No one knew whether Song Hong slept well that night.
The next day, however, Song Chongjin rose early as those newly appointed scholars were to attend the imperial examination to determine their official ranks based on merit.
Of course, traditionally, the top scholar would be directly appointed as an Editorial Secretary in the Hanlin Academy, while the second place and third place scholars would be appointed as Editorial Secretaries, and the first in the second tier, known as the Imperial Messenger, would be appointed as Hanlin Reviewer.
Besides these four, all other scholars would, according to their imperial examination rankings, be chosen to enter the Hanlin Academy as Imperial Scholars, colloquially known as "ranking Hanlin."
For contemporary literati, entering the Hanlin Academy after the imperial examinations is a great honor.
Though the Hanlin Academy is known as a yamen devoid of influence, it is the most important stepping stone in an official's career.
