Chapter 16: My teacher Han Zhang, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet! "What? Second place? Congratulations." "Congratulations, congratulations!" "Such a young second place winner, so scary! Congratulations!" "You don't know this person? Jiangnan Chu Zifeng, she's only eighteen years old!" "Hiss, congratulations, congratulations!" The sons of officials who had been watching from afar hurried forward to congratulate him, and many officials also came forward to congratulate him. Chu Hong responded with a smile one by one. Some wealthy businessmen who were watching also came forward to congratulate, but they only congratulated him and never mentioned the matter of catching a son-in-law. It is important for people to know themselves. When merchants are looking for a son-in-law, they can only choose the third-class Jinshi. The second and first-class ones are the ones who are officials. As the second-placed Gongshi, no matter how much his ranking drops, it is a foregone conclusion that he will be among the top two.
Although the palace examination will be re-ranked, the ranking of most people will not change much, only a few may change. If the ranking is changed drastically, it is essentially saying that the chief examiner of the imperial examination is unfair, which is a slap in the face of the chief examiner of the imperial examination. No one is willing to do this. Chu Hong's face was flushed with joy as he responded to everyone's congratulations one by one. He had also almost finished looking at the list of other Yangzhou students. A total of 43 people from Yangzhou took part in the imperial examination, 11 of whom passed, most of whom were over 40 years old. Zhang Jie, one of the Seven Sons of Jiangnan, ranked 273rd. Chen Duan was said to have been careless, so he didn't win. Chu Hong was not surprised by this result. Zhang Jie and Chen Duan's talents were not much different from those of most candidates, that is, they were slightly above the average level. In the imperial examinations, people with abilities like Zhang Jie and Chen Duan are basically on the edge of passing or failing, and there are quite a few people on this edge, and passing or failing basically depends on the examiner's decision. Chen Duan's paper may pass if one more examiner approves it, but there may not be such a person. After some consolation, Chu Hong happily got on a car and rushed towards Han's mansion. Over the past month, Han Zhang has repeatedly sent people to encourage him, and sent him both money and policy papers. These two treatments were not given to other candidates who had also met Han Zhang. During their visits and exchanges, the two of them got along more and more. Han Zhang was a veteran of two dynasties. He had experienced the reforms of Fan Wencheng and the power struggle between Renzong and the Queen Mother. He was experienced and experienced. Chu Hong had average experience but a broad vision. He could talk from a historical perspective and understand the poor people. The two of them would often talk for an entire afternoon. Chu Hong was not a fool either. They could understand each other's minds. He gradually figured out some of Han Zhang's thoughts and vaguely felt that Han Zhang wanted to accept a disciple. In this case, and since he is the second best tribute scholar, he is naturally qualified to ask for the apprenticeship. However, how to bring this up in a subtle way is a difficult problem. What if Han Zhang's desire to recruit disciples was an illusion? Then things would be difficult! Early next morning Hanfu The charcoal fire is burning, emitting bursts of wonderful fragrance. "The second highest Gongshi? The young are formidable, this is incredible!" Han Zhang picked up the teacup and took a sip of hot tea with a smile, but there was no sign of surprise in his eyes. What a joke! He knew the result a few days in advance. The yellow list had to be shown to the emperor and the cabinet ministers for confirmation before it could be posted, right? "This is all thanks to your encouragement and support, Minister Han. Minister Zheng's writing style means a lot to Zifeng. Zifeng has no way to repay you, and I am deeply grateful."
Chu Hong was gentle and elegant, upholding the attitude and etiquette that a junior should have. However, he was a little confused in his heart. Was it just his illusion that Han Zhang accepted him as a disciple? "Zifeng can achieve such good results. I believe she has been guided by a famous teacher. Her future is limitless!" Just when Chu Hong was lost in thought, Han Zhang stroked his slightly gray beard and gave an inexplicable compliment. Chu Hong's eyes lit up instantly. Could it be? He looked at Han Zhang quietly, but saw that he looked normal. Chu Hong raised his eyebrows slightly, a little hesitant. Becoming a disciple is actually the same as chasing a girl. Either you succeed at once, or if you fail the first time, then no matter how good the relationship is, you will never be able to become my disciple again. If the first time was unsuccessful, it was like half of the cards were exposed, and both parties basically agreed not to bring up the topic again. If you still stick around after failing once, you'll become a bootlicker and a spare tire, and you'll basically have no chance of getting promoted! "I also had a teacher in my time, and that was Mr. Fan Wenzheng." "Sir, have you ever had Fan Wencheng as your teacher?" Chu Hong changed the address implicitly. “That’s not the case, but we were both teachers and friends, and I learned a lot from Fan Wencheng. Fan Wencheng was an honest official who served the government impartially, was upright and had a noble character. His actions have profoundly influenced my lifelong principles for being an official. They are of great significance to me and have been of great help to me. From then on, I realized that the teacher who taught me calligraphy and reading was different from the teacher who taught me how to be an official. " As he spoke, Han Zhang looked at Chu Hong meaningfully, then stroked his beard with a smile. Aren’t teachers who teach calligraphy and reading different from teachers who teach official careers? In an instant, Chu Hong no longer hesitated and bowed down decisively. "Students follow their teachers and take them as their role models. Zifeng spent half his life studying, groping for light at night, but he regretted that he had no famous teacher to teach him by words and deeds. During this trip to Bianjing, Mr. Zifeng was deeply attracted by your words and deeds, and your insights on official careers were refreshing and a light in my heart. If you don't give up, I am willing to take you as my teacher and accompany you by my side!" "Ha ha!" Han Zhang, who had been stroking his beard, nodded with satisfaction. He was decisive and sharp enough. According to his expectations, he would give three or four things about becoming a disciple during the conversation. Whether Chu Hong could grasp the situation depended on his sharpness and decisiveness. If everything has been discussed almost completely but Chu Hong has not yet become the disciple, it means that the two of them are not destined to be master and disciple, and Chu Hong is not suitable to continue the glory of the Korean system. Now, I grasped the essence of the first sentence, and understood it as soon as the second sentence came out, so I decided to become his disciple. nice! "Okay, okay! Haha!" Han Zhang laughed and helped Chu Hong up, tears of joy streaming uncontrollably from his eyes. No one is more anxious than him, and no one is more worried about the issue of faction succession than him. "God, have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!" "I have been immersed in the political world all my life and have never accepted a disciple. Now that I have accepted you, I probably won't accept any more disciples in the future. You will be my first and only disciple from now on. Chu Hong's heart skipped a beat, then he calmed down.
Han Zhang's direct disciple and an absolute core member of the Han faction. He relied on Han Zhang in the early stage, on Zhao Zongquan in the middle stage, and on himself in the late stage. Perfect! "Laifu, you should personally prepare the apprenticeship gifts and send wedding invitations to the residences of civil officials above the fifth rank." Chu Hong's eyes lit up and he secretly clicked his tongue. Officials below the fifth rank were not qualified to be seated. Is this the Grand Lord? You have to know that Chu Yu was also a second-class Jinshi, and after working for decades he was only a fifth-rank official, barely qualifying for admission. But can the fifth rank of Beijing officials be the same as the fifth rank of local officials? Hiss...it's so scary! "My Lord, what about outside of Bianjing?" "People outside of Bianjing, well, if they are not allowed to send gifts, they will probably feel uneasy. If they want to send gifts, just prepare some small gifts. People are not allowed to come to Bianjing." "As for the time... the palace exam is usually held two months after the joint exam. Hong'er is now ranked second in the joint exam, and there are also the stories of [Chopping Ice to Catch Carp] and [Standing in the Snow at Hanmen Gate]. His Majesty also secretly praised him. If we hold a teacher-apprentice banquet before the joint exam, the top prize will be in our pocket." Han Zhang stroked his beard with a smile. For the successor of the Han family, the top three in the first class were just the standard. The emperor was also willing to give a top scholar in order to balance the support. "As for the banquet, I think there will be people from the palace to help take care of it. If not, it won't be too late for us to take care of it ourselves." Han Zhang touched Chu Hong's shoulder and added. Ouchi's chef? "Teacher, isn't this too much of a show?" "High profile? The Han Mansion hasn't been bustling for many years!" "Your Majesty and the ministers also need me to be appropriately high-profile, and the dignitaries in Bianjing also need such a high-profile opportunity." Han Zhang waved his hand, and his sleeves fluttered in the wind. With his slightly white hair and beard, he looked majestic. Chu Hong smiled in agreement, feeling an inexplicable warmth in his chest. This is what a backer is, this is the power of a cabinet minister! This is what a man should do! He can take his place! cough…… (End of this chapter)