Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 317 A Thousand Troops Crossing a Single-Plank Bridge
February 16th, the second year of the Jiayou reign, at the Ministry of Rites Examination Hall.

Kaifeng was still asleep in the chill of early spring, but here, although "the spring breeze in February is like scissors," even though the biting morning wind stung their faces, it could not cool the burning anticipation in the hearts of more than two thousand candidates.

The courtyard wall was still surrounded by a thorny hedge, and the imperial guards in full armor stood watch over the vermilion gate.

The dense crowd, like a surging tide, almost filled the open space in front of the examination hall.

The sounds of people, horses, and carts mingled together, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and the aroma of food wafting from breakfast stalls.

Lu Beigu came from the Imperial Academy with Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao. Although they got up quite early, they had never experienced the release of the results of the provincial examination before, and they had obviously underestimated the enthusiasm of the candidates for seeing the results.

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's impossible to move an inch."

"Yes."

After crossing East Street, the area became less crowded because there were many alleys to walk through. However, once we reached the open space in front of the Imperial Examination Hall, the feeling of crowding returned.

"This way! This way!"

An urgent shout pierced through the noise. Lu Beigu looked in the direction of the sound and saw someone waving at Cheng Hao.

He had seen this person before; he was a fellow townsman of the Cheng brothers from Henan Prefecture, named Zhu Guangting, who was nineteen years old this year, making him one of the younger candidates among the successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

"Let's go over there first."

“Okay.” Lu Beigu nodded.

Everyone has different social circles based on their place of origin and experience, which is perfectly normal.

Afterwards, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi headed towards the place where the candidates from Henan Prefecture had gathered.

The Central Plains region of the Song Dynasty was divided into three circuits: the Jingji Circuit, centered on Kaifeng Prefecture; the Jingxi North Circuit, centered on Henan Prefecture; and the Jingxi South Circuit, centered on Xiangzhou.

Henan Prefecture governed the area from Mianchi in the west to Sishui in the east, which was actually the Luoyang area in the traditional sense.

Because of the Han and Tang dynasties, Luoyang has long held a special position in history. Therefore, the Song dynasty often appointed important officials as the governors of the Western Capital, who were responsible for the affairs of the entire Henan Prefecture and even the Northwest Circuit of the capital.

Meanwhile, the candidates from Henan Prefecture were clearly surrounding a middle-aged man who was wearing a sable coat, had a robust build, and exuded an air of nobility.

Lu Beigu had heard the Cheng brothers talk about this person. His name was Li Shi. He came from a family of founding heroes and was a top-tier noble family in Luoyang, the western capital. During the Qingli era, he served as a Taichang Doctor through the hereditary privilege arranged by his family.

However, Li Shi was a well-read scholar who was ashamed to enter officialdom without passing the imperial examinations. Therefore, after serving as an official for less than two years, he resigned and returned home to study diligently. He took the imperial examinations several times and even passed the first time, but he was not satisfied with his ranking, so he chose to start over.

All I can say is that they have a deep pocket.

They only care about ranking in exams and don't care about the salary of becoming an official.

As Lu Beigu walked through the crowd, he also saw Zeng Gong and others. Zeng Gong was with his younger brothers Zeng Mou and Zeng Bu, his cousin Zeng Fu, and his brother-in-law Wang Wujiu and Wang Yanshen.

Despite the lingering chill of early spring, Zeng Gong was still wearing the same patched-up long gown he wore when they first met at Yueyang Tower, proving he was quite resistant to the cold.

He didn't seem to use the fine cloth that Wang Tao gave him to make clothes, but he looked alright.

Because there were many people between them, Zeng Gong did not speak after seeing Lu Beigu's head, but simply nodded to each other.

Over there were candidates from Jiangxi. Wang Shao, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, was talking to Zeng Bu, looking quite relaxed, presumably feeling he had done well on the exam. On the other side, there was a group of candidates from Fujian.

At this moment, Lü Huiqing was talking with Lin Xi, Zhang Dun and others, while Zhang Heng stood aside with a calm expression. He did not participate in the discussion, but stared calmly at the gate of the examination hall, as if he was thinking about something.

However, their expressions were generally not relaxed, a stark contrast to their previous confident demeanor.

Lu Beigu struggled to push through the crowd and finally managed to squeeze into the small circle of fellow Sichuan natives.

"Brother Lu! You finally managed to squeeze through!"

Cheng Jian rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and said in a slightly shrill voice due to nervousness: "This scene is even more frightening than the entrance to the provincial examination!"

Cui Wenjing laughed and said, "When the provincial examination was being held, many people thought that if they arrived late, they could get in quickly, so they took a nap before coming. But now, no one is late."

"Yes, it truly is like 'thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge'."

Yang Yaozi replied, standing on tiptoe to look around.

Lu Beigu first bowed to everyone in greeting, then his gaze fell on Su Zhe.

"Where are Mr. Mingyun and Brother Zizhan?"

"I'm sick, so I can't come."

Su Zhe smiled bitterly and said, "My father and elder brother both caught a cold after returning from the provincial examination. The sudden cold snap in Bianjing, coupled with the heavy snow, was really too severe. My father is nearly fifty years old, and my elder brother has just recovered from a serious illness. How could they withstand it? They cough, wheeze, have runny noses, and have recurring fevers."

"So how is it now?" he asked quickly.

"She had been bedridden for nearly a month, and had been taking medicine without interruption. The initial onset of the illness was finally over, but she was still very weak and breathless when she spoke. She dared not go out in the cold wind, so she asked me to come and wait for the results."

Lu Beigu nodded, hoping that the previous diarrhea had not seriously affected Su Shi's grades.

Otherwise, he, the transmigrator who stirred up the butterfly effect, would still feel somewhat guilty.

"Brother Zizhan, your illness has worsened. How did you do on the exam?"

Su Zhe's tone was light: "But it's strange, though my brother suffered from his illness, his spirits were excellent. Whenever he was lucid, he would pull me aside and tell me that although his hands and feet were numb from the cold for two days after the provincial examination, he was able to write as if divinely inspired, with his thoughts flowing freely. In particular, his policy essay was written with great fluency and he felt that it was even better than Ma Jiliang's essay. I think he must have done quite well on the exam."

He's a natural-born player.

This is not surprising, though. Su Shi was different from ordinary people. It is appropriate to compare Su Shi with Li Bai. They were both people who could produce amazing results when they were in a good writing state.

Of course, if Su Shi wasn't in a good writing state, or if he had a sudden lapse in judgment, he could easily mess things up.

Anyway, this kind of thing is like rolling dice. If you've rolled a 1 before, you'll eventually roll a 6.

Upon hearing this, Lu Beigu was also pleased with Su Shi's performance. He patted Su Zhe on the shoulder and said, "Brother Zizhan is a gift from heaven, and he will surely pass the imperial examination this time. As for Ziyou, you have to take care of your father and brother's medicine and shoulder the heavy responsibility of waiting for the results. Braving the cold wind and squeezing into this crowd, you must be very tired."

"It doesn't matter."

Su Zhe smiled. He was the youngest and in the best of health, so only he could do this kind of thing.

(End of this chapter)