…
The next day, go to the morning.
Entering the hall, Zhao Junchen glanced at the position of Chief Assistant Zhou Shangjing, but saw that Zhou Shangjing was still looking down with his eyebrows lowered, and there was no abnormality in his expression.
Zhao Junchen believed that Emperor Deqing repeatedly read Li Chunchen's imperial examination answer sheet yesterday, and Zhou Shangjing must also have received the news.
After all, the eunuchs in the palace all have the temperament of "having breasts is a mother". Since they will inform Zhao Junchen of the news after receiving benefits from Zhao Junchen, then they will naturally buy from others after receiving benefits from others.
However, looking at Zhou Shangjing's appearance now, it was obvious that he had made up his mind and would not stop him.
Although Zhao Junchen regretted this, he had nothing to do. In fact, if Zhou Shangjing had not taken the lead, Zhao Junchen would never have been the one who stood out.
However, although Zhou Shangjing and Zhao Junchen will not come forward, looking at Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong, as well as the officials under them, they all have gloomy faces at this time - since the two factions joined forces, they have consciously been in the middle of the court. No one can compete with him, and it is rare to see such a look.
Obviously, Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong also learned the news. Because they were afraid of the huge threat brought by the "secret discount system", they planned to "turn the tide" in court this morning.
Zhao Junchen knew very well that without Zhou Shangjing taking the lead, it would be impossible for the ministers to defeat Emperor Deqing. However, Zhao Junchen was also very interested in how Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong planned to stop Emperor Deqing, so he also learned Zhou Shangjing lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, quietly waiting for the performance of the two of them.
…
But it was said that after the ministers waited in the palace for a while, the eunuch Zhang De shouted "Your Majesty has arrived." Emperor Deqing finally arrived.
In between salutes and greetings, Zhao Junchen secretly looked up. Emperor Deqing looked as majestic and dignified as usual. But the way he looked at the ministers at this moment was full of exploration, like a chef looking at a piece of dead pork and considering where to cut it.
However, Emperor Deqing sat behind the dragon chair and suddenly smiled kindly, as if all the officials in the palace were his beloved and good ministers who he was very satisfied with, and said in a gentle voice: "All my dear friends, please be free."
As all the ministers stood up, Emperor Deqing raised his voice and said: "My beloved sirs. Today is a happy day for our dynasty. The imperial examination of Jinke has finally settled today. Yesterday, all the examiners submitted their answer sheets. I showed it to me, and I was very happy after reading it, because there were many good words in it, and I also felt that I benefited a lot, such as the "Education of Officials and the People" by Zhou Suwen, the grandson of Zhou Shoufu, and the "On Ministers" by Zhao Shancai from Jiangnan. All of them. This is a rare and good article. After taking this subject, I, Ming Dynasty, can gain a lot of good materials, which is really a great blessing!"
Listen to what Emperor Deqing said. Naturally, all the ministers congratulated him one after another. During this period, many ministers seized the opportunity to flatter and sing praises, so I didn't mention it.
but. After hearing what Emperor Deqing said, insiders such as Zhao Junchen, Zhou Shangjing, Huang Yourong, Shen Changmao, etc. But they were all stunned.
It stands to reason that Emperor Deqing admired most the imperial examination papers. It should be Li Chunchen's "Sword Sharpening Theory" - he believed that Emperor Deqing, instead of guarding against officials in the court and causing harm to the government and the public, it is better to polish a cantilevered sword to alert the officials at all times, and this cantilevered sword is naturally a "secret fold" system”—why didn’t Emperor Deqing even mention this article at this time?
While several people were thinking about it secretly, Emperor Deqing said: "Today, I have already selected the top three, the second, and the top three in the undergraduate palace examination. As for the second, third, and third place, they are the same as in previous palace examinations, and most of them are based on the first. It depends on the opinions of the reviewing ministers, and I only made slight modifications! Zhang De, announce the results!"
As Emperor Deqing's words fell, the eunuch Zhang De stepped forward, unfolded Emperor Deqing's imperial edict, and announced loudly: "According to Shengyu, Your Majesty personally decrees that Zhou Suwen, the number one scholar in the undergraduate palace examination, is awarded the title of Hanlin Compiled by the Academy...
... Zhao Shancai, who came second in the undergraduate examination, was awarded the title of Editor of the Hanlin Academy...
...Third place in the undergraduate imperial examination, Zeng Wei, was awarded the title of Editor of the Hanlin Academy...
...Wang Bozhi, who ranked fourth among the top two undergraduates, was awarded the title of Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy...
…
...Liu Zimin, the seventh in the top two undergraduates, was awarded the rank of sixth-grade official. If there is any vacancy, he will be filled first...
…
...Li Chunchen, the 13th in the top two undergraduates, was awarded the seventh-level experience of the General Affairs Department..."
When they heard Emperor Deqing's decree fell into the ears of all the insiders, they were all stunned.
In this year's imperial examination, let alone the first, second and third place winners in the first class, it was not until the thirteenth place in the second class that Li Chunchen's name was read!
Didn’t Emperor Deqing appreciate Li Chunchen’s answer sheet the most? Li Chunchen was originally ranked fourth in the undergraduate examination, but now he was ranked like this in the palace examination. Is it possible that Emperor Deqing not only failed to favor him, but was secretly suppressing him?
Zhou Shangjing and Zhao Junchen, who had been waiting quietly to watch what happened, were just paying it off. For Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong, who had been prepared for it, it was like a charged fist hitting cotton. It was extremely uncomfortable!
Originally, Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong had already planned that once Emperor Deqing gave Li Chunchen a higher ranking, they would immediately come out to express their opposition, saying that Li Chunchen's "rumors confuse the emperor" and "the strategies he proposed disturbed the imperial court." ", so that officials and people of both the ruling and opposition parties are panicked and must not be reused" to express their attitude, create public opinion momentum, and prevent Emperor Deqing from implementing the "secret discount system."
However, I never thought that Li Chunchen would only end up with a ranking of No. 13 in the second class, and the official position he was awarded was only a minor position of the seventh rank. As for the various opinions Li Chunchen wrote in his answer sheet, Emperor Deqing Not even mentioning it, Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong finally prepared their speeches for a whole night, but at this time they were completely useless!
However, everyone was a smart man who had been in officialdom for many years, and they had already thought of Emperor Deqing's intention in an instant.
Thinking about it, Emperor Deqing must have understood that if he re-employed Li Chunchen from the beginning and made Li Chunchen's "Sword Grinding Theory" public, he would definitely face opposition from the ministers, so Emperor Deqing did the opposite. As a result, Li Chunchen was placed in an inconspicuous position, and Li Chunchen's "sword sharpening theory" was not mentioned. He treated it coldly for a period of time, avoiding the concentrated opposition of the officials, and then slowly tried to figure it out!
In a way, Emperor Deqing's "suppression" of Li Chunchen this time was in itself a kind of love for Li Chunchen!
In fact, Emperor Deqing placed Li Chunchen in the General Affairs Office, which also showed an attitude and determination! You must know that the General Affairs Department is the yamen that forwards memorials and understands the public sentiment. Emperor Deqing asked Li Chunchen to practice here, which will naturally increase a lot of relevant experience. When Emperor Deqing prepares to implement the "secret discount system" in the future, Li Chunchen can also be reused!
What's more, due to the special nature of the General Affairs Department, officials in this yamen are often responsible for drafting decrees for the emperor! It is very easy to become a close minister of the emperor!
Emperor Deqing's arrangements for Li Chunchen can be said to have been painstaking!
Unfortunately, although they understood it, Huang Yourong, Shen Changmao and others could no longer find any reason to object to Emperor Deqing's actions.
Therefore, Emperor Deqing's carefully prepared list was read by Zhang De smoothly.
Then, Emperor Deqing looked around the ministers, and paused briefly at Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Junchen, Huang Yourong, and Shen Changmao. Seeing that none of the ministers had any objections, Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao among them looked a little surprised. Deqing A look of pride flashed across Emperor Qing's eyes, and he announced slowly: "Since all the beloved ministers have no other opinions, let's publish the list like this!"
Next, officials from the Ministry of Etiquette knelt down to receive the ranking list for the palace examination, and hurriedly went to post the list without mentioning it.
After Emperor Deqing encouraged the ministers a few more words, he was just about to talk about the upcoming southern tour when he saw a eunuch hurriedly entered the palace to report: "Your Majesty, congratulations, His Highness the Crown Prince has returned to Beijing!"
Zhao Junchen had already received the news, so he was not surprised by this. He just smiled slightly, knowing that with Prince Zhu Heyu returning to Beijing, there would be another bustle in the temple!
…
ps: Well, the second update today! Shamelessly continue to ask for likes and recommendation votes!
I haven't updated Chongzi for such a long time. In fact, I don't dare to expect any more results from this book. I just want to finish it seriously. However, seeing that all the data remains unchanged, I can't help but feel a little lonely. There is always an illusion of "Is anyone still reading this book?", so can you please give Chongzi some motivation? Thank you!
...(To be continued...)
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