Chương 544: Results Announcement. I passed! Me too!

I passed! Me too!

The scroll was as thick as a tree trunk that could be embraced, and incredibly long, covered entirely with bright red silk...

The group stood solemnly and silently, with only the echoing sound of their synchronized footsteps resonating in everyone's hearts like drumbeats.

They walked through the passageway that automatically parted in the crowd and headed straight for the tallest and widest section of the city wall next to the South Gate.

The crowd fell silent instantly, even their breathing became soft.

All eyes were focused on the huge red cloth scroll.

The Imperial Guards slowly walked to the south gate.

Lu Bing waved his hand.

"Ascend the city!"

Sixteen imperial guards, carrying red cloth scrolls, climbed the steps one by one up the city wall.

On the city wall, the Imperial Guards lifted a huge red silk scroll and hung the golden ring at the top onto a large steel hook that had been prepared beforehand.

Then, they let go of each other's hands.

"Splash—!"

It was as if a red waterfall was falling from the sky, or as if brocade from the heavens was being laid down to earth.

The red silk covering the scroll unfurled, growing longer and wider until it finally formed a giant red cloth, over three zhang wide and several zhang long, hanging steadily on the majestic city wall!

The sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the bright red cloth.

The top was covered with names, hometowns, and subjects studied, written in vigorous and gleaming gold regular script from top to bottom!

The list of liberal arts students.

First place, Guan Ning...

Second place, Hu Zhao...

......

The list of science majors.

First place, Liu Hui...

Second place...

......

The engineering rankings have been released.

First place, Ma Ping...

Second place...

......

The list of agricultural sciences.

First place, Li Erniu...

Second place...

......

Medical rankings.

First place, the top scholar, Hua Ling...

Second place, Zhang Chang...

......

silence.

Then came a deafening roar!

"I got it! I got it! Third place!" A young candidate jumped up excitedly.

"I passed too! I passed too! Even though I ranked in the top ten, I passed!" Another candidate knelt on the ground, crying his heart out.

Guan Ning's body trembled slightly when he saw his name.

Unlike the others who cheered and jumped for joy, he simply stood there quietly, looking at the golden name on the city wall.

His eyes welled up slightly, but he held them back.

He looked up again at the golden name on the city wall, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

His page jumped up excitedly, grabbed Guan Ning's arm, and shouted, "Sir! You passed! You've become the top scholar! You're the top scholar in the humanities!"

Guan Ning's eyes welled up with tears, but he didn't cry. He just took a deep breath and looked in the direction of the palace.

In the crowd, Ma Ping was so excited that he trembled all over, and tears streamed down his face.

He covered his face and burst into tears, crying like a child.

All the ridicule and grievances of so many years, all the disdain and cold treatment of so many years, vanished in this moment.

He finally proved himself, proving that craftsmen can also succeed.

Li Erniu rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then rubbed them again, afraid that he was seeing things.

When he confirmed that the first place was indeed his name, he knelt down with a thud, his knees hitting the bluestone slabs, and kowtowed three times heavily in the direction of the palace.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!" His voice was choked and hoarse.

"I... I, a farmer, can also become the top scholar!"

Another gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd.

"It's a woman! The top medical student is a woman!"

"My goodness! This is unheard of! A woman can become the top scholar in the imperial examination!"

Hua Ling looked at her name on the city wall and a bright smile appeared on her face.

She had waited for this day for far too long.

She knew she had succeeded.

She proved with her own strength that women can be top students, women can be doctors, and women can serve their country.

...

Some people spotted their own name at a glance, and cheered wildly, waving their arms and legs in celebration...

Someone searched repeatedly, their face growing pale, then collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably...

Many others eagerly searched through the vast sea of pyramids, their exclamations, sighs, cheers, and cries blending together like a symphony of life.

The crimson scroll hanging from the sky illuminated everyone's face and also illuminated a brand new era.

The fates of countless people were completely changed at this moment.

Beneath the red list, amidst the crowd, the emperor who had once given the address was now standing incognito at the window of a nearby high-rise building, quietly observing this bustling scene.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly in a smile.

It became.

The imperial examination system was established.

...

On the night of the 19th day of the seventh month of the first year of Shenwu, in the Greenhouse Hall of the Luoyang Imperial Palace.

The candlelight flickered, casting Liu Ce's shadow on the wall, sometimes large, sometimes small.

Liu Ce was holding a report on the expenses of the imperial clan that had just been sent by the Ministry of Revenue, and he was so angry that he almost smashed the table.

The report clearly stated: there were eighteen princes and dukes from the imperial clan throughout the country, and more than five hundred marquises. The imperial court spent hundreds of millions of coins every year to support them! If they were piled up, they could form a small mountain.

Hundreds of millions of dollars! That's enough to build countless roads and schools...

"Good heavens, really good heavens." Liu Ce threw the report on the table and couldn't help but complain, "These guys can't do anything but have kids and eat, drink, and have fun."

He paced back and forth in his study, growing angrier with each thought: "Damn it, the court is keeping these idle people around, it would be better if..."

Then, Liu Ce sneered and tapped his fingers on the table: "I was too busy conquering the world and purging the powerful families before to deal with them. Now, it's time to settle accounts with them."

[Liu Ce (Li Shimin) (๑＞؂＜๑): Hehehe, my superior political skills tell me to use my super army.]...

The next morning, the court session was held in the Deyang Hall.

The civil and military officials stood in order of rank, waiting for Liu Ce to announce the daily affairs. Unexpectedly, Liu Ce dropped a bombshell as soon as he opened his mouth.

"I have two important announcements to make at today's court assembly," Liu Ce said, his voice not loud, but clearly carrying throughout the entire hall.

"The first matter is the reorganization of the imperial clan."

The hall fell silent instantly, even the sound of breathing became soft.

Everyone pricked up their ears and stared wide-eyed.

Several officials from the imperial family immediately changed their expressions, as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

One of them had already started trembling.