Chapter 168: Bragging Officials on the Royal Street
Arriving at Yu Street, the atmosphere suddenly changed from solemn to lively, with loud gongs and drums and firecrackers blasting.
Millions of people in Bianjing are vying for the top spot!
Thousands of people crowded on both sides of the broad street. Countless people crowded and pushed each other, almost knocking down the fences on both sides, just to admire the elegance of the new Jinshi.
The watchtowers along the street were also crowded with people who came from aristocratic families. At this moment, they all seemed to have forgotten the restraint of their daughter's family. They rolled up the bead curtains one after another, leaned against the railings, and looked towards the royal street.
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"The new Jinshi is patrolling the streets!"
The yamen servants cleared the way while sweeping the streets, singing in unison, and walked in front carrying red and yellow flags and plaques such as "Winning Six Yuan in a Row" and "The No. 1 Scholar".
After the massive honor guard, the much-anticipated new Jinshi finally appeared.
The first one is Wei Chen, the new top scorer.
Wei Chen was seen wearing a yellow shirt and green robe, with a square-shaped soap gauze on his head, and purple tassels hanging on his left and right sides under his chin, which made his handsome and handsome face even more heroic.
"Wow, what a handsome number one scholar!"
Seeing Wei Chen wearing a red hairpin and riding a horse, all the girls and wives upstairs in the street were very excited, their faces were hot, and some even fainted with excitement on the spot.
Some girls were not in a good position and could not clearly see the appearance of the No. 1 Scholar, so they could only ask anxiously from behind: "How does it compare to the young master of the Duke of Qi?"
Of course they were talking about Qi Heng. Qi Heng was recognized as a handsome man in Bianjing City. He had long been known as the most handsome man in Bianjing. Many women from official families were secretly attracted to him.
At that moment, a talented and well-known lady said: "Young Master Qi has a beautiful appearance and a graceful figure. As he looks around, he has thousands of emotions and thoughts in the corners of his eyes, so everyone who sees him has no pity for him."
The number one scholar is handsome, handsome, and even though he is not as handsome as a weak crown, he already has the spirit of a man. He is like a phoenix tree among men, and can live in a phoenix."
This talented woman expressed her opinions pertinently, but the female companion next to her laughed and said, "According to you, Young Master Qi is just good-looking, but Zhuangyuan Wei is both good-looking and useful, right?"
"I didn't say that." The talented girl immediately blushed and denied it, but it was obvious that she didn't mean what she said.
"Anyway, if I have to choose, I will choose the No. 1 pick." The female companion said carelessly: "Men, it's useless just to be good-looking, you have to have real ability!"
"It is."
The girls talked about the No. 1 Scholar with great interest, and did not care about the other Jinshi behind them. They only focused on asking about Wei Chen's place of origin, age and background.
Of course, what they are most concerned about is whether Wei Chen has a family.
Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard that Wei Chen was not yet married, but at this moment, another piece of news poured cold water on their heads.
"It is rumored that the number one scholar and the daughter of the Sheng family have been childhood sweethearts since childhood and have a very good relationship. Maybe..."
"Sheng family, which Sheng family?"
"The one in Jiying Lane."
"Ah? If I remember correctly, the head of the Sheng family is also a foreign minister from the Ministry of Industry, right?"
When they hear rumors that their idol is having an affair with another woman, the girls' tone of voice is inevitably a little sour.
Although they knew that Wei Chen would get married sooner or later, they still maintained their longing and expectations. If it didn't work out, they would have to be from a family that matched him to convince them, and the Sheng family obviously couldn't meet the standards in their minds. "I heard that the eldest son of the Sheng family has a close relationship with the number one scholar. Now that he is in high school, he is still ranked first in the second class."
"That's it..." The disdainful voice became quieter, but it still didn't completely dissipate.
Even if there is a new scholar who ranks first in the second class, the level of the Sheng family is still far behind compared to the real high-ranking officials.
Seeing that everyone was a little depressed, a daughter-in-law of a famous family said unconvincingly: "It's just a rumor, true or false, there are countless things to do, don't worry about it. Just watch, when the time comes, the number one scholar will marry you with three books and six etiquette."
It must be me who comes through the door!"
"Nonsense, the number one scholar is mine!"
"You little prodigal, here you go, give me a beating!"
"Haha, stop arguing, look, the No. 1 Scholar is here, and he is smiling at me!"
When Wei Chen rode his majestic horse and passed by the shopping malls, the girls finally stopped playing and started screaming and cheering like crazy.
They raised their slender hands and threw the petals in the basket towards Wei Chen. The petals were blown by the wind and scattered on the imperial street. Under the shower of flowers, Wei Chen looked like a fairy descending to earth.
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It’s true that the dirty past is nothing to boast about, but today’s dissolute thoughts are boundless. The spring breeze is so exciting that horses’ hooves are so bad that they can see all the flowers in Chang’an in one day!
This moment is the most glorious moment in the lives of most Xinke Jinshi. Since Weichen, the three hundred Xinke Jinshi have all slowed down their horses and enjoyed this glory to the fullest.
Among the new scholars, the one who attracts the most attention is naturally the leader, Sanding Jia, and the one who attracts the most attention among the Sanding Jia is naturally the number one scholar, Wei Chen.
When Wei Chen appeared together with the "Six Yuan in a row" card, the excitement of the onlookers reached its peak.
Wei Chen, a young boy from a poor family, suddenly became the number one scholar in a new subject, and even won six yuan in a row. This is simply the most popular inspirational story for ordinary people.
The people of Bianjing truly regarded Wei Chen as the descended Wenqu Xingjun. Wei Chen rode horses all the way on Yu Street, and even saw many people burning incense and worshiping him along the way.
Wei Chen couldn't help but secretly feel ashamed. He was really just a mortal. He was able to win six yuan in a row because of a lot of luck.
The journey from Xuandemen to Qionglin Garden was less than ten miles, and the group walked for more than an hour, which shows how fast they were.
However, for these new scholars, they only feel that the ten-mile Royal Street is too short, and they will not feel tired after walking for a whole day.
Until they dismounted in front of Qionglin Garden, everyone was still unsatisfied.
At this time, an official from Honglu Temple came forward and said loudly: "Your Majesty has a decree to give a banquet to the new scholars in Qionglin Garden, and the banquet money is 300,000 yuan!"
Wei Chen led the new Jinshi to receive the order to thank him, and then slowly stepped into the royal garden in front of him.
But in Qionglin Garden, there are pavilions, terraces and pavilions in a well-proportioned manner, and the top of each building is covered with dark green glazed tiles. It is not only full of ancient and elegant charm, but it is also indescribably more beautiful than the private gardens Wei Chen saw in Jiangnan.
An air of nobility.
There are five to six hundred seats in the main hall of Qionglin Garden, and Honglu Temple has already arranged the seats.
Among the officials attending the banquet, the chief assistant, Han Zhangju, was the chairman, followed by the two ministers from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, and then came the Hanlin officials and the examiners during the imperial examination.
As for the new scholars, Wei Chen, the number one scholar, has one seat, Li Zuochang, the second best scholar, and Cai Xuan, the third best scholar, have one seat, and the rest are four people.
Wei Chen led a group of new scholars to salute, sit down, and serve wine according to the etiquette they had rehearsed beforehand.
The whole ceremony is not over until three rounds of wine serving. You can relax a little and everyone is allowed to move around between the tables.
Wei Chen only moved his hands slightly with the dishes placed on the table. In terms of exquisiteness, the banquets arranged by the palace were not as exquisite as the local deer singing banquet held during the provincial examination.
The emperor gave three hundred thousand banquet money, which sounds like a lot, but when converted into silver, it is actually only about three hundred taels. When averaged to each table, it is less than half a tael. Of course, you can also imagine how the dishes will be.