When the procession bearing the good news arrived at the gates of the County Princess's estate, the two runners beating the bronze gongs moved their hands so fast they became a blur, as if playing a joyous celebratory tune.
The commoners who had followed along to watch the spectacle saw the procession stop at the estate's entrance, and they all pointed at the main gates, chattering animatedly.
"This is the residence of County Princess Linghui. The one who placed third in the imperial examination is her younger brother, Eldest Young Master Song."
"The Song family's ancestors must be blessing them from the grave! County Princess Linghui was just conferred her title last year, and barely half a year later, Young Master Song scores third overall. His future is boundless!"
"I heard Young Master Song is only fourteen this year. To become a Jinshi at fourteen, he is simply the reincarnation of the God of Literature."
"..."
The clamor at the gate continued unabated, filled entirely with praise and envy for the Song siblings.
As the rapid beating of the gongs came to an end, the runners from the Ministry of Rites shouted loudly toward the estate gates.
"Tidings of victory! Congratulations to Song Qiming of the County Princess's estate! Lord Song has achieved third place in the first class, earning the title of Tanhua!"
The voices carried into the manor. Neatly dressed, Song Jinzhao led Song Shixue and Song Anhao out the main doors to greet them.
The two sisters wore expressions of irrepressible joy. The young Song Anhao was still a bit bewildered; he didn't quite understand just what a massive cause for celebration placing third was.
The Ministry of Rites runner respectfully presented the congratulatory notice to Song Jinzhao with both hands.
"Congratulations, County Princess. For Eldest Young Master Song to earn the title of Tanhua at such a young age makes him truly the first in our Dongzhao Nation. The County Princess has indeed taught him well."
Looking at the gold-traced notice in her hands, the corners of Song Jinzhao's mouth turned up, and even her brows were filled with smiles.
"Thank you all for your hard work. Fushun, give them their reward money."
Behind her, Fushun immediately took out four coin purses and pressed them into the hands of the four runners. Qingshuang also handed each of them a bamboo cup of milk tea.
"After walking for so long, you runners must be thirsty. Take this homemade tea to drink on your way."
The heavy coin purses made the four beam with joy. Smiling broadly, they bowed to Song Jinzhao. "Thank you for the generous reward, County Princess. We wish Lord Tanhua a bright future and a prosperous official career."
After the ceremony at the Honglu Hall concluded, the four hundred new Jinshi scholars did not return to their lodgings. Instead, they all gathered at the Ministry of Rites to await the start of the Qionglin Banquet.
A quarter of an hour before noon, accompanied by the loud calls of the Ministry of Rites officials, everyone was guided to their respective seats by the runners according to their rankings in the palace examination.
Dongfang Yukun, Cui Zhengyang, and Song Qiming were led to the same table, their seats arranged close together.
Meanwhile, the second-class and third-class Jinshi were seated at other tables. After sitting down, everyone communicated through glances; no one dared to whisper to each other.
The food and wine on the tables had long been set out. The enticing aromas drifted into their noses, and many scholars who hadn't eaten breakfast found their stomachs rumbling. Yet, unable to touch their chopsticks, they could only swallow their saliva and wait.
After waiting for about half an hour, high-ranking court officials dressed in crimson and purple official robes appeared at the entrance of the Ministry of Rites office.
In the courtyard, the four hundred scholars stood up in unison to respectfully await them.
Secretariat Director Dongfang Yuanbin, Chancellor Gu Qishan, Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy Fei Yanzhang, and two other important court ministers strode forward.
The eldest, Dongfang Yuanbin, walked straight to the incense altar without looking sideways. He turned around, and his deep, resonant voice reached everyone's ears.
"His Majesty's Imperial Edict."
Instantly, all the officials, scholars, and runners present knelt to receive the decree.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: We hold the imperial examinations to select scholars, hoping to obtain the virtuous and capable. You students have honorably inscribed your names on the golden roll. We hope that from now on, you will be diligent in the affairs of the state and serve the court. We specially bestow this banquet at Qionglin, and hope you all enjoy yourselves to the fullest."
"We thank His Majesty for his heavenly grace. Long live the Emperor, long live, long long live," the scholars shouted as they kowtowed.
Having spoken, Dongfang Yuanbin gave a slight nod to the Ministry of Rites officials.
Upon receiving the signal, the Ministry of Rites official immediately tilted his head back and shouted at the sky, "Bestow the imperial wine!"
Dozens of runners approached carrying trays, the cups on them already filled with imperial wine.
After the cup was downed, the official continued to shout, "Pin the flowers!"
Dongfang Yuanbin individually pinned the imperially bestowed gold-leaf palace flowers on the right brim of the hats of Dongfang Yukun, Cui Zhengyang, and Song Qiming.
The second and third-class scholars, however, took velvet flowers from the trays themselves and pinned them on their own hat brims.
Accompanied by the call to commence the banquet, the five high ministers took their seats at the table where Song Qiming and the other two were seated.
The gazes of all the new scholars were either cautious or filled with envy and jealousy. One by one, they kept their heads slightly lowered, stealing glances from the corners of their eyes at those sitting at the first table.
Dongfang Yukun, who had been holding back his laughter this whole time, finally managed to curl the corners of his lips and shoot a look at his grandfather, as if asking for praise.
See? I told you the title of Zhuangyuan would be mine.
Dongfang Yuanbin gratifyingly raised his eyebrows, which were as white as frost. He was about to retire, and having a successor for the family was his greatest wish.
Now that Dongfang Yukun had scored first as Zhuangyuan, he could finally set his heart completely at ease.
To Song Qiming, the gazes of Gu Qishan and Sui Zhuangling felt like thorns in his back. He deliberately pretended not to notice, silently eating his food and occasionally drinking and exchanging a few words with Cui Zhengyang.
After a while, Dongfang Yukun stood up to toast Gu Qishan and the others. Seeing this, Cui Zhengyang and Song Qiming sequentially stood up to follow suit.
In front of the crowd, no matter how displeased Gu Qishan felt in his heart, he could only drink the wine offered by Song Qiming.
After the top three had finished their toasts, the new scholars from the other tables also began to come over with their wine cups to offer their greetings.
When the Qionglin Banquet ended, the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua were led by the Ministry of Rites runners into an inner chamber to change into their celebratory robes.
The most bustling event of the afternoon, the horseback parade through the streets, began.
The three rode on horses, followed by numerous runners holding up placards. Behind them, gongs and drums were beaten, and the sound of the suona echoed through the skies.
Both sides of Vermilion Bird Street were packed with commoners watching the spectacle. There were unmarried young women carrying flower baskets, throwing floral branches at the three men.
From the second floors of the adjacent shops, sheltered ladies ceaselessly tossed down handkerchiefs, scented sachets, palm leaf fans, and accessories.
On the second-floor balcony of a hotpot shop, Song Shixue playfully scratched her head. "There are so few people giving flowers to brother."
The ceremonial robes of Dongfang Yukun and Cui Zhengyang were already adorned with colorful petals. Song Qiming, however, didn't have a single petal on him; he looked as clean as an attendant.
Song Anhao, gripping the railing with both hands, blurted out, "The ones throwing things are all girls, and Big Brother isn't as good-looking as they are."
Song Jinzhao rubbed her forehead with a wry smile, grabbing her youngest brother's shoulder to keep him from leaning too close to the railing.
"Don't speak such blunt truths. Your brother just hasn't fully grown into his looks yet."
In truth, Song Qiming was not ugly, but Dongfang Yukun and Cui Zhengyang were exceptionally handsome. By comparison, Song Qiming looked a bit too ordinary.
Moreover, he was still young. Compared to Dongfang Yukun and Cui Zhengyang, who were of prime marriageable age, he naturally wasn't as popular with the young ladies.
As the parade passed below the hotpot shop, Song Shixue grabbed the bamboo basket from Lanxi's hands and threw pink peach blossoms at Song Qiming as if her life depended on it.
"Brother, over here!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Song Qiming turned his head, and a branch of peach blossoms perfectly lodged itself right in the middle of his ceremonial hat.
Seeing Song Jinzhao and the other two standing on the balcony, Song Qiming smiled and raised his hand to wave at them.
The spectating crowd followed his gaze, only to see that the ones greeting him were two young ladies.
A woman carrying a vegetable basket turned her head and saw Song Qiming take down the peach branch from his hat to sniff it. She said in surprise, "What is the relationship between those two girls and Lord Tanhua? Did he get engaged at such a young age?"
The man squeezed next to her looked at her with astonishment, "What nonsense are you talking about? That is County Princess Linghui and her younger sister. The Tanhua is County Princess Linghui's biological younger brother."
The woman looked at the man, her face full of shock.
"Lord Tanhua is the younger brother of the Divine Doctor County Princess?"
The man's eyes held joy, and he nodded vigorously, "I was there when the good news procession went to the County Princess's estate this morning. The estate even handed out lucky money. The Tanhua is named Song Qiming."
The day after the street parade, led by the officials of the Ministry of Rites, four hundred newly minted jinshi scholars went to the Confucius Temple to perform a grand kneeling and bowing ceremony.
Inside the Imperial Study, Xiao Chengjing stared at the half-written imperial edict on the desk with a tight frown.
Eunuch Zhao, who already held two imperial edicts in his hands, glanced at the Emperor with some confusion when he saw him stop writing halfway.
Could it be that the Emperor did not want to confer the title of Hanlin Academy Compiler, a rank seven official, upon Song Qiming?
The top three of the first tier did not need to participate in the court examination but were directly appointed by the Emperor. Usually, they would first enter the Hanlin Academy to work their way up from the bottom.
Xiao Chengjing put down the wolf-hair brush, sat on the dragon throne, and asked, "Since Song Qiming passed the jinshi examination, does he need to return to his hometown to honor his ancestors?"
Zhao Yande was stunned for a moment, then bowed and answered, "According to customary etiquette, he should return."
After scoring high, most people would return to their hometowns to honor their ancestors and visit their families.
Therefore, whether it was the Emperor or the Ministry of Personnel, they would grant a special leave of absence, allowing them to take up their posts later.
The leave usually lasted three to six months, and for those far away, a year was not uncommon.
Song Qiming's ancestral home was not in the capital. Factoring in the travel and the time for ancestor worship, he should rightfully have a six-month leave.
Xiao Chengjing thought for a moment and ordered, "Bring two new blank edicts. The court is in urgent need of people, so urgent matters must be handled urgently. The top three of the first tier must enter the Hanlin Academy to serve as soon as possible. There is no need for them to return to their hometowns to honor their ancestors in the meantime."
Anyang Prefecture was thousands of miles away from the capital. A round trip would take four months, plus the days spent in their hometown; they wouldn't be back for at least five months.
If Song Qiming went back to honor his ancestors, Song Jinzhao would definitely go back too, and she could not leave the capital right now.
The next day, three imperial edicts were delivered by the imperial eunuchs to the Dongfang estate, the Cui estate, and the County Princess's estate respectively.
Dongfang Yukun was appointed as a Hanlin Academy Senior Compiler, a secondary sixth-rank official, while Cui Zhengyang and Song Qiming were appointed as Hanlin Academy Compilers, primary seventh-rank officials, sitting as equals with Duan Yanhua.
The starting point of these three was arguably the highest among all the new jinshi. The rest had to participate in the court examination jointly held by the Ministry of Personnel and the Hanlin Academy today, and official posts would be selected based on their ranking in the examination.
In the front hall of the County Princess's estate.
Having just seen off the imperial eunuch, Song Qiming looked at the edict in his hand with a slight frown.
"Only a half-month leave. That's not enough for a trip back to the village."
The original plan was for Song Jinzhao and the others to return to Song Family Village after the palace examination.
Now that the Emperor had issued an order, Song Qiming had to take up his post at the Hanlin Academy in half a month, leaving absolutely no time to go back and honor their ancestors.
Song Shixue, sitting on a stool, looked a bit disappointed, "Does that mean we can't go back?" Half a month wasn't even enough to reach Anyang Prefecture.
Song Qiming paced around for a moment, then faced Song Jinzhao and hesitated, "Sister, how about you take Shixue and Anhao back for a trip?"
Although they had already enshrined their parents' memorial tablets in the County Princess's estate, their bodies were still buried in the village.
Secondly, it had been over a year since they went back to see their grandfather and grandmother.
Song Jinzhao rubbed her finger along the rim of her cup.
"The Empress's health is unsettled in the palace, and I have to enter the palace once every seven days. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave in the short term."
Before the concubines in the inner harem became pregnant, Xiao Chengjing would definitely not let her leave the capital.
Thinking of this, Song Jinzhao suddenly looked at the edict in Song Qiming's hand.
Could it be that the Emperor deliberately shortened the time so much?
Song Shixue looked at Song Jinzhao with a face full of confusion, "Sister, hasn't the Empress's headache been cured yet?"
With her sister's medical skills, it shouldn't take this long.
Song Jinzhao silently calculated the time and replied, "It will take about another month."
It takes a month of pregnancy to detect the signs, and to be one hundred percent certain, it takes at least a month and a half to two months.
Calculating the time the fourteen concubines served the Emperor, the earliest was only twenty-some days ago.
Song Qiming put the edict into the brocade box and closed the lid, "Then we'll wait a bit longer. Let's write a letter back first to let Grandfather know. After the court examination, Gaoli should be going back, and we can go together then."
Song Shixue looked worriedly at Song Jinzhao, "If we all go back, will you be okay at home alone, brother?"
Song Qiming smiled and reached out to tug his sister's little braid, "There are so many servants in the estate, and my teacher is also in the capital. I'll be fine by myself."
Song Jinzhao looked at the increasingly mature Song Qiming and rested her chin on her hand in deep thought.
Song Family Village was more than two months' journey from the capital, and a round trip would take nearly half a year.
The imperial court only granted a few days of leave every year, so Qiming would have no time to go back in the future.
She herself had many businesses in the capital and rarely went back.
This time, when they go back, they must arrange the lives of the two elders well.
The second branch was unreliable, and the first branch could take care of them but not comprehensively.
Although their two sons were still around, there were some things that a grandson had no place meddling in.
However, Old Man Song and Old Lady Song had treated the third branch well. Now that the third branch was rising, they had to let them enjoy their twilight years in peace and comfort, and worry less.
In the evening, Song Gaoli rushed straight to the County Princess's estate from the Ministry of Personnel after finishing his examination.
With a happy face, he said to Song Qiming, "I think I did well this time. I should be in the upper-middle tier."
Song Qiming curled his lips into a smile and asked, "So confident?"
Song Gaoli nodded vigorously, "This exam was different from before. I wrote very smoothly."
As they walked into the study, Song Gaoli recounted the examination questions and how he answered them to Song Qiming in detail.
Half an hour later, Song Qiming stroked his chin and pondered, "I think it's pretty good. It just depends on the examiners and how the others performed."
The day before the court examination rankings were released, Song Qiming learned Song Gaoli's results in advance from Ye Liangyu.
"One hundred and thirty-sixth place. Under normal circumstances, this rank would not allow him to stay in the capital."
Song Qiming heard the tone in Ye Liangyu's voice and quietly waited for him to continue.
Ye Liangyu picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"He can forget about becoming a Shujishi. If he wants to stay in the capital, he has to wait a few months, first enter the Six Ministries to observe and study for a period of time, and then figure out a way to stay."
"If he doesn't consider staying in the capital, he can be assigned to a local post as a county magistrate, and then slowly transfer back later."
Song Qiming asked, "If he stays, which of the Six Ministries should he enter?"
Ye Liangyu replied, "The Ministry of Justice is the sphere of influence of the Prince of Ying, and the Ministry of Rites is the sphere of influence of the Prince of Qi. The Minister of Revenue sways from side to side and flatters both parties; anyone could be pushed out as a scapegoat. He definitely cannot go to these three."
