Chapter 185 The Palace Examination End

Author: Emei Swordsman

Soon, all the officials left the court, and the palace examination questions were distributed immediately. After the tribute scholars knelt down and received the test paper, they stood up and sat in front of the table corresponding to the exam rankings, and officially started answering the questions.

Compared with the provincial and imperial examinations of "recording talents in an unconventional manner", the etiquette of the palace examination is more symbolic. Because the nominal examiner is the emperor, there is no need to avoid suspicion, so no number boards are set up between the candidates, no name seals are blocked after the exam, and no candidate's answer sheets are copied. All procedures are carried out openly.

There is only one content for the palace examination, that is, the examination time is from morning to evening, and a total of one day. During this period, the food is provided by Guanglu Temple. The candidates do not need to bring their own dry food. Generally speaking, it is much easier and more convenient than the imperial examination and the provincial examination.

After the exam began, the entire Fengtian Hall was silent from the inside to the outside, and the guards and officials stood silent. The sun was getting higher and the air seemed to be stagnant in this tense environment, so quiet that there was no trace of wind.

Emperor Jingfeng sat upright in the hall for a while, and couldn't stand the loneliness, so he stood up and patrolled among the tributes who were taking the exam.

Most candidates entered the palace for the first time, and were deeply shocked by the grand scene at the beginning of the morning. At this moment, when they thought that they were under the emperor's gaze, many people were so nervous that they were in a mess in their minds, and they didn't know how to start writing.

"...Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

A candidate had poor psychological quality. Just as he was thinking hard, he looked up inadvertently and hit Emperor Jing Feng's eyes. He was so scared that he was trembling with all his heart. His hands trembled, and a large ball of ink stains were instantly left on the paper.

"Tsk." Emperor Jing Feng frowned slightly when he saw this, glanced at him, and said nothing, turned around and went to patrol somewhere else.

The candidate complained secretly and almost cried on the spot. Although Emperor Jingfeng didn't say anything, just that glance and that light tsk were enough to kill the heart.

The palace examination not only tests talent and knowledge, but also tests the candidates' own demeanor and character. Now he has defiled the paper and left the emperor with an absolutely unfair impression. Although his grades will not be invalid and eliminated, he will not have any good rankings. It is estimated that there is no hope of staying in Beijing to serve.

Other people's palace examinations have just begun, but his palace examinations have almost ended. Looking at his ink-stained paper, the candidate's throat was bitter and he could no longer write a word.

Seeing this, the other candidates were immediately lit up, and while answering the questions carefully and meticulously, they sat more and more upright. Although they were extremely nervous, they did not dare to look up to look for the emperor's figure. They could only prick up their ears and carefully distinguish the footsteps around them, for fear that if the emperor was not careful, they would appear in front of them.

Facing the candidates with different performances, Emperor Jingfeng's expression never fluctuated too much. His eyes calmly swept over the candidates on both sides one by one, and slowly paced from behind until he walked to the front of the team, and his pace slowly stopped.

Feeling the gaze of Emperor Jing Feng falling on him, Gu Yunji's face remained unchanged, and he continued to answer his questions calmly. Only the fine sweat beads oozing out of the tip of his nose revealed his unsatisfied mood.

He was also watched by himself to answer the questions. When he was in the Ministry of Rites last time, Gu Yunji was so nervous that he couldn't write a word. Now, less than a month later, he has been able to remain calm and has made great progress.

After staring at Gu Yunji silently for a while, Emperor Jingfeng's eyes darkened, and then he raised his eyes slightly and his eyes fell on Cheng Yan, who was sitting behind Gu Yunji.

He is handsome and has an extraordinary temperament. He is still the third place in the imperial examination and is quite young. In addition to Gu Yunji, there is such a talent hidden in this imperial examination?

After carefully examining Cheng Yan, Emperor Jing Feng nodded secretly, feeling both surprised and admiring. However, he had no impression of this candidate in his mind, so he took a few steps to see his name.

Emperor Cheng Yan and Emperor Jing Feng squinted their eyes and inexplicably felt that the name was a bit familiar.

Oh, yes, the student of Luxi Academy had also submitted an edict with Gu Yunji. Emperor Jingfeng thought for a while, and finally remembered who Cheng Yan was, so he stood beside him and watched him answer the questions with interest.

Fangzheng and elegant, restrained, and elegant, they are really good characters. Looking at the handwriting on Cheng Yan's paper, Emperor Jing Feng's eyes showed satisfaction, and he admired him even more.

The so-called words are like the person, and one person's handwriting can see his mood. It is not unreasonable. There are only a handful of people who can calmly and self-control throughout the whole process under the surveillance of the guards and inspectors.

It is even more commendable that Cheng Yan is able to keep his pen and his hands firmly under the emperor's burning gaze, and his smooth thinking is not affected at all. It is even more valuable to have such a calm mind at a young age, and there is great potential in the future.

Realizing that Emperor Jingfeng was still staying in front of the table, and even seemed to be still looking at the contents of his answer sheet, Cheng Yan took a deep breath, stood up generously and decisively, and held the paper in front of Emperor Jingfeng: "Please read the emperor."

It seemed that he had never expected Cheng Yan to be so bold, Emperor Jing Feng raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, and without saying a word, he reached out to take his test paper.

After reading the paper roughly, Emperor Jing Feng raised his eyes quietly to see Cheng Yan's reaction. Seeing that the other party's expression was as quiet as usual, he calmly closed his eyes and put the paper back on the table. He gave an evaluation of the words "Yes, it's not bad."

Cheng Yan is neither humble nor arrogant: "Thank you Your Majesty."

Cheng Yan's move attracted the attention of many candidates, especially when they heard Emperor Jingfeng give a "good" evaluation, they were immediately envious. Seeing this, several candidates who were close to Emperor Jingfeng were even more eager to think about whether to imitate Cheng Yan and present the papers.

Just as everyone was hesitating, they saw Emperor Jingfeng leaving Cheng Yan and walking back to Fengtian Palace. So they had to give up their thoughts and gather their thoughts on the topic in front of them.

The sun gradually rose, and it was noon. The candidates took a short break and had a simple lunch prepared by Guanglu Temple, and continued the afternoon exam.

The palace examination was nominally the emperor's chief examination, but in fact the invigilator and the examination were all court officials, and the emperor did not need to do everything himself. Therefore, Emperor Jingfeng only attended symbolically in the morning and went back in the afternoon, and did not appear in Fengtian Palace again.

As soon as the emperor left, the candidates were more relaxed and could concentrate on answering questions.

Time passed quickly. In the evening, the bell that ended the exam rang in the afterglow of the sunset. The air that had been stagnant outside the Fengtian Palace for most of the day was stirred up again. After handing in the paper, the candidates came out of the palace gate in an orderly manner.
Chapter completed!