Top Scholar

Chapter 335 The New Talents
In the signing room of the Luzhou prefectural government office.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoye smiled wryly and said, "You think too highly of your teacher. Even if I were an official, it wouldn't matter. Salt is under the jurisdiction of the Sichuan Salt Tax Commissioner's Office, and money is under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Administration Commission's Baoquan Bureau. They're like two eggs in the province, which the prefectures can't even touch."

"You can't touch the master, and you can't touch Eunuch Wei either?" Su Lu had already made up his mind. "I heard that he has to pay the Emperor 10,000 taels of gold every year. He must be under a lot of pressure, right?"

“Of course, ten thousand taels of gold a year is an extraordinary tribute.” Prefect Lu nodded and said, “Eunuch Wei is also in a difficult position.”

He chuckled and said, "Okay, he doesn't count as a man..."

"Hehe..." Su Lu chuckled awkwardly. Old Lu still loved telling corny jokes.

“Therefore, sir, you might as well visit Eunuch Wei and talk to him about this matter,” Su Lu continued. “I believe he has the ability and motivation to handle these two government offices.”

“Hmm, there’s hope.” The more Lu Zhaoye thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. “I gave him this idea. Whether it works or not, at least we can avoid this year’s quota. After he gets things sorted out with the Transport Bureau and the Baoquan Bureau, he’ll still have to rely on this prefecture to organize manpower and ships for transportation back and forth.”

Then he remembered something else and asked, "What about Guizhou?"

“Guizhou is easy to handle. They are desperately short of salt. The common people generally cannot afford salt and cannot work. From the governor to the envoy, everyone is hoping for Sichuan salt to enter Guizhou.” Su Lu smiled and said, “I have spoken with the son of the governor of Anzhou. Everything is fine in Guizhou. They will definitely cooperate actively and can even send a letter to the province to facilitate this matter.”

"Good, good!" Lu Zhaoye patted Su Lu on the shoulder happily and said, "Hongzhi, you are still my lucky charm!"

Now that he had Guizhou as leverage, he was even more confident in negotiating with Eunuch Wei.

He felt he had to make a promise to Su Lu, so he said in a deep voice, "After it's done, your family will definitely get a share."

“Students don’t need to worry about things at home,” Su Lu said with a smile. “I need to focus all my energy on the exams.”

"It seems I have quite a bit of influence, even managing to get you to spare some attention," Prefect Lu said with a smile. "Alright, I won't bother you again before the provincial examination."

As he spoke, he winked at Su Lu and said with a smile, "Sometimes you can't argue with that. You've got a bit of destiny in you, kid."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" Su Lu asked with a smile.

“I originally thought, since Shen was born, why was Lu born?” Prefect Lu said, “With another top scholar among the top three scholars, you probably have no hope of becoming the top scholar this time.”

"It's not because his writing is better than yours, it's because he has a Grand Secretary as his father." He chuckled and said, "No matter how well you write your essay, the examiner can use the excuse that your teacher is a demoted official ranked eighth on the 'List of Traitors,' so in order to protect you and prevent you from standing out too much, they have to move your ranking down... You should thank them."

“Indeed.” Su Lu nodded and said, “I’m satisfied with just getting a middle score this time.”

"Yes, that's what I thought too." Lu Zhaoye nodded and said, "And guess what? I just received news that Grand Secretary Yang offended Liu Jin and has also been demoted!"

He lowered his voice and chuckled, "Since we're going to protect you, shouldn't we also protect Yang Shen? If we don't move his ranking down, why should we move yours down?"

"Is it that complicated..." Su Lu couldn't help but touch his nose.

“What official doesn’t have a complicated mind?” Lu Zhaoye said confidently. “Moreover, the chief examiners of the provincial examinations are all Hanlin officials from the capital, so they will definitely take care of the sons of their seniors and superiors.”

He then reassured Su Lu, saying, "But this time, you have a fair chance to compete with Yang Shen, so you must seize it!"

"Teacher, you think too highly of me," Su Lu said modestly. "But Yang the Prodigy is famous throughout the world. Even in a fair competition, I might not be his match."

“Hey, don’t underestimate yourself. Your reputation in the province is no less than his, and so is your writing. I’m confident you’ll become the top scholar!” Lu Zhaoye had a lot of faith in him.

"The student council will do its best." Su Lu nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Actually, he just pretended not to care; deep down, he really wanted to win, especially against Yang the Prodigy...

The two exchanged a few more words when Lu Zhaoye's attendant entered and whispered a reminder:

"Master, it's time to attend the Flower-Adorning Banquet."

“Yes, this kind of thing can’t be delayed.” Lu Zhaoye nodded, stood up and said to Su Lu, “I was going to invite you to stay for a meal, but unfortunately, the new scholar’s ​​flower-adorning banquet is also today.”

He then invited him with a smile, saying, "Why don't you come to the banquet with me, Hongzhi? The Grandmaster mentioned the other day that he wanted to meet you."

"Is today not a good day?" Su Lu said softly.

Firstly, it would steal the limelight from the younger generation; secondly, the imperial examination is in two days, and it would be inappropriate for him to go see the Grandmaster.

“Yes, indeed. Then I’ll arrange the banquet after the imperial examination,” Prefect Lu said with a smile.

"Yes, sir." Su Lu waited for Prefect Lu to be dressed properly, accompanied him to the courtyard, and then respectfully saw him off in a large sedan chair with a tin roof and blue brocade, leading him out of the yamen under the guidance of the ceremonial guards before turning and leaving.

~~
In the afternoon, the four students from the Su family studied in the study in the back garden.

The imperial court repeatedly reiterated that provincial examinations must not allow those who were "unskilled in the three stages of study" to be admitted. Therefore, the content of the provincial examinations was completely identical to that of the provincial examinations, testing knowledge of the Four Books and the classics, as well as essays on literature and history, and imperial edicts and memorials. It was also emphasized that the provincial examinations should "maintain proper writing style and emphasize the later stages." The former meant that essays must be factual and logically sound, avoiding superficiality and exaggeration. The latter required the Grand Master to strengthen the assessment of candidates' practical administrative abilities, such as official document writing.

This requires candidates to be familiar with contemporary laws and regulations, so it is still very necessary to brush up on their knowledge before the exam.

Before they knew it, it was getting late, and Xiaotiantian came to call them for dinner.

As soon as Su Lu stepped out of the study, he saw Li Qiyu, Cheng Wanfan, and Su Lang, all dressed in brand-new robes, rushing excitedly toward him.

"Godfather, we won!" Li Qiyu, with tears in his eyes, took the lead and hugged Su Lu tightly: "I am a husband now, no longer a servant girl!"

"Congratulations, congratulations! But loosen your grip, you're about to strangle your dad." Su Lu broke free from Li Qiyu's grasp and then hugged Cheng Wanfan, Su Lang, and the others to show his encouragement.

"Wow, impressive, Brother Lang! You really caught up." Su Lu patted his cousin on the shoulder. The chubby boy from back then had shed all his fat and become a lean young man. He was the grandson of his sixth uncle, Su Daji, and had failed the entrance exam for Taiping Academy along with Su Lu...

But he did not give up and worked hard. With Su Lu's help, he was admitted to Taiping Academy the following year.

After that, he studied hard all the way, and this year he participated in the children's examination with Li Qiyu and others, and he actually succeeded in one go!

Su Lang, however, was not blinded by victory. He smiled sheepishly and said, "This time it was purely luck. All the top students in my group passed the exam last year, so the competition this year was naturally not as strong."

“That’s right, so it was right for Lao Cheng and me to wait. If we avoid you bunch of monsters, we can become government-subsidized students this year.” Li Qiyu shamelessly said, “Therefore, those who are good at using troops avoid the enemy’s sharpness and strike when they are tired and retreating. This is the way to manage morale.”

"You're more like someone with hemorrhoids," Cheng Wanfan retorted, "I wonder who was crying their eyes out on their way home last year..."

"Alright, alright, let him be smug for now," Su Lu said with a smile, trying to calm Cheng Wanfan down.

“My godfather still loves me the most,” Li Qiyu said happily.

"Have Chef Hu add a few more dishes to celebrate," Su Lu instructed Xiao Yu'er.

"No, no, our colleagues are waiting for us to celebrate!" Li Qiyu hurriedly said, "We'll just give our father-in-law the good news and then we'll leave."

He then bowed in a pretentious manner and said, "Thank you for your many years of earnest teachings, brother. I will never forget them and will definitely take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die."

"Get lost, don't I have my own sons?" Su Lu laughed and scolded.

"Haha, but we really have to thank you, brother! Without you, it wouldn't have been so easy for us to pass the imperial examination..." The gentlemen chatted and laughed as they walked towards the front yard, preparing to send the new scholar out to have some fun.

Su Man asked Su Lang, "Are you taking the provincial examination this year?"

Although they missed the imperial examination, there will be another round of supplementary examinations next month before the autumn examinations begin, giving scholars who failed the imperial examinations for various reasons a chance to retake them.

Many newly successful candidates would go directly to Chengdu to participate in the examination, hoping to take advantage of their good luck and see if they could pass the imperial examination with flying colors!
Su Lang was not frivolous at all. He shook his head and said, "I won't take the exam. I'm barely able to pass the county-level exam now. I'll study for three more years and see how it goes."

"Why not go? You might just hit the jackpot." Li Qiyu is different; he's been rowing his whole life without oars, relying entirely on the waves for propulsion.

"No, you guys go ahead." Su Lang said with self-awareness, "There are only a few spots for the Imperial Examination, and the competition is even fiercer than the regular examination. I definitely have no chance."

"Sigh, so young and lacking in drive." Li Qiyu stopped trying to persuade him and put his arm around Su Lang's shoulder, saying, "Come on, tonight I'll help you lose your virginity!"

"Don't you dare corrupt my little brother!" Su Lu kicked him in the butt.

"I was referring to the children taking the imperial examination. What were you thinking, sir?" Li Qiyu dodged away like a monkey, laughing and joking as he took his leave from the group of children taking the examination.

Tonight, they are the happiest people in Luzhou.

~~
Two days later was the first day of the seventh lunar month, the last day before the exam, and Su Tai brought the four of them exam baskets.

The imperial examination consists of two sessions, each lasting one day. Candidates enter the examination hall at dawn and leave at dusk, with no candles provided. Therefore, the preparation of examination supplies, food, rain gear, and the like is the same as for the preliminary examination, so there is no need to elaborate.

That night, the candidates went to bed early and got up at dawn the next day to brush their teeth, wash their faces, and get dressed.

Zhu Yin and Huang E arrived at the Su family home in the middle of the night. Since the future mother-in-law was unable to walk, they had to step in and take care of her.

After enjoying a nutritious breakfast prepared by Chef Hu and reverently paying homage to that... uh, Su family heirloom, the examinees, accompanied by their families, carried their examination baskets and headed to the academy under the stars and moon!

Su Tai watched them leave, his muscular arm itching to lash out again...

P.S.: I did an interview and filmed a promotional video today, so Chapter 3 will be delayed again. I'll read it tomorrow morning...

Also, the winners should go and claim their prizes; don't try to save me money.

(End of this chapter)