Top Scholar

Chapter 363 Good news comes frequently
"What good news?" Everyone looked bewildered.

"Great news! You've passed the imperial examination!" Manager Tian exclaimed excitedly.

"Isn't the results going to be released tomorrow?" Zhu Zihe asked.

"So today's the day to announce good news!" Steward Tian slapped his thigh and said, "Hurry up, the people are already at the door!"

"Oh, I see..." Everyone then looked at the senior foreman.

"What are you looking at me for? Let's go!" Su Lu shouted at them, feeling a little apologetic. It seemed that copying books really could make people stupid.

"Oh, oh." Everyone put down their pens and quickly had their page help them get dressed before going out to receive the good news.

Su Lu didn't rush off. He put the books back in their original places and carefully collected all the manuscripts that everyone had copied, placing them into boxes labeled with different titles. This was something he had to do every day after work, otherwise things would get chaotic...

Since he accepts whatever the outcome, he won't be anxious or worried about gains and losses.

The students had already rushed to the front yard, intending to wait at the gate as they would when they passed the imperial examination, when Steward Tian reminded them:
"No need to go to the door, the scholar will be waiting! Just wait in the main room."

"Very well." The gentlemen all nodded. They had been so focused on copying the book that they had come to their senses, and now that they had come to their senses, they were all getting nervous.

The main room was already full of other candidates from Luzhou; there were no seats left. Their group consisted of only twenty people, while fifty of their fellow villagers had also come to take the exam.

"You've arrived?" The elders simply nodded when Su Lu wasn't there, and no one stood up to offer him a seat.

Su Man and the others didn't mind and stood behind the chairs waiting for the messenger to come in.

"I wonder how many of us seventy people will actually pass the exam?" The senior member sitting in the main seat, who had once passed the supplementary exam, sighed as he looked at the room full of scholars.

"There must be three or four, right?" Another senior colleague sitting next to me laughed. "It's about the same number every year, with the most in one subject being five."

"I hope we can get a few more people to wear the round-necked shirts this year." The old man said to everyone, "We've agreed that whoever passes will be the pride of Luzhou, so don't be envious!"

"Yes, yes, we should give it our full support!" Several other senior figures chimed in.
"Brother Yoshizawa's articles are already superb; this time it's your turn to win."

"Hey, there's no such thing as 'should'! If it were based on 'should,' I would have won long ago." Senior Ji Ming waved his hand, addressing Su Man, Bai Yunshan, and the other younger generation.

"You too, you must keep a calm mind. This is the most difficult part of the competition, and no one can pass it on the first try."

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, senior," Bai Yunshan and the others replied obediently. But inwardly, they rolled their eyes. Was this old hag convinced they wouldn't win?
Just then, they heard gongs and drums beating loudly in the front yard, and firecrackers exploding in the air. A messenger shouted in unison, "Congratulations to your esteemed lord on passing the imperial examination!"

Everyone was like chickens, ducks, and geese with their necks being choked, all gaping but unable to utter a word, nervously watching the group of provincial governors in bright red uniforms arrive in front of the hall with music and fanfare.

The leading flag bearer held up an apricot-yellow flag with the four large, flamboyant characters "Jinbang Timing" (meaning "passing the imperial examination with flying colors") written on it.

Two flag bearers followed behind, each carrying a colorful flag embroidered with the words "Successful in the Imperial Examinations" and "Continuous Success in the Imperial Examinations."

Next came the suona band and the percussionists, energetically playing festive music.

There was also a pair of firecracker handlers, with red firecrackers hanging from bamboo poles, waiting to light them when the good news was announced.

But the most eye-catching thing was the red and gold-flecked victory report pasted on the mahogany board!
The messenger at the front, beaming with joy, asked loudly, "May I ask which one of you is Lord Deng Dengying from Luzhou?"

"It's me, it's me!" Deng Dengying, who was standing in the corner, jumped three feet high upon hearing this.

"Please take a seat!" Senior Yoshizawa quickly stood up to offer his seat.

"I won! Haha, I actually won!" Deng Dengying thought he wouldn't be able to win, and now he was so happy he was almost going crazy!
"Good, good, you've won." Lei Shengyuan, Bai Yunshan and the others helped the overjoyed Deng Dengying to sit down in the main seat.

The messenger knelt down and kowtowed, loudly proclaiming, "Congratulations, Master Deng, on achieving the 69th rank in the provincial examination of the Dingmao year! Your name has been featured in the imperial gazette!"

The firecracker operator then set off a flurry of red firecrackers across the ground.

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, two messengers carried a report of good news. Deng Dengying's eyes widened as he saw the gold-flecked notice prominently displayed—

"Good news! Official reports confirm your promotion. Your esteemed lord, Deng Dengying, has passed the Sichuan provincial examination of the Dingmao year, ranking sixty-ninth among the successful candidates, thanks to the guidance of Liu, a Hanlin Academician and chief examiner!"

The document also bears the official seals of the chief examiner, the supervising official, and the provincial administration office, which is enough to prove that this is a genuine certificate of success for the provincial examination!
The messengers congratulated him and asked for money, and his fellow villagers also offered their congratulations. For a time, the hall was filled with celebratory sounds.

Deng Dengying wanted to show some of the composure of a scholar, but tears kept flowing and snot was bubbling from his nose.

However, everyone was used to it, but Yoshizawa-senpai thought to himself, "If I could hit it, I would cry myself to sleep."

Steward Tian had already prepared congratulatory money and rewarded the messenger on behalf of Deng Dengying. Servants from the government office also rushed over to offer their congratulations. The hall and surrounding area were bustling with activity when firecrackers suddenly went off at the door!
"Great! A second success!" You Muyou excitedly ran to the gate to greet them. Sure enough, a short while later, another group of messengers arrived at the government office with music and fanfare.

Upon arriving at the front and back of the hall, the newly arrived messenger cheerfully shouted, "May I ask which one of you is Master Xu Chengye from Luzhou?"

"I, I, Yu..." Xu Chengye raised his hand incoherently.

"Come, come, please take a seat." Deng Dengying had regained some of her composure and quickly offered him the seat of honor.

Senior Yoshizawa, who had just sat down next to her, quickly and tactfully stood up and offered his seat back to Deng Dengying.

But after Xu Chengye settled down in a daze, the messenger knelt down and kowtowed to congratulate him: "Congratulations, Master Xu, on passing the Sichuan provincial examination with the 53rd place! Your name has been featured in the imperial examination!"

The new firecracker operator then started setting off a flurry of red firecrackers.

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, two messengers presented identical reports of good news—

"Good news! Official reports confirm your promotion. Your esteemed lord, Xu Chengye, has passed the Sichuan provincial examination of the Dingmao year, ranking fifty-third among the successful candidates, thanks to the guidance of Liu, a Hanlin Academician and chief examiner!"

"Congratulations!" The sounds of congratulations and well wishes filled the air once again.

~~
Just as You Muyou saw off the two teams of messengers, firecrackers went off again outside.

"Good heavens, auspicious beginnings!" You Muyou couldn't stop smiling. The minimum target for the prefecture had been achieved! He could finally give an explanation to his grandfather.

He quickly invited the person who had made the report into the government office.

Upon arriving at the hall, the newly arrived messenger shouted, "May I ask which of you is Lord Lei Jun from Luzhou?"

"It is I!" Lei Jun's demeanor was far more composed than his two classmates. Given his abilities, passing the imperial examination was within his expected scope.

Xu Chengye then gave up his seat, and Deng Dengying also gave up her seat to Xu Chengye. Senior Yoshizawa then gave up his seat to Deng Dengying for the third time.

The older man felt like a nobody, a complete clown, and thought to himself, "Damn it, I'm not sitting here again if it happens again."

After Lei Jun sat down, the messenger kowtowed and announced the good news:

"Congratulations, Master Lei! You have achieved the 45th place in the Sichuan provincial examination and have been featured in the imperial newspaper!"

Amid the sound of firecrackers, Lei Jun's smile seemed somewhat forced, as if he was not satisfied with his ranking.

After the messenger received the reward and left, a short while later, firecrackers rang out for the fourth time outside the Luzhou government office!

"May the four seas celebrate the Spring Festival!" The messenger shouted as Steward You led in the fourth group of men.
"Congratulations to Mr. Lin Zhihong of Luzhou for achieving the 31st place in the Sichuan provincial examination and being listed in the imperial newspaper!"

Lin Zhihong was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth. He thought he hadn't passed. He never expected to pass, it was a truly unexpected joy.

Because his level was actually not as good as Lei Jun's, he unexpectedly scored higher than Lei Jun. The exam was indeed a bit of a fluke.

Seeing that all four spots in the state were taken by newbies, the veteran examiners were incredibly envious. They couldn't help but mutter under their breath, "There should be a limit to how much these examiners favor the young over the old."

"Yes, does that mean we mature old folks should just die?"

"Don't talk nonsense, it's all copied anonymously, who knows who's who?!" Although Senior Yoshizawa has given up his position so many times that he's become numb, he is still an upright and honest man, and he is not jealous at all.

"Sigh, the registration is over. Come back in three years." But many of the older members were still quite disappointed.

But not long after, firecrackers went off again at the entrance of the government office!
"Five blessings have come to our door!" You Muyou was overjoyed and quickly welcomed them in.

The person announcing the registration this time shouted:
"Congratulations to Master Zhu Zigong of Luzhou for achieving the 24th place in the Sichuan provincial examination, and for his name being featured in the imperial gazette!"

But it wasn't over yet; a short while later, firecrackers went off again.

"Sixes bring great fortune!" You Muyou was ecstatic. He never dared to dream of such a good result before!

"Congratulations to Master Su Man of Luzhou for passing the Sichuan provincial examination with the 20th place! His name has been featured in the imperial examination!" the messenger shouted as he entered the government office.

Su Man was also taken aback. He had fantasized about passing the imperial examination, but he had never imagined such a high ranking.

He appeared calm and collected, but his hands were clenched tightly into fists inside his sleeves, as if thanking his ancestors for their blessings!

Hmm, it must be divine intervention! Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten such a high score...

~~
There's a seventh wave to come!
"Seven stars shine upon us!" You Muyou could no longer control his expression. You must understand, the best result Luzhou had ever achieved in the imperial examinations since the founding of the dynasty was only seven people passing!

"Congratulations to Mr. Xiao Tingjie of Luzhou for achieving the seventeenth rank in the Sichuan provincial examination and being listed in the imperial gazette!"

This matches the record set in Luzhou since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the older generation is completely convinced. It seems it wasn't that the examiners favored younger candidates over older ones, but rather that these young people are truly formidable!
However, records are meant to be broken, and not long after, the eighth firecracker went off!
"The Eight Immortals have crossed the sea!" You Muyou was practically on top of the world.

"Congratulations to Mr. Bai Yunshan of Luzhou for achieving the eleventh place in the Sichuan provincial examination and being listed in the imperial gazette!"

Everyone felt like they were dreaming today, little did they know there would be a ninth wave. You Muyou's voice was almost hoarse.

"Nine stars aligned! Wow!"

"Congratulations to Master Zhu Zihe of Luzhou for achieving seventh place in the Sichuan provincial examination, and for his name being featured in the imperial gazette!"

P.S. I've done my best to write about nine people passing the imperial examinations in one chapter. This time it's not to leave any loose ends, but simply because of space constraints; I haven't even been able to elaborate on Chun Ge's story. There are plot points planned for later chapters, but I just can't finish writing them today.

I'll write it when I wake up tomorrow, and I'll post it as soon as I finish...

(End of this chapter)