On March 17, when Zhao Zhen came to the Chongzheng Palace, the chief examiner had already put the ten examination papers arranged yesterday into the imperial case. According to the order, the first three exam papers to look at are the three test papers that the examiner prejudged to be the first grade, the first is Zhang Heng's paper, the second is Dou Bian's paper, and the third is Luo Kai's paper.

Originally, according to the process, after reading the first three volumes, if there was no problem, he would not continue to read the next papers, but this time Zhao Zhen not only finished reading the ten volumes, as if he still didn't find the paper he was looking for, he said to the examiner: "Take Li Hao and Zeng Gong's exam papers, I want to take a closer look." ”

After hearing this, the examiner was stunned for a moment, and then went to the papers listed in the second and third grades below, found the papers of the two people, and presented them to Zhao Zhen with both hands. After Zhao Zhen got it, he carefully looked at the two volumes, and then said: "These two talents are outstanding, especially Li Hao's essay on this Fu won my heart, the writing is rich, the use of classics is very ingenious, and the rhyme is also worked. I intend to set Li Hao as the first and third ranks, and Zeng Gong should also be in the top of the second class, so let's rearrange it. After speaking, he was about to get up and leave the Chongzheng Palace.

I heard the examiner say: "Li Hao's article is really well written, transparent and reasonable, and it has a bit of inheritance of Fan Wenzhenggong's meaning." But he is now only fifteen years old after all, and if he is among the top at such an age, is it too public, it is better to press it down to sharpen his spirit and promote his success. ”

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen said: "If you have talent, you should return to your position, and if you are far away, you will have Yan Shu, who was born as a prodigy at the age of 14." There is a precedent, but what does it matter. After saying that, he left directly.

After Zhao Zhen left, the examiner asked the examiner: "Do you adjust the ranking according to what the official said?" ”

The examiner said: "Since the official family has decided that the first class is Zhang Heng, the first class is Dou Bian, the first class is Li Hao, the first class is the first place, Luo Kai is the second class first, Zeng Gong becomes the second class and the sixth place, and the rest of the people are decreasing in the current order." ”

The reading officer should be, and then fill in the yellow list according to the selected ranking, and then hand it over to the outer Fu Baolang to play Zhao Zhen on the list, Zhao Zhen read and agreed to order the inner Fu Baolang to use the Son of Heaven to line the treasure on the list, and then the official of the system immediately began to write the post, and the yellow list was awarded to the Ministry of Rites, and the post was awarded to the Institute of Etiquette to prepare for the ceremony early tomorrow morning.

At the same time, all the candidates who confirmed that they were in the palace yesterday had to pack up today and prepare shirts in order to participate in tomorrow's ceremony.

Li Hao didn't know what was happening in the palace, but he was still shouted early in the morning, and then he saw Wei take out a few new shirts and give them to Li Hao and the Zeng brothers and said: "You all hurry up and try it, if the size is not suitable, I will let you change it today so that you can wear it tomorrow." ”

After hearing this, Zeng Gong said: "Thank you, aunt, but we all have suitable clothes, so we don't have to bother." ”

After hearing this, Wei said unhappily and said: "How can you be so polite to me, how can the ceremony be so casual, I have thought about it for you, today you bathe, burn incense, and tomorrow you will wear new clothes, this is a big deal." ”

Li Hao also persuaded after hearing this: "Since my mother is ready, the senior brothers will accept it, otherwise it will not be a waste of my mother's heart." ”

Saying that, he took his clothes, dragged Zeng Gong into the house to try, Zeng Bu and they watched Zeng Gong go in, so they also went in and tried it, and then handed it over to Wei for correction after trying.

On March 18, just after midnight, Li Hao and the others washed up and wore shirts and went out to Xuande Gate. Today, everyone is not as nervous as the day before yesterday, they seem to be much more relaxed, and now they are all regarded as Jinshi in the same year, and with the friendship of the same year, they naturally seem more cordial, and after each other is named, they can still chat a few words.

After waiting until the hour passed, I saw the civil and military officials in Beijing, and they also rushed to the Xuande Gate one after another. At this time, Li Hao saw Sheng Changbai and Sheng Hong coming over together, and Sheng Hong also pulled Sheng Changbai to meet his colleagues, and then asked Sheng Changbai to come over to this Jinshi's side. Later, the children of other officials and eunuchs were basically the same, and their fathers and brothers who were officials introduced courtiers on their behalf, and they chatted happily. Only some people who are not from official eunuch families will go straight to the side of the scholar queue.

When it was almost time, after the civil and military officials arrived, they all entered the palace and got ready.

The Jinshi who were waiting outside the Xuande Gate began to enter the palace, and the order of entering the palace was the same as that of the palace test, but the location of the ceremony was no longer the Chongzheng Palace, but the Daqing Hall of the Hundred Officials.

In front of the Daqing Palace Square, the civil and military officials stand on both sides of the Danqi according to their civil and military positions, and all the Jinshi are also divided into two columns and stand behind. Everyone stood still, the music sounded, and the secretary of the Ministry of Rites held the yellow list in his hand and placed it on the yellow list case.

At this time, Zhao Zhen came out of the Daqing Hall and sat on the pre-set dragon chair. Then the civil and military officials and the Jinshi all bowed five times and bowed three times, and then Zhao Zhen and a group of officials re-entered the Daqing Palace.

In the hall, the officials of the Rite House began to read out the edict: "On March 18 of the second year of Jiayou, the first class will be given to the Jinshi and the first, the second will be given to the Jinshi, and the third will be given to the same Jinshi. ”

Subsequently, the official who read the scroll opened the volume, and Zhao Zhen personally sang the first place Zhang Heng, and there will be officials with a loud voice in the apse to repeat this sentence, and on the Dan Fan at the entrance of the main hall, there are also officials of the Rite Academy, after hearing the voice coming from the hall, they continue to repeat this sentence.

When Zhang Heng heard this, he entered the hall under the guidance of the officials of the Rite Academy. Similarly, Zhao Zhen sang the first and second place Dou Bian, and the officials of the Rite Institute also led Dou Bian into the hall to meet him.

The first two were okay, but when they sang the first and third places and called Li Hao's name, Li Hao felt stunned, and he didn't expect Tanhualang's position to fall on him, so he didn't react for a while. It wasn't until the third time that he reacted to it, and hurriedly followed the officials of the Rite Academy who were watching anxious next to him into the hall, waiting for Li Hao to stand still in the hall.

Next, there are a number of people who sing the name of the first place of the second class and a number of people in the future, and a number of people who sing the first place of the third class and a number of people who are in the future, and these people only sing once, and they do not need to go out of the class to the temple, but only wait in the same place.

After all the roll calls are completed, the champion, Bangyan, and Tanhua are in the Daqing Hall to bow and thank you, and the rest of the Jinshi are outside the hall to bow and thank you, at this time, there is a ritual music under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhao Zhen got up and went back to the palace. Then the officials of the Ministry of Rites held the list, with a cloud disk to carry the list, the umbrella cover drum music guided, out of the Daqing Gate, Zuo Changqing Gate, Zuo Yintai Gate, all the Jinshi, civil and military officials all went out with the list to the Donghua Gate.

The yellow list with the names and ranks of more than 300 jinshi will be posted on the palace wall for three days, and after three days, the yellow list will be sent to the Guozijian to engrave the names of the jinshi, and then the yellow list will be kept in the Guozijian for future generations to consult.

At this point, the whole ceremony is over. The rest of the officials of the DPRK and China will not stay here, but will go to deal with official business, only the officials of the Ministry of Rites will stay to inform the Jinshi of the time and corresponding process for the follow-up banquet and re-entry to the palace to express gratitude, and they will also leave after being informed clearly.

At this point, the triennial palace examination has almost come to an end, and this group of new scholars outside the Donghua Gate is about to enter a new stage.