Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 119 Lu Beigu's Rising Fame
"clang--!"

Another long, resounding gong signaled the official end of the dormitory assignment exam.

"Students, please stop writing! Place your papers on the desk and leave in an orderly fashion!"

The proctor shouted loudly.

For a moment, the examination hall was filled with a mixture of sighs, whispers, and the sounds of packing up. Some people slumped into their chairs with relief, while others slapped their foreheads in frustration.

Lu Beigu gently put down his pen and rubbed his throbbing temples.

Looking at the exam papers on his desk, which were filled with his own ink, he felt a sense of peace.

We've done everything we could.

Whether or not one can successfully enter the middle school and be selected as Mr. Baisha's teacher depends on the final ranking.

He walked out of the main hall with the crowd. The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling and the air was hot, but it was a world of difference compared to the oppressive atmosphere inside the examination hall.

I'm starving!

As soon as Zhu Nanxing stepped out the door, he wailed, clutching his stomach as if he was about to faint from hunger: "Let's go! Let's hurry to the dining hall!"

Lu Guangyu and Huang Jingji were also starving. Although Zhu Zhen didn't complain of being hungry, he walked noticeably faster than usual.

Although Lu Beigu was also starving, his excitement had not completely subsided. He smiled and asked, "Brother Zhu, will we be able to have roast goose tomorrow?"

"Roast goose? That's only available in the middle dormitory!" Zhu Nanxing said with a bitter face. "If I could have a decent meat dish this morning, maybe I could have performed well. How can I be in the right state of mind if I'm hungry after getting into the middle dormitory?"

"How did you perform this time, Brother Lu?" Zhu Zhen asked.

Lu Beigu didn't mince words and said directly, "I had some insights, so I performed quite well."

"Enlightenment?" Lu Guangyu said, "I think it's an epiphany, a breakthrough to immortality! Brother Lu, I have a feeling you're going to make a name for yourself this time!"

Huang Jingji nodded, looking at Lu Beigu with a complicated expression: "I haven't heard of anyone getting into the middle dormitory in the first dormitory assignment exam for freshmen in the past five years at Luzhou State School. But I feel that Brother Lu, you probably really have a chance."

Lu Beigu did not deny it, but calmly said, "The result is not yet out, anything is possible. Let's go eat first, and then go back and get some rest."

At this time, the exam papers of nearly two hundred people were piled up like a mountain in the marking room.

All the teachers from the state school were mobilized. Except for the proctors, everyone else had eaten in advance and was working against the clock.

Because the dormitory placement exam is related to the future of all students and the allocation of state school resources, the grading process is extremely rigorous.

First, the names were anonymized and copied, and then the academic officials would cross-check them.

The rubbings and interpretations of calligraphy are relatively objective, have standard answers, and are reviewed relatively quickly.

Poetry and policy essays are the most time-consuming, especially policy essays, which require careful examination of the theme, argumentation, writing style, and knowledge of classics and history.

The officials in charge of reviewing the policy essays were several academic officials from the state school, known for their profound scholarship and strict requirements. One of them, an elderly academic official with white hair and beard, was intently looking at a transcribed policy essay in his hand.

The opening line, "It is easy to achieve success in a world that maintains the status quo, but difficult to establish a new dynasty," suddenly brightened his cloudy old eyes.

As you continue reading, the entire historical essay presents a clear viewpoint, a powerful momentum, precise use of historical facts, thorough analysis of gains and losses, and anecdotes readily available. What's even more ingenious is the finishing touch at the end, "The Spring and Autumn Annals criticizes the virtuous for being incomplete," which elevates the historical essay to the level of classical texts.

"Excellent! What a magnificent piece of writing!"

The old academic official couldn't help but slap the table in admiration, drawing the attention of several other academic officials around him.

"The topic is insightful and incisive, the argument is lofty and far-reaching, the evidence is detailed and the writing is coherent! What's even more remarkable is how naturally and appropriately the integration of classics and history is achieved!"

He couldn't wait to flip to the beginning of the paper, wanting to remember the number, and then wait until the grades were published to see which mature and prudent upper-class student had written it.

He can't see the name, but even when copying exam papers, there is a temporary number.

This number is not a student ID, but an exam room seat number. The purpose is to prevent students' papers from being mixed up during the grading process and thus becoming untraceable.

The old academic officer remembered this number.

In the evening, after all the exam papers had been graded, the process began: unsealing the papers, transcribing the numbers to match the actual names and student IDs, and summarizing the scores.

The old academic officer stared at the number and realized that the invigilators and graders were not from the same group as those from the lower dormitory examination hall. There were more teaching assistants invigilating, while the graders were all official academic officers. Therefore, even if the graders saw the number, they wouldn't know which examination hall it came from. "Strange, this writing style is sophisticated, and the familiarity with quotations is remarkable. It looks like the work of an upper dormitory student who has studied diligently for many years. How could it be from a lower dormitory student?"

The paper with this number is almost entirely correct in the section on calligraphy, and while there are some minor flaws in the interpretation of the characters, they do not have a significant impact. Although the poetry is not top-notch, it is rigorous in its meter and follows the rules, far exceeding the level of the lower-level students.

"Could it be the top student at the welcoming gathering? Someone named Lu...Lu something Gu?" Someone remembered the freshman who had stood out at the welcoming gathering.

“A freshman? Impossible!” The old academic official frowned. “Such a foundation in historical theory could not have been acquired without three to five years of hard work at the state school! It must have been written by a middle-class student who had fallen into the lower-class dormitory.”

However, when the academic officer in charge of ranking the scores looked at the names corresponding to the numbers on the forms, his hands trembled.

"—It really is Lu Beigu! With these grades, he'll definitely get into the middle dormitory!"

"what?!"

"Lu Beigu? That freshman?!"

This explosive news instantly drew the attention of the state school teachers, who eagerly examined the transcribed copy and the opened records.

"It's actually him!"

"Inconceivable! Absolutely inconceivable!"

The old academician held the copy, staring at the three characters "Lu Beigu," speechless for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh: "The younger generation is truly formidable!"

The next morning.

The area in front of the notice board at the state school was already packed with people, making it impossible to move.

All the students, regardless of whether they lived in the upper, middle, or lower dormitories, crowded here, anxiously waiting for the fateful ranking list to be posted.

"They're here! They're here!" someone shouted.

Two academic officials, their faces solemn, carried a huge list filled with densely written names. They walked to the wall where the list was displayed, escorted by two servants.

All eyes were instantly focused, and everyone seemed to hold their breath.

Paste was brushed onto the wall, and the list was carefully pasted and smoothed out.

"Shua-"

The moment the leaderboard was unveiled, countless eyes, like searchlights, scanned the list from top to bottom.

Lu Beigu was also looking at the rankings, and thanks to his height, he could see them relatively clearly.

After a round of expulsions this year, the total number of students in the state school is 198. Among the top 66 students, who are the upper dormitory students, he saw two familiar names: Han Ziyu and Xian Zhen.

Next, in 70th place is Zhou Mingyuan, who just got out of the upper dormitory.

Lu Beigu saw his name at number 72.

Almost simultaneously, murmurs broke out in the crowd.

"Who is this person? They almost got into the top dormitory in their first dormitory assignment exam?"

"Lu Beigu! Did you see that? Number 72 is Lu Beigu from the welcoming gathering!"

"Newly enrolled students in the lower dormitory go directly to the middle dormitory?"

"How could that be! Didn't he just enroll?"

"Haven't you read 'On the Six States' from the welcoming gathering? Looks like he's really got the talent!"

The rankings of the students in the upper dormitory are basically fixed, so there's nothing surprising about it. But for a freshman to almost get into the upper dormitory right after entering school, that's quite disheartening!

You should know that all the students here were the cream of the crop in their original county schools.

But upon arriving at the state school, they could only suffer in the middle or even lower dormitories, year after year.

Exclamations, doubts, and incredulous discussions swept across the open space like a tsunami!
A freshman, with an almost meteoric rise, nearly got into the top dormitory in the first dormitory assignment exam! This had never happened before in the history of Luzhou Prefectural School. In the past, even freshmen who got into the middle dormitory were ranked very low.

The name Lu Beigu suddenly became famous within the Luzhou State Academy!
(End of this chapter)