Top Scholar

Chapter 487 The Number One Scholar

The emperor only decides the rankings of the top three, the three best scholars; he doesn't concern himself with the rest.

With the imperial decision made, Liu Jin immediately left the palace to deliver the decree. Li Dongyang led the cabinet ministers back into the palace, knelt to receive the imperial approval of the examination papers, and then bowed to take their leave. Zhu Houzhao then rose contentedly and, surrounded by eunuchs, returned to his Leopard Chamber to enjoy himself.

The cabinet ministers dared not delay and immediately rushed back to the East Pavilion with the imperial examination papers in hand.

It was past noon, and the desks in the East Pavilion were neatly arranged, with writing materials already prepared. Li Dongyang spread out the imperial examination papers, and the examiners gathered around to view them.

On the first exam paper, beneath the large red annotation "First Place in First Class," the seal had been broken, revealing that the top scholar of the third year of the Zhengde reign was none other than Su Lu, the top scholar in the provincial examination!

"Su Huiyuan has become the top scholar again?!" The official who was not in the Wenhua Hall just now exclaimed.

"That's not all. He was also the top scholar in the Sichuan provincial examination, achieving the 'Triple Crown'!"

"He even won the 'Little Three Scholars' title once," Liang Chu said proudly.

"That's incredible?!" the officials exclaimed incredulously. "That's six consecutive top honors?!"

"Wow, you're really good at math..."

"This is the first scholar in the Ming Dynasty to achieve the feat of passing all six imperial examinations in a row!" Tian Jingxian, the Minister of Rites, exclaimed in admiration. "I never imagined that someone could actually achieve this..."

"Wouldn't that surpass Grand Secretary Shang?" exclaimed Wang Jianzhi, Minister of Justice.

"Hahaha, of course!" Wang Ao was overjoyed; he was genuinely happy. Now, Shang Lu was no longer the only triple champion, nor even tied for first place.

His own disciple had avenged him.

"All this empty rhetoric." Jiao Fang's tone was as sour as Liu Gonggong's favorite fermented mung bean juice. "Passing the imperial examinations six times in a row, isn't that just being the top scholar? Can they really award him the title of 'Grand Scholar'?"

"You should take back what you said, Grand Secretary Jiao," Yang Tinghe said calmly.

"What? You don't like it?" Jiao Fang was furious when she saw that the little brat had actually become the top scholar in the six-yuan exam. Even Yang Tinghe, who usually didn't provoke her, started arguing with her.

"Whether I like it or not is not important," Yang Tinghe said indifferently. "It's just that I'm afraid the Emperor won't like to hear this... During the palace examination, the Emperor personally encouraged Su Huiyuan to keep up his efforts and achieve the highest score in all six examinations. Now you're saying that achieving the highest score in all six examinations is just empty talk, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Okay, okay, I take it back! Just pretend you didn't hear me!" Jiao Fang was startled by this and obediently withdrew the negative comment.

"Hehe, that's right." Li Dongyang also laughed: "The top scholars are all personally selected by the emperor, but to achieve the highest score in all six examinations is based on real talent and learning, not just empty talk. To win the top score in all six examinations, I don't know if there will be anyone like him in the future, but there is definitely no one like him before."

As he spoke, he raised his voice and said, "Shang Wenyi's triple top honors in the imperial examinations are already a celebrated story for generations. Now, Su Hongzhi has achieved the top honors in six consecutive examinations. This is an auspicious sign for the nation and a model for scholars! He will surely be remembered for generations to come, further demonstrating the flourishing literary style of our Zhengde Dynasty! As the Grand Secretary, Minister Jiao should congratulate His Majesty and the entire nation!"

"Alright, alright, congratulations!" Jiao Fang had no choice but to back down.

~~
Everyone then looked at the second-place winner of the first class, who was Jing Yang, the fifth-place winner in the provincial examination. He would also become the second-place winner in the provincial examination.

Then look at the third place in the first division, and it's a surprising name - Su Man!
"This person wasn't in the top ten in the provincial examination," Liu Yu said.

"Yes, he ranked thirty-sixth in the imperial examination." An examiner glanced at Su Man's confession.

"The recommended paper wasn't even in the top three, or even in the top ten." The examiners exclaimed in surprise, "How did it suddenly get promoted to third place?"

"This is His Majesty's will," Li Dongyang explained slowly. "His Majesty said that the first Tanhua (third-place scholar) of the new dynasty must be handsome! So the best-looking one among the graduates of this year's imperial examinations should be chosen as Tanhua."

"Okay..." The examiners actually thought it was quite reasonable.

"But how did the Emperor know he was handsome?" someone asked curiously.

"Perhaps they saw it on the day of the imperial examination?" the examiners speculated.

"It's quite rare to find that both the top scholar and the third-ranked scholar are surnamed Su," exclaimed Zhang Luan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, as he approached their confessions.
"They're all from Luzhou, Sichuan! Wow, they're brothers!"

"Really?" the examiners exclaimed in surprise. "This family's ancestral graves aren't just emitting auspicious smoke, they're practically emitting golden light!"

"Hmph..." Jiao Fang wanted to say that it was just a 'buy one get one free' deal, but this time he learned his lesson and held back.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Li Dongyang stroked his beard again and exclaimed in praise.

"The top three scholars share the same ancestry, truly a case of 'two gems from one family, bringing glory to Sichuan.' Back then, the brothers Su Dongpo passed the imperial examination together, a story that has been passed down through the ages. Today, their descendants have once again achieved the highest rank among the top three scholars, proving themselves no less outstanding than their predecessors. Such a grand event demonstrates the long and rich cultural heritage of Sichuan and the flourishing of education in our dynasty! It deserves to be written about extensively and repeatedly!"

"Indeed." The examiners wholeheartedly agreed and felt a sense of pride.

This is destined to be a story that will be repeatedly told, and they will become one of the creators of this beautiful tale...

~~
Once the rankings were determined, the examiners immediately began filling out the imperial edict. The edict was made of bright yellow silk, hence its name, the Imperial Edict. Li Dongyang personally wrote down the rankings of the first and third place. The rankings of the remaining second and third place were transcribed by the Imperial Edict Office's scribes, ensuring that not a single word was overlooked.

Before dusk, the long yellow list was completed. Li Dongyang personally delivered it to the Imperial Seal Office. After the Imperial Seal Minister verified that everything was correct, he went to the Imperial Seal Bureau to retrieve the Emperor's Jade Seal and solemnly stamped it at the top center of the list.

At the same time, the officials in charge of imperial edicts had already drafted the edict announcing the results, which detailed the rankings and hometowns of the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Subsequently, the yellow list was handed over to the Minister of Rites to be retrieved, while the imperial edict announcing the announcement of the results was given to the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. After receiving the edicts, the two immediately withdrew to continue preparations for the announcement ceremony the following morning...

The Minister of Rites checked the list of names on the yellow list again. After confirming that it was correct, he affixed the official seal of the Ministry of Rites, placed it in a gilded lacquer box, and handed it over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for safekeeping.

The Court of State Ceremonial cleaned the steps of the Hall of Supreme Harmony overnight, laid out red felt, arranged the positions of officials and scholars, and set up various bronze tripods, dragon and phoenix flags and other ceremonial items.

The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture erected a colorful tent outside the East Chang'an Gate, dispatched laborers to sweep Chang'an Street, and ordered officials to clear away anything unsightly from both sides of the Imperial Street. They also prepared white horses for the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) to use in the parade on the Imperial Street, polishing their saddles and bridles until they gleamed.

All the government offices worked through the night until dawn, and all the preparations for the grand ceremony were finally completed, awaiting only the auspicious time!
~~
At dawn on March 18th, a blush of crimson spread across the sky, illuminating the red walls and golden tiles of the Forbidden City. Minister Tian and Minister Liu of the Court of State Ceremonial both breathed a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens for their favor.

As the sun gradually rises, the yellow glazed tiles become even more radiant.

The bells tolled melodiously from the Bell and Drum Towers, and the Meridian Gate slowly opened. Two rows of imposing Han generals, clad in golden armor and wielding golden maces and axes, marched out from the side gates with majestic strides, standing solemnly on either side of the white marble imperial road. The gilded patterns on their armor gleamed in the morning light, displaying the majesty of the imperial family!
The officials, dressed in their court robes, lined up outside the left and right side gates, divided into civil and military ranks, all very excited. Firstly, because the Ming Dynasty had produced a six-time top scholar (Zhuangyuan), an unprecedented achievement. Secondly, since Liu Jin seized power, His Majesty had long resided in the Leopard Chamber, rarely attending court. After the grand court session on New Year's Day, these officials had not attended court again…

I thought the next court session would have to wait until the New Year.

"His Majesty has been unusually diligent in his duties lately; he hasn't missed a single day of reading and announcing the results of the palace examination."

"Rare, extremely rare."

"Hopefully this is a good start, and that I can attend court more often in the future."

"It doesn't matter if I don't attend court, but at least I can review some memorials. We can't let the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs do it all for me."

"Alright, alright, stop talking. You'll scare the Emperor so much he won't dare to come out."

Behind the officials, 349 newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) wore dark blue robes with green trim, Jinshi headscarves, and green leather belts, and held locust wood tablets, still lining up in the same order as on the day of the palace examination.

They were much quieter, each holding their breath and silently recalling the rituals practiced yesterday, their gazes involuntarily drifting towards the center of the Meridian Gate...

Those two enormous palace gates, each eleven feet tall, have finally opened today. After the announcement of the winners in the Golden Hall, the top three scholars will emerge from here!

Although most of the newly appointed scholars knew their chances were slim, they couldn't help but secretly yearn for that supreme honor of being a scholar.

At this moment, melodious music rang out from the Five Phoenix Tower, and a Master of Ceremonies from the Court of State Ceremonies shouted: "The auspicious hour has arrived—all officials, leading the newly appointed scholars, shall pay homage!"

The officials fell silent instantly, and entered in formation through the left and right side gates according to regulations. The newly appointed scholars followed closely behind, passing through the Meridian Gate, crossing the Inner Golden Water Bridge, and then through the Fengtian Gate, arriving at the magnificent square in front of the Fengtian Hall.

This wasn't the first time the newly appointed scholars had come here, but during the palace examination, they were so nervous that they hadn't had time to properly admire the magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony. This time, they could finally open their eyes wide and behold this supreme symbol of imperial power! Each one was still deeply moved, and many couldn't help but shed tears…

Guided by officials from the Court of State Ceremonial, they lined up on the steps on both sides of the imperial road outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, while civil and military officials stood below the steps.

Before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, two rows of Han generals stood holding golden maces, axes, and ceremonial stirrups. The elephants from the elephant stables were brought out, forming the most solemn ceremonial procession with various flags, parasols, banners, and weapons.

After three cracks of the whip, silence fell over the golden palace. A moment later, a loud announcement rang out: "The Emperor has arrived..."

The band then played the "Sheng An Zhi Qu" (Song of Saint An), and the Zhonghe Shao Yue (a type of music) began to play. The officials led the newly appointed scholars to kneel and pay their respects.

Amidst thunderous shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", Emperor Zhengde ascended the throne, and the music immediately ceased.

"Announce that the newly appointed scholars have stepped forward to pay their respects!" the master of ceremonies announced in a loud voice.

Guided by the master of ceremonies, the newly appointed scholars lined up before the golden platform, bowed in unison, rose, bowed again, and performed the ritual with meticulous care. Only after the ceremony did they stand at attention with their hands at their sides.

Li Dongyang, who served as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory, stepped forward, knelt in the hall, and loudly requested to be summoned.

After the emperor granted his request, Li Dongyang immediately rose and went to the imperial edict to be proclaimed on the east side of the Danbi steps.

The master of ceremonies then announced loudly: "As per regulations!"

Upon hearing the announcement, more than three hundred scholars knelt down in unison, awaiting the reading of the imperial edict.

Li Dongyang then raised the imperial edict announcing the results of the examinations, his booming voice echoing before the Golden Palace:
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I, having received the mandate of Heaven and governed all lands, rely solely on talented and virtuous men to bring prosperity to the nation. Therefore, I have established the imperial examination system to select officials, recognizing talent for the country, regardless of social status. In the palace examination of the third year of Zhengde (1518), I personally examined the candidates from across the land, carefully reviewed their essays, assessed their talents, and determined their ranks. I hereby bestow upon the first class the title of Jinshi (进士) and the third-ranked candidate the title of Jinshi Chushen (进士出身), the second class the title of Jinshi Chushen (进士出身) of 115 people, and the third class the title of Tong Jinshi Chushen (同进士出身) of 231 people. You all possess the ambition to govern the country and the knowledge to apply your learning. You should devote yourselves to diligent governance, serve the nation loyally, and not fail my intention in promoting you. This decree is hereby proclaimed throughout the land, so that all may know."

After a pause, Li Dongyang's voice rang out again, each word resounding and forceful:
"First place in Class A—Su Lu!"

(End of this chapter)