In the next few days, Yan Shifan and other examiners began intensive grading.
In the evening, in the Gongyuan, a room specially used for marking papers.
"It's all nonsense!"
After Yan Shifan finished speaking, he angrily marked the word 'deposed' on the answer sheet in front of him, and immediately ordered someone to put the answer sheet in his hand among the many waste papers aside.
The officials responsible for marking the papers on the side also felt the same way.
In recent days, they have reviewed countless answer sheets. Except for a few that are barely passable, the rest have problems with even the most basic wording and sentence formation.
At this moment, I saw an examiner who was unsure of the scale, came to Yan Shifan with an answer sheet in hand, and said cautiously.
"Xiao...Xiaoge Lao, please read this article!"
"Well, show it to me!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan nodded, took the answer sheet from the official's hand, and began to browse it carefully.
The articles on the answer sheet seemed unremarkable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they revealed a different artistic conception. Unconsciously, Yan Shifan was already immersed in it.
Seeing that Yan Shifan had not responded for a long time, the examiner couldn't help but feel panicked, and then he mustered up the courage and called softly.
"Mr. Xiaoge? Mr. Xiaoge?"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he suddenly came back to his senses. Immediately, his face was full of excitement, he turned his eyes to the examiner and said in a deep voice.
"This article is really wonderful. At first glance, it seems unremarkable, but if you look closely, you can notice that there is a special artistic conception in it!"
“Not only is the idea novel and the rhetoric gorgeous, but most importantly, this article sticks to the title!”
When Yan Shifan said this, he paused for a moment and turned to ask.
"Whose answer sheet is this?"
When the examiner heard this, he didn't dare to hesitate at all. After searching for a long time, he finally found the original answer sheet.
Afterwards, I saw beads of sweat oozing out from his forehead. He lowered his head and responded respectfully.
"Mr. Xiaoge, this is Zhu Zaiyu's answer sheet!"
After Yan Shifan listened to the examiner's answer, a thoughtful expression suddenly appeared on his face, and he said silently to himself.
"Zhu Zaiyu?"
Yan Shifan was no stranger to the name Zhu Zaiyu. Zhu Zaiyu was the ninth grandson of Emperor Taizu and the son of King Zheng Zhu Hounan.
In the 29th year of Jiajing's reign, Zhu Zaiyu's father, King Zheng Zhu Hounan, wrote a letter to advise Jiajing not to take elixirs for immortality. He was later demoted to a commoner, sent to the imperial family, and imprisoned within a high wall.
But now, Zhu Hounan's son, Zhu Zaiyu, took the exam specifically for the clan and nobles, and wrote a good article, standing out from the many clans and nobles who took the exam.
"Hey, what should I do with this article next?"
Yan Shifan looked at this article with gorgeous rhetoric and novel ideas placed in front of him, and he suddenly fell into a dilemma.
In Yan Shifan's opinion, Zhu Zaiyu's article can definitely be regarded as the best among the many answer papers he reviewed!
But if I send this article by Zhu Zaiyu to the cabinet, will it make His Majesty angry?
After all, Zhu Zaiyu's father, Zhu Zaifan, once wrote a letter to advise His Majesty not to take elixirs in order to seek immortality, which in turn angered His Majesty and was deposed as a commoner. In case His Majesty turns his anger on Zhu Zaiyu... …
Time passed by so slowly. I don’t know how long it had passed. I saw Yan Shifan’s throat moving. He looked at the answer sheet in front of him as if he had made up his mind. His face was full of perseverance, silently. Said to himself.
"No matter what, I have to send this answer sheet to the cabinet. I think it's a good deed!"
Then, Yan Shifan came back to his senses, looked at the examiner who had been waiting for a long time, and gave instructions.
"Classify Zhu Zaiyu's answer sheet as the best. After the review of the answer sheet is completed, send it to the cabinet together!"
Seeing that Yan Shifan, the examiner, had made a decision, the examiner immediately looked stern and said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Mr. Xiaoge!"
"Um."
When Yan Shifan heard the words, he responded in a subtle way, then looked at the other examiners in the room, and then asked.
"By the way, how many answer sheets do you have left that haven't been reviewed yet?"
As soon as Yan Shifan finished speaking, the examiners on the side responded quickly.
"Old Xiaoge, I still have ten answer sheets left here!"
"I have five unreviewed answer sheets left here!"
"I'm here, there are seven answer sheets left!"
"Old Xiaoge, there are still some left here..."
After a detailed summary, Yan Shifan found that there were only thirty or forty answer sheets that had not yet been reviewed.
Then, he was seen facing everyone and giving instructions in a deep voice.
"Everyone, please work harder and try to finish reviewing the remaining answer sheets before dark, and send the qualified ones to the cabinet!"
"I have ordered people to prepare the banquet, and I am waiting for you all!"
As soon as they heard this, the officials in the room who were responsible for grading the papers couldn't help but speed up the grading as if they were given a shot of chicken blood.
After all, there are not many opportunities to have a relationship with Xiao Ge Lao Yan Shifan on weekdays!
With everyone's efforts, they finally finished reviewing the remaining answer sheets before dark.
Subsequently, those answer sheets that were rated as qualified were immediately sealed and stored. The entire process must be handled by dedicated personnel!
Under the witness of Yan Shifan and other examiners present, seals were affixed to the boxes containing answer sheets.
These wooden boxes were quickly loaded onto carriages under the strict escort of guards and headed towards the direction of the cabinet.
Yan Shifan watched the guards leave. Since the beginning of the exam, his tense nerves were relaxed at this moment.
Later, Yan Shifan summoned his subordinates and gave instructions.
"Go and tell the cabinet immediately that we have finished reviewing the answer sheets!"
"Yes, Mr. Xiaoge!"
After the subordinate responded, he did not stay in the room for too long and left quickly.
After that, Yan Shifan retracted his gaze, turned around, looked at the officials on the side, and gave instructions.
"Okay, we won't have anything to do next, let's go to the banquet!"
"Yes, Mr. Xiaoge!"
When the examiners heard this, their faces suddenly showed expressions of joy, and they immediately followed Yan Shifan's footsteps and walked away.
…
Forbidden City, Cabinet.
Even though it was time for the next assignment, none of the people in the cabinet had any intention of leaving, because next, they would be responsible for the second review of the answer sheets and then decide the ranking!
At this moment, the atmosphere in the cabinet was quite relaxed.
Yan Songzheng was looking intently at the idle book in his hand, while Xu Jie was minding his own business sipping tea. Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng on the side were closing their eyes to rest.
At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps from outside the cabinet, and the subordinate who was sent by Yan Shifan to report to the cabinet earlier came in.
After the subordinate official entered the cabinet, he immediately looked in the direction of Yan Song and Xu Jie, lowered his head, and reported respectfully.
"Mr. Geng Ge, the examination papers at Gongyuan have been completed, and the papers that have been deemed qualified are already on their way!"
Hearing this, Xu Jie put down the tea cup in his hand slowly, waved his hand, and gave instructions.
"Well, I understand, go down!"
"Yes, Mr. Xu Ge!"
When the subordinate official saw that the purpose of his trip had been achieved, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief and walked away immediately.
After the subordinate official left, Xu Jie withdrew his gaze, turned around, looked at Yan Song beside him, and then spoke.
"Mr. Xiao Ge actually finished reviewing the answer sheets so quickly. It's really scary!"
After Yan Song heard what Xu Jie said, he immediately moved his eyes away from the idle book in front of him and said slowly.
"What, Xu Ge's old words are serious. Besides, this is not the first time he has been an examiner. If he doesn't even make this little progress, how can he convince the public?"
When Xu Jie heard this, he couldn't help but laugh twice, and then responded calmly.
"Well, what Mr. Yan Ge said makes sense!"
After that, the two exchanged a few words, and not long after, all the answer sheets that were deemed qualified were sent to the cabinet.
Several people looked at the sealed wooden boxes in front of them with solemn expressions on their faces. Then, the seals on the wooden boxes were torn off by specialized officials in front of Yan Song and others.
After this, subordinate officials soon came forward and distributed the answer sheets that were rated as qualified in the wooden box to everyone.
Yan Song did not start reviewing immediately, but without leaving any trace, he pulled out three answers from the bottom of the pile of answer sheets in front of him, and after briefly browsing them, he put them aside.
Since these answer sheets had already been reviewed once before being sent to the cabinet, there were comments from the examiners on those answer sheets, which were divided into three grades: upper-class, upper-class, and middle-class.
Yan Song and others used this as a basis for evaluation. They spent more time on the answer sheets that were rated as excellent, while for those answer sheets that were rated as average, they only glanced at them for a few times and then looked away. .
"Hey, this article is quite interesting. It really deserves to be considered the best!"
While everyone was still reviewing the answer sheets in full swing, Zhang Juzheng's exclamation sounded in everyone's ears.
When Xu Jie heard what Zhang Juzheng said, curiosity suddenly appeared on his face. He turned his eyes to Zhang Juzheng and spoke.
"Oh, there is actually an answer sheet that is rated as superior. Can you show it to me?"
"Yes, Mr. Xu Ge!"
After the words fell, Zhang Juzheng handed the answer sheet in his hand to Xu Jie's hands.
After Xu Jie took the answer sheet from Zhang Juzheng, he began to browse it meticulously.
Time passed by so slowly. I don’t know how long it had passed. Xu Jie reluctantly put down the answer sheet in his hand and sighed to himself.
"I really didn't expect that among the clan and nobles of the Ming Dynasty, there would be such a knowledgeable person with gorgeous and unique words. This article has a really special charm when I read it!"
"Mr. Yan Ge, you might as well take a look!"
Yan Song on the side couldn't help but have a look of curiosity on his face when he heard Xu Jie's words. He took the answer sheet from Xu Jie's hand and began to browse it carefully.
"Well, not bad, not bad. This article seems ordinary at first glance, but if you look closely, you can find that the idea of the article is unique and the rhetoric is quite gorgeous. It is not inferior to those articles written by No. 1 Scholar!"
After Yan Song finished speaking, he stroked his beard and said to himself.
"Well, let me see who actually wrote this article!"
Later, when Yan Song opened the blank section of the answer sheet and saw the name on it, he couldn't help but take a breath and immediately lost his voice.
"What, Zhu Zaiyu!"
As soon as Yan Song finished speaking, everyone present changed their expressions, because they were no strangers to the name Zhu Zaiyu.
This Zhu Zaiyu was upright, smart, and proficient in music and music. Therefore, he was quite famous among the clan and nobles of the Ming Dynasty.
But the most terrible thing is that Zhu Zaiyu's father, Zhu Hounan, once advised Jiajing in the 29th year of Jiajing's reign and asked him not to take elixirs in order to live forever. Later, Jiajing was furious and was demoted to a commoner. , locked up in the clan mansion.
At present, everyone is in a dilemma. Logically speaking, Zhu Zaiyu's article is enough to win the first place.
But if Zhu Zaiyu is just rated as number one, when the list is sent to His Majesty, will it make His Majesty angry and implicate himself?
Then, Zhang Juzheng's throat moved, he looked in the direction of Yan Song, and asked cautiously.
"Yan... Mr. Yan Ge, what do you think we should do next?"
After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Gao Gong and Xu Jie on the side also turned their attention to Yan Song.
After all, as the chief minister of the cabinet, Yan Song should make the decision at this time.
After noticing everyone's gaze, Yan Song's face was full of confusion.
On the one hand, he didn't want to see such a good article fall into dust, but on the other hand, he was also afraid that if Zhu Zaiyu's article was ranked first, would Jiajing be angry?
Then, Yan Song took a deep breath, and after calming down, he looked at everyone and suggested.
"Hey, I can't make up my mind for the time being, so let's vote!"
Regarding Yan Song's proposal, everyone agreed after thinking about it for a moment. After all, there was no better way at the moment.
Yan Song saw that everyone agreed to his proposal, and he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately, he looked at everyone and said in a deep voice.
“Raise your hands if you agree to rate Zhu Zaiyu’s article as number one!”
After Yan Song said this, he raised his hand first, and the rest, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng, also raised their hands in turn to express their agreement.
"Since everyone agrees, it's settled that Zhu Zaiyu will be ranked first in this exam!"
After Yan Song finished speaking, he glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice.
After this episode, everyone speeded up the grading process, and within a short time, all the remaining answer papers had been reviewed.
Later, Yan Song and others also officially determined the rankings for this exam.
"The first place is Zhu Zaiyu, the second place is Zhang Yuangong, the third place is Zhu Shitai, the fourth place is Xu Wenbi..."
Yan Song looked away from the completed list in front of him and said slowly.
"Now that the list has been drawn up, let's send it to His Majesty without further ado!"
When Xu Jie heard this, he sighed helplessly and turned to speak.
"Oh, I hope nothing goes wrong!"
"yes!"
As soon as Xu Jie finished speaking, Gao Gong looked at the completed list in front of him and sighed with emotion.
Immediately, I saw Xu Jie calling for his subordinates and giving instructions in a deep voice.
"Send this list to His Majesty immediately without delay!"
"Yes, Mr. Xu Ge!"
When the subordinate official heard this, he didn't dare to show any slightness. He immediately leaned down and responded respectfully.
Zhang Juzheng watched the subordinate official walking away, and saw him lowering his eyes, looking at the ground casually, and muttering silently to himself.
"Zhu Zaiyu, this is all we can do, and the rest depends on your luck!"
…
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
At this moment, Jiajing was sitting on the futon, his eyes seemed to be closed, and Lu Fang was waiting beside Jiajing as usual.
"Your Majesty, has he entered a meditative state?"
Lu Fang thought as she looked at Jiajing, who was sitting motionless on the futon, and tilted her head.
Just as Lu Fang's thoughts were racing, Jiajing ended his meditation and slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing this situation, Lu Fang immediately came to Jiajing and said softly.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
When Jiajing heard the words, he responded in an incomprehensible manner, then slowly stood up from the futon and sat directly on the dragon chair.
Not long after, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps, and not long after, I saw a subordinate official stepping into Qianqing Palace.
After the subordinate official entered Qianqing Palace, he knelt on the ground tremblingly and trembled.
"...Your Majesty, the cabinet has already decided on the specific rankings for this exam!"
After the subordinate official finished speaking, he carefully took out the list from his sleeve and raised it high above his head.
Lu Fang didn't wait for Jiajing's instructions, and immediately stepped forward and took the prepared list from the hands of the subordinate. When he caught a glimpse of the first name on it from the corner of his eye, his pupils suddenly contracted.
"What, the first place is Zhu Zaiyu!"
As the person who had been with Jiajing for the longest time, Lu Fang naturally knew what happened to Zhu Zaiyu's father, Zhu Hounan. Then, he suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, came to Jiajing's side, and said respectfully.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
After Jiajing took the list from Lu Fang's hand, he looked at the subordinate official, waved his hand, and gave instructions casually.
"Okay, this has nothing to do with you, you can leave!"
"Obey...obey, Your Majesty...Your Majesty!"
After hearing this, the subordinate official immediately left Qianqing Palace with great gratitude.
After the subordinate official left Qianqing Palace, Jiajing turned his eyes away and looked at the completed list in his hand.
"The first place is Zhu Zaiyu, the second place is Zhang Yuangong, the third place is Zhu Shitai, the fourth place is Xu Wenbi..."
Soon, Jiajing browsed through all the above contents, and saw that he put the list aside casually, and did not speak for a long time.
Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, looked anxious.
He glanced at Jiajing without any trace, a gloomy look suddenly appeared on his face, and he said to himself.
"Damn it, what on earth did Yan Song and the others do and how they added Zhu Zaiyu's name? Don't they know that back then..."
Then, Lu Fang looked at Jiajing and asked cautiously.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, is there something wrong with your exam ranking? Do you need a slave..."
"Prince Zheng did give birth to a good son!"
When Jiajing said this, he changed the subject and asked Lu Fang again.
"Lu Fang, is Prince Zheng still in the Zongren Mansion?"
When Lu Fang heard what Jiajing said, her face was full of shock. Then, after organizing the words in her mind, she gave a response.
"Qi... Your Majesty, since... ever since King Zheng was demoted to a commoner by you, he has been locked up in the clan's mansion!"
After listening to Lu Fang's report, Jiajing was silent for a long time and said slowly.
"That's all. You can go to the clan's mansion in person later and release him from the clan's mansion. In addition, let him be reinstated and receive a salary of 800 dan!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, she immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice.
At this moment, although Lu Fangming appeared extremely calm on the surface, there was already a storm in his heart.
He couldn't figure out whether Jiajing had a premeditated plan or whether he had an impromptu idea after seeing the outstanding performance of Zhu Hounan's son Zhu Zaiyu.
But one thing Lu Fang can confirm is that from today on, Prince Zheng's status in the hearts of the Ming clan and nobles will be significantly improved.
The reason is very simple, because his son Zhu Zaiyu came out on top in the examination specifically for the clan and nobles, and got the first place, and he will definitely be reused in the future!
Then, Lu Fang calmed down, turned her gaze to Jiajing, and carefully asked for his opinion.
"Then Your Majesty, will you go to the clan's residence now?"
"Well, you can go there now!"
When Jiajing heard what Lu Fang said, he nodded, gently rubbed the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, and gave the order.
"Your Majesty, I will go to the clan's mansion and release Prince Zheng from there!"
After Lu Fang finished speaking, she was about to leave. Unexpectedly, just after taking a few steps, she was stopped by Jiajing.
"By the way, take this list prepared by the cabinet with you and show it to Prince Zheng!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang suddenly stopped, turned around, took the list from Jiajing's hand respectfully, and then spoke.
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After that, Lu Fang carefully put away the list and left Qianqing Palace without looking back.
As soon as Lu Fang walked out of Qianqing Palace, a breeze blew by, making her feel very comfortable.
Then, Lu Fang raised her head and looked at the sky. In the sky, there was nothing but a full moon.
Occasionally, the bright moonlight peeked out of the clouds and fell on the ground. Lu Fang's shadow appeared particularly clearly under the moonlight.
"What a joy and congratulation!"
After Lu Fang sighed, she looked away and quickened her pace.
(End of chapter)
