The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 532 Retreating to Advance
Although he would not be dismissed from the palace examination, he still had to take it seriously. So after the excitement, Jia Huan quickly adjusted himself and entered the state of preparation for the exam. In addition to the usual morning exercises every day, he spent his time practicing policy questions, because the palace examination only tested policy questions, and the questions were set by the emperor himself.

Everyone knew that Jia Huan was preparing for the exam, so no one came to disturb him these days. Grandmother Jia also exempted him from the daily morning self-reflection so that he could concentrate on his studies.

In a blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the third month. Before dawn, Ping'er woke Jia Huan up. After he washed and dressed and had breakfast, she asked Qingwen and Feng'er to send him to the south gate of the garden as usual.

This time you don't need to bring an exam basket, because pens and ink are ready-made and provided by the government. You don't need to bring food, candles, clothes, etc., because the palace examination only lasts one day, and you have to hand in your papers and leave before sunset. Lunch is also provided by the government.

Jia Huan boarded the carriage empty-handed, waved to Qingwen and Feng'er, and said, "You can go back."

Shitou Xingwei shouted and waved the whip, and the carriage drove towards the long street. Feng'er made a heart shape with her hands in front of her chest and said loudly: "I wish you all the best and success in the imperial examination!"

Qingwen tapped the little girl's head and spat, "What are you gesticulating about again? That's not what you meant."

Feng Er smiled and said, "I know. A heart means love. I just like Third Master. Third Master is so nice. Don't you like him, Sister Qingwen? I just hope Third Master can pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar. I want you to get some of the honors too, hehe!"

Qingwen spat, "Bah, you shameless little bitch, how old are you? Don't you think you are worthy enough?"

Feng Er said with a smile: "I know I am not worthy of him, and I have no intention of being the Third Master's concubine. I just like him silently in my heart. Not only me, but most of the young maids in the mansion probably like the Third Master. There is nothing shameful about it. Sister Qingwen, do you dare to say that you don't like the Third Master?"

Qingwen's face flushed, and she scolded, "You idiot, you are getting more and more shameless the more you talk. I just don't like it, so what?"

"I don't believe it unless you swear to the sky!"

"I curse you, you little big-headed ghost!" Qingwen was so angry that she reached out to twist Feng'er's ears, and the latter ran away giggling.

By the time Jia Huan arrived outside the Zuoye Gate, it was already dawn. The river water under the Jinshui Bridge was sparkling. The three hundred candidates taking part in the palace examination were all lined up outside the Zuoye Gate, waiting with their breaths held low and solemn expressions to be called.

Not long after, the official from the Ministry of Rites finally appeared, holding the list and reading aloud: "The first place in the examination is Jia Huan!"

Jia Huan hurried forward and said, "The student is here!"

The official who called the names of the names looked at Jia Huan, nodded and said, "Jia Huiyuan, please come forward for a body search."

Jia Huan stepped forward with his hands open, allowing the search to take place. As the palace examination was held in the Fengtian Hall and presided over by the emperor himself, there was no concern that anyone would dare to cheat. However, for the personal safety of the emperor, no dangerous items were allowed to be brought in, such as keys, hard objects with sharp edges, etc.

Soon, Jia Huan passed the test smoothly and was led by a clerk into the Zuoye Gate. When all the candidates passed the security check, they were led by officials from the Ministry of Rites to the palace examination venue - Fengtian Hall.

The solemnity of the Fengtian Hall is obvious, and the square outside the Fengtian Gate is where the emperor holds his morning court every day, so it is called "the emperor's court session at the gate." When all the candidates arrive here, they are both excited and nervous.

As the saying goes: In the morning, you are a farmer, and in the evening, you are in the emperor's palace.

After the palace examination, quite a number of them will have the opportunity to attend the morning court here and realize their life ambitions. Of course, some of them may also be directly sent out of the capital to serve as officials, such as county magistrates or something like that.

As the top scorer in the imperial examination, Jia Huan was arranged to sit at the first seat in the first row, facing the chief examiner in the hall, that is, Emperor Qiansheng. The pressure can be imagined. At this time, it would be more relaxing to sit in the back row.

About half an hour later, the three hundred candidates took their seats according to their ranking, waiting for the examiner to arrive.

After waiting for about half an hour, the sun was already high in the sky, and finally a pleasant drumbeat was heard, and a palace servant loudly announced: "The emperor has arrived!"

All candidates received etiquette training before the exam. They immediately stood up from their seats, knelt on the ground, lowered their heads and stuck out their buttocks, and did not dare to look around.

Jia Huan was naturally not so honest. He pricked up his ears and listened carefully. He vaguely heard footsteps coming from the door of the hall. A moment later, out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a corner of a bright yellow dragon robe passing by, and a bright yellow figure climbed the stairs to the throne in the middle of the hall.

"Take your seat and kneel down!" The voice from before sounded again.

All the examinees bowed in unison: "Long live our emperor! Long live the emperor!"

He bowed three times in a row, and then he heard a faint voice saying, "Stand up."

Jia Huan stood up along with the other candidates and took a quick look. He saw a middle-aged man with a scholarly air and fair skin sitting on the throne. He was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a curtain crown on his head. It was exactly the man he met that day when he and the fat boy Xu Wenhou were eating braised beef and duck in the alley.

Emperor Qiansheng glanced around and said slowly: "You are all young talents of my Great Jin. It is extraordinary for you to be here. However, in today's palace examination, you must show your real talents and knowledge. Mr. Li, you come and read out the questions!" Li Biao, the current acting prime minister of the cabinet, immediately stepped out, holding a bright yellow scroll, and quickly opened it and read out the questions on it.

The so-called "策问" means asking for strategies. The emperor would give a topic based on current affairs and ask the candidates to offer suggestions. An essay of more than a thousand words must be completed before sunset. The essay must be brilliant in writing, rigorous in logic, and clear in structure. The key is to have real material, and avoid empty and general talk.

Of course, handwriting is also very important, because the names of candidates in the palace examination are not covered, and the examiner will know who the candidate is at a glance. If the handwriting is not good, the impression will be greatly reduced and the ranking will definitely be low.

Policy essays were Jia Huan's strong point, and when it came to handwriting, Jia Huan was not afraid of anyone, so he was very calm. After Li Biao finished reading the topic, he began to think about it and wrote an outline on a piece of draft paper.

Emperor Qiansheng was sitting on the high throne, so he naturally saw Jia Huan, who was closest to him. Seeing that he was calm and composed, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and he thought, "This kid is quite capable. This kind of composure is not something that ordinary people can have. It seems that it is not accidental that he can win five prizes in a row."

Emperor Qiansheng sat on the throne for about an incense stick of time and then left. He never appeared again after that. It was probably just a formality. Only eight examiners, including the Chief Minister of the Cabinet Li Biao and the Hanlin Academician Zhao Mingcheng, were left to supervise the examination.

Time passed like quicksand, and in the blink of an eye it was already noon. Palace servants brought simple food and water. The candidates quickly filled their stomachs and continued answering questions.

Writing a thousand-word argumentative essay was too easy for Jia Huan. If he hadn't deliberately slowed down, he could have finished it before lunch. Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Jia Huan couldn't stay any longer and handed in the paper and left.

"Haha, you are really young and reckless. You handed in your paper so early." A fellow examiner couldn't help laughing.

"This boy ranked first in the examination. He has the capital to be arrogant. Young people are naturally arrogant. Haha!" another examiner joked.

Both of these examiners were from the Donglin Party.

Li Biao, the chief minister of the cabinet, was originally from the faction of the retired emperor. He changed sides at the critical moment and was promoted from the second minister to the first minister, which was a great bargain. However, he was not from the Donglin faction after all, so he was extremely cautious in doing things and never said much, for fear of letting out any handle that could be used as an excuse by the Donglin faction. After all, the Donglin Party excluded dissidents some time ago and made many people suffer. Li Biao is still frightened about it.

Li Biao took the examination paper from Jia Huan that the clerk collected and glanced at it quickly. He felt that the handwriting was very good and the wording was also quite brilliant, but he didn't know whether there was any substance to the paper.

About half an hour later, more candidates handed in their papers. Before sunset, all the candidates had handed in their papers. Li Biao, Zhao Mingcheng and eight other examiners immediately began to mark the papers.

Since the results will be announced on March 11, I have to mark 300 papers on the evening of March 10. There are only two days left, and the time is tight and the task is heavy, so I have no choice but to work overtime.

"Tsk tsk, the champion is worthy of being the champion. I think Jia Ziming's essay deserves to be the first. What do you think, Lord Li?" After reading Jia Huan's essay, Qi Qin, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, could not help but applaud and handed the paper to Li Biao.

Li Biao took the paper, stroked his beard and smiled, "Jia Ziming's essay is indeed excellent, his handwriting is impeccable, and his basic skills are solid, but it is still debatable whether he can be ranked first. What do you think, Mr. Zhao?"

Li Biao looked at Hanlin scholar Zhao Mingcheng.

Although Zhao Mingcheng had not yet entered the cabinet, as a walking official in the Southern Study and the leader of the Donglin Party, he was undoubtedly a popular figure in the court and the emperor's most trusted minister. Li Biao clearly gave the decision-making power to Zhao Mingcheng and did him a favor.

Zhao Mingcheng said modestly: "I am a humble official with limited knowledge and talent, so how dare I speak nonsense? It is better for Lord Li to make the decision."

A fellow examiner from the Donglin Party immediately responded, "Mr. Zhao is too modest. I think Jia Huan's essay is indeed good, but it is not impeccable. His words are a bit too frivolous. It is not as solid as Zhang Pu's essay. I think Zhang Pu should be the first."

"That makes sense!" Several other examiners from the Donglin department echoed.

Qi Qin, the chief priest of the Imperial College, frowned and said, "In terms of substance, Zhang Pu's essay is not as good as Liu Yi's."

Li Biao was originally trying to do Zhao Mingcheng a favor. Seeing that everyone in the Donglin Academy nominated Zhang Pu as the first, he thought that it must be Zhao Mingcheng's secret instruction. Zhang Pu was indeed a student of Donglin Academy, so he went with the flow and said, "I also think..."

Zhao Mingcheng suddenly said, "Although Jia Huan's essay uses some frivolous words, it is quite insightful and profound. Although Zhang Pu's writing style is profound, it is too presumptuous and unrealistic. In comparison, Jia Huan's essay is better."

When these words were spoken, not only Li Biao was stunned, but Zhao Mingcheng's younger brothers were also stunned. They didn't understand why the boss didn't push his own people, but instead pushed Jia Huan.

Li Biao looked at Zhao Mingcheng meaningfully, stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "That's what I mean, too. Let's temporarily appoint Jia Huan as the leader. I'm sure the emperor will make the decision."

Zhao Mingcheng's eyes flashed. The rankings recommended by the examiners were only preliminary, and the final decision was in the hands of the emperor. The reason why he pushed Jia Huan to be the first was not because he was selfless, but because he knew that Emperor Qiansheng did not like the old nobles. If Jia Huan was pushed to the first place, then given Emperor Qiansheng's character, he would definitely not choose Jia Huan as the top scholar. This was a way of retreating to advance.

As a close minister to the emperor, Zhao Mingcheng knew Emperor Qiansheng's temper very well.

(End of this chapter)