Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 199 Yan Shifan Fails the Exam

"The results will be released tomorrow..."

Yan Shifan, supporting his back, slowly entered the dormitory.

He rekindled his old flame with Qin Xin Feng Xiao and lived a carefree life until, unknowingly, the results of the imperial examination were about to be released.

Not to mention the entire Imperial Academy, the streets of the capital seemed to be in an uproar, with scholars coming and going at any time, whispering to each other, their expressions a mixture of anticipation and fear.

The imperial examinations were not only held every three years, but also embodied the lifelong aspirations of countless scholars.

There were many scholars like Zhang Cong, who took the imperial examination eight times over a period of twenty-four years, during which three emperors changed, and Su Zhigao, who even had grandchildren and was still studying and taking the exam.

This has nothing to do with social status anymore; people just want to pass the exam, and they'll never be satisfied if they don't.

As a result, a sense of tension spread throughout the entire scholar-official community.

After experiencing the anxiety of the provincial examination, Yan Shifan had already convinced himself that the results were already set and that no amount of nervousness could change the outcome of whether he passed or failed. However, after seeing the performances of others along the way, he couldn't help but change his expression.

He sat down on his bed, looked at his roommates who were doing their own thing and completely undisturbed, opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything and went to sleep.

The next day, he woke up in a daze, his head buzzing.

Last night I seemed to fall asleep, but I had a lot of random dreams. Yet it also felt like I didn't sleep at all, as I kept tossing and turning.

But in any case, that day has finally come.

"Let's go!"

"Check the results at the Imperial Examination Hall!"

Although Hai Rui and Lin Daqin vaguely sensed from the matchmaker's movements that they were on the list, the matter was not completely settled. Moreover, for Lin Daqin, the top scholar, the exact ranking was also a matter of great concern.

Lin Daqin had recovered from his illness and his complexion had become rosy, but he still felt regretful when he thought about the fever he had during the last exam.

Every talented scholar has his pride. He had been secretly holding back his ambition, trying to surpass all the other scholars in the imperial examination and take the top spot. If he could also become the top scholar in the provincial examination, he could then strive to become the top scholar in the three-tier examination.

His mistake in the last game made him lose confidence, but he couldn't help but have some expectations. So when he came to the outer edge of the crowd and squeezed in, his breathing became rapid.

Without a doubt, Zhao Wenhua arrived first this time.

He had already learned about the internal affairs of the examination hall beforehand, and was greatly shocked by the ranking of the Yixin Society. He was also secretly pleased with the fate of a certain person. He led the way with great enthusiasm: "Signmaster! Brother Jingfu! Brother Deming! Fourteenth Brother! Please come in quickly!"

Haiyue and the other three walked inside.

Yan Shifan keenly noticed that Zhao Wenhua, who used to only flatter Haiyue, was now treating Hai Rui, Lin Daqin, and Su Zhigao differently!

and also……

Why was I the only one left out?

Yan Shifan stared at Zhao Wenhua, but saw that his expression was normal, as if he had just forgotten in his busyness. But as soon as he turned his head, he vaguely felt that the other party was smiling at him with his lips upturned. When he turned his head back, he saw that Zhao Wenhua's expression was normal again.

Not to mention Yan Shifan clenching his fists, once everyone arrived at their chosen spot, where they could see the gleaming screen wall of the examination hall, they began to wait silently.

This time, order was easier to maintain, since everyone in the room was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. Even if they were scratching their heads in frustration, they had to keep quiet.

Especially since they'll be on the list this year, they'll be in the same year as the current year's participants, so they'll have to be mindful of their demeanor.

So when the gates of the examination hall opened and the official carrying the yellow silk list slowly walked out, the crowd stirred for a moment, but then orderly made way for them.

But everyone still stood on tiptoe to watch the list slowly unfold, the names inscribed in vermilion ink shining brightly in the morning light.

There was no announcement of names for the provincial examination this time, because it was impossible for all three hundred people to announce their names. And since these three hundred people would soon become Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examination) or Tongjinshi (successful candidates in the same imperial examination), they could not be offended.

So let everyone see for themselves.

In that case, everyone's first glance was naturally toward the top of the list, and someone called out in somewhat broken Mandarin: "The top scholar is Lin Chun, from Fuqing County, Fujian!"

"Meng Yang, the top student in high school!" "Brother Meng Yang, congratulations!"

A group of people nearby cheered and surrounded a slender scholar in his early thirties, offering their congratulations.

"Ugh……"

Lin Daqin felt a mix of regret and relief, and his mindset was completely at peace.

Inspired by Haiyue, he gained a much better understanding of his own abilities. Being ranked first in high school might depend on his condition, but even if he was sick and underperformed, making the list should still be a piece of cake.

Sure enough, someone in front took over the task of calling out the names of all the high-ranking scholars.

"Second place, Haiyue, from Qiongshan County, Guangdong Province."

"Third place, Wang Pei, from Wen'an County, Shuntian Prefecture."

"Fourth place: Gao Jie, from Chengdu Prefecture, Sichuan."

"Fifth place, Lin Daqin, from Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong."

……

"Ninth place, Su Zhigao, from Gu'an County, Shuntian Prefecture."

"Tenth place: Hai Rui, from Qiongshan County, Guangdong Province."

The rankings in the metropolitan examination, apart from the first place, were not as finely divided as in the provincial examination, with no distinctions like the second-place scholar, the top scholar in the classics, or the second-place scholar. This is because both the metropolitan and palace examinations were not local examinations, but were open to all candidates from across the country. The specific rankings were determined in the palace examination, namely the top scholar, the second-place scholar, and the third-place scholar, and so on.

But the top ten are still the focus of everyone's attention.

When Haiyue, Lin Daqin, Su Zhigao, and Hai Rui appeared one after another, everyone's expressions changed from surprise to shock, and finally to awe.

The reputation of the Yixin Society was well-known among the many candidates present, even those who had just entered the capital for this examination.

There are hundreds or even thousands of academies in the world, but there is absolutely no one else that can encompass the elites of the Imperial Academy and the Hanlin Academy with only twenty members and whose calligraphy is personally written by His Majesty.

Of course, there is no first place in literature but there is a second in martial arts. Many candidates from other places also had their opinions, thinking that these students were flattering the emperor. There were also rumors that those who joined the Hanlin Academy were also thinking about their careers. In short, they were not pure.

But now, this impure company has taken up half of the top ten spots in the imperial examination.
The problem is, how many people from the Yixin Society are participating in this imperial examination?

There seem to be only four people, right?
All four people made the list, and all were in the top ten?
'Could it be cheating...?'

In their excitement, someone almost blurted out a sentence.

But then I think it's not that bad.

The provincial examination was different from the palace examination. The palace examination largely depended on the emperor's preferences, and the final ranking was decided by the emperor. The provincial examination, on the other hand, was determined by the chief examiner. In order to ensure fairness, the top-ranked essays were released for scholars to comment on.

Unless the chief examiner and co-examiners are willing to ruin their reputations, they wouldn't dare to do something so outrageous, even if they wanted to flatter and fawn over them.

'No way? You guys are all in the top ten?'

Of course, it wasn't just these scholars who were shocked; Yan Shifan was even more shocked.

That's not right. During the provincial examination, Hai Rui only ranked 27th. The competition for the metropolitan examination was even more intense. How did he suddenly jump to 10th?
And Su Zhigao, didn't you fail the imperial examination several times? Usually, a candidate like you who makes the list is ranked last. It's a rare opportunity for you to suddenly rise to ninth place.

He didn't even expect Haiyue to rank second.

After all, there is still a gap between second place in the provincial examination and second place in the metropolitan examination. Given Haiyue's age, he was able to surpass all the candidates in the country, second only to one person, and his brilliance was no less than that of the top scholar, Lin Chun.

On the contrary, Lin Daqin, whose reputation was highly praised by the scholars of the Hanlin Academy, had easily won the title of Jieyuan. Yan Shifan felt that it would not be surprising if he were to become the Huiyuan.

Therefore, Lin Daqin's fifth place was actually the one who performed the worst. Combining this with his previous medical consultations after leaving the examination hall, he finally understood.

So you really were sick!

Regardless, they're still in the top ten even when they're sick!
"What about me? What about me?"

Yan Shifan couldn't hold back any longer; standing on tiptoe wasn't enough, so he simply squeezed forward.

When he finally arrived at the screen wall, his gaze first fell on the last list.

It hasn't been posted yet...

Why don't you hurry up and put it on so I can see it from the back to the front?

To be honest, quite a few people held this mentality, especially many elderly scholars with white hair. They were not interested in the first few lists, obviously knowing that they would not be on the list. They just waited for the later lists to be revealed, and then stared at them nervously. Some even had poor eyesight and had to look for their names in front of them.

Finally, the servant posted the last list.

Yan Shifan immediately looked at the last person, but what he saw was:
"298th, Lin Gongmao, from Zhangpu, Fujian."

Despite losing the throne that once belonged to him, Yan Shifan remained undeterred and continued to look upwards:
"Ranked 297th, Luo Ji..."

"Ranked 296th, Lu Xun..."

"Not me... not me... still not me! Am I on the second-to-last list?"

Yan Shifan thought he was well prepared, but as it turned out, he wasn't.

He looked at the last list one last time, still unwilling to give up, then turned to the second to last list, continuing to search for his name, his fists clenched tightly, his expression growing increasingly anxious.

Zhao Wenhua then moved closer to Haiyue, suppressing his emotions but still managing a hint of amusement in his voice: "Chief, Donglou unfortunately failed the exam~"

Haiyue was also paying attention to Yan Shifan's results, and after Zhao Wenhua's report, the result was confirmed as expected.

To be fair, he had already given the other party a lot of help, especially those practical test-taking skills. With his intelligence, and the fact that it happened to be a year with a low number of imperial examinations, he had every chance to pass the exams in one go and achieve the highest honors.

However, Yan Shifan's attitude towards learning was so poor that he was utterly hopeless.

If someone like that could outdo others in years of hard work by relying on a little bit of cleverness, that would be truly unfair.

The results are now in.

Haiyue sighed briefly.

Zhao Wenhua was thoroughly amused.

He is a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), he is a Jinshi, he is a Jinshi.

Say the important thing three times.

Now, almost all members of the Yixin Society are Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), except for one Juren (successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations).

Oh dear, who is that person?
So hard to guess!

(End of this chapter)