Chapter 227: The Road to High Office 27

Chapter 227: The Road to High Office 27

On the tenth day of the third month of Sheng'an year eighteen, the spring list was posted in the imperial city, and Minister Su of the Ministry of Justice finalized a marriage under the imperial list.

Scholar Xu Zeli and the eldest son of the Su family, Su Yuheng, agreed to a marriage alliance.

On March 13th, the Xu family sent a matchmaker to the Su residence to formally propose the marriage.

On March 16th, Xu Songshan and his wife, along with Xu Zeli, entered the Su residence with red silk, ceremonial head ornaments, and a wild goose to present the betrothal gifts to the Su family.

Xu Zeli prepared a set of red-gold head ornaments inlaid with jade, featuring a phoenix design. These were considered auspicious—neither as vulgar as pure gold nor as precious as an entire set of white jade, perfectly matching the Xu family's current status.

A perfect balance—neither overly extravagant nor too modest.

"Yu" refers to beautiful jade.

"Heng" means beautiful, pure, and bright.

When Su Yuheng was born, it was during the honeymoon period after Minister Su and his wife were married. After his birth, Minister Su did not follow the ancestral tradition of naming him according to the "Jin" generation but instead uniquely compared him to "yu," naming him Yuheng, hoping that he would be as pure and bright as beautiful jade in the future.

Both "Jin" and "Yu" refer to beautiful jade, so it wasn't too outlandish, and thus the old master Su let him have his way.

Deep down, scholars are the most romantic.

It is said that scholars are indifferent, but after the death of Lady Su, Minister Su did not remarry and raised his two sons alone.

Su Jinheng was born weak, and the Su family, fearing they couldn't keep him, raised him as a boy, hoping to deceive the heavens and not let him be taken away.

They continued to call him 'Little Brother Jinheng' until he turned twelve, at which point the family stopped using his childhood nickname.

On March 20th, Xu Songshan and his wife once again led the matchmaker to the Su residence to ask for Su Yuheng's name and birth date.

They matched the eight characters and received the phrase — "Past life continues in this one, heaven bestows lovers, long happiness and a lifetime of blessings."

This auspicious phrase delighted both the Xu and Su families, who believed the couple was destined for a harmonious and happy life together.

However, only Xu Zeli understood the deeper meaning of the first part of the phrase.

On March 16th, a chosen auspicious day, Xu Zeli and Su Yuheng exchanged their birth charts, ending the rite of divination, and the Xu family handed the betrothal letter to the Su family.

Xu Songshan and his wife also agreed with Minister Su on the date for the rite of presenting betrothal gifts, set for the tenth of April, when the Xu family would bring the gift book to the Su family for the ceremony.

The date for the imperial examination had been set for the first day of April in Sheng'an year eighteen.

On the first day of April, the imperial examination took place, and on the third of April, the results were announced.

That day, all scholars who passed the spring list entered the imperial city to await the announcement of their results in the proclamation ceremony.

It must be said, this proclamation is both an honor and a mixed blessing.

The top three individuals of the first rank on the imperial examination list are referred to as the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua.

Apart from these top three special titles on the first rank of the gold list, only the top scholar of the second rank has the special title of Proclamation Scholar.

The top scholar of the second rank, according to the rankings, is the fourth overall.

Why is it considered an unlucky task? Because the Chuánlú Official (the official responsible for announcing the names of the successful candidates) has to declare the entire list of jìnshì scholars. Announcing one or two names might be easy, and even forty or fifty could be manageable, but there are around two to three hundred jìnshì on the list... By the end of the Chuánlú Ceremony, one can only imagine how sore the Chuánlú Official's throat would be.

The top three are awarded the title of 'Jìnshì Jídì' (highest-ranking scholar). The next 120 receive the title of 'Jìnshì Chūshēn' (scholar by imperial examination), and the remaining 150 are given the title of 'Tóng Jìnshì Chūshēn' (equivalent scholar by imperial examination).

In the Great Jing Dynasty, there is a custom that those with the title of Tóng Jìnshì Chūshēn cannot hold a position higher than that of a Fourth-Rank Prefect.

In the cutthroat world of the imperial court, every position is fiercely contested, and only the most exceptional rise to power.

On the first day of April, the imperial examination took place.

On the third day of April, two hundred seventy-three successful candidates entered the imperial city.

Outside the Fengtian Hall, two hundred seventy new jìnshì scholars stood in formation from the inner circle outward. Emperor Sheng'an was not seated on his cold and majestic dragon throne. Instead, he stood in the hall, smiling as he looked at the three new jìnshì scholars at the very front.

"My dear ministers, who do you think will be this year's top scholar?"

Before the Jinbang (the official list of successful candidates) was revealed, the new jìnshì scholars were still standing according to their rankings from the spring list.

The top three from the spring list were: Wang Zhouyou, Wu Tinding, and Xu Zeli.

Wang Zhouyou, the first cousin of the Crown Prince and the eldest grandson of the former Wang Gelao. His father is currently a third-rank official, the Dali Temple Qing (a high-ranking judicial official), and a loyal member of the Crown Prince's faction.

He is destined to become the Deputy Minister of Rites.

Wu Tinding, the first cousin of the eldest prince and the only grandson of the current Wu Gelao. He is a trusted and capable official of the eldest prince. Apart from Wu Gelao, Wu Tinding is the most capable warrior among the eldest prince's officials.

He is destined to become the Deputy Censor-in-Chief.

These memories were from before Xu Zeli's death. After that, Xu Zeli had no knowledge of what transpired.

Xu Zeli's current priority is to be wary of Wu Tinding, knowing that he must tread carefully in this dangerous political landscape.

"Your servant is filled with fear."

Currently, among the three, Xu Zeli has the least amount of backing. Therefore, he will follow whatever Wang Zhouyou and Wu Tinding do.

The three of them knelt in unison, their movements precise and synchronized.

Emperor Sheng'an is fifty-nine years old and will turn sixty this coming August. Due to his lifelong practice of martial arts, he remains full of energy and vigor, looking as vigorous as a man in his prime.

When none of the three responded, Emperor Sheng'an's expression remained calm, but there was an underlying tension in the air. Instead, he turned to the Hanlin Academy scholar Li Chengxue, who was standing nearby. "Li Qing, your junior disciple has not lived up to my expectations."

The emperor specifically chose Li Chengxue's junior disciple, leaving the seasoned officials in attendance to whisper, wondering if the Emperor was displeased with Xu Zeli.

Among the three, whether it was Wang Jìnshì or Wu Jìnshì, both were cousins of imperial princes. Regardless, the Emperor would always give face to his two sons and would not embarrass Wang Jìnshì or Wu Jìnshì.

The more cunning and experienced officials could see the signs. The Emperor held Xu Zeli in high regard.

Xu Zeli kept his head low and his eyes submissive. He knew that letting others believe he had fallen out of favor was the best choice.

In the current uncertain situation, he needed to remain patient and not act rashly.

Xu Zeli had already mapped out his path forward. With the support of his eldest disciple, life in the Hanlin Academy would be manageable.

The task he needs to accomplish is to complete the compilation of the discontinuous *Historical Records* within three years.

In his previous life, this discontinuous *Historical Records* was his foundation in the imperial court. However, due to the rush for personal gain, his compilation was quite rough. In this life...

"The Sage's brilliance shines, my junior brother is like a frog who has just emerged from the well, how dare he presume to speak before the Sage?" Li Chengxue smoothly defused the situation, elevating the Sage to great heights.

At the same time, Li Chengxue's defense was also a warning to those with shallow foresight. Li Chengxue knew what the Sage wanted to say—not as heroic as his junior brother Zhang Zhiying.

Although Li Chengxue's official position was not high, his lineage held a special place in the Sage's heart.

Li Chengxue's teacher was the teacher of the previous emperor.

Li Chengxue's junior brother, Zhang Zhiying, was the Sage's strategist when he was still a prince. He also made significant contributions on the Guanbei battlefield before the Sage's ascension, sacrificing heroically.

Therefore, as long as Li Chengxue's lineage did not act recklessly, they would continue to enjoy prosperity and wealth. Out of past affection, the Sage would always hold them in extra regard.

Pleased with Li Chengxue's flattery, the Sage turned to Zhang Gelao: "Since these three new *jinshi* are not in a hurry, Zhang Aiqing, please announce this session's Transmitting Official."

Zhang Gelao slightly bowed, taking the imperial edict from the hands of the grand eunuch behind the Sage—

"By the mandate of heaven, the emperor declares:

Lu Jixue from Changxiang Prefecture, Dongxiang Province, with outstanding literary talent, ranked fourth in the palace examination of the 18th year of Sheng'an (April), and is hereby appointed as Transmitting Official."

After Zhang Gelao finished, Lu Jixue straightened his back, walked into Fengtian Hall, and received the imperial list from Zhang Gelao: "Your subject, Lu Jixue, accepts the decree."

Holding the imperial list, Lu Jixue could clearly see the names of the top three. However, following the Sage's decree, he walked to the outside of Fengtian Hall—

"We congratulate Lin Wei from Huazu Lake, Huaisu Province, for ranking second in the second rank and being awarded the title of *jinshi*."

"We congratulate Guan Dong from Jin City, Suwan Province, for ranking third in the second rank and being awarded the title of *jinshi*."

...

"We congratulate Ding Yiqiang from Huahu Lake, Dongxiang Province, for ranking fifteenth in the second rank and being awarded the title of *jinshi*."

...

Ding Yiqiang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his name. He had improved his ranking from the spring examinations.

The young man's loud voice became hoarse as he continued, but he could not stop.

Until—

"We congratulate Xu Zeli from Huahu Prefecture, Dongxiang Province, for ranking third in the first class, appointed as the third place scholar, granted the rank of seventh-grade editor, conferred the title of *jinshi*, and entry into the Hanlin Academy."

"We congratulate Wang Tianyun from Yanjing, for ranking second in the first class, appointed as the second place scholar, granted the rank of seventh-grade editor, conferred the title of *jinshi*, and entry into the Hanlin Academy."

"We congratulate Wang Zhouyou from Yanjing, for ranking first in the first class, appointed as the top scholar, granted the rank of sixth-grade compiler, conferred the title of *jinshi*, and entry into the Hanlin Academy."

Only after finishing the announcement of the imperial list did Lu Jixue dare to breathe deeply.

The rankings of the top scholar and second place scholar were as Xu Zeli had expected, the same as in his previous life.

The third place scholar and Transmitting Official were adjusted to second and third in the second rank due to him and Lu Jixue.

He also didn't know how he ended up being targeted by Lu Jixue... Sigh, it's really hard to express how this happened.

Wearing a crimson robe, adorned with palace flowers, riding a tall horse.

Xu Zeli suddenly thought of the widely circulated poem—"In the spring breeze, I ride my horse with pride, seeing all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day."

Such a beautiful event of an official procession along the imperial street is not something every new *jinshi* can enjoy, but exclusively for the top three scholars of the first rank.

The top scholar rode in the center, the Bangyan (second place scholar) on the left, and the Tanhua (third place scholar) on the right.

The three rode together, flanked by officials who called out ahead and behind, while gongs and drums sounded along the route.

—Ah!

—Look, look, this Tanhua is really handsome!

—He's so fair and handsome! Oh, I have to throw a flower to him!

—No, no, he is my fiancé, no one is allowed to steal him!

Wang Zhouyou and Wu Tian Ding weren't exactly unattractive. Both had well-proportioned features and were in the prime of their youth, so how could they not be handsome? But they were just outshone. Xu Zeli, with his striking good looks, fair skin, and deep, luminous phoenix eyes, overshadowed them, making it hard for them to stand out.

Who in Yanjing doesn't love beauty?

As they rode through the streets, the admiring cries for the Tanhua filled the air.

But a domineering voice cut through the commotion. Su Yuheng leaned out, cracked his whip, and silenced the crowd of young ladies and gentlemen.

Then he tossed a red flower at Xu Zeli, "Catch!"

Xu Zeli smiled warmly, his phoenix eyes twinkling, and replied, "Sure."