Kong Shen thought about it for a moment and nodded clearly. His brows relaxed, but he hesitated a little, "If you knew that Ajiezhang suffered a bloodbath when he left Beijing, Your Majesty would probably be the first to doubt you."
Mei Sanghai: "Ajiezhang's son has come to Beijing. Since he is alive, do you think he can keep it a secret? For Your Majesty, these old events are not important anymore. What is important is my position! Maybe Your Majesty I prefer that I have some control over him."
Kong Shen suddenly realized, but he still reminded: "Master, the number one scholar has been determined, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for Your Majesty to renege on his word."
Mei Sanghai: "There are hundreds of candidates, and the top three rankings are not determined so quickly. They are still under discussion before the seal is used. There is no time."
Kong Shen reminded again: "Sir, if you can be selected as the number one scholar without a name, your article will definitely be brilliant. When the examination papers are released later, how can your majesty not consider the opinions of the public?"
Mei Sanghai: "Don't worry too much. The decision-making lies in the central government. What do you think the imperial court is doing with a lot of writing and writing? No matter how good the thing is, it can still find faults. People with high expectations will come out to criticize. Who does your majesty say is the number one scholar? , whoever is the winner will naturally be the top pick. These are all trivial matters, don’t worry, just do it quickly.”
"Okay." Kong Shen resigned as ordered.
…
The flowers are blooming and the moon is full, this is the mood of the four members of the Zhong family at this time.
A family of four was admiring the moon in the inner house, and the topic of conversation still revolved around 'Ashi Heng', and inevitably the marriage to Zhong Ruochen.
When it comes to whether they will live here or buy another house to live in when they get married in the future, how much dowry will be required, how many servants will be needed, etc., the elders are all asking their daughters for their opinions.
Zhong Ruochen didn't have any opinions. He was shy from beginning to end. When asked about anything, he always said, "It's all up to my parents."
Her parents were satisfied with the man, and she was also extremely satisfied with him. She really didn't ask for anything more, just waiting to get married.
Only Wen Ruowei was chirping and interjecting, pointing left and right as if she could split it into two with one finger, as if she was afraid that others would not know her existence, like a sparrow that stayed up late at night.
When the family was enjoying harmony, Butler Li appeared outside the moon gate and called, "Executive member."
Zhong Su immediately got up and went over. When he got outside the door, he asked, "What's the matter?"
Butler Li smiled with a smile on his face and said in a low voice: "Congratulations. As expected, given the strength of the young master, someone really came to announce the good news. There is no surprise in the ranking on the gold list. His Majesty Jinkou has appointed the young master as the number one scholar in the new subject. It will only wait until tomorrow." The gold medal is on display!"
"Okay!" Zhong Su gave a light high-five and smiled from ear to ear, "This boy lived up to expectations and finally won the first prize in one fell swoop! They say that a son-in-law has half a son-in-law, but my half-son can beat countless others. , it comforts my regret that Zhong Su is childless!" Thinking of the benefits brought by the continuous blessings of various honors, he smiled even more happily.
After saying this, the two parties separated. Zhong Su returned to the family and sat down again, already a little absent-minded.
Naturally, the three women in the family noticed it. Wen Jianhui kicked her husband's foot and asked, "I've never seen you lose your temper like this. What are you doing for fun?"
There are some things that Zhong Su would not reveal in advance, but this matter is indeed worthy of happiness. In addition, there are no outsiders, so he is in a good mood and whispers: "It's good for you to know some things, and you must not announce them to the public in advance. I just heard the news, Ashi Heng’s palace examination results are out.”
The eyes of the three women suddenly lit up at the same time. Looking at Zhong Su's expression, he knew that the result was not easy.
Wen Jianhui was even more anxious than her second daughter, so she rushed ahead and asked, "How did you go in the exam?"
Zhong Su immediately pointed to her lips, indicating to be silent, "What are you shouting about? Although this is not a secret, after all, it is leaking news from the palace, and the matter can be big or small. Do you think you are living too comfortably? "
Wen Jianhui hurriedly patted her mouth to apologize, and then asked in a low voice: "How did you go in the exam?"
Zhong Su looked at the expectant eyes of the three women, pointed his index finger to the sky, and said in a low voice: "His Majesty Jinkou has appointed him as the number one scholar in the new science!"
"Ouch!" Wen Jianhui immediately covered her mouth with both hands and smiled like a flower. Her mood was so beautiful, it really felt perfect.
Zhong Ruochen and Yourong Yan couldn't help but feel shy and happy, and they had endless reverie. She subconsciously looked towards the direction of the east courtyard. She didn't know if that person was sharing this bright moon with her. She didn't know how many times. I long for the day when I will join hands with my beloved in front of flowers and under the moon.
Wen Ruowei, who looked sluggish for a moment, suddenly burst out, opened his arms, jumped up and exclaimed, "Wow!"
Not only did he shout loudly, he was also jumping non-stop and waving his arms repeatedly to vent his excitement.
Zhong Ruochen quickly pulled her but failed.
So Wen Jianhui took action in time, held up a round fan, rushed over and grabbed Wen Ruowei's ear, slapped her head and face with the fan in her hand, and cursed in a low voice while beating her, "You said it in a low voice, you were afraid that others would hear it" Not so, right? You want to turn a good thing into a bad thing, right? It’s like taking rat poison all day long..."
Wen Ruowei didn't dare to fight back, and the only person who was beaten was to beg for mercy with "Ouch!"
In an instant, Wen Ruowei's evil nature and wildness were suppressed by his mother. Like a wild dog that retreated to lick its wounds, he retreated to the chair with a resentful look on his face. He felt that he would always be the unluckiest in the family. that.
It is said that there are three women in one drama. Zhong Su, who was holding his forehead with his hand, did feel a headache.
However, it didn't take long for Wen Ruowei to heal his scar and forget the pain.
That night, she refused to go back to her room to sleep, so she got into her sister's room and insisted on sleeping with her sister.
She tossed and turned on the couch without talking, sometimes hugging her sister like a cat named Chun, "Ah, number one scholar, number one scholar, number one scholar, the one my sister is going to marry is the number one scholar. Hurry up and let me hug you more. I will hug you like this from now on." But he’s the top pick.”
"Damn girl, get out if you don't shut up!" Zhong Ruochen, who was so embarrassed and unbearable, pinched his sister hard.
…
Before dawn, Mei Shangshu of the Mei Mansion got up to attend the morning court.
After he finished washing, the housekeeper Kong Shen dismissed the servants and personally helped Mei Sanghai put on his official robe.
Taking this opportunity, Kong Shen reported: "Sir, the list of the top three in the palace examination has come out. There are three people in the first class, fifty-seven people in the second class, and one hundred and fifty-seven people in the third class. Ash Heng did not come out in the first class. Your Majesty's attitude has been repeated. Later he was demoted to third place.”
Mei Sonnheim, who opened his arms and let him adjust his clothes, was silent and sighed: "It seems that the influence of the Full Score Huiyuan is too great. His Majesty can't suppress it even if he wants to. He can't even kick out the first armor, so he can only press Won the last place in the first class."
Kong Shen: "Yes! My guess is absolutely correct. After His Majesty's attitude changed, he initially wanted to kick Ashheng to the top three. However, a group of courtiers who participated in the preparation of the gold list quit and asked Your Majesty to do so. He gave a reasonable explanation and even quarreled with His Majesty directly in the royal study.
Someone said in person that Ashheng's full score Huiyuan's strength is obvious. His Majesty did this. How will the Jin Kingdom understand it after the gold list is announced? They asked if your Majesty can stop everyone's talk. In the future, there will be appointments in the imperial court. How fair it is.
Some people say that His Majesty connived at the rebellion in Sinan Mansion, which resulted in many deaths and injuries in the states during the imperial exams. The imperial court had just given the states five places on the tribute list, and later took away one of them to replace them. Could it be that all the states were dead? , When the scholars of various states are easy to bully but dare not get angry? "
Mei Sanghai sneered when he heard this, "It seems there are quite a few people who want to protect Ashiheng!"
Kong Shen: "This matter is to some extent His Majesty's fault. His Majesty is going back on his word, but His Majesty knows very well that since he has decided to do it, he will not give in easily under pressure. In short, he will not give in to Asshi again. Heng was the number one pick. However, he had made some concessions, and there was really no way not to make concessions. If the matter got serious, I was afraid that the pressure would be even greater, so I still kept Ash Heng in the first class.
In addition, a tribute scholar named Zhan Muchun from Liezhou was exposed to the Ashheng incident. It is said that this Zhan Muchun was originally Jieyuanlang from Liezhou. Behind Ashi Heng, the overall ranking for this palace examination was originally planned to be ranked seventh, but just because His Majesty wanted to block the Lizhou side, he was directly promoted from the second class to the top scholar in the first class! "
Mei Sanghai, who was dressed, shook his sleeves and said, "Is it a good thing to force His Majesty to make concessions? The fun has just begun. I want to see how Ajiezhang's son can gain a foothold in the capital." After that, he was relieved. The wide collar strode away.
In the early morning, the entire Zhong Mansion was immersed in a different atmosphere.
This time, Zhong Su and his eldest daughter sat quietly and waited in the main hall of the house, while Wen Jianhui and his second daughter walked around under the eaves.
"Half the morning has passed, why haven't there been any news from the person who read the list?" Wen Jianhui chattered back and forth from time to time.
Whenever someone walks by outside the yard, Wen Ruowei will stretch his head to take a look.
After waiting left and right, Butler Li's figure finally appeared from the entrance of the courtyard.
Wen Ruowei immediately rushed over and walked around Butler Li, asking non-stop: "How is it, how is it, how did you do in the exam?"
Butler Li pressed his hand to signal her to calm down. When he walked under the eaves, Zhong Su and his eldest daughter also came out.
Zhong Su noticed something was wrong with Butler Li's expression and asked, "What's wrong? Could there be an accident?"
Butler Li smiled forcefully and said: "The gold list is out. The young master did well in the exam. He ranked first and third in the top three! I went to verify it myself. There will be no mistake."
Zhong Su was stunned, "Third?"
Wen Jianhui: "Tianhua?"
Wen Ruowei exclaimed, "Isn't he the top pick?"
Zhong Ruochen also looked surprised.
Zhong Su hesitated, "Then last night..."
Butler Li smiled bitterly, "When I went to verify just now, I went to the person who reported the good news last night to question what was going on. He said that it was right at first, but then for some reason, His Majesty changed his mind. It’s the first time I’ve encountered something like this.”
Zhong Su was silent for a while, then finally sighed, stared at Butler Li and said, "I'm afraid he is still under the influence of his father."
Butler Li nodded, "I think so."
As a family, you look at me and I look at you. I can’t say I’m happy or unhappy.
In fact, I did very well in the exam, but the top pick who was originally ranked first suddenly became the third overall pick.
I feel a little disappointed, just because there is a gap with my initial expectations.
