Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 486 Extra Chapter: The Jinshi (进士)

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed: "Actually, the reason behind it is very simple. The women who passed the imperial examinations were from prominent families and should have married, had children, and lived a quiet life in the inner quarters. The female soldiers from the north were mostly women from ordinary families, and they only began to learn to read and write after entering the military camp."

"These female scholars who passed the imperial examinations were the ones who truly changed their fate, enabling them to become officials, wield power, and control their own destiny."

"They cherish my imperial examinations more, are more eager to learn, and are more supportive of my new policies."

Minister Qin solemnly replied, "What the Emperor says makes sense."

Pei Qinghe looked at Minister Qin: "Minister Qin, this exam paper was drafted by the Ministry of Rites and reviewed by its officials. It's fair and just, isn't it?"

Minister Qin remained solemn: "From beginning to end, I personally oversaw everything, and there was absolutely no fraud in this examination."

"Alright!" Pei Qinghe instructed decisively, "Post the exam results in the Ministry of Rites so that all the new graduates can see them clearly. Also, tell all the new graduates that there will be five more exams like this. Finally, based on the combined results of the six exams, the forty people who lag behind will have their study time extended by six months."

In officialdom, being slow at one step means being slow at every step afterward.

Failing the assessment meant being blacklisted by the emperor and leaving a bad impression on the high-ranking officials of the six ministries. How bright could one's future career prospects be?
Such punishment is undeniably severe!

Minister Qin accepted the order and returned to the Ministry of Rites. The next morning, he posted the examination results.

After seeing the exam results, some of the successful candidates were moved to tears, some secretly rejoiced at having passed by chance, and some wept on the spot. One even expressed his indignation and said in public that it was unfair.

"What's unfair?"

Minister Qin walked over with a stern face, coldly looking at the arrogant man: "The exam paper was set by me, and it was reviewed by all the officials of the Ministry of Rites. You didn't study the new policies diligently, nor did you care about the affairs of the Six Ministries. You did poorly on the exam, and you still have the nerve to complain about unfairness here!"

The pale-faced male scholar, surnamed Xue, was a renowned talent from the south, skilled in poetry and painting, and accustomed to being praised by everyone. He had previously ranked among the top three in the imperial examinations, a distinguished figure akin to a third-place scholar. Unexpectedly, after a month of glory, his pride was shattered; he was assigned a third-place ranking in this examination, overshadowed by the women he had always looked down upon.

Xue Jinshi was immediately enraged and shouted in front of everyone.

As a result, he was severely reprimanded by Minister Qin.

Xue Jinshi gritted his teeth and forced himself to reply: "Your Excellency, I have studied the classics and learned poetry and painting since I was a child. I am proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics and was among the top three in the imperial examinations."

"The exam content did not include the Four Books and Five Classics, and the policy essays were all about the new policies of the imperial court. Isn't this too biased?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a woman stepped forward: "Having mastered both literary and martial arts, one can serve the emperor. Scholar Xue was a great talent of the old dynasty, but he doesn't know that what the current emperor wants is not a useless, romantic scholar, but a talent who can carry out the emperor's will and implement new policies. Scholar Xue is arrogant and self-righteous, and he has hardly learned anything in the past month. It's not surprising that he only got a third grade."

The woman was quite young, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, with beautiful features and a scholarly air, but her words were exceptionally sharp. They stung Xue Jinshi so much that his handsome face turned pale.

Minister Qin laughed: "What Scholar Zhao said makes sense."

Zhao Jinshi withdrew his sharp edge and said no more.

Upon hearing this, Pei Qinghe found it quite interesting and sent someone to inquire about Zhao Jinshi's background. "This Zhao Jinshi is the eldest daughter of the prominent Zhao family in Jiangnan. After her engagement, her fiancé died of illness. The Zhao family still allowed her to marry into his family and remain a widow. This incident enhanced the Zhao family's reputation for female fidelity and greatly enhanced their prestige."

"She had been a widow in her husband's family for seven years. This year, she insisted on taking the imperial examination for women. Her husband's family initially refused and locked her in the house. She broke down the door in the middle of the night and ran away. Later, she passed the examination in Luoyang with top honors."

"Her husband's family originally wanted to break ties with her, but after the exam results came out and they learned that she had passed the imperial examination, they immediately changed their attitude. They wanted to adopt a child from the second wife's family into her name. The Zhao family was not happy about this, saying that she was a daughter of the Zhao family, and if she was to be adopted, it should be a child from the Zhao family."

Pei Qinghe smiled wryly: "This is how power moves people's hearts. If the Zhao family cared about their daughter, they wouldn't have made her a widow for the sake of their reputation. They ignored her for years afterward, letting her suffer in her husband's family. Now they're jumping out and spreading the word that she's a daughter of the Zhao family, and they even want her to be adopted by the Zhao family. They're really good at scheming."

Pei Yan spat out a contemptuous "Shameless!"

“They want official positions, future prospects, and power; what do they care about face?” Pei Qinghe said. “Zhao Jinshi ranked first in the women’s special examination and is in the top five in this assessment. I must keep a close eye on such a talent. We’ll see how she performs in the next five examinations. If she continues to perform excellently, I will promote and give her an important position.”

In the second monthly assessment, Zhao Jinshi ranked fourth.

Now that the newly appointed scholars knew the content of the exam and the emperor's intentions, they naturally had a direction to strive for. The atmosphere of studying and taking the exam became increasingly tense and fierce.

In the third month, Zhao Jinshi ranked third in the imperial examination.

In the final examination at the end of the six months, Zhao Jinshi came in first place. All the newly appointed Jinshi, regardless of gender, respected and admired him.

Minister Qin compiled and scored the results of the six examinations, and the top forty students were given the honor of being personally summoned by the emperor.

In the end, standing in front of Pei Qinghe were twenty-two men and eighteen women.

The woman standing first was none other than Zhao Qi, a scholar who had passed the imperial examination.

Pei Qinghe slowly opened his mouth and said, "All the newly appointed Jinshi will be assigned to county governments in various places to familiarize themselves with the people's conditions and learn about general affairs. You will spend half a year observing and studying in the Six Ministries. You are among the top forty of the newly appointed Jinshi. You are the pillars of the court and my trusted ministers."

"After you go to the county governments in various places, you must settle down and do your jobs well. You are my eyes, seeing the suffering of the people for me. You are my ears, listening to the grievances of the people for me. You are my hands, implementing new policies for me, so that the people can live in peace and prosperity. Do not let me down."

All the scholars accepted the order in unison.

Pei Qinghe's gaze fell on the young and handsome Zhao Jinshi: "Zhao Qi, go to the Changping County Government Office."

Changping County!
Peijia Village is located in Changping County, the ancestral home of the Pei family and the birthplace of Emperor Zhaoyuan. Its political significance is extraordinary. Zhao Qi's move to Changping County will undoubtedly lead to a smooth official career and a bright future.

The newly appointed scholars were filled with envy and regret.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhao Jinshi stepped forward, cupped his hands, and accepted the order: "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

(End of this chapter)