February 28th, the day the results were released.
Before dawn, the area in front of the examination hall was already packed with people. The candidates gathered in small groups, some standing on tiptoe to look around, some pacing back and forth, and some even squatting against the wall with their faces buried in their knees, not daring to look at anything.
When Meng Anci arrived, it was just dawn. Looking around, he couldn't find a single familiar face. Years of hard study had come to the fore, and his heart tightened with anxiety.
Jin Shanyao noticed his unease and comforted him gently, "It's alright, don't be nervous... If you can't see, your aunt will pick you up and let you see."
Startled, Meng Anci quickly took a half-step back, "Auntie... I'm all grown up now."
"Oh, it's okay, you'll be able to carry him when he's older."
Meng Anci speechless for a moment... This wasn't a question of whether he could carry her or not. Just as he was thinking about how to explain, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the examination hall.
Someone shouted, "The notice has been posted! The notice has been posted!"
A group of people rushed towards the list, Meng Anci was knocked off balance. Before he could regain his footing, he was lifted into the air.
Jin Shanyao grabbed his waist and placed her hand on her shoulder.
Startled, Meng Anci cried out, forgetting even to look at the list, "Auntie! Put me down quickly, it won't look good if someone sees us!"
Nobody's looking at you, they're all looking at the leaderboard.
Upon hearing the words "Grand List," Meng Anci suddenly snapped out of his daze and hurriedly looked up. The names on the Grand List were clearly visible at a glance.
He saw himself at first glance.
"Auntie! I passed the exam! I came in third!"
Meng Anzhi, listening below, was incredibly excited. "Really? You really saw it?"
Jin Shanyao put Meng Anci down, then picked up Meng Anzhi again.
Meng Anzhi screamed in fright, then her vision cleared.
Meng Anci, third place.
Zhao Zhiyuan, fourth place.
Good heavens... Qingzhou Prefecture has produced two successful candidates in the imperial examinations!
Jin Shanyao put the person down, smiling as she asked, "Did you see clearly?"
"I saw it clearly!" Meng Anzhi excitedly hugged her younger brother. " Anci third! You're amazing... Let your sister see how your brain grew up like this."
Meng Anci let Meng Anzhi pat his head, grinning foolishly for a while before finally reacting, "Sister, where's Zhao Zhiyuan? What's his ranking?"
"Fourth."
After hearing this, Meng Anci's smile widened even further... He decided to toss his exam paper to him later and say, "I never look at the exam paper of the person behind me."
Hehehe... just thinking about it makes me happy.
However, the exam papers were never distributed to the candidates, and they might never even see their own papers in their entire lives, which made Meng Anci feel lost for a long time.
It's like playing a game where your opponent keeps beating you, then one day you win, but the rules of the game have changed...
Three days after the results of the provincial examination were announced, the palace examination would take place.
Taishang Laojun feared that Jin Shanyao secretly sabotage things, so he kept a close watch on her every moment of the day.
Jin Shanyao said helplessly, "From the time he entered the imperial examination until now, the only time I used my Spiritual Power to shield him from the attack was on the day of the metropolitan examination, but you broke through it in a matter of moments."
Taishang Laojun snorted lightly, "It won't even help to block the wind. The imperial examination is related to the rise and fall of a dynasty. Candidates rely half on their ability and half on their luck. They must use their own luck to lift up the entire Sheng Dynasty and lead the people of the world forward together."
You are not allowed to secretly send any fortune to Meng Anci, lest you ruin the nation's destiny.
Jin Shanyao silent. "I ask you, without me... would Meng Anci have made it this far?"
Taishang Laojun turned his face away and remained silent.
Jin Shanyao looked at him and remained silent for a while. Suddenly, she understood that Meng Anci would have ended up where he was today regardless of whether she was there or not.
But she... was also a part of Meng Anci's destiny.
Jin Shanyao recalled a line from the book, "I've always had the heart of a spectator, but alas, I'm now a character in the play." She thought she had come to repay a debt of gratitude, but in reality, it was just a journey arranged by fate.
"Tell me... is it that the Meng Household is destined to have me, or that I am destined to have the Meng Household?"
Taishang Laojun said in a deep voice, "The beginning and end of karma... the outcome was set the moment Wen Jingshu saved you..."
Jin Shanyao without speaking.
For the past three days, the Jin Shanyao broken Meng Anci's ginkgo leaves and ginkgo nuts, forcing him to prepare for the imperial examination like a normal student, causing him anxiety, worry, insomnia, and loss of appetite.
Meng Anci didn't notice anything unusual, assuming it was just due to the tension of the palace examination.
On the day of the palace examination.
Jin Shanyao removed the ginkgo tree hairpin from his head and replaced it with an ordinary wooden hairpin.
Meng Anci was preoccupied with the imperial examination and paid no attention to these minor details. He gazed at the towering palace walls, took a deep breath, and said, "Auntie... I'm going in."
Jin Shanyao patted his head and smiled, "Don't be nervous... Believe in your destiny, it will lead you to your predetermined end."
Meng Anci didn't know why his aunt suddenly started talking, but he still listened attentively and silently noted that no matter what the result of the palace examination was, it was the result predetermined in his fate.
Under the watchful eyes of his entire family, he finally stepped through the vermilion gate and entered the grand hall that all students dreamed of.
On the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
The Emperor asked, "If you wish to make officials pure and honest, to make people forget greed and meanness, to make every family prosperous and content, and to make etiquette perfect and music harmonious... a good army aims for victory without engaging in battle, and a great general prioritizes strategic planning... to benefit the country and secure the borders, I eagerly await your wise strategies. Please clearly explain the essentials of governance, and I will personally review them."
The main hall was solemn, the examinees were writing furiously at their desks, the emperor sat upright, and the ritual music was dignified.
Chen enters at You and exits at Chen.
After completing their papers, candidates waited outside for the Hanlin Academy to review them, and the emperor made the final decision.
Dozens of examiners stood bowing in the main hall, holding the unsealed exam papers in their hands. At the front row, Hanlin Academician Zhen Shiqing held the top ten papers in his hands with a respectful expression.
On the dragon throne, the emperor of the Sheng Dynasty lightly tapped the armrest with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping across the steps below as he said in a deep voice, "Bring it here."
Zhen Shiqing stepped forward, held the scroll high above his head, and had it presented to the emperor by a palace attendant.
The emperor opened the first volume, his gaze falling on the memorial, his brow slightly relaxed... His fingertips traced the name revealed after the seal was broken at the end of the scroll, and he softly read, " Zhao Zhiyuan?"
After finishing his sentence, he continued reading. He saw the emperor's eyes brighten slightly, and he leaned forward slightly. The text discussed officialdom and border defense, and every word was earnest and every sentence hit the nail on the head. It was exactly the kind of good policy for governing the country that he hoped to have.
He lifted the seal at the end of the scroll, " Meng Anci..."
Continuing to look at the third paper, it was too conventional compared to the first two. The emperor frowned slightly, carefully reviewed the top ten papers, wrote down the names of three people on the paper, and handed it to the eunuch.
The eunuch took the document and announced loudly, "Summon Zhao Zhiyuan, Meng Anci, Cheng Yuchuan to an audience."
Outside the main hall, Meng Anci's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Zhao Zhiyuan, and the two nodded silently before walking inside together.
"The tribute students Zhao Zhiyuan, Meng Anci, Cheng Yuchuan pay their respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!..."
"Rise."
The three men stood up, and the emperor's gaze slowly swept over the faces of Zhao Zhiyuan, Meng Anci, and Cheng Yuchuan, a smile involuntarily playing on his lips.
"I had long heard that Qingzhou Prefecture had produced two young prodigies, and seeing them today, I can confirm their reputation is well-deserved. I have carefully read your articles; every word is precious and hits the nail on the head..."
I never expected that you, at such a young age, could produce such an article; it is a blessing for our Sheng Dynasty. Hear my decree...
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the three of them knelt on the ground.