Top Scholar

Chapter 280 Head of Court Case

The following day, all the exam papers were graded, and the list of fifty candidates to be admitted was released, with their rankings determined.

Although there's still one more interview to come, there won't be any more changes. So, it's actually used by Grandmasters to meet with newly appointed scholars, get to know each other, and build rapport.

In addition, although all fifty students would become students, they were divided into different ranks. Only the top five could become students with stipends, the sixth to twentieth would become students with additional stipends, and the rest could only become students with additional stipends.

All three could take the imperial examination to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), but there were significant differences in their treatment, so the ranking was taken very seriously.

Apart from the top five who are guaranteed to be the best in the Five Classics, the other forty-five candidates will mainly use the Four Books essays from the first round, with slight adjustments based on the Five Classics essays from the second round.

Once the rankings were determined, the Grand Master instructed the supervising officials to verify the seat numbers and names, and to fill out the final examination papers. He then meticulously compared each of the papers originally submitted by the prefectures and counties with those submitted by the provincial examination, checking for consistency in writing style and handwriting.

Prefect Jia had been waiting for this day for a long time. He immediately ordered people to bring over a heavy box and asked the Grand Master to check that the seal was intact before taking out the key and opening the box.

The top book is Su Lu's.

"Please have the Grand Master examine it." Prefect Jia then presented the dossier to Inspector Xiao.

Actually, he was afraid of damaging the fragile manuscript paper inside. However, Xiao Tixue took it as a signal that he was trying to ease tensions, so he forced a smile and said, "I have personally read both of this boy's exam papers. His writing is as powerful as the ocean and the river, and his essays are all like jade and gold, which is beyond the reach of his contemporaries. There is no need to scrutinize them."

"Oh?" Governor Jia looked at the long table where the paper was being filled out with some surprise. He saw that Su Lu's name was already written at the top of the table.

I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me? Why did you suddenly take such a big turn?"
"I am addressing the issue, not the person; my sole purpose is to uphold the fairness of the imperial court's selection of officials." The Grand Master spoke righteously and sternly, then sighed and said:

"Previously, we had to overcorrect because of a report we received. Now it has been proven that there was no problem with the prefect's selection of officials. I apologize to you."

"..." Seeing that his superior had taken the initiative to lower his stance, Prefect Jia had no choice but to cup his hands and say, "Not at all, I have indeed been impetuous in some ways."

"Hehe..." Xiao Tixue said more kindly, "Don't worry, Prefect, I will definitely help you clear things up and it won't affect your reputation."

"..." Prefect Jia secretly rolled his eyes. You're the one who has the biggest impact on me!
He smiled and said, "No need for the Grandmaster to trouble himself. The Censor has already approved my resignation. I only need to wait for the new official to take office before I can hand over my seal and return to my hometown to serve my elderly mother!"

"Prefect Jia is so young, yet he gave up a promising future to serve his mother. His filial piety is truly admirable!" Xiao, the provincial education commissioner, exclaimed with clasped hands.

"Hehe, I did hesitate before, but the provincial examination made me make up my mind," Prefect Jia said with a smile and a serious expression.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Xiao Tixue asked curiously.

"The answer is right here," said Prefect Jia, pointing to Su Lu's file.

“Now we absolutely have to see it.” Xiao Tixue smiled as he tore open the seal on the file.

He didn't look at it earlier because he hadn't made peace with Prefect Jia yet, and if he did, he might be embarrassed again.

Now that the festival is over, he is naturally eager to see what exactly happened in the county and prefectural examinations.

Upon opening the file, the top document was Su Lu's county examination paper. When Xiao, the provincial education commissioner, saw that Su Lu's first essay, titled "And all the stars revolve around the son who said the Book of Songs is three hundred poems," he couldn't help but recite it aloud:
'Virtue establishes governance, foundation is established, and the Way is practiced; poetry is without evil intent, and all poems return to righteousness…'

All the gentlemen put down their work and listened carefully to this essay from the Four Books, which was in no way inferior to "The Way of Governance".

After listening, the scholars praised him highly, saying, "To be able to answer a small question like a big one, Su Sheng's mastery of the Four Books is truly remarkable!"

The white-bearded man laughed and said, "No wonder the magistrate of Hejiang County immediately named him the top scholar after just one look at his paper. Such a talent is rare in a county, perhaps only once every few decades."

“Indeed, if I were the chief examiner of the county examination, I would make the same choice.” The man with glasses pushed up his glasses.

“There’s really no need to compare anymore.” Mr. Fatty and the others nodded in agreement.

"Hmm." The Grandmaster nodded slightly and said, "The magistrate of Hejiang County did nothing wrong, and it was within his authority."

"Master Dong, quickly take a look at the essays from the prefectural examination. Just how good are they that the prefect decided on the top spot based on a single draft?" the teachers urged.

"Alright." Xiao Tixue then opened Su Lu's examination paper and saw that it was completely blank, with not a single word written on it.

He flipped to the very end and finally found the draft that had been carefully framed by Magistrate Jia…

“You can cry after reading it, but please don’t let any more tears fall,” Magistrate Jia pleaded. “Otherwise, the ‘Difficulty of Coloring the Letter’ will be ruined.”

"Why are you crying?" Xiao Tixue and the others asked, puzzled.

~~
A moment later, as expected, sobbing could be heard from all around the large case...

“Brother Jia, I finally understand you. This ‘The Difficulty of Finding Beauty’ is truly a masterpiece!” The Grandmaster took out a handkerchief, wiped his eyes, and said emotionally, “If it were me, I would also immediately place it at the top of my desk.”

"Yes." Prefect Jia said solemnly, "I said at the time that not only should this post be placed at the top of the table, but it should also be presented to the Censor, the Provincial Governor, and the Grand Master of Ceremonies—please ask the three of you to petition the court to include this article in the Classic of Filial Piety, so that it can be passed down for generations and used to educate children throughout the world!"

“Of course,” Xiao Tixue said in deep agreement. “This article is deeply moving and has a strong educational effect! It should indeed be included in the school’s teaching materials. This academy will certainly submit a memorial on its behalf.”

“Yes,” Prefect Jia nodded, “It was after reading this article that I made up my mind to resign…” “I completely understand,” Supervisor Xiao said with deep emotion, “Don’t even mention my brother, even I, your foolish brother, had the thought of resigning after reading this article.”

“The students are the same.” The bespectacled man took off his damp beard and wiped it with his sleeve. “Master, after this provincial examination, I will leave the academy.”

As he spoke, he choked up and said, "On this desolate snowy night, having a son is worse than having none. I cannot let my white hair and tearful eyes wither away just to earn a living!"

"Yes. I must also go home to serve my elderly father." The fat man nodded in agreement, "Filial piety is the ultimate regret, and it is too late to repent! I do not wish to suffer the same fate as the fallen tree."

"The way of filial piety is something we learn too late. If a wise person had known it earlier, 'the difficulty of maintaining a pleasant countenance' would not have been difficult!" The other two gentlemen chimed in, "Now that we know it, we must put it into practice. My brother and I must also go back to care for our parents!"

“Master Dong, I am your student…” Even the white-bearded old man declined to speak.

"Don't be like that. Didn't Mr. Yun Jian's late parents pass away many years ago?" Xiao Tixue was speechless. How could he do his job without these five people?
"Yes. But I have a son, and I can't let my students be unfilial..." the old man said seriously.

No, it's definitely not because the work is too tiring, it's far from home, and the income is meager...

"You guys shouldn't do this..." Xiao Tixue's head was as big as a bucket.

“Alas, my subordinates are the same.” Prefect Jia, never one to shy away from a good show, added fuel to the fire, saying, “Anyone who has read this ‘The Difficulty of Lust’ letter has no choice but to resign from their post. Some even call it ‘The Easy Way to Resign’.”

"Go ahead and file a report." Xiao Tixue rolled his eyes at Jia Zhizhou helplessly, then smiled bitterly at the five gentlemen, "Let's discuss it again, let's discuss it again later."

"There's no need to persuade us to stay, sir. Our minds are made up," the five said in unison.

Although the Grandmaster had clearly stated the price to them at the time, it was fifteen taels of silver per person per year.

But who would serve as an advisor to a powerful fourth-rank official for a meager fixed salary?
As it turned out, after a year and a half in Sichuan, the Grandmasters wouldn't let them do anything except grade papers.

He didn't get a single penny of benefit, didn't save a single tael of silver, and he even got to wear glasses.

They had wanted to resign for a long time, but they hadn't dared to say so because of a prior agreement and the time wasn't right. Now that they had such a good opportunity, how could one or two of them let it go?
~~
Seeing the Grandmaster in a state of utter distress, Prefect Jia was in a very good mood.

He carried out the long table and said to the officials who were already waiting outside the Minglun Hall, "Make a copy of this and go spread the good news!"

"Yes, sir!" The officers and soldiers had been waiting for this moment, and they immediately got to work with great enthusiasm and energy.

The simplest solution would be to simply post the long table, but that would prevent me from asking the new scholars for rewards.

Although I had to pay a couple hundred yuan for each exam registration, it was only enough to cover the cost of the exam paper and couldn't cover the labor costs at all.

The clerks and runners of the prefectural government have worked hard since the county examination, but they haven't earned a single penny. They're counting on the reward money for reporting good news.

This was actually a corrupt practice... the candidates who passed the imperial examinations (xiucai) would pay for all the other candidates' examination fees.

So announcing the good news means going to collect the money, and the new husbands will definitely give it to them with smiles on their faces. How could they not be overjoyed?

~~
The test takers all knew that no cases would be reported today, so they stayed obediently in their residences, waiting for the good news to arrive.

if so……

The group of classmates from Sheng Shen Zhai were also waiting in the county government office, eagerly anticipating their arrival since dawn.

Steward Tian prepared a large table of delicious dishes, allowing the young masters to eat while they waited. They also invited their father-in-law to join them for a vegetarian meal.

Before the results were announced, everyone was drinking with trepidation. Aside from top students like Su Lu, Lin Zhihong, and Qiao Feng, everyone else felt uncertain about their chances…

In particular, Su Dan, Tao Cheng, and Ma Qianli, who were ranked in the forties or fifties, were unable to eat or sleep properly and were completely distracted.

On the contrary, Li Qiyu and Cheng Wanfan, who had already failed the exam, were very calm at this time.

The former poured Ma Qianli a glass of wine and said with a smile, "Master, I can understand their nervousness, but why are you so nervous?"

"No, how could I not be nervous when I ranked fiftieth in the first round?" Ma Qianli picked up his wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

"There's nothing to be nervous about. With Zhaizhang's grades, even if he doesn't pass this year, you can close your eyes and wait until next year when Hongzhi, Zihe, and those monsters don't take the exam," Qiao Feng said with a smile.

“Alas, you don’t know this,” Ma Qianli sighed, “I made an agreement with my grandfather that I would only take the exam this year. If I fail, I will have to obediently participate in the martial arts examination next year.”

"Yes, if you don't pass the imperial examination, you can only become a commander. How pitiful!" The classmates burst into laughter.

Just as they were laughing and talking, they heard the sounds of suona horns and drums coming from outside. The laughter stopped abruptly, and everyone's heart pounded like drums.

P.S. There are still 100 words left in the next chapter (facepalm)...

(End of this chapter)