Chapter 135 Yu Yanran's Assist
Zhao Xing did not pay much attention to the announcement of the results of the imperial examination. After the announcement, he asked Yin Hanzhang to investigate all the successful students.
After he becomes the prefect of Kaifeng, he will definitely take some actions. Instead of using some old-timers in officialdom, it is better to use some newbies.
No matter what kind of people they are, since they have just entered the officialdom and are employed by the prince, they must have tried their best to show themselves.
He will also spare no effort to complete the tasks arranged by Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing asked someone to investigate in order to get to the bottom of the matter and have a general understanding.
After the joint examination, some people would be happy for a while and then concentrate on studying to prepare for the subsequent palace examination.
Just as the so-called grind the gun, the unhappiness is gone.
There were also many people who felt that passing the provincial examination was already a great success, and did not expect to make a big splash in the palace examination.
I indulge in sensual pleasures every day and have a great time.
Zhao Xing directly labeled such people as unusable.
Being self-aware and enjoying yourself are two different things.
He started enjoying himself right after passing the imperial examination. What use can such a person be?
As the palace examination drew closer, news spread that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would serve as the prefect of Kaifeng after the imperial examination.
It is normal for the crown prince to serve as the prefect of Kaifeng, but this news sends a signal that the prince will start to get involved in government affairs.
Although Zhao Xing had already officially dealt with the issue before this.
However, his comments ultimately had to be approved by the government and he had no decision-making power.
It was different when he was the prefect of Kaifeng, as it meant that he had the power to make direct decisions on all matters, big and small, in the entire Kaifeng prefecture.
If you think about it carefully, although the officials of various departments in Bianliang were not under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture, they themselves were under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture.
If an official or noble family committed a crime that was not related to their official duties, the Kaifeng Prefecture would handle it.
For example, if two young masters got into a fight, Kaifeng Prefecture had the right to arrest them directly.
When the news that Zhao Xing was about to take up the post of prefect of Kaifeng spread, nobles and officials in Bian Jing all urged their young men to behave themselves.
As the saying goes, a new official starts with three things to do when he takes office. They understand this principle.
The best and fastest way to establish authority is to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.
No one wants their children to be the first to stand out.
In addition to the nobles and officials in Bian Jing, officials from the counties under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture were also shocked when they heard the news.
Zhao Xing has been known for his kindness over the years, but these are just rumors.
With their identities, they are not qualified to contact Zhao Xing, so how could they know Zhao Xing's true temper.
Therefore, I was very dedicated during this period of time, and was even more ruthless and impartial except for some things.
For a time, the administration in the counties of Kaifeng Prefecture was clean and honest, and the dandy young men in the city of Bianjing disappeared.
When Zhao Xing heard the news, he just smiled and didn't care.
This news cannot be concealed at all, even if it is spread when he takes over.
When a leader is suddenly parachuted in, and he’s a prince at that, the people below will behave themselves until they get to know his personality and temper.
This is human nature and is universal at all times.
…………
Time flies, and it is early May and the weather is already a little hot.
With Yu Yanran's help, Zhao Xing changed into the thin shirt she made for him and opened his hands to let her help him arrange his clothes.
"The clothes are well made." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
"As long as Your Highness likes it." Yu Yanran smiled, turned around, took a pair of shoes from the maid behind her, squatted down and put them on for Zhao Xing.
"what…"
Zhao Xing put on the shoes, stamped his feet, and praised: "These shoes are very comfortable to wear. Yanran is really clever and skillful."
New shoes will always feel a little uncomfortable when you first put them on, but the shoes Yu Yanran gave him were clearly new, and they were just like the shoes he had worn for a while, so there was no discomfort.
On the contrary, it feels more comfortable than those shoes that have been worn for a while. "These shoes are not made by me, but by my sixth sister, who made them for Your Highness." Yu Yanran smiled and said, "My sixth sister is very good at making shoes. She will make shoes according to a person's walking habits, and the shoes she makes are comfortable to wear."
Minglan was somewhat reluctant about marrying into the Eastern Palace, but she did not show it.
Given her personality, she would be unwilling to make shoes for Zhao Xing.
Yu Yanran asked Minglan to make this pair of shoes for her, saying that she made them for Zhao Xing.
Although there was no saying in ancient times that in order to keep a person's heart, one must keep his stomach, this concept still existed.
In fact, keeping someone's heart is not limited to cooking skills. To put it simply, it means making people unable to leave you.
Yu Yanran felt that Minglan had a talent for making shoes.
Minglan was brought into the palace as a dowry, and her status was rather awkward. She might not be favored by Zhao Xing in the future.
If Zhao Xing gets used to the shoes she makes, he will naturally become dependent on her.
As a good friend, Yu Yanran still wants to help Minglan.
Therefore, he asked Minglan to make a pair of shoes for Zhao Xing and promised not to tell Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing didn't expect Minglan to have such talent, nor did he know Yu Yanran's thoughts. He smiled and said, "Then I will give all my shoes to her from now on."
After changing his clothes, Zhao Xingbian left the Eastern Palace and headed for the Imperial Palace.
Arriving at Longtu Pavilion, Zhao Xing bowed and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father!"
"Fu'er is here." The official smiled and said, "This is the final ranking of the palace examination. See if there is anything that needs to be changed."
"Yes!"
Zhao Xing stepped forward, took it and started to read it. The top scorer was named Pan Lun, the second place was named Yao Xingtian, and the third place was named Zhang Zongxue.
Sheng Changbai ranked fifth in the first class, and Qi Heng was twentieth in the second class. In fact, both of them improved their rankings in the palace examination.
Zhao Xing had some impression of the top two candidates in the imperial examination. One ranked first and the other ranked third in the imperial examination. He had read their essays and they were both very good.
He had no impression of the third place.
"This was decided by my father and the ministers based on the results of the palace examination. I have no objection," said Zhao Xing.
According to my father, this is just a preliminary decision, and he can change it if he wants.
In other words, he could choose Sheng Changbai or Qi Heng as the top scholar.
However, Zhao Xing felt that it was unnecessary. Throughout the imperial examinations of various dynasties, there were cases where the top scorer was not as successful as the first and second place Jinshi of the same period.
For ordinary people, the so-called rankings do affect their future prospects.
But for people with backgrounds, passing the imperial examination is just a starting point, and what comes next is connections and background.
Unless you are truly talented and attract the attention of an official or a husband, you can rise to prominence.
But it would be great if there could be one such person who could pass the imperial examinations.
Take the current emperor for example. He has been in office for more than 30 years, and the imperial examination is held every three years, not counting the special examinations.
In other words, the imperial examinations had been held more than a dozen times during the emperor's reign.
Each imperial examination admitted two to three hundred people, so there were thousands of people in total.
However, more than half of the six ministers and several ministers in the court now were Jinshi who passed the imperial examinations during the reign of the previous emperor.
Another part of them passed the exam when the emperor was not in power.
It is extremely rare to find someone who passes the exam after the emperor takes power.
Therefore, the significance of being the top scholar is not as great as imagined. Sheng Changbai and Qi Heng are his people. Based on their rankings, he will use them in the future and no one will use this as an excuse.
"In that case, let's announce it tomorrow. There will be a banquet after the horse parade the day after tomorrow. You will be the host then." said the official.
After the names were called out at Donghua Gate, the Ministry of Rites would organize a horse parade for the new scholars, and the next day the government would give a banquet to the new scholars.
However, most officials would just show up, give a few words of encouragement, and then leave.
(End of this chapter)