Shenjing, Hanzheng Street.

This street is located on the north-south central axis of the capital, and is the only official road that leads from the palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty to the Imperial Examination Hall and the Ministry of Rites.

The street is much wider than ordinary roads in the capital city. The road surface is paved with neatly arranged blue stone slabs. After countless years of polish, it flashes with an ancient light and exudes a solemn and rich atmosphere.

Hanzheng Street is the central axis of the capital city. There are many restaurants, teahouses, hotels, Wazi theaters, Qinlou and Chuguan on both sides of the street. It is bustling with people every day and is very prosperous.

But when the emperor’s imperial edict was announced from the palace, granting the honor of granting the first-class Jinshi of the current examination to the imperial street, the imperial guards rushed on fast horses to deliver the news to various government offices.

The runners and soldiers from Zhen’an Prefecture and Wucheng Bingmasi cleared and guarded the entire street.

After all, there were more than 300 Jinshi participating in the Imperial Street Praising Officials, and their momentum was not small. This matter was of great importance and could not be taken lightly.

Today, Hanzheng Street is deserted with few pedestrians. The carriages and horses that used to clog the road and the roving vendors have all been cleared away by the government.

Both ends of the street were guarded by servants from the Zhen’an Prefecture, and no vehicles or horses were allowed to enter the street before noon.

It was past midnight, the sun was shining brightly, and it was hot in early summer. Although the sun had not yet reached its zenith, it was already a bit hot.

But there were already many pedestrians gathered on both sides of the street, men and women, old and young, with children, crowding and pushing, talking, and constantly looking towards the other end of the street.

In front of the gates of the more spacious mansions, there were already some exquisite carriages parked on the side. They all looked like they came from officials and wealthy families. The curtains of the carriages were slightly lifted, revealing the shining hairpins and powdered faces of the people.

These magnificent carriages were either parked on the street, not affecting the smooth flow of traffic, or were waiting in the street early, and the government did not drive them away.

In one of the carriages, a pretty little maid opened the curtain, looked outside the carriage with interest for a while with an excited and happy expression.

Turning to a girl in the same car, he said, “Miss, the fourth young master is not a first-class scholar. You said he can’t ride a horse, so it’s hard to recognize him among so many scholars.”

The girl looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a pretty and elegant appearance, and an air of bookishness. Although her clothes were not gorgeous or bright, the materials used were exquisitely made and the workmanship was sophisticated. She looked like she came from a wealthy family of officials.

She pursed her lips and smiled, saying, “I am not here to see my little brother. If I wanted to see him, wouldn’t I go home to see him? I even took a carriage to the street to see him. He is so beautiful.”

The little maid laughed and said, “That lady is here to see the number one scholar. He is the real number one in the world, a living literary star descended to earth. I dare say that most of the people who come to watch the fun are here to see him.”

The girl smiled disdainfully and said, “Although I came out to stroll because I was bored at home, I’m not that bored. I came to see the champion. There’s nothing to see about him. He’s just lucky.”

The maid was confused. Didn’t the young lady always say that there is no first in literature, so the top scholar is rare. It’s so hot in this hot spot. Why doesn’t she come to see the top scholar?
She was confused, but saw her young lady taking out a scroll from the carriage, carefully unfolding it, and looking at it carefully with a smile on her face.

……

Although the sun is shining brightly and the weather is hot, it seems unable to stop people’s enthusiasm.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Jinshi are all well-educated and outstanding people who hold high positions, and they are not easy to come by.

People in the capital live at the feet of the emperor, so they are naturally more familiar with and knowledgeable about the spring examination held every three years than other outsiders.

They all knew that in their hometown and county, the scholars were already high-ranking figures.

However, every time the imperial examination was held in the capital, there would be thousands of candidates who came to the capital to take the exam, but only a very few of them could pass the test and become a Jinshi. It can be seen that a Jinshi is much more valuable than a Juren.

The three first-class Jinshi were the best of the best among the Jinshi, the best of the best. In the eyes of the common people, they were truly the incarnation of Wenquxing and great nobles in the world.

Not to mention the fabricated stories in the market, which always love to exaggerate and attract attention. They over-exaggerate the first-class Jinshi, saying that he is not only extremely talented, but also a rare talent.

When ordinary people see such rare things, they can get a taste of the elegance and refinement for free. Why not?

Therefore, the government began to clear the area and impose martial law along the roads. The news that the top-ranking Jinshi examiner was coming to the Imperial Street spread quickly. Anyone who heard the news and had free time would rush to witness the Jinshi’s demeanor.

Even those wealthy families, officials, and young girls who have read poetry, are full of emotions, and admire literature and elegance, and they find all kinds of reasons to drive out and see the style of the top scholar…

The foot shops, wine shops, teahouses and restaurants on both sides of Hanzheng Street were packed with customers within half an hour.

The private rooms on the second floor of those shops facing the street were packed. Even though the shops had raised their prices several times, there were still wealthy customers who loved to watch the fun and spent hundreds of dollars to make reservations in advance.

……

In the middle of Hanzheng Street, there is a teahouse for ladies called Yashiju.

Ever since Jia Cong and Qu Hongxiu opened the first teahouse for women on Xinchun Street to attract business for Xinchunhao, it has been extremely popular among the women of wealthy families.

From that time on, this strange new style of teahouse began to become popular in Shenjing City.

This teahouse for female guests on Hanzheng Street is just one of many imitators. The entire teahouse, from the owner to the waiters, and even the two sturdy guards at the door, are all women.

However, most of the female guests who come to this kind of teahouse on a daily basis are the wives of wealthy merchants in Shenjing City.

Compared with the official families, the etiquette for the women in wealthy merchant families was not so strict. Even people like Mrs. Xia, even if they were widows, would often go out to take care of business.

In a family like the Jia family, which is a family of hereditary officials, even a generous and straightforward woman like Xiangyun would never step out of the door every day, and would only stay at home and with her sisters. She would never hang out in a teahouse with female guests like this.

Just like the girl in the carriage just now, she is the daughter of an official. Even if she is bored at home and secretly goes out for fun, she will only stay in her own carriage and will not go to a teahouse for ladies to rest.

As the noon hour was about to end today, news spread in the city that the Jinshi was praising the officials in the Imperial Street. The business of Yashiju became booming within half an hour.

The wives of the merchants and wealthy families, who usually spend their days relaxing at home, unexpectedly all came to the store to chat and drink tea. Drinking tea was just an excuse; the real reason was that they wanted to see the scholars on parade.

Anyway, both the tea drinkers and the boss are women, and everyone understands each other tacitly, and no one will gossip about anyone else.

The elegant rooms on the second floor of Yashiju facing the street have become extremely popular in the past hour, with wealthy wives and daughters of wealthy businessmen vying to reserve them.

Originally, the room on the left side of the second floor was the most elegant room in the store with the best street-facing location and the most luxurious decoration.

This elegant room had been booked earlier, but was later booked by someone else at three times the price, which really surprised the proprietress and the guests.

Half an hour ago, a young lady of outstanding appearance entered this elegant room with a maid, and left two strong women to guard the door. It was a grand ceremony.

Inside the elegant room, on the table by the window was placed the finest fragrant tea, as well as a variety of premium preserves and seasonal fruits, but Miss Xia did not touch them at all, and just looked out the window.

Baochan was also leaning on the window looking out, but she seemed a little uninterested and looked a little bored.

To her, what was so great about being a Jinshi? It was just a Jinshi, and it was not worth riding a horse on the street to show off. But they were just some nerds, not as interesting as Baoyu…

Just then, there was a commotion on both sides of the street below, and someone shouted, “Look, there’s an official sign at the intersection, the Jinshi master is coming to parade!”

The crowds on both sides of the street began to riot, like a sudden surge of waves, rising and falling. The Zhen’an Prefecture yamen runners guarding the street held up their whistles and tried their best to stop the surging crowd…

In the shops on both sides of the street, in the windows of the private rooms on the second floor, on the terraces of the Wazichu Pavilion, and in all the high places, people were looking out from afar at what was happening at the intersection.
And most of these looking faces are women…

The wealthy girls who were more polite wore veils to cover their faces and looked up. The geishas in the Waizi Pavilion who were more heroic either faced the sky with their bare faces or put on heavy make-up, letting the spring breeze blow on their faces.

Miss Xia saw all these scenes through the window of her elegant room. She frowned slightly and muttered a few words in dissatisfaction, but no one could hear what she said. Then she began to look towards the street corner.

……

At the entrance of Hanzheng Street, a team of officials who were ordered to parade in the streets were approaching in a mighty procession.

At the front of the team were dozens of big Han generals, holding silence signs, looking very majestic, holding high five-colored dragon-embroidered flags that fluttered in the wind, showing the royal majesty.

Behind the Han generals in the ceremonial guard came more than twenty palace eunuchs and musicians, playing sheng, flute, gongs and drums in harmony, with music that was either majestic and powerful, or melodious and smooth, with a grand and extraordinary aura.

The top scholar Zhang Wenxu, the second place Jia Cong, and the third place Chen Qirui all rode tall and fine horses, with three imperial guards holding their horses’ stirrups and walking at the front of the team.

The three hundred Jinshi scholars behind him were arranged in an orderly line, wearing the same style of Jinshi robes, and followed on foot. Although their movements were not uniform, their every gesture showed their dignity and momentum, which aroused cheers from the onlookers.

Because the first-class Jinshi were praised as officials in the imperial streets, they represented the dignity of the royal family. In order to glorify their official power, the three first-class Jinshi rode on fine Dayuan horses, which were all carefully selected by the imperial stables in the palace. Each horse was tall, strong, and exceptionally majestic.

Originally, the three men in the first class were allowed to ride on fine horses, which should have been more impressive than the three hundred scholars who walked on foot.

However, the top scholar Zhang Wenxu and the third place scholar Chen Qirui were both typical scholars. They were weak and could only ride in carriages when they went out. They could not even ride a horse, let alone such a majestic and tall military horse.

The two men were uncomfortable riding on the saddles. Although the horses were only moving slowly, they still felt dizzy from the bumps. Even though there were guards holding the horses for them, they still held on to the saddles tightly with both hands, as if they were afraid of falling off the horses.

In order to show off the power of the imperial officials, the Imperial Stables selected three horses that were too majestic and tall, which seemed to have the opposite effect.

When the top two candidates of this year’s imperial examination were paraded through the streets, instead of showing off their high spirits and brilliance as they should have, they were actually a bit timid…

All good horses and famous horses are quite intelligent. If the rider is proficient in riding skills, the horse will naturally obey him.

If the rider is a novice, the horse will sense it and become restless and difficult to control.

The horses ridden by Zhang Wenxu and Chen Qirui were in this shape. Although they were restrained by the imperial guards, the horses still snorted and shook their heads, making them more agitated the more they walked.

This made the two talented scholars, who were full of poetry and books, very nervous. The originally glorious imperial street praise became longer and longer, and became a kind of torture…

On the other hand, Jia Cong, who was in the middle of the three, came from a family of military honors. When he was in Liaodong, he was taught riding by Ai Li. He rode his horse into the battle line, beheaded the enemies, and his riding skills were quite superb, so riding a horse was naturally no problem for him.

The horse seemed to sense that it was dealing with an experienced rider and acted quite submissively.

Jia Cong just held the reins with one hand and slightly clamped his legs around the horse’s belly. The horse walked quietly and smoothly, as if walking on flat ground. It was as if the man and the horse were one, with an indescribable harmony.

The imperial guard who was leading Jia Cong’s horse walked very easily and did not have to worry at all. On the other hand, his two companions, who were leading the horses, walked as if they were leading two stupid donkeys for a stroll, which was quite tiring.

He couldn’t help but sigh in his heart, Weiyuan Bo is indeed a general in battle, his riding skills are very skilled, unlike those two scholars, who became weak as soon as their butts touched the saddle…

……

When the procession of the imperial street officials entered Hanzheng Street from head to tail, the onlookers on both sides exclaimed in admiration and cheered from time to time, and the scene was very lively.

The 300 Jinshi scholars who accompanied him all held their heads high, with smiles on their faces. They were all proud and felt that they were extremely glorious.

However, the countless people watching only glanced at the three hundred Jinshi scholars, and finally all focused on the three first-class Jinshi scholars riding on fine horses.

For ordinary people, the king’s ambitions, great deeds, and high-ranking officials are too far away from them.

Only those who were once commoners like them, relied on poetry and books to pass the imperial examinations and rose to prominence.

He is the object they are familiar with and admire, and the light they can touch in their mediocre lives.

Everybody was looking at the three men in the first armor, pointing, talking, and whispering to each other, their admiration and envy evident in their words.

“Brother Wang, although the number one scholar Zhang Wenxu is a famous talent in Qingzhou, he is isolated from the world and cannot see the world. I thought he would be lost in the crowd after entering the capital, but I didn’t expect that he could become the best in the world.”

“That’s because they are extremely blessed. Others can’t even envy them.”

“Brother Wang, Zhang Wenxu is the top scholar, he should be full of energy and vigor, but you see he looks nervous and depressed. Could it be that he has a hidden illness at such a critical moment?”

“Puchi, Brother Chen really has poor eyesight. He is not suffering from a hidden disease. I think he is only good at studying poetry and books. He is not active, has no six arts, and can’t ride a horse at all. That’s why he looks so embarrassed…”

……

“Second sister, look at how handsome that number one scholar is. There is no one in the world who looks so good. Look at the way he rides his horse. He looks so majestic, like an immortal descending to earth.”

“Little sister, I’m not saying anything bad about you. I told you to learn to read and study, but you just play all day long and have no knowledge. In ancient times, the left was respected. The first person on the left, with two feathers and flowers on his hat, is the top scholar.”

“Ah, the one with the grumpy face is the top scholar. Look at how disappointed he is. He is just like the daughter-in-law of the Chen family next door. She has a sad face all day long and looks unhappy.”

“Little sister, aren’t you here to see the number one scholar? Why are you talking so rudely? He is the number one scholar, so why do you care if he has a sour face or not…”

……

“Wife, the champion looks uncomfortable, hunched over, frowning, clinging to the saddle tightly. It seems like he has a stomachache. Could it be that he ate too much steamed buns and got a stomachache?”

“Bah, you are such a poor person. As long as you are full, you just eat steamed buns. How can a Jinshi be as unlucky as you? How can he eat steamed buns for meals? Even if he can’t eat dry rice, at least he has to drink white rice porridge…”

“What my wife said makes sense. It’s hard for a Jinshi to eat steamed bread. But this champion doesn’t look very impressive. On the contrary, the third place winner is strong and pleasing to the eye.”

“You finally said something right. The runner-up is too handsome and will easily attract wild women. The third place is pleasing to the eye and has a sturdy and handsome appearance. He will definitely be a helper when working in the fields…”

……

In the elegant room on the second floor of Yashiju, Miss Xia leaned against the window and watched from afar the Jinshi coming to the Imperial Street to boast about his official position.

Jia Cong was sitting in the middle of the three people in the first class, riding a tall horse, wearing a brand new and appropriate Jinshi ceremonial robe, and approaching slowly with a calm expression and unparalleled grace.

Miss Xia was overjoyed and said, “Baochan, look how proud Cong is! A man should be like him.

You said he was good-looking and good at studying, but how come he even rides a horse so well, like a majestic general, with noble airs all over his body. Even the princes and grandsons of the royal family in the palace probably don’t have his aura…”

Baochan heard her mistress nagging about Jia Cong again. She felt a little annoyed and glanced around the street.

He said, “Miss, we spent a lot of money to book an elegant room to watch the Jinshi parade. I thought it was so interesting and rare, but it’s actually quite boring.

The number one scholar’s face turned blue, as if he was about to fall off his horse. The third scholar was a fat black man. The girl was right. Jia Cong was the best looking after all.”

Miss Xia smiled complacently and said, “You finally said something decent. These two guys are an eyesore. With their looks, they are not worthy of being a first-class scholar together with Congge.

But having them accompany Cong Ge’er on the parade is also a benefit, as it makes Cong Ge’er look more respectable.”

……

The procession of officials parading in the Imperial Street was about to pass the middle section of Hanzheng Street. The sun was rising higher and the sunlight was becoming more dazzling and hotter.

Jia Cong and the other three first-class Jinshi all rode on horseback, so although they were a little exposed to the sun, it was still physically easy.

Unlike the 300 Jinshi who accompanied him, they all walked here after leaving the palace through the Meridian Gate. It wasn’t that the court was too harsh, but there weren’t enough horses for them to use…

Therefore, after walking halfway through Hanzheng Street, Jia Cong and three other first-class Jinshi were only slightly sweating on their foreheads due to the sun.

However, all of the three hundred Jinshi scholars felt weak in the waist and legs, and some of them even used the sleeves of their Jinshi robes to fan themselves to keep cool. Their manners and etiquette were a little disordered.

At this moment, the curtain of the carriage parked on the side of the road was opened, revealing the beautiful face of the girl just now.

She looked at the three men on horseback, and finally her eyes stopped on Jia Cong, looking at him very carefully.

She suddenly thought of something, carefully put the scroll in her hand aside, took out the handkerchief from her sleeve, and skillfully tied a flower knot on it.

When she lifted the curtain again, Jia Cong happened to pass by on horseback, and the girl leaned out slightly.

He said to Jia Cong: “It’s a hot summer day, and the streets are crowded. Please wipe your sweat, Mr.

Her voice was clear and pleasant, like pearls falling on a jade plate. Before she finished speaking, she smiled and threw the handkerchief in her hand towards Jia Cong.

The handkerchief was as light as cotton wool and could not be thrown far. However, the girl was clever and had tied a knot in the handkerchief in advance to gather its weight. She threw it high up and it rolled skillfully in the air until it landed right in front of Jia Cong’s horse.

Jia Cong had practiced martial arts since he was a child, so his skills were much more agile than those of ordinary people. He bent his body slightly and grabbed the handkerchief steadily in his hand.

It was an exquisite lake blue embroidered handkerchief, which was obviously a woman’s personal item.

Jia Cong turned his head and saw that the girl was looking at him. She had a beautiful face, eyes as bright as autumn water, clear and spotless, and she was generous and open-minded, without the shyness of an ordinary girl.

Jia Cong smiled and said, “Thank you for the handkerchief, young lady.”

As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead. The onlookers laughed in good faith, and the girl didn’t mind. She smiled and lowered the curtain, then no longer showed up.

However, the imperial street’s procession of officials could not stop, and Jia Cong was not in a position to return the handkerchief to the girl, so he had to stuff it into her arms.

Across the street, in the elegant room on the second floor of the elegant lady’s residence, Miss Xia happened to see this scene from the window. She was so angry that her face turned red and she cursed: “Where did this slut come from? How dare she provoke Cong in the street? How shameless!” (End of this chapter)