Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 40: Parade and Praise Officials
A rare look of loneliness appeared on Zhao Zhen's face.

Zhang Maoze paused for a moment, then bowed his hands in comfort, saying, "The bond between father and son is as clear as the sun and the moon, even if they have never known each other."

"Now that the prince has entered officialdom and is in Bianjing, there's still a lot of time for him. Why should we worry about the emperor not showing mercy to him?"

"I have been secretly gathering information from the Imperial City Bureau recently, and I never expected to learn that His Royal Highness the Prince is already engaged."

Zhao Zhen paused for a moment after hearing this and asked impatiently, "Whose family is this girl from? What's her family background? What's her character like? What's her appearance like?"

"Returning to the emperor's family, she is Cheng Zhilang, who was recently transferred from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the capital. She is the eldest daughter of Lord Shenghong."

"The Sheng family has a clean history. Their ancestor was a scholar who won the third place in the imperial examination. They were the family that Xu, the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi, had insisted on marrying."

Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped his knuckles lightly on the table twice.

"Speaking of this, I do have some recollection. The old Marquis Yongyi was very angry at the time and he took sick leave and did not attend court for many days."

Zhang Maoze smiled and replied, "Your Majesty has a good memory, but the old Marquis of Yongyi was ultimately unable to persuade his daughter, and she was married off in grand style soon after."

"I remember that the emperor praised Mr. Sheng's beautiful handwriting some time ago."

Zhao Zhen nodded and pondered for a moment.

"This man has a good reputation as an official and is from a respectable family, but his family background is a bit low."

Zhang Maoze heard this and replied cautiously, "In terms of family background, they are indeed not as noble as the dukes and marquises who could not live in Bianjing, but they are better in terms of family tradition and their children are diligent."

"I also learned that his eldest daughter was raised by Xu since childhood. Her appearance and bearing must be extraordinary."

Xu, the only daughter of Marquis Yongyi, was so precious in those days that she was well-known among the noble ladies in the entire Bianliang.

The girls she raises must be good.

Zhao Zhen kept weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

"In that case, that's fine."

"After all, she is the girl Han'er has chosen. After we recognize our ancestors and return to our ancestral home, we can welcome a few more concubines from good families into the palace."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhang Maoze immediately bowed, a smile adorning the fine lines at the corners of his eyes. He continued, "Your Highness has been searching for a house in the capital these past two days."

"We've been all over Bianjing, but haven't been able to settle down for a long time. I'd like to speculate that it's probably because they have some money on the books that they can't turn around."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but glare at him in reproach.

"You old bastard, are you just going to sit there and watch my son get into trouble over these things?"

"Go and arrange a suitable house for him, close to the palace and with elegant scenery."

"I remember there are several vacant official residences in the Hanlin Street area. You can find a way to give them to him without attracting attention."

Zhang Maoze smiled and replied, "I'll do it right away. I'll make sure Your Highness doesn't suffer any grievances in the capital."

—

The next day, March 18th, the morning light shone brightly, elegant music rang out, and the sound of chimes lingered.

There were crowds of people outside Donghuamen, and it was very lively.

The candidates lined up neatly here according to their ranking in the imperial examination. Their plain white robes fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, and their faces were full of anticipation.

Officials' families and common people in the city had already taken up seats here early, just to witness the grand occasion of the success of the imperial examination.

As the time was approaching, the Sheng family's carriage slowly stopped not far away.

Hua Lan lifted the curtain of the car, smiling, still looking gentle and dignified, and personally helped Wang Ruofu walk down.

Ru Lan, Ming Lan and Mo Lan rode in the same carriage and followed closely behind.

Just as the maid had placed the footrest, Rulan jumped out of the carriage, holding up the hem of her skirt. Pointing to something not far away, she said crisply, "Xiao Liu, look, there's a place selling candied haws over there. They're bright red and must be very sweet!"

Minglan looked in the direction she pointed and smiled. "Fifth Sister has such good eyesight, she can see clearly even from this far away."

Molan was the last one to get off the car. She lightly touched her temples with her slender fingers, and there was a hint of disdain in her eyes.

"We went out today to watch the roll call ceremony for my eldest brother-in-law. All you do all day is eat, drink and have fun. No wonder Dad always says you're unruly."

Hearing this, Rulan's face flushed immediately, and her eyes widened, "What are you talking about?!"

"No matter how unruly I am, I am still the legitimate daughter of my family. How dare you, a concubine's daughter, lecture me?"

"You, the people of Linqi Pavilion, from top to bottom, really don't understand the rules at all!"

Molan spoke with a hint of sarcasm, gently waving her round fan, "So what if I'm the legitimate daughter? I still don't get Daddy's favor."

"Besides, Daddy hates the words 'legitimate' and 'illegitimate' the most. Is Fifth Sister knowingly committing this offense again?"

"you……!"

Rulan was so angry that she was shaking all over.

Before she could speak, Minglan hurriedly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Fifth sister, there are so many people here today. Daddy has repeatedly told us not to be rude and make a fool of ourselves."

"Xiao Liu, you are more sensible and know the rules."

Rulan took a few deep breaths, snorted coldly, and hurriedly took Minglan's hand and followed Wang Ruofu's pace.

In the crowd, Wang Ruofu's mouth never drooped.

Ever since Zhao Han won the first place in the imperial examination, she liked this future son-in-law more and more. She was just waiting for the roll call today so that she could go to the Kang family and show off to her sister Wang Ruoyu.

Hua Lan held Wang Ruofu's arm, tiptoed slightly, and her beautiful eyes were always fixed on Zhao Han.

"clang--"

A deep bell sounded, the noisy crowd suddenly quieted down, and the palace gate slowly opened.

Minister of Rites Han Zhang came out holding a bright yellow imperial edict, followed by a team of eunuchs in red robes, and stood in front of everyone.

"In the Dingyou year of the second year of Jiayou, the palace examination roll call—"

"The first place winner of the first class is Yu Sixian from Qizhou, Shandong!

"The first and second place winners are Ganyuan from Xinzheng, Henan!
"The third place winner of the first class is Zhao Han from Yangzhou, Jiangnan!
"..."

When Zhao Han heard his name, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Hualan's hand, which was tightly holding the handkerchief, loosened and her eyes were filled with endless joy.

Rulan was tugging at Minglan's sleeve and jumping for joy, but Molan was still holding her round fan, looking thoughtful.

The three members of the first class will be called out three times, while the others will only be called out once. This is a special honor that belongs only to the first class.

The roll call lasted for a full hour until the last Jinshi finished expressing his gratitude.

Nine cannon salutes announced the successful conclusion of this imperial examination event.

Next was a parade to praise the officials, with officials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites holding the imperial edict and beating gongs to clear the way.

The top three scholars of this year's imperial examination wore red robes, with palace flowers in their hats, and rode tall and fine horses, walking slowly on the Imperial Street to accept the congratulations of all the people.

The Imperial Street was deserted, and even the windows on the second floor of the nearby teahouses and taverns were crowded with guests who came to watch the fun.

No matter whether they were daughters from official families adorned with pearls and emeralds or common women in straw hairpins and cloth skirts, they all crowded on both sides of the Imperial Street, throwing handkerchiefs and flowers in their hands like raindrops at the three people. Of course, the third place winner, Zhao Han, received the most.

Seeing this, Hualan's eyes were filled with pride and her heart was shaken.

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(End of this chapter)