The palace examination is the highest level of the three-level imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty, and the people of the time also called it the court examination, which is an examination for the candidates personally asked by the emperor above the palace. Normally, this exam will not dethrone the Chinese-style tribute students, but the emperor will most likely adjust the ranking of the exam.

Discretion, this is a nice saying, if you want to put it bluntly, it is actually adjusted according to the emperor's wishes, and the ranking after the adjustment is the legendary palace gold list.

The results of the palace examination are divided into three grades, that is, one, two, and three.

A first, also known as Dingjia, a total of only three, according to the ranking for the champion, the eye, the flower, the first in the first, called "Jinshi and the first". These three have their particularity, that is, once they are decided, they can directly enter the Hanlin Academy without being selected by the Shuji Pavilion. Generally speaking, the champion who ranks first in the first class will be directly awarded to the official Hanlin Academy for revision, and Bangyan and Tanhua will be directly awarded to the official Hanlin Academy for editing, which is the most prominent - the officialdom starts higher than everyone else.

The second class is generally about 50 to 80 people at most, occasionally less or more, and the second class is called "Jinshi origin". The top three are usually two hundred or more, and they are not fixed. The second and third class members are routinely required to participate in the selection of the Shujishi Pavilion, and those who succeed in the selection of the Pavilion belong to the Hanlin Officials, who are extremely noble.

Other people who have not passed the selection of the museum do not need to worry, or give the matter, the imperial history, the director, the Chinese book, the pedestrian, the commentator, the Taichang, Dr. Guozi and other Beijing officials, the future is promising; or grant foreign officials such as government officials, governors, and counties, which are also positions of real power.

However, there is a difference between these three grades after all, especially because of the old system of "non-Hanlin does not enter the cabinet", so the three Dingjia were called "heavenly immortals" by the people of the time, and the second and third ones who were selected as Shujishi were called "halfway immortals".

The time of the temple examination is March 15, and it is held about half a month after the official list of the general examination. Before it was held, the imperial court had to determine the next large number of paper readers.

This matter has something to do with Emperor Jiajing of Sejong to explain, Jiajing's previous palace examinations were presided over by the emperor himself, but Emperor Jiajing was a shameless emperor who wanted power, and his characteristic was that he often changed the ancestral system without authorization, such as the palace examination, which changed his taste when he came here, and often did not personally preside over the examination, but only put it on a name, and the actual examination was still run by ministers.

Then the ministers who need to read the papers, but because the emperor is named to take the exam, the other courtiers can only deign to be called "paper readers", which means that everyone is just helping the emperor read a paper, and there is no intention of infringing on the imperial power.

Zhu Yijun had two palace examinations before, that is, the two palace examinations of Jiaxu Branch in the second year of Wanli and the two palace examinations of Ding Chouke in the fifth year of Wanli.

But this time, Zhu Yijun asked for a personal palace test, and the ministers, especially the cabinet, did not refuse.

The day before the palace examination, the officials of the Honglu Temple began to set up the throne and the yellow case, and the officials of the Guanglu Temple were responsible for placing the test table and arranging the candidates' seats.

The next morning, before the hour had passed, and in the dark of night, the Gongshi who were taking the exam—also called "Chinese-style Jinshi"—waited in front of the Forbidden City Palace, their eyes brighter than the lanterns next to them, and they couldn't help themselves with excitement.

What is the purpose of the book test? Isn't it just for "the court is Tian Shelang, and the twilight is in the Tianzi Hall"? Now, after many big waves and many inhumane exams, the four hundred elites of the Ming Dynasty finally stood in front of the emperor's house, and they were about to complete the last jump of the carp jumping over the dragon gate.

Moreover, unlike the nervousness and panic of the previous exam, the atmosphere before the palace exam is more excited and eager to try, because everyone knows that as long as you don't make any stupid mistakes, the palace exam will not dismiss the candidates, but the ranking of the exams will be rearranged, which is a process of "selecting the best of the best".

In other words, even if you don't get good in the exam, you can mix up with the same jinshi who is ready to use under the list, and let out a seven-grade county master as a pawn. In fact, this is much more comfortable for many Jinshi than sitting on a cold bench in Beijing, especially for those who are ranked lower in the examination in the same year - after all, it is difficult to select the museum, and even if the Shujishi is selected, it is only the so-called storage phase.

Storage...... Saving for ten years is saving, and saving for a lifetime is also saving. When you are in the cabinet, you are a vegetable market in Nancheng, and anyone can go in and mix in it?

Recall and see, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, how many palace exams have been in the forefront, the hall selection of Jishi, the incomparably noble Jinshi master, staying in the Hanlin Academy to drink tea for decades without success?

To be honest, Beijing officials like this abound, and many people just ate and waited for most of their lives to die, and finally became glorious. In case of bad luck, you don't find the right place in a certain struggle between the big guys, and you become a rafter that comes out, or a pond fish that is affected, and you go home directly.

The so-called Saiong loses his horse and knows whether it is a blessing, and Seong knows whether it is a disaster or not, which is probably what it means.

And for the vast majority of candidates, the ups and downs of the sea and the dangerous career are the most reliable in the future, in fact, these are the same year as the same subject. Therefore, all of you, the rookies of officialdom, have to communicate with each other and support each other in order to gain a foothold in the officialdom where the weak eat the strong and there are many ghosts.

In fact, after the examination, these gangs were connected in tandem in the same year, and now they are very familiar with each other, but Gao Pragmatic is obviously an exception, he has a mansion in Beijing, and he usually doesn't move around much, and now when he looks up, he doesn't know if there are ten people he knows.

But he is not in a hurry, because his current name is loud enough, and they are all competing to come to visit him in the same year, but he is not very pragmatic, he takes out the ability to be a secretary back then, and faces every new acquaintance in the same year with enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, no matter whether they are southerners or northerners, they can make people feel like a spring breeze and their goodwill rises sharply.

Originally, they were still a little worried, this famous Gao Longwen, not only has a prosperous family background and a prosperous literary reputation, but also did well in the exam, but now he always does not show up, could it be that he is too proud to contact? Now when I see it, it can be said that my worries are gone, this person is actually an eight-sided master, and all the people of the same year are happy and convinced.

When everyone's feelings heated up sharply, the time came, the bell rang and the door opened, and there was silence in front of the palace gate, and the tense atmosphere suddenly came out of the corner, occupying almost everyone's heart - everyone said they didn't care, but who doesn't want to take a good ranking, in case you choose a Shu Jishi, and you are lucky, maybe you will enter the cabinet in the future? So when it came to the end, they all carried a lot of energy, wanting to make a final sprint.

Even Xiao Liangyou, Zhang Taizheng and others all looked serious and even a little nervous.

The only one with a calm face may be Gao Pragmatic - no way, he has been in and out of the Forbidden City for more than ten years, and he is as familiar as his own home, and he can't be nervous if he wants to!

He just stood so relaxed and comfortable, neither nervous nor frivolous, and the Chinese-style jinshi who were so nervous that they stood and trembled all saw it, and they all admired it in their hearts - it is worthy of being a famous minister, a close minister of the Son of Heaven, look at the appearance of others, Gao Huiyuan is afraid that he is not coming to the spring outing?

At this time, the dawn broke, and all kinds of officials began to enter the palace, and the candidates stood aside in a proper manner, looking at the big bachelors in python robes and jade belts with reverence; looked at those Shangshu waiters wearing red official robes and gold and silver belts with envious eyes; looked at the chief in the green robe, Lang Zhong with expectant eyes, and his heart was extremely eager-after so many years of hard work, and finally came to this "well-dressed beast" step!

After the officials finished entering, the eyes of the tribute students finally took back, and suddenly the praise officer of the Ministry of Rites said loudly: "In the holy order: Xuanwanli Gengchen Kegongsheng is here!" ”