Top Scholar

Chapter 366 The Scholar
Hearing that Yan Song had ranked second in the second class of the previous examination, everyone in the hall looked over and saw that he was tall and handsome with clear features, truly a man of great talent.

"Is Brother Weizhong's current predicament also due to the memorial he submitted last year?" Su Lu asked softly.

"Yes, but not entirely." Yan Song smiled bitterly and said, "Last year, I was still a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy. I originally wanted to stay out of the world and focus on studying the classics. Who knew that disaster would strike? Brother Yushan was imprisoned for submitting a memorial. As classmates, we naturally couldn't stand by and watch him die. As a result, I angered the authorities by submitting another memorial, and I was directly demoted to the position of Provincial Administration Commissioner of Sichuan."

As he spoke, he sighed and said, "But he's much better than Brother Yushan. He was exiled to Qiongzhou, and his fate is still unknown."

“The headmaster has settled down in Qiongzhou, and the local gentry respect him very much.” Su Lu then smiled and said, “The climate in our Luzhou is very similar to that in Qiongzhou. He said in his letter that he is quite adapting to it.”

"That's great." Yan Song breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes slightly red. "We, the junior scholars, consider ourselves the chosen ones of heaven, yet we are often punished and exiled to the frontier. I have fallen into a low-ranking position, and he has become a minor official... This is completely contrary to our aspirations."

"I apologize, I lost my composure upon hearing the news from my old friend." Realizing he had overstepped his bounds, he quickly smiled and said, "It's quite inappropriate to talk about such things on such a joyous occasion as this."

Yan Song then reminded Su Lu, "Brother, you must hurry up and fill your stomach. As is customary, the prefect and county magistrate will come to visit the new top scholar in the afternoon, and perhaps the provincial administration will also send someone."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me." Su Lu nodded gratefully, and Steward Tian then ordered, "Serve the meal quickly."

Su Lu then smiled at Yan Song and said, "Since Brother Weizhong and the headmaster are good friends from the same class, isn't it a bit inappropriate to call him Brother Weizhong anymore?"

"Hey, don't change your mind." Yan Song waved his hand and laughed, "I already said that now that you are a master, we are like brothers. Besides, I'm not much older than you, so let's each address each other as we are."

"Alright then," Su Lu nodded and smiled.

~~
After the luncheon, Yan Song took his leave with the satisfied messenger. Before leaving, he reminded Su Lu and the other newly appointed candidates not to forget to go to the Provincial Administration Office the day after tomorrow to collect their official robes and attend the Deer Cry Banquet.

After seeing Yan Song and his entourage off, Su Lu and the others chatted and drank tea in the hall, awaiting the official visit to offer their condolences. People are in high spirits when good things happen, and the hall was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

Su Dan and the others who did not pass the exam were not too disappointed. Passing the imperial examination was the most difficult hurdle on the road to officialdom, and no one expected to succeed in one fell swoop.

Moreover, out of the twenty-one members of their Yangjiang Society, ten passed the exam this time, making their chances of success ridiculously high! This proves that the method their senior brother taught them is absolutely correct!

Moreover, the gap between them and Deng Dengying and the others wasn't that big usually. If they worked hard for another three years, their chances of passing the imperial examination next time would still be very high.

"Senior Brother, this time the label of 'Little Yang Shen of Luzhou' has been completely removed, right?" Bai Yunshan joked.

All the classmates knew that Su Lu didn't like this nickname, and Deng Dengying laughed and said, "From now on, we'll have to reverse it and call him 'Little Su Lu of Xindu'."

"Hahaha!" The whole room burst into laughter. They had watched Su Lu rise from an unknown mountain boy to where he was today. Although they didn't know the term 'comeback,' they all found it incredibly satisfying.

"Don't talk nonsense." Su Lu waved his hand and said, "Let's drop this topic. What if Yang Yongxiu's performance in the imperial examination is better than mine in the future? Will I have to put the hat back on?"

"Haha, okay, we won't mention it again." The classmates nodded with smiles.

In fact, Su Lu was also very emotional. From being praised by others and given such a title, to completely breaking free from this title, it had been a very difficult journey.

At this moment, Lin Zhihong asked with a smile, "Everyone says that once you become a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), you're a master, but what's the difference between a master and a gentleman?"

“Yes, yes,” Su Lu nodded and said, “We military households usually only manage to pass the county-level examination and become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level examination). It takes many years to pass the provincial-level examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level examination). I’ll have to trouble you brothers to tell us so that we don’t make a fool of ourselves.”

In fact, he learned even the rules of a scholar on the spot.

"Of course, of course." Bai Yunshan, Deng Dengying, and the others readily agreed. Since their families all had members who had passed the imperial examinations, they were naturally well aware of the privileges and preferential treatment afforded to them.

"Firstly, passing the imperial examinations grants one a 'ci ren' (出身), and passing the provincial examinations also grants one a 'juren' (举人), which is our most valuable asset. Therefore, the provincial examinations are the most legitimate level of the imperial examinations. Passing the provincial examinations grants one a legitimate official position, no longer the semi-official, semi-civilian status of a scholar." Zhu Zihe then said:

"The greatest right of a Juren (successful candidate in the provincial examination) is that he can take the metropolitan examination. Moreover, regardless of whether he passes or not, he does not need to take the provincial examination again and can take the metropolitan examination indefinitely. Therefore, the possibility of a Juren passing the metropolitan examination is far greater than that of a Xiucai (successful candidate in the county-level examination) passing the provincial examination."

“Even if you don’t pass the provincial examination, you can still participate in the Grand Selection after the provincial examination, and the Ministry of Personnel will directly appoint you to an official position.” Lei Jun continued, “At least half of the candidates who passed the provincial examination each time can be appointed to an official position. The first-class candidates are appointed as county magistrates, and the second-class candidates are appointed as school officials. Those who enter officialdom as provincial graduates are the same as those who enter officialdom as imperial graduates, and both are considered to have entered officialdom through the proper channels.”

"No wonder the scholar called him 'Master,' he really is an official." Su Lu understood somewhat, and then asked curiously, "Does the Grand Selection require an exam?"

"No, with the results of the provincial examination already in hand, there's no point in taking it again." Lei Jun laughed. "The 'Da Tiao' means exactly what it sounds like. Everyone goes to the Ministry of Personnel for an interview, and the people from the Ministry of Personnel pick and choose."

"Do they pick people based on their mood?" Su Man asked.

"Not exactly, there are standards," Lei Jun said with a smile to Su Man. "For example, Brother Yingzhi, I'll definitely pick the best one every time, guaranteeing you a position as a county magistrate and a top-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations!"

"With Brother Yingzhi's looks and demeanor, if he really reaches the final selection, he'll probably get a better official position than most of the top three scholars who also pass the imperial examination." Bai Yunshan and the others also agreed.

"Well, so the selection process is all about choosing handsome men?" Li Qiyu felt like he'd been shot in the knee. "Handsome men are too few; as long as they're decent-looking, that's fine." Lei Jun's older brother was an assistant minister in the Ministry of Personnel, so he naturally knew more about these things than others.

He never mentioned it before he passed the imperial examination, lest he ruin his luck.

Now he can talk and laugh without restraint: "I heard from my brother that the Ministry of Personnel has its own set of standards for judging people, which can be summarized in eight characters: 'Same as Tian Guan Ri, body armor and aura.'"

"What do you mean?" Now, not only Su Lu, but everyone asked curiously.

“The first four characters are good: ‘同’ describes a rectangular face; ‘田’ describes a square face; ‘贯’ describes a large head, a straight body, and a long physique; and ‘日’ describes a person of moderate height, build, and posture. Anyone who fits these four characters has a chance of being selected,” Lei Jun said with a smile.

After exchanging glances and making jokes, the group pressed on, asking, "Are the last four characters bad?"

“That’s right. ‘身’ means the body is crooked; ‘甲’ means the head is big and the body is small; ‘气’ means one shoulder is high; ‘由’ is the opposite of ‘甲’, meaning the head is small and the body is big. If it matches any of these four characters, I’m sorry, we can’t pick it.” Lei Jun laughed.

"This is truly eye-opening!" the classmates exclaimed. "We never imagined that even the most competitive scholars would ultimately have to rely on their appearance."

“Then wouldn’t people like us, even if we pass the imperial examination, be unable to become officials?” Cheng Wanfan said with a clear understanding of his own limitations.

“Who’s with you two? I’m perfectly legitimate!” Li Qiyu immediately protested, “I’m definitely gay!”

"Pfft..." Su Lu almost burst out laughing.

"What, godfather? Do you think I'm not good-looking?" Li Qiyu asked, gazing at him expectantly.

"It looks great!" Su Lu quickly waved his hand and said, "Yes, yes, absolutely!"

"Did you hear that? Even my godfather thinks I'm gay." Li Qiyu then proudly gestured with his chin towards Cheng Wanfan.

"If you agree, then I'll be damned." Cheng Wanfan curled his lip in disdain.

"Alright, stop patting yourself on the back. Actually, for a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, becoming an official isn't that appealing. Most of them never participate in the final selection process; they just live a life of luxury and power in their hometowns!" Zhu Zigong then said.

"Anyway, the status gained from the imperial examination can be enjoyed for life, except for those who are stripped of their titles for committing crimes."

"For example, my father." Zhu Zihe had always been quite critical of his father's lifelong refusal to serve in an official position.

"My master's life is truly enviable," Su Lu exclaimed.

“My senior brother is now the top scholar in the provincial examination. If you want, you can live as comfortably as my father,” Zhu Zigong said with a smile.

"Let's start with transportation," Deng Dengying continued.
"When we were scholars, we had to walk when we went out. We would only ride in sedan chairs on important occasions. But once we became successful candidates in the imperial examinations, even if we didn't become officials, we would still ride in sedan chairs when we went out."

"However, please note that a scholar's sedan chair can only be carried by two porters, and no decorations are allowed; only plain cotton cloth can be used for the sedan chair's covering," Xiao Tingjie reminded him.
"By the way, sedan chair carriers are not allowed to wear red vests; that's only for sedan chair carriers of officials in office."

"Wow..." Su Lu couldn't help but gasp. There was even a special color for official vehicles.

"Actually, it's not that strict. In my hometown, even those who passed the imperial examinations openly ride in luxurious sedan chairs carried by four people, with someone holding up a sign to indicate their status," Xu Chengye said with a smile. "On the contrary, the scholars in Luzhou are quite well-behaved."

"Nonsense, with so many officials and scholars in Luzhou, why would a mere provincial graduate dare to act so arrogantly?" Bai Yunshan laughed.

"Furthermore, once you become a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations, you can no longer travel with only one page; otherwise, it would be improper," Deng Dengying continued.
“The sedan chair must be accompanied by a servant and a page, to protect the master.”

“We’ll need at least four people to take care of us on a daily basis,” Chun Ge’er frowned. “The two of us brothers would need eight people. How can we afford that?”

"That is indeed a considerable expense," Su Lu nodded.

“But I don’t think I’ve heard of any scholar who’s going hungry,” Lin Zhihong said. “On the contrary, when you mention a scholar, you think of a wealthy gentleman.”

“That’s right. There are only poor scholars, never poor graduates.” Xiao Tingjie nodded and said, “Making a graduate poor is much, much harder than making him rich.”

“It is indeed harder than climbing to heaven.” Lei Jun nodded and said, “People say that there are no free lunches, but once you become a scholar, it’s like there are free lunches falling from the sky all the time. If you refuse to open your mouth, there’s nothing I can do, but if you open your mouth, you can eat until your mouth is full of oil.”

Just as everyone was chatting enthusiastically, You Muyou came in to report: "Sir Jieyuan, Magistrate Tang of Chengdu County has come to visit you and all the other gentlemen."

"The first pie has fallen," Bai Yunshan said with a smile.

P.S.: Can I ask for monthly votes now? Ahh!
(End of this chapter)