Top Scholar

Chapter 364 Win!

Thirty miles north of Chengdu lies the beautiful Guihu Lake, shaped like a pipa (a Chinese lute), with its waters as blue as jade. It gets its name from the osmanthus trees planted along its banks, whose fragrance wafts for miles in autumn.

A private garden called Guiyuan was built on the lakeside. It was the villa of the Yang family and was located to the west of the Yang family's ancestral home.

The pavilions and towers in the park are built along the lake, arranged in a staggered manner. On a sunny day, the clear water is like a mirror, reflecting the white walls and black tiles, the flying eaves and upturned corners, all intertwined with the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds.

Standing in the pavilion in the garden and looking out the window, one can see lotus flowers reflecting the sun in summer, their pink petals rippling like waves, and osmanthus trees swaying in the wind in autumn, filling the room with fragrance. The scenery is picturesque in all four seasons, making one forget oneself and the world around them.

Yang Shen returned from the capital to take the imperial examination. Unable to bear the solemn and rigid atmosphere of his ancestral home, he settled in Guiyuan Garden, where he spent his days reading and relaxing amidst the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains, living a truly carefree and leisurely life.

This autumn, when the members of the Lizhe Association went to the provincial capital to take the exam, Yang Shen invited them to stay at Guiyuan.

The members of the Lizhe Society were all renowned talents in Sichuan. In addition to him and Yang Dun, there were five others: Xia Bangmo, Shi Tianzhu, Cheng Qichong, Feng Xun, and Liu Jingyu, all of whom were the top scorers in their respective prefectures last year.

They spent their days and nights together, rising and sleeping in the same room, studying diligently through the night, determined to pass the imperial examinations together. After the autumn examinations, they traveled together, enjoying the scenery, composing poems, discussing the past and present, indulging in poetry and wine, living a carefree and joyful life!
However, today, the seven members of Lizhe did not go out; they all stayed obediently in Guixiang Pavilion, waiting for good news.

Guixiang Pavilion nestles against the lake shore, half-submerged in the water. Its roof is thatched, and wind chimes hang from the eaves, tinkling in the autumn breeze and soothing the restless hearts of the seven children.

Among them, only Yang Dun remained calm. Seeing that everyone was distracted and kept glancing at the south-facing road across the lake, he said helplessly, "With your education, passing the imperial examination is a natural outcome. Why are you all so nervous?"

“The capital is tense, let alone us?” said the handsome Shi Tianzhu.

Feng Xun also laughed and said, "We have to follow the leader."

"Oh, ah." Yang Shen finally came to his senses and, seeing everyone looking at him, said, "Actually, I can accept any place, I just don't want to lose to one person."

"We know." Everyone nodded in unison. In the past year, in Brother Xiu's eyes, heart, and mouth, there was only Su Hongzhi. He would become obsessed if he didn't beat him at least once.

"I've read Su Hongzhi's articles, and they are indeed incredibly strong, especially his recent one, 'When Used, It Works.' Reading it is like receiving instruction from a sage; it makes one involuntarily sit up straight and dare not even breathe loudly," Liu Jingyu exclaimed.
"No wonder Brother Yongxiu values ​​him so much."

"Don't belittle your own morale and boost the enemy's!" Cheng Qichong said in a deep voice, clearly displeased.

"This kind of writing is something that can only be done by chance. If he had written it in the provincial examination, Brother Xiu would certainly have no chance of winning. But this time, Brother Xiu wrote a masterpiece, so how can he possibly win?"

“Indeed.” Even Xia Bangmo had to nod and say, “With Brother Yongxiu writing such a divine article as ‘The Journey of the Sun, Moon and Stars,’ Senior Brother is in grave danger this time.”

“Well, our strengths are evenly matched, it all depends on how we perform on the day.” Yang Shen’s expression calmed down a bit, and he sighed to the sky, “But what are my conditions, and what are his conditions? Even if I win, it won’t be a fair victory.”

He paused for a moment, then said quietly, "Losing would be incredibly embarrassing..."

"Don't worry, it won't happen. The top scholar title belongs to Brother Yongxiu." The members of the Lizhe Society reassured him, "Unless Su Hongzhi can write an even more divine piece."

As they spoke, dust rose from the road on the opposite shore of the lake, and a large procession of messengers dressed in red uniforms, riding tall horses, carrying banners, gongs, suonas, and plaques, came in a grand procession.

"They're here!" Yang Dun shaded his eyes with his hand and counted the vertical plaques: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... seven good news reports!"

"Haha! Looks like we all won!" Xia Bangmo jumped up happily.

"Great! We can go to the capital together!" Shi Tianzhu said happily.

"You two sit down and behave yourselves," Feng Xun said, coughing. "Isn't this the obvious thing to do?"

“That’s right, our goal is to bring peace and prosperity to the world,” Cheng Qichong said. “This is just the first step in helping us leave Sichuan.”

"This is nothing! The original seven masters have all passed away, it's time for us, the Seven Masters of Lizhe, to take the stage!" Liu Jingyu put on a nonchalant air, each of them putting on an act.

~~
The servants of the Yang family were already waiting on the main road. According to Yang Shen's wishes, they first led the messenger to Guiyuan to announce the good news, and then went to the old house to receive the reward and have a feast.

So the messenger, accompanied by music and fanfare, entered the Osmanthus Garden. In order to receive a larger reward, he naturally had to deliver the good news from all seven sides separately!

The first team, consisting of four men, carried the red, gold-flecked victory report to the Osmanthus Fragrance Pavilion. The messenger knelt and kowtowed, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Congratulations to Master Cheng Qichong of Jiading for passing the Sichuan provincial examination with the thirteenth place, and for his name being featured in the imperial gazette!"

"Only thirteenth place?" Cheng Qichong's face immediately fell. "I need to check the papers."

"Ahem, get your image straight," Liu Jingyu whispered a reminder.

"So it wasn't you who took the 13th exam..." Cheng Qichong muttered dejectedly.

At this moment, four more people carried forward a gilded victory report, and the reporter kowtowed and shouted:
"Congratulations to Mr. Yang Dun of Xindu for achieving the eighth-highest rank in the Sichuan provincial examination, which has been featured in the imperial gazette!"

"Congratulations, Brother Cixiu!" The members of the Lizhe Society also clasped their hands in congratulations.

"Thank you." Yang Dun nodded calmly and waved his hand, saying, "Here's a reward."

His reaction was much more normal, and his every move exuded the composure of a scion of a prominent family.

The third team, another four men, carried forward the gilded victory report, bowing and shouting:
"Congratulations to Mr. Xia Bangmo of Chongqing for achieving sixth place in the Sichuan provincial examination, and for his name being featured in the imperial newspaper!"

"Congratulations." "Thank you for your trouble. Here's the reward." Xia Bangmo smiled faintly. He wasn't too satisfied either. He had thought that since Yang Yongxiu hadn't chosen the Book of Changes, he could have won the top prize. He then cupped his hands and smiled at Shi Tianzhu, "Congratulations, Brother Ji Zhan."

The only reason Xia Bangmo didn't make it into the top five was because he couldn't pass the test as well as Shi Tianzhu. However, his demeanor was far superior to Cheng Qichong's.

At this moment, the fourth gilded victory report was also brought in, and the messenger announced loudly:

"Congratulations to Master Liu Jingyu of Xuzhou for achieving fifth place in the Sichuan provincial examination, and for his name being featured in the imperial gazette!"

"Congratulations!" the attendees congratulated each other.

"I'm at the bottom of the list, there's nothing to be proud of," Liu Jingyu said with a modest smile. In truth, he knew that in terms of talent, he was inferior to Yang Dun and Xia Bangmo, and that he only managed to be among the top five because of his expertise in the Book of Documents.

The fifth piece of good news arrived, and the messenger announced loudly:

"Congratulations to Master Feng Xun of Guang'an for achieving fourth place in the Sichuan provincial examination, and for his name being featured in the imperial gazette!"

"Okay." Feng Xun nodded with a smile, feigning nonchalance: "Just as expected..."

The sixth piece of good news arrived, and the messenger announced loudly:

"Congratulations to Master Shi Tianzhu of Shunqing for achieving third place in the Sichuan provincial examination and being listed in the imperial gazette!"

"Haha, see what I told you!" Yang Dun laughed.

"What a stroke of luck!" Shi Tianzhu said happily, cupping his hands in thanks.

Only one piece of good news remained. Four officials carried the vertical plaque toward Guixiang Pavilion. The sunlight shone on the plaque, making it so golden that it was impossible to see anything clearly.

Yang Shen felt waves of dizziness, as if all the strength had been drained from his body...

Everyone else quieted down as well; the pavilion was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, except for the lingering fragrance.

~~
Guangzhi Gate, the north gate of the Shu King's Mansion.

Prince Zhu Binhan of Shu and the young princess sat on the city gate tower, watching as a procession of messengers carrying good news poured out of the Provincial Administration Office not far away.

"Why haven't they announced who the top scholar is yet?" The young princess asked anxiously, her pretty face filled with nervousness.

"Being the top scholar in a province is an unparalleled honor, so of course it should be reported last." The Prince of Shu coughed twice and chuckled, "Actually, this year's top scholar is either Yang Yongxiu from Xindu or Su Hongzhi from Luzhou."

"Brother, you said something pointless," the young princess said speechlessly. "If it weren't for Yang Yongxiu, would I be so nervous?"

"Ahem, I think we should let Yang Shen be the top scholar." The Prince of Shu teased her deliberately, "If Su Lu becomes the top scholar, you'll have no hope at all—the Ming Dynasty will not allow a top scholar to be with a princess."

The young princess didn't hesitate for a second, and resolutely shook her head, saying, "No, no, the top scholar must be Young Master Su. I only hope he gets better and better! If I wish for his misfortune just for my own sake, what kind of person would I be?"

"Hahaha, cough cough..." The King of Shu couldn't help but laugh loudly, "How could your father have given birth to such a rational and infatuated child?"

"Shouldn't you just wish well for someone you like?" The little princess blinked her clear, bright eyes.

"Alright." The King of Shu sighed, just about to tell her that this water was too deep for her to handle. Just then, a large procession of nearly a hundred people came out of the Provincial Administration Office to deliver good news, and he said, "They're coming out."

The young princess stared intently at the team announcing the good news. She noticed that the flag carried by the leading soldier had been upgraded to an apricot-yellow satin flag, bearing the four gilded characters "Jieyuan Jidi" (meaning "Top Scholar in the Imperial Examination"). Both the flag and the characters were significantly larger than ordinary victory flags.

Behind them, people held up yellow parasols to protect the flag. A full band of musicians was also present, energetically playing the "Victory Song"!
An additional team of soldiers was added to protect the banner, and eight men carried a huge banner of victory slowly forward.

Behind them followed an official sedan chair, clearly indicating that the messenger had changed from a minor clerk to an official...

This display was far more impressive than that of an ordinary successful candidate in the provincial examinations; it was an unparalleled honor reserved exclusively for the top scholar. Even the second-place finisher couldn't enjoy any of it.

"Indeed, a top scholar is a top scholar, and a successful candidate in the provincial examination is a successful candidate in the provincial examination," the King of Shu couldn't help but exclaim.

"Go and see what's written on it!" the young princess ordered, but all she wanted to know was who the top scholar was.

“No need for such trouble.” The King of Shu pointed to the procession and said, “After they finish their parade, they will head north to Yang Shen, then circle around and come back to Su Lu.”

The young princess stared wide-eyed as the procession announcing the top scholar's good news paraded through the streets of the Bell and Drum Tower, attracting throngs of onlookers and turning the streets into a bustling metropolis.

Then she saw the procession walk onto Da'anmen Inner Street, which leads to the North Gate of the city, and her heart jumped into her throat.

Just as she was about to suffocate, the procession bringing good news turned around!
"Aha!" The little princess jumped three feet high, her silvery laughter echoing across the city wall.

"Won!"

P.S. I really do start writing as soon as I get up, but I'm just so slow during the day...

(End of this chapter)