The 26th day of the fourth month, year 135 of the Chu Calendar.
It was a historic day: the imperial examination results were announced, the Crown Prince’s wedding took place, and Emperor Guangxi abdicated.
It was also the day Song Yuanbao married Miss Ye from the Ye family.
The auspicious ti for the Song family’s wedding procession was at dusk. So, even though the entire courtyard was festively decorated in red, the groom-to-be, Song Yuanbao, still had ti to go to Taihe Palace to listen to the Minister of the Ministry of Rites announce the results.
He went with Xu Dengke, leaving before dawn, and by the ti they arrived, there was already a line of examinees waiting.
It was still early, and the Chang’an Gate hadn’t opened yet.
Soone with sharp eyes spotted the two of them and hurried over with a group to offer congratulations, "Young Master Song, congratulations on your marriage!"
Song Yuanbao smiled broadly and cupped his hands, "Thank you all. After we hear the results, co to my house for the celebration!"
Whether these examinees were genuinely happy for him or had ulterior motives, it didn’t matter. Today was one of the most important days of his life, and Song Yuanbao was willing to overlook it all.
After all, having the wedding on the sa day as the Crown Prince ant that all the civil and military officials would attend the Crown Prince’s wedding. The guests at his side would mainly be the ladies from various families, as well as his classmates and these examinees.
He didn’t want the bride to feel lonely.
At 5 a.m., officials from the Honglu Temple began to arrive, and the heavy Chang’an Gate slowly opened from both sides. The examinees entered one by one, filled with both excitent and anxiety.
Once inside Taihe Palace, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites ascended the steps to give an opening speech. He said that shortly, he would announce the nas of the top three of the first grade, and those whose nas were called should step forward. The Champion Scholar would follow the officials to kneel on the left side of the central pathway, the runner-up on the right, and finally, the third-place scholar would kneel further back on the left.
These three had the highest honors, so their nas would be announced three tis. For the subsequent second grade and third grade, the nas would not be read individually, but rather which people held each position would be identified.
Due to preparations for the wedding, Song Yuanbao had been busy until late at night and had only just closed his eyes when the rooster crowed, urging him to get to Chang’an Gate. Listening to the Minister’s endless droning, he found himself getting sleepy, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
After what seed like a long ti, the Minister finally finished speaking and began announcing the top three nas of the first grade.
"The first-grade, first-place—" the minister drew out the last syllable, "Song Hao—"
The Honglu Temple official responsible for leading them to kneel looked up, seeing that no one stepped forward.
He looked again, still no movent, so he glanced at the Minister.
The Minister figured the Champion Scholar hadn’t heard and announced it again.
Still no response.
At this point, everyone’s attention shifted, and they saw that the Champion Scholar was standing there asleep.
The examinees: "..."
The Minister: "..."
Xu Dengke wasn’t standing in the sa line as Song Yuanbao, and it was at this mont that he noticed sothing was wrong. He quickly moved behind Song Yuanbao and whispered in his ear.
Initially in a daze of sleep, Song Yuanbao suddenly awoke upon hearing those words. Realizing that all eyes were on him, he quickly rembered he was in Taihe Palace listening for the results.
After a brief mont of eye contact with the Minister, he chuckled awkwardly, "Please, continue, continue."
The examinees couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The Minister stroked his goatee, "Our Champion Scholar this year is indeed extraordinary, famous for his nap during the provincial examination, and now even in the palace exam he’s asleep while listening for the results. Yet, despite this drowsiness, he still achieved champion status. It seems as if it’s a blessing from the heavens, with Wenquxing descending to earth. You all should strive to learn from him."
The underlying sarcasm was not lost.
In truth, it was expected that Song Yuanbao would take the champion title, given that his father was Song Wei.
And who is Song Wei?
The Emperor is his brother-in-law, the Crown Prince is his brother-in-law, the Eldest Princess is his mother-in-law, and Marquis Changning is his father-in-law.
With such a winner in life, naturally, his son would receive special attention, and so, with a bit of influence on the imperial exam results, the champion title naturally fell on Song Yuanbao.
Otherwise, how could soone who naps through the provincial exam achieve top scorer, and how could soone who could fall asleep while listening in Taihe Palace be worthy of being Champion Scholar?
But these thoughts could only be kept to oneself. Complaining would lead to a permanent ban from official entry and a ruined future.
Seeing everyone’s reactions, Xu Dengke’s face grew cold. He spoke up, "Yuanbao has been busy with the wedding arrangents, and has not rested enough. Taking a nap now and then is not a cri. Please, sir, continue with the announcents."
Yuanbao earned his title through talent, and there’s no one who knows this better than him. They did indeed discuss the Jiuli Clan issue privately, but at the ti, no one had a clear solution, and Song Wei never hinted at what topics the Crown Prince would cover.
Therefore, there was no possibility of Song Yuanbao cheating.
As for gaming the system?
The Crown Prince had long stated that the top three essays of the first grade would be printed at the Imperial College for students to study, and their proposed solutions would be implented to resolve cultural integration issues between Chu Country and the Jiuli Clan.
Under such rigorous conditions, if any gaming had occurred in the results, the scholars and students at the Imperial College would definitely notice it. Those accusing Song Yuanbao of backdoor dealings likely were either resentful of the rich or envious.
Song Yuanbao was not naïve, and he could clearly sense the aningful looks from the Minister and the examinees around him. Acting as if nothing had happened, he followed the official to his designated kneeling spot.
The Minister redirected his gaze and announced, "The first-grade, second-place, Deng Changwei—"
Like Song Yuanbao, Deng Changwei was also an Imperial College supervisor. However, he was an older supervisor, probably twice the age of Song Yuanbao.
Hearing his na, Deng Changwei eagerly went to his designated spot to kneel. He must have been taking exams for many years before achieving runner-up status and imdiately began to sob quietly as he knelt.
After pausing briefly, the Minister continued.
"The first-grade, third-place, Xu Dengke—"
Upon hearing the na, Song Yuanbao glanced over at Deng Changwei’s appearance. He instantly understood why Xu Dengke was chosen as the third-place scholar.
The unspoken rule in Chu Country was both amusing and infuriating.
The Champion and runner-up are chosen for their talents, while the third-place scholar is chosen for his looks.
If not, Xu Dengke should undeniably have been runner-up material. Unfortunately, he was bestowed with a gentle, handso face, much like Song Wei in his ti, making him rely not on talent but on his appearance.
Xu Dengke quickly stepped forward and followed the official to his position to kneel. Behind him, the low congratulatory voices of his fellow examinees could be heard, but he remained unresponsive, his posture perfectly upright.
His position was directly behind Song Yuanbao, only slightly far apart.
As the Minister read the second-grade results, Song Yuanbao turned back, flashing Xu Dengke a thumbs-up with a smile.
Xu Dengke smiled back, clearly congratulating him on his champion status, now free to marry his beautiful bride with a clear mind.
The results list took nearly half an hour to finish reading.
According to custom, after hearing the results, the three hundred examinees were to perform a three-kneel, nine-bow ceremony for the Emperor, thanking the Imperial Family for their imnse kindness. Unfortunately, at that mont, Emperor Guangxi was in the Golden Hall, officially abdicating.
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