Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 147 Release of List
July 17, the first year of Jiayou.

The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the scorching sun beat down on the bluestone slabs, sending up plumes of steam.

The huge ginkgo tree in front of the main hall cast a dense green shade, but it could not dispel the anxious anticipation that filled the air. The cicadas chirped louder and louder, stirring the already tense hearts of the students.

Today is the day the results of the four-state joint exam are released.

Nearly two hundred students from the prefectural school, regardless of whether they were from the upper, middle, or lower dormitories, gathered in front of the notice board at Luzhou Prefectural School.

Professor Jiang Zicheng of the State Academy walked out of the main hall surrounded by several academic officials. In his hands was the final ranking that had affected the students of the four states.

Two teaching assistants stepped forward, carefully unfolded the red silk list, and hung it on the hooks that had been placed on the wall beforehand.

A bright red ribbon cascaded down like a waterfall, covered with over eight hundred names and rankings of students from four states, written in thick ink, which were particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

All eyes were instantly drawn to the list, as if by a magnet!
Huang Jingji and Zhu Zhen squeezed into a corner, their eyes wide open, pragmatically searching for their names near the bottom of the list.

Cui Wenjing stood a little behind the crowd with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly sweeping across the top of the list—that was the position he was truly focused on.

Zhou Mingyuan stood not far from Cui Wenjing, appearing calm on the surface, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.

Taking advantage of his height, Lu Beigu steadily started looking up from the top 100.

Before he even saw his name, he heard Lu Guangyu, who was squeezed in front, shout in surprise.

"Lu Beigu, ranked seventeenth on the overall list?!"

"Seventeenth overall? No longer in the top five in the state?"

Using his tonnage advantage, Zhu Nanxing, who was showing Lu Guangyu the rankings, was blocked from the back. For a moment, he didn't care about his own ranking and hurriedly asked, "Is it really seventeenth on the overall list?"

“It’s absolutely true!” Lu Guangyu, who was standing in front of him, confirmed.

Countless surprised and envious gazes immediately fell upon Lu Beigu, focusing on him.

A freshman who had been enrolled for just over a month actually broke into the top twenty in the joint exam that brought together elites from four states!
This is simply an unprecedented miracle!

Since its formal establishment in the fifth year of the Qingli era, the Luzhou Prefectural School has never produced such a brilliant and outstanding person!
Lu Beigu

Looking at the name on the left side of the notice wall, and then at my own ranking, the joy that had just risen in my heart vanished instantly.

Although there was no deep-seated hatred, just watching a genius rise and surpass him made him feel very uncomfortable.

When he attended the Zen gathering at Fawang Temple in Hejiang County, he thought Lu Beigu was just an ordinary student from the county school.

When Lu Beigu entered the state school and made a name for himself in his first dormitory exam, Xian Zhen simply thought he was lucky.

This is also the mindset of many senior students.

—Who hasn't had moments of exceptional performance?

However, the ranking results of this four-state joint exam completely shattered the faint sense of superiority in the hearts of many senior students, leaving only an indescribable complex feeling.

For the first time, they all realized so clearly that the brilliance of genius cannot be ignored!
Even if we started a little late.

Meanwhile, Han Ziyu, standing to the right of the notice wall, was already seriously considering his previous thoughts. He was genuinely afraid that if he waited any longer, Lu Beigu would disappear without a trace, like a crane soaring into the sky.

At that point, I'm afraid there won't even be anywhere to look for them.

At this moment, after confirming his ranking, Lu Beigu's heart was pounding strongly in his chest, and the literal feeling of "blood boiling" surged through his entire body.

It worked!
This crucial step has finally been taken!

I've secured a spot in the intensive training camp for the state exams following the four-state joint exams!
According to the rules, the top 100 in the four-state joint examination will be eligible for a five-day special training program taught jointly by academic officials from the four states.

This will be the last and highest-level training session before the state exam!

There, he will absorb the last of his knowledge and hone the test-taking skills he has been frantically accumulating since entering state school.

Afterwards, Lu Beigu suppressed his turbulent emotions and didn't linger on his "seventeenth place" ranking. Instead, he scanned upwards again to see which top-ranked candidates were even better than him. Soon, he saw them at the top of the list.

15th Place: Su Xun from Meizhou

Eighth place: Cui Wenjing from Luzhou

Cui Wenjing truly lives up to his reputation as a top student in the upper academy. He consistently ranks in the top ten on the overall list, and it is estimated that he will also be firmly in the top three within the state academy, or even possibly in second place.

"Congratulations, Brother Lu!" A steady voice sounded beside him.

Lu Beigu turned around and met Cui Wenjing's gaze, which was filled with a sincere smile.

The president had already walked over, his eyes filled not only with congratulations but also with an unprecedented solemnity.

"President Cui, you flatter me. It was just a fluke." Lu Beigu returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his attitude remaining humble.

"Just luck?" Cui Wenjing shook his head. "With talents from four states gathered here, how could one possibly be among the top? It's no joke. Brother Lu's progress is truly remarkable, even somewhat astonishing."

The fact that the branch office ranked 72nd in the state exam a month ago was already quite surprising.

A month later, he actually ranked seventeenth in the four-state joint exam!
What does this mean? It means they're a solid top-five team in the state!

To be honest, Lu Beigu's terrifying rate of progress put pressure on even Cui Wenjing, a veteran of the imperial examinations.

"Let's go to the training camp together tomorrow. If you can gain something from this training, you'll have a very good chance of passing the provincial examination soon."

Lu Beigu nodded, suppressing his excitement and anticipation for the future.

The road ahead remains arduous; the provincial examination is the true gateway to success.

"I hope the president will offer more guidance. Let's strive together on the road to the state examination!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Wenjing, who is thirty-six years old this year, stared blankly at Lu Beigu, who is seventeen years old.

Many people spend their entire lives trying to pass the state exams, but never succeed.

Even someone like Cui Wenjing, who is recognized as a talented and diligent person in Luzhou State School, has taken the state examination four times over the years and obtained the quota three times, but now he still has to start all over again.
His temples were already showing a few strands of white hair, yet the prospect of passing the imperial examination remained a distant dream.

This is the cruelty of the imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty.

Indeed, it is possible to "rise from a peasant in the morning to a high-ranking official in the evening," and it is indeed possible to rise from a mere scholar to a high-ranking official through one's own efforts. It is also fair and just enough.

But the probability of getting ahead is extremely low.

Meanwhile, the Meizhou Prefectural School.

As the undisputed first place winner in this year's Meizhou provincial examination, Su Shi did not participate in the joint examination and was hiding indoors to avoid the summer heat.

Meanwhile, Su Xun and his son Su Zhe were looking at the list from back to front.

When I saw Su Zhe, ranked ninety-first, squeeze into the top 100.

Su Xun looked at his composed youngest son and praised him, "You have made great progress in your studies this time, which makes me very happy."

"I owe a great deal to my elder brother's guidance," Su Zhe replied respectfully.

Su Xun, a veteran student who had taken the exam for twenty-two years, was not surprised to achieve fifteenth place this time. However, he was quite astonished to see Lu Beigu, who was ranked seventeenth, not far from him.

Seeing that Lu Beigu's name was only two digits after his father's, Su Zhe was also taken aback, but his expression quickly turned into deep admiration.

“Father, I knew he was extraordinary when I was in Luzhou, but such achievements are truly beyond my expectations! His talent and diligence are indeed remarkable!”

“Lu Beigu,” Su Xun murmured, “is right. I must see for myself what kind of person this is who has received such high praise from both you and Master Zhang.”

(End of this chapter)