Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 480: Top Three

After three rounds of transmission, Wang Minjing, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, led the new number one scholar Wen Zhenmeng along the central axis of the imperial road from the end of the Huangji Hall Square all the way to the front of the Huangji Hall.

Inside the hall, Ming Emperor Zhu Changluo, perched at the highest point of the venue, wore a gentle smile, looking down at Wen Zhenmeng as he slowly approached. To the emperor's left stood Zhu Youxiao, the Ming dynasty's designated crown prince, though not yet crowned, and his half-brother, Zhu Youjian. Behind the emperor on the right stood Wang An, the imperial steward, the Imperial Minister, and the eunuch holding the seal of the Imperial Household Department.

The moment he crossed the threshold, Wen Zhenmeng felt a sudden surge of transcendental wonder. In a split second, the scene before him was etched into his mind.

"Mr. Wen, please express your gratitude." Seeing that Wen Zhenmeng stood there for a long time without bowing, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites Xu Guangqi reminded him in a low voice.

Wen Zhenmeng regained consciousness and kowtowed three times to the emperor. "Your Majesty, I, Wen Zhenmeng, kowtow to thank you for your grace!" Passing the imperial examination at a young age was a remarkable feat, his ambitions were unfulfilled after nine appearances in the imperial court, and his victory on the imperial examination would be known to the world. A cascade of emotions washed over him, finally transforming into a stream of turbid tears that overflowed his eyes.

Zhu Changluo opened his mouth to speak, but it was not a simple "standing up": "I favor the virtuous and employ the capable, and fill the court with them. I have my own opinions on who can be prime minister, who can be general, who can govern the people, who can manage finances. The top scholar in literature, please stand up."

Wen Zhenmeng was stunned. The emperor's words were not only about Wen Zhenmeng being a talented person in the court, and therefore discriminating among them, but also about answering a sentence Wen Zhenmeng had written on his imperial examination paper: Your Majesty favors the virtuous and employs the capable, and the court is full of them, but who can be prime minister, who can be general, who can govern the people, who can manage finances? Does your Majesty discriminate?

Wen Zhenmeng was deeply moved. He had heard that after the imperial examination, the emperor wouldn't necessarily review the papers, but would simply determine the ranking based on the list submitted by the cabinet. But now it seemed that the emperor had not only carefully read his essay but had also noted a passage. His Majesty had chosen him from among hundreds of papers to be the top scorer, precisely because he valued his talent.
"Your Majesty, I, Wen Zhenmeng, bow my head to thank you for your grace!" Wen Zhenmeng suppressed his tears and kowtowed several times.

"It's a happy day, don't cry." Zhu Changluo said gently, "Okay, stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wen Zhenmeng suppressed a sob and, guided by the chief eunuch Wei Chao, came to the right side of the Sumeru throne. This was the proper place for the emperor to sit.

After Wen Zhenmeng stood still, Xu Guangqi continued to announce the names. "The second place in the first class is Fu Guan!"

"The second place in the first class will be crowned!" Nine Mingzan from the Honglu Temple passed the name of the second place out of the hall and down the steps.

"The second place in the first class is Fu Guan!" The forty-eight members of the Honglu Temple spread this information to the entire square, and of course it also reached the ears of Fu Guan himself.

Shortly after the third recitation, the young runner-up also followed the officials from the Honglu Temple into the Huangji Hall, trembling.

Fu Guan was born in the 23rd year of the Wanli reign and is only 26 years old this year. The year he was born, Grand Secretary Liu Yirong passed the imperial examination and was selected as a Shujishi, while the top scorer Wen Zhenmeng also failed his first imperial examination.

"Your Majesty, I, Fu Guan, bow in gratitude for His Majesty's grace!" Fu Guan was younger and more energetic than Wen Zhenmeng. As he knelt to pay his respects, he felt no sadness or tears, only a surge of passion. This passion cleansed Fu Guan's spirit and gave him a surge of enthusiasm, the kind he could use to cleanse the world.

"Young man, do your best." To Fu Guan, the emperor's encouragement was perfunctory. "Stand up."

"Fu Guan, thank the emperor for his grace again!" Fu Guan stood up and walked to Wen Zhenmeng's side and stood with his head bowed.

"The third place in the first class is Li Yukui!" This is the only one among the top three who came from the top of the Five Classics in the imperial examination.

After three rounds of announcements, Li Yukui arrived at the Huangji Palace.

"Your Majesty, I, Li Yukui, bow down to thank you for your grace!" Li Yukui was of course very excited, and every step he took to the palace was very heavy.

And when he said heavy, he meant heavy in the literal sense. Li Yukui was over seven feet tall. Just looking at his broad-shouldered physique and sharp-eyed appearance, one could tell that he was no ordinary pale-faced, frail scholar, but a martial artist.

Zhu Changluo became interested and asked Li Yukui, "Have you ever practiced kung fu?"

Li Yukui was kneeling on the ground and could only see the front of his clothes. He had no idea that the emperor was talking to him.

"Li Tanhua. The emperor is talking to you." The eunuch beside the emperor reminded him considerately.

"Reply!" Li Yukui felt a surge of blood in his head, and his voice was choked in his throat. He had never thought that there would be a questioning session at the ceremony. Also, what is this "piece"?

"Don't be nervous." Zhu Changluo said with a smile, "There's no need for a big guy like a tiger to be trembling like a cat."

Li Yukui now understood that the emperor's "building muscle" meant building muscle. Li Yukui had not deliberately built muscle, but by extension, it was like practicing martial arts.

"In reply to Your Majesty," Li Tanhua calmed down, his trembling as a thought formed in his mind. "The Book of Zhou states that the sons of the state should be nurtured with virtue, and that is to teach them the Six Arts. One is the Five Rites, two is the Six Musics, three is the Five Archery, four is the Five Charioteering, five is the Six Calligraphy, and six is ​​the Nine Mathematics. I, in accordance with ancient rites, diligently practice the Six Arts to train my seven-foot-tall body. I also answer Your Majesty's strategic precept: 'Culture is strengthened by military power, and military power is pacified by culture.'"

"Wow! The Ming Dynasty is about to produce a Confucian general." Zhu Changluo laughed. "Come on, raise your head and let me take a good look at you."

"I obey your order." Li Yukui propped himself up and raised his head, but did not look directly at the emperor.

"What a pity." Zhu Changluo was still smiling.

Because of these three words, Li Yukui's heart began to beat again. "Your Majesty, I dare to ask, is there something wrong with my face?" To make himself look less rough, Li Yukui had someone shave his beard in the fashionable scholar style before taking the palace examination.

Zhu Changluo shook his head slightly. "Your physique and appearance don't make you suitable for being a poet. You're more suitable for being a governor-general. However, according to ancestral rules, the third place winner must serve as an editor in the Hanlin Academy. What a pity." Zhu Changluo sighed pretentiously and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead and stand."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Yukui was overjoyed. Although the emperor's words were regrettable, they were clearly a compliment. He kowtowed in thanks and stood up to walk behind Fu Guan.

At this point, the ceremony of the three top-ranked candidates meeting the emperor to express their gratitude has come to an end, and the most essential and important part of the ceremony has also ended.

After Li Yukui stood still holding the hu tablet, Xu Guangqi continued to sing:

"Award the title of Jinshi to 57 people, including Huang Daozhou, from the second class!" "Award the title of Jinshi to 171 people, including Qian Jingzhong, from the third class!"

The second and third classes were only sung once, and no one was allowed to go out of class to the temple to thank the emperor in person.

After the singing, the top three candidates walked to the throne of Mount Sumeru to thank the emperor for his grace, and the other Jinshi outside the hall also bowed and thanked him again.

The music began again, and the emperor rose from his seat, returning to the palace with the two princes and the eunuchs. The announcement of the names of the successful candidates had concluded, but the ceremony was not yet completely over; it was about to descend from heaven to earth, ushering in a new climax.

After the emperor left, Xu Guangqi's identity was changed back to the Minister of Rites. Only with this identity could he play the role of the emperor's incarnation in the next ceremony.

Xu Guangqi put down the imperial edict and walked out of the hall with the first-class and three tripods.

At this time, Prime Minister Fang Congzhe also collected the yellow list with the names of 231 people and held it in his hands. When Xu Guangqi picked up the cloud-patterned tray from the desk, Fang Congzhe walked over to him and solemnly placed the yellow list on the tray. This was called the cloud tray.

The umbrella-shaped drum music for the front guidance was already ready, waiting for Xu Guangqi and Sandingjia to arrive at the designated position.

With umbrellas in front and drums and music behind, Xu Guangqi carefully descended the white marble platform, holding the cloud plate with the list of successors. Meanwhile, the newly minted Jinshi scholars, guided by officials from the Honglu Temple, approached and gradually gathered behind the top three.

When the last newly-minted Jinshi turned around and headed towards Huangji Gate, the high-ranking civil and military officials who were still standing on the white marble platform followed according to their ranks and lined up behind the Jinshi, heading out of the palace.

Then, thousands of civil and military officials turned around one by one from north to south. By the time the ninth-rank officials and other lower-ranking officials at the end of the line also followed the procession out of the palace, the leading ceremonial guard had already reached the Meridian Gate.

Holding the list of honor, Xu Guangqi and the top three candidates of the special examination, under the protection of the emperor's guard of honor, walked out of the Meridian Gate's central gate in a dignified manner. The other Jinshi and other officials of the special examination still separated from the left and right sides of the gate according to the rules and exited through the side doors.

This was the first time the top three candidates passed through the Meridian Gate's Central Gate, and quite possibly the last. Unless they could achieve the position of Minister of Rites, as Xu Guangqi did, and presided over the imperial examinations, they would not be passing through the Central Gate as themselves, but as the emperor incarnate, a routine formality. Like the soldiers leading the imperial carriage, their passage through the Central Gate held no honor; they were merely supporting figures and envoys.

The yellow list was posted at the East Chang'an Gate at the end of the Qianbu Corridor. There, the top scholar Wen Zhenmeng would lead the other Jinshi scholars in a performance to view the list.

The list, inscribed with the names and rankings of the 231 successful Jinshi scholars, would be posted on the palace walls for three days. Three days later, the Jinshi scholars would pay their respects at the Confucius Temple. At that time, the list would be collected and sent to the Cabinet, which would then forward it to the Imperial College for permanent preservation and future generations' reference.

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After the ranking ceremony, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel jointly organized the Imperial Street Praise of Officials. In this grand performance, the top three winners would wear festive clothes provided by the Ministry of Rites and ride tall horses through the main streets of the city, accepting greetings and congratulations from the people along the way.

However, like the Imperial Palace's announcement of the successful candidates, the Imperial Street Officials' Praise was still merely a celebration for newly minted Jinshi scholars. It had little relevance to the majority of officials currently serving. Aside from the minor officials assigned by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel to handle the matter, officials from other government offices returned to their respective offices after the announcement was posted, changed into their regular uniforms, and resumed their duties.

Yuan Huazhong, the Censor of Henan Province under the Censorate, was one of these irrelevant officials. Yuan Huazhong had long lost his keen interest in the ceremony, leaving only a hint of curiosity. If attending the ceremony wasn't a requirement for Beijing officials, but rather a choice of whether to attend or not, he might not even come. It was far, crowded, and required early starts—it was simply insane.

But then again, the fact that the old scholar he had just met happened to be selected as the top scorer still made him feel a little auspicious and surprised.

With this little surprise in mind, Yuan Huazhong took the written memorial and passed through Changxi Gate and Gongsheng Gate, and came to the Tongzhengshisi located on the left side of Qianbu Corridor.

"Are you here to file a report?" The gatekeeper could tell at a glance that this official in the sixth or seventh rank court robes was not the master of this yamen.

"I'm just here to file a report," Yuan Huazhong, who had never been stopped by a yamen runner before, was a little surprised. "Any questions?"

"That's not a problem," the gatekeeper said with a smile, "but you've arrived too early. There's no master in the office yet." The Tongzhengshi (Common Administration Commissioner) was in charge of receiving and submitting memorials from both the interior and the exterior, sealing and rejecting them. His daily duties consisted of sending and receiving memorials. Anyone could enter, as long as they could produce a token of trust; even a servant not wearing official uniform could come in to submit a memorial on behalf of their master.

"Then I'll wait here for a while." Yuan Huazhong was indeed walking in a hurry, but he didn't expect that he walked faster than the officials of the Ministry of Public Security headquarters.

"You don't have to wait here. Go inside the yamen and sit down." The gatekeeper made way and reminded, "The left court submits memorials, and the right court submits reports."

"Thank you for the reminder." Yuan Huazhong certainly knew the rules of the Ministry of Public Security, but he still thanked him in a friendly manner.

"You're too polite." The gatekeeper also bowed and smiled.

Yuan Huazhong didn't wait long. He sat in the Zuoyuan, the courtyard governed by Zuo Tongzheng, for less than half a quarter of an hour before Zuo Tongzheng Yuan Keli returned. Yuan Huazhong was no longer the only one waiting in the courtyard. Before Yuan Keli arrived, several other officials had arrived, each with their own reports or passing through. Even the gatekeeper who had spoken to Yuan Huazhong earlier was there, helping the postman deliver reports from outside the capital.

Normally, officials should wear their regular clothes when conducting court affairs. However, seeing that many people were already waiting to report and had not changed their clothes, Yuan Keli felt embarrassed to find a place to change clothes first.

"Please come in one by one in the order you want to come in." Yuan Keli waved to the officials sitting in the courtyard. Yuan Huazhong followed suit.

"Yuan Minxie, why are you here again?" Yuan Keli and Yuan Huazhong were from Henan and Shandong respectively, and they weren't related by any means. They had never met before Yuan Keli returned to Beijing. But after frequent interactions, they eventually got to know each other.

"Lord Jie Huan is annoyed with me." Yuan Huazhong took out the notebook from his arms and placed it on Yuan Keli's desk.

"I'm afraid you'll get yourself into trouble." Yuan Keli pulled out the register, flipped to the page for March 18th, the first year of the Taichang reign, copied the title of the memorial, "A Petition to Suppress Rumors in the Capital," and then turned the register over for Yuan Huazhong to sign. "Sign it."

　I originally wanted to include Lu Xiangsheng, but after careful investigation, I found that Lu Xiangsheng was not only a Jinshi in the second year of the Tianqi reign, but also a Lianjie Jinshi. In other words, it is impossible for him to participate in the "Enke in the first year of the Taichang reign."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)