Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 379 Passing the Imperial Examination (Part 2)

Most of these messengers were relatives or friends of the yamen runners who posted the notices. They were local bigwigs with connections to the yamen, and although they didn't have any particularly powerful backgrounds, they were not to be underestimated.

After all, in this joyous occasion, people don't really care about these small gains.

Therefore, the messenger had already thoroughly investigated the abilities of many students, especially the top contenders, and had investigated their whereabouts and current activities in great detail.

Once the list of names was released, they naturally rushed over without stopping.

……

"They're here! They're here..."

In the distance, as everyone eagerly awaited, a commotion finally arose at the front of the street.

"Congratulations, Mr. Wang, on passing the imperial examination!"

"Congratulations to Mr. Wang for ranking twenty-second in the high school entrance exam!!"

Not far away, a messenger dressed in a bright red casual suit trotted over.

"bass!"

With a sudden stop, the person came to an abrupt and precise halt in front of another person.

"Congratulations, Your Highness!"

The messenger offered his congratulations to the "old man".

Calling him an "old man" is no exaggeration. This Mr. Wang has loose skin and a weathered face, and his age is exactly the same as that of Lord Sheng Hong.

However, compared to Honglang's numerous wives and concubines, this Master Wang was quite different. Although he didn't have a full head of white hair, a small portion of his hair was already gray.

"Master Wang, you've won!"

As if afraid that the person in front of him could not bear it, the person delivering the good news became extremely gentle in his tone.

"bingo?"

"I...I won?"

The newly appointed scholar stared wide-eyed, somewhat incredulous.

"I really won!?"

After the messenger nodded, Master Wang gripped the man's wrist tightly and confirmed with a ferocious expression!

"Yes Yes Yes!"

"Master Wang, you really won!"

"Hahaha! Good!"

After confirming it several times, Master Wang immediately became spirited and, with a wave of his sleeve, declared with boundless generosity, "Reward!"

"A generous reward!"

"I will reward you handsomely!"

As he spoke, he pulled a bulging purse from his sleeve, seemingly ready to fulfill his boast.

Then, what everyone saw next was the scene of the top donor in the ancient version giving a reward.

……

At this moment, there were more than one such lively scene, but the one closest to Sheng Changquan and the others was Master Wang's place, so they were able to see the whole thing clearly.

"Come out! Come out!"

Liu Renyuan, the most outgoing of them all, was the first to jump out.

He downed the wine in his hand in one gulp, then ran to the window in a few quick steps, staring intently into the distance with shining eyes.

"The one in front is the twenty-second successful candidate in the imperial examination..."

He paused for a moment, and after a long while, he strangely uttered the second half of the sentence: "...it's just that I'm a bit old."

However, despite saying that, he couldn't help but have the same thought in his heart as Emperor Gaozu of Han: "A true man should be like this!"

"To be ranked twenty-twoth in the capital is already no easy feat, let alone being old."

Hearing Liu Renyuan's complaints, Lian Zhuo, standing to the side, was filled with excitement and envy: "If I could get this position, I would be willing to grow ten years older!"

Not only Lian Zhuo, but even Niu Xingwen kept nodding in agreement.

"Exactly! Exactly!"

With tears in his eyes, Niu Xingwen said, "If I could pass the imperial examination and become a Juren in the capital, I'm afraid my old man would never lay a hand on me again!"

Although the old master of the Niu family was an official of the Ministry of Rites, he believed in the old saying, "Spare the rod and spoil the child," and also believed that "if you raise a child but do not teach him, it is the father's fault." Therefore, even though the eldest of the four, the eldest brother Niu was beaten the most by his father.

For Old Master Niu, as long as the child isn't killed, he'll beat him to death; only in this way will the child not grow up badly. Hearing the grievance in Niu Xingwen's words, Sheng Changquan's eyebrows twitched slightly. He glanced at the eldest brother in the small team with some sympathy, and sighed inwardly, "No wonder the Niu family produced the Great Sage Hun Tian; their family tradition is truly admirable!"

"Hey! Hey!! That's not what I meant!"

Hearing what everyone was saying, Liu Renyuan's lips twitched. He regretted that he had spoken his mind. If he didn't make amends, wouldn't everyone laugh at him for being all talk and no action?

"Ahem... I just wanted to say..."

"...Compared to our youngest brother Changquan, the scholar below is indeed quite old!"

Liu Renyuan's quick-witted eyes swept over Sheng Changquan, and he immediately found a reason.

"To be honest, I've only ever seen such a promising young talent as Changquan in storybooks!"

Fearing being verbally abused by his own brother, Liu Renyuan immediately changed the subject, preparing to deliver a "horse kill" to Sheng Changquan.

He smiled ingratiatingly at Sheng Changquan and said, "I, Liu Renyuan, am truly blessed to have such a good brother!"

Then, this guy patted his chest loudly, contradicting himself, and said, "Seriously, as long as I can win, let alone being ten years older, I would be willing to switch places with that old man down there right now!"

"real!"

Fearing that everyone might not be up to par, Liu Renyuan emphasized it again.

"hehe!"

Seeing that Liu Renyuan was getting anxious, Shen Li couldn't help but step in to smooth things over, saying, "I believe my brother!"

"Actually, it's not just my brother who feels this way; everyone feels the same way."

Of the group, the Shen family's situation was the most complicated. Although Shen Li could be said to be "guaranteed to pass," as a proud scholar, how could he be willing to accept such a situation?

It's just for the sake of the family and its members.

Seeing the complicated look in Shen Li's eyes, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but cough lightly.

"cough!"

Seeing the attention of the others, Sheng Changquan was unwilling to say anything more that went off-topic.

—It's already this late, why haven't we heard anything yet?

Sheng Changquan was extremely anxious!

Where has Xu Changqing gone? Why hasn't he come back yet?

You must know, Xu Changqing is even faster than these messengers, how could he...?

Sheng Changquan could no longer remain calm: "Brothers, I think we should go down and take a look at the list of successful candidates first?"

"Ok?"

Everyone was astonished!

"Go down at this time?"

"Didn't your Sheng family send anyone down?"

—Though no one said it aloud, everyone's eyes conveyed this meaning.

"This……"

Sheng Changquan could only shake his head helplessly at this.

"Yes, there are, but they may not know I'm here."

Faced with the mocking looks from everyone, Sheng Changquan felt like he wanted to die!

"Xu Changqing, you'd better have a reasonable explanation!"

"Otherwise, I'll show you why the flowers are so red?"

……

While Sheng Changquan was furious and embarrassed, the Sheng family mansion, dozens of miles away, was filled with laughter and joy.

When Xu Changqing returned to the Sheng residence in a daze and reported the results of the imperial examination...

"Hahaha!"

"Brother Quan won!"

"You've topped the list! You've become the top scholar!"

Madam Wang's loud voice suddenly burst out of the Sheng Mansion and soared into the sky!

Ahem! The author is adjusting... Please wait...

(End of this chapter)