Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 301: Chapter 292: Exploring the Young Scholar

As the Tenglong Guard underwent rapid changes, the palace examination in the Capital City also commenced.

Before the third watch, over three hundred scholars entered the Imperial City from Chengtian Gate, standing in front of the Noon Gate.

The sound of drums began, and according to their ranks, the scholars entered the Noon Gate through the side gate and proceeded into the Taiji Palace.

Around dawn, Emperor Chengping ascended to the early court, while the scholars waited outside the Taiji Palace.

Due to the palace examination today, the morning court concluded swiftly. The civil and military officials exited the Taiji Palace, and then officials from Honglu Temple led the scholars into the palace.

First, they performed five bows and three prostrations, then the palace examination began.

Emperor Chengping sat on his dragon throne, observing each scholar with a calm expression.

Yet, none of the scholars below dared to lift their heads to admire the Emperor’s countenance; earnestly they started answering questions at their respective spots.

Daylight grew brighter, yet inside the hall, it remained very quiet.

Emperor Chengping sat in the hall for a while, then left to rest.

His advanced age and declining energy left him disinterested in accompanying the scholars during their examination.

The rules of the palace examination were relatively lax; the Emperor provided tea and snacks, and scholars could drink tea or use the restroom at any time, as long as they did not peek at others’ papers or speak loudly, no one would interfere with what you were doing.

Of course, no one dared to misbehave here.

The examination lasted a day, and papers were handed in at dusk, with no specific time set. However, as the exam did not provide candles, once it darkened and one couldn’t see clearly, they had to submit their papers even if unfinished.

In fact, they didn’t have to wait until nightfall; as dusk approached, the light inside the hall dimmed significantly, prompting the scholars to submit their papers one after another.

Seeing others handing in their papers, Lu Wenquan no longer waited and stood up to submit his.

In fact, he had finished much earlier but did not wish to stand out, so he waited a while longer.

As they exited the Taiji Palace, despair was evident among the scholars, many of whom looked utterly dejected.

The palace examination was the most nerve-wracking, and many performed poorly under the pressure.

Clearly, many scholars felt they had not done well.

Lu Wenquan, however, felt he had done very well. Upon leaving the Taiji Palace, he even had the leisure to comfort familiar scholars.

Three days later, the results were announced, with all scholars gathered early outside the Fengtian Hall.

Amidst bouts of ritual music, the transmission officials, holding the gold list, came to the imperial pathway to proclaim the imperial decree.

“By the mandate of heaven, the Emperor decrees… In the thirtieth year of Chengping, after testing talents across the land… First class, awarded the title of Advanced Scholar; second class, awarded the birth of a scholar; third class, same as the second class…”

“First class, first place, from Liu Mansion, Liu Shiyan.”

“First class, first place, from Liu Mansion, Liu Shiyan.”

“First class, first place, from Liu Mansion, Liu Shiyan.”

From the front of the hall to below the steps, the palace guards sang out in unison, extending the proclamation beyond the Fengtian Gate.

Lu Wenquan stood among the scholars, feeling somewhat disappointed upon hearing that the top rank was not his.

“First class, second place, Guangxin Prefecture, Wang Chonggu!”

“First class, third place, Jing’an Prefecture, Lu Wenquan!”

Hearing his own name as the third place, Lu Wenquan exhaled deeply, his expression suddenly becoming much more relaxed.

Although he fell one place from the metropolitan examination, advancing into the first class was still an excellent achievement.

As for why he was chosen as the third, Lu Wenquan could roughly guess.

Lu Wenquan glanced sideways at the first and second place winners.

Liu Shiyan and Wang Chonggu had also been the top three in the metropolitan test, and now they remained the top three, with Liu Shiyan winning both the willow and the top scholar titles, while he and Wang Chonggu had just swapped places.

The reason?

Probably because he was more handsome than Wang Chonggu.

Don’t think this reason unconvincing, as the Da Rong Court has always maintained such a tradition where the third-best scholar title goes to the most youthful and handsome.

So, his position was moved down because he was younger and more handsome than Wang Chonggu.

After announcing the three rankings, the scholars performed four bows, the top scholar had the privilege of passing the imperial proclamation, and he alone stood foremost.

Subsequently, they paraded on horseback through the streets, the top three of the first class adorned with flowers and red garments, the top scholar with a golden hairpin, and the rest in colored flowers.

The day after the proclamation, the Emperor bestowed a “Grace and Honor Banquet” at the Ministry of Rites. This banquet was an imperial grace; the Emperor appointed one senior minister as chairman (representing the Emperor), the top scholar receiving one seat, second and third place one seat each, other Advanced Scholars shared four seats, and all reading officials attended as well. Each scholar was given thirty taels of silver from the Archway.

On the twenty-eighth day, in front of the Noon Gate, the top scholar was bestowed with Sixth-Rank court crown, court clothes, supplemental clothes, belts, boots, etc., each scholar received five taels of silver, and one piece of fabric for both internal and external wear.

On the twenty-ninth day, the top scholar led the Advanced Scholars to present a table expressing gratitude.

May 1st, the newly graduated scholars were appointed to their official positions. Liu Shiyan, the top scholar, was appointed as a Secondary Sixth-Rank compiler at the Hanlin Academy. The second and third top scholars, Wang Chonggu and Lu Wenquan, were appointed as Standard Seventh-Rank editors at the Hanlin Academy. Most of the other scholars were assigned to Sixth-Rank positions in the Six Ministries, while some were appointed as Standard Seventh-Rank County Magistrates.

In the following days, it was time for the new scholars to take office. The court allowed these scholars to assume their duties within two months. Of course, assuming office earlier was also permissible, as the court could manage without their two months’ salary.

Generally, scholars appointed in the Capital City would choose to take office as soon as possible. Those appointed to positions in other regions did not need to hurry, as they could return home to pay homage to their ancestors before taking up their positions.

Lu Wenquan, following the majority, spent a few days sending off several friends from the same examination cohort and then prepared to assume his office at the Hanlin Academy.

Meanwhile, it was time for Yang Mingcheng to head back as well.

In the Yang family’s small courtyard, a group of servants was preparing the carriage and luggage.

Yang Mingcheng and Lu Wenquan were chatting in the courtyard.

“Wenyuan, just staying in this courtyard is fine for now. When I get back, I’ll have my dad send you a bigger courtyard as a congratulatory gift!” Yang Mingcheng said generously.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he didn’t bring a lot of silver notes this time, he would have really liked to buy Lu Wenquan a courtyard.

Actually, this courtyard wasn’t quite suitable for Lu Wenquan because it was located in the East City. There’s a saying in the Capital, ’East for the wealthy, West for the noble, South for the poor, North for the lowly,’ meaning the East City is mostly wealthy merchants, while West City is mostly nobles.

Although Lu Wenquan wasn’t exactly a noble, the Hanlin Academy was on the west side of the Imperial City, and living in the East City would mean a longer commute to work.

Moreover, not all residences in West City are for nobles; there are many small courtyards too, just more expensive.

“Big brother, there’s no need. I’m quite comfortable living here!” Lu Wenquan didn’t mind this; a longer walk was not an issue for him yet.

“Ha ha, it’s just a courtyard. Once you have it, you have a home in the Capital. Then you can invite your maternal grandfather and uncles to enjoy it!” Yang Mingcheng spoke sincerely.

With the Yang family’s resources, buying several small courtyards in the Capital was easy, but for the Lu family, buying one would likely require draining all their resources.

Lu Wenquan smiled, said nothing more, knowing his family’s situation and acknowledging the wealth of the Yang family.

If it was a courtyard gifted by someone else, he definitely couldn’t accept it. However, he couldn’t refuse one from the Yang family.

There’s a saying, ’Gifts from elders cannot be refused.’ Yang Zhenshan was his uncle by marriage; could he refuse a courtyard from him?

“When you go back, don’t forget to deliver my letter to Grandpa!” Lu Wenquan said.

“Rest assured, I’ll personally make sure the letter reaches him!” Yang Mingcheng slapped his chest in assurance.

Eventually, the carriage was ready, and Yang Mingcheng, with several guards, headed out of the city.

At the same time, Wu Zheng also left the courtyard with others. They would continue to stay in the Capital to gather information. They wouldn’t have shown up if it wasn’t for Yang Mingcheng’s personal visit.

After everyone had left, only Lu Wenquan and his Attendant Student remained in the small courtyard.

“Young Master, should we buy a few servants?” Attendant Student Zhang Lin said excitedly.

The Lu family was humble, having no servants in the past, acquiring only a few servant maids in recent years thanks to Yang family’s influence.

Among them, only Lu Wenquan had an Attendant Student.

Zhang Lin was originally the child of a tenant from Lu Songhe’s lands. Lu Songhe, seeing his intelligence, bought him to serve as Lu Wenquan’s Attendant Student.

For tenants, being an Attendant Student was a blessing; not only were they well fed and clothed, but they also got to study alongside the young master, which could elevate their status if he succeeded. And even if the young master didn’t succeed beyond taking over the family business, the Attendant Student, as a trusted confidant, would be well cared for.

Moreover, Zhang Lin wasn’t a servant, merely a long-term laborer.

Now that Lu Wenquan was an editor at the Hanlin Academy, a true official, Zhang Lin was genuinely happy.

The prosperity of the master’s family naturally extended to the Attendant Student.

“Let’s not, we don’t have much silver left!” Lu Wenquan said a bit distressedly.

He had brought quite a lot of silver with him, but his expenses during this period had been substantial.

Taking the examinations had always been an expensive endeavor, and after passing, there were always celebrations with fellow examinees, colleagues, and classmates, where hosting meals was inevitable.

If it hadn’t been for Yang Mingcheng taking care of his accommodations and meals, his silver would have run out long ago.

Now that Yang Mingcheng had left, he was responsible for his own living expenses, so he had to be frugal with his remaining silver.

As for why Yang Mingcheng didn’t leave him some silver.

Yang Mingcheng, just stepping out of the city gate, suddenly slapped his forehead, “Oh no, I forgot to leave some silver for Wenyuan! I wonder if he has any silver on him!”

Indeed, Yang Mingcheng had forgotten. He quickly took out two silver notes and instructed Wu Da beside him, “Wu Da, go back and give these to Wenyuan, and then catch up with us!”

“Okay!” Wu Da happily accepted the task, took the silver notes, and ran back to the city.

Yang Mingcheng thought again, feeling nothing was missed, and continued on his journey.

This time in the Capital, he had seen his younger sister several times, visited Liu Mansion, and even met Zhou Lan. The only thing he didn’t manage to do was to congratulate Zhou Lan.

However, that wasn’t his fault. The Huaijiang Marquis had passed away, Zhou Lan’s marriage was called off, so there was no need for congratulations. It was enough that he had seen Zhou Lan.

Besides these, he also visited the imperial guard and saw Yang Mingwu and Yang Chengze, who were now serving as Assistant Attack Generals at the Fenwu Camp, a position fairly comparable to a garrison commander, commanding three thousand soldiers.

Considered close confidants of Zhou Lan, they were found significantly reputable positions.

Yang Mingcheng, with a few guards, leisurely continued north along the official road, unaware that a group was following them not far behind.