Klares Wasser und wunderschöne Berge

Kapitel 41

(to be continued)

The Lonely City (The Princess Who Fell in Love with an Eunuch), A Divine Song, Fisherman's Pride 31. The Top Scholar

Chapter word count: 6905 Update time: 08-08-21 16:12

31. Top Scholar

The scene the princess imagined actually happened in March, though of course, the handsome top scholar wasn't me.

Several days after the imperial examination at Chongzheng Hall, the emperor ascended the Jiying Hall, where the final results of the examination were announced. As was customary, the women of the inner palace could then accompany the empress to the Taiqing Tower, which was adjacent to the Jiying Hall, to catch a glimpse of the newly appointed scholars.

On that day, colorful curtains and beaded screens were set up on the Taiqing Tower. The Empress's throne was placed on the east side of the tower, with the princess sitting beside her and the palace ladies seated in order behind her. However, Consort Zhang instructed her personal attendants to set up another seat on the west side of the Taiqing Tower. The colorful curtains and embroidered fans were similar in color and style to those used by the Empress. From the tower, it looked as if the two palaces were side by side.

There were about four or five hundred candidates who entered the palace to participate in the name-calling ceremony. They entered in two lines and stood solemnly in front of the Jiying Hall. They were all dressed in white robes. Under the bright blue sky, their attire was as white as snow.

When the time for calling out the names arrived, the music stopped, and the candidates and onlookers held their breath, waiting for the emperor in the hall to announce the names of the successful candidates.

A moment later, the emperor himself read out the name of the top scholar, which was then announced in unison by six or seven guards, resounding throughout the hall: "The first scholar to pass the imperial examination—Feng Jing from Jiangxia."

A slight ripple stirred within the ranks of the candidates, after which a young scholar emerged from within, walking unhurriedly towards the hall, his figure graceful and his demeanor composed.

Most of the palace ladies on the Taiqing Tower couldn't contain themselves and leaned forward to peek at the newly appointed top scholar. Unfortunately, they were a little far away, and he soon entered the Jiying Hall. The ladies couldn't get a clear look at his features and couldn't help but ask each other, "Did you get a clear look at the top scholar?"

Pei Xiang, the palace attendant standing beside the empress, smiled and said, "This top scholar's appearance is probably the best among all the top scholars in the history of the dynasty."

Pei Xiang was one of the most talented eunuchs of the dynasty. His adoptive father, Pei Yu, a courtier during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, was a skilled poet with a reputation for excellence. Pei Xiang himself loved reading, and with Pei Yu's meticulous guidance, his literary talent as a young man rivaled that of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He now served in the Imperial Library, responsible for book collation and editing, a position almost equivalent to that of a civil official. During the Mingdao era, the current emperor held a special imperial examination in his private palace to test the Jinshi's poetry and prose. On a whim, he ordered Pei Xiang, who was serving nearby, to write the questions. Pei Xiang gladly accepted the task and completed the essay in one go. After reading his poem, the emperor praised it highly, and the eunuchs around him were also impressed. From then on, whenever there was a palace examination, the emperor would have Pei Xiang serve by his side, frequently checking the Jinshi's exam papers and reporting the answers. Therefore, Pei Xiang was quite familiar with the situation of the newly appointed Jinshi.

His words elicited a burst of laughter and gasps from the women, their eyes sparkling with curiosity. Miao Shuyi, who had grown up in the palace and had witnessed several generations of imperial examinations, then asked Pei Xiang, "How does this compare to the top scholar Wang from nineteen years ago?"

She is referring to Wang Gongchen, who has now passed the imperial examination in the eighth year of the Tiansheng era, nineteen years ago.

Pei Xiang replied, "At that time, Vice Minister Wang was only nineteen years old. Although he was handsome, he was a bit thin and immature, like a green bamboo. This Scholar Feng is a few years older than him. He is graceful and beautiful without any aloofness. Standing among the candidates, he is as dazzling as a blooming tangyi."

The Empress smiled and said, "Pei Chengzhi is excellent in both calligraphy and painting, and his descriptions of people are just like his paintings."

"Your Majesty, I am humbled..." Pei Xiang bowed with a smile: "I am simply answering Lady Miao's questions truthfully... Scholar Feng's talent is also outstanding. He ranked first in both the provincial examination and the Ministry of Rites examination before the palace examination. With today's announcement of the results, he has truly achieved the triple crown."

There were only four people in the history of the dynasty who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations (三元及第), passing all three levels of the examinations with top honors. Hearing this, the women became less concerned with the subsequent announcements of the successful candidates and focused solely on inquiring about Pei Xiang's status as the top scholar. After asking about his place of origin, age, background, and the content of his poems in the palace examination, one of the bolder women asked crisply, "Does the top scholar have a family?"

The crowd burst into laughter, startling the Palace Attendant, who quickly gestured, "Silence! It would be improper for the scholars to hear this."

The ladies-in-waiting barely suppressed their laughter, teasing the lady who had asked the question while simultaneously raising their eyebrows and smirking at Pei Xiang, waiting for his answer.

Pei Xiang's answer did not disappoint them: "Scholar Feng married a woman a few years ago, but she died young, and he has not remarried since."

“Oh…” the wives responded, sounding as if they had breathed a sigh of relief.

The princess couldn't help but laugh, and whispered to me, "What does it matter to them whether he has a family or not? They can't marry him anyway, so why are they so concerned?"

I smiled but did not answer. Having spent a lot of time with my wives, I could vaguely guess what they were thinking. They certainly knew they wouldn't end up with a top scholar, but when faced with a handsome man, they would always hope he remained single as much as possible, giving them more room to dream.

The top five Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were announced by the current emperor himself. Afterwards, eunuchs called out the names in batches. After the fifth group of names was called out, the scholars who entered the palace held the imperial edict and bowed twice. The palace announcer then said, "Bestow upon the Jinshi robes and tablets."

The green robes and court tablets bestowed upon the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were piled up under the two side wings outside the Jiying Hall. The first five, following the top scholar, went out of the hall first. With the help of eunuchs, they first put on a pale yellow silk robe, then a green silk official robe, tied with a pale yellow belt, and received the white tablets and court tablets. Afterwards, hundreds of scholars came one after another, vying for the robes and tablets on the corridor. They didn't even have time to remove their white robes, and directly put on the green robes on top. It was a chaotic mess, completely unlike the composure of the first five, which made the palace ladies laugh again.

After the scholars had finished putting on their robes and fastening their belts, eunuchs led them to the palace to express their gratitude. A moment later, the top scholar led a group of successful candidates out, and eunuchs led them to the Taiqing Tower to pay their respects to the Empress.

After the eunuch brought them over, he didn't give many instructions. I glanced at the side where Consort Zhang was on the west side, and for a moment I wondered if the top scholar couldn't tell the empress's position, because the difference between the colorful curtains and ceremonial guards on both sides was very small, and someone unfamiliar with palace etiquette might not be able to distinguish them. But the top scholar, Feng Jing, only glanced at the upper floor and then turned to the east side, leading the crowd to bow.

Miao Shuyi probably thought the same thing as me. When she saw him identify the location of the Empress, she smiled and said, "This top scholar is quite perceptive."

Pei Xiang smiled and said, "If you don't even know the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, then you've wasted your chance to be the top scholar."

The Empress smiled and gestured to her attendants to convey her decree that the formalities were waived. She then ordered that dragon and phoenix tea cakes and dumplings be brought to be given to the top scholar and all the successful candidates in the imperial examinations. She also gave Seven Treasures Tea to Zhao Yan, the examiner and Hanlin scholar who was still in the Jiying Hall.

After the ceremony for the successful candidates in the imperial examination was completed, everyone left one by one. However, the top scholar, Feng Jing, remained in place until all the others had dispersed. Only then did he stand up, bow to the Empress again, straighten up, take a few steps back, and then turn and leave.

During this time, the young ladies behind the beaded curtain crowded around the railing, their eyes filled with affection and their cheeks flushed. When the top scholar left, they all looked disappointed. The princess was small and had been somewhat reserved before, so she hadn't squeezed to the front to watch. But now that the top scholar was about to leave, she became anxious and leaned towards the railing, using the jade handle of her fan to lift the beaded curtain and look at the top scholar.

Perhaps due to her panic, her hand trembled, and the fan slipped from her hand, falling gently. It circled a few times in the air before being blown forward by the wind and landing beside Feng Jing.

Feng Jing stopped, turned back to look upstairs, tracing the trajectory of the fallen fan. A smile played on his lips, and for a moment he remained still, providing those upstairs with a picturesque scene to observe closely.

Compared to Wang Gongchen, the top scholar nineteen years ago, Feng Jing's beauty possesses a warmer quality. The former was aloof as if stepping out of moonlight, while the latter's smile was gentle and clear, imbued with his unwavering confidence. His pale yellow silk robe and green gauze dress, combined with his delicate features and graceful demeanor, gave them a luxurious feel, evoking pleasant images such as willows and apricot blossoms in the rain, and a horse galloping swiftly in the spring breeze.

When the fan was pulled down, the princess was slightly startled and withdrew her hand, but she was still curious. She then used her hand to part the two strands of the beaded chain, and her gaze gently fell on the handsome face of the man downstairs.

Feng Jing raised his head slightly, glancing sideways at the swaying curtains of Taiqing Tower. His gentle smile carried a hint of languor as he half-closed his eyes, seemingly either avoiding the golden sunlight or enjoying its warmth.

Their eyes met, and the princess felt as if she had been burned. She immediately lowered her hand, letting the beaded curtain cover her face, which had been partially exposed. This hasty action drew laughter from the palace concubines, but she did not argue or refute as usual.

Downstairs, Feng Jing picked up the fan with a smile and examined it closely. He held the handle in one hand and gently stroked the fan surface with the other, as if trying to erase the shadows of his veil and crown tassels falling on the fan.

The princess upstairs stared silently ahead. The swaying crystal bead curtain reflected the shimmering spring sunlight, casting iridescent shadows on her face, and her cheeks gradually flushed red in the casually moving light.

The Empress sent her maidservant away to bow to Feng Jing and request the return of the fan. Feng Jing bowed, held the fan to his eyebrows with both hands, handed it to the maidservant, then bowed again towards the Empress before slowly retreating.

The maid came upstairs and presented the fan to the princess, but the princess refused to take it. Instead, she stepped back and said, "I don't want anything that has been touched by an outsider."

Yu Chongyi laughed upon hearing this, "Oh my, when did the princess become so concerned about the separation of men and women?"

Everyone burst into laughter. The princess, both embarrassed and anxious, whispered, "I can't be bothered with you!" Then she grabbed my hand, "Huaiji, let's go." She led me quickly downstairs and into the back garden.

As I walked, I kept an eye on her and noticed that her eyes were sparkling and her face was still flushed.

This was probably the first time she truly realized the beauty of men. I thought wistfully. If this incident involving the fan pendant had happened in the Tang Dynasty, it might have become a beautiful story—back then, the top scholar in the imperial examinations could marry a princess.

Turning to look at my hand, which she was holding, I recalled the silk fan that she had deliberately discarded after Feng Jing had touched it. A previously vague idea became incredibly clear at that moment: she didn't mind physical contact with me, which meant she didn't treat me like an outsider, but more importantly, she didn't treat me like a man either.