Top Scholar

Chapter 536 Dragon Tiger Disciple
On May 30th, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle.

Outside the Dragon and Tiger Hall, banners fluttered and colorful curtains hung high. A hundred burly Han generals, clad in golden armor and holding golden maces, stood solemnly along the steps, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.

The low tables inside the hall had all been removed and replaced with long, gilded tables displaying ritual objects such as jade tablets and bronze vessels. A red carpet covered the hall entrance, leading directly to the throne. On either side of the throne, the bell and drum ensemble played the Zhonghe Shaoyue music, showcasing the imperial grandeur.

Three hundred and forty-seven newly appointed scholars, dressed in blue official robes, stood solemnly on both sides of the red carpet, led by Duke Ying and Su Lu.

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), three whip cracks sounded outside the palace, and the official of the Court of State Ceremonial announced loudly:
"Your Majesty has arrived——"

Emperor Zhengde, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and wearing a winged crown, strode into the Dragon and Tiger Hall, surrounded by Liu Jin, Zhang Yong, and others. The Dragon and Tiger Guards inside immediately knelt down to greet him, shouting "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" three times, their shouts echoing throughout the hall.

After the emperor took his seat, Liu Jin raised his hand and waved it lightly, saying, "All of you, rise."

The crowd expressed their gratitude and rose to stand respectfully below the steps.

Zhu Houzhao's piercing gaze swept over the young scholars of the Dragon and Tiger Class before him. The other scholars also looked at their little sun with deep affection, many with tears in their eyes.

The emperor nodded in satisfaction, stroked his mustache, and said loudly, "Let's begin!"

As the music resumed, the graduation ceremony for the first cohort of the Leopard Room's Dragon and Tiger Class officially began.

First, Duke Zhang Mao of England stepped forward to report: "Your subject Zhang Mao, the Director of the Dragon and Tiger Class, respectfully reports that the 348 students of the Dragon and Tiger Class, after diligent study and rigorous examination, have all met the standards except for one person who is in mourning. We respectfully request Your Majesty to bestow upon them the imperial edicts."

After the report was presented, the official from the Court of State Ceremonial led him away. Officials from the Imperial Seal Office, carrying trays, stepped forward one by one and placed them on the throne. The 348 students of the Emperor, divided into classes according to their grades, stepped forward, and the Emperor personally awarded them graduation certificates and the seal of the Emperor's students.

The graduation decrees of the Dragon and Tiger Class were mounted on yellow silk, and most of them read:
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have established the Dragon and Tiger Class to cultivate talent. Those students who have achieved excellent results in their examinations are hereby granted graduation and are hereby conferred this imperial edict. It is hoped that you will henceforth be loyal to the Emperor and devoted to the country, diligently fulfilling your duties and living up to my expectations. So be it."

However, there were 36 slightly different entries, which were not 'good' but 'excellent'.

All the students in the same year were convinced of this, because the assessment of the Dragon Tiger Class was very standardized and rigorous.

Graduation grades are calculated by weighting four core dimensions, with each dimension having a maximum score of ten points and a passing score of six.

The first part is 'Etiquette and Attitude', which accounts for 10% of the total score. The assessment includes the student's performance in etiquette practice training during the Zunlong class, as well as whether their daily behavior when meeting the emperor, paying respects to superiors, and in class is in accordance with etiquette.

The second part, 'Practical Performance in Government Affairs,' accounts for 30% of the total score. It examines students' performance in the Tiger and Leopard Strategies courses, such as simulating case trials, calculating local taxes, simulating publicizing government orders, and collaborating with other departments in practical aspects.

When evaluating performance, a perfect score is awarded for a work process that fully complies with the rules of the imperial court, demonstrates clear thinking and high efficiency, and proactively solves practical problems encountered in the course of practice.

Being able to complete the assigned tasks on time, with minor oversights but no major mistakes, earns a score of six... which is quite lenient. The main concern is that Su Lu can't let them fail.

But Su Lu also told them that dynasties throughout history have had extremely low tolerance for oversights in official documents and errors in procedures. Especially now that Liu Jin is in power, he loves to seize on these minor but irrefutable mistakes to persecute people.

The third part is the quality of the graduation project, which also accounts for 30% of the weight!

The core basis for the grading is the temple survey report submitted by each student. It must cover key information such as the temple's history, current size, composition of believers, assets, and connections with powerful local figures.

An excellent report must be comprehensive in its investigation, accurate in its data, in-depth in its analysis, and feasible in its solutions; any deficiency in any of these aspects will detract from its overall quality.

If the report is superficial, contains inaccurate data, lacks in-depth analysis and reasonable suggestions, and is merely perfunctory, then Su Lu will not be lenient and will definitely give it a failing grade.

Fortunately, all of my classmates were very diligent and passed...

The last item is 'Loyalty to the Emperor and a sense of the big picture', which is weighted at 30% because it relates to one's stance and position.

The grading criteria cover various reports submitted by students, the core viewpoints reflected in their graduation projects, their insights expressed when discussing government affairs, and their daily attention to national difficulties.

The core requirements for excellence are unwavering loyalty to the emperor, genuine concern for the current difficulties facing the Ming Dynasty, consideration of issues from the perspective of the overall national interest, and a willingness to share the emperor's burdens and solve the country's problems.

So getting a perfect score isn't easy... especially the last one. Making a clear statement might mean being sent to the most dangerous place. Not everyone has that kind of courage.

After all students' final scores are weighted and converted, only those with a total score of over 90 can receive the title of Outstanding Disciple and be awarded a silver Imperial Disciple Seal.

Those who achieved the required grades in the same year were only awarded ordinary imperial edicts and bronze seals of the emperor's disciples...

~~
Thirty-six pre-made silver medals were placed separately in a yellow brocade box. The silver was warm and lustrous, with cloud and dragon patterns engraved on the sides and the four characters "Dragon and Tiger Disciple" engraved in reverse on the bottom. The design was very exquisite.

Amidst the grand strains of music, Emperor Zhengde personally rose and presented silver medals to thirty-six outstanding students.

The students who received the silver medals were all moved to tears, kowtowing repeatedly in gratitude. This was a privilege even high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above might not receive! After the awarding ceremony, Zhu Houzhao gave an imperial address:

"This silver seal is personally bestowed by me, and the holder of this seal shall have the right to submit secret memorials. In the future, when you take up your posts in various places, whenever you encounter matters such as corruption, treachery, the suffering of the people, border threats, or illegal activities by members of the imperial family, you may submit secret memorials to the Emperor without being hindered by hierarchical constraints. Remember to prioritize the nation and the people, and live up to the name of 'disciples of the dragon and tiger'!"

The thirty-six students knelt down and replied in unison, "Your Majesty, we obey! We will not fail Your Majesty's grace and will devote ourselves to the cause until our dying breath!"

"Very well, rise." The emperor nodded in satisfaction. After the thirty-six Dragon Tiger Disciples withdrew, he encouraged the ordinary disciples, saying:

"You need not be discouraged. This silver medal is not awarded only once. After your term of office is completed in three years, I will personally test you. As long as you can catch up, you will naturally be promoted!"

"Yes! We will certainly work harder to be promoted as soon as possible!" The ordinary students responded in unison, their voices echoing throughout the golden hall, igniting their fighting spirit!

In addition to the imperial decree and seal, each person was also given a plaque inscribed with the words "Disciple of the Emperor" by the Emperor himself. Of course, the Emperor only wrote it once, and all the plaques were carved based on these four characters, so the characters were exactly the same.

But this was enough to make the newly appointed scholars ecstatic... This plaque could not only be hung high above their doors to display their glory, but it could also be passed down through generations, bringing lasting honor to their families. Thinking that their descendants would still be proud of this plaque after their deaths, the newly appointed scholars secretly vowed to cherish their status as "disciples of the emperor" and never to tarnish this plaque that carried imperial favor and family honor.

Just as Su Lu had predicted, these seemingly simple and inexpensive souvenirs were enough to win the loyalty and fervor of the newly appointed scholars for several years...

~~
After the graduation ceremony, the emperor hosted a banquet.

As usual, the Duke of England presided over the event, with Su Lu serving as the deputy host... In fact, Zhu Houzhao quite wanted to join in the fun and get closer to his students.

But Su Lu and Zhang Yong persuaded him to stay. This guy was fine when he was high and mighty, but once you got close to him, he became too lively and casual, instantly losing his mystery and becoming just like the naughtiest younger brother in the family.

If they drink a little more, they'll roll up their sleeves and sit at the table, calling each other brothers and swearing all the time, showing no respect whatsoever as rulers... So only by keeping a distance can we maintain our respect!
Of course, the fact that the Duke of England was there to entertain them on behalf of the Emperor was enough to make the graduates of the Dragon Tiger Class feel incredibly honored. After two months, everyone had become familiar with each other, and they all stood up to toast the Duke, thanking him for his care during this time.

"Oh, what have I been taking care of for you? It's nothing more than taking care of your stomachs," the Duke of England said with a slurred laugh, holding his wine glass. "Have you been eating well lately?"

"We've eaten so well!" the scholars exclaimed with a smile. "You've all gotten fat!"

"Haha, that's good. Just don't think back twenty years and say, 'What did we eat at the Dragon Tiger Lecture Hall? The Duke of England embezzled all the food money!'" Zhang Mao laughed happily. "Come, come, let me toast you all again, wishing you all a bright future!"

"Thank you, Lord Xie!" Everyone hurriedly drank the cup to the brim.

As the deputy host and teaching assistant of the Dragon Tiger Lecture Hall, Su Lu naturally became the target of the "besieging" of his fellow students.

Fortunately, he came from Erlangtan. Although his alcohol tolerance was average at home, he could still handle these dregs of alcohol without any problem.

He accepted all drinks without hesitation, and even after drinking more than a pound of liquor, he remained calm and composed, without even slurring his words.

This greatly disappointed his classmates who had hoped to get him half-drunk in order to extract some inside information.

Then we'll have no choice but to press the issue...

Halfway through the banquet, some people finally couldn't contain themselves any longer and crowded around Su Lu, asking about his next move...

According to tradition, apart from the top three scholars who were directly appointed to Hanlin Academy positions, the rest participated in the selection process and those selected as probationary scholars continued to study at the Hanlin Academy.

The others were assigned by the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Office to various government offices to observe government affairs, based on their rankings in the palace examination.

The specific method is to start with the highest-ranking official currently in office, and select two officials from each of the Ministries of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, Works, and the Censorate; and one official from each of the Office of Transmission and the Court of Judicial Review, and so on, until the last person in the ranking.

The task of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) to observe government affairs was twofold: first, to practice the administration of government offices, and second, to learn about money and grain if they had connections, and to learn about criminal law if they had connections.

Secondly, regardless of which government office one observes, one must learn about criminal law and be familiar with administrative matters; this is the foundation for being an official.

In addition, they were frequently ordered to travel on official business. These days, such trips often took a year or more, something senior officials would avoid like the plague, but the candidates for the imperial examinations (观政进士) readily accepted. Because they could conveniently visit their families along the way!

Returning home in wealth and honor is like wearing fine clothes at night.

So everyone is looking forward to watching the political scene as soon as possible, so they can go home and enjoy the glory.

P.S. The next chapter will probably be posted tomorrow morning...

(End of this chapter)