Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 214 The First Person in the Imperial Examination

Although Zhang Dai managed to catch up on some sleep in the latter half of the night, he didn't sleep very soundly in the eerie atmosphere of the Censorate, so after returning home from the capital, he went back to bed to catch up on sleep again.

When he finally woke up after a good night's sleep, it was already evening. Stepping out of his bedroom and seeing the pile of books on his desk, he felt a sudden physical discomfort and quickly ordered, "Put these scrolls away immediately and don't take them out again for the next few days!"

Just like how students in later generations often develop a strange aversion to studying after passing exams, he now finds these things extremely repulsive and just wants to stay away from them.

Many people in later generations have criticized exam-oriented education for making people hate learning and for being a wrong way of imparting knowledge, while believing that learning through play is the right method.

That's all nonsense. Self-improvement is always painful, whether it's expanding and accumulating knowledge or repairing and reshaping cognition. Interest may increase a person's intrinsic motivation, but the fatigue in the process is also real.

Although he still has the option of cheating at crucial moments, this form of cheating is also quite stressful, requiring him to rack his brains to think and organize his past knowledge, and the preparation and accumulation before the provincial exam and the emotional ups and downs during the process are equally important.

Now that the provincial exams are finally over, regardless of the results, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Right now, he's not interested in anything important; all he wants to do is eat, drink, and have fun.

It's certainly inconvenient to do these things in the mansion, but the villa in Huixunfang was burned down and hasn't been repaired yet. The renovation of the Pure Land Courtyard of Changshou Temple has been completed, but it is still a Buddhist sanctuary, so it's not appropriate to do any entertainment there.

After thinking for a moment, he summoned Ding Cang and said, "Have the peach and apricot blossoms bloomed in the south of the city? Ding Cang, you should arrange for someone to go and tidy up the area, prepare some wine and food, and then go out of the city to relax for a few days after the announcement is made."

Upon hearing this, Ding Cang quickly nodded in agreement, then grinned and said, "My lord, you will surely pass the imperial examination this time. Should we prepare some sacrificial items and offer them to my wife at the ceremony?"

"Then let's make preparations first, and also make an appointment with a few eminent monks from Changshou Temple to hold a Dharma assembly later."

Although Zhang Dai himself was not superstitious about monks and Taoists, doing these things was nothing more than a way to comfort himself. Last year, although he erected a monument for his mother, he was preoccupied with fleeing the country and did not even hold a proper ceremony. Now that he was finally able to relax, he decided to take care of it as well to comfort her spirit.

Although the final list has not yet been released, Zhang Dai is still somewhat confident of passing the imperial examination. He performed better in this re-examination than he did in the previous essay examination, and copied more carefully. On the contrary, Wang Changling, Chang Jian and others lamented after leaving the palace that their performance was not so good.

Therefore, as long as the examiners do not dare to openly suppress him, it is a foregone conclusion that Zhang Dai will pass the imperial examination; it is just a matter of what rank he will ultimately achieve.

Is Wang Shouzhen still at home?

After a moment's thought, Zhang Dai asked Ding Qing that one of the reasons he was so determined to pass the imperial examination was because of the pressure he felt from Ding Qing and his father.

"Yes, yes, I was beaten up by Qi Lang and the other young masters yesterday, and I'm still lying in the stable right now!"

Upon hearing this, Ding Qing nodded quickly and said, "Does Ah Lang also want to teach him a lesson personally?"

Why did you hit him?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai asked out of curiosity, and Ding Qing then recounted the series of contingency plans he had taken after escaping the capital the previous day.

After hearing the boy's story, Zhang Dai was both amused and exasperated, and simply patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You're quite clever!"

Yesterday's incident was due to my overly strong sense of crisis, which led to a misunderstanding. I can't blame Ding Qing for reacting too strongly. Besides, Gao Chengxin informed Consort Hui yesterday, which led to Prince Shou sending food. I should find an opportunity to express my gratitude.

So Zhang Dai asked Aying to find the paper and pen that had just been put away, and wrote a note for Ding Qing to deliver to Gao Chengxin's house, agreeing to meet again another day.

In the servants' quarters next to the stables in the side courtyard, Wang Shouzhen, covered in wounds, was huddled in a straw-covered bed, sobbing softly. Hearing voices and footsteps outside, he immediately covered his mouth and buried his head in the hay, not daring to make any obvious noise.

"Don't worry, Liu Lang, that kid isn't going to die. He's just hiding in his bedroom, slacking off and avoiding trouble. He still needs to be taught a lesson..."

The voice of steward Wu Chuan came from outside the door, and Wang Shouzhen was immediately startled. When he heard the door being pushed open, he was filled with fear and cried out, "Zhang Lang, Liu Lang, please forgive me! Please forgive me! Last night's events in the southern province were really not my doing. Even if they were, I, I didn't know anything about it... I've been working at the manor lately and haven't been home much. I really didn't intend to harm Liu Lang!"

Zhang Dai stepped forward and saw that the man had disheveled hair and beard, bloodshot eyes, and bruises all over his face. He was completely different from the arrogant and domineering playboy he had been a few days ago. However, when he thought about how the man had fallen to such a state, he felt no sympathy for him.

"Stop wailing. Let me ask you, have you received the judgment from the Henan Prefecture? When are you planning to pay the compensation?"

Zhang Dai waved his hand to interrupt his howling and begging for mercy, and then asked in a deep voice, "Although the dispute has been temporarily resolved thanks to the Emperor's mediation, the losses caused by Wang Shouzhen's disturbance and looting still need to be judged and punished by the Henan Prefecture."

Zhang Dai had been focused on the examinations and hadn't inquired much about this matter until he asked his family. Only then did he learn that the Henan Prefecture had sent a judgment, stating that the stolen goods from his villa, the cost of repairing the burned house, and some additional compensation totaled nearly 20,000 strings of cash.

This is quite a sum of money. After all, the real value of Huixunfang's villa lies in its location and land. As for the buildings, a few thousand strings of cash would be enough to renovate them to their original state. The value of the money, silk, and materials that Zhang Dai had in the villa was far less than ten thousand strings of cash.

The Henan government's judgment essentially accepted the list of losses he sent without further verification.

This also shows that although Wang Maozhong held a high position and great power, the officials in Henan Prefecture still did not want to provoke Zhang Dai, who had caused them a lot of trouble several times. So they simply accepted whatever he said.

After all, Wang Maozhong held an official title, and even if the Henan Prefecture made such a judgment, they could not directly send troops to his home to enforce it. Ultimately, whether Wang Maozhong would acknowledge the debt and whether Zhang Dai would receive the compensation was up to them to handle themselves.

When Wang Maozhong heard Zhang Dai mention this issue, he hurriedly shook his head and said, "I, I really know nothing about this matter. Although I went home a few days ago, I was only there for training. Nothing else... I, I have some money and silk that I sent to an old friend. If you are willing to forgive me, I will do my best to get it back and give it to you!"

“I am not trying to extort or make things difficult for you over this matter of money. You should know how things have come to this and why you have fallen to this state. If you only harbor resentment and blame me, it means you still haven’t understood the situation clearly and are truly not worth dying for.”

Seeing the man's pitiful appearance, Zhang Dai sneered and said, "Although your father still holds a high official rank, it is no longer relevant to you. How you will make a living in the future is up to you to decide. It is laughable that the son of a Duke has fallen to such a state! If you still do not repent and make further mistakes and incur the wrath of others, do you think you will be given any special treatment?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen's nose tingled with sorrow, and she burst into tears, sobbing, "Since being punished, I have been filled with remorse. If things had not yet come to light, I would never have held a grudge against Liu Lang..."

His words might not be entirely untrue; after all, it was his feud with Zhang Dai that caused his life to plummet from heaven to such a tragic state. Even if he were to experience it all again, even if he killed Zhang Dai, what amazing gains or rewards could he possibly reap?

But whether his words were true or false, they didn't mean much to Zhang Dai. Judging from the emperor's previous actions, completely bringing down Wang Maozhong would be a long and arduous task, and in the process, he wouldn't mind sowing discord between the father and son.

“Take him to bathe and treat him. Even if Lord Huo doesn’t care about his son, my family still needs to maintain some dignity.”

As Zhang Dai turned and walked out of the room, he gave instructions, and then said to Wang Shouzhen, "I'll let you go home tomorrow. I'll tell you about the matter of the judge of Henan Prefecture and resolve it as soon as possible so we can all have some peace and quiet. If the ministers of the Duke of Huo owe a lowly commoner like me for food and clothing, and things get heated in the future, it won't be me who loses face."

"Of course, of course, thank you for your consideration, Liu Lang!"

Wang Shouzhen was spared a severe beating and even received some kindness, which made him very excited. He repeatedly bowed and clasped his hands to see Zhang Dai out of the room.

Over the next two days, Zhang Dai didn't rush out for leisure. After all, the results weren't out yet, and it wasn't wise to be too carefree. The other candidates were also preoccupied with the final outcome, including Li Yi, who was still staying at Song San Niang's house. He didn't invite Zhang Dai to try the jade hoop again during these two days.

Fortunately, the two days passed in the blink of an eye. The day before the results were announced at Tianjin Bridge, the Zhang family mansion was filled with guests. Many relatives and friends, including Zhang Dai's own friend Li Xia, came to visit. They were all waiting to offer their congratulations as soon as the results were announced.

There's no need to worry about these relatives and friends causing any embarrassing misunderstandings or mistakes.

After all, although Zhang Yue had lost power, he still held a high-ranking position as the Right Chancellor in the court and had extensive connections among scholars. He had already obtained relatively reliable information before the announcement was made, which is why he opened his doors wide to welcome guests.

However, since the list hasn't been released yet, it's not appropriate to openly boast about having access to the latest information.

That night, the Zhang family mansion was brightly lit and stayed open all night long, while other places in the neighborhood were equally lively.

At dawn the next day, before it was fully light, the gates of the imperial city were already open, and a troop of armored soldiers rode out of the imperial city and went straight to the north of Tianjin Bridge.

Many people were already waiting here. When they saw the group of soldiers come out, they were immediately invigorated and crowded around to watch as the soldiers pasted a piece of gold-flecked paper on the north side of the bridge.

Before the soldiers had even retreated, the crowd rushed to the notice board, staring intently at the words on it. Then, apart from a few disappointed candidates who had failed the exam, the rest quickly scattered in all directions.

At the same time, several knights mounted their horses, holding gilded invitations, and charged down the Tianjin Bridge, heading straight for Kangsufang in the south of the city.

When they arrived at the gate, it was already open, and many people who had been waiting for a long time were standing inside and outside. Upon seeing this, several knights raised the congratulatory notices in their hands and shouted: "Congratulations to Lord Zhang Dai of Henan Prefecture for passing the imperial examination in the year of Dingmao, ranking first in the first class! You have achieved great success and brought glory to your family!"

(End of this chapter)