webnovelfull Chapter 388: Horseback Parade
Chapter 388: Horseback Parade
Chapter 388 Parading on Horseback
The list that has already been issued cannot be taken back, especially since it was from last year's autumn examination.
The emperor sighed for a long time, and when he went to court, he gave the Minister of Personnel a very unfriendly look.
The Minister of Rites didn't know what was going on at first, but he eventually found out after spending money to find out.
It turns out that it was because of last year's autumn imperial examination that he had chosen Liu Peng as the top scholar and Jiang Mingfei as the runner-up.
This is not a big deal; as the chief examiner, he has the right to do so.
The problem was that the emperor appointed Jiang Mingfei as the top scholar and Liu Peng as the second-best.
Even so, it's really not a big deal.
However, on a whim, the emperor ordered someone to check the previous scores of the top three.
This investigation revealed that the Great Zhou Dynasty had missed an auspicious sign of six people achieving the highest rank in the imperial examinations.
Originally, Liu Peng and Jiang Mingfei's examination papers were roughly equal, and the choice of who would be the top scholar depended entirely on the examiner's preference.
The Minister of Rites did not engage in favoritism or corruption; he simply preferred a more conservative and stable writing style, which suited Liu Peng's aesthetic preferences perfectly.
Unexpectedly, the emperor preferred candidates with novel writing styles and original arguments this year, and selected Jiang Mingfei as the top scholar.
This Jiang Mingfei was a top scholar in the county and prefectural examinations, and later became a member of the provincial examinations and the top scholar in the palace examinations. He was only missing the top scholar in the metropolitan examinations!
Upon learning the truth, the Minister of Personnel almost burst into tears. After this incident, it seemed his chances of entering the cabinet were slim...
The Minister of Personnel was uneasy and did not know how to make amends. After all, the imperial examination could not be repeated and the list of successful candidates could not be rewritten. This problem seemed to have no solution.
Unfortunately, the Minister of Personnel could only try his best not to anger the Emperor, and ideally, ignore him and treat him like he was invisible.
After a long time, once the emperor had forgotten the regret of achieving the highest rank in the imperial examinations, he would start jumping around in front of the emperor again.
After the results of the palace examination were announced and the names of the successful candidates were read aloud, the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua) led the other successful candidates in a procession through the streets on horseback, demonstrating the emperor's boundless grace.
The newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) wore the Jinshi robes, which were issued by the Ministry of Rites a few days prior and would later be taken back.
Slight modifications can be made without damaging the scholar's robes. Of course, after the modifications are finished, the robes must be restored to their original state and returned to the Ministry of Rites.
Only the top three scholars in the first rank were allowed to ride horses; the other second and third rank scholars walked behind the top three scholars.
Therefore, the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua) could not ride too fast. The horses were usually borrowed from the ceremonial guard and were good-looking and docile.
The three rode horses at the head of the procession, with the top scholar (状元) in the center, while the second and third scholars (榜眼 and 探花) lagged behind by half a horse's length.
It doesn't matter if you can't ride a horse, there will be a horse trainer leading the horse all the way. The three of you just need to pose for a few pictures, and you don't even need to look at the road.
The horse trainers are responsible for controlling the horses, while the women are responsible for being beautiful.
The procession of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) started from the palace and only walked along the main streets of the capital. After the procession, the Jinshi, along with their examiners and colleagues, went to the Qionglin Banquet.
Outside the gate of the Liu residence—
"Mother, second sister, third sister, hurry up! The scholars are about to parade through the streets!"
"What's the rush? We've booked the best private room in the teahouse, so no one will be competing with us, and we don't have to squeeze in with other people!"
The Liu family's carriages were already waiting outside the door, and the ladies filed out and boarded several luxurious carriages one after another.
"He's not the top scorer, why the rush..."
The second daughter of the Liu family's second branch whispered something, thinking no one would hear her.
"Can't you speak properly! If you can't speak properly, then shut up!"
The eldest daughter of the main branch, the second young lady, was immediately enraged. That was her own brother, and she would not tolerate anyone belittling him!
So what if I wasn't the top scholar?! I was still a first-class scholar in the imperial examination!
Their second wife didn't even have a scholar among them, what right do they have to say such sour things!
"Second sister, third sister, Mother is still behind us, keep your voice down!"
The fourth young lady is the eldest son's illegitimate daughter, but she has always been raised by the wife's side. She was the one who urged everyone to get on the bus just now.
"My voice is usually very soft; the loud voice is clearly coming from your dear second sister~"
Second Miss Liu Yun'ai glared at Third Miss Liu Yuncai, then sat directly in the head seat in the middle of the carriage.
Regardless of seniority or whether they are legitimate or illegitimate, she should be in the middle.
"Watch your mouth when you go out, and don't bring shame to the Liu family or cause trouble!"
"Cut~"
Although the fourth young lady was the first to leave, she was the last to board the train, after all, she was the youngest and the only one born out of wedlock among the three sisters.
The carriage headed towards the teahouse, but what should have been a joyous occasion turned into a somber one.
The second young lady spoke up, while the third young lady silently rolled her eyes.
The fourth young lady wanted to find a topic to break the awkward silence, but she didn't know how to start the conversation.
"Um, I wonder if the third-ranked scholar is really that handsome~"
I've heard that if someone is good-looking, even if they're not very academically gifted, they can still be ranked as the third-best scholar in the imperial examination!
Isn't this just taking advantage of someone's appearance? Isn't that unfair to others?
Sure enough, this topic piqued the interest of the other two.
"Hmph, if one's scholarship is too poor, one naturally cannot become a third-place scholar. One should at least be in the top ten of the imperial examination!" the second young lady said with a cold snort.
His father was a government official, so naturally he knew these things.
The third young lady chimed in, "However, if one were truly as handsome as Pan An, one might gain more points in the palace examination."
Our Emperor is notoriously fond of beautiful women!
"Then I'm even more curious about this third-place scholar. I'll have to take a closer look later, hehe~"
"Fourth Sister is starting to fall in love. If you take a fancy to her, you'd better act quickly, or someone else will beat you to it!"
The third young lady seemed to be implying something, but the fourth young lady pretended not to understand.
At the palace gate, the scholars had already changed into their uniforms and lined up, while the horse trainers of the ceremonial guard led in three chestnut horses.
One of the horses had a white spot on its forehead, and the horse trainer led this horse directly to Jiang Xiaoqi.
The other two horses, which looked almost identical, were led to Liu Peng, the second-place finisher, and Xiao Ming, the third-place finisher.
The three men mounted their horses. They were all young and good-looking, and riding their steeds, they looked even more majestic, giving off the feeling of "young men in fine clothes and riding spirited horses".
The oldest of the three is Liu Peng, who has just turned twenty; the next oldest is Xiao Ming, who is eighteen; and the youngest is Jiang Xiaoqi, who is fourteen.
However, judging from her height, Jiang Xiaoqi is clearly the tallest, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, which makes her clothes look much better.
Unlike others who are judged by their clothes, he was the opposite; his appearance and demeanor made the scholar's robe look even more precious.
Riding a horse at this moment, it felt as if the whole person was enveloped in a halo of light.
Liu Peng glanced at the person next to him, his expression complex.
He was clearly destined to be the top scholar in the provincial examination, but in the end, he was just one step behind in the palace examination.
He had his grandfather have someone copy the exam paper of the top scholar, Jiang Mingfei, and he had to admit that he was completely convinced of his defeat.
When I learned the other person's age, I felt even more powerless.
What I was once so proud of turned out to be so easily destroyed.
Since Sheng Yu, He Shengliang?