HLnovel Chapter 361 The banquet is over
Chapter 361 The banquet is over
The top scorer in this provincial examination is also very young. His surname is Huo and he is less than 20 years old. I heard about this person when Mr. Lu analyzed the list this morning. He also came from a noble family and was a relative of the emperor.
Now it matched. Zhang Pingan thought that this person was handsome and did not look like an ordinary person.
He stood up from his seat and gave a speech slowly and his speech was very appropriate.
Children from aristocratic families like these are carefully trained by famous teachers since childhood, and there is no fault to be found in their etiquette and manners.
What's more, Minister Qian and others obviously knew Huo Jieyuan, so they would not make things difficult for him. After praising and encouraging him for a few words, they waved their hands and motioned for him to sit down.
Since it is a banquet for literati, poetry is indispensable to liven up the atmosphere, and it is also an opportunity to show off and become famous.
This segment is an indispensable part of the Lu Ming Banquet every year.
Although Minister Qian was a serious person, he still followed the old rules of the Lu Ming Banquet and asked Huo Jieyuan to take the lead in writing a poem.
"Zongqi, you have been known for your talent since you were in the capital, and you are the champion of this provincial examination. You should take the lead in writing a poem," Minister Qian said slowly, stroking his beard.
"I obey your command. I will show you my skills," Huo Jieyuan replied with a bow. He then stood up straight and recited aloud: "When I was young, I was dressed in fine clothes and rode a vigorous horse. I lived up to my youth and knew how to act. Young people should rise to the sky, embrace the stars, hold the moon, and chase the sun."
"Well, not bad, you have ambition," Minister Qian praised lightly, with a smile on his face.
He also waved and appreciated a famous inkstone.
Seeing Minister Qian say this, other officials also followed suit in praising him, and words like "young talent" were heard everywhere.
The other scholars who saw this were very envious.
Next are the second and third place winners. They are not too old, none of them are over 25.
Even the provincial education commissioner couldn't help but sigh, "This provincial examination has produced so many talented people, and they are all so young. They are pillars of society!"
Minister Qian also nodded.
All the people up to the tenth place were rewarded.
Starting from the eleventh place, he only gave a few words of encouragement, which was obviously just a formality.
Since Jie Yuan took the lead and wrote poems full of his inner ideals and ambitions, those who followed followed suit and wrote poems around this theme.
The people who come after them certainly cannot continue to use the poems or metaphors that the previous people have written or used. Therefore, the lower the ranking, the harder it is to write good poems.
Zhang Ping was assigned the 55th position and was also racking his brains, trying to come up with a poem with some unique features. The people around him were similar, all thinking hard.
After more than two quarters of an hour, it was finally Zhang Pingan's turn.
Zhang Pingan stood up and introduced himself according to the etiquette before he slowly chanted: "Young man, why not dream of picking stars, and dare to draw the mulberry bow and shoot the jade heng. Don't say that there are few Jingwei today, and invite us to watch the sea level in the future."
Speak clearly, word by word.
Although I was a little panicked inside, I had to keep my composure. If I messed up today, it would be difficult for me to survive in the Juren circle in the future!
Seeing that Zhang Ping'an was so young and had written good poems, Minister Qian praised him: "Well, very good. He is so young and has a bright future ahead of him!"
After saying that, he also rewarded me with a piece of high-quality pine soot ink.
Zhang Pingan quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude!
"No need to be so polite, just sit down," Minister Qian said calmly.
This scene made all the candidates look over, their eyes full of pretended casual scrutiny. The fat man next to them was jealous and envious when he saw it.
You should know that starting from the eleventh place, there was no reward. This can be considered as being treated differently by Minister Qian.
On the other side, Yue Chi, a new acquaintance of the same age, whispered congratulations.
Zhang Ping'an touched the pine soot ink box handed to him by Minister Qian's attendant and smiled.
He admitted that he was just an ordinary man, and he was indeed very happy to receive praise and rewards. He even felt his blood boiling and wanted to sacrifice his life for the court.
Maybe I didn’t drink enough chicken soup in my previous life, so I can’t remain indifferent when faced with other people’s praise.
By the time the last person finished writing a poem, a long time had passed. Zhang Ping'an was already 80% full, and no one else could get any extra rewards.
According to Zhang Ping'an's understanding, there should be talent shows by the candidates in the next session, such as playing the piano or something, and it is unknown when the banquet will end.
Unexpectedly, after Minister Qian and the last candidate sat down, he spoke up, "This provincial examination is primarily designed to select talents for the imperial court. Since you have all stood out from over two thousand candidates, you demonstrate not only solid academic knowledge but also a deep concern for the nation. Your poems are also excellent. It's getting late now, so Huo Jieyuan will lead the recitation of the Deer Singing chapter from the Book of Songs."
Zhang Pingan raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard this, and looked at Yue Chi next to him, and saw full of surprise in the other's eyes.
They skipped the talent show and prepared for the thank-you banquet. It seems that Minister Qian is a man who is decisive and gets things done.
"Deer Singing" is not long and is finished in a short while. If the presiding officials and the provincial education commissioner have no other ideas, the process of the Deer Singing Banquet will be completed.
As expected, after the song was over, Minister Qian raised his wine glass and said solemnly, "When will we all enjoy peace and prosperity together, and spend the night relaxing with music and music? I hope all the candidates will remember their original aspirations and forge ahead. At the same time, I also wish you all success in the imperial examination next February!"
The candidates also raised their glasses to toast and express their gratitude.
At this time, servants lined up and came with trays, and a beautifully wrapped gift box was placed in front of each candidate.
Zhang Ping'an knew that there should be a jade pendant inside, which is unique to every Lu Ming Banquet and is given to new candidates. It is engraved with the year and month of success and the name of the candidate. The material of the jade pendant is not worth much, but it is a symbol of honor.
I heard that many scholars would keep this jade pendant as a family heirloom and pass it on to their newly enlightened son or grandson, representing a beautiful expectation.
It is very impolite to open a gift in front of others, and it may even be considered as uncultured, so no one opened the gift box there, and they could only go back and check it out.
After handing out the gifts, Minister Qian said, "I'm very busy with official duties, and there are still many matters waiting to be dealt with in the government office. I'll go ahead and leave. Please do as you please!"
After saying that, he stood up and strode away, leaving in a very free and easy manner!
The presiding officials were gone, and the other officials also left one after another.
Now there were only the newly-appointed scholars left, and with no one to pressure them, everyone relaxed a lot and started eating and drinking, leaving the table only when they had almost finished.
Those who want to leave can leave first, and those who don’t want to leave can continue to stroll around the plum garden and meet other people.
After Lin Junhui left the table, he came over and asked, "Ping An, do you want to go back or stay and continue shopping?"
Zhang Pingan saw that Lin Junhui was drunk and had obviously drunk quite a bit. He couldn't help but ask with concern, "I'm fine with that. I'll listen to you. I see you've had quite a bit to drink. Is that okay?"
Lin Junhui waved his hands and smiled, "It's okay, I'm fine!"
After saying that, he fanned himself with a "swish" sound and said, "It's just very hot! Anyway, we've all known each other by name, so there will be a banquet like this later, and it will be more comfortable. Let's go home today!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you!" Zhang Ping'an replied.
He then bowed to his new friend Yue Chi and said, "Brother Yue, I'll be leaving now. We'll meet again some other day!"
"Okay, let's talk again some other day," Yue Chi stood up and replied in a gentle voice.
After exiting the Plum Garden gate and boarding the carriage, Lin Junhui unbuttoned his shirt to let out some heat, then leaned back against the cushions, exhaling a breath of alcohol as he said, "It's finally over. Fortunately, Minister Qian doesn't like to be so busy, otherwise I don't know when I can leave!"