After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Ten years of hard study, and he passed the imperial examination in one fell swoop.

This is the ultimate goal of every scholar.

Outside the Wenhua Hall, as officials loudly announced their names, the first chapter of everyone's official fate unfolded.

The moment the eunuch in charge of announcing the names began to sing, he attracted everyone's attention.

"Li Haisheng, the top scholar in the first class, is hereby awarded the title of Zhuangyuan!"

Although it was expected, Li Haisheng was still stunned for a moment before stepping forward.

He was already standing at the first position, as arranged by the palace official. As he stepped forward, the scholar standing in the second position slumped his shoulders.

However, he quickly recovered and waited for his name to be called next.

Upon hearing that Li Haisheng had won the top scholar title, the Jiang family members all smiled slightly, for their fates were intertwined.

Li Haisheng's name was called out three times, and it could be heard clearly both inside and outside the hall.

Wu Zengxian was second in the first class, Xue Xu was third in the first class, and Zhang Chan was first in the second class.

Zhang Chan, who was ranked third, and Xue Xu, who was ranked fourth, were equally surprised. They thought that the positions assigned by the eunuchs represented their final rankings, but it turned out that there would be changes!

The official in charge of announcing the names stopped after the fourth name, and the remaining names were announced by the fourth person, who was also the first person in the second class.

Fortunately, Zhang Chan, who came in fourth, was a "young" Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in his thirties, and his voice was still quite clear.

However, after calling out hundreds of names without taking a break, my throat was starting to feel hoarse.

They don't offer any tea or water to soothe your throat, so you just have to endure it and not be disrespectful in front of the emperor. Although this is a good opportunity to show off, it's really hard to bear.

Finally, after the names of the 296 people in the second and third classes were read out, the newly appointed proctors had temporarily fulfilled their duties.

The newly appointed scholars will then parade through the streets on horseback, led by the top scholar, allowing the entire capital to witness their prowess.

In addition, they must attend the Qionglin Banquet held in the palace for the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and participate in a formal "pre-employment team building" activity with His Majesty the Emperor and all the officials.

A tall horse leisurely strolled along the main street of the capital, with shops and teahouses on both sides showering people with flowers and handkerchiefs as if they were free.

Even worse, some people simply throw down their jewelry without a second thought.

Li Haisheng was alright; he was skilled in martial arts and could easily dodge the "hidden weapon" attacks.

Xue Xu fared much worse; if it weren't for Li Haisheng protecting him, he would probably have been covered in bumps and bruises.

Who told him, this "third-place scholar," to be so handsome? Now, on his tall horse, he's only half a horse behind the top scholar.

Among the many Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of varying ages, Xue Xu was undoubtedly the most outstanding in appearance.

This is why, despite ranking fourth in the palace examination, he was promoted to third place because of his appearance, going directly from first place in the second class to third place in the first class.

Don't underestimate the difference of just one rank; it can be a crucial starting point for one's future career.

After all, the three top-ranked scholars could directly enter the Hanlin Academy without having to take the examination for probationary scholars.

The top scholar (状元) would become a compiler of the sixth rank upon entering the Hanlin Academy, while the second and third scholars (榜眼 and 探花) would become compilers of the seventh rank.

It can be said that Xue Xu really benefited from his appearance.

The fourth-ranked Zhang Chan was placed in the first position of the second class only because he was much older than the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua) and his appearance was only considered decent.

When the newly appointed scholars paraded through the streets on horseback, only the top-ranking scholars could ride tall horses; the others had to walk behind them, and their glory was naturally not as prominent.

Zhang Chan felt a pang of sadness. He didn't think that he had come in third place in the provincial examination, but had fallen short in the palace examination.

Ultimately, is it because he's not good-looking? Sigh, who can he blame? Blame his parents? Wouldn't that be unfilial?

Jiang Xiaoqi searched for her grandfather's figure in the teahouse, without even glancing at her two brothers-in-law who were both top-ranking officials.

Finally, I saw Landlord Jiang from a spot not too far back.

"Grandfather! Here! Your grandson is here! Grandfather!"

"Hahaha, I saw it, I saw it! Stop leaning out the window! Be careful you don't fall!"

Jiang Xiaoqi had half his body leaning out of the window. Even though the landlord knew that his grandson had some rudimentary martial arts skills, he was very anxious and wished he could break away from the group and pull his grandson back.

"Yes, Grandfather! You look so radiant and impressive today! Your grandson is so proud of you! The Jiang family is so proud of you!"

Jiang Xiaoqi has a very loud voice; she even infuses her inner strength when she shouts, which demonstrates the amplification effect.

"Hahahaha, hahahaha, you brat! Oh dear, really."

When Landlord Jiang saw that many people were looking in his direction as they followed his grandson's shouts, he realized that he, a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), was receiving more attention than the top scholar. His old face flushed red.

Jiang Xiyue, along with Jiang Lan'er and Jiang Lian'er, ignored her fiancé and brother-in-law, and of course, didn't find her father either.

They all followed their younger brother. It was a special day, so what was wrong with setting aside the reserve of a well-bred young lady and shouting for their grandfather?

"Grandpa! Your granddaughters are so proud of you! Grandpa is the best! Grandpa is the greatest!"

"Hahahaha, hahahaha, oh dear, you guys, oh dear, alright, alright, be careful!"

Landlord Jiang's mouth was stretched so high it almost reached the sky, nearly touching the sun, yet he still feigned composure and told his grandchildren to stop shouting.

Jiang Xiwen, however, spotted her husband's figure quite far back, though not at the very end.

My dad is just a short distance behind. It seems their rankings aren't high; I wonder if they're in the second or third place.

After the parade through the streets, the three men returned the horses to the people sent by the Ministry of Rites, and then walked with a group of newly appointed scholars to the "Qionglin Banquet".

At the banquet, the three top scholars naturally became the focus of attention, and many other scholars came to curry favor with them.

Some even hinted that they or their relatives had daughters of marriageable age. Li Haisheng politely changed the subject, but eventually, unable to continue, he could only pretend to be drunk.

Xue Xu was handsome and gentle, making him quite difficult to deal with. Seeing his second brother-in-law "drunk," he also "drunk" along with him.

Only the runner-up, who was truly single, continued to deal with things, and of course, he was also waiting for the right price to go.

As a top-ranking official, he couldn't just casually enter into a useless marriage. He was about to enter the Hanlin Academy, so he needed to find good support for his future career in the officialdom.

At the Deer Cry Banquet, everyone had different thoughts, and even many low-ranking officials joined in, trying to get to know and befriend the newly appointed scholars.

Zhang Chan, standing to the side, watched as everyone else was being "talked to," while he remained on the sidelines, sighing inwardly.

Sigh~ There's no harm in comparison~ It's better to be good-looking than to do well on exams!