Top Scholar

Chapter 243 Literary Fortune Awaits Suspension
Could someone have barged in midway and impersonated an examiner to give the candidates another question? That would be a huge problem...

Fortunately, Magistrate Lu was a seasoned veteran and remained calm. He immediately beckoned the invigilator to come over and asked in a low voice, "Where did this question about the Five Classics come from?"

"I don't know." The invigilator was also bewildered. "The exam was only announced this morning, with two questions from the Four Books and two passages from the Classic of Filial Piety. There haven't been any more questions since."

"Have you left?" Magistrate Lu asked.

"I haven't left this gate since the exam started; I eat my meals in the examination cells," the clerk said.

"That's good..." Magistrate Lu breathed a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't an exam mishap.

The problem lies with Su Lu himself. Could it be that the child is suffering from hysteria?

Magistrate Lu gently tapped on Su Lu's desk, pointed to the Five Classics questions he had written on the manuscript paper, and looked puzzled.

Su Lu hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied softly, "Replying to my parents, I am preparing for the next exam..."

"Hey." Everyone was finally relieved.

"Have you finished all your questions for today?" Magistrate Lu asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Su Lu replied respectfully.

"Then why didn't you hand in your paper?" Magistrate Lu asked.

"It's not time for the door to open yet." Of course, Su Lu couldn't say that the teacher wouldn't let him hand in his paper too early.

"Give it to me," Magistrate Lu said, stretching out his hand.

"Yes." Su Lu had no choice but to carefully take the paper out of the paper bag and present it to his elderly parents with both hands.

You Muyou then took it and left.

"Open the gate and let him out," Magistrate Lu instructed his men before continuing his inspection of the next examination hall.

Su Lu felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly packed up his stall and left.

~~
Outside the academy, crowds still thronged, mostly family members welcoming the examinees and teachers seeing them off.

As everyone was chatting idly, the gates of the county school slowly opened, and a tall, handsome young man carrying an examination basket walked out.

"Baby, why are you out so early?" one parent asked anxiously.

How strict was the invigilation?

"Are the questions difficult?"

"The invigilation was normal," Su Lu replied politely. "The questions weren't difficult; as long as you study diligently, you should be able to answer them all."

"Really? That's good." The parents were overjoyed to hear this.

“Ask him, it’s no use.” But one of the men recognized Su Lu and laughed loudly, “This is our famous prodigy Su from Hejiang County! He thinks it’s simple, but your son might not think so.”

"Ah, so this is the prodigy Su!" Many people have heard of Su Lu's name, but only a few can actually recognize him.

On the contrary, most of the gentlemen saw him during the Dragon Boat Festival last year.

Hejiang County had never produced a child prodigy before, so everyone was excited and surrounded him, asking him all sorts of questions, not only about his exams, but also about his age and whether he was married...

Su Lu had been answering patiently, but as their questions became increasingly absurd, he had no choice but to give a few perfunctory replies and flee as if trying to escape. Only then did he discover that his uncle and younger uncle were also there, watching him with schadenfreude.

"They just watch the show and don't even try to help," Su Lu complained.

Only then did the younger uncle step forward, take the test basket from Su Lu, and say with a smile, "I thought you would like the feeling of being fawned over."

"Yeah, right," Su Lu thought to himself, "They're not little girls." Not seeing Su Man and Su Tai, he asked, "Where are my eldest and second brothers?"

"I haven't seen them since I took them to the exam this morning," the uncle said. "Where did they go to have fun?"

“Okay.” Su Lu nodded.

"Do you want to go home first, or stay with us and wait for your father?" the uncle asked.

"Let's wait a bit, there's nothing to do back there," Su Lu said.

No one knows a father better than his son. He guessed that his father hadn't been out for long, but he still had a group of adopted sons, so they probably wouldn't be able to hold out for too long.

~~
After a brief inspection, Magistrate Lu led his men back to Minglun Hall.

After settling down behind the big case, You Muyou presented Su Lu's exam paper, while secretly giving him a thumbs up.

Magistrate Lu was relieved and smiled at his subordinates, saying, "Let's appreciate Su the Prodigy's article."

"Very well." Magistrate Cao and Registrar Bao hurriedly said with smiles, "We have heard that Su the Prodigy is also outstanding in Luzhou. We have long wanted to read his masterpiece."

"Then you two can take a look first," Magistrate Lu said, readily agreeing. "We would be honored to accept your offer," the two assistant magistrates replied, knowing full well that the magistrate was clearly aiming to appoint Su Lu as the top candidate in this county examination.

The reason for letting the two of them see it first was twofold: firstly, to avoid suspicion, and secondly, to use the two scholars to endorse Su Shentong's top ranking.

Zhang Sili then presented Su Lu's article to Cao County Magistrate, and Bao Zhubu also came over to read it with him.

The two had already decided that as long as the article was passable, they would shamelessly shower it with compliments.

However, the opening sixteen characters alone stunned them!
Magistrate Cao, who had been resting his arms on the table, sat up straight immediately, his eyes wide open, and said:

"Amazing! Su the Prodigy is even more amazing than the legends say! Look at these four lines that break the theme—'Virtue establishes governance, foundation is established and the Way is practiced.' They are truly earth-shattering, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, directly piercing the main point!"

"Indeed, such brilliance has been unseen for ten years! The last time I saw it was when I read Mr. Zhenze's masterpiece." Registrar Bao also exclaimed in admiration.

"The title is even more brilliant: 'When the North Star is fixed, the stars are in harmony; when the words of the sage are concise, the chapters are complete.' It perfectly combines two parts of Confucius's words. Only a person with profound learning could create such a golden sentence! Not to mention this county, even the students of the entire Luzhou region cannot match it."

"A mere student? Even a scholar couldn't write that!" Magistrate Cao laughed heartily and continued his commentary: "His explanation of the four characters 'one virtue and one righteousness' is worth a thousand words of commentary! He truly grasps the essence of literature with his pen!"

"That's right! That's precisely why he could create phonetic symbols so easily!" Registrar Bao was completely fired up, and he and Magistrate Cao exchanged words, showering Su Lu's article with the most effusive praise—

The registrar, Bao, lost in his own world, exclaimed, "The eight-legged essay section is absolutely brilliant! Especially the middle section, which is a stroke of genius—'Those in high positions are not arrogant, those below are not disorderly, and those in low positions do not contend; thus, governance naturally becomes virtuous!' It is a wake-up call that touches the heart; it is truly as if a sage has been reborn!"

Magistrate Cao, completely captivated, exclaimed, "The latter part is equally impressive—'Serve your parents in the near term, serve your ruler in the distant term, broaden your knowledge of things, and you will naturally become pure and unified!' It truly makes one feel as if they are drinking sweet wine, with a lingering aftertaste!"

Registrar Bao slammed his fist on the table in admiration, not caring that his hands were red from clapping: "The concise conclusion, quoting the twelve characters from the Book of Changes, 'Observe its interconnectedness' and 'Stars unite with virtue, chapters return to righteousness,' connects the principles of Heaven above with the principles of humanity below, effectively linking the two sections of the topic into a cohesive whole! Since the beginning of the imperial examinations in Hejiang, has there ever been such a powerful and impressive conclusion?!"

~~
In the Minglun Hall, a group of minor officials stared dumbfounded at the Second and Third Masters going mad, wondering if Su the Prodigy's article was some kind of epilepsy.

The scholars, including Hai Jiaoyu, were greatly intrigued by the exaggerated reactions of the two officials and flocked over to see for themselves.

The result was breathtaking, and everyone who saw it couldn't help but join the ranks of the flatterers. Amidst the officials' enthusiastic praise, Su Lu was almost elevated to the point of being on par with Yang Shen, sharing the literary fortunes of Sichuan!

Only You Muyou remained standing beside Magistrate Lu, having already read Su Lu's article while the Magistrate was inspecting the fields. It took him quite a while to recover from the shock.

It wasn't that he wanted to be the first to read it, but as a qualified advisor, he had to prepare for potential problems for his mentor. If Su Shentong's article went wrong, they would have to use a backup plan and handle it discreetly.

Although the possibility is slim, things have been going badly for Dongweng lately, so it's best to be cautious...

"Is it really as exaggerated as you say? Show it to me, the county magistrate!" Now, Magistrate Lu could no longer hold back.

Magistrate Cao quickly presented Su Lu's article, still excited, saying, "The county gazetteer says that our county's literary fortune awaits Su. I always thought it meant waiting for Su to awaken, but seeing this article today, I realize that it means waiting for Su Lu!"

"Eek..." Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu got goosebumps!

Those four characters were added eight years ago when he revised the "Hejiang County Annals," lamenting that the county had never produced a single Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). At the time, he had no idea who Su Lu was.
But Magistrate Lu, being a superstitious man, not only didn't think Magistrate Cao was making far-fetched connections, but believed that it was all preordained!

Thinking that he had discovered Su Lu in the deep mountains, and that he had used Su Lu's phonetic symbols to enable most of the children in the county to learn to read, wasn't this exactly what the four words "literary fortune awaits Su Lu" meant?
"It really is!" Magistrate Lu suppressed his excitement, reached out with trembling hands, and picked up Su Lu's article. After reading half of it, he couldn't help but slam his hand heavily on the table, exclaiming excitedly, "This is a divine gift of literature, a revival of the literary fortunes of Hejiang!"

Registrar Bao hurriedly flattered him, saying, "Your Excellency truly has a discerning eye; you are a reincarnation of a talent scout!"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Cao was jolted awake. How could he just keep praising Su Lu? He quickly chimed in, "This will surely become a beautiful story, passed down through the ages!"

"Hahaha!" Magistrate Lu laughed so hard he almost fell over, feeling all the pent-up frustration of the past six months dissipate!
So what if the phonetic symbols didn't work out? I still have Su Lu as my trump card! As he soars to great heights, I can rise with him... no, I mean, I'll benefit from his proximity!

After laughing, he glanced at everyone and said, "This county intends to appoint Su Lu as the top scholar in the county. What do you all think?"

"Your Excellency is wise!" Magistrate Cao hurriedly echoed, "This top scholar position in the county belongs to none other than Prodigy Su!"

"Indeed!" Clerk Bao quickly added, "Even if Su the Prodigy's magnificent essay were taken to the provincial capital, it would likely elicit applause from a grandmaster! He could easily become the top scholar in the county, the prefecture, or even the provincial court!"

“Indeed.” Hai Han, who had already been promoted to instructor, rarely echoed the magistrate’s sentiments. “To make Mr. Su the top scholar in the county examination is not just to bring him honor, but to bring honor to the county’s top scholar!”

"Very well! It's decided then!" Seeing that the three examiners fully supported the decision, Magistrate Lu picked up the gavel and slammed it down heavily, declaring:

"Results announced!"

"Huh?!" Everyone in Minglun Hall was stunned.

"Sir, the others haven't finished their exams yet; we've only collected this one paper!" Zhang, the clerk, stammered.

"Do you think there will be any article that surpasses this one?" Magistrate Lu asked rhetorically.

"This... surely not?" said Zhang Sili.

"I actually hope so," Magistrate Lu snorted.

“Indeed,” Magistrate Cao agreed wholeheartedly. “In that case, the pines and cypresses in the Confucian Temple would probably emit purple smoke, and the golden carp in the Pan Pond would surely transform into dragons!”

"That's right. If anyone can surpass him, then I, the magistrate, will certainly apologize profusely and go to the old official's office to plead for him to be ranked first in the imperial examination!" Magistrate Lu said resolutely.
"It's settled then, let's release the results now!"

(End of this chapter)