Chapter 141 Taking Over as Kaifeng Prefecture Governor
"It's very well written." Zhao Xing nodded slightly.
In fact, this poem can only be considered average, but it is not that easy to compose a poem on the spot under an impromptu topic.
It's not bad to be able to write such a poem.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I am sorry to show you my humble qualities." Yao Xingtian bowed in thanks and sat down.
When he sat down, he glanced at Pan Lun with a hint of pride and provocation in his eyes.
This poem was actually written out of joy after he learned that he had won the second place in the imperial examination. It was not written on the spot.
He hasn't finished the poem yet, but he has been working on it these past two days.
Although his poem was not a finished product, he spent two days polishing it.
He didn't believe that anyone else could write a better poem than his in such a hurry.
Yao Xingtian was able to get second place in the imperial examination, which shows that he is quite shrewd. That provocative look was intended to provoke Pan Lun.
It is impossible to judge the quality of poetry in such an occasion, but those present are all new scholars and naturally have the ability to judge.
Today is the Qionglin Banquet. If his poems can surpass those of the number one scholar Pan Lun, their spread will surely spread after the banquet is over.
Although this cannot change the fact that he was the runner-up, it can improve his reputation.
Moreover, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Zhao Xing was present.
If he could outshine Pan Lun in front of the prince, perhaps he would be able to attract the prince's attention.
Pan Lun's seat was in front of Yao Xingtian, and Zhao Xing also saw the look in his eyes.
Zhao Xing was also paying attention to Pan Lun's expression out of the corner of his eyes.
Among these students, few left an impression on Zhao Xing, and Pan Lun was one of them.
During the imperial examination, he read Pan Lun's essay, which was written from the perspective of rich and poor, noble and humble.
Although there was no proposal for reform, it did allude to the huge gap between the rich and the poor in the Song Dynasty and the oppression of the people by the nobles.
Pan Lun did not notice that Zhao Xing was paying attention to him. Facing Yao Xingtian's provocative eyes, he nodded calmly. Then he lowered his head to look at the delicacies on the table in front of him and tasted them.
Yao Xingtian was stunned and felt like he had punched cotton, which was a bit uncomfortable.
"Mystification." Yao Xingtian snorted in his heart, picked up the wine on the table, and drank it.
He thought Pan Lun was afraid, so he didn't dare to accept the challenge.
Yao Xingtian even wanted to speak directly and force Pan Lun to write poetry with words.
However, he has not lost his mind and knows that doing so will inevitably give people an aggressive feeling.
Zhao Xing, however, held the opposite view from Yao Xingtian. He could see that Pan Lun was not pretending to be indifferent, but really did not care.
This made Zhao Xing look at Pan Lun with even higher regard. Pan Lun was the top scholar in the imperial examination. In the hundred years since the founding of the Song Dynasty, only dozens of people had this honor.
Even a person with a very calm temperament will be ecstatic for a few days after becoming the top scorer in high school.
However, Pan Lun was able to remain calm in the face of Yao Xingtian's provocation, which is very rare.
Zhao Xing didn't think that a top scholar would not be able to see the provocation in Yao Xingtian's eyes.
Although Yao Xingtian started the trend, not many people wrote poetry afterwards.
After Yao Xingtian sat down, no one stood up for a long time.
The reason for this situation is that although the poems written by Yao Xingtian were not very good, they were considered pretty good in a hurry.
If they stood up at this time, they would naturally be compared with Yao Xingtian by everyone.
That would be really embarrassing.
No one is willing to be a supporting role for others.
When Yao Xingtian stood up, Zhao Xing felt that he was a little frivolous.
You, the runner-up, are here first, which is like setting an example. What should others do?
Doing so will undoubtedly offend many people.
Seeing that no one was writing poetry, Zhao Xing did not urge them. He pointed out that writing poetry was just for fun and did not require everyone to write one.
After a long time, someone stood up and wrote a poem. Although it was mediocre, Zhao Xing did not hesitate to praise it.
……
The next morning, Zhao Xing changed into purple official uniform, tied a jade belt around his waist, and took a carriage to the Kaifeng government office.
Official uniforms in the Song Dynasty were relatively simple, and officials of different ranks wore uniforms of different colors: those above the third rank wore purple, and those above the fifth rank wore red.
As the saying goes, all the nobles in the court are scholars. That's it.
The prefect of Kaifeng was of the third rank, but when he served as the crown prince, he was of the first rank.
Even though Zhao Xing was the crown prince and the prefect of Kaifeng, he still needed to wear official uniform.
The official uniforms of the Song Dynasty were not as fancy as those of other dynasties. They were just one piece of clothing in the same color, with wide sleeves and no excessive decorative patterns.
There was no difference in Zhao Xing's official uniform.
At the gate of Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen, Chen Tingwen led a group of officials from Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen waiting at the gate.
The officials under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture included the judge, the prosecutor, the prefectural court, the six ministries, etc.
At this time, these people looked a little nervous. The prince became the prefect of Kaifeng and their immediate superior. It was not known whether it was a blessing or a curse.
There were only two people in the crowd who were very happy, one of them was Chen Tingwen, the former prefect of Kaifeng.
It is easy to be the prefect of Kaifeng, but it is also difficult to be the prefect.
Bianjing is the capital of the emperor. If anything big happens, the officials and the government will handle it, and it will not be his turn to worry about it.
But the downside is that there are too many lords and dignitaries, and some seemingly trivial matters are difficult to deal with.
Now that he has stepped down and been promoted, he is naturally happy.
The other one is Sheng Hong, the Shaoyin of Kaifeng Prefecture, a fourth-rank official.
Although it is not permanent, his rank has been raised after all.
"Your Highness is here!"
Chen Tingwen saw from afar a group of imperial guards escorting a carriage coming towards them. He gave a warning and reached out to adjust his official hat.
The others looked serious and straightened their clothes.
After the carriage stopped, Chen Tingwen and a group of officials stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is here to welcome you."
Zhao Xing got off the carriage with a smile on his face, raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite!"
After saying that, Zhao Xing looked at everyone and saw Sheng Hong beside Chen Tingwen.
"Your Highness, please come inside!"
Chen Tingwen invited Zhao Xing to the prefect's office, introduced him to the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture, and then left.
After Chen Tingwen left, Zhao Xing looked at the dozen people in the room and said with a smile, "I don't know much about Kaifeng Prefecture, so I'll have to rely on your help from now on."
"Your Highness, you are too polite. These are our duties." Kaifeng Prefecture's Tongpan Guo Zixuan said respectfully.
Zhao Xing nodded slightly and said, "From now on, everyone should do their own job. If you encounter any difficult problems, please report to me."
"Yes!" everyone responded.
"Okay, you all go and get busy, Sheng Shaoyin stays." Zhao Xing waved his hand.
"We, the ministers, shall take our leave!" Guo Zixuan and others bowed and left.
"Please sit down." Zhao Xing waved to Sheng Hong.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Sheng Hong bowed and sat down.
"From now on, you will have to assist me in handling all matters, big or small, in Kaifeng Prefecture. Please pay more attention to it. You are not familiar with the situation in Kaifeng Prefecture now, so you must familiarize yourself with it as soon as possible." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes, I understand!" Sheng Hong replied.
"Then I will go back first." Zhao Xing said.
Sheng Hong was stunned. On the first day of taking over, Zhao Xing didn't ask anything. He just said a few words casually and left.
But he didn't say much and personally sent Zhao Xing out of Kaifeng Prefecture.
…………
Guo Zixuan returned to his public housing and rubbed his eyebrows with a headache.
He thought that when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took office, he would say something, and he could judge His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's attitude.
However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent them away casually.
(End of this chapter)