Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 479: Announcement Day (Part )
"Only 231 people were admitted this year," Wen Zhenmeng said, holding onto his cap as he walked, fearing it would be pushed off. "Why are there so many more people here than last time?"

"Perhaps it's because the Emperor is coming." Yao Ximeng didn't understand the reason, but instinctively guessed it had a lot to do with the Emperor personally announcing the results. He himself still felt deeply regretful for not being able to see the Emperor in person during the palace examination in the 47th year of the Wanli reign. Upon learning of his father's passing, Yao Ximeng inexplicably felt a sense of grief, having not been able to see his father one last time.

Wen Zhenmeng was elbowed and said with a wry smile, "Even if the emperor were to attend the ceremony in person, there wouldn't be so many people coming." Every time the imperial examination results were announced, a large number of unrelated people would come to join in the fun, but that was usually when the list was announced and the officials were praised on the streets. Wen Zhenmeng had taken the exam nine times and had never heard of so many people blocking the road before the ceremony.

"It's about the Emperor," a seventh-rank official, practically shoulder-to-shoulder with the two men, overheard their conversation and interrupted with a familiar voice. "But it's not that simple."

"Why do you say that, sir?" Wen Zhenmeng turned his head with difficulty, holding his hat.

"Last month, the Emperor held court at the Qianqing Gate. Because of the commotion in the palace, the Cabinet, acting by imperial decree, punished over forty individuals. Not only were their salaries shattered, but some were also transferred or reassigned. The punishments were severe, so no one dared to defy the order. With so many high-ranking officials attending the ceremony, there were also more carriages and sedan chairs." The seventh-rank official's memory had some minor inaccuracies, but was generally accurate. "Look ahead, I wonder who hired that car blocking the intersection."

During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, the penalty for missing court or misbehaving with court etiquette was usually a one-month salary deprivation. This punishment was indeed a punishment for low-ranking officials who relied on salaries for their livelihood, but for high-ranking officials who did not rely on salaries, or low-ranking officials from wealthy families, it was just an acceptable cost of breaking the law.

"Oh!" Wen Zhenmeng suddenly realized that he had heard this anecdote from Qian Qianyi, which happened during the imperial examination. "Was it the one in the middle of the month?"

"Haha, I know it clearly. It's from that time." The seventh-rank official wasn't surprised. It wasn't unusual for someone who passed the imperial examination to know a few officials.

"I did hear about it from a friend." Wen Zhenmeng nodded. He wanted to greet him, but he couldn't even bow. He could only show respect through his expression. "May I ask your name, sir?"

"Not really, sir, but I've enjoyed a few more years of imperial rations than you have." The seventh-rank official, whose seat was relatively spacious, clasped his fists and shook them twice in front of his chest. "I'm Yuan Huazhong, serving in the Metropolitan Censorate."

"It turns out to be Lord Xiyu. I've heard of you for a long time!" Wen Zhenmeng's eyes lit up.

"Have you heard of me?" Yuan Huazhong also smiled.

Wen Zhenmeng said: "I am Wen Zhenmeng, a student. I have heard Mr. Mu Zhai talk about your heroic deeds." Wen Zhenmeng called Qian Qianyi by his courtesy name in front of him, and changed his title in front of other people.

"Mu Zhai." Yuan Huazhong thought for a moment. "Qian Mu Zhai?"

"It's Qian Muzhai." Wen Zhenmeng said.

"Nice to meet you. May I ask your name, Brother Wen?" Yuan Huazhong nodded, but didn't react much. Yuan Huazhong had studied at the Donglin Academy and was considered a Donglin scholar, but after passing the imperial examination, he had remained an incumbent official, serving as magistrate in Neihuang County, Zhili, and Jingyang County, Shaanxi. Last year, he was promoted to Imperial Censor for his outstanding performance. While he was familiar with "outsiders" like Qian Qianyi, renowned for their literary talent and poetics, he had no particular interest in them, let alone any attempts to curry favor with them. He knew even less about southern juren like Wen Zhenmeng, known for their calligraphy.

"My name is Wen Qi," Wen Zhenmeng said, moving his head aside. "The person next to me is my nephew, Yao Ximeng."

Yao Ximeng also squeezed out with difficulty and said to Yuan Huazhong with a smile: "I am Yao Mengchang, a student who became a Jinshi in the 47th year of Wanli. Fortunately, I was selected to enter the Hanlin Academy as a Shuchang." Shujishi comes from "Shuchang Jishi" in the "Book of Documents: Establishing Government", which means "all kind and auspicious people", so it is also called Shuchang.

Yuan Huazhong put his hand to his chest and shook it twice. "It's Yao Shuchang. Nice to meet you."

Three middle-aged men, over forty, chatted as they followed the crowds toward Qipan Street. After about a quarter of an hour, they finally made their way through the crowded Dongjiang Rice Alley and arrived in front of Daming Gate.

After arriving at the place, the three of them split up. Wen Zhenmeng went to gather at the gate of Daming, while Yuan Huazhong and Yao Ximeng each went to look for their colleagues at the place where the censors and poets gathered.

At this point, the list of candidates had not yet been released, and for the vast majority of the outer court officials and the 231 aspiring officials, the order of the palace examination was still unknown. Therefore, the order of the aspiring officials, such as Wen Zhenmeng, was the same as that of the day they took the palace examination. There were also odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right, two people in a row, with the top candidates first and the others second.

Since Li Tengfang, the Minister of Rites who was in charge of leading the way, had already arrived when Wen Zhenmeng arrived, he was unable to meet and chat with several familiar and friendly classmates, but was directly called to the end of the team.

At 1 a.m. in the morning, the curfew at Daming Gate was lifted. Thousands of civil and military officials in Beijing, a few officials from other places who happened to be in Beijing, and envoys from vassal states stationed in the capital began to pour into Qianbu Gallery and were searched by the Jinyiwei in front of the Jinshui Bridge at Chengtian Gate.

This search was far more rigorous than the one conducted yesterday on the examiners. The Imperial Uniform Guards would begin by feeling around the official's boots, then continue to their chest and underarms, ensuring nothing was hidden in their hats. Only then would they be allowed to proceed. Any contraband found inadvertently would be registered and confiscated by the Imperial Uniform Guards. After the ceremony, officials could then proceed to the Commandery to collect their belongings.

"What's your name, sir? Which office are you from?" Pan Zhaohuan, the newly appointed captain of the Jinyiwei's Qianhu Division in charge of the search, asked politely while searching the seventh-rank official in front of him.

"Yuan Huazhong, the Censor of Henan Province of the Censorate." Yuan Huazhong raised his arms high and allowed the young centurion in front of him to grope his bag.

"What is this?" Pan Zhaohuan felt a square, hard object on Yuan Huazhong's chest, so he patted it gently with his palm.

"The title book," Yuan Huazhong said, pulling out a leaf-folded book with a hard cover from his pocket. "I'll take it to the silver counter after the ceremony. Do you want to open it and take a look?"

"No need, sir. This notebook can't hold a dagger. Take it back." The captain smiled softly, motioned for Yuan Huazhong to take off his hat, and glanced at the chief flag officer in charge of recording. The chief flag officer understood and turned to the section about the Censorate and wrote down Yuan Huazhong's name.

"Can I go over?" Yuan Huazhong showed his hat and put it back on his head.

"Let me help you straighten it." Pan Zhaohuan reached out to help Yuan Huazhong straighten his hat.

"Thank you." Yuan Huazhong was a little surprised. This was the first time he had met such a polite Jinyiwei. He even helped him straighten his clothes.

"Mr. Yuan, you're welcome. Please come in." Pan Zhaohuan made way and gestured for the next person to come forward for inspection. "What's your name, sir? Which government office are you from?"

Due to the large number of people, the thorough search and the roll call, even though the Commandery sent eight centurions to conduct the search at the same time, the process still lasted nearly an hour.

By the time all the officials had gathered in the square in front of the Huangji Palace and sorted according to their rank, the sky, which had been only dim, had become bright.

At 2:15 PM, the main actors in the ceremony, the 231 would-be officials, began to undergo searches. At 4:15 PM, the searches of all officials and would-be officials were complete. A series of drum and trumpet sounds gradually emanated from the palace, signaling permission to enter.

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In front of the Huangji Hall Square, thousands of civil and military officials stood on both sides of the Danchi according to their civil and military positions, with civil officials in the east and military officials in the west. After the Jinshi scholars arrived, they were also lined up behind the east and west rows according to their ranking.

After everyone stood still, magnificent ceremonial music suddenly sounded from outside the two classes, enveloping the entire square in an instant.

Long before the officials arrived, the Imperial Household Department had directed the Embroidered Uniform Guard to set up the imperial procession, along with the yellow table, incense burners, and other ceremonial objects. As the ceremonial music began, Xu Guangqi, the Minister of Rites, who was at the head of the civil service, immediately returned the yellow scroll he had received the day before to Fang Congzhe, the Prime Minister.

Fang Congzhe took the yellow list and immediately walked to the yellow table placed in the middle of the red steps and slowly spread out the yellow list.

At this time, the emperor had not yet arrived, nor would he come for the time being, because there was still a formality to be done, which was to ask the emperor to dress up and leave the palace to personally attend the ceremony.

As Fang Congzhe unfolded the yellow list, Xu Guangqi, the clerk of etiquette, also began to walk. He hurried all the way to the Qianqing Gate Hall, where the emperor, the eldest son, the fifth son, and a group of eunuchs were waiting for him.

After a simple but formal greeting, Xu Guangqi requested the emperor to dress in formal attire and leave the palace to personally attend the ceremony, and the request was approved.

As soon as the emperor stood up, the eunuchs of all ranks started to change the emperor and the princes into the special formal clothes and leather caps that they would need to wear at the ceremony.

The Pibianfu (pibianfu) was one of the most important formal attire in ancient China, second only to the highest-ranking crown robe in terms of ceremonial standards. For most dynasties before the Ming Dynasty, the Pibianfu was worn by the emperor, nobles, and court officials. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, heightened the formality of the Pibianfu to emphasize the prestige of the imperial family, declaring it only the emperor, the crown prince, and the kings. From then on, the Pibianfu became the exclusive formal attire of the imperial family. It was worn during court sessions, issuing imperial edicts, laying incense, presenting memorials, paying tribute to foreign tribes, paying homage to foreign officials, conducting ceremonies, announcing the emperor's roster, and offering sacrifices to the Tai Sui (Taisui) and the mountains and rivers.

In fact, Zhu Changluo wore this set of clothes on the day of the palace examination. However, the ceremony was a little simple, and he did not change into clothes on the spot after requesting approval.

The eunuchs were very skillful, and when they changed the emperor's clothes, they didn't look like they had the power of life and death or were in a high position. If it weren't for the robes embroidered with python patterns, they would be no different from the eunuchs who changed the clothes of the princes.

At the time of Si, the emperor, who had changed into a dark twelve-stitch gauze crown, a crimson cross-collared right-sleeved robe, a knee-length apron of the same color as his skirt, and a jade pendant with a cloud dragon pattern, came to the Huangji Hall with the prince who was wearing similar clothes but without the cloud dragon pattern jade pendant.

The emperor took the throne and everyone took their seats.

"Long live our emperor, long live him, long, long live the emperor!" Thousands of officials shouted in unison, their voices shaking the palace and the sky.

"Get up." The emperor's sacred will was transmitted through the Jiumingzan of the Honglu Temple and the forty-eight sequence groups, and spread layer by layer to every corner of the Huangji Hall Square.

The prince and the officials rose one after another. After the officials-to-be also stood up, the ritual music changed its pattern, and the ceremony officially entered the step of "Announcement in the Golden Hall".

Ancient annotations say: "Lu" means reporting from the superior to the inferior, and "Ju" means reporting from the inferior to the superior.

Therefore, "chuanlu" means that the superior person calls out the names of the people and conveys the imperial edict to the inferior person.

Because Xu Guangqi also served as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, after leading the emperor to the main hall, he did not return to the civil service ranks, but stayed in the Huangji Hall.

The rituals and music changed. Xu Guangqi looked up at the emperor and saw him nod silently. He then walked to the yellow table in the hall, picked up a short imperial edict, and read it aloud:

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees this."

"In the first year of Taichang, on the eighteenth day of the third month, Gengshen, the imperial examination was held for the imperial examinations of the whole country. The first place was awarded the title of Jinshi Jidi, the second place was awarded the title of Jinshi Chuan, and the third place was awarded the title of Tong Jinshi Chuan."

At this point, the "Edict" was announced and Xu Guangqi began to call out the names.

"First place in the first class! Wen Zhenmeng!" No matter how loud Xu Guangqi's voice was, it couldn't reach the ears of the Jinshi candidates from the Huangji Hall. Therefore, the Jiumingzan and the 48th Sequence Band, who had previously conveyed the emperor's message, repeated the words one after another.

When the voice of the Honglu Temple's preface reached Wen Zhenmeng's ears for the first time, the middle-aged man's first reaction was disbelief. How could someone who ranked 213th in the imperial examination, not even at the top of the eighteenth chamber, have caught the emperor's eye?

Wen Zhenmeng was also stunned by his nephew, Yao Ximeng. At the reception last night, the topic of discussion was how Wen Zhenmeng would excel as a county magistrate after being appointed to a local position. At Wen Zhenmeng's age, he likely wouldn't be selected as a "Shujishi" (a scholar-official), and there was a high likelihood he would be directly transferred to a remote post as a county magistrate. However, it seemed that he didn't need to consider becoming a local county magistrate anymore; he should instead join the Hanlin Academy as a poet-in-waiting.

"First place in the first class! Wen Zhenmeng!" The same chanting would repeat three times. When the Honglu official's voice reached Wen Zhenmeng's ears for the second time, he was finally awakened. This was no illusion! He was the first place winner of the first class of the Taichang Enke, the 82nd top scholar of the Ming Dynasty!
"The first place in the first class! Wen Zhenmeng!" Seeing that no one had come forward after the third call, Wang Minjing, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple who was responsible for guiding the tribute students into the hall to kowtow, came over.

"Who is Wen Zhenmeng?" Wang Minjing asked twice in a low voice.

"Students, students." Wen Zhenmeng still stood there in a daze with a pair of cloudy eyes.

"Come out, come out, come out quickly!" Wang Minjing waved at Wen Zhenmeng repeatedly.

"What, what are you doing?" Wen Zhenmeng's mind was still a mess.

"What else?" Wang Minjing understood Wen Zhenmeng's surprise, but no matter how big the surprise was, he couldn't keep the emperor waiting for too long. "The top scholar will bow and thank the emperor when he enters the palace!"

"Yes!" After a slightly choked reply, Mr. Wen took a step that made all his peers extremely envious.

(End of this chapter)