Chapter 148: Rankings and Announcement

If the later Ming Dynasty was governed by the Cabinet’s proposals and the Imperial Secretariat’s approval, then the Cabinet established just over a decade earlier was far from reaching such a level. Although Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, was not as diligent in governance as Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, and had established a Cabinet to assist in governance, its members only had the power to offer advice without decision-making authority. Even when reviewing the essays in the imperial examinations, Zhu Di did not simply accept whatever the examiners submitted.

That day, after Yang Rong and the other examiners presented three first-class essays along with seven other outstanding ones, and had all the essays from the second and third classes brought in, Zhu Di merely skimmed through those few articles before ordering his eunuchs to select a dozen essays from the second and third classes.

“All say that governance should be based on morality, but laws are also necessary beyond morality. In the past, there were censors who were corrupt and violent—were these censors? Were they honest officials? Or were they those seeking fame and reputation?… Promotions too rapid make people more arrogant; promotions too slow cause people to waste time. Thus, it is a great mistake for officials to prioritize understanding the emperor’s intentions over soothing the people’s hearts. Everyone says governance should be based on benevolence and righteousness—what is true benevolence? What is true righteousness…?”

Looking at the essay in his hands, Zhu Di felt a sense of sharpness emanating from it. He even smiled slightly when reading that line. Though he was not someone with an especially forgiving nature, since this was an imperial examination, reading too many mediocre essays became boring. Seeing that the essay was rated as the lowest in the third class, he frowned and personally wrote “third class” on it. Then he asked Yang Rong and the others, “It is good for scholars to criticize current policies, but if placed in the third class, others might think I lack tolerance. Although this essay is not extraordinary and its writing style is somewhat immature, it is still valuable. Xia Ji… Hmm, this name is interesting.”

Hearing this, Yang Rong realized that it was the youngest candidate in this examination who had won the emperor’s favor. The other examiners kept their eyes down, afraid to speak too much. Since he was both the chief examiner and a Cabinet minister, Yang Rong felt obliged to remind him.

“Your Majesty is absolutely right. This boy is only just fifteen years old. Naturally, he still has the enthusiasm of youth, which gives his writing a sharp edge. I watched him write swiftly beside him, and his essay was indeed well-written.”

“Only fifteen?”

Zhu Di was indeed surprised at this. He had thought Zhang Yue should be the youngest among those who passed the exam, but to his surprise, there was even a younger scholar. He read the essay again carefully, pondering for a while before picking up the red pen several times to change the ranking, only to put it down in the end. Since he had personally selected them, if they were young, so be it. If this boy truly couldn’t be nurtured, it would mean he lacked the ability to do so, despite having the reputation of a young prodigy.

With this essay in hand, he casually glanced at a few others, sometimes moving candidates down from the second tier to the third and vice versa, and included Wan Shijie’s unfinished essay in the second tier as well. After determining the rankings for the third tier, he suddenly remembered Zhang Yue and ordered that his essay be brought out. After reading the first page, he nodded slightly, but upon reading the second, his brows furrowed. His expression shifted between relaxation and tension, and his index finger tapped lightly on the table.

“It is said that the world is conquered with weapons and ruled with benevolence and righteousness—this is the ultimate truth through the ages. Yet the Central Plains have often suffered from barbarians. Throughout history, rulers who treated them with benevolence and righteousness often faced retaliation, while those who used force managed peace only for a time. Why, given the vastness of the Central Plains, has it repeatedly been humiliated by barbarians? Why does benevolence yield no reward, and force bring no peace? A great ruler combines kindness and authority, but after three generations, weapons are put away and soldiers dismount from their armor. Thus, even the mighty empires of the Han and Tang dynasties eventually declined… Governance always relies on rites and laws, and rites and laws emphasize education. Yet isn’t there always some unruly populace? Some corrupt officials? Some rebellious barbarians…?”

Although the Ming Dynasty was not conquered by Zhu Di, he rose to power through the Jingnan Campaign and ascended the throne, taking great pride in his military achievements. In his battles against Emperor Jianwen’s forces, though he suffered defeats time and again, he always led the rear guard personally, which won over his soldiers’ loyalty. Thus, the title of “great ruler” resonated deeply with him. Back when Qiu Fu failed in his northern expedition, he could have sent another capable general, but instead, he resolutely handed over command to the crown prince and led the army himself, returning victorious. He still remembered the pride and excitement of that time vividly.

Though he had been taught by renowned teachers since childhood, his nephew’s rebellions showed that he didn’t truly believe in the teachings of the sages—using them merely to win over scholars. Yet he paid close attention to the accounts in historical records. Thinking of how even emperors like Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di had great military prowess, and emperors like Tang Taizong and Song Taizu had once ruled with mighty armies, only for those armies to turn to dust, he couldn’t help but ponder deeper implications.

In the past, Emperor Hongwu, to prevent the young Emperor Jianwen from being unable to hold the throne, executed his meritorious officials. What was the result? Though he now valued military strength, the crown prince turned out to be weak and gentle, and the crown prince heir Zhu Zhanji was not as enthusiastic about military affairs as him. So what would happen in the future?

“However, excessive use of troops depletes the national treasury, and heavy taxes burden the people. Thus, Emperor Wu of Han waged wars year after year against the Xiongnu, who fled far away, but the people suffered not from the Xiongnu but from military service and taxes. Some say that ordinary people do not understand major matters or consider the long term, but without benefiting the people, there is no way to earn their gratitude. What good is a long-term plan if it does not benefit the common folk? The taxes in our dynasty are already heavy…”

Zhu Di read on, lost in thought the whole time. When he reached the point about using military force to enrich the people, he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, thinking that it was indeed typical of someone young to think in such simplistic terms. Yet the earlier points had indeed touched his thoughts, and since he was in a good mood, he didn’t care about anything else and stopped reading. Seeing “Second Class” clearly marked on the exam paper, he decided not to change the ranking and signaled the eunuchs beside him to collect all the papers and take them away.

“There are 250 scholars who have passed this examination. Although fewer than in previous years, they are all talented, which brings me great comfort. Tomorrow, the announcement will be made. Go and arrange everything carefully—no mistakes are allowed.”

While the emperor finalized the rankings, Yang Rong and the others left and began discussing the scene of the emperor personally grading the papers. They all praised the scholars for their unique approaches. Yang Rong echoed their comments for a while, then offered a few suggestions as they prepared for the announcement, spending most of the time sitting aside in thought.

Zhang Yue’s essay during the provincial examination had been elaborate yet balanced, but this time he had produced something quite different. If it weren’t for him explaining it to one of the examiners who personally selected and commented on it, others might have had mixed opinions. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be classified as honest advice nor as radical rebellion—there was no clear category for it.

Only that oddity of Du Zhen could produce such an odd student!

The results of the imperial examination were traditionally announced on yellow scrolls, which is why those who passed were called “those whose names are inscribed on the golden scroll.” Although passing the provincial examination secured a position as a scholar, people still cared about rankings. On the day of the announcement, Zhang Yue, worried after submitting such an essay, went to Chengtian Gate early in the morning with his father to check the results.

Amid the crowd, Zhang Zhuo noticed Zhang Yue looking up at the palace gates with concern. Although the imperial examination was extremely important, it was still much less stressful compared to the previous qualifying exams. Zhang Yue had acted as if nothing had happened after finishing those exams—why was he so nervous now? Remembering how he refused to reveal what he had written on the way home that day, Zhang Zhuo grew uneasy.

“Yue, could it be you wrote something inappropriate on your answer sheet, or did you forget to avoid certain taboos?”

Zhang Yue had merely had a sudden idea when seeing the exam questions; he certainly didn’t dare tell his father what he had written and quickly changed the subject. Soon, turmoil arose in the crowd as a group of guards escorted a court official to post the results. As the huge yellow list was gradually displayed on the wall, countless people stared at it, with those who made a living by announcing good news scanning the entire list at lightning speed.

“Fourteenth place in the second tier…”

Muttering to himself, Zhang Zhuo was stunned. He could hardly believe his eyes at such an unexpected result. Although those in the second tier didn’t all get into the Hanlin Academy like those in the first tier, it was still a great opportunity. His elder brother, Zhang Xin, had become the top scorer in previous exams but had directly entered officialdom afterward. In terms of the imperial examinations, this was the first time Zhang Yue had surpassed his elder brother.

At that moment, Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie were together, both having found their names in the second tier. Wan Shijie was twenty-second in that tier, while Zhang Yue was twenty-fourth right after him. After reading the list, they exchanged a glance and instinctively slapped their palms together, their faces filled with undisguised joy. However, when they turned to look at Xia Ji, they saw him standing there frozen, as if carved from clay or wood.

“Third place… I’m third place…”

Hearing Xia Ji’s words, Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie were shocked. Only then did they remember that the top three in the first tier were posted separately, and they hadn’t noticed earlier. When they saw the prominent name of the third-place winner, they exchanged looks and immediately exclaimed in unison, “Congratulations, the third-place winner!”

The announcement of the third-place winner not only woke Xia Ji but also those candidates frantically searching the yellow list for their names. When everyone saw that the so-called third-place winner was actually a youth who hadn’t even reached adulthood, there was immediate uproar. Faced with such widespread attention, Zhang Yue quickly pulled the still dazed Xia Ji along, along with his father Zhang Zhuo, and they hurried to get out of the crowd. Only after finally escaping the throng did he realize his soft hat had been lost somewhere; Wan Shijie’s hairband was also on the verge of falling off, and even his father Zhang Zhuo was covered in wrinkles—all in a state of utter disarray.
“I’m actually the third-place winner…” It seemed Xia Ji finally came to his senses at that moment. He raised his fist toward the sky, unable to hide his excitement. “In my essay, I criticized the flaws in governance—saying that hiring should neither be too hasty nor too slow, and that censors who reported issues only for personal fame were tyrannical… I thought if this didn’t work, the Imperial Guards would lock me up!”
Zhang Yue had thought his own essay was already bold enough, but here was someone even more fearless. He couldn’t help but laugh. After chatting for a while, since they needed to return immediately to prepare for the announcement and inform the Ministry of Rites, the four of them didn’t dare delay any longer and went their separate ways home, filled with indescribable joy.
One third-place winner and three second-place winners among the four—what an extraordinary achievement!