The emperor is the chief examiner of the palace examination, and whoever he wants to be the champion can be named the champion, which is the power given to Zhu Houzhao by law and etiquette.

The only thing Zhu Houzhao did wrong was that he should not open the paper and look at the name, which was extremely unfair to other candidates.

But strictly speaking, the top three rolls should not be opened.

If the monarch and the ministers all abide by the etiquette system, then the normal procedure should be like this: the emperor will point the champions, list eyes, and explore flowers according to the quality of the articles on the sealed scrolls. The ministers returned to the East Pavilion and dismantled the second and third Jinshi rolls to fill in the gold list. The next day, the second and third class Jinshi list was submitted to the emperor's imperial review, and after obtaining the emperor's approval, the top three test papers were dismantled at this time, and the vacant first-class Jinshi list was completed.

However, from the time of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, they took the lead in destroying the procedures of dismantling the papers and filling in the list, and they always had to open the first-class test papers in advance to see the names.

For more than a hundred years, the ministers have also gotten used to it. And when he asked the emperor to point the champion, he often took the initiative to open it for the emperor to see, anyway, basically he would not change his ranking, which was harmless.

It's a mess, and it's hard to figure out who is breaking the rules.

If the minister dares to accuse Zhu Houzhao of dismantling the volume without authorization, Zhu Houzhao can also accuse the minister of unpacking the volume without authorization, dog eating dog, and a mouthful of hair.

The next morning, the canopy hall.

Cabinet officials gathered here, and everyone was jubilant, as if they had forgotten the unpleasantness of last night.

Zhu Houzhao and his ministers were waiting in the palace, and the celebrant and eunuch ran to the palace room, filled in the name of the first-class jinshi on the gold list, and began to write a post.

The gold list was sent back from the imperial room, and the official of Shang Baosi glanced at it, and then asked the emperor to seal it with great respect.

Immediately, Liang Chu, a scholar of Wuyingdian University, held the gold list and went to Fengtian Hall to hand it over to Fei Hong, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

Fei Hong is the chief planner of this year's examination and palace examination, and he also belongs to the cabinet ministers, and the secretary of the Ministry of Rites is just a part-time job in name. But Bai Yue, the real Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, died in office three months ago, and the affairs of the Ministry of Rites were handed over to Fei Hong for management.

"Mr. Fei, please take the list." Liang Chu handed it over with both hands.

Fei Hong raised his hands and held them, bent down to return the salute to Liang Chu: "Master Liang, you have worked hard." ”

Liang Chu stood still and didn't leave.

Fei Hong was a little strange, opened the gold list casually, and was a little surprised to see Wang Yuan at the top of the list.

Liang Chu asked, "Does Master Fei know about the champion?" ”

The news that Wang Yuan was forcibly named the champion had already spread on a small scale last night. However, the Ministry of Rites belongs to the organizer of the imperial examination, and out of the principle of avoidance, officials of the Ministry of Rites are not allowed to inquire about invigilation, marking and selection.

Fei Hong smiled and said: "The champion has his own His Majesty to point out, as a courtier, why bother talking?" ”

Liang Chu smiled bitterly: "That's true. ”

Fei Hong's entry into the cabinet was strongly recommended by Yang Tinghe, but he and Yang Tinghe are not of the same heart, or they are not of the same mind as anyone.

This gentleman was the first boy at the age of thirteen, Jiangxi Township at the age of sixteen, was named the champion in the palace examination at the age of twenty, and became a cabinet minister at the age of forty-one, and now he is only forty-four years old.

Fei Hong is usually light, upright and kind, like a Bodhisattva statue in the temple, but he can stand up and take responsibility at critical moments. Historically, when Wang Yangming quelled King Ning's rebellion, Fei Hong, who was dismissed, was by his side to give advice.

Do you think this is a decent gentleman?

Zheng Xiao, an important minister of the Jiajing Dynasty, commented on Fei Hong: "Among the several princes, only the macro is the lowest, although he is talented, he is dangerous. ”

This is a real old yin ratio, in terms of political means and political vision, Yang Tinghe is not worthy of lifting shoes for him. He was originally very close to Yang Tinghe, but he waited and watched the changes during the Jiajing Great Rites Discussion, and as soon as Yang Tinghe stepped down, Fei Hong was promoted to the first assistant of the cabinet and became the biggest winner of the Great Rites Discussion.

Moreover, this person seems to be gentle and frugal, but in fact he is very resentful.

He originally had a close relationship with Wang Yangming, and they also quelled King Ning's rebellion together. But because of the different factions he belonged to, Wang Yangming did not listen to Fei Hong's advice and chose to escort King Ning to the eunuch Zhang Yong, and the two sides immediately turned from friends to enemies. After Yang Tinghe stepped down, Wang Yangming still couldn't turn over, and the key was that Fei Hong was suppressing.

It wasn't until Fei Hong stepped down that Wang Yangming could finally be reinstated as an official.

The emperor named Wang Yuan as the champion?

It's about me Fei Hong's!

Even if Wang Yuan really wants to do something, Fei Hong will not directly oppose it, and he will only make a move when the overall situation has been decided.

Looking at Liang Chu in the distance, Fei Hongyun was light and light, and the smile on his face was still there.

……

Wang Yuan and the scholars had been waiting outside the Fengtian Hall for a long time.

At this moment, the scholars all changed into jinshi scarf clothes.

Wang Yuan was wearing a dark blue robe, with a green Luo and wide cuffs. He wore a black horn leather belt around his waist, black boots on his feet, and a jinshi scarf on his head. The Jinshi scarf is similar to the official hat of the Song Dynasty, but the wings are not so long, and the ends of the wings are tied with black gauze drape.

With this outfit changed, the scholars became energetic, but unfortunately they had to be returned to the Guozijian in two days, leaving it for the next Jinshi to continue to wear.

The imperial court is quite picky, how good it is to give it to the new science and technology jinshi to take home and treasure.

But who made Zhu Yuanzhang practice frugality, which is also a manifestation of thrift.

On the side of the Huagai Palace, the officials of Honglu Temple have already received the poster and asked the emperor to move to Fengtian Palace. For a time, the music was masterpiece, and the guide led Zhu Houzhao to the Fengtian Hall to ascend to the throne.

Etiquette, courtesy and joy.

Today's ceremonies are only used for the emperor's enthronement, wedding, longevity, and triumph, and the specifications of the music are also of the highest level.

The civil and military officials and scholars entered the hall in turn, and after the music stopped, the officials of the preface raised the gold list and saluted, and Wang Yuan and other scholars all knelt down and bowed four times. Then he went out from the east gate of the main hall, and stood collectively facing west outside His Majesty, and the herald came to the royal road with the gold list in his hand, and shouted: "All the people listen to the system!" ”

Wang Yuan could only kneel down again, waiting to listen to the emperor's edict.

The official said: "Feng, the heavens carry it, and the emperor system says...... On March 15 of the sixth year of Zhengde, he tried the world...... The first class is given to the Jinshi and the first, the second is given to the Jinshi origin, and the third is given to the same Jinshi origin......"

After the announcement was completed, the official finally began to serve the main dish, and opened his throat to roll call: "First A, first place, Wang Yuan!" ”

"First class, first place, Wang Yuan!"

"First class, first place, Wang Yuan!"

From the main hall to the bottom of the stairs, the palace guards sang in unison, one team after another.

Wang Yuan's expression was a little confused, the other scholars were also surprised, and Jin Wei was even more dumbfounded, thinking that his ears had heard it wrong.

An official of the prelude class walked up to Wang Yuan and said with a smile: "Champion Lang, please take the lead." ”

Wang Yuan immediately got up, followed this person a few steps forward, and knelt at the head of Dan Majesty.

And the preacher sang:

"First place, second place, Yang Shen!"

"First place, third place, Yu Ben!"

Yang Shen's face was expressionless, not sad or happy, he knew the result last night.

Yu Ben couldn't believe it, he only took the 192nd place in the exam, and the palace exam could be pointed out as a flower.

Zou Shouyi, who won the first place in the test, was slightly disappointed, but his mood fluctuated little.

Bangyan and Tanhua knelt in place and did not move, only the champion can be listed, which is called "dominance".

Wang Yuan is now confused, and he doesn't know why he has become the champion. His answer sheet for the palace examination was purely written out on a whim because the anti-thieves were ravaging Gyeonggi. Get an ordinary jinshi, and then go out to be a magistrate, this is Wang Yuan's true thoughts, he is not very willing to enter the Hanlin Academy as a Beijing official.

Wang Yuan is an engineering student, and reading the Four Books and Five Classics has delayed him a lot of time, and he can't wait to go to the local area to do his old job.

"The third first, the seventy-third, Jin Wei!"

Jin Wei had been waiting for a long time to panic, and he didn't read his name until this moment, and he almost wanted to cry without tears. He will take the twenty-eighth place in the exam, and now he is only a fellow jinshi, and the gap between the front and back is too obvious.

After singing the three lists, the Jinshi bowed four times.

The deacon went out from the left gate of Fengtian with a gold list, and hung a gold list outside the left gate of Chang'an. The jinshi followed closely, and there was an umbrella cover drum in front of them to open the way, and they had already left the imperial city in a daze.

"Champion Lang, please." Shuntianfu Yin Yangdan was expressionless.

Wang Yuan cupped his fists and saluted back: "Thank you, Fuzun." ”

The champion has special preferential treatment, not only to dominate the first place when passing on the throne, but also to use the umbrella cover instrument of Shuntianfu Yin to personally escort Wang Yuan back to his residence.

Wang Yuan rode along the street on horseback, and the streets were lined with people watching the bustling capital.

The gold list has been posted outside the Chang'an Gate, and the name of the champion has spread throughout the city, and at this moment the citizens have come to see Wang Erlang's champion style.

"That's Wang Erlang, who killed thieves on a single horse?"

"Both civil and military, you can kill thieves on the horse, and you can be the champion when you get off the horse."

"I heard that the talented Yang Shencai should be the champion, and this Wang Erlang was ordered by the emperor."

"The emperor can really do this kind of thing, but Wang Erlang is not bad, he is definitely not afraid of thieves and troubles in Beijing when he is a cabinet elder."

"Yes, yes, Wang Erlang is the elder of the cabinet, and the anti-thief is afraid that he will not even dare to enter the direct subordinate."

“……”

The news of the capital spread so quickly, what happened in the palace last night has now reached the streets and alleys.

Yin Yangdan of Shuntian Mansion couldn't help but say: "Zhuangyuanlang, what do you really want to do?" ”

Wang Yuan smiled and asked, "Can the palace examination article be taken seriously?" Yang Fuzun's moral articles in Fengtian Temple, can he consistently pursue them after becoming an official? ”

"Of course, it always does!" Yang Dan said.

It's weird.

Yang Dan's great-grandfather Yang Rong was the first assistant of the cabinet in the early Ming Dynasty, and was called the "Three Yangs" along with Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu.

Yang Dan's subordinate brother Yang Ye ran rampant in the township, brutalized the people, and beheaded according to the law, but this guy hid in his uncle's house in the capital. The uncle is the head of the Ministry of War, and the brother-in-law is the head of the Ministry of Rites, and they bribed Yang Ye, a high-ranking official, to get away with the crime. In the end, Emperor Chenghua personally interrogated, Wang Zhi sent people to arrest him, and directly sent Yang Tai to the family and more than 100 people into Beijing to interrogate the guilt.

At that time, not only did the Yang family eat and fall, but also involved countless civil officials, and finally it evolved into a dispute between eunuchs and civil officials, which directly led to Emperor Chenghua's dismissal of Xichang.

This Yang Dan is Yang Ting and the first party, no wonder he doesn't have a good face for Wang Yuan.

From beginning to end, the two only said those two or three sentences, and they didn't speculate for more than half a sentence. And the people of the capital flocked Wang Yuan all the way out of the city, and the innkeeper was putting up lights when he got the news.