Chapter 1035: The Xingpu Xingpu Zhuangyuan

The leader was wearing a red robe, with a round body and a round, chubby face; he was exactly forty years old, but already had graying hair and was beginning the second half of his life, the Emperor, Zhao Zhen.

Following behind Zhao Zhen were, naturally, a crowd of court ministers. Falling behind the first person, with a thin figure and a face full of old wrinkles, was the current civil chancellor, Wen Yanbo, the leader of the conservative faction.

This was the first time the two had met, and as their gazes met, Wen Yanbo smiled and nodded in a friendly manner.

As for the other big shots Wang Yan had visited, such as Old Bao, Zhang Fangping, and so on, none of them came. Just as Wang Yan had not visited Wen Yanbo, it was to avoid some unnecessary misunderstandings.

Zhao Zhen walked slowly to the high place and sat down, and without anyone needing to shout any slogans, they all performed the kneeling ceremony in unison.

However, the rules of the Zhao Song Dynasty were not that numerous; one didn't need to kneel when seeing the Emperor in ordinary times, unlike the Ming and Qing dynasties where kneeling was frequent. It was mainly during large-scale activities, which was part of "etiquette."

Clearly, the palace examination was a large activity; these people were all the Emperor's disciples, and according to the order of Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Kin, and Teacher, it was necessary to kneel. After participating in the palace examination, having their names called out on the list, and participating in the grand court meeting to accept official positions, they would have to kneel again.

"Everyone, rise."

Following the fall of Zhao Zhen's voice, Wang Yan and the others stood up rustlingly, looking straight ahead, but not looking up at the high place. This allowed Zhao Zhen to see the faces of the candidates, while the other scholars would not look directly at Zhao Zhen, offending the imperial countenance.

Of course, not everyone was honest and obedient; people always couldn't help but want to see what the old Emperor looked like. After all, although they were all becoming officials, whether they had a mission, and whether they really had a position with real power, were two different things. In the future, when bragging to others, it would be good to talk about what the Emperor actually looked like.

Furthermore, the old Emperor was already dim-sighted and could no longer see the people below clearly, so it didn't matter.

Wang Yan had no such thoughts; he had already seen him just now, and besides, he had seen the TV drama, so he was clear about what this old Emperor looked like. And it wasn't like he hadn't seen an emperor before; the old Emperor looked just like him...

Zhao Zhen glanced at Wang Yan, who was standing solemnly below, and then slowly opened his mouth: "Heaven has its constant ways, Earth has its principles, the Imperial Dynasty..."

He said things that had no new meaning; the gist was that the country's operation required a constant replacement of talent, those present were all talent, they should take the examination well, and in the future, they should add bricks and tiles to the country's construction, for the country and for the people, and so on. These were all encouraging words, and also official clichés, just going through the normal process.

After the Emperor finished his important speech, along with the ministers, he exited the hall. The chief examiner emphasized the examination discipline in the hall, and then released the examination questions, distributed the paper, and the examination officially began.

For a time, the main hall became quiet. But it wasn't truly soundless; the sounds of flipping paper, grinding ink, scratching heads, sighing, deep breathing, farting, and so on, filled the space.

Poetry, fu, and essays were all on-site questions, not comparable to the kind of plagiarism Wang Yan did. For example, poetry wasn't simply chanting about snow, mountains, wind, or stones, but even the topics of the poems were already provided. It was like reading comprehension, deeply understanding the few words of the topic, and using this to write a poem that was balanced in rhyme, had artistic conception, and expressed one's heart.

The difficulty of the fu was higher; just the length was different, but the requirements were as refined as poetry; one could understand this from famous pieces in textbooks like "Rhapsody on the A-Fang Palace" and "Rhapsody on the Red Cliff." And this was a fu for an examination, which also required deep understanding of the topic, telling the story well in terms of content, aligning with the current dynasty's policies and guidelines, having beautiful literary language, and so on and so forth.

As for the essays, the so-called "long-winded discussion" explained the difficulty well, being about a thousand words long. It required targeted explanations for the questions raised by the Emperor, and writing out a solution.

The topics were very broad, including diplomatic relations, national successors, law, finance, land, commerce, the military, warfare, and so on and so forth, mainly depending on the Emperor's own meaning.

Poetry and fu might be drafted by ministers, but essays were basically questions set by the Emperor himself.

At such a time, Wang Yan naturally wouldn't plagiarize, and he didn't have the opportunity to plagiarize. So from the prefectural examination until the current palace examination, he had answered the questions himself. The poetry and fu were also famous pieces, praised by others. Otherwise, how could he say he would write a separate piece for Zhao Yunrang? He really could write.

It was still because a certain pretentious person didn't have this ability, so such a bridge that could be used to show off had to be omitted and not mentioned.

Not mentioning it was one thing, but Wang Mou's answering of the questions was smooth and flowing. After a little thought, he picked up his pen and wrote, truly picking it up with ease.

Because of his great reputation, plus the fact that he had taken first place twice in a row in the prefectural and provincial examinations, and now he was sitting at the very front, the scholars behind him were almost all scratching their heads for a while, picking up their pens to write for a while, and then looking up at Wang Yan's back for a while.

First look, hmm, sitting quietly, looks like he's thinking.

Look up again, hmm, sitting quietly, looks like he's thinking.

Look up again, finally started writing.

Look up again, he's still writing.

Look up again, still writing.

Look up again, hmm, sitting quietly.

Hmm?

Then they saw Wang Yan sitting quietly the whole time, occasionally beckoning the little eunuch to pour tea, and occasionally eating some pastries and small snacks, with a light sound of chewing that was almost inaudible.

He just sat there drinking tea, closing his eyes and resting, looking like he was meditating. He didn't mess around with things, and even less did he ask to go to the toilet.

The scholars watched him from beginning to end, until the sun was about to set, the names were pasted over, the papers were handed in, and they were led out of the imperial palace and reached the outer city area of the imperial city; only then did people become lively.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, a crowd of scholars finally started buzzing. They hadn't said a few words all day, and they had been under mental tension, so that feeling wasn't very good.

Someone asked curiously: "Brother Ziyan, why did I see you sitting quietly the whole time? Did something unexpected happen?"

"That's right, Brother Ziyan, you didn't not write it, did you?"

Once someone took the lead, the others who had been holding back all day couldn't help but chime in. Even Fan Chunren and Feng Jing themselves leaned in to ask questions.

Wang Yan smiled and cupped his hands: "It's not that this younger brother didn't answer the examination, but that I had already finished answering, and I couldn't bear to leave the hall early, disturbing the literary thoughts of all the elder brothers, and ruining the future of all the elder brothers, so I sat quietly until the palace examination was over, and left with all the elder brothers."

Silence, endless silence; everyone had a greeting in their mouths that they didn't know whether to say or not, but in the end, it wasn't appropriate to say, and no one said it out loud.

However, Wang Yan saw everything in their eyes. He understood very well; after all, when he saw such a pretentious person, and heard such pretentious words, he also had the thought of greeting them. It was truly human nature, and unavoidable.

"Brother Dangshi, I wonder how you broke the topic?" Fan Chunren broke the silence and changed the subject.

"Hey, Yaofu, why ask me? You should ask Ziyan." Feng Jing smiled and waved his hand, "Ziyan, come and tell us how you broke the topic?"

"That's right, that's right, Brother Ziyan, tell us..."

Everyone buzzed and chimed in again, finally passing the darkest moment of their lives, all because the light of the "dog thief" was truly too dazzling, and their eyes were truly pitch black...

Wang Yan had shared the answers with everyone during the provincial examination, so naturally, he wouldn't hide them now.

Thus, he talked about his train of thought, shared the answers, and the others played along, all the way out of the city.

Seeing that they had reached the gate of the imperial city, Wang Yan finished sharing the answers and turned to say: "We are all brothers of the same examination, which is truly a great fate. When the palace examination list is posted, we will be separated to the ends of the earth. Today, the palace examination is over, regardless of the ranking, the many books of sages we have read in the past have finally been read with some understanding. Plus, we haven't eaten our fill all day, so I think all the elder brothers must be tired.

This younger brother thinks that in this situation, we should go drink some wine, listen to some music, and relax. What do all the elder brothers think?"

Wang Yan's words, unsurprisingly, received everyone's support; when happy, drink wine and listen to music, when sad, drink wine and listen to music. And not only drink wine and listen to music, but also come up with poetry, letting people know whether they are happy or sad, and expressing their feelings. This was the norm for scholars, and so-called elegance was just like this.

Normally speaking, when everyone is out and about, whoever proposes it pays. Although everyone generally had this consensus, when it came to the moment, they always had to be humble with each other, "I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll do it..."

But when it came to Wang Yan, the situation was a bit different; at least from Wang Yan's perspective, they all really wanted to pay. Among these two hundred or so people, except for a few whose conditions were not good, most could be considered wealthy, and a few were even rich.

Taking Wang Yan's net worth as a standard, the family property he had tossed about over the past year had multiplied several times over, and his incense shops in Yangzhou and Bianjing were making a fortune every day. Under such circumstances, he wasn't qualified to be a rich man in front of these people. Because he was only a small landlord before, and the time he had been suddenly rich was still too short.

Two hundred people, all top-tier scholars about to become officials, all at an important moment in their lives, and all in Tokyo; this consumption was something an ordinary person really couldn't afford.

As for the sincerity of their paying, it naturally stemmed from Wang Yan's own excellence. Everyone had that "number" in their hearts; as long as Wang Yan performed normally, or even slightly worse, the Emperor and the ministers were all willing to fulfill Wang Yan. This stemmed from Wang Yan's excellence, and even more from the great reputation he had persistently marketed for himself, which could be said to be the expectation of the masses.

Even if Wang Yan didn't do well in the examination, his future achievements would be limitless. By now, Wang Yan's growth experience was widely known, and no one would doubt that he couldn't be a good official.

Wanting to be on good terms with him and paying for the dinner party he proposed, so that their friendship could go a step further. Even if this meal might cost ten thousand strings of cash, it was still very cost-effective.

Facing the enthusiasm of others, Wang Yan smiled and waved his hand: "All elder brothers are too polite. Although this younger brother's family assets are not comparable to yours, everyone knows that my Wang Family Incense Shop makes a fortune every day, so I can still afford this money. At worst, this younger brother has a thin reputation for wealth, and if I write a piece of calligraphy, I think the shopkeeper will always recognize it. So all elder brothers don't need to compete, and let this younger brother express his heart."

Since he had said so, the others couldn't keep nagging endlessly, so they happily agreed.

Feng Jing asked: "I wonder where we are going?"

"Naturally, Fanlou. It has a great reputation, the reputation of its courtesans is even greater, and it's right outside the city gate. We can walk over, it won't take a quarter of an hour, Fanlou is just right."

"Good, Brother Ziyan is generous, let's go to Fanlou. Given Brother Ziyan's connection with Fanlou, maybe we can even get a free meal this time." Hearing Wang Yan be so straightforward, people's enthusiasm was ignited.

"I heard that Fanlou has changed its menu, and the prices are several percent more expensive. Today I must satisfy my appetite. Brother Ziyan, my appetite is very good."

Wang Yan laughed: "Eat and drink as much as you want. Since I have invited all elder brothers, if the hospitality is not thorough, what face would this younger brother have to see you again?"

"Speaking of Fanlou, Brother Ziyan's demeanor that day is truly still vivid in my mind."

Just like this, they talked and laughed as they left the city. Once they reached the outside, it was truly a very lively scene.

Actually, some people had already been picked up at the imperial city, but they were a minority; there were many more people outside the city. Various carriages, book boys, attendants, and some people's parents, and so on, were all waiting outside.

Seeing the two hundred or so people coming out, the scene that was already buzzing non-stop became even more lively by three points, all concerned about how they had performed.

Little Dongliang was also like this.

Compared to the other waiting book boys, attendants, and others, Little Dongliang had more of an advantage, because the person walking in front surrounded by people was Wang Yan, who could be seen at a glance.

So he ran up with nimble legs, took the box containing things from Wang Yan's hand, and asked: "How did the young master do in the examination? Can you become the top scholar?"

Ouyang Fa followed on the side and said: "That is decided by the Emperor; it's not up to the senior brother to say. You are just impatient; I've told you several times, you'll know the news in a few days, why ask so much? Right, senior brother?"

Wang Yan smiled, ignored the little chubby boy who was trying to be clever, and walked away leisurely with his hands behind his back.

"Brother-in-law, not taking the carriage? Three came, they can fit." Sheng Changbai followed and spoke.

"We already agreed just now, I'm inviting everyone to Fanlou for wine tonight. Let the coachman drive over, and we'll all eat something."

Of course, this matter didn't need to be done by Changbai; Little Dongliang himself carried the box and ran over to notify them.

If it were only a few people, like the last time they ate chicken outside, in such a situation, Little Dongliang would be at the table eating. Usually at home, or when there were many people, he would eat with other attendants. Of course, the food was always fine; Wang Yan was never stingy in this regard.

In today's situation, Little Dongliang naturally didn't have the qualifications to be at the table. So he acted together with the coachman and others.

As the highest-end club in the Song Dynasty, Fanlou's service was all-around. The attendants waiting for their masters also had corresponding food. It was like some modern restaurants and clubs that would have special places to entertain drivers. Large-scale activities would also prepare driver canteens, and so on.

Following Wang Yan's actions, the others also explained the situation, handed the boxes containing brushes, ink, inkstones, and other things to their attendants, and followed behind Wang Yan in a grand manner to Fanlou, which was only a hundred meters away.

Wang Yan's arrival at Fanlou was quite impressive; it was really because he came often, and had come many times before the provincial examination. And that incident before also improved Fanlou's reputation and increased its "pretentiousness." The poem he wrote at that time had long been mounted and hung together with the calligraphy and paintings of many famous masters for people to visit.

That old guy Zhao Yunrang was truly a nouveau riche, but it was also because of this that Fanlou was managed very well. At least from Wang Yan's perspective, it was much better than it would be decades later.

Furthermore, the delicacies that now surpassed Fanlou's peers were learned from him.

So before Wang Yan even entered the door, the manager of Fanlou was already welcoming him at the door.

"Haven't seen Manager Liu for a long time, still as spirited as ever."

"Young Master is joking, people have grown a lot, and are becoming increasingly fat and stupid." Manager Liu shook his head and smiled bitterly, then cupped his hands, looked at the scholars entering one after another, and asked, "I wonder what the arrangement is for today, Young Master?"

"A grand banquet, just bring the best wine and dishes, and have a few famous masters perform some singing and dancing. These are all scholars who have just taken the palace examination; although they are scholars, they already have official status. Today's event will definitely become a beautiful story for a time in the future. Your Fanlou is well-located; perhaps after this year, every time the palace examination is over, they will all come to your Fanlou to eat and drink. Manager Liu, what do you think?"

"Young Master's words are very true. The owner has long said that Young Master can come to Fanlou for free. However, there are really too many people today, and we have to invite everyone to sing and dance, so Fanlou really can't host them well, so how about we just charge the cost?"

"Very good. Go arrange it quickly."

Wang Yan nodded with satisfaction; at the very least, it was a price difference of three to five times, which really saved a lot of money.

He didn't give any more lectures today, just ate and drank with everyone, and treated everyone who came to talk to him with affinity.

Like these fellow scholars, besides various relatives and teachers, they basically had a naturally close relationship, and their ranking was very high.

For example, the Bureau of Military Affairs, which was a military institution; the Secretariat, which was an administrative institution; others like the Censorate, the Three Departments, the Three Guards, and so on, were all separate central institutions.

Of course, this didn't mean they had great autonomy. It mainly depended on whether the chancellor was strong. A powerful chancellor says what he says. Other big shots in various departments only have the part of listening to orders. In the end, it still depends on the person.

The so-called "having people in the court makes things easy to handle"; no one knows how things will develop in the future, whether there will be acquaintances in some link of handling things. So everyone should get to know each other well, and maybe they can help each other in the future.

Using people when facing forward and not using them when facing backward, maintaining relationships only when needed, this obviously wouldn't work. So Wang Yan, who was about to start his official career and start a new page in his life, was also very patient in connecting with people.

That night, most of them were drunk...

In the time that followed, Wang Yan was completely busy. Because he no longer had any reason to decline some invitations, but he only participated in scholar gatherings and didn't go to any activities organized by dignitaries.

This also included the Wang family and the Kang family, who were still sending invitations, but no one came to invite him in person, and they were still putting on airs. Wang Yan didn't indulge their bad habits; it was already good that he didn't deal with them, yet they were putting on airs with him.

It was just that this was also Wang Yan's wishful thinking; these two families didn't know Wang Yan's thoughts, or perhaps if they knew, they might even mock him.

Just like this, half a month passed, and people were looking forward to the palace examination list finally being posted. Those concerned paid attention to their own rankings, and those unconcerned paid attention to whether the top scholar was Wang Yan, and whether the legend would continue.

Wang Yan didn't go, but he knew he was the top scholar.

Because people had been sent from the palace. A group of six armored warriors, two eunuchs, and a small official from the government office, they brought a tall white horse, as well as a new red robe and hat.

They dressed Wang Yan up and had Wang Yan sit on the tall horse, leading him out to walk on the street.

This was the legendary supreme honor of the imperial examination, riding a horse through the streets.

The so-called "spring breeze is proud, the horse's hooves are fast, seeing all the flowers in Chang'an in one day," is nothing more than this... ===== CHAPTER 1036 =====