After leaving his seat, he was led to another small temple.

  At this time, the banquet was already prepared, with two rows of sixty small tables, each table seating one person.

  "The Emperor has decreed, at noon there is no need to adhere to etiquette, the banquet will begin immediately!" Then, the officials from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward to convey the imperial edict, and all the tribute scholars thanked the heavenly grace before taking their seats to eat.

  The dishes were twelve colors on one table, filled with desserts, soups, main courses, digestives and even wine.

  However, of course, no one would drink too much, as they still had to attend the imperial audience in the afternoon and recite their poems in order, so even for those who liked it the most, they would only take a few sips to show that they hadn't missed out.

  At this time, all civil and military officials of the imperial court had withdrawn, leaving only a few important ministers.

  Gongs can eat banquets, but at this time, including the emperor and the cabinet ministers, they all have to use some caution before opening their mouths.

  The cabinet reviewed it first and divided it into three grades. The first grade had ten shares, the second grade had twenty shares, and the third grade had thirty shares. Then it was reviewed by the emperor again.

  The emperor was very serious, and after drinking a little tea soup, he opened the volume and smiled, saying: "This subject, the scholars have no illness or disaster, they come and go in peace, and the cheating cases are also fewer. The Ministry of Rites is still doing its best!"

  As he spoke, he unrolled the scroll and began to read it carefully, one item at a time. After reading through ten items, he was already slightly tired; after all, he was already forty-five years old.

  Among ancient emperors, this age is already quite good.

  "Your Majesty, the dragon's body is important, it's better to rest first." Said Chancellor He Liangping. He bowed his head and said that in fact, the inner court officials who were close to the emperor, if they often came and went on their knees, could they still do things? Therefore, except for the grand ceremony of the imperial court, usually only a slight bow was needed.

  The emperor looked at him and sighed: "I know this, however. Every tribute student here is a future official of the imperial court. I still can't help but be cautious."

  Although it is said so, the emperor still doesn't look at it carefully, just a rough glance.

  Although he said so, after finishing the 60 volumes, the Emperor still felt very tired. He hastily put down the scrolls and closed his eyes to rest, but his mind couldn't calm down. The Crown Prince was only two and a half years old, and he himself had to hold on for at least another 15 years; otherwise, there would be changes in the court, with minor disturbances unavoidable and major disasters likely.

  With this realization, the emperor has even reduced his indulgence in women and shortened his working hours to nurture his body. Lin Lei is paving the way for the crown prince.

  After a momentary pause, the emperor said again: "Bring me Li Rui's paper."

  "Yes, Your Majesty!" The Minister of Rites hastily bowed and handed over the scroll for the Emperor to read. The characters were written in a round and proper manner, full of spirit and with clear logic, the arguments were well-organized and coherent, but it was precisely this that made the Emperor slightly worried.

  "This young man is truly talented, the best of this batch!" The emperor couldn't help but think of the secret report. This child's literary and military talents are so flourishing, if used well, he would be a pillar of the country, if not, he would also damage the imperial dynasty's prestige. Most importantly, this young man is only eighteen years old, it wouldn't be surprising if he lived to be eighty years old with such comprehensive talent.

  Moreover, he was also very close to the Marquis of Lu, and naturally, the Marquis of Lu was not considered a top-notch aristocratic family. If this had happened ten years ago, the Emperor would not have been worried at all. However, with the Crown Prince still young and himself already aging, this became somewhat worrisome - although the Emperor did not worry to the extent of rebellion. The imperial court had only just been established for over a hundred years; no matter what, there would be more than two hundred years in total.

  After some thought, he sighed and said: "The first place in the imperial examination will be awarded to Cao Fei Bo. The second place will be awarded to Li Rui, the third place will be awarded to Pei Xu Zhou, the second-class Jinshi will be awarded to Zhou Li Hua, and other rankings will be determined according to your family's discussion. Also, the official positions that are granted on the spot will also be arranged now!

  "We obey your orders!" This is the formal draft, immediately there are middle school students who come forward to draft, first writing these four names, then following the order of the inner cabinet just now, one by one logging in, presenting it to the emperor. The emperor took a glance and ordered the seal to be affixed.

  With the imperial seal affixed, the Ministry of Personnel immediately brought out the official positions that had already been prepared. Another imperial edict was issued, intending to fill these positions with these people in accordance with established procedures. This was the second imperial edict.

  "Slow, what position did Li Rui give you?"

  "Your Majesty, according to precedent, he should be admitted into the Hanlin Academy as a Compiler of the Seventh Rank!"

  The Hanlin is actually the central cabinet reserve class, especially when entering as a compiler, it's even faster to promote. The emperor thought for a moment and said: "Which county magistrate has a vacancy now?"

  The cabinet ministers did not look at each other, and the Minister of Official Personnel stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, last month in Anchang Province, the county magistrate of Guming County died in office. Your Majesty is also aware of this, but there...

  Anchang Province is in the southwest, that's a barbarous place with many unruly people. Being the county magistrate there isn't a good job assignment, let alone assigning it to a top scholar like him, it would be too humiliating for him.

  "It is thus decided, let him be the county magistrate of Goming County. Since it's a thousand miles away, I can make an exception and allow his family to stay in their hometown. I will now retire for the day, what time is it?" The Emperor made a decisive statement.

  "Your Majesty, it is now nigh on two o'clock (around 2 pm)!"

  "Then at the hour of Shen (3 pm), summon the new jinshi to the palace to receive their appointments. In the afternoon, there will be a tour of the city walls and an inspection of the officials. Tonight, there is also the Osmanthus fragrans banquet. Can't wait any longer." The emperor said with some fatigue: "I'll take a short rest, when the time comes, just wake me up and I'll go to the palace to preside over the ceremony."

  These words were not only spoken to the cabinet, but also to the eunuchs who attended the emperor. Eunuch Sun Hong couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. He had served the emperor since he was a child and had been by his side since he was the King of Jin. It had already been over thirty years, and he had seen the elegant and refined emperor become weak and frail. Truly, the world is unpredictable.

  "Yes, Your Majesty!" In the hall there was a bed, he went up and fell asleep, covered with a thin quilt. Before long, the emperor fell fast asleep.

  Time passed very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already late at night. Suddenly, on the palace grounds, there were the sounds of huangzhong, dalue, taigou, xiao, sheng, yu, di, qin, and zheng - this was the orthodox music.

  The emperor slept for a short while and seemed to have regained some energy, he smiled as he ascended to his throne.

  "Long live our Emperor, long live, long long live!" The new jinshi all knocked their heads down at the same time.

  The emperor nodded with a smile to the new jinshi, then gestured to the prime minister. The prime minister took a step forward, bowed to the emperor, and respectfully received the golden scroll of imperial edict, loudly saying: "Zhou Lihua!"

  "I'm here!" Zhou Lihua was startled, but immediately understood that he had taken the second place in the first rank. He hastily responded and came out, although it was autumn, sweat immediately appeared on his forehead. Fortunately, he came from an official family and knew etiquette, so he went forward to kneel and pay respects, calming himself down, which made the prime minister feel not bad about him.

  The prime minister said: "By imperial order, you proclaim and read out the name!"

  "Yes!" Zhou Lihua respectfully welcomed the imperial edict, then bowed to the emperor and stood up, standing upright facing the new jinshi who were kneeling on the ground, opened the imperial edict and read it clearly: "In the 16th year of Mingwen, August, the first place in the palace examination, the first-place scholar Cao Feibo, is granted the title of Jinshi!"

  Thirty-three-year-old Cao Feibo suddenly felt dizzy and rushed out of class to kneel in the designated first position.

  "In the 16th year of Mingwen, Li Rui, who was ranked second in the imperial examination and received the title of Jinshi, was awarded the title of Jinshi!"

  Fang Xinye also hastily got out of class and knelt down in the first position, only slightly separated from Cao Feibai.

  "In the 16th year of Mingwen, Pei Xuao, who was ranked third in the imperial examination and awarded the title of Jinshi, was only 18 years old and exceptionally handsome. He immediately knelt down."

  Below are the second and third place winners of the imperial examination, and this is how they paid their respects.

  "The ceremony is complete, thank you for your longevity!" Zhou Lihua finished singing and returned the imperial edict. He then knelt in his own position, following the lead of the ceremonial official, as all sixty newly appointed scholars paid homage to the emperor together.

  As for the three people of the first rank, they still need to be specially led by the Zanli officer to kneel down and thank the emperor.

  But that's not the point, the key is this "on-the-spot appointment". The prime minister looked at the kneeling scholar on the ground and slowly opened the imperial edict, saying: "By the order of the Emperor, the newly promoted scholar Cao Feibo, who ranked first in the palace examination, is appointed as a compiler of the Hanlin Academy with a sixth-grade rank!"

  "Your humble servant Cao Fei Bo, thanks you for a thousand years!" Cao Fei Bo knelt down and shouted.

  "The first runner-up of the imperial examination, Li Rui, is appointed as the seventh-rank magistrate of Guming County in Anchang Province!"

  Although in the palace, the scholars were still in an uproar, this was something that could never have been anticipated.

  Fang Xin's face remained calm: "Your subject Li Rui, thanks Your Majesty!"

  "The third place winner of the imperial examination, Pei Xuao, entered the Hanlin Academy and was appointed as a compiler of the seventh rank!"

  "Your subject Pei Xu You, thanks Your Majesty for a long life!"

  The imperial edict was read for half a watch, and then the ceremony was considered complete. The Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet personally escorted it to the palace gate, where the First Metropolitan Governor welcomed it and personally accompanied the three triumphant scholars. At this time, outside the palace gate on Dongchang Street, the court had set up a colorful pavilion, where both officials and civilians could come forward to drink wine and watch the new jinshi's demeanor. Of course, after the boasting was finished, they would return to the inner city, change into their official robes, and then wait for the evening's Osmanthus Flower Banquet!

  Fang Xin was also a top scholar after the champion, but he was secretly sighing in his heart. The emperor's move was very ruthless, and it could be seen from the unusual eyes of his fellow scholars that year.