The palace exam consisted of 120 examination papers. These candidates were all eligible Advanced Scholars, and there was no need to anonymize and transcribe them; the Emperor would personally read them and decide the rankings.
Of course, the notion of the Emperor personally reading the papers was just a gimmick. Jiang Shaohua sat calmly at the top seat, watching Minister Dong and two other Ministry of Rites officials busily working with their heads down, which counted as "personally" reading the papers.
Chief Historian Chen and Wang Jin were also summoned to join the reading process.
After approximately two hours, all the examination papers were reviewed. Minister Dong and the others deliberated, arranged the graded papers in a certain order, and finally presented them to the imperial desk.
Next, the Emperor would personally browse through them and select the top three candidates for the highest honors.
