Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 21 Huiyuan!

February 21st, cloudy.

The sky was still dark when the examination hall was already filled with candidates craning their necks to look ahead.

The crowds were enormous and incredibly dense.

Surprisingly, the scene of tens of thousands of people gathered was unusually quiet, with all the candidates remaining silent as they waited for the yellow notice to be posted.

Some people even stayed up all night outside the examination hall just to see their results as soon as possible, waiting patiently for the moment the results were announced.

Scholars from Huaizuo also rushed to see the list, jostling and pushing.

Even Jiang Zhi, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief who was supposed to attend court, specially claimed illness and asked for leave so that he could know his grandson's grades as soon as possible.

Besides Jiang Zhi, there were many other richly decorated carriages outside the examination hall, clearly belonging to powerful and wealthy people who had asked for leave to check the results.

"So, are you confident?" Jiang Zhi felt a little nervous even before the notice was posted.

"I'm not quite sure." Jiang Zhao shook his head thoughtfully. "Let's wait for the official announcement to be posted!"

Whether one can pass the imperial examination in spring depends not only on one's talent and learning, but also on a certain amount of luck.

Jiang Zhao felt confident that securing a place in the top 50 shouldn't be a problem, but the top 50 was clearly not his goal. Whether he could go further was anyone's guess.

At this moment, Jiang Zhao also felt a sense of urgency and involuntarily held his breath.

Jiang Zhi nodded, the old man in his sixties looking up and around.

Similar scenes are everywhere.

During this time, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, Zeng Bu, Zhang Heng, and Zhang Dun all came over to greet him, and Jiang Zhao politely returned their greetings.

During their ten-plus days of rest, the group got together to travel and became friends.

Su Shi, Zeng Gong, and Zhang Dun were anxious and squeezed into the crowd, while the remaining three stood with Jiang Zhao.

However, none of them were in the mood to speak, and they just stood there quietly.

"The yellow notice has arrived!"

"I'm coming!"

A gasp of surprise caused a huge stir.

The Imperial Guards escorted several examiners as they posted the yellow notices. The candidates were anxious, but dared not overstep their bounds.

Before long, the notices were posted, and some good news began to spread.

"Fifty-seventh!"

An elderly man in his forties, wearing a gray robe, saw his name and shouted it out loud.

"Ninety-seventh place!"

"I won! I won!"

A man with slightly graying temples looked up at the sky and laughed heartily, then wept with joy.

"Impossible, how come I didn't win?"

"I took the exam myself; with my talent and learning, how could I possibly fail?"

One candidate, his eyes blazing with fury, questioned the fairness of the imperial examinations. When he was stopped by the imperial guards, his spirited demeanor vanished, and he resembled a frail old man.

"Ahhh!"

"I have let down the expectations of my fellow villagers, and I have let down my wife, children, and elderly parents!"

One scholar attempted suicide by banging his head on the ground, bleeding profusely, but was stopped by the imperial guards.

"oops!"

Dozens of wealthy merchants swarmed around a middle-aged scholar who claimed to be ranked "370th" among the successful candidates, hoping to find a son-in-law among the successful candidates.

"Is the young master married?"

"Never."

"My daughter is sixteen years old, her dowry is seven thousand taels, and she is gentle and virtuous."

"Young master, my daughter is twenty-seven years old, her dowry is eight thousand taels, and she has a reputation for being virtuous and gentle."

"Ten thousand taels of silver, plus one hundred mu of paddy fields!"

Before long, the results were in: the wealthy merchant who had paid 10,000 taels of silver had captured the scholar's son-in-law and immediately sent people to protect him, carefully escorting him away.

Because the palace examination only ranked candidates by their first-place ranking and did not dismiss anyone, the tribute candidates were the future Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). Therefore, the process of catching a son-in-law after the list of successful candidates was no longer about catching Jinshi who had passed the palace examination, but about catching tribute candidates who had passed the metropolitan examination.

If you have a quick hand, you will have it, but if you have a slow hand, you will not have it.

Some are happy, some are sad. The yellow notice has been posted, and the hope in their hearts has been dispelled. It is destined that there will be both celebration and sorrow.

Ecstasy, bewilderment, fear, longing, struggle, and a sense of relief filled the world in an instant.

Su Zhe, Zeng Bu, and Zhang Heng, who were originally standing next to Jiang Zhao, couldn't wait any longer and squeezed into the crowd.

Even Jiang Zhao couldn't help but feel a little restless and looked towards the yellow list.

However, he didn't need to squeeze in. His grandfather, Jiang Zhi, had sent several literate servants to check the list in advance, and his page, Hesheng, had already squeezed into the crowd.

Even the old man Jiang Zhi, who had long resided in the halls of power, couldn't help but pace back and forth with his hands behind his back.

No one, from the powerful and wealthy to the poor, can escape this kind of thing.

"I hit it, I hit it!"

"Young master has won!"

"Young master is the top scholar!"

The moment the words "Huiyuan" were uttered, it was like a stone thrown into a pool, attracting the attention of many.

"Whose young master is this?"

Before the servants who were shouting could even leave the crowd, someone asked them a question.

“Jiang Zichuan of Huaizuo is number one,” replied one of the successful candidates on the imperial examination list.

Once a candidate passes the imperial examination and is listed on the yellow list, their anxious heart will be completely at ease, and they will have the leisure to look at who is first and last in the rankings.

"Jiang Zichuan?" someone exclaimed in surprise. "Could it be Jiang Zhao, the Jiang Lang of Huaizuo from the 'Standing in the Snow at Han's Gate'?"

"That's him!"

At this moment, several servants also came to Jiang Zhao and Jiang Zhi's side, beaming with joy as they reported the good news.

"reward!"

"Reward them all!"

"Those who go to see the imperial edict will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver, and those who stay at home will be rewarded with ten taels of silver!"

"Hahaha! My grandson won!"

Jiang Zhi stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

Huiyuan!
Generally speaking, the rankings in the palace examination do not change drastically.

Not to mention that his grandson is a world-renowned figure.

Even if the rankings change again, they can probably still secure a top-three finish!

What does it mean to be a top-three champion?

For a moment, Jiang Zhichang laughed nonstop, his old bones radiating high spirits.

Upon receiving the reward, both master and servant were overjoyed, their faces beaming with happiness. "Is that Jiang Zichuan?" One of the successful candidates looked at the refined Jiang Zhao and nodded in approval, "Truly worthy of being the top scholar!"

"As expected of Jiang Lang of Huaizuo, not only is he respectful of his teachers and renowned throughout the world, but his talent is also first-rate!" one of the scholars agreed.

That's the benefit of fame.

In the past, the title of Huiyuan (top scholar) has been questioned almost every year.

An unknown person suddenly appears out of nowhere and claims to be number one?

I do not believe!
Today, Jiang Zhao's fame is unparalleled, and his first place in the provincial examination has received far less controversy.

Of course, examiners may also take this into consideration when ranking candidates.

If someone has the same talent as Jiang Zhao, then Jiang Zhao will definitely be ranked higher, in order to reduce some unwarranted disputes.

"Hey, who's second?" A candidate who hadn't made it onto the list and was feeling resentful set his sights on the second-place finisher.

"I remember his name was Zhang Heng."

"Why? Why is he second?" the candidate shouted.

Jiang Zichuan is famous throughout the world, and I can't beat him, so I accept it. But Zhang Heng is an unknown nobody, so why should he be second?
"I don't think I'm any worse than him, so why is he second while someone with my talent didn't even make the list? There's something fishy going on!"

"Zichuan, you have to treat us!" Su Zhe said with a smile as he walked out of the crowd.

With the result in mind, he felt at peace and walked with a leisurely stride, silently exuding confidence and high spirits.

Jiang Zhao smiled and said, "Look at the happy look on Ziyou's face. I'll make sure Ziyou drinks until he's drunk."

"How is it?" Jiang Zhao patted Su Zhe on the shoulder and asked with a smile.

“Seventy-eighth!” Su Zhe said with a smile.

He was overjoyed to pass the imperial examination on his first attempt.

"This time, we must celebrate properly." Zhang Heng walked over, his every move exuding confidence and high spirits.

At the same time, Zhang Dun, who had just walked over, looked very unpleasant.

He passed the exam too, but as an uncle, he didn't outperform his nephew.

As an uncle, he was not satisfied with losing to his nephew!
"Congratulations, Zichuan." Zhang Dun stepped forward and bowed.

"Thank you." Jiang Zhao noticed that Zhang Dun's expression was off, but didn't know how to comfort him.

After all, Zhang Dun was on the list; it's just that he has high standards for himself and is not satisfied with his results.

Zhang Dun stood there for a few seconds with a sullen face, then walked to the side and said, "Congratulations to my nephew for coming in second place. I hope you truly deserve it."

Zhang Heng was overjoyed and did not hold it against his uncle.

A short while later, Su Shi also came out.

"How is it?" Jiang Zhao asked.

Fifty-three.

Jiang Zhao nodded slightly.

Generally speaking, there are three people in the first tier and sixty or seventy people in the second tier.

The fact that Su Shi ranked first in the categories of essays, judgments, edicts, proclamations, and memorials likely raised his overall ranking considerably, placing him at the bottom of the second tier.

Just like Su Zhe, who ranked seventy-eighth, which is roughly the level of the top three.

Of course, even if you only get a second or third place in the exam, there is still a chance to turn things around.

In fact, even if one passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, there was still another examination, namely the Shujishi examination.

Generally speaking, the top three in the first rank were directly granted official positions, entered the Hanlin Academy, and served as Hanlin officials.

The saying goes that only those who have passed the imperial examinations can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only those who have passed the Hanlin Academy can enter the Grand Secretariat. The Hanlin Academy is the talent pool of the imperial court and the cradle of the ministers of the six ministries and the Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat.

Those who passed the imperial examinations at the second or third rank also had the opportunity to enter the Hanlin Academy, which was also known as the examination for probationary officials.

After passing the palace examination, the Ministry of Rites will hold another selection process, from which three or four hundred successful candidates will be selected to become thirty or forty probationary scholars, who will then enter the Hanlin Academy for further study.

These Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who entered the Hanlin Academy for further study would not be granted official positions immediately. After three years of intensive study, they would take an examination called the "Sanguan Examination" (final examination after completing their studies at the Hanlin Academy).

Of the thirty or forty people, thirty or forty percent could pass the final examination and remain in the Hanlin Academy, officially granted the position of Hanlin official, and compile books in the Hanlin Academy. From then on, they could be said to have come from the Hanlin Academy.

The dozen or so people who made it to the top were the most outstanding among the millions of scholars in the world, taking the imperial examination once every three years.

In each session, hundreds of thousands of students were selected, with over ten thousand becoming successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and then several hundred becoming successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations. From these hundreds, more than ten were selected to join the Hanlin Academy.

These dozen or so people have a bright future; even if they just wait for seniority, they can all reach the third rank.

Of course, due to political struggles and physical factors, only five or six people actually had the opportunity to reach the third rank. The rest either suffered political setbacks or were physically incapable of gaining seniority.

Even so, it is still quite remarkable.

How terrifying it is to climb up to the third rank by simply accumulating seniority.
Jiang Zhao glanced at the group.

Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, and Zeng Bu were all ranked in the second or third class of the imperial examinations, that goes without saying.

However, the matter of taking the examination for the position of Shujishi is not necessarily the case.

After all, judging from their future achievements, Zeng Gong was definitely not up to par, and had no hope of becoming a junior scholar.

Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Bu were most likely to become probationary scholars.

All of them had reached the pinnacle of civil service.

This is not surprising.

For some people, it's normal to perform poorly on their first exam because they don't even know what the questions will be like.

In the past, there have been many candidates who went from being ranked in the top three to being ranked in the top one.

Moreover, this is the second year of the Jiayou era?

at this time.

Su Shi sighed and said admiringly, "Zichuan's talent is truly unmatched in the past hundred years."

In the past, he had considered himself to be exceptionally talented, but when he actually entered the examination hall, he realized that he had underestimated the heroes of the world.

Jiang Zhao was taken aback and subconsciously glanced at Zhang Heng.

If I remember correctly, this was Su Shi's evaluation of Zhang Heng, right?
They just robbed me right in front of you?

"Zizhan's praise is too much; I am ashamed to accept it."

Let's do it face-to-face!

Soon after, the results for the others were also released.

Zeng Gong ranked 313th, and Zeng Bu ranked 175th.

Zhang Ci ranked 165th, while Chen Fu failed to pass the exam.

Compared to Zhang Ci, who was already twenty-six or twenty-seven, Chen Fu had several years less of experience and was also less fortunate.

In addition, of the two or three hundred candidates from Huaizuo who participated in the spring imperial examination, twenty-seven passed, almost all of whom were elderly men in their forties.

It must be said that Yangzhou truly deserves its reputation as a prosperous city with a thriving academic community.

This grand examination, which involved 10,000 people, selected over 380 successful candidates, a probability of roughly 3 out of 100.

Of the fewer than three hundred participants from Yangzhou, twenty-seven were selected as tribute scholars, a success rate of nearly ten out of a hundred, which is truly astonishing.

(End of this chapter)