Chapter 2207: Announcing the Rankings

Chapter 2207: Announcing the Rankings

In the Imperial Hall, all the newly appointed scholars had changed into official attire and were nervously waiting outside the hall for their names to be called.

After the civil and military officials in the hall paid their respects, an official from the Honglu Temple came out and led all the scholars into the hall. They knelt down one by one to await the announcement.

The palace examination had divided the scholars into three ranks.

The first rank consisted of "Imperial Scholars," totaling three individuals, including the top scorer, the second-ranked scholar, and the third-ranked scholar.

The second rank consisted of "Graduated Scholars," with several individuals, and the top scorer in this rank was titled "Transmitting Scholar."

The third rank had several individuals titled "Scholars of the Same Rank."

Originally, after the scholars knelt and paid their respects, the Emperor would personally announce the names, starting with the third-ranked scholars.

However, for some unknown reason, the Emperor decided to have the Ministry of Rites officials announce the names starting from the third rank.

No one among the scholars hoped to hear their name when the third-ranked scholars were announced. Although "Scholars of the Same Rank" were considered scholars, their status was quite awkward. In essence, this was a consolation prize for those who didn't make it as full-fledged scholars.

Therefore, no one wanted to become a "Scholar of the Same Rank" like Lady Ru.

However, "Scholars of the Same Rank" had the most slots available, and as soon as the Ministry of Rites officials began calling the first name, many scholars started to show expressions of disappointment and pain.

For a while, there was only the sound of the Ministry of Rites officials announcing names in the great hall.

The third rank consisted of 292 individuals, and once all their names were called, the "Scholars of the Same Rank" stood up and expressed their gratitude.

The Emperor's gaze fell upon them, and he encouraged them with a few words before letting them wait on the side.

The scholars who weren't called breathed a sigh of relief, their faces gradually improving, and they began to anticipate their own names being announced.

All of those who weren't in the top three belonged to the second rank of scholars.

This time, when the Ministry of Rites announced their names, the scholars' reactions were completely different.

Among the crowd, Meng Yunzheng stood with his head bowed low, not reacting at all, until the Ministry of Rites announced, "Transmitting Scholar of the Second Rank, Xie Bo."

Meng Yunzheng finally lifted his head slightly and looked at Xie Bo, who was not far away and seemed pleasantly surprised. He smiled.

The scholars of the second rank came forward to express their thanks before stepping aside.

At this moment, there were only three people left in the center of the great hall.

Many people's eyes were fixed on Meng Yunzheng, and their gazes were somewhat complex.

What had happened in the examination hall earlier made many people think that he had incurred the Emperor's displeasure. Even if he did well on the exam, the final ranking was still decided by the Emperor. Even if he didn't get a "Scholar of the Same Rank" title, he should at least be among the top scholars of the second rank.

However, unexpectedly, he was among the top three scholars, and no one knew which position he held.

The crowd looked at the three individuals in the center, and it seemed that Meng Yunzheng, who had the most handsome appearance, was the most likely candidate. Among all the scholars, Meng Yunzheng's looks were among the best.

Otherwise, the young lady from the Hou Mansion wouldn't have been willing to marry him based on his looks alone, regardless of his background and future prospects.

The onlookers felt a pang of jealousy. A person like him was most likely the third-ranked scholar.

On the other side, prime Minister Qi, Yao Tianqin, and others were quite satisfied, nodding in agreement. The top three rankings seemed to be a match for the County Princess of Wen'an.

The Emperor, unaware of these thoughts, stood up, looked down at the three individuals in the hall, and then took the list handed over by the Ministry of Rites officials. He glanced at it briefly and closed it.