Chapter 64 Today's Dawn Vast and Endless

  A golden list was quietly posted, and tourists stopped in their tracks, staring with wide eyes.

  It's better not to look; once you take a glance, everyone's complexion changes.

  The whole city was in an uproar, and the water here overflowed and became impassable.

  "Someone has topped the list!"

  Someone suddenly shouted loudly, and the crowd in the wine house and tea shop surged forward, rushing towards this place.

  Chang'an has had a lot of big news recently. First, Tang's illness shook the whole city, followed by the joyful news of Ping Ze's good fortune, and then, unexpectedly, he topped the imperial examination at this impossible time.

  Scholars familiar with the system rushed there, they even dared not to believe that at this time, the golden list would be released, and the imperial examination period had not yet arrived.

  They spent ten years studying hard in a cold window, and some of them rarely went out on weekdays, relying on their families to support themselves, just hoping that one day they could get rid of this kind of "three more lamp fires and five more chicken" bitter life.

  These people even suspect that they have read books stupidly and missed the imperial examination.

  But when they all rushed there, they were stunned to see that on this golden list, only one name was written alone.

  "Tang Crown? Could it be that Tang has gone mad!?"

  "What!? He's only nine years old!?"

  Only on the golden list can be seen Tang Guan's origin and birthplace, when he passed the imperial examination, all are clearly listed.

  "Haha, I'm Yu Hang's genius!"

  There are fellow countrymen in the crowd, seeing Tang Guan coming out with a haha smile, suddenly feeling radiant on his face.

  "Preposterous! How can a nine-year-old possibly enter the inner chamber?"

  There were also old Confucians who were dissatisfied in their hearts and suddenly shouted out in anger, but the sound was instantly covered by the tumultuous discussion.

  At just nine years old, he became a jinshi and topped the imperial examination.

  Among the crowd, a man wearing a bamboo hat looked up at the name above, slightly raised his head, and through the gap, only saw that this person's face was full of hideous scars. He immediately lowered his head and walked out of the crowd, with a strange smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Chang'an, in the academy.

  He Zhizhang was fully focused on the pages of the book, ignoring the commotion of his fellow students.

  "Brother Ji Zhen! Someone has been admitted as a Jinshi! He is from the same hometown as you and is only nine years old!"

  He Zhizhang nodded lightly upon hearing this and continued to gaze at the book in front of him.

  The scholar saw this and slightly shook his head, then whispered with his good friend beside him before walking out together.

  "He He Qi is really arrogant, Tang Quanbing was selected as a scholar at the age of 9, but he didn't even bother to notice"

  "Hey, I think he's been stimulated stupid."

  "Alas, this hat is so big that it covers up my handsome face!" Tang Guan adjusted his attire in front of the copper mirror.

  Xiao Qi couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the side, this shrunk official robe was still somewhat fitting, but the black hat on his head was obviously one size too big.

  "Where's the high horse and mighty steed?! Where's the golden armor and jade whip?! What about the promised 'parade of shame'?"

  Tang Guan took off his hat and sat down, thinking that he would make a big splash today and surely be like the poem "Spring breeze got intention horse hoof fast"

  Unexpectedly, apart from the endless stream of officials coming to pay their respects, Tang Guan only received an invitation from Wu Zetian for a banquet in the palace that night.

  "Isn't it always like this in TV dramas? A title here, a parade there. How did I get dismissed with just one meal?"

  "Never mind, those are things that will happen after the Song Dynasty." Thinking of this, Tang Guan slightly shook his head, anticipating being defeated by reality once again. Now Wu Zetian's own throne was still unstable, and the imperial examination system was still on its way to perfection. He could be officially listed on the golden board and announced to the world, which was already not bad.

  Chen Yunsheng had gone to the Ministry of Justice early in the morning and had not returned yet, it was already noon now, Tang Guannan was getting more and more anxious.

  Although he knew his name was already known to the world, he still felt like something was missing.

  "Brother Guan, you've become a high-ranking official, why aren't you happy?" Little Qi sat down with a smile, sizing up Tang Guan's attire.

  When he heard this, Tang Guan was speechless with laughter and tears. He himself wore a deep green official robe, which he knew was sixth grade. Yesterday in the palace, he had misunderstood Wu Zetian's reward.

  Hanlin Academy Compiler, it wasn't until he returned to his residence that Tang Guan realized this was actually a sixth-grade official position, and what he did was the work of a historian.

  "It's better to be a local tyrant as a county magistrate!" Tang Guan sighed in his heart, he knew that this official position was actually set up for the first place winner of the imperial examination. In the capital, there is the History Bureau, which is responsible for compiling national history. It seems that the place he had never been to before would be his office.

  The only advantage of this position is that it has more opportunities to get along with the emperor, so there are also many opportunities for promotion. Generally, it is set up for the top scorer in the imperial examination.

  "It seems she wants me to stay in Chang'an" Tang Guan lightly stroked his chin, lost in thought.

  The reason for this situation is actually the fundamental reason that lies with Tang Guan himself. Usually, when a scholar becomes a jinshi, there are others who have passed the exam in the same year, and below the zhuangyuan (the top scorer) there are also the bangyan (the second place scorer) and tanhua (the third place scorer). Generally, these three people will form a group and travel together.

  Although the imperial court explicitly prohibited scholars from entering the pleasure quarters to seek pleasure, in reality it was also a case of turning a blind eye. After all, the culture of brothels was flourishing, and when the famous courtesans were at the height of their fame, they even dared to refuse the advances of princes and nobles, which shows how important they were in the hearts of scholars.

  Chang'an is most famous for its "Pingkangli", where there are countless courtesans, and some of them are as beautiful as heavenly goddesses, making people lose their souls at first sight. It can be said that it is the red-light district of Chang'an.

  Tang Guanneng knew about this place from a poem, and considering the time, that guy who became a champion and rushed into a brothel was almost done reading books.

  Just as Tang Guan was deep in thought and Xiao Qi was feeling bored, a loud laughter suddenly came from outside the house.

  "Little friend! I've come to congratulate you!"

  Tang Guan heard the sound and looked towards the outside of the door, seeing who had come and couldn't help but feel a little happy.

  The person who came was Wu Chengsi, wearing a purple robe, not in plain clothes. Tang Guan looked at the door again, with armored soldiers and ceremonial guards following him, quite a big show.

  He spent the whole day dealing with several unfamiliar low-ranking officials in the court, and Wu Chengsi, the Minister of Rites, even came to congratulate him, showing that he had given him enough face.

  "Haha! A thousand holes and ten thousand holes, but no hole for the horse's fart. Without Feng Xiaobao, you're actually coming to fawn on me!" Tang Guan walked out with a smile all over his face.

  "Teacher, you're so busy with official duties, yet you've come to visit your student; I'm deeply honored and surprised."

  Wu Shengsi's face lit up with joy, and he pretended to be surprised, saying: "Zhuangyuan Lang, I'm not worthy of this title. My young friend is a reincarnation of a sage and the son of Heaven, only the Son of Heaven can bear the title of 'teacher' for you."

  "Slap him three times, and he still doesn't get it." Tang Guan heard this and couldn't help but feel a sense of pleasure, although in his heart he didn't think much of Wu Chengsi, after all, he was that woman's nephew, so it wasn't good to show him a cold face.

  He immediately pretended to be affectionate and welcomed him into the house.

  Wu Shengsi entered the house and looked around before asking, "What's this?"

  Tang Guan heard the words and his heart skipped a beat. Nowadays, except for a few fellow villagers in his hometown, very few people know that the Tang family has three sons. He immediately gave Xia Qi a signal and said: "This is a student's reading companion."

  Xiao Qi was about to retort when she saw Tang Guan's expression, and quickly said: "Young master, I'll go brew some tea for the official."

  Jian Wu Cheng Xi nodded slightly, not taking it to heart. Tang Guan secretly let out a breath of relief. The woman often used her family to threaten herself. Now that she had little power, she could only hide and conceal, revealing the truth only to those she trusted.

  Fortunately, Little Qi was a sensitive person. Although she seemed to understand many things but didn't really get them, she couldn't be considered completely clueless and knew how to observe people's words and expressions.

  Two men sat down, Tang Guan smiled and looked at Wu Chengsi but didn't speak. Although it's said that no one offers gifts without a reason, he knew the nature of the Wu family men. If historical records are accurate, Wu Chengsi liked nothing more than flattering and fawning on his favorite officials.

  As expected, Tang Guan didn't say a word. Wu Chengsi looked around the room and suddenly let out a sigh, saying: "My young friend is now the top scholar, yet he still lives in this humble abode, it's truly a disappointment to us."

  "What's it to you?" Tang Guan almost blurted out, but managed to hold back and wait for what came next.

  "I heard that Chen Shijun and Xiao You are close relatives?"

  Tang Guan heard this and shook his head saying: "Chen Bobo and my family's elderly father are old friends"

  "Oh" Wu Chengsi nodded softly.

  He then looked at Tang Guan and saw the official robe on his body, his eyelids twitching. If anyone in the imperial court was the most favored, it would be this Tang Quan Bing. At just nine years old, he had already topped the imperial examination, and it wasn't hard to imagine his future glory.

  Thinking of this, Wu Chengsi's smile added a few points, and he stretched out his hand to his bosom and said: "Little friend, the old man was favored by the sage and gave some land and property. Now that you have entered the job in Chang'an, I just happen to have an empty set, so I'll borrow flowers to offer Buddha and give it to you."

  Tang Guan was taken aback by the words and hadn't reacted yet, when Wu Chengsi seemed to have come prepared and directly handed a thing to Tang Guan's face.

  "Just a small effort from you, and with one stroke of your brush, you can take charge. I will help you to tidy up the details."

  Tang Guan only reacted now, in front of him was a deed, with dense annotations and an official seal.

  He immediately waved his hand and said: "The beauty of the husband, the heart of the disease has been led away, the disease has not yet been crowned, there is no legal effect, the husband will temporarily collect it"

  Wu Chengsi suddenly remembered that the Tang Emperor in front of him was just a child, and he had foolishly brought a land deed to try to please him. It would have been better to bring some practical gifts like food, clothing, or daily necessities instead. The land deed was something that even if the Tang Emperor wanted it, he couldn't take it.

  But he was extremely skilled in this way, and the things were all sent out. It would be embarrassing to take them back now. He immediately said: "Young friend, don't worry, can you compare with a child? Now that you are a top scholar, I am also making a loyal contribution to the court."

  "Wow, this is really a blessing in disguise, sending both a house and a car!"

  To be honest, Tang Guan also coveted the deed in front of him, but taking it would be useless, and he had his own concerns. His family also had some property, so even if Wu Zetian really did have the idea of leaving herself in the capital, he could afford to do so himself.

  He suddenly had an idea and looked at the ceremonial guards outside the door, saying: "Sir, this team of yours is quite impressive"

  Wu Chengsi was taken aback by his words, but then thought of something and smiled: "Young master will one day not be under the old man's command."

  Tang Guan's expression turned helpless, and Wu Chengsi asked, "Little friend, what's on your mind?"

  Tang Guan heard this and smiled: "To be honest with you, sir, this time I was fortunate enough to receive the emperor's favor and passed the exam alone, but unfortunately there are no fellow scholars from the same list to share in the honor..."

  When he heard this, Wu Chengsi's heart moved instantly and said: "So that's how it is. Since the champion has such a elegant interest, I'll add another blessing to Tian'en and lend you the prime minister team for a tour, what do you think?"

  "Ah, hooked!" Tang Guan was overjoyed when he heard this. What he wanted to do most was to accept the attention of the crowd and feel the thrill of being newly crowned.

  Now Wu Chengsi presents himself at the door, right in his lap, but still pretends to be frightened and says: "Your Excellency should not say this, this is the prime minister's privilege, how can a humble sixth-grade Hanlin like me receive such an honor, it doesn't follow the rules"

  Wu Chengsi directly pulled up the Tang crown and said, "It doesn't matter, Tian Hou will only be happy to know, not blame, just hope that in the future, little friends will speak beautifully in front of the sage."

  Tang Guan saw this and smiled in his heart, pretending to be hesitant and said: "That... that..."

  Wu Shengsi smiled at the sight, thinking that this young man liked to be in the midst of excitement. Although he had seen the cleverness and quick wit of Tang Guan, at this age, he didn't suspect anything else.

  "Lang Jun, don't decline again. Bo Bo's good intentions are to add joy to your new title as the top scholar. In the future, being enfeoffed and becoming a high-ranking official is not out of the question."

  Tang Guan finally couldn't help but laugh, and stopped making excuses. The two of them turned around and left the house. Xiao Qi had just walked over from another direction with a pot of tea, saw the two of them, and was about to call out to Tang Guan, but quickly changed her tone and said: "Young master, where are you going?"

  Tang Guan turned around and saw it was him, walked up front and whispered: "Follow me, something fun is about to happen"

  Xiao Qi heard this and was overjoyed, and without even putting down the tea in her hand, she followed him out.