Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 318 The Moment That Changed Fate

At this moment, Cui Wenjing asked.

"Bei Gu, you are a rising star among the talents of Sichuan. You triumphed in the battle at Ma Jiliang Garden, and you must have performed with even greater ease in the provincial examination. I see you are calm and composed; do you have complete confidence in your abilities?"

As a classmate of Luzhou Prefectural School, Cui Wenjing did indeed witness firsthand how Lu Beigu had come this far step by step.

Therefore, judging from Lu Beigu's current state, Cui Wenjing felt that the other party should be reliable.

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze fell upon Lu Beigu.

Lu Beigu did not speak definitively, but humbly said, "The provincial examination was difficult, with wind and snow. It was lucky that I was able to persevere. I felt that my essay was not as perfect as usual. However, the quality of an essay ultimately depends on the examiners' judgment. I believe I have done my best and have no regrets."

"There's no need to think the worst. Anyway, on the third day, apart from Zizhan, I hardly heard anyone say that they performed well."

"Yes, in that situation, unless someone has the strength of an ox or is used to the extreme cold, it's impossible for them not to be affected."

"However, in this provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites, whether they are from Sichuan or Fujian, as candidates from the south, they are at a disadvantage compared to candidates from the north."

"Of course, the South has never been this cold. Unless you've adapted to the winter conditions in the North, you simply can't take the exam."

The focus of the discussion shifted to the heavy snow that fell on the second night and the third day of the provincial examination.

After listening for a while, Lu Beigu felt much more at ease. He heard them say that there weren't many southerners who could finish the test on the third day. The vast majority either didn't finish the test or just did a haphazard job. Some even couldn't withstand the cold and had to be carried out.

This situation appears to be even more common in other test centers.

"So, those who ranked highly in the palace examination in the second year of the Jiayou era in history did not rank very well in the provincial examinations, mainly because of this reason?"

Lu Beigu thought about it for a moment, and it seemed that it really might be possible.

Humans aren't made of iron, and the exam environment has a huge impact on a candidate's performance, especially for candidates from the south taking exams in the north.

It's unrealistic to expect people from Fujian, who have rarely experienced snowfall, to get high scores in an exam setting with heavy snowfall.

This isn't because they lacked the hard skills required for the imperial examinations, but rather because they weren't naturally resistant to cold.

But if we wait another two months, until spring is in full bloom, and take the exam in a grand hall where we are sheltered from the wind and rain and have plenty of food and drink, and fully demonstrate our abilities, then the ranking will definitely be completely different.

This explains why the rankings changed so much between the provincial and palace examinations in the second year of the Jiayou era.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, with the grading standards and the candidates' abilities remaining basically unchanged, no matter how the exam is conducted, it's impossible to completely reshuffle the rankings!

The only explanation is that the environment had a severe impact, to the point that the rankings of the southern scholars, represented by historically outstanding students like Zhang Heng, had dropped as a whole.

Just as Lu Beigu was deep in thought, an official from the Ministry of Rites at the entrance of the examination hall suddenly shouted loudly.

"Silence! Silence! The results of the imperial examinations are about to be announced!"

"Everyone, no shouting or pushing! Violators will be severely punished!"

As the Ministry of Rites official's command fell, accompanied by the orderly marching of the Imperial Guards and the clanging of their armor, the crowd attempting to advance was forcibly stopped.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two vermilion doors that symbolized the judgment of fate.

In this suffocating wait, the two vermilion gates of the examination hall, which had been tightly closed for a month, finally slowly opened inward!
Through the crack in the door, one could vaguely see the figures of officials carrying a huge list.

The moment that will change your destiny has finally arrived!

Because the Ministry of Rites' provincial examination usually selects two to three hundred people from two to three thousand candidates, each person's place of origin, name, age, and examination scores in each subject are listed horizontally in a row to avoid duplicate names and misidentification.

Therefore, one list simply cannot contain everyone's information. As is customary, it will be divided into two lists, first displaying those ranked lower, and then displaying those ranked higher.

The officials stood on the ladder, holding long-handled brushes, and dipped them in thick paste, smearing it "swish, swish" onto the smooth outer wall of the examination hall.

Then, the group worked together to carefully lift the notice, align it with the highest position, and press and smooth it down.

"The results are released!"

"Look! Look! The results are out!"

Countless eyes were fixed on the list posted high up, and exclamations, urgings, and whispers blended into a cacophony that assaulted everyone's eardrums.

Those in the front row were being pushed and shoved by the force surging from behind, while the Imperial Guards maintaining order held them firmly back with their large shields.

Taking advantage of his height, Lu Beigu's gaze swept over the throng of people and first locked onto the area where the candidates' rankings were posted.

He first looked at the last part of the list that had just been posted.

——Three hundred and seventy-three.

"There are quite a few people who have been admitted through the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites this year."

Names flashed by quickly in my field of vision.

"Ranked 367th, Cui Wenjing from Luzhou"

Congratulations, Brother Cui!

Upon hearing Lu Beigu congratulate him, Cui Wenjing was stunned for a moment, seemingly in disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"Congratulations! Brother Cui, you've won! You're number 367!"

Lu Beigu's shout, delivered close to the wall, pierced through the noise and reached my ears clearly.

Cui Wenjing was suddenly stunned, as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt, and froze on the spot.

"My eyesight is bad, can you help me take a look? Please help me take a look! Is it me?"

He spent many years reading at his desk, and although he was not yet forty, his eyesight had long been very poor. Even when he squinted, he could only see things vaguely.

Seeing Cui Wenjing's childlike bewilderment, the others didn't hesitate and checked it with him again.

"Brother Cui, it's you! Your place of origin, name, and age all match, there's no one else!"

More than a decade of hard study, four failed attempts, countless lonely nights of studying late into the night, the regretful or mocking looks from relatives and friends when he failed the exam, and the family's increasingly tight finances but still gritting their teeth to support his exam expenses.

All the bitterness, grievances, resentment, and despair, like a frozen river suddenly thawing, surged into Cui Wenjing's mind like a scalding torrent, overwhelming all his restraint.

"bingo!"

Cui Wenjing suddenly grabbed Lu Beigu's arm, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his body began to tremble violently uncontrollably.

"Bei Gu! Did you see that? It's me! It's me, Cui Wenjing! I won! I really won! Hahaha!"

The voice was initially very low, with an incredulous sob, then suddenly rose to a high pitch, becoming an almost hoarse, cathartic shout, with a sob-like tone, yet filled with ecstasy.

(End of this chapter)