There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 305 The Number One Scholar

That afternoon, a yellow notice was posted.

Cheng Siju brought one person to view the results, while Wang Yang and another candidate from Susong had already returned by boat at the end of last month.

Having failed the provincial examination, there's no point in staying in Jingzhou; in fact, it would only mean incurring the high cost of living there.

Although Nie Yu never said he wanted to establish the capital in Jingzhou, the Han King's Mansion was indeed located in Jingzhou, which was a strategic point connecting the two provinces of Huguang and was situated in the Jianghan Plain.

Jingzhou has long been no longer the capital, but it is more like the capital.

Even if the Han Dynasty moves its capital to another place in the future, Jingzhou's development level is unlikely to drop in the short term.

Cheng Siju and the other newly appointed Jinshi were able to stay in Jingzhou entirely because the government provided them with free accommodation in the post stations, while those who failed the provincial examination had to move out within a specified period.

By the way, the inn provides lodging but not food; you have to bring your own money for meals, and you can also set up a stall in your spare time.

This was a spectacle unique to the ancient imperial examinations, where one could see many successful candidates from the imperial examinations setting up stalls on the streets to sell local specialties during the examinations.

There were even a few unsuccessful candidates who failed the imperial examinations, but they would go to the capital every year to take the exams in order to help their hometowns sell local specialties and goods.

Because scholars traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations had official documents issued by the government, they were exempt from paying tolls and could even go further by using the post stations' laborers, official boats, and carriages for free.

"Don't let it happen! Don't let it happen!"

The list of the top three scholars was posted first, and the area beneath it was filled with scholars who came to view the list and pray silently.

They had already passed the palace examination and were now newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). Naturally, they did not want to be among the bottom three on the list, as only those who had passed the Jinshi examination were in the top three.

Although a fellow Jinshi is still a Jinshi, he is far inferior to a Jinshi, and his official appointment will definitely be at the lowest level.

Cheng Siju also silently prayed in his heart: "Don't have me, please don't have me."

He opened his eyes and looked around. There were only thirty-one people on the list of the top three, and his name was not among them. There were not even any Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from Anhui.

Cheng Siju breathed a sigh of relief. While he was relieved, others were not so lucky.

A scholar from Hunan named Liu Zhigang was somewhat disappointed to see that he was only ranked third on the list of the top three, but he quickly regained his composure.

The third rank was indeed too low. Even the top-ranked third rank was still very low. Only those who passed the imperial examination with the same rank would be eligible for a lower starting official position than those who passed the second or first rank. In particular, Nie Yu strictly limited the official ranks that imperial examination graduates could be granted. Those who passed the first or second rank could be better off, but those who passed the third rank could only become minor officials of the ninth rank (town mayor of the ninth rank).

Fortunately, the Han Dynasty was not a puppet Qing Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, even if an official was of low rank, he could slowly climb the ranks based on his political achievements, and there was no difference in treatment between those who had passed the imperial examinations.

The list of the top three scholars was quickly read, and the number of scholars who had been looking at the list decreased by a third. They were all fellow graduates of the top three list, and only a dozen or so remained to continue looking at the list with their friends and classmates.

Another second-place finisher has been posted.

Cheng Siju concentrated and held his breath, closing his eyes for a long time. He started looking from the last place in the second class and kept looking until he saw the eighth place in the second class. Finally, he saw his own name.

Although I felt a little disappointed, I was generally satisfied. Achieving a top-three finish is not something that ordinary people can easily hope for; it requires substantial content, genuine talent, and the ability to outshine all the talented people in the world.

Cheng Siju felt that he was already very impressive and lucky to have achieved eighth place in the second division.

He was indeed very lucky. If he had known that he was originally ranked in the top three by the cabinet ministers, and that it was only after the King of Han reviewed his papers that he was exceptionally promoted to the eighth rank in the second class, he probably would have sworn on the spot to devote himself to the Han Dynasty until his dying breath.

In fact, it's pretty much the same now; a second-class Jinshi is still a Jinshi, not a Tongjinshi.

What incredible luck! He couldn't even pass the provincial examination under the puppet Qing dynasty, but he managed to pass the imperial examination in the Han dynasty, ranking eighth in the second class.

At this moment, Cheng Siju had completely forgotten his original intention in deciding to come to the Great Han to participate in the imperial examination.

If the King of Han wants to divide their land, then let him divide it!
He had already passed the imperial examination and was about to become an official in the Han Dynasty.

Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the king.

The fact that the king allocated land to their families is a great favor from the king. As his subjects, they should be grateful and moved to tears. How could they harbor resentment?
While Cheng Siju was still lost in thought, the clerk in charge of posting the notices finally produced the last yellow notice.

"A top-ranking scholar!"

"Deng Xianhe, the third-ranked scholar, was from Xinhua, Hunan."

Deng Xianhe slowly squeezed out from among the scholars looking at the list, his face full of high spirits.

Those around him were quite surprised to see that the third-ranked scholar was so young. Deng Xianhe was only twenty-three years old this year, which made him one of the youngest among his fellow scholars.

Cheng Siju, who was standing relatively close to the front, was secretly excited and pleased, but when he saw that the third-ranked scholar was so young, he was quite impressed.

The world is indeed full of talented people, as numerous as carp crossing a river!

Let alone the best talents in the world, this time it's the two lakes and one-third of Jiangxi, and there are still so many talents that he can't possibly pass the test.

"Deng Xianhe... Chu Nan Deng Xianhe? You're the Chu Nan Deng Xianhe from the previous debate in the official gazette?"

Some scholars found the name quite familiar, and after thinking carefully, they suddenly realized that this was the same person they had seen at the debate in the official gazette.

Despite being just an unknown junior, he openly started a debate with an article, shifting the focus of the debate from the core issues of male-female relationships and the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues to the interpretation of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and Confucian classics.

Because Deng Xianhe, the third-ranked scholar in this imperial examination, directly denied the core argument of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, "Preserve the principles of Heaven and eliminate human desires," and further denied the "principles of Heaven" rule of Neo-Confucianism.

Regardless of the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism in the past, or the Yangming school of mind of Wang Yangming, the two are essentially one entity with two parts, both taking "Heavenly Principle" as their academic core.

Deng Xianhe, on the other hand, argued in his articles that "Heavenly Principles" were ethereal and vague, and in several later articles, he bluntly pointed out that Neo-Confucianism was "killing people with reason."

"So you are Deng Xianhe from Chu Nan. I am Yuan Yao from Ningxiang County, Hunan." Yuan Yao stepped forward with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

Yuan Mingyao had also read several of Deng Xianhe's articles. Although he disagreed with Deng Xianhe's strange theories, he also agreed with some of Deng Xianhe's views, such as that scholars should not delve into the principles of heaven and the human heart, but should first apply their knowledge to practical affairs before engaging in literature and art.

With Yuan Mingyao taking the lead, the scholars who were initially somewhat embarrassed and suspicious all stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

Those scholars who were able to participate in the special imperial examination and successfully pass the metropolitan examination were naturally not too pedantic or stubborn.

Congratulations, Brother Deng! Congratulations, Brother Deng!

"Join us! Rejoice together!"

Deng Xianhe has already achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations and was even personally summoned by the Prince of Han. His future is guaranteed to be bright.

Those scholars who had already passed the imperial examinations naturally wanted to cultivate good relationships with the candidates.

As for strange tales and absurd theories, those are all things that the King of Han likes. If the King of Han likes them, then they can't be called strange tales and absurd theories; they are clearly true and enlightening knowledge.

Deng Xianhe did not feel hypocritical about this; on the contrary, he was very happy. He had acquired Mr. Chuanshan's posthumous works when he was young and was so attracted to them that he began to study them diligently.

Deng Xianhe's participation in last year's debate on the Imperial Gazette was entirely unexpected; he was indeed there to attend the Great Han Imperial Examination. He wanted to see how well he had learned his subjects, and also to see what the Great Han was really like.

I never imagined it would have such a huge impact and fluctuation, even attracting the attention of the King of Han.

The main reason the King of Han summoned him was to ask whether his knowledge came from Master Chuanshan.
Surrounded by more than a dozen scholars, Deng Xianhe was busily returning their greetings. Suddenly, an arm reached out, grabbed Deng Xianhe's sleeve, and asked, "Young Master Deng, are you married?"

Deng Xianhe hadn't quite caught on yet: "Not yet married, sir, what's going on..."

Upon hearing this, the old gentleman instantly pushed his way out from the crowd of scholars, revealing his expensive silk robe. In the Han Dynasty, merchants weren't forbidden from wearing silk; as long as one wasn't naked, anything could be worn.

The old gentleman was a wealthy merchant, and he immediately smiled and said, "Young Master Deng is not yet married, which is perfect. I have a daughter who is exceptionally beautiful and can be matched with Young Master Deng. Her dowry is three thousand taels of silver."

Good heavens, the search for a son-in-law has begun!

Deng Xianhe finally understood. Before he could refuse, another wealthy merchant ran over and said, "Young Master Deng, I also have a daughter who is exceptionally beautiful. If you are willing, I am willing to provide a dowry of five thousand taels of silver."

“Young Master Deng, don’t listen to them. My family is willing to offer eight thousand taels.”

“Young Master Deng, my family owns a clothing shop in Jingzhou City, so dowry is not a problem.”

"..."

A group of merchants rushed forward to grab it, which startled Deng Xianhe. Taking advantage of the merchants' inattention, he dashed out of the crowd and ran away.

No sooner had Deng Xianhe run than a shout came from the direction of the yellow notice board.

"The second-place finisher was Wei Gongfubang, a native of Shaoyang, Hunan."

"The top scholar, Yuan Yao, was from Ningxiang, Hunan."

The clerk, having finally managed to squeeze back, was afraid of being pushed out again, so he simply finished calling out the names as quickly as possible.

While Wei Fubang was still in a daze, his friend Liu Zhigang suddenly shouted mischievously, "The second-place scholar is here! Those who want to find a husband under the list, come quickly!"

Wei Fubang's expression suddenly changed. Before the wealthy merchants could surround them, he grabbed Liu Zhigang and ran away.

The runner-up ran too fast; the wealthy businessmen didn't even have time to react.

Fortunately, there was still one top scholar left. Yuan Mingyao had just been exchanging greetings with Deng Xianhe, and the surrounding scholars had already remembered him. Once they heard that he was the top scholar, there was no way he could run away.

The wealthy merchants, who had failed to capture their son-in-law, quickly gathered around Yuan Mingyao.

……

The next day.

"What? The newly appointed top scholar was knocked unconscious by someone?" Nie Yu's hand, which was reviewing memorials, paused.

Gu Jing looked embarrassed. After all, this was the first imperial examination in the Han Dynasty, and everything had been handled very well, but something went wrong at the very end when the results were announced.

It wasn't exactly a mishap, because Yuan Mingyao, the top scholar, was caught in the middle by merchants who were looking for a husband after the third and second-ranked scholars had already left.

then……

These merchants fought fiercely over who would become the son-in-law of the top scholar, and the protagonist, Yuan Mingyao, was inexplicably knocked unconscious by one of the wealthy merchants' henchmen.

The authorities quickly dispatched constables, who managed to get the person out.

After receiving treatment, she was fine; she was just momentarily dizzy, but it wouldn't affect her participation in the flower-adorned parade.

Nie Yu shook his head, unable to suppress a chuckle: "Ahem, I've heard of the 'catching a son-in-law after the exam results are announced.' Even though it's called 'catching a son-in-law after the exam results are announced,' those wealthy merchants actually brought their entourages to fight, so they still need to be punished and warned. How can you actually bring people to catch a son-in-law after the exam results are announced? Also, in the end, this incident was due to our inadequate handling; we didn't consider that so many people would come. In the future, when the exam results are announced, we must leave enough yamen runners and officials to be on-site to ensure that this situation never happens again!"

Gu Jing quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your subject obeys the decree."

This time, the Ministry of Rites' organization was indeed inadequate. They considered the possibility of finding a son-in-law after the exam results were announced, but they didn't consider that the person actually brought a retinue, which was almost like a small-scale brawl.

Gu Jing then reported, "The flower-adorned parade is almost ready. I wonder when it will begin?"

Nie Yu nodded and said, "Let's set it for three days from now! I will personally go to witness the ceremony. My Han Dynasty cannot grant them the honor of entering the palace through the Meridian Gate, announcing the names of the successful candidates, and standing out from the crowd. So, I, the King of Han, will have to sacrifice myself and personally give them face."

Entering the palace through the Meridian Gate, receiving the imperial examination results, and standing out from the crowd are all unique honors for newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), considered top honors that can only be enjoyed once in a lifetime.

Because each of these actions would normally be considered presumptuous and disrespectful, but on the day of the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), they could all be done as an exception.

However, the Han Dynasty has not yet reached Nanjing, and the King of Han does not even have a palace, let alone an imperial palace. Therefore, he cannot grant them such honors and can only make up for it by personally attending the ceremony.

Moreover, the fact that the King of Han personally attended the ceremony was also a way of demonstrating the attitude of the Han Dynasty to the people.

The establishment of the imperial examination system was of special significance not only to scholars and intellectuals, but also to ordinary people.

Having received a reply, Gu Jing respectfully withdrew.

Nie Yu continued reviewing memorials, then took out a memorial from the Ministry of Personnel concerning the appointment of several newly added county magistrates in Jiangxi.

The magistrate of Fuliang County was listed first, with a draft from the cabinet attached: "Please set the rank of the magistrate of Fuliang County as the fifth rank."

According to the established system of the Ming and Qing dynasties, county magistrates were all of the seventh rank.

The county magistrates of Wanping and Daxing were of the sixth rank, and the county assistant magistrates were of the seventh rank, which was generally two ranks higher than the county magistrates and county assistant magistrates in other places.

Wanping and Daxing were counties attached to the city of Beijing.

The magistrate of Fuliang County was a fifth-rank official, regardless of whether it was during the Ming or Qing dynasty.

Because Fuliang County administers Jingdezhen.

Nie Yu thought for a moment, then wrote in vermilion ink: "Approved."

With the capture of Fuliang County, the territory of the Han Dynasty in northern Jiangxi was now connected with Huizhou Prefecture.

Below the Ministry of Personnel was the Ministry of War's memorial, but it wasn't a request to attack Huizhou Prefecture; rather, it was an attempt to get the Third Division to move south and attack southern Jiangxi.

These civil officials of the Han Dynasty are even more shameless than Nie Yu, the King of Han. They've only just won the battle to pacify northern Jiangxi, and the various prefectures in northern Jiangxi are still slowly being pacified and recovered, yet they can't wait to tear up the agreement and head south to kill all the kings.

This was also because the Han army fought so well in northern Jiangxi that they almost completely wiped out the Qing army's fighting strength in the two rivers region, and there was no longer any threat from the Qing army in Jiangxi.

In the view of the civil officials, led by the Ministry of War, the rest of the Jiangxi region could be left to Yang Fang, and the veteran general Chen Younian should be sent south to deal with the unstable factor of Killing Wang first.

Nie Yu shook his head, and Zhu Zi replied: "Not permitted. It is not advisable to take over Ganzhou for the time being. The most urgent task is to pacify northern Jiangxi and southern Anhui first, and then make a decision."

The terrain of southern Jiangxi is complex compared to that of northern Jiangxi. Southern Jiangxi is mountainous, and there are many Hakka people there. The conflict between the local people and the Hakka people is sharp and cannot be resolved by fighting a few battles.

The Han Dynasty has little strength left in Jiangxi. After conquering southern Anhui, it should take some time to recuperate and consolidate its resources, and at the same time finalize its next strategic expansion plan.

Let's leave this complicated area of ​​southern Jiangxi to the King of Slaughter to expand the territory of the Han Dynasty for now!

(End of this chapter)