Seeing Jiang Rongjia answering so diligently, Xiao Yanchu felt immensely proud. At the same time, he worried that Jiang Rongjia might be hungry. However, he did not dare to go and disturb him. He could only stay in the hall and watch over him carefully, naturally having no appetite for a meal himself.
The palace attendants thought about urging him to eat, but their new emperor, who seemed gentle, sincere, and easy-going, was actually a man of his word who particularly disliked others defying his wishes. Thus, they did not dare to say more.
Another half hour passed like this. Just as Xiao Yanchu was almost becoming impatient with waiting, Jiang Rongjia finally let out a long sigh of relief and set down his brush.
Xiao Yanchu promptly gave an order to those around him. The palace attendants, upon receiving the command, left the Taihe Hall without a moment's delay. By the time Jiang Rongjia had finished reviewing his examination paper from start to finish, ensuring there were no issues, and set it down again, palace attendants from the Imperial Kitchen entered the Taihe Hall at just that moment, carrying food boxes filled with fresh, steaming dishes.
As dusk fell, the drum sounded, marking the official end of the palace examination. After paying respects to the emperor, the scholars were led out of the Taihe Hall and out of the palace by officials from the Honglu Temple, while the examination papers were sealed by sealing officers, stamped with official seals, and then sent to the grading officers for evaluation by the ministers in charge of reading the papers.
[Honglu Temple (Hónglú Sì, 鸿胪寺): an ancient Chinese government institution responsible for ceremonial rites, diplomacy, and hosting state guests during the Ming and Qing dynasties.]
Outside the palace gate, many carriages and people were already waiting to pick up the scholars who had taken the exam. The Jiang family's carriage was naturally among them. By this time, Jiang Chenghan had already left his office and came with Yan Jingshu to pick up Jiang Rongjia.
On the way back to the residence, Jiang Chenghan and Jiang Rongkang rode on horseback on either side of the carriage, while Jiang Rongjia, Yan Jingshu, and Xie Huan rode inside the carriage. Neither Xie Huan nor Yan Jingshu had ever participated in the palace examination, and seeing that Jiang Rongjia was in high spirits without any sign of fatigue, they immediately asked him about the palace examination. Jiang Rongjia naturally shared everything he knew.
Unlike the imperial examination, the results of the palace examination were announced much more quickly. On the third day after the palace examination, the golden list was posted. Anyone who had been present at the palace examination that day would have noticed that the top three scholars on this year's list were the three who had focused on their papers, undisturbed by the delicacies or external distractions. Jiang Rongjia was naturally among them, though this time he did not take first place but instead ranked third as the Tanhua Lang.
[探花郎 (tàn huā láng): lit. one who explores the flowers; fig. the scholar who achieved the third highest score in the palace examination, a title historically and popularly associated with being the most handsome and talented young scholar among the top three.]
Although Xiao Yanchu was fond of Jiang Rongjia, the ranking was decided after discussions with eight grading ministers. He did not let his personal feelings make Jiang Rongjia the Zhuangyuan, as that would have discredited Jiang Rongjia. However, even though Jiang Rongjia was not the Zhuangyuan (top-ranked scholar), at just seventeen years old, he was the youngest Tanhua Lang since the dynasty's founding.
With the palace examination results announced, Jiang Rongjia was not yet free. First, he followed the Zhuangyuan in a parade on horseback, and then he attended the Qionglin Banquet. His family also held a grand banquet to celebrate, and he received invitations from classmates, close friends, and old acquaintances, which he could not refuse entirely. Thus, even though the palace examination was over, Jiang Rongjia felt even more exhausted than during the preparation period.
[Qionglin Banquet: the prestigious banquet held in honor of scholars who had successfully passed the palace examination during the Song and subsequent dynasties]
Fortunately, this busy period did not last long. Soon enough, it was time for Jiang Rongjia to assume his position at the Hanlin Academy. As the third-ranked candidate in the first tier, he was appointed as a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Although it was only a seventh-rank minor official position and not as conducive to accumulating political achievements as being assigned to a local post like the Zhuangyuan and Bangyan (the second highest score in the palace examination), it was a position close to the emperor, which reflected Xiao Yanchu's personal intentions.
[Hanlin Academy: the imperial academy and top-tier administrative body composed of the nation's most distinguished scholars and officials in imperial China.]
Jiang Rongjia had no objections to this. After all, he was still young, and if he were assigned to a local post, not only would Xiao Yanchu be worried, but Jiang Chenghan and Yan Jingshu would also be concerned. Staying in the capital allowed him to serve the country while avoiding his family's worries, which was a win-win situation.
Although the Hanlin Editor-Compiler was originally responsible for drafting imperial decrees, edicts, and confidential documents, due to Xiao Yanchu's personal intentions, Jiang Rongjia spent most of his time in the emperor's living quarters in Zhaohua Palace, rather than in the Hanlin Academy.
Jiang Rongjia was initially summoned to Zhaohua Palace under the pretext of serving as a shidu. However, once inside, Xiao Yanchu dismissed most of the palace attendants, leaving only two trusted aides to serve tea. Instead of taking out a book to read, he directly picked up a memorial from the imperial desk and handed it to Jiang Rongjia.
[侍读 (shìdú): an official scholarly title for a court academician whose duty was to read and discuss classical texts with the emperor or the imperial heirs.]
Jiang Rongjia naturally did not dare to accept it and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I dare not."
Xiao Yanchu simply shoved it into Jiang Rongjia's hands and said with a troubled and weary expression, "Jiajia, please help me out. I've been reviewing memorials for two hours since the morning court, and my eyes are almost blurry. Could you read it to me?"
Jiang Rongjia was initially startled, but upon hearing that he only needed to read it to Xiao Yanchu, and although it was not his duty, serving the emperor was a subject's responsibility. Moreover, seeing that Xiao Yanchu's eyes were somewhat bloodshot, he finally agreed.
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