informed. Congratulations!"

Su Zhigao, at the age of forty-three, was already married with four children and two grandchildren, so he was certainly not a matchmaker's target. After Lin Daqin explained that he was already married in his hometown and had no intention of divorcing, the matchmaker stopped bothering him. That left the Hai brothers.

However, there was another person muttering to themselves nearby.

Yan Shifan chuckled dryly, "Why...why hasn't anyone come looking for me?"

Haiyue glanced at him speechlessly: "Donglou, have you forgotten that you're already engaged and the betrothal gifts have been given?"

"Oh right! Yes, yes, yes!"

Yan Shifan slapped his forehead.

In his nervousness, he completely forgot about Xia Qingwu, whom he was supposed to win over.

To be honest, after finishing this imperial examination, he felt something was amiss.

Fortunately, even though he felt he hadn't performed well in the previous provincial examination, it turned out that he still passed the exam based on his genuine talent and learning.

Therefore, Yan Shifan felt that although he had not performed very well in this imperial examination, he might still be ranked last again!
Hey, I made the list!

Even if I just casually study, I can become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)!

Are you angry?
It's a pity that one can't find out if they're on the list by having a matchmaker come to their door; this is the bitterness of married scholars!
'Hmph! If Xia Qingwu is ungrateful and divorces me directly, I can always choose another one… I should also go back to Biyu Hall to see Xiaoqin and Xiaofeng. They must miss me terribly after so long!'

Thinking of this, Yan Shifan no longer cared about feigning illness to save face. He rolled his eyes, made an excuse, and disappeared.

Haiyue ignored the guy, but the matchmaker also stirred her thoughts.

With the imperial examinations coming to an end and the official entry into government service imminent, getting married was indeed a necessary step.

The Ming Dynasty was different from the Song Dynasty. Due to various reasons, many scholars in the Song Dynasty married late. Women from prominent families married at an average age of around twenty, which was probably the latest in all dynasties.

However, the Ming Dynasty was different. If a woman married at the age of twenty, she was considered an old maid and would even be suspected of having a problem. Similarly, the marriage age for men was between sixteen and twenty. If a man was older than that, unless he was really so poor that he couldn't afford to eat, he would also be questioned.

The same applies to those who enter officialdom through the imperial examinations. To become an official, it is natural to have a family to appear more stable. Otherwise, a person without children, who comes and goes freely, will always give off a sense of threat, as if he might plot something at any time.

Haiyue realized this, and since it was better to get married sooner rather than later, she proposed to her parents that she was going to marry Li Yuying. However, her parents neither agreed nor disagreed, and so it was dragged on. Now the imperial examinations are over, and matchmakers have come to the door. Are they really going to wait until Annam is destroyed?

With that thought in mind, Haiyue couldn't stay any longer and made an excuse to leave the Imperial Academy.

Just as he returned to the backyard of the Yinglue Society, he saw Haihao coming out and smiling, "Thirteen Lang, you've come back just in time! I was just about to look for you! Come and see!"

As he spoke, he led him into the house, and then very naturally dragged out a man covered in wounds.

Haiyue was stunned: "Who is this person?"

Hai Hao explained: "He is Mo Dengyong's son, Mo Guangqi. We wanted to invite him to the Yinglue Society, but a small misunderstanding occurred along the way, and we killed all his guards before we were able to invite him over."

(End of this chapter)