vstars Chapter 393 The second-place finisher also has a story.
Chapter 393 The second-place finisher also has a story.
Chapter 393 Even the Second-Rank Scholar Has a Definite Story
Jiang Xiaoqi put on a flower, thanked the emperor, and withdrew.
Next was Liu Peng, the second-place finisher. Perhaps because the emperor had just seen such stunning faces, he was taken aback when he saw Liu Peng.
However, they still managed to finish the hairpin hairpin ceremony. After Liu Peng stepped down, Xiao Ming stepped forward.
Hmm, as expected of the third-ranked scholar personally chosen by me, he's quite handsome too!
Haha, the top scholar is amazing, the third-place scholar is handsome, and the second-place scholar... well, he's got a good reputation too, cough cough.
All three were young people, dressed in similar red robes and with similar flowers in their hair.
It's true what they say: "It's not scary to wear the same clothes as someone else, it's embarrassing if you look worse."
After Xiao Ming finished putting on the flowers, the three of them stood in a row and thanked him in unison once again.
When they stand side by side, the contrast becomes even more direct and obvious.
The emperor cleared his throat, concealing his true thoughts, and told the three of them to stand up.
Prime Minister Liu looked at his grandson standing below, feeling somewhat resentful.
Alas, my own grandson, he was clearly a natural-born top scholar, what a pity, what a pity, he was born at the wrong time.
Even the most talented person would suffer greatly if they encountered a monarch who was obsessed with beauty.
He had read the youngest son's writing and didn't think it was better than his own grandson's; the other son still had the advantage in appearance.
And that third-place finisher, who was clearly only at the second-class level, was somehow promoted to third place in the first class. Sigh, that's just too unfair to him!
The Minister of Personnel was next to Prime Minister Liu, and he felt somewhat resentful.
Sigh~ I shouldn't have appointed Liu Peng as the top scholar just because of Lord Liu's influence. Now I've offended the Emperor and the Prime Minister isn't doing well either.
Seriously, I'm caught in the middle, pleasing neither side.
Jiang Xiaoqi also saw his great-uncle from afar, but he had been instructed beforehand not to come up and pay his respects.
All officials of the fifth rank and above were present. After the emperor left with his three princes, the scholars began to move around.
Using the name of a mentor, an elder in the family, or someone with the same surname, all sorts of reasons are used to establish connections; everyone tacitly understands this.
Before Liu Peng could get up, Prime Minister Liu walked to the middle of the scholars to support his grandson.
Everyone was aware of Liu Peng's family background, and they responded very politely.
Jiang Xiaoqi had never set foot in the Liu family's home, but had cooperated with them many years ago.
But at that time, it was all done in the name of his great-uncle; Jiang Xiaoqi himself never showed up.
The Liu family still doesn't know that the one who is truly cooperating with them is Jiang Xiaoqi, not Jiang Changqing.
But this is good, it saves a lot of trouble.
However, if any good projects come up in the future, we should just give them to our grandfather or great-uncle. Our family also needs to make a name for itself and establish itself in the capital.
After this imperial examination, the Liu family probably all felt that they had stolen Liu Peng's top spot, and that it would be best not to get too close to him in the future.
The Liu family has nine princes, and sooner or later they will all face that matter. If they want to live long, they should become loyal and devoted officials.
After exchanging pleasantries with several officials from the Hanlin Academy, Jiang Xiaoqi quickly withdrew from the encirclement.
Searching for their own people in the hall, Jiang Changfeng and Jiang Changgeng were seated relatively close to the front, Jiang Wenhai and Jiang Wenhan were in the middle, while Jiang Lin and Jiang Yan were seated further back. Oh, and there was also Wang Jue.
When the group finally gathered together to talk, Jiang Xiaoqi realized that there was a tail following him.
"Um, Brother Xiao, what brings you here?"
"Haha, I see you seem to be looking for someone you know. I don't know anyone else here besides you, so I just followed you. I hope I'm not bothering you?"
Xiao Ming felt a little embarrassed. He didn't know why he had followed him so readily; it had been too presumptuous of him.
"Oh, of course, I mean I won't bother you. I'll just introduce you to them. These are all members of our Jiang family, and this is my good friend."
Everyone knows this one; he's our third-place scholar in the imperial examinations.
The two sides exchanged greetings. Jiang Lin, Jiang Yan, and Wang Jue were all around the same age as Xiao Ming, and the group quickly struck up a conversation.
Jiang Changfeng and Jiang Changgeng exchanged a glance, understanding the deeper meaning in each other's eyes.
Jiang Wenhai and Jiang Wenhan admired their nephew's social skills; they could tell that this young scholar was very fond of their Mingfei.
It wasn't fake or just polite talk; it was genuine liking and recognition from the bottom of my heart, and even a little bit... dependent on it?
Why would he be so dependent? He's clearly three or four years older than Mingfei, so why would this handsome third-place scholar be so dependent on a boy so much younger than himself?
From the announcement of the results to the parade of horses through the streets and the Qionglin Banquet, what exactly happened on this day that they didn't know about?
Alas, they were simply not capable enough; their ranking was too low, so they couldn't see what the top three looked like when they paraded through the streets, not even the horses' rear ends.
Never mind, I'll ask Mingfei about that kid more carefully when I get home.
Hehe, this time the Jiang family has had a great harvest, with the first person to pass the imperial examination and six people passing the second-class imperial examination.
Jiang Yan, who ranked the lowest, barely made it into the second class. The difference in prestige between a Jinshi (进士) and a Tongjinshi (同进士) is significant.
When I return to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors this time, I will not only be able to erect seven memorial arches for those who passed the imperial examinations, but also one memorial arch for the top scholar (Zhuangyuan).
The ancestral graves of the Chiang family will probably be emitting smoke for seven days and seven nights!
Jiang Changqing, sitting in the officials' seats, naturally saw his family members gathered together, but he didn't go up to join in the fun. He would wait until he got home to celebrate properly.
As expected of father and sons, Jiang Changqing, Jiang Wenhai, and Jiang Wenhan all immediately thought of returning to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors.
The lively Qionglin Banquet finally came to an end, and the carriages outside the palace gates had formed a neat line.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Jiang Xiaoqi's carriage was at the front, followed by Liu Peng, the second-place scholar, and Xiao Ming, the third-place scholar.
If you said it wasn't arranged by someone, nobody would believe it.
After all, the fourth carriage in line was the one used by Chuanlu.
The guards at the palace gates are quite interesting; they actually have the time to assign seats to carriages.
I wonder what a lively scene this palace gate must have been like before they left the palace.
Landlord Jiang, along with Li Haisheng and Xue Xu, who had already finished their shifts, were waiting at the Jiang residence.
When Jiang Changqing came out of the palace, he didn't get into his own carriage, but went straight into the carriages of his two sons. Luckily, he found the right ones right away and didn't get into the wrong carriage.
On the other side, Jiang Xiaoqi and Xiao Ming bid each other a reluctant farewell, as if they would never see each other again, a scene that made people's teeth ache.
"Okay, we'll be on duty together every day from now on, so we'll see each other all the time. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future, just don't get tired of it."
"How could I get tired of being with Brother Jiang? Don't say that, I'm just looking forward to us starting our shifts soon."
“Alright, my whole family will be going back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors in a few days. I’m sure Brother Xiao is too, right? When we get back to the capital, you must come to our house as a guest so I can let you taste the authentic local cuisine of Xinghe Prefecture.”
"Alright, alright, it's a deal! I'll definitely come and bother you then!"