Phi-Fic Chapter 387 The Results of the Imperial Examination are Announced
Chapter 387 The Results of the Imperial Examination are Announced
Chapter 387 The Results of the Imperial Examination are Announced
The family of the eldest prince Zhao Hongmin's betrothed was of a slightly higher social standing than that of the second prince, but she was still only the legitimate daughter of a fourth-rank civil official.
Whether the Crown Prince's birth mother, Consort De, is satisfied or not, the imperial decree has been issued, and the marriage is settled.
No matter how high Consort De's status was in the harem, it couldn't change the choice of the eldest prince's principal wife.
The Third Prince, Zhao Honghao, was betrothed by the Emperor to the legitimate daughter of a fourth-rank civil official, whether by coincidence or not.
Whether the Third Prince was satisfied or not, Consort Xian seemed indifferent and showed no reaction.
The fifth prince, Zhao Hongjing, has not yet been betrothed, perhaps because he is still young.
The Fourth Prince Zhao Hongsheng was stunned when he received the imperial decree of marriage; he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
Before the results of the imperial examination were even announced, the imperial decree for marriage was issued first, and it involved all four sons together.
Father, what does this mean?
Zhao Hongsheng had no time to think. He was still under semi-confinement. He could enter the palace when summoned, but he was not allowed to leave his residence on ordinary days.
Consort Shu, as the aunt, also privately offered a few words of advice, implying that once the Fourth Prince's marriage was settled, His Majesty would no longer imprison him for the sake of the royal family's reputation.
Zhao Hongsheng found it ironic that freedom was obtained through marriage.
He didn't even know if the daughter of this so-called vice minister was round or flat, and he just dumped her on him to be a prince's consort!?
"Your Majesty, we accept the imperial decree and express our gratitude!"
Xiao Dezi noticed that the eunuch delivering the imperial decree looked displeased, so he had to offer a reminder.
Zhao Hongsheng accepted the imperial decree with a dark face. After the eunuch who delivered the decree left, he threw the decree directly to Xiao Dezi.
Xiao Dezi held the imperial edict, somewhat trembling: "Master, this is an imperial edict."
"Sigh, let's just put it away!"
After returning from Zhuyun Tower in disguise, Zhao Hongsheng was unable to calm down.
Jiang Xiaoqi's directness shattered his last shred of hope.
Even after he said those words, people remained unmoved.
That's right, he's the only son of the Chiang family, the future head of the family.
He's a future Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and a future high-ranking official in the imperial court.
Is it really going too far to force myself like this?
However, he couldn't stop thinking about it; when he closed his eyes, that face appeared before him.
I had almost forgotten that face before, but seeing it today has made it clear again, and I won't forget it anytime soon.
Zhao Hongsheng put aside the matter of the imperial decree bestowing marriage upon him, had Xiao Dezi grind ink, and began to draw portraits again.
Xiao Dezi's situation is complicated. All the paintings he had done before were secretly burned after Minister Tong pleaded with His Majesty. Now he's starting to stockpile new ones.
It must be said that although Zhao Hongsheng is a bit eccentric, his painting skills are quite good.
As expected of someone trained by royal painters, they have quite a talent.
In less than fifteen minutes, the ink on the paper was perfectly balanced and lifelike. Who else could it be but Jiang Xiaoqi?
Xiao Dezi watched for a while, then couldn't help but advise, "Master, you..."
"Don't say things I don't want to hear. Things have come to this, can't you just let me fool myself for a bit?"
Zhao Hongsheng paused, ink dripping onto the paper and staining a corner of the portrait.
He frowned, a wave of annoyance washing over him.
I changed to a new sheet of paper and started sketching again.
The examiners for the palace examination were extremely efficient. They stayed up all night, and by noon the next day, all ten examination papers had been presented to the emperor.
The first one on the list was still the exam paper of Liu Peng, the eldest grandson of Prime Minister Liu.
The second place was still held by Jiang Xiaoqi, who was the second-ranked candidate in the provincial examination, and the third place was still held by Gongsheng, who ranked third in the provincial examination.
The emperor glanced through the papers briefly, then looked up at the group of officials in charge of reviewing them.
I pulled out two exam papers to look at, comparing them with the other one from time to time.
It's impossible to say that none of the examiners were under Prime Minister Liu's command.
However, Liu Peng's exam paper is indeed outstanding, but whether it is the best is a matter of opinion.
The four exam papers that were singled out were laid out in a row.
The emperor was working on these exam papers so hard he was practically creating something special, but no one dared to interrupt him, waiting for his imperial judgment.
After another incense stick's time, the emperor finally put down the four examination papers in front of him.
The final rankings were determined, with the top three in the first division and the first place in the second division.
The chief eunuch Wang Sheng was the first to see the result. He was somewhat surprised, but quickly composed himself.
"Let's publish the list according to this!"
"Yes!"
It was only at this moment that everyone could see the examination paper that the emperor had been fiddling with for so long.
Jiang Mingfei was ranked first, the top scholar!
Then there's Liu Peng, the grandson of the prime minister, who ranks second.
The one ranked third was previously ranked tenth, but the emperor had a slight impression of him; he was a young and somewhat handsome tribute student.
Among the top ten, apart from Jiang Mingfei, this tribute student was the best-looking and youngest, only eighteen years old, four years older than the top scholar.
He can be considered a prodigy at a young age, worthy of being ranked third in the imperial examination.
The person who came in third place in the provincial examination was promoted to first place in the second class and became a messenger. Whether it was because of his appearance or his age, we can only hope that he will not doubt the meaning of life because of this.
Oh dear, it's all fate. Who told them to be born with such a lustful emperor?
The examiner wiped the sweat from his brow. Sigh, he had done his best, and Prime Minister Liu couldn't blame him.
With everyone watching, he defied all opposition and placed Liu Peng first, because the Emperor himself wouldn't approve.
The rankings weren't finished yet; the Emperor then ordered the top three candidates to bring back their scores from the county, prefectural, provincial, and township examinations.
Upon seeing this, the emperor was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table.
The officials below had no idea what was wrong with His Majesty this time; his anger seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Look, all of you, come here and see! Who is the chief examiner for this imperial examination? Who is it?"
The crowd remained silent. Didn't you know who the chief examiner for this imperial examination was? Wasn't he someone you personally appointed?
"Your Majesty, it's the Ministry of Personnel..."
The chief eunuch Wang Sheng gave a slight hint, of course without mentioning the specific name. His Majesty couldn't possibly have forgotten; he was just momentarily stunned by anger.
"That old bastard! He ruined my auspicious omen! My six top scholars passing the imperial examinations, all ruined by that old scoundrel!"
Alright, the case is solved. It seems to be about the ranking in the imperial examination. The top scholar chosen by His Majesty was originally a promising candidate who would achieve the highest rank in the imperial examination, but unexpectedly, he only achieved the second-highest rank in the imperial examination and failed miserably.
Oh, it's not exactly a complete failure. After all, he was the top scholar in the imperial examination—only one like him appears every three years in the whole country!
If this isn't considered a success, then there truly is no Wenquxing (a legendary Chinese literary star) in this world.
The emperor was still furious, having smashed two sets of teacups. The officials below all kept their heads down, none of them daring to provoke him.
Alas! Minister of Personnel, may you pray for good fortune; you're bound to face mistreatment from His Majesty the Emperor in the future.
At this moment, at the residence of Minister Gong of the Ministry of Personnel—
"Master, what's wrong with you?"
The Minister's wife looked at her husband's eyelids twitching like lightning and couldn't help but worry, "If they keep twitching like that, he might go blind."