The official road of the farmer

On the day when the list was released, 250 eight tribute officials including Ye Junshu and Yu Maolin entered the palace early without missing a single one.They put on the tribute uniforms uniformly issued by the imperial court, and were standing in two rows on both sides according to their rankings in the examination.

Ye Junshu and Yu Maolin stood at the first place in the two columns respectively.

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Emperor Tai'an and a group of ministers were discussing matters.

The most important thing today is the ranking of the new subjects. Generally speaking, the top ten are appointed by Emperor Tai'an himself, but basically only the top three are hand-picked by Emperor Tai'an, and the latter ranks are discussed by the ministers.

The ranking of Jinshi is divided into three tops, the top one, the second place, and the first prize, followed by the second and third tops.Soon after they will be announced into the hall, Emperor Tai'an will announce the names of the first three, and then No.4, which is the No.1 of the second class.

The rankings of the others will be announced by the Erjia No.1, which is also the legendary "Ceremony of Chuanlu".

The next step is the title of the gold list that all scholars in the world dream of.

After the Ceremony of Chuanlu, the gold list will be sent out of the Taihe Middle Gate, and hung on the palace wall outside the East Chang'an Gate for people outside to look up to.

As for the Shinke Jinshi, they would go out directly from the palace and parade through the streets on horseback.

The so-called spring breeze is proud of horseshoe disease, and you can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.

That's how it is described.

From a long time ago, Ye Junshu knew that Nan Amo and the others had already booked the location of the teahouse with a great view, and they just waited for this day to come, and they didn't feel distressed after paying a very high deposit for it.

He believes that many people have already pre-booked the location of the place where the Shinke Scholars will enter, so that they can watch it.

This made Ye Junshu, who has always been calm, feel anxious at this moment, not knowing his ranking, hoping that he will not disappoint the children.

Moreover, Ah Yu will definitely come to watch. If his ranking is too low, he will feel ashamed.

Ye Junshu just wanted to show a better side of himself in front of Ah Yu.

He looked at other people from the corner of his eye, and he didn't see much from his position. Yu Maolin looked calm and composed, but the Jinshi behind him was already wiping his sweat frequently.

Ye Junshu looked at his friends like this, and his restless heart calmed down a little.

He took a deep breath, his eyes became firm.

At this time, in the palace, all the ministers were arguing endlessly about the ranking behind.

Although the top three have been determined by the emperor arbitrarily, of course, this is the emperor's right, and none of the ministers is stupid enough to express their opinions. After all, this is the emperor with real power, not a puppet, and no one dares to pull out his beard beside the tiger.

But No.1 in the second class, that is, Chuanlu, this ranking is also relatively important.

After all, Chuanlu wanted to announce the ranks of all Jinshi in the hall, but it was a very important opportunity to show his face.

This biography will be produced in seven of the top ten, and among the seven, one is Wan Xiuhe, the son of the left servant of the household department, and the other is Pang Lizan, the grandson of the servant of the official department.

The talents of these two people are comparable, and there are people who disagree with whoever is the No. 1 in this second class.Of course, no one thinks that they will play favoritism. After all, the top three have already been determined, and these two are indeed equally good, and they can also afford No.4.

"Your Majesty, Wan Xiuhe has been well-known in the literati circle these years, and his peers admire him. It can be seen that his talent is extraordinary. This ranking of Chuanlu must belong to him." A senior official with a gray beard expressed his opinion.

"This statement is wrong. Wan Xiuhe's ranking behind Pang Lizan in this exam shows that Pang Lizan's talent is even greater. He should be the one to be passed on this time." Another minister retorted.

"No, no, no..."

The officials were noisy, and the military officials on the side watched from the sidelines. They had always been at odds with the civil servants, and they didn't have much right to speak here, so they just watched the play from the sidelines.

Emperor Tai'an saw that the ministers were arguing and no one could persuade anyone, so he felt a headache for a while, so he asked the senior official standing in front who had been silent all this time, "Mingqing, what do you think?"

Prime Minister Ming took a step forward and bowed respectfully to salute, "Return to Your Majesty, since the ministers have not been able to reach an agreement, how about calling the top ten of the new department to enter the palace and have another assessment on the spot?"

The ministers were silent for a moment, and there were no more objections.

Emperor Tai'an nodded in satisfaction when he heard the words, "Mingqing's words are justified, let's pass the top ten of the new subjects into the palace."

Ye Junshu and the others waited outside for a long time, when suddenly they heard a voice singing from inside: "Chuan Yu Maolin, Ye Junshu, Deng Hongyuan... enter the palace!"

A total of ten names were called out, and not all of them were in the top ranks of Gong Shi. Ye Junshu's heart skipped a beat. These should be the top ten selected in the palace examination.

He and Yu Maolin are both in the quota.

Ye Junshu felt a surge of joy, which meant that his final ranking in the exam was among the top ten, even if he didn't have the first rank, he was still in the second rank. This is good news!

Ye Junshu hurriedly restrained his mind, followed the footsteps of the person whose name was called, and walked forward under the guidance of the eunuch, entering the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Ye Junshu and the others saluted Emperor Tai'an, and stood in the middle in an orderly manner, with the court's civil and military ministers standing on both sides.

Although calling these people in this time was to determine the candidates for Chuanlu, Emperor Tai'an didn't directly ask Wan Xiuhe and Pang Lizan, he set his sights on Ye Junshu.

He had a good impression of this young man. He was young, with a neither humble nor overbearing attitude, and a big heart.Although it was only a brief chat for a while, the chat was comfortable enough for him to have a good impression of this young man.

What's more, this young man's talent is astonishing, so far no one can match his match, and this Yu Maolin has a somewhat aloof temper, he is unpopular in the officialdom and is easily frustrated, but a young man can still polish it slowly.

Thinking of this, Emperor Tai'an said with great interest: "I remember that during the Lantern Festival this year, there were two couplets circulating in the streets and alleys that no one could match for a long time, but which one of you here published them?"

Ye Junshu and Yu Maolin looked at each other, and they came out together. Ye Junshu bowed and said, "Return to Your Majesty, this is a whim created by a student and friend Maolin." He said, and passed into His Majesty's ears.

But listening to it again, Ye Junshu felt that His Majesty's voice was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.He answered while standing and bowed slightly. At this moment, he only needs to raise his eyes to see His Majesty's dragon face.Ye Junshu stared blankly, and glanced quickly while answering the question.

His heart skipped a beat, no wonder he always felt familiar, it turned out to be Mr. Huang who stood in front of their booth on the Lantern Festival and chatted with him for a long time!

At that time, he only thought that he was a relative of the emperor, and comforted himself that the reality was not a TV series. How could the ruler of a country be so easily met by him for a private visit, but they really did!

Ye Junshu recalled whether he had said anything rude at that time, whether his attitude was contemptuous, but seeing the smile on His Majesty, he seemed quite satisfied with him.Ye Junshu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did anyone come out?" Emperor Tai'an remembered that no one came out before he left, and was even more interested.

The eyes of the people around him were all on him. It had to be said that even if the dignity and dignity accumulated by these senior officials over the years were not deliberately highlighted, he still felt a lot of pressure.

Anyone who is less courageous and less knowledgeable may not be able to stand the loss of manners in front of the imperial court.

Under tremendous pressure, Ye Junshu tried his best to ignore his surroundings, and replied neither humble nor overbearing: "Your Majesty, no one has come out yet."

Since the emergence of strange pairs, many scholars have tried to match them in vain. This is also a way to become famous. That person's talent.

It's a pity that according to Ye Junshu's knowledge, until now, no one has spoken out, otherwise, the capital would have publicized it long ago.

Emperor Tai'an twisted his beard, "Paint the lotus monk's painting; the landscape of Cenxi is here today. I don't know if there are new scholars here, who can answer it?"

Ye Junshu and Yu Maolin looked at each other in surprise, they were both thoughtful people, did His Majesty use their pair for another assessment?

Emperor Tai'an seems to be in love with these two pairs, and has always wanted to know who can match the second line.

The ten new scholars were silent, and many of them looked thoughtful, as if they were racking their brains for the next couplet. Ye Maolin and Ye Junshu were the authors of these two pairs, so naturally they don't need to answer.

Ye Junshu looked down at the floor, thinking that this Emperor Tai'an seemed to be quite capricious and said what he said, but this also proved that Emperor Tai'an was the real emperor.

Emperor Tai'an looked down at all the civil and military officials, especially these few new scholars, and there was a silence that seemed to really stump them. Emperor Tai'an felt disappointed, no one here could answer it?

The reason why these two couplets are difficult to match has already been analyzed and explained. It is very difficult to match the second couplet that fits, otherwise it would not be difficult for so many literati.

Emperor Tai'an set his eyes on Ye Junshu, and saw him watching his eyes and nose, and Yu Maolin with a calm face. Could it be that they themselves knew how to answer?

Not long after, a handsome and elegant young man from Xinke Jinshi broke the silence.

"Return to Your Majesty, my humble minister is not talented, I would like to give it a try."

Although they haven't officially determined their rankings, they are already solid Jinshi, and they can call themselves Weichen.

Someone stood up, which naturally caught his attention. Emperor Tai'an nodded with great interest, "Which pair are you against?"

The Jinshi who spoke up straightened his back, and said directly: "Paint the painting of the lotus flower monk, and the second line of my minister's right is, the book is written in Han Mo Hanlin Shu."

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Emperor Tai'an clapped his palms and sighed with a smile, "Sure enough, there are talented people from generation to generation in this country. This couplet is a good match! Are you Wan Xiuhe, the son of the left servant of the household department?"

"Return to Your Majesty, this humble minister is Wan Xiuhe."

"Wan Aiqing, it's true that the tiger father has no dogs and sons. You have sons like this, and you have successors!" Emperor Tai'an happily praised a short-bearded middle-aged senior official among the hundred officials.

Wan Shilang came out and said respectfully: "Your Majesty is absurd, the dog is stubborn, and needs more instruction from Your Majesty."

"Wan Aiqing is modest."

Then Emperor Tai'an began to roll the roll, "Pang Lizan?"

The short, slightly puffy young Jinshi leaned over and saluted: "The minister is here."

"I heard that you did a good job in poetry..." Emperor Tai'an randomly pointed out a word and asked him to write a poem on the spot. This Pang Lizan seemed to be really quick and quick, and it fit the artistic conception of the word designated by Emperor Tai'an.

Emperor Tai'an commented a few words and nodded in praise.

Ye Junshu noticed that Pang Lizan's chubby face was flushed with excitement.

Emperor Tai'an listed the people present one by one, asking about their specialties, but it was Ye Junshu and Yu Maolin who didn't ask them anything other than the two pairs at the beginning.

This undoubtedly made Ye Junshu unsure whether the emperor was satisfied or dissatisfied with the two of them. They shouldn't be in the lower ranks, right?

After everyone finished asking, Emperor Tai'an's eyes fell on Ye Junshu and Yu Maolin again, and instead of asking about their specialties, he said, "Are you two good friends?"

Yu Maolin and Ye Junshu looked at each other, and Yu Maolin replied cautiously: "Your Majesty, yes."

Although Ye Junshu didn't speak, his expression was positive.

It's not a secret that he and Yu Maolin have a good relationship, and it can be found out by just checking, and they haven't avoided anyone in their contacts, not to mention that they would live in each other's house from time to time, and even a fool would not believe it if they said that they had a bad relationship.

"You are both candidates, and you compete with each other. Don't you think it's a threat when you see that the other party is better than you? Can you still get along without any grievances?"

Emperor Tai'an met a lot of people, and some people even betrayed their relatives for the sake of their future and interests, let alone just friends.

Ye Junshu's heart trembled. A bad answer to this question might affect their rankings. Could it be that people with good relationships can't be ranked at the top at the same time?

However, there is no such express provision in the imperial examination system.

Ye Junshu pondered for a while, and answered truthfully: "Your Majesty, the teacher once said that good teachers and helpful friends are indispensable. Maolin and Weichen have the same thinking and the same philosophy. We supervise each other and make progress together. Frankly speaking, if there is no Maolin , I may not be able to stand here today."

I have to admit that Yu Maolin has helped him a lot in these years. Without Yu Maolin's spare no effort to help, he would not be able to improve so fast. Maybe he will fail this session and it will take three years of hard work.

Ye Junshu continued: "What's more, only people with low character and mediocrity will be jealous of others. People who are truly open-minded will only show sympathy for talented people. People who frame friends because they are jealous of their talents are doomed to fail. long."

Yu Maolin also said: "What Zizhou said is also my opinion. Friends are easy to find, but good friends are hard to find. I cherish the friendship with Zizhou very much."

Emperor Tai'an nodded, not knowing whether he was satisfied with their answers, but both Ye Junshu and Yu Maolin had a clear conscience, if they had to avoid taboos because of their good relationship, but they couldn't talk about each other just because they wanted to get a good ranking at the same time. The relationship between them is not good, is it?

Emperor Tai'an didn't speak any more, and the hall was suddenly quiet, as if a needle could be heard.

Ye Junshu and the others realized something, and their bodies tensed unconsciously. Is the emperor about to announce the final quota?

After a few breaths, Emperor Tai'an spoke again, "Since that's the case, I'm announcing that the first-class rankings of the new subjects are: Yu Maolin is the number one scholar, Deng Hongyuan is the second place, and Ye Junshu is Tanhua."

Every time Emperor Tai'an announced a name, Ye Junshu held his breath until Yijia was implemented, and Ye Junshu breathed a sigh of relief. His ranking was really unexpected.

He was not surprised that Yu Maolin was the champion of the new division, but he thought that he would fall behind the second best in the end, but he was very surprised, he was actually in the first!

After Emperor Tai'an made the announcement, all civil and military officials present and Xinke Scholars quickly realized that they all knelt down and worshiped: "I would like to obey the edict, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Ye Junshu was overjoyed in his heart, and he couldn't help showing a bit of joy on his face. Strictly speaking, so many of their top talents are excellent, and no one has any objections to whoever is in the top.After Emperor Tai'an asked the following words, he no longer had any hope of being ranked first. He didn't expect that he could still be in the first class.

You must know that the three members of Yijia will be directly entered into Hanlin by the emperor personally issuing the edict after the ceremony of passing on the coffin.

And the people after the second class have to pass the imperial examination before they can enter the Imperial Academy to become a good scholar, not to mention that they can only enter after three years, which is three years later than the first class, unless the emperor makes a special case and directly enters the Hanlin. .

And three years is enough to have the official experience of the top three in the same period, which is much higher.

Then they went out.

Ye Junshu didn't care about the other new scholars outside with different expressions, and returned to the team and continued to stand still.

Although there are no explicit regulations in the imperial examination system, it is generally a taboo that the top three Jinshi scholars in the same period cannot be from the same prefecture, perhaps because they are afraid of forming a group, but occasionally there will be violations of this unwritten rule.

Emperor Tai'an not only ranked the two from the same prefecture in such a high ranking, but also did not shy away from the fact that the two have been close friends for many years and have a close relationship. There must be a deep meaning behind this.

This also let Ye Junshu know that the seemingly calm court was actually turbulent and full of crises.

But no matter what, Ye Junshu is the beneficiary of this invisible contest. Ye Junshu doesn't care about the twists and turns behind him for the time being. This moment is the moment for him to enjoy the victory.

The Jinshi who have made it this far are not stupid, and they naturally know the reason why they were called in. Seeing the other Jinshi who also went in congratulated Ye Junshu and the three of them softly, the other Jinshi who were nearby also expressed their congratulations.

Only then did Ye Junshu know that there were many officials who were also admitted to Jinshi, but their rankings were lower than them. This time, the three of them, Yu Maolin was from a noble family, Deng Hongyuan was the son of a squire, and Ye Junshu was from a poor family. One is from an official family.

Wan Xiuhe, who impressed him deeply, has always been modest and polite, and even showed his kindness to them in a vague way, without the slightest negative emotion of being overwhelmed by them.

It didn't take long, maybe because the rankings behind were all arranged, and the grand ceremony of passing on people began to be held.

The Ceremony of Chuanlu was still held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, also known as the Hall of Golden Luan, was a place where various ceremonies were held, including the Ceremony of Chuanlu.

After a while, Ye Junshu and others heard the playing of music, a very unique and charming old tune, which also conveyed a message that the Ceremony of Passing on Lulu had officially begun.

At the same time, a Honglu temple official from the Ministry of Rites came to lead the new scholars into the side hall.

At this time, they are already Jinshi, and they can wear regular seventh-rank court clothes and crowns with three branches and nine leaves, but they are not yet formal seventh-rank officials, so the court clothes are red and very bright in color. I also want to wear this body to parade in the street.

Ye Junshu's mood has always been very excited, no matter how mature and calm he is on weekdays, he can't remain indifferent. After ten years of hard study, isn't he just waiting for this moment?

Yu Maolin was also very excited. They quickly changed their clothes and looked at each other.

Ye Junshu subconsciously wanted to make fun of Yu Maolin, but since they were in public, they couldn't do it too much, but they were really happy!

Soon, the movement changed a key.This is when two officials came in and directed them to the main hall to take their seats.

At this time, the scene in the hall was very different from what they had seen before.

Emperor Tai'an had already changed into a dress and sat on the Dragon Throne with a majestic look.

Hundreds of civil and military officials stood on both sides, with a spacious royal road in the middle, and a red carpet was spread on the ground.

The officials of Honglu Temple led them to line up behind all the officials, the music stopped, and everyone kneeled three times and kowtowed nine times, and then stood and listened respectfully.

At this time, an official stood in front of the civil and military officials holding the imperial list in his hand, and read out the edict: On April [-], the sixth year of Ziwu, I will test the tribute scholars in the world. He was born as a Jinshi, and the third best gift was born with a Jinshi. "

Afterwards, the official of Honglu Temple called the name in the playing music again: "No. 1 Yu Maolin in the first class."

As soon as the words fell, Yu Maolin came out under the guidance of the officials, walked to the front of the royal road, and knelt on the left side.

Then he sang: "No.2 in the first class, Deng Hongyuan."

Deng Hongyuan also stepped forward under the guidance of the officials, and knelt on the right side of the front of Yudao, side by side with Yu Maolin.

"First Class No.3, Ye Junshu."

Ye Junshu came out, walked on the red carpet, went to the left side of Yudao, knelt behind Yu Maolin, and so on.

The top three of the first class, in order to show their kindness, are called three times by the officials themselves, and they are also led by the officials to come forward.The following rankings will be sung by Erjia No.1, that is, Chuanlu.

As for the ranking of Chuanlu, there had been endless debates in the hall before that, and finally the top ten were announced to the hall again for the on-the-spot examination.

Ye Junshu is also very curious as to who will get this biography in the end.

At this time, the official of Honglu Temple continued: "Please No. 1, Chuanlu official Wanxiuhe, come out and roll the name."

Immediately, Wan Xiuhe came out and knelt down with a big salute: "My humble minister is ordered, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Then Wan Xiuhe stepped forward, solemnly took over the imperial list, and then rolled his name: "No.2 in the second place, Pang Lizan."

Wan Xiuhe is from the capital city. He speaks Mandarin with a round accent, articulate, and his voice is resonant. His voice is very clear when playing music.

Ye Junshu knelt on the imperial path and listened carefully.

There are more than 200 people behind, and it will take a long time to complete the singing, and it takes so long to speak loudly, and it is also a hard job to pass on.

However, it is estimated that many people can't get it in their dreams. It is a very good opportunity for them to pass on the singing.

This time, there are 120 and 130 places in the top two and [-] places in the top three. The gap is not big.

After everyone's rankings were sung, Ye Junshu heard that Wan Xiuhe's voice was a little hoarse.

At this time, half an hour has passed, and it is approaching noon, and the ceremony of passing on Lu is about to end.

Wan Xiuhe saluted and returned to his throne. Afterwards, all civil and military officials and Xinke Scholars bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, shouting long live three times, and the ceremony was over.

After Emperor Tai'an left, the Honglu temple officials picked up the yellow list, walked out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony under the ceremony and music, and went all the way to the gate of Chang'an to post the yellow list.

Here, princes, ministers, civil and military officials, and Xinke Jinshi all follow the yellow list, and they are also very particular about the way they go out. Generally speaking, the top three are the most prominent, and the others can only secretly look at it with envy and hatred. They enjoy special treatment aboveboard.

After the yellow list was pasted up, Xin Ke Jinshi looked at the list and found his ranking, and the ceremony of passing on the coffin was considered complete.

Then, the most glorious moment for the Shinke Scholars came!

That is the No. [-] parade!

Ye Junshu thought that in a short time, Ah Yu and the children would see himself with a heroic appearance, and he would make Ah Yu and the children so proud. The joy in his heart doubled again and again, and he almost fainted Huhu.

He bit his tongue hard to wake himself up, not to drift, he wants to show his wise, elegant and mature side!

Ye Junshu and others rode on the horse according to their ranking.

He is Tanhua, ranked third, but not far from Yu Maolin.

In front were hundreds of heavily armed Royal Forest Army riding horses to clear the way, followed by bands with various musical instruments, and behind them were their new scholars.

Although everyone can ride a horse, to ensure safety, the horses of their Xinke Jinshi are equipped with a groom to lead the horse.

The team in front has already lined up to move. Ye Junshu is riding on a tall horse. He looks down at himself in bright red clothes and has a big red flower on his chest. He always feels stupid, will it damage his image? ?

Ye Junshu looked at Yu Maolin, and Yu Maolin was also looking back at him at this time.Yu Maolin was pretty good-looking, and he didn't look tacky in a big red dress and big red flowers.

Ye Junshu couldn't help laughing and joked, "Zhuangyuan Lang, you have to be careful not to be hit by the enthusiasm of the little brothers later!"

I just heard Yu Maolin say slowly, "No, they only throw Tanhualang's, you know, Tanhualang is the face value of the previous Shinke Scholars."

Ye Junshu: "..." Suddenly wanting to break up with Yu Maolin, will His Majesty take back his title?