Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 464: Palace Examination (Part )

On the morning of March 15th, the first year of the Taichang reign, at dawn, after two days of unsuccessful attempts to lure the enemy into battle, Nurhaci, the Tianming Khan of the Jin Dynasty, officially ordered a full-scale assault on Shenyang. A brutal, seesaw battle officially began. A few days later, reports of the battle would be relayed back to the Ministry of War in Beijing by flying horses.

No matter how the battle unfolded today, or how many bodies piled up outside Shenyang City, it didn't matter to the envoys preparing for the imperial examination. Their minds were completely preoccupied with the exam questions and their fantasies of future careers. Even a small murmur echoed through the capital's public opinion. The roar of artillery from the walls of Shenyang, the screams and howls from below, seemed too distant to them.

It was not yet the hour of the morning, and the Daming Gate had not yet opened, though soldiers responsible for maintaining basic order were already standing at the entrance. Most of the candidates for this year's special examination had already arrived. But because the high-ranking officials who led the way had not yet arrived, the candidates, both familiar and unfamiliar, were chatting in groups of three or five.

"Brother Huang, what do you think this year's essay topic will be?" a relatively young-looking candidate asked his roommate. A roommate was a candidate selected by the same teacher or examiner. After each imperial examination, candidates would proactively inquire about who had selected them and who their roommates and seats were. The officialdom was brutal, and having more connections meant a natural intimacy. While it wouldn't necessarily be helpful, it was still better than being a stranger.

"I wish I could guess it." A fellow scholar surnamed Huang shook his head and laughed, "But I think, since it's an imperial examination, the topic must be related to the emperor's grace."

"Brother Huang, your guess is the same as not guessing at all." The young tribute scholar shrugged and chuckled.

"It's better not to guess," another younger fellow scholar interjected. "If you guess correctly, it won't be a guess."

"Brother Fu, no one has been removed from the palace examination since ancient times. No one would take such a risk and make themselves uncomfortable." The scholar who spoke first turned his head to look at the scholar named Fu who interrupted him.

"Not necessarily. Isn't there someone who cheated in the palace examination in previous years and came here to take the exam again this year?" The young scholar named Fu stretched his neck to look at a middle-aged scholar who was away from the crowd.

"Can I cheat in the palace examination and try again?" The scholar surnamed Huang was shocked.

"I don't know what the Ministry of Rites was thinking," said the scholar surnamed Fu, who had clearly heard a lot. "They said that after investigation, they only found a section at the end of the imperial edict that contained a hidden piece of paper, so they decided to give him a lenient sentence. Oh, the late emperor, so kind and benevolent, agreed to the Ministry of Rites's request, offering him a minor post in a remote area and allowing him to take the imperial examination after three more exams."

"Three subjects? That must be the Gengxu subject in the 38th year of the Wanli reign!" The scholar surnamed Huang suddenly said, "I remember it! I remember that person was the top scorer in the Shuntian County Examination. What was his name?" The scholar surnamed Huang passed the imperial examination in the 37th year of the Wanli reign, and took part in the metropolitan examination for the first time in the 38th year of the Wanli reign, but unfortunately failed to pass.

"The surname is Tian, ​​the given name is Ji!" The scholar surnamed Fu was clearly a bit too angry. He not only called out the offender's name, but also pointed to the scholar surnamed Huang to look at the person standing alone outside the crowd. "He really has the nerve to come here."

"Brother Wen, have you heard?" Elsewhere, other candidates were sharing a recent anecdote with their companions, though this one seemed a little too recent. "Today's palace exam was originally scheduled to be postponed."

"Postponed? Why?" Wen Zhenmeng had originally been listening intently to the tribute student named Fu Guan talking about Tian Ji's smuggling. But upon hearing this topic, his attention was immediately drawn to it.

Wen Zhenmeng had met Fang Fengnian after the imperial examination. To be more precise, Fang Fengnian had found out where Wen Zhenmeng lived and had come to him to make friends.

Wen Zhenmeng, with a tentative attitude, met Fang Fengnian through literary exchange. After some discussion, he discovered that Fang Fengnian possessed profound insights into the I Ching and was a very upright person. He therefore became friends with this fellow, twenty-three years his junior, and presented him with a piece of calligraphy of which he was quite pleased.

Fang Fengnian didn't keep the secret. "Yesterday, I heard that the Emperor's young daughter had passed away. The Cabinet, sympathetic to the Emperor's grief, collectively submitted a petition requesting that today's palace examination be postponed. However, the Emperor, wise and dedicated to selecting the best for the country, politely declined the Cabinet's request."

Wen Zhenmeng was stunned for a moment, then his eyes flickered with emotion. "The Emperor is so gracious! The rumors of leniency and indulgence are completely unbelievable!"

In recent days, the entire capital has been in an uproar over the three major cases involving the Li family. However, while the emperor continued to govern as usual, he retained all memorials concerning the Li family. This not only exacerbated the unrest among the officials, but also led to numerous rumors. Although Wen Zhenmeng did not specifically inquire, he still heard a lot.

"If the rumors are all false, then why did the emperor keep the memorial?" Liu Bidada, who was the top scorer in the Tongzhi Zhouyi examination together with Fang Fengnian, was nearby. Hearing the two discussing this matter, he couldn't help but interrupt.

Among the many rumors, the most widely circulated one was that the emperor intended to protect the Li family and put pressure on the cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel to dismiss Li Changgeng, the Minister of Finance, who had suffered greatly from the emperor's actions. This rumor was combined with actual facts and therefore sounded very plausible.

"There's a saying among the people that relatives should protect each other. Although the emperor is a wise ruler like Yao and Shun, he also respects human ethics." Fang Fengnian has heard quite a bit. "I've heard that when Empress Dowager Li was alive, she was very protective of the emperor. And this Wuqing Hou Li Mingcheng is the nephew of the Empress Dowager."

"The words and deeds of an emperor are passed down through the ages. Sacrificing one's own family for the greater good is a truly worthy example!" Before Fang Fengnian could finish his words, Liu Bi Da interrupted him. "Your Majesty's protection of the Li family will only damage the Empress Dowager's reputation!"

Wen Zhenmeng was about to speak when he saw a sedan chair, accompanied by two attendants, turn out from the Ministry of Rites alley on the east side. He restrained the words that were about to come out of his mouth, staring intently at the direction of the sedan chair, and said to the other tribute students around him, "Everyone, let's talk later. We're about to enter the palace."

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At the hour of Mao, the Daming Gate opened promptly. Led by the newly appointed Minister of Rites, Li Tengfang, 230 special examinees and one special candidate, a total of 231 people, they passed through the Thousand-Step Corridor and gathered under the Jinshui Bridge in front of the Chengtian Gate.

"Open!" Normally, Chengtian Gate and Daming Gate would open simultaneously. But today, only after a loud shout from the tower did the left and rightmost gates of Chengtian Gate slowly open. Immediately afterwards, three hundred sturdy, fully armed generals, divided into two teams, filed out of the two gates and surrounded the open space between Jinshui Bridge and Chengtian Gate.

There was no need to shout for silence anymore. After walking a thousand steps, apart from the sound of the wind, no other noise could be heard.

"Start calling the roll now!" Li Tengfang said nervously, his voice trembling. "Everyone who's called goes over! Odd numbers will line up on the left side of the imperial path, and even numbers will line up on the right side. Left first, then right, two people in a row! When you enter the palace later, odd numbers will use the left doorway, and even numbers will use the right! Don't wander around!"

After announcing the ranking rules, Li Tengfang took a densely written scroll from the clerk's hand and shook it open. This scroll was almost identical to the list, but the font was smaller, the words were more densely written, and there was also an additional special reference person, Tian Ji, who was temporarily added for a special reason.

In fact, even among the special reasons, Tian Ji's was truly exceptional. He was the only person in the Ming Dynasty who, despite cheating on the palace examination, was pardoned by the emperor and allowed to take the exam again. Generally speaking, the special reason for adding candidates at short notice was usually because a previous candidate had to mourn or suffered an acute illness.

Dingyou means that if a candidate passes the joint examination and waits for the palace examination, and learns of the death of his or her mother, he or she must return to his or her hometown to mourn and wait three years before taking the palace examination. This is a mandatory requirement; not returning is considered unfilial. An acute illness means that the candidate is seriously ill and bedridden while waiting for the examination, preventing him or her from taking the examination.

In the Ming Dynasty, the status of Juren, Gongshi, and Jinshi was permanent, and could be engraved on tombstones and taken to the grave after death. If a Gongshi, unable to take the imperial examination for special reasons, died while waiting for the next palace examination, the Ministry of Rites would request an imperial decree to posthumously grant him the same status as a Jinshi, as a token of the emperor's grace.

"First place, Liu Bidada!" Li Tengfang's breathing has become much steadier, and he has completely entered the state.

"Yes!" Liu Bi Da felt a surge of electricity throughout his body. He shouted in response, then shook himself and ran to Li Teng Fang. "The student is here."

Li Tengfang didn't even look at him. "Go under the bridge and get searched."

"Yes." Liu Bidada walked to the left under the Jinshui Bridge, where several Jinwu Guards, specifically responsible for body searches, were already standing. When Liu Bidada reported to the Ministry of Rites, the official who received him told him to bring nothing except the tokens issued by the Ministry. Liu Bidada obeyed the order, not even wearing the waist badge he usually wore.

As Liu Bi Da was being searched by the Jinwu Guards, Li Tengfang called out again, "Second place, Li Yukui!" This time he added, "You don't have to answer, and you don't have to come to me. Just go under the bridge and be inspected!"

There were only two Chengtian Gates open to the examinees, and correspondingly, only the two closest Jinshui Bridges were accessible to them. Therefore, after Liu Bi Da passed the inspection, Li Tengfang called out to the third person: "Third place, Cao Keming!"

The Jinwu Guards were swift and efficient, quickly completing the search of all 231 candidates. Clearly, no fools intent on assassinating the emperor were carrying any dangerous items during this palace examination.

After the search, the examinees continued, following the Minister of Rites through Chengtian Gate and toward Duanmen. Though silent, they continued to walk and observe. The stretch of courtrooms from Chengtian Gate to Duanmen consisted of fifty-two rooms, twenty-six on each side. In the center of the eastern courtrooms stood the Taimiao Street Gate, and in the center of the western courtrooms stood the Sheji Street Gate, leading to the Taimiao and Sheji Altar, respectively.

Passing through Sheji Street Gate and Taimiao Street Gate, one reaches Duanmen, which is almost identical in structure to Chengtian Gate. Duanmen's primary function was to store ceremonial items for the emperor. Whenever the emperor personally attended a major ceremony, the Duanmen treasury would be opened. While the palace examination was also a grand occasion, the emperor would not travel outside to meet with candidates, so the treasury's ceremonial items were never used.

Along the way, there were only Jinwu Guards who had retreated to protect the road. Although the armor they wore was also ceremonial, it was not part of the emperor's ceremonial guard and was not stored in the Duanmen.

After passing through the Duanmen Gate, one can see the Wumen Gate. The Wumen Gate is shaped like a concave Chinese character (a Chinese character for "concave"), with two quemen gates flanking it. Its facade has five doorways, but only three are visible at first glance. The other two side gates, located at the base of the city platform, are invisible from the Duanmen Gate and can only be seen when approaching closely. Candidates who had not yet passed the palace examination and received official positions could only enter the Forbidden City through these two invisible side gates.

After passing through the parallel columns of the She Left Gate and the Temple Right Gate; the Six Departments' Direct Offices; the Shangbao Division and the Zhongshu Division; and the Left and Right Que Gates, the examinees from across the country finally arrived at the Meridian Gate. Like everyone else who had visited the Meridian Gate for the first time, Tian Ji, taking the palace exam again, was deeply impressed by the towering structure that symbolized its orderly architecture. Beneath the Meridian Gate's concave-shaped terrace, one seemed dwarfed.

Li Tengfang's voice interrupted the students' thoughts and sighs: "Those with odd numbers should enter the palace through the Zuoye Gate, and those with even numbers should enter through the Youye Gate. Once you enter the palace, don't wander around! Meet in front of the Jinshui Bridge!"

Li Tengfang himself did not need to enter the palace through the left and right side gates. He was an official of the Ming Dynasty. According to the rule that civil officials were on the right and military officials were on the left, he could enter the palace directly through the middle gate on the right.

After passing through the Meridian Gate, what comes into view is the largest palace gate in the entire Forbidden City - the Huangji Gate.

Along the road from Wumen to Huangjimen, Huijimen stands to the east and Guijimen to the west. Huijimen serves as the hub connecting Wenhua Hall and the Inner Cabinet, while Guijimen serves as the hub connecting Wuying Hall. On the north and south sides of Huiji and Guijimen, eleven verandas with connected eaves and ridges are located. The verandas connected to Huijimen typically served as offices for the Veritable Records Hall, the Jade Records Hall, and the Records of the Imperial Household, while those connected to Guijimen were once used by the Hall of Statutes and the National History Hall.

In the 15th year of the Wanli reign, after 11 years of revision, from Zhang Juzheng to Shen Shixing, the "Da Ming Hui Dian" was officially published. The Hui Dian Hall was officially closed, and the wings were decommissioned. It was not until the 22nd year of the Wanli reign that the wings on the north and south sides of Guiji Gate were reopened as offices for the National History Hall, after Grand Secretaries Wang Xijue and Chen Yubi submitted a request for approval to compile the National History.

Unfortunately, in the 25th year of the Wanli reign, the Forbidden City was struck by fire again. The flames spread from Guiji Gate all the way to Huangji Hall, destroying the National History Museum. Zhang Wei, then the Deputy Minister of State, and others, cited the palace disaster as a reason for suspending the compilation of the official history. After this pause, the work on the revised history seemed to be permanently halted. Even after the reconstruction of Guiji Gate and Huangji Hall, the compilation of the official history was never resumed.

(End of this chapter)