The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 044 Daddy!
On the seventh day of the fourth month, the 291 new scholars who excelled in the huishi changed into their scholar robes and once again stepped into the imperial palace.
On this day, the Zichen Hall was filled with the civil and military officials of the court. As they would during the morning assembly, the civil officials stood on the left side and the military officials on the right. Naturally, it wasn’t possible for all the over two hundred scholars to squeeze into Zichen Hall. At the third quarter of yin shi (around 5:45 am), as the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, the head eunuch Ji Fu stepped out of Zichen Hall and loudly announced, "In the 27th year of Kaiping, the jinshi who passed the huishi may enter Zichen Hall to meet the Emperor!"
As his voice fell, two young eunuchs standing on the first step of the stone platform shouted in unison, "In the 27th year of Kaiping, the jinshi who passed the huishi may enter Zichen Hall to meet the Emperor!"
Further down, four more eunuchs echoed the shout.
Altogether, they repeated the call thirty-one times, their sharp voices ringing loudly through the palace.
Then, Ji Fu called out the names of the ten jinshi selected as candidates for the top three positions, summoning them to enter the hall.
Tang Shen’s name was fifth on the list, meaning he was ranked fifth by the exam readers among the ten. With a calm expression, Tang Shen lowered his head and stepped out of the line, walking with the other nine towards Zichen Hall.
Among the ten were Yao Shan, who had gained fame before the huishi, Wang Xiao, who topped this year’s examination, and Tang Shen’s two classmates from the Imperial College, Liu Fang and Mei Shengze.
However, even close friends refrained from conversing at this moment. The ten of them kept their heads bowed as they entered Zichen Hall and stood in two rows, five in each row, according to the order in which Ji Fu had called their names.
In the grand hall, only the faint sound of breathing could be heard; not a single unnecessary sound was made.
Zichen Hall was where the emperor summoned his ministers and held the morning assembly. It was nine bays wide and five bays deep, symbolizing the supreme power of the emperor. The ceiling was covered with yellow glazed tiles and adorned with colorful paintings in gold lacquer. At the center of the hall, a plaque hung high, bearing the inscription "To understand the One and complete all things."—a phrase taken from the Daoist text Zhuangzi meaning "to be in harmony with the One, and all things will be completed without effort." This inscription had been placed there ten years ago by Emperor Zhao Fu, replacing the previous emperor’s inscription "Cautious from Beginning to End".
When all ten jinshi were assembled, the Minister of Rites, Meng Lang, presented their palace examination papers on a golden tray before Zhao Fu.
Zhao Fu did not immediately take the papers but instead smiled and said, "My dear ministers, take a look—every three years, I see ten new black-haired heads." After a pause, Zhao Fu added, "But this time, I was wrong; there is someone with graying hair among them. What is your name?"
The person Zhao Fu referred to was the seventh-ranked jinshi, whom Tang Shen had heard of before the huishi—a jieyuan (top scorer) from Shanxi.
Overwhelmed with gratitude at being addressed by the emperor, the elderly jinshi, who was over fifty years old, knelt and reported his name.
Zhao Fu said, "Heaven rewards diligence."
These simple words brought tears to the old jinshi’s eyes.
Zhao Fu then told the ten jinshi to raise their heads, and they did. For some of them, today might be the closest they would ever get to the emperor. Standing at the far edge of the first row, Tang Shen quietly looked down at the floor, remaining silent. He could hear Zhao Fu conversing with the officials, including the Minister of Rites, Meng Lang.
Such an emperor could not be called a foolish ruler. Even though he indulged in the pursuit of immortality, spending vast amounts of national resources to search for immortal islands overseas, the country remained prosperous. The people mourned the deaths of great scholars like Zhong Taiseng, but no one blamed the emperor.
Zhao Fu was not a wise ruler, but he was a ruler who maintained the state. He favored certain individuals (such as Li Xiaoren, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau) but did not blindly trust them. Today, he only spoke a few words, but Tang Shen, catching a glimpse of his friend Mei Shengze beside him, could see that Mei Shengze had already made up his mind to become the emperor's most loyal subject!
Zhao Fu had mastered the art of ruling.
After a few more words, Zhao Fu began to review the ten jinshi’s examination papers. This was the "Imperial Review." As the sole chief examiner of the palace examination, the ten exam readers could only rank the new jinshi in order, but until the final moment, no one knew how the emperor would alter the rankings.
Zhao Fu leaned forward slightly from the dragon throne and used his hand to shuffle through the papers.
He reviewed them quickly, clearly only skimming over the content. However, when he reached one particular paper, Zhao Fu paused briefly. He whispered something so softly that only Ji Fu, who was standing next to him, could hear. Even the Minister of Rites couldn’t make out what was said.
Ji Fu immediately raised his head and looked straight at Tang Shen.
Like the other scholars, Tang Shen had been discreetly observing the emperor, but the moment Ji Fu looked at him, Tang Shen quickly lowered his head, and their eyes did not meet.
As Ji Fu looked at Tang Shen’s youthful and handsome face, he thought: Who would have guessed that the emperor’s visit to the Imperial College would bring him such great fortune!
What had Zhao Fu just said?
Zhao Fu had said, "Will it startle the celestial beings? But since they are already startled, what should we do?" With that, Zhao Fu picked up the red pen and directly changed Tang Shen’s ranking from fifth to third.
During the palace examination, the 300 scholars were divided into three tiers.
The first tier is "jinshi jidi" (Presented Scholar), which includes only the top three: the zhuangyuan (first rank), the bangyan (second rank), and the tanhua (third rank). The second tier is "jinshi chushen" (passed as jinshi), which includes several people. The third tier is "tong jinshi chushen" (passed as tong jinshi). Ji Fu was shocked because Zhao Fu directly promoted Tang Shen to the first tier!
Others might not understand Zhao Fu, but Ji Fu knew that despite the emperor's flowery speeches and his show of caring for his subjects like they were his own children, in truth, Zhao Fu had never shown any real interest in the palace examination for the imperial examinations over the years! Today, he might speak of "Heaven rewarding the diligent," but tomorrow, when he is engrossed in his pursuit of immortality, he might have already forgotten the appearance of the old jinshi who had worked so diligently.
The emperor may be heartless, but the fact that Zhao Fu promoted Tang Shen to the first tier indicated that Zhao Fu had already taken notice of Tang Shen. Even if he was only a tanhua, his future might be even more brilliant than this year's zhuangyuan!
Ji Fu secretly made a mental note of Tang Shen's name.
After Zhao Fu finished reviewing the exam papers, the Minister of Rites retrieved them. He opened the papers, and when he saw the rankings that Zhao Fu had altered, his eyebrows twitched slightly as he discreetly glanced at Wang Zhen, who was standing among the officials.
He saw how Wang daren was focused on the ground, his gaze fixed downward as he mentally counted the number of floor tiles in Zichen Hall!
Meng daren cursed silently, "oh, keep pretending," and then began to announce the rankings for the first tier of this year’s examination.
"On the 27th year of Kaiping, the new zhuangyuan is Yao Shan, also known as Yao Wenji!"
Yao Shan had already been ranked first by Meng Lang and the other examiners, so upon hearing his name, he couldn't contain his joy and quickly stepped forward.
"Newly appointed bangyan, Wang Xiao, also known as Wang Daiyue!"
Wang Xiao, who was still ranked second, took a step forward.
"Newly appointed tanhua, Tang Shen, also known as Tang Jingze!"
Tang Shen was startled, his eyes showing surprise, but he kept his composure and walked forward calmly.
Next, the Minister of Rites announced the names of those in the second tier, and finally, the remaining were all given the title of "tong jinshi chushen" from the third tier.
Meng Lang loudly declared, "The golden palace ceremony is complete. All jinshi, bow to the Emperor and thank your mentor!"
At that moment, the ten jinshi inside the hall, along with the more than two hundred jinshi outside the door, and all the civil and military officials present, knelt to Zhao Fu, completing the final step of the ceremony.
After Zhao Fu left, Tang Shen and the other two exited the palace through the central gate of Xuanwu Gate, while the rest had to exit through the side gates.
As Tang Shen stepped out of the palace, he let out a breath of relief. Instinctively, he turned his head, looking among the departing officials for a glimpse of his senior brother. Unfortunately, Wang Zhen was not there, nor were several high-ranking officials; it seemed they had been summoned by Zhao Fu.
Tang Shen wasn’t entirely sure why he suddenly wanted to find Wang Zhen, but before he could think further, he was distracted by a thunderous noise outside the palace gate. As the jinshi walked out, they saw that the spacious path outside the palace was already crowded with the public!
It seemed like every girl in the capital had gathered there!
Seeing the top three scholars emerge from the central palace gate, the onlookers, especially the unmarried young women, widened their eyes in excitement. When they saw that the zhuangyuan, Yao Shan, was a brawny man of forty with a rugged appearance, their excitement dimmed.
When they saw Wang Xiao, hope flickered once more.
Someone in the crowd said, "That's Wang Xiao from Jinling Prefecture, the bangyan. He's distantly related to the Wang family of Langya! He's thirty-one this year and already married."
"What a pity!"
The crowd sighed in disappointment again.
But when Tang Shen walked out, everyone's eyes brightened.
"Such a young tanhua must be unmarried!"
"So young, it must be Tang Shen, the tanhua from Gusu Prefecture!"
"As the stories and plays say, the zhuangyuan is talented, and the tanhua is handsome, like flowers and jade, a dreamlike tanhua!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Shen, "..."
You're the one who's like a flower! Your whole family is like flowers!
In the Song Dynasty, the people were open-minded, and the court allowed the public to cheer and celebrate along the streets when the top scholars paraded.
In both his lives, Tang Shen had never been the center of such attention. Riding a tall horse, even though he was behind Yao Shan and Wang Xiao, most of the crowd surrounded him instead.
Thankfully, the tradition of women throwing fruit and jade to express their admiration had faded, or Tang Shen might have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic crowd!
After a busy day, Tang Shen returned home, took a hot bath, and just as he was beginning to relax, there was a loud knock on the courtyard gate.
Tang Shen couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, "This is worse than ranking fifth and blending in with the crowd!"
However, once his moment of glee had passed, Tang Shen sent all the congratulatory visitors back home, returned to his study, and took out the calligraphy copybook that Wang Zhen had given him.
Tang Shen placed the calligraphy copybook on the desk, ground some ink, and began writing. After filling an entire sheet of paper, Tang Shen let out a heavy sigh and sat down in the chair. He closed his eyes, his mind clear, as he started to recall everything that had happened since he arrived in Shengjing.
When he first came to Shengjing, he was just an ordinary xiucai, receiving care from Fu Xiru and personal instruction from Wang Zifeng. He entered the Imperial College, made a few close friends, and they all drank and celebrated together. He placed second in the xiangshi, and then second again in the huishi. During the dianshi, the emperor personally changed the rankings, lifting him from fifth place in the second tier to third place in the first tier.
Suddenly, Tang Shen opened his eyes. He hurriedly took out Zhong Taisheng's calligraphy copybook, "Famen Temple Stele," from the bookshelf.
Tang Shen looked at the "Famen Temple Stele" and then at the copybook that Wang Zhen had personally written for him. After a long time, he looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "Wang Zifeng, you had planned all this from the very beginning!"
When Tang Shen first arrived in Shengjing, Wang Zhen had him practice calligraphy using the "Famen Temple Stele" because Zhong Taisheng's calligraphy was known to be excellent and easy to master. After the xiangshi, with half a year remaining until the huishi, Wang Zhen changed the copybook for Tang Shen.
At that time, Tang Shen guessed that Wang Zhen was preparing him for the dianshi, ensuring that his handwriting wouldn't displease Zhao Fu when "the emperor reviews the text." As Tang Shen had initially suspected, during the dianshi, four of the top ten candidates used Zhong Taisheng's script. Since none of these four made it into the top tier, Zhao Fu didn’t say anything.
But was that all there was to it?
"During the dianshi, the ranking isn’t easy to manipulate. My being placed fifth in the second tier might also have something to do with him!"
An elder brother is like a father, and a teacher is like a father.
Wang Zifeng was his senior brother, but in essence, he was also his teacher.
Tang Shen thought with a strange expression, "...Dad?" As soon as the word slipped out, even Tang Shen was struck by the absurdity of it. Even if he were willing to accept Wang Zifeng as a father (which he absolutely wasn’t), Wang Zifeng would probably never acknowledge him as a son!
"So, why does he treat me so well?!"
Tang Shen fell into a tired sleep with that question lingering in his mind.
After the results of the dianshi were posted, Tang Shen spent several days attending various banquets and receiving guests who came to congratulate him. On the seventh day after the examination, Fu Wei sent someone to summon him, insisting that he come to the Fu Residence that evening to celebrate his success with teacher and student.
Tang Shen immediately declined several banquet invitations and hurried to the Fu Residence.
Wen Shu had been waiting at the door for some time. He led Tang Shen into the Fu Residence, through the garden’s moon gate, and chatted as they walked. "Tang gongzi, have you been worn out these past few days? Oh no, I should be calling you the ‘Tanhua Lang’ now! Nine years ago, when Wang daren became zhuangyuan, he was just as busy as you. I understand it all." Wen Shu winked and said, "Before you ranked as the tanhua, no one paid you any attention. But as soon as you did, everyone, whether they know you or not, comes to congratulate you—it’s really bothersome!"
Tang Shen lamented, "You truly understand me, Wen Shu!"
Wen Shu grinned and said, "Please, Tang gongzi, come this way!"
As they walked through the garden and passed a rockery, Tang Shen suddenly bumped into someone head-on. Both of them took a step back. Tang Shen looked up and saw Wang Zhen, dressed in casual white robes, adorned with gold and jade, looking down at him. When Wang Zhen saw that it was Tang Shen he had bumped into, he raised his eyebrows and was about to speak.
For the past two days, Tang Shen had been tormented day and night by the phrase "An elder brother is like a father, and a teacher is like a father." Now, suddenly seeing Wang Zhen, he instinctively blurted out, "Dad!"
Wang Zhen was taken aback, "Huh?"
Tang Shen: "..."
The newly ranked tanhua’s "flower fair and jade-like" face instantly turned bright red!
AN: Little Tang: Dad!
Neighbor Wang: Daddy kink?