We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The following day, Li Che led his officials to collect the examination papers and begin ranking them.

The 2,338 candidates who have made it to the final showdown will be ranked today.

First, check the previous exam papers. Those with an error rate of more than 30% on the questions about the classics will be eliminated immediately.

Then, the interpretation section was reviewed, and those with more than two errors were also not accepted.

The final evaluation of the next exam paper will focus on the strategy questions, with the logic questions being used as a reference only.

Those who are given the character '下' or '下下' either have incoherent meanings or confused viewpoints.

Those who were either brainless individuals praising powerful officials from aristocratic families were all ruthlessly rejected by Li Che.

After these layers of screening, only 672 of the original 2,338 qualified exam papers remained.

These 672 people were the first successful candidates in the imperial examination of Daqing, who obtained the title of Jinshi.

They have qualified to enter the palace and will participate in the imperial examination presided over by the emperor himself!

By this time, Li Che and his ministers had been busy for a full day and night.

Looking at the final list, Li Che was exhausted, but he couldn't hide his excitement.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, "You've all worked hard!"

The crowd bowed and replied, "Your Majesty has worked hard."

Li Che added, "Now that the list has been finalized, have someone immediately transcribe the imperial edict and hang it up promptly tomorrow morning."

"My dear ministers, go back and rest well. The results will be announced tomorrow!"

"I will obey your orders!"

The ministers breathed a sigh of relief and, exhausted, bowed and withdrew.

Once the news of tomorrow's results was released, it spread like wildfire, instantly reaching every corner of the capital.

Every student taking the exam had their heart in their throat.

Apart from those who had already been disqualified for violating regulations, the students were in a state of restlessness.

Those with connections ran around everywhere, desperately trying to find out what was going on.

Those without connections simply flocked to the foot of the imperial city overnight, hoping to be among the first to see the imperial edict.

Inside the Hall of Recruiting Talents, Lin Qingyuan found Zhang Qian's study room, only to find the latter lying fully clothed on the bed, staring at the ceiling, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.

"Brother Zhang, you seem quite calm and composed," Lin Qingyuan said with a smile as he pushed open the door and entered.

Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Qian quickly stood up to greet them, but his face showed no joy; instead, he appeared quite distressed.

Lin Qingyuan added, "The results will be released tomorrow morning. I see many classmates already heading to the capital to wait outside the school. Brother Zhang, why don't you go and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qian sighed deeply: "Brother Lin, I won't be going. I've already packed my bags and will be returning to my hometown to farm soon."

Lin Qingyuan asked in surprise, "Brother Zhang, why do you say that? Have you encountered some difficulties?"

Zhang Qian shook his head, his voice a little hoarse: "It's not a difficult situation, it's my own fault."

"In the final question... I was overcome with anger and lost my composure. I made many criticisms of the court system, the bureaucratic families, and even His Majesty. My words were harsh and almost outrageous."

In his desperation, tears fell onto the exam paper, staining it.

His voice trailed off as he spoke, and he slowly sat back down on the bed, his eyes vacant and lifeless: "I imagine the examiners, upon seeing such an unruly and stained paper, would have simply tossed it into the pile of rejected papers."

"Zhang has spent more than ten years pursuing his studies, but in the end, he has achieved nothing. Perhaps he will never be destined for a career in scholarship or officialdom in this lifetime."

"It would be better to return home, serve my elderly father, fulfill my filial duty, and live out the rest of my life."

Lin Qingyuan was silent for a moment, then walked to his side and gently patted his shoulder: "Brother Zhang, don't jump to conclusions so soon."

"In my opinion, His Majesty is very different from previous monarchs."

"He was able to break with convention and open the door to officialdom for people from humble backgrounds, which shows that his magnanimity and breadth of mind are incomparable to ordinary emperors."

"Perhaps, instead of blaming Brother Zhang for speaking frankly, he will appreciate your sincerity?"

Zhang Qian could only smile wryly and shake his head repeatedly: "Brother Lin, please don't try to comfort me. Even the most magnanimous emperor is still the emperor."

"My complaints against the court and criticisms of current affairs are so numerous that even the wise rulers of ancient times would probably not tolerate such a wild and unruly person as me."

Seeing that Zhang Qian was still stuck on his own ideas, Lin Qingyuan stopped trying to persuade him and instead said, "Even if you want to leave, it won't make a difference if you leave in a day or two."

"How about you accompany me to see the imperial edict and join in the fun?"

"If you are truly nameless, I will personally see you off tomorrow."

Looking into Lin Qingyuan's sincere eyes, Zhang Qian felt a warmth in his heart and finally couldn't bear to refuse any longer: "Alright, I'll do as Brother Lin says."

. . . . . .

The next morning, the sky was slightly bright.

Zhang Qian then traveled with Lin Qingyuan and his fellow disciples to the outskirts of the imperial city.

At this moment, the area beneath the imperial city walls was already heavily guarded by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guards, making it completely impassable.

At the city gate, a young general, fully armored and clad in helmet, stood with his hand on his sword, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

The open space in front of the imperial city was packed with a dense crowd, and Zhang Qian and his group, who arrived later, could not squeeze in at all and could only stand on the outside and wait.

Looking around, one sees students eagerly awaiting their exams, as well as many more Beijing residents who have come to watch the spectacle. The place is bustling with noise, seemingly even more crowded than on the day of the exams.

"There are so many people." Lin Qingyuan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the crowded people around him. "It feels like there are even more people than during the exam?"

A fellow disciple beside him laughed and said, "Senior brother, you don't understand. Besides the students waiting for the results, there are also ordinary people who come to watch the excitement."

"This is the first imperial examination in our dynasty. Those who pass the exam will become future officials. The common people also want to share in the joy and good fortune."

Lin Qingyuan shook his head and said in a low voice, "What good fortune do we poor, pedantic scholars have to speak of?"

"The people both admire scholars and fear the power behind them, which prevents the dissemination of book knowledge. This is the most fundamental problem in the current state of our nation's cultural governance."

Zhang Qian was pondering Lin Qingyuan's thought-provoking words when suddenly, he heard the general at the city gate shout loudly:

"Silence! I am Ma Zhong, Marquis of Jiayou, appointed by His Majesty as the guardian of this imperial edict!"

The crowd fell silent instantly, and countless eyes focused on Ma Zhong.

The students were also somewhat surprised. Marquis Jiayou... such a young marquis?

Judging from this man's age, he's probably not even twenty yet, but he's already a marquis.

Ma Zhong continued loudly, "Listen up, all of you! Soon, the notice will be posted on the palace wall behind me!"

"In crowded places, not everyone can see clearly, but there is no need to push or shove to avoid accidents."

"Officials from the Ministry of Rites will call out the names in order, starting from the last on the list and moving forward."

"Everyone who passes the exam will be included, and I will make sure you hear the whole story!"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of countless rapid breaths.

Ma Zhong nodded in satisfaction, then spoke to the Imperial Guards standing to the left and right of the Imperial City Gate:

"Open the door, post the results!"