Chapter 797 Guangnan Banquet - No Feast Without Chicken
Minister He’s eyes widened, and the fierce look in his eyes was exactly the kind that Jiujin was afraid of.
When Sun Shan saw this, he immediately dodged and ran away.
Ouch, that’s so brutal. So scary!
Thirty-six strategies are the best ones!
Minister He looked at Sun Shan, who ran away like a mouse, and smiled helplessly.
Today, when I was on duty and just stepped into the "company", I knew Sun Shan's achievements.
Unexpectedly, he was still at the bottom. Minister He’s mouth twitched.
Du Liubo won four prizes in a row, and his family member Sun Shan also won four prizes in a row, but his was the last one.
Minister He couldn't help but sigh that Sun Shan was a strange man.
After that, continue to do what you should do. When the new Jinshi are announced, all departments have to work. These are talents selected by the court every three years.
Many old people will leave their original positions, and new people will take their places, batch after batch, so that there will be no generational gap in talent.
After a busy period, it was finally time to get off work.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace, he was pulled aside by his good friend and relative.
He looks sneaky and gossipy. He must be making up stories and receiving gossip from some unknown source.
The friend asked anxiously: "My dear, do you know that there is a last one in your family's Sun Shan?"
Minister He nodded and rolled his eyes: "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Yes, there is definitely a problem, and it’s a big problem!
The friend widened his eyes and asked, "My dear, don't you find it strange? Sun Shan is ranked last again this time. Tsk tsk~~ I heard that he ranked last in the college examination, the provincial examination, and the metropolitan examination, and now he is still ranked last in the palace examination. This is a four-place winner."
Then he said cheerfully, "The kind that counts down, ahahaha!"
Minister He waved his sleeves and said speechlessly: "Don't you know that in the Imperial College? Generally, the palace examination only considers the top ten. The candidates behind them~~~"
Minister He gave a meaningful look to his good friend and relative.
In fact, among so many scores, the result of the imperial examination is the most important. If you do well in the imperial examination, you will not do too badly in the palace examination.
If one does poorly in the provincial examination, then even if he does well in the palace examination, it won’t be much better.
The cabinet first looks at the top of the examination, and as for the candidates behind, they just take a quick look. If they are really outstanding, their ranking can be improved.
If the writing is mediocre, they will be ranked according to their examination scores.
Everyone has become accustomed to this unspoken rule.
Sun Shan ranked last in the imperial examination. When Minister He took a look at the questions in the palace examination, he could describe them in eight words: "ordinary and plain."
It was impossible for him to stand out, but he unexpectedly came in last. It seemed that the candidates ahead of him still performed better than him.
Of course, friends know what Minister He’s eyes mean?
Doesn't it mean that the cabinet didn't look at the test papers seriously and just skimmed through them?
But he didn't come here to talk about this issue today. He came to tell gossip with Minister He.
With bright eyes, he said, "My dear relative, I am asking you why Sun Shan ranked last again. Don't you find it strange? Not to mention improving by dozens of places, even improving by one place would be fine. How come he is last again? Did Sun Shan hand in a blank paper, or write something carelessly?"
Minister He shook his head and said, "What do you want to say? Please speak quickly. I have to go back to eat."
Anyone with a sound mind will not hand in a blank paper or write sloppy work.
Although the palace examination would not result in dismissal, the provocative meaning of handing in a blank paper is obvious, as it is a challenge to the imperial power.
Humph, the lighter ones will be dismissed, and the heavier ones will be punished.
Looking at your friend’s gossipy and excited eyes, you know he has something to say, and he wants you to guess.
Minister He doesn't like to be guessed. If you want to say something, just tell me. If not, get out of here.
Minister He began to regret becoming a relative with his best friend, and now he couldn't get rid of him.
When his friend saw that He was about to leave, he immediately pulled him off and said in dissatisfaction, "Why are you leaving so quickly? It's a rare opportunity for us to meet, why don't we chat a little more?"
Minister He rolled his eyes again.
What do you mean by "rarely see each other"? Come on, can they see each other every day?
Minister He shook his sleeves and said impatiently, "Just tell me if you have something to say?"
In fact, I would like to say "if you have to fart, just fart!"
Minister He was really in a hurry to go home.
Before going on duty, Madam He asked him to go home early today to celebrate with Sun Shan.
Although Sun Shan's score was at the bottom, he was still on the list of successful candidates. We should still celebrate and be happy!
The Madam must have prepared a sumptuous meal today. Minister He's stomach was rumbling and he really wanted to go back and eat some boiled chicken.
As for why Minister He was sure that there would be boiled chicken, it was because a Guangnan banquet is not complete without chicken!
Seeing that He Shilang was really impatient, his friend complained, "You are just like a young man, you have no patience at all. Oh, I really don't want to be your friend."
Minister He glared at him again.
My friend was mysterious and whispered, "I have a relative in the cabinet, you know that, right?"
I know, how could I not know? The officials who come and go in the capital are the same. As a family of officials, the first thing to do is to clarify the relationship with the officials in the capital, so as to avoid saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing.
The friend continued, "I heard from him that your Sun Shan, haha, was not originally the last one."
Minister He's round face showed a surprised expression, and he asked quickly: "Not the last one? Could it be that he broke into the second class?"
As for the first place, Minister He dared not think about it but dared not say it out loud, because he himself did not believe it.
His friend rolled his eyes at Minister He and said speechlessly, "Brother Jiongtong, are you talking nonsense? Sun Shan ranked last in the examination, and you dare to expect him to get into the second place?"
Tsk tsk ~ I didn’t expect that my relative would dare to think like this. I don’t know who gave him the courage!
Minister He pretended nothing had happened: "Then tell me, what does it mean that he is not the last one? Could it be that my nephew's son-in-law deliberately let someone make him the last one?"
Who was it? In broad daylight, he blatantly cheated and put Sun Shan in last place.
What is his purpose for doing this?
The friend laughed and looked at Minister He meaningfully: "You are right, your Sun Shan was indeed deliberately put in last place!"
Minister He asked anxiously, "Who is it?"
In fact, I already had a guess in my mind. Who else would dare to do this except him?
The friend patted Minister He's fat shoulders and said cheerfully, "Who else would dare to do this except His Majesty?"
After a pause, he gossiped, "Brother Jiongtong, your Sun Shan has been remembered by the emperor. Hehe~"
Minister He's eyes widened as he looked at his friend in disbelief.
After the palace examination, the cabinet presented the ten best papers to the current emperor to select the top three.
After the selection was made, the emperor suddenly said, "I heard that there is a candidate named Sun Shan who always ranks last in the exams. How much did he do this time?"
The ministers were stunned; they didn't expect the emperor to ask this.
The elder in charge of this palace examination didn't know who Sun Shan was? He was just too busy recently and didn't read the gossip tabloids.
But the Lord Minister doesn’t know, but some people do.
Soon Sun Shan's paper was pulled out from the candidates' papers.
Then he said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Sun Shan ranked 450th in the exam this time, not the last."
The emperor uttered an "oh" and said, "Send his paper here."
Soon, Sun Shan's paper was presented to the emperor.
When the emperor saw the handwriting, he found it very ordinary and immediately frowned.
The people below also became nervous, especially the examiners, who were afraid that the emperor would blame them for giving random marks.