Chapter 161: Ancient Farmers’ Son (End)
Nearly a year passed in calm tranquility, and Lin Shiheng smoothly passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi.
(TNote: Jinshi = the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China.)
He didn’t come in first place, but rather second place.
However, as a farmer’s son, being able to rank second was quite impressive. Throughout the year, Lin Shiheng had provided counsel and assistance to the young Emperor, helping him regain his rightful power bit by bit. But this ranking was purely his own merit, unrelated to any backdoor dealings.
During the palace examination, the young Emperor unsurprisingly named him the top scholar.
Throughout the year, as he followed Lin Shiheng’s strategies and gradually grasped control of the court, he became more and more certain that he had truly picked up a treasure. He had long decided deep in his heart to value Lin Shiheng.
He couldn’t trust his younger brothers or the powerful ministers holding authority, but he had great trust in Lin Shiheng, the newly appointed top scholar, who possessed exceptional intelligence.
There were naturally many reasons for this.
First, Lin Shiheng had no imperial lineage and couldn’t even be considered a member of the officialdom. Besides the Emperor, there was no one behind him. As long as the Emperor wished, Lin Shiheng could fall from his high position at any time.