Prime Minister Wang Zhongce took the 4333 imperial examination list and handed it to Su He for viewing.
"Your Majesty, according to the subjects selected by the candidates, the candidates did not make a choice. The subject with the highest score will be selected by default. This year, a total of 300 Jinshi were admitted, including 180 Jinshi subjects, 55 law subjects, and engineering subjects.
Forty-seven people, 18 people in mathematics." Su He frowned and said:
"There are too few students in mathematics and engineering. We need to strengthen education in engineering in the future. With the process of industrialization, the country needs many technical officials. There is still a lack of enough students. In this imperial examination, traditional scholars account for 70%. We cannot let this happen.
The most important thing about the imperial examination is fairness.
Even if fewer people are admitted to Jinshi, some low-level people cannot be granted Jinshi status. Wang Zhongce looked at Su He and looked through the seals of these Jinshi.
He continued:
"Your Majesty, according to the Jinshi admission regulations we have set, the two provinces of Gansu and Yunnan have the lowest teaching level, and only one guaranteed Jinshi will be admitted. Among them, the Jinshi in Gansu is ranked outside the top 100 in engineering. According to the actual results, there are five
There are more than ten people with better grades than him, all relying on guaranteed admissions. The best-performing province is Hanzhong County, with 20 people reaching the maximum number of Jinshi. The southeast region performs poorly, including Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and Songjiang County.
.They are the original traditional southeastern region, occupying most of the places in the Ming Dynasty South Ranking. Now these four regions combined, there are only thirty-five Jinshi." Su He put down the test paper in his hand and said with a smile:
"Wang Aiqing, don't underestimate the Southeast region. The prosperity there is more than just talk. Now the subject of our scientific examination is not Confucianism. Scholars from the Southeast cannot adapt to it for the time being. In a few years, they will catch up.
Come up. I read a few test papers, and basically no problems were found in the judgment papers. The Ministry of Rites announced the list based on this ranking." In the Dahua Dynasty, there was no imperial examination process, and the imperial examination determined the number one scholar based on results.
After Song Kangnian, the Minister of Rites, received the order, the Ministry of Rites checked the imperial examination list again and found that there were no problems, and officially announced the list of Jinshi.
In order to prevent a large number of test strips from gathering in the park, the list of Jinshi was handed over to the Yanhuang Newspaper Agency at the same time, and the news was announced to the public through the Yanhuang Daily.
Fang Yizhi and Chen Zhenhui were drinking in a restaurant. Fang Yizhi said with a smile:
"Brother Mao has just got married, so let's not disturb brother Mao's good things. Brother Chen, I hope that both of us can win the ranking." Chen Zhenhui was not very interested and said:
"I feel that my answers are not very good. There are at least ten questions that I failed to answer. I really failed the imperial examination this time. I will wait in the capital for a year. If I fail to pass the examination next year, I will take the exam and become a civil servant.
A junior official can only place his hopes on the younger generation." The waiter in the restaurant shouted excitedly:
"For all the guests of the Zhuangyuan Building, the Gongyuan has released the results." Many scholars in the restaurant heard the news.
They didn't wait for the waiter to finish speaking, and immediately ran out of the building. It was not far from Gongyuan, and across a street was Gongyuan.
When Fang Yizhi and Chen Zhenhui heard the news, they followed the crowd and ran out of the restaurant. When they arrived at Gongyuan, the place was already surrounded.
There was a newspaper vendor shouting from the side:
"The Yanhuang Daily contains the latest issue of the top candidates and analysis of the imperial examination questions." Many candidates bought a copy of the Yanhuang Daily.
Chen Zhenhui grabbed a copy of Yanhuang Daily and said with a somewhat tangled tone:
"If we had known that there was information about the winners in the newspaper, we wouldn't have had to come to Gongyuan to see the list in a hurry." After he finished speaking, he immediately opened the newspaper and checked the winners.
The top pick was Li Tiankui from Hanzhong, the second pick was Zhang Zhiji from Guangdong, and the top pick was Wang Muyu from Sichuan. When Chen Zhenhui saw this, he found that none of the top three were from Southeast Asia.
When seeing the fourth place, Chen Zhenhui said in surprise:
"Brother Fang, you are fourth, you are on the list." When Fang Yizhi heard Chen Zhenhui's call, he immediately took the newspaper and checked his name carefully.
The fourth placer in the imperial examination, Fang Yizhi, was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and the last four digits of the examination number were 8565. In this imperial examination, every candidate was issued a token with a nine-digit examination number.
Even people with the same name and place of origin can be distinguished by their test numbers, so there will be no mistaking the wrong person.
Fang Yizhi showed joy when he saw that he was a Jinshi in high school. Now that he has passed the Jinshi examination, he can become an official as long as he passes the selection of the Imperial College.
The Fang family will not decline and continue to maintain their scholarly family status. Chen Zhenhui said enviously:
"Brother Fang, you are so prosperous this time that you actually got fourth place in the exam." Fang Yizhi waved his hand and said:
"Brother Chen, don't say that. If others can remember the top three, fourth place and last place, what's the difference? I just regret that I am not strong enough and failed to get the top three." When Chen Zhenhui heard Fang Yizhi say this, he
Think about it.
In the past, I really only paid attention to the top three. The fourth to the last place was just an ordinary Jinshi.
Chen Zhenhui frowned and said:
"The newspaper said that the Jinshi Department will only admit 180 Jinshi this year. This is still the case of adding Enke. I have already seen 150, but my name is not yet there. It seems that I have no hope of taking the exam this year.
I will go to Jinshi. I will also trouble Brother Mao and ask him to help me find a job in the capital. I am not going to go back to Nanjing. I will be very uncomfortable when I see the dilapidated Chen family. I will feel even more uncomfortable when others ridicule me." Chen Zhenhui
Chatting endlessly, talking about his future preparations.
Whether he can pass the Jinshi examination will affect his life. The Chen family is a wealthy gentry family in the south of the Yangtze River and owns a lot of land.
It will definitely be targeted by the new dynasty. When Nanjing is destroyed, the family will never choose to resist. However, the family's wealth was wiped out overnight, and many people in the family hate the new dynasty.
He came to the imperial examination in the New Dynasty, failed the exam, and returned to the family in disgrace. Chen Zhenhui could even imagine what kind of treatment she would encounter when she returned to the family in the future.
"Jinshi Department, the 180th place is Chen Zhenhui." Chen Zhenhui was so excited that she read the result out loud.
"I won the election, I won the election, I won the election." Chen Zhenhui held the newspaper tightly with her left hand, pulled it with her right hand, and threw his hat into the air.
With disheveled hair, he stood in front of the Gongyuan, shouting crazily. Fang Yizhi saw the dissolute Brother Chen, but he did not stop him.
Brother Chen had just suppressed it for too long. He suddenly heard the good news and couldn't control it for a moment. Every year in the imperial examination, there are people who go crazy with joy after seeing that they have passed the exam.
Fang Yizhi waited for a while and saw that Chen Zhenhui's voice was a little hoarse and her eyes were gradually returning to clarity. Then he stepped forward and held Chen Zhenhui's hand.
"Brother Chen, both of us are Jinshi in high school." When Chen Zhenhui heard Fang Yizhi's voice, he completely returned to normal.
"Let's go and take a look at the gold medal list in front of Gongyuan. I can't believe my title on the gold list." Chen Zhenhui was a little panicked. He was afraid that Yanhuang Daily had written the wrong ranking.
The list of Gongyuan has the ranking of all candidates. He is the last one. As long as he is ranked by one wrong place, he will have no chance of becoming a Jinshi.
Yanhuang Daily reported on the number of Jinshi scholars. There are many scholars who are unwilling to give up, or people who feel the same as Chen Zhenhui.
They kept walking towards the big bang in front of the Gongyuan. There were soldiers from the White Tiger Guard and patrols from the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen near the Gongyuan to maintain order.
A strong wind blew, and Chen Zhenhui wrapped herself tightly in her cotton-padded jacket. He and Fang Yizhi had already walked to the Gongyuan grand list.
On the left side, there is a golden list, which writes the scholars who made the list. On the right side, ordinary red and black characters are used to write the ones who failed.
Chen Zhenhui saw his name, which was in gold and red in the Jinshi Department, at the bottom of the gold list. He finally relaxed completely. He had become a Jinshi in high school, and his identity would be completely different from now on.
"Someone cheated in the imperial examination this time. Before I go to the palace with you, please ask His Majesty the Emperor to uphold justice." Chen Zhenhui heard a soft voice and immediately looked in the direction of the sound.
He knew this person, Zhao Fangquan, a scholar from Zhejiang, who was ranked just behind him. There was only one point difference between this person and him, so he unfortunately failed to make the list.
When Zhao Fangquan saw no one responded, he roared heartbreakingly:
"Look at the names on the gold list. There are actually thirteen women in the Jinshi department. When will women also be able to take the Jinshi exam? When women become officials, where will the famous education be placed?" Chen Zhenhui shook her head with a smile and said
:
"This man is just a clown. No one responded to him. The imperial examinations of the new dynasty are already relatively fair. What's more, the new dynasty's attitude is tougher." Chen Zhenhui looked at the White Tiger Guards soldiers He Shun who stood upright near the Gongyuan.
Patrol in Tianfu.
These people were holding rifles, and they really dared to shoot. After the scientific examination, Yanhuang Daily published several articles in succession, introducing the fate of the examinees who made trouble in the past.
His Majesty the Emperor was not afraid of the threats of these failed scholars at all. When Chen Zhenhui saw Zhao Fangquan's words of encouragement, no one wanted to follow him to cause trouble.
Zhao Fangquan was quickly arrested by the police who dared to come. Chen Zhenhui said excitedly:
"Brother Fang, let's go back to the restaurant to celebrate. Now the imperial court is in a state of ruin, and I hope we can fill a good vacancy." The scholars outside the gate of Gongyuan quickly dispersed, and those who passed the exam were ecstatic.
Scholars who are not married are also targeted by wealthy businessmen and minor nobles in the capital. Scholars who have not passed the exam are preparing to fight again the next year, but most of them are used to failing.
Chen Zhenhui and Fang Yizhi were about to rush to Zhuangyuan Tower. They were chased by a government official.
"Two Jinshi, the examiner this time, Mr. Wang Zhongce, is hosting a banquet for the Jinshi who have made the list at Degui Tower." After informing the officials of the news, he rode away on horseback.
When Fang Yizhi heard the news, he urged Chen Zhenhui:
"Brother Chen, please go back to the inn and change your clothes quickly. You can't go to meet Mr. Wang like this and leave a bad impression on Mr. Wang." Fang Yizhi and Chen Zhenhui quickly returned to the restaurant and changed into new clothes.
They took a carriage and came to the Degui Building headquarters in the capital. They arrived at this seven-story restaurant.
I saw many luxurious carriages parked in the parking space near the restaurant. Scholars wearing scholar uniforms rushed to Degui Building one after another.
As soon as they entered Degui Building, someone greeted them.
"Two Jinshi, please show your tokens to verify your identities." They always carry the tokens with them.
The token is also very important in the Imperial College. The mission of this token will not end until you graduate from the Imperial College and are officially assigned a position.
Chen Zhenhui and Fang Yizhi showed their tokens, and they followed the assistant to the hall on the top floor of Degui Building.
Fang Yizhi saw that more than 200 Jinshi had come here. They immediately communicated with these Jinshi.
They are both of the same age, so they will have a certain connection in the officialdom from now on, and their relationship will be closer than that of strangers.
Soon all the Jinshi came to Degui Tower, and no one was absent. The Jinshi quickly formed small circles according to their region and relationship.
At dusk, Deguilou began to serve food. The food they served was a new way of eating called hot pot.
In the cold winter, hot pot is a more suitable dish. An official recently informed them that they should have a full meal first, and Mr. Wang will arrive soon.
These newly promoted Jinshi were very cautious at first and did not dare to eat with their fast food. Gradually some of them couldn't help but started to eat because their stomachs were growling.
Prime Minister Wang Zhongce, Minister of Rites Song Kangnian, and Imperial College Jiji Jiang Fangding. They observed the performance of these Jinshi in the cubicle.
From now on, they have entered the court's sight. Wang Zhongce said:
"Those Xuanwu Guards must be observing in secret. I hope these people don't do anything outrageous, otherwise they will spend ten years studying hard in a cold window." The three of them waited until the Jinshi finished eating and had already placed desserts after the meal.
Wang Zhongce took the lead, and the three of them walked into the hall. When the scholars saw the three officials walking in, they immediately stood up to pay their respects.
Chen Zhenhui and Fang Yizhi looked at each other and saw the three officials walking in. They felt that things had exceeded expectations.
They originally thought that the examiner Wang Zhongce invited them. This was the same teacher-student relationship as in the Ming Dynasty.
These people will belong to Wang Zhongce's family from now on. Now Song Kangnian, the Minister of Rites, and Jiang Fangding, the Imperial Academy's wine-offering officer, also came to the scene.
That's not what they thought. Many scholars don't know which faction Jiang Fangding belongs to.
But Song Kangnian, the Minister of Rites, and Prime Minister Wang Zhongce are by no means the same faction. From the reports of Yanhuang Daily and Song Kangnian's performance after becoming the Minister of Rites, we can see that the two have different ideas.
After Song Kangnian came to power, scientific research and Wang Zhongce's mental studies, which were closely related, gradually declined. It can also be seen from this detail that the two were not allies.
After Wang Zhongce saw these scholars saluting, he smiled and said:
"You are all the pillars of the country. You are about to enter the Imperial College to study and become officials in management. There are some things that we need to teach you in advance. I invite Mr. Song from the Ministry of Rites and Mr. Jiang from the Imperial College to tell you what to do and how to allocate official positions when entering the Imperial College.
Related issues." Wang Zhongce, Song Kangnian, and Jiang Fangding told these Jinshi scholars about the problems they would encounter while studying in the Imperial College and being assigned official positions.
The main purpose is to warn these Jinshi, who have become quasi-officials, enjoy the power brought by officials, and at the same time bear the obligations of being officials.
At the same time, these scholars were also encouraged to study hard and become the pillars of the country. At the end of the banquet, every scholar gained a lot. They were very happy and were waiting for the start of the Imperial Academy.
In the capital, the scientific expedition had just ended. Some were happy, while others were disappointed. Among the senior officials of the Dahua Dynasty, Feng Sanqiu, the governor of the East China Sea Fleet, entered the capital, which also caused an uproar.
