Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Brother Cao, congratulations!"

"From now on we will be called Huiyuan!"

As the number one scholar in the first year of Chongzhen's reign, Cao Xun had the largest number of people gathered around him. People kept congratulating him and calling him Huiyuan.

Although today's Ming Dynasty has added Mingfa, Mingshu, Mingjing, and Mingshu, the most recognized one is still Jinshi. The title of Huiyuan naturally belongs to the first place in the Jinshi department.

The rest of the candidates did not raise any objections. No one thought that those who were ranked first in other subjects could compete for this position.

As a native of Yuzhou, Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan, Cao Xun's success in winning the title was beyond many people's expectations.

But this was not Zhu Youjian's move, but Cao Xun was already ranked first on the draft list drawn up by Shi Fenglai.

After Zhu Youjian ordered re-grading, Shi Fenglai still ranked Cao Xun first in order to save his face. Yuan Keli and Guo Yunhou didn't care about it and did not compete with him.

Cao Xun's status as Huiyuan was finally preserved.

At this time, looking at the congratulatory people around him, Cao Xun felt very proud. He never expected that he would win the first prize in the examination for this subject.

Although this status is not of much use, it does not mean that he will become the number one scholar who can enter the Hanlin Academy. But it means that he has become one of the three elements.

Therefore, Cao Xun accepted the congratulations with a smile, and kept greeting the surrounding Henan Juzi.

Not long after, these Henan students heard a familiar name again. Cao Xun took the lead and said to an old man with shabby clothes and gray hair:
"Brother Liu, congratulations also come this time!"

"This is your eighth exam, and you are finally on the official list!"

This person was his fellow countryman Liu Lishun, who also came from Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan Province.

The most direct reason why Zhu Youjian asked the Jinshi examination papers to be re-evaluated is that he did not see Liu Lishun on the main list——

Such erudite scholars cannot be on the list, so there is no fairness in the evaluation.

Therefore, he believed that the grading was unfair and asked for a re-grading anonymously.

After Shi Fenglai, Yuan Keli, and Guo Yunhou re-evaluated, Liu Lizhun was promoted from the deputy list to the main list, and became the person whose ranking improved the most after the re-grading.

In this examination, he was ranked seventh. Compared with Hui Yuan Cao Xun, there are only five people in between.

When Liu Lishun heard his name appear on the apricot list, two lines of tears flowed out of his eyes unconsciously:
Eight times, more than twenty years, his youth was spent in the imperial examination.

Now that he has finally achieved positive results, how can he not be filled with emotion!

Looking back on the hardships of these years, Liu Lishun finally understood what it means to have a happy life after all the hardships.

If he hadn't been well-educated enough, he could hardly help crying at this moment to vent his emotions.

It was Niu Jinxing's first time participating in the joint examination, and he didn't feel the same way. But after knowing that Liu Lishun was Yuan Keli's disciple, he knew that Liu Lishun would be on the list in this examination.

Because the emperor asked three examiners to re-mark the papers, there had been rumors for a long time.

Yuan Keli is the deputy examiner of this subject and the evaluator of the re-grading. It is a matter of course that his disciples are on the list——

Even if he doesn't take care of it deliberately, Liu Lishun's article must be in line with Yuan Keli's taste. Being selected by him into the main list is almost guaranteed.

In fact, after the three marking officers checked each other and conducted relatively fair marking, Liu Lishun's test paper was praised by the three examiners.

That's why he was originally reluctantly included in the deputy list and was now ranked seventh on the main list.

Although the people around him didn't know these joints, they were familiar with Liu Lishun's name.

I know that this old candidate who won the national examination at a young age and participated in eight examinations is very capable. If it were not so unlucky, he should have been on the list long ago.

Therefore, the Henan Juren gathered around him, led by Huiyuan Cao Xun, congratulated him one after another. Cao Xun and Liu Lishun are not the only two people from Henan who have appeared on the Apricot List. After a while, many people's names were called.

These people are all beaming with joy and accepting the happiness from around them. Those who are not on the list are like mourning for their heirs. Those who took the Mingfa and Mingshu exams, or were qualified to take the Enke exams were lucky enough to say that some of the Juren who did not have these opportunities were already crying.

In previous years, most of these crying Juren would have been old Juren. But the emperor wants to open Enke this year, and those who are over forty years old will still have the opportunity to take the exam.

Therefore, these people did not cry bitterly, and the atmosphere in the Gongyuan was far more peaceful than in previous years.

Niu Jinxing participated in the examination for the first time and had no idea about this. I don’t have any feelings about the announcement of the Jinshi Examination——

Because he didn't take the Jinshi examination at all, but put all his energy into taking the Mingshu subject.

After Liu Lishun pointed out that the most important thing in Mingshi is to answer questions, Niu Jinxing gave up the three exams in Jinshi and focused on answering questions in the inn. I only took part in the fifth session of the general examination, the math test.

Therefore, he will definitely not be on the list of Jinshi subjects. On the contrary, it is possible that his name will appear in Mingshuangkeke, which does not publish the rankings.

"I wonder when the list of Mingshuangke will be announced?"

"This time the results of the Jinshi subject are released more than ten days later than in previous years. When will the Mingfa and Mingshu subjects be delayed?"

Niu Jinxing said anxiously, although Niu Jinxing felt that his calculation skills were far beyond ordinary people. But it was the first time that the math test was held, and he didn't know everyone's level, so he wasn't very sure whether he could make it to the exam.

Liu Lishun has been on the list of Jinshi subjects, and his heart is full of depression. After hearing the anxious words of the little brother, he comforted him kindly:

"Your math skills are among the best among the people I know. You should be on the list."

"Even if it doesn't make it to the main list, it's still a sure shot to be on the deputy list."

"According to the discussion just now, if the deputy list of Mingshu Branch is given Mingshu family background, they can also be officials."

"Brother Niu, please relax and don't think too much."

Niu Jinxing felt better after listening to his comfort.

Indeed, with his level of calculation, even if he does not make it to the main list, he is still a sure shot on the deputy list——

He would not believe that there were two hundred people in the country who could be elected, more than him.

However, when he thought about the difference between being a Jinshi in Mingshu Science and being given a Mingshu background, he wondered whether he should be directly appointed as an official after being on the deputy list of Mingshu:

"There is a huge difference between the grinding and surveying periods for those who are born as Jinshi and those who are not. 』

"Without Jinshi status, it is almost impossible to ascend to a high position. 』

"If possible, try to obtain Jinshi status. 』

Knowing well the difficulties of being a non-Jinshi scholar in the officialdom, when Niu Jinxing had the opportunity to become a Jinshi scholar, he could not help but look to Sichuan to seek a Jinshi background.

Therefore, he began to think about whether he should directly take an official position if he was ranked on the deputy list, or give up and take the examination again.

Amidst this anxiety, he soon heard that the main and deputy list of Jinshi subjects were announced. Officials from the Ministry of Rites are counting the people who participated in Enke.

But this matter has nothing to do with him. He is only thirty-four years old this year. His father is Jishan, the eighth-rank official of Prince Lu's palace. He is not close to his ancestors who are over forty years old and have three generations of white bodies. If he wants to participate in Enke, he has to wait. Wait six years:
"Six years?" 』

“It seems like it would be good to wait. 』

"This way I can participate in two more general examinations and get the opportunity to be an encore when I am forty years old. 』

"If you don't pass the Jinshi exam this time, then you have to wait for the next subject. If you don't pass the next subject, you can take the next one." 』

"When he was forty years old and still couldn't pass the exam, he took part in the Enke examination and became an official. 』(End of this chapter)