Top Scholar

Chapter 250 Co-Case
In the back hall of the county government office, six square tables were set up, with tea, snacks, oranges, hawthorns, and bamboo tubes branded with the words "Sweet Water Records" on them.

The forty-five outstanding students introduced themselves to each other while waiting for the banquet to begin.

Having become fellow examinees in the county examination, we're practically family now. If anything happens, just let us know, and we'll definitely help each other out.

As the top student and a child prodigy renowned throughout the county, Su Lu was naturally the focus of everyone's attention, and they all vied to befriend him.

He lacked the arrogance of someone who achieved fame at a young age and spoke very kindly to every colleague. However, he was surrounded by a group of proud peers, making it difficult for others to get close to him; they could only speak to him from across the table.

"What is your relationship with Cheng Wanfan?" one of the co-defendants asked Cheng Wanfan in a low voice.

"Can't you tell?" Cheng Wanfan patted his chest and said, "We're all classmates!"

"Wow, you're all in the same class?" The other teachers were shocked. What kind of amazing teacher was this, who could produce so many outstanding students all at once?

"Of course, if we're talking about schools in the same region, there are even more!" Cheng Wanfan boasted. "Raise your hand if you're from Taiping Academy!"

Suddenly, more than thirty people raised their hands...

"Good heavens..." Only then did those few unaffiliated co-defendants realize that they were actually in the minority.

"I knew Taiping Academy was powerful, but I didn't expect it to be this powerful!"

"Of course, our headmaster is a Yellow-Clad Scholar!" Cheng Wanfan grinned smugly.

"Alright, stop bragging." Su Lu helplessly told Cheng Wanfan to say less, then smiled at the group of uneducated fellow students and said, "Our academy will be moving to the county town soon, so you gentlemen won't have the chance to attend, but your sons can attend."

"Haha, of course! The chief scholar will have to put in a good word for us then," the other scholars replied happily.

The older colleagues who had been involved in the case couldn't help but look at Su Lu with new respect.

I never expected that the top scholar, at such a young age, would not only be so talented but also have such high emotional intelligence and be so good at speaking.

Originally, Cheng Wanfan, that blockhead, stirred things up, and the fellow students were going to be divided into two factions: those from the academy and those from the non-academy.

But after Su Lu said that, everyone found common ground again... The graduates of the academy and the parents of future students were once again on the same side.

As everyone now knows, the chief scholar is not an arrogant person, but a leader who is willing to unite everyone, so they become increasingly close to him.

As everyone was chatting enthusiastically, a handsome man in his thirties, dressed similarly to them, stepped in from the front.

They knew this was the first person to win in the final round, so they all cupped their hands in congratulations.

Of course, with such a low ranking, there's no need to stand up to greet them; a seated greeting is enough.

To everyone's surprise, Su, the top student, and his classmates all stood up at once. Apart from Su, the others greeted him with clasped hands and utmost respect.

"Who is this? He's even higher in rank than the head of the team?" Seeing the head of the team give up his seat to this person, the other team members whispered among themselves, "Is this their master?"

"Nonsense, all the teachers in our academy started as students," someone from the academy denied.

"Why don't we just ask?" So one of the fellow investigators, who was known for his extensive travels, walked up to Su Youcai, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "My name is Zhao Zhi'an from Bing'an. May I ask your esteemed name and where you are from?"

"I am Su Youcai, the Second Master." Su Youcai had completely calmed down and returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"Brother, what is your relationship with the chief scholar who is from the same hometown and shares the same surname?" Zhao Zhian asked.

"I'm the chief investigator's father..." Su Youcai said with a smile that was both a little awkward and very proud, "and also his co-defendant!"

"I see, my apologies!" The other colleagues hurriedly bowed to Su Youcai, feeling somewhat embarrassed as they didn't know how to address him.

Logically, those involved in the same case should address each other as equals, regardless of age, and should only call each other "elder brother." But Guan Su Lu is called "younger brother," and his father is called "elder brother," doesn't that mess up the generational hierarchy?
Or should we each do our own thing? That wouldn't be appropriate either, as the person at the top of the list would be at a huge disadvantage.

That's why Su Lu didn't call him "Dad" earlier... he was afraid of making everyone feel awkward.

His classmates shared the same dilemma; they certainly didn't want to be subservient to their fellow defendants...

Fortunately, the other suspects were all intelligent people, and someone quickly came up with a compromise: calling Su Youcai "senior," which resolved the dilemma.

After waiting for a long time, the other three accomplices finally arrived.

"Alright, now there's only one left. Let's see who our 50th contestant is." Everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of their fiftieth fellow contestant.

This time, it didn't take long before a young man who looked like a monkey appeared at the door, peeking around curiously.

"Brother Sun Shan is here!" Everyone cheered and laughed. "Come in quickly, we've been waiting for you!"

"Haha, I thought you were finished!" Cheng Wanfan jumped up from his seat with joy.

The classmates cheered excitedly, "Now everyone's here, not a single one is missing!"

The one who arrived was naturally Li Qiyu, who said somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."

"Come sit here!" Su Lu smiled and pointed to the seat next to him, saying, "I saved a seat for you."

"I told you you'd definitely win," Cheng Wanzhou said softly.

"Of course, brother knows my strength!" Li Qiyu then became smug again, sat down next to Su Lu, and then said with a look of lingering fear, "I was so scared, I thought I wouldn't be able to go to Luzhou with you guys."

“There’s another chance next year, what’s the rush?” Ma Zhaizhang said, “If you don’t win this time, you can win next time.”

"I don't want to go to Luzhou by myself," Li Qiyu said. "Then you'll all be my fellow defendants, and I'll be the junior. Won't I be laughed at by you for the rest of my life?"

"Now that you mention it, it's such a pity," Cheng Wanfan said with a regretful expression. "Go to hell!" Li Qiyu pretended to slap him.

"The county magistrate has arrived!" A loud announcement rang out from the entrance.

The other colleagues quickly stood up, bowed, and paid their respects.

"Relax, relax." Magistrate Lu, beaming, entered the back hall accompanied by his assistants and said kindly, "Today's closing banquet is also a celebration banquet, so everyone should be at ease and not stand on ceremony."

"Thank you, dear parents!" the students said in unison.

"Very well." After Magistrate Lu and his assistants were seated at the main table, he waved his hand and said, "Please sit down."

"Yes." The students then sat up straight and dared not utter another word.

Magistrate Cao gave the order: "Let the feast begin!"

Then the servants removed the dessert and fruit platters and began serving dishes in a continuous stream.

The final banquet featured four meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, and four cold appetizers. Steamed sea bass was garnished with Jinhua ham, braised pork knuckle was wrapped in candied cherries, and there was also roast duck served with sweet bean sauce and lotus leaf pancakes, crystal-clear pork jelly, and so on. The vegetable cold appetizers were also beautifully presented, prioritizing appearance over taste!
They were drinking Erlang's Fine Wine, which was served in an exquisite celadon bottle.

Magistrate Lu raised his wine cup and offered a toast: "This year's county examination has finally come to a successful conclusion. All the examiners and graders, and all those who wrote with great effort, have contributed to the county's education. This first cup is a toast to everyone's hard work!"

"Our parents have worked so hard!" The officials and students in the hall raised their wine cups and drank together.

"The second cup is to congratulate the fifty-year-old scholar on passing the county court case!" Magistrate Lu raised another cup and smiled at the students, "Congratulations to you all!"

"Thank you, dear parents!" Fifty students raised their glasses together.

"The third cup is a toast to all of you. May you continue your efforts in the provincial examination and reach the highest rank, bringing glory to our county!" Magistrate Lu drank with the students again and again.

After the three cups were finished, Zhang, the clerk from the ceremonial office, presented a red lacquered tray with a neatly folded set of clothes, a writing brush, and a wad of silver. He smiled broadly and announced loudly:

"The lord bestows upon each of you a scholar's robe and cap, and a Wenchang brush, to help you achieve even greater success. In addition, there are five taels of silver for your travel expenses to the examination!"

The crowd was overjoyed to hear this. In previous years, the county examination reward was two taels of silver. Why has it increased so much this year?
They hurriedly left their seats to express their gratitude.

Magistrate Lu smiled and gestured for them to rise, then said with feigned seriousness, "Eleven years ago, when I was inspecting Fubao Town, I obtained a divination at Qingyuan Palace for this county, which read, 'Literary fortune awaits its revival.' At the time, I asked the abbot, 'Master, when will that be?'"

"The master said, wait ten years!" Magistrate Lu raised his voice proudly, "And indeed, ten years later, our county has become a cultural center in Sichuan, where even children can open books. This is a sign of the great literary fortune of Sichuan!"

"As the saying goes, it's all about timing and luck!" he said, pointing to the students. "You've all come at a good time. You must seize this opportunity and bring back as many scholars as possible!"

"Yes!" The students were greatly encouraged and responded loudly.

But then a man who looked like a secretary excitedly said, "Oh, now that you mention it, Master, I remember! Our top scholar this year is surnamed Su!"

"Hiss..." Magistrate Lu gasped as if he had just realized it, "It really is!"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Cao was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Isn't this my line?" He couldn't help but curse the two men inwardly for their shamelessness, but could only echo them with a smile, "Yes, yes."

Su Lu was well aware that this was another publicity stunt orchestrated by the county magistrate and You Muyou.

These two brothers are really going all out to build their reputations...

~~
After Su Lu, on behalf of all the students, toasted the elderly parents, Magistrate Lu and his assistants left the table.

The classmates then toasted Su Anshou and his son together.

Because his son was not yet of age, Su Youcai drank all the toasts offered on his behalf, and he was already staggering when he left the yamen.

Su Lu helped his father out of the county government office and saw that a long table had been posted on the wall, with the list of fifty people who had passed the county examination.

Although the candidates already knew whether they had passed or not, many ordinary people still gathered around the long table to watch the spectacle.

"Son..." As they passed the long table, Su Youcai put his arm around his son's shoulder, his tongue trembling as he stammered, "Father, it's finally over..."

"Congratulations, Father." Su Lu tried his best to support Su Youcai's weight, who was heavy and sluggish after drinking.

“You are young and talented, and you think this hurdle is easy to overcome.” Su Youcai said with deep emotion, “But this step has taken me, your father, from my early twenties to nearly forty, a full twenty years…”

"It's clear that hard work pays off," Su Lu said softly.

"I won't thank God, I'll only thank you!" Su Youcai shook his head vigorously.

"Pah, pah, don't say that. The prefectural exam is in a little over a month." Su Lu quickly said, "Father, we must pray to God that it won't be as dangerous as the county exam."

"Alright then, God, thank you." Su Youcai nodded, then laughed loudly, "You gave me such a good son!"

“There are two,” Su Lu reminded him.

“Yes, yes, there are two. It’s that kid who never shows his face,” Su Youcai nodded, somewhat annoyed, “I didn’t see him again today.”

"Second brother and eldest brother are praying for Father in their own way." Although Su Lu didn't know what Chun Ge'er and Xia Ge'er were up to, he could roughly guess their intentions.

"Alright, let's just leave it at that." Su Youcai waved his hand magnanimously.

P.S. I haven't checked the next chapter yet.

(End of this chapter)