Though this spring's imperial examination had been marred by more than a few disturbances, thanks to Yun Shu's careful handling, those incidents were contained. Aside from troublemakers like Dou Jifei and his ilk, the rest of the examinees who had earnestly participated in the exam were unaffected.
Three days later came the much-anticipated day when the results would be posted.
From early morning, before the list had even been hung, the entrance to the examination courtyard was already packed with hopeful scholars craning their necks, waiting to see the results.
Although Yun Shu was the chief examiner in name and had handled much of the preparation for the spring examination, she had not been allowed to grade the papers herself. Even Emperor Xuanwu would not entrust such a critical task entirely to her.
As a result, though the list was about to be unveiled, Yun Shu had no idea whose names would appear on it.
"Feeling nervous?"
As she took a bite of a delicate pork wonton, Yun Shu lifted her gaze with a smile toward Tang Muzhi, who sat across from her.
"My cousin says Grandfather has been pacing about the estate these past few days like a restless spirit. Seems like he's even more anxious than you."
"Grandfather is mostly worried that I might perform poorly and shame Your Highness."
Tang Muzhi gave a helpless shake of his head.
"But how does Your Highness have the leisure to be out of the palace today? Was it not said that once the spring exams ended, you were to return to the Upper Academy to resume your lessons?"
"Is that not precisely because today is the day the list is released?"
Polishing off the last bite of her wontons, Yun Shu set down her chopsticks.
"That rascal Yun Chuhuan insisted he'd never seen the public unveiling and wanted to witness it once. And since I had another matter to attend to anyway, I simply mentioned it to Father Emperor."
She smiled.
"Once he saw the two of us wanted to leave the palace, he waved his hand and gave us both the day off."
"The Sixth Prince is out of the palace as well?"
Tang Muzhi blinked in surprise. "Then…"
"He went to the Ministry of Works!"
Yun Shu let out a soft laugh, already knowing what he meant to ask.
"That brat? He doesn't care one bit about the exam results. The only reason he left the palace was to visit Xiao Yuanzi at the Ministry. The two of them are busy concocting some kind of mud that 'could trip Father Emperor flat on his face once dry,' plotting the Father Emperor again!"
Tang Muzhi looked momentarily lost. "The Sixth Prince… is that bold?"
Before he could say more, a sudden cheer erupted from outside.
"The list is posted! The list is posted!"
Both of them turned instinctively toward the window. Sure enough, a massive scroll was unfurled on the outer wall of the examination courtyard, names densely inked from top to bottom.
Cries of elation rang out from the crowd as successful candidates shouted their joy. Yet for every cheer, there were many more faces twisted in disappointment, squeezing out of the mass with slumped shoulders and vacant eyes.
Even with her sharp vision, the distance made it hard for Yun Shu to read the characters on the list.
Fortunately, while the names were unclear, she could easily spot the Tang family servant in the crowd.
Propping her chin in her hand, she watched with interest as the young man, not particularly tall, tiptoed and shoved his way through the throng. When he finally reached the front, his face lit up with undisguised glee. Then, dashing back out like Sun Wukong bursting from the mountain, he sprinted toward the building.
Yun Shu's lips curved.
"Congratulations."
"He placed first!"
The Tang family servant, passing just beneath the window, beamed with a wide, foolish grin. He shouted to everyone he passed.
"My young master placed first in the provincial exams! Hahaha!"
"Top of the provincial list… and of the metropolitan one," Yun Shu murmured, raising an eyebrow.
"They say that when someone ranks first in both, as long as their performance in the palace examination is passable, the court often selects them as the top scorer of all three tiers for good fortune's sake."
She smiled knowingly.
"Does that mean Cousin has all but secured the title of Zhuang Yuan?"
"I shall do my utmost not to disappoint Your Highness."
After ten years of diligent study, Tang Muzhi could finally taste the fruits of his labor. Even someone as composed and graceful as he was could not completely hide the joy in his eyes.
Yun Shu tilted her head and glanced at Ting Xue. Understanding her intent, the latter walked to the window and raised her voice for all below to hear.
"By order of the Princess: To celebrate the success of the scholars who passed the imperial exams, Her Highness will host a banquet and poetry gathering three days from now in the Xianting pavilion behind Tian Waitian Restaurant."
She paused, then added, her voice rising.
"The first-place winner shall receive a handwritten calligraphy piece personally inscribed by His Majesty!"
"His Majesty's handwriting!"
Even before the thrill of passing the exams had faded, another thunderous surprise landed upon the crowd. The scholars erupted in excitement.
"If I can get that, I'll have a family heirloom to pass down!"
"Did you hear what that girl just said? Her Highness the Princess…"
"Could it be Princess Sheng An herself?"
"I heard that over a dozen exam cheats were exposed this time. Even the Crown Prince's own uncle was implicated! If not for His Majesty and the Princess, the matter might have been swept under the rug. We who barely made the cut would've been pushed out by those scoundrels!"
"Exactly. We owe it to His Majesty and Princess Sheng An. I'll definitely be at that poetry gathering in three days!"
"I'm going too! I've always heard Tian Waitian's food is divine, but I could never afford it. Now that Her Highness is hosting the banquet herself, I'd be a fool not to go!"
The successful scholars below chattered animatedly about the upcoming poetry gathering.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Tang Muzhi gave Yun Shu a look of surprise.
"This… this is the matter you said you had to handle today? His Majesty gave permission?"
"Of course he did. Where else do you think the calligraphy came from?"
Yun Shu answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Tian Waitian Restaurant and the Xianting Pavilion behind it are jointly owned by Father Emperor and me."
She explained with ease.
"Xianting wasn't open before because the renovations weren't complete. Just a few days ago, my cousin sent word into the palace that everything was finally ready.
But if we merely published an article in Capital Weekly saying the place was open and available for reservations, it wouldn't generate much excitement."
She leaned forward.
"Coincidentally, after the metropolitan exam results are released and before the palace examination begins, the court often hosts informal banquets to honor the successful candidates.
"So I discussed it with Father Emperor, and we decided this would be the perfect opportunity to unveil Xianting in grand fashion."
Tang Muzhi fell silent.
After a moment, he lowered his voice, sensing Yun Shu had missed the most critical part.
"Your Highness… do you know who was responsible for hosting such banquets in the past?"
"Who?"
Yun Shu hazarded a guess.
"The Ministry of Rites?"
"No. It was the Crown Prince."
Tang Muzhi's gaze turned serious.
"After passing the metropolitan examination, there are no more candidates who fail. Those who reach this point are guaranteed to become jinshi and eventually hold office.
In other words, among this group lie the future pillars of the imperial court.
These banquets are a prime opportunity to win their favor and loyalty. Since the Crown Prince was twelve years old, His Majesty entrusted him with this very duty."
Now, that duty belonged to her.
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I already mentioned about Zhuang Yuan and the imperial examinations in the early chapter. But if you forget about that, you can visit link that I put on the comment section of the chapter: Heads Up (=`ω´=)
Under folder The Six Ministries (六部, liùbù) —> Ministry of Rites (礼部, lǐbù)