Top Scholar

Chapter 247 Like father, like son

Before dawn on the fifth day, all the men in the family escorted Su Youcai to the palace for the second time.

He has been practicing the "Three-Step Method to Defeat the Thief" for the past two days, but whether it will work or not still needs to be tested in actual combat.

On the way, Su Lu instructed his father: "After entering the venue, write these three steps down on paper and follow the rules strictly!"

“If you still can’t resist, then use the do-or-die method,” Su Man added.

"Yeah, don't worry!" Su Youcai gritted his teeth and said, "I will definitely control myself!"

Although Su Youjin and Su Youma felt it was going to be tough, at times like this, encouragement was definitely the priority...

There were significantly fewer people at the entrance of the academy today, and the order of entry was much better. For the second session, all eight hundred students could enter their examination cells, so there was no need to fight for chairs anymore.

Su Lu also saw Li Qiyu, Cheng Wanfan, and seven other classmates who were also going to enter the venue. He gave each of them a loving hug and told them to enter with "Dad's Blessing".

As for Lin Zhihong, Ma Qianli, and the others, they were there to see the examinees off. They had already qualified for the state examination, so they would not participate in the re-examination.

The outstanding candidates who had initially qualified for the preliminary examinations continued to participate in the second round, aiming to vie for the top spot in the county examinations. Now that the top spot has been decided, the rankings are no longer important. Who would still want to go through that ordeal?
Su Lu saw everyone he knew into the examination hall. Then, turning around, he realized his older brothers were gone again…

"What are those two kids doing all day, sneaking around like that?" Su Youma whispered to his older brother. "They're getting on in years, could they be going to those kinds of places?"

"Nonsense, who goes there so early in the morning? They won't open." Su Youjin shook his head.

“Big brother knows a lot.” Su Youma chuckled.

"As if you don't understand." Su Youjin pouted, and the two brothers burst into laughter.

~~
That day, the Su family made thorough preparations that he would come out after dark, but to their surprise, he came out carrying his exam basket before noon...

"What? Were you kicked out?" Su Youjin was taken aback.

"What are you thinking, brother?" Su Youcai said speechlessly, "Can't you think of me in a better light?"

"What? Second Brother handed in his paper early?" Su Youma asked in shock.

"Of course, I was the first to hand in my paper this time!" Su Youcai said proudly, raising his head. "I had to beg them to let me out."

"No, last time you were the last one, but this time you're the first again?" Su Youjin asked, puzzled. "That's a huge change!"

"This is all thanks to my son!" Su Youcai reached out to hug Su Lu: "Come here, let Daddy give you a hug. My darling son, your 'three-step thief-killing method' is so effective!"

"Senior Su, mind your image!" Su quickly dodged away.

"What 'three-step method to kill thieves'?" Su Youjin was completely confused.

"We're killing the thief in my heart, not the bandits in the mountains!" Su Youcai seemed like a completely different person, even striking a pose like a martial arts performer on stage, reciting his lines with great enthusiasm:
"There are two thieves in my heart, one named Hu Yi and the other named You Yu! This thief Hu is used to sowing doubts in my heart, making me toss and turn and unable to rest; that thief You is like a vine entwining my heart, just like a dull knife cutting my flesh, causing me pain!"

As he spoke, his recitation quickened, his tone becoming resounding: "Fortunately, my beloved son passed on three strategies, and with all three strategies employed, the thieves' spirits were scattered! Hu Yi turned to smoke and Yu Yu fled. Now my heart is like a clear sky and a bright moon, daring to tread a thousand mountains and overcome ten thousand difficulties... Ah ah ah!"

In the end, he even started singing in a pretentious tone!

"Haha, it's been years since I've heard you sing nonsense, are you in such a good mood?"

"Of course. Once that inner demon is defeated, the Five Classics questions are a piece of cake. I've been studying poetry for twenty years, so it's a piece of cake for me!" Su Youcai said, beaming with joy, half singing and half reciting.

"Alright, let's see how well you do on the exam," Su Youjin said with a smile. Regardless of the grades, he was happy that his younger brother could overcome his shadow and break free from his inner demons.

"Come on, let me treat you to a good meal!" he said to his brothers and nephews.

"Why don't you ask my older brothers?" Su Lu asked.

"Never mind them, who knows where they're having fun?" Su Youjin waved his hand.

~~
Minglun Hall.

When Magistrate Lu saw that Su Youcai's paper was the first to be presented, he was also taken aback: "He handed in his paper so early?"

Although there was no name on the half of the ticket, Zhang, the clerk in charge of the rites, had a register and could tell who it was just by flipping through it.

This wasn't considered a violation, because county and prefectural examinations didn't require anonymous naming, so Magistrate Lu was just going through the motions to make the candidates feel it was fair.

"Is this a case of giving up entirely?" Magistrate Lu couldn't help but frown upon seeing this.

“It really isn’t.” You Muyou quickly took it and glanced at it.

"Let me see it." Magistrate Lu took Su Youcai's exam paper from his hands, quickly read it, and exclaimed in amazement:
"Hey, this article is quite well written! Look at this sentence, 'Flowing to reveal its function, though substance and function are different, the principle is the same. Why not discuss it in detail?' It even has a bit of his son's style."

"Master Dong, you've got it backwards," You Muyou whispered a reminder.

"Oh... I finally realize it's father and son." Magistrate Lu changed his tune. Then, puzzled, he asked, "How come he couldn't write the simple Four Books well, but he did well on the much more difficult Five Classics?"

"Perhaps it was a day when he wasn't feeling well," You Muyou guessed. "After all, he's getting on in years; he might have had back pain or leg numbness." "Hmm, that makes sense," Magistrate Lu, thinking of his own unspeakable predicament, nodded understandingly, but then added with a troubled expression:
"What should we do then? His performance in the main event was so terrible. It wouldn't be appropriate to just let him become a breakout star, would it?"

Regardless of the level of the imperial examination, the first section, consisting of essays on the Four Books, was the most important, accounting for at least 70-80% of the total score. This was especially true for the county-level examination, hence the name "main section."

Therefore, the ranking in the re-examination will still take into account the Four Books essays from the first round. Even if Su Youcai wrote the Five Classics essays in the most beautiful way, it would be impossible for him to go directly from more than 500 to the top 15.

That would subject Su Youcai to negative public opinion. Even if I could ignore it, it might still affect his provincial examination.

Since Magistrate Lu was going to do a favor, he had to do it thoroughly and leave no room for future trouble. Only then would Su Lu truly appreciate his kindness.

"Then let's move to the secondary rankings and try our best to improve our position," You Muyou suggested, naturally understanding the situation.

"Alright." Magistrate Lu nodded.

~~
On the seventh day of the second month, the results were first announced.

Fifteen students stood out from the crowd. The fifteen exam numbers were directly filled in on the group application form in the main hall.

This time, three more classmates from Sheng Shen Zhai were listed in the group case, but Li Qiyu and Cheng Wanfan, these two unfortunate brothers, were still not among them...

Fortunately, they and two other classmates were on the second-highest list of 200 people, so they still had hope of advancing!
Su Youcai also ranked on the supplementary list, but this time his ranking improved significantly, jumping from 500th to 50th, which is quite commendable.

So, on the eighth day of the second lunar month, the third round continued with even greater efforts...

~~
The third examination consisted of one essay question and one composition, which also served as a test of calligraphy style.

The topic of the policy essay was "On the Chishui River Project," which Su Lu had already guessed and had explained the key points to his father and adopted sons, so it was naturally no problem for him.

Fu is a type of regulated fu, which requires strict adherence to rules such as tonal patterns, parallelism, appropriate allusions, and rigorous structure. Given the limited abilities of the young scholars, simply meeting the basic requirements was difficult enough; masterpieces were out of the question.

But Su Youcai was different; his research on poetry and prose far surpassed that of ordinary students.

As for the method of verifying regular script, that goes without saying. Su Youcai had been writing calligraphy for thirty years, and had long since perfected the official script to perfection...

That's why it's said that his advantage will only increase as time goes on.

So, he handed in his paper early again.

The results were released the next day... well, he still hadn't made it out of the mainstream. However, he was already among the top fifty on the secondary list!

This time, ten more people broke through the ranks, including Cheng Wanfan and two other classmates. Now, Sheng Shen Zhai only has Li Qiyu as the deputy leader of the list.

Li Qiyu was very open-minded and even said with pride, "I have to stay with the old man until the very end!"

"This brother is so filial!" All the classmates gave him a thumbs up.

~~
When Su Youcai saw the results and went home, he told his grandfather that he would have to take the exam again.

The old man asked, puzzled, "Why is this never going to end?"

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do. It's all because I bombed the first exam," Su Youcai said with a wry smile.

“Indeed. The first essay in the eight-legged essay determines life or death; it’s no joke.” Su Man chimed in, “It’s already a blessing from our ancestors that Second Uncle was able to get it back.”

Even in the provincial and metropolitan examinations, the Five Classics determined the upper limit, while the Four Books provided the lower limit. I have never heard of anyone who failed the Four Books and still managed to pass the provincial or metropolitan examinations.

Fortunately, Su Youcai's first attempt at craftsmanship was passable, which allowed him to gradually salvage the situation.

'Second Brother is so persistent…' The landlady was truly impressed by Su Youcai. His resilience and self-redemption in the three county examinations were incredibly attractive to a woman her age.

What Su Lu saw was Magistrate Lu's questionable actions... Why was he so eager to appoint him as the top scholar, but so cautious about making his father stand out?

What are you playing?
~~
On the tenth day of the second month, the last round of the county examination was held, which was an interview.

Not only the fifty people on the supplementary list will participate, but also the forty-five people who were previously admitted, including Su Lu, will participate.

The purpose of the elderly parents' interviews was to personally oversee the process. For the forty-five people already accepted, they wanted to observe their words and actions, examine their knowledge one by one, and prevent any unqualified individuals from being accepted.

The county examination hall, especially the first two sessions, was a chaotic mess, like a vegetable market. It was common for people to use cheat sheets, bring reference books, or even have someone else take the exam for them. If these cheaters weren't identified and sent to the authorities, they would be executed immediately.

Furthermore, those with hidden ailments, such as stuttering, being one-eyed, hunchbacked, having facial scars, or missing limbs, must be excluded from official positions. Officials must possess a dignified appearance and proper bearing, exhibiting the so-called "official countenance." Sending someone to the prefecture without proper screening would only lead to ridicule.

Although the lower-ranking officials would conduct their own investigations, how could Magistrate Lu not know the character of his subordinates? Relying solely on them would be tantamount to being betrayed and ruined.

This is why the results of each round of county-level examinations only announced seat numbers, not names. If an unsuitable candidate was found, they were immediately removed, and the spot was given to one of the fifty substitutes on the supplementary list.

It doesn't matter if no one gets kicked out; there are still five spots left for Su Youcai and Li Qiyu to compete for.

(End of this chapter)