Top Scholar

Chapter 379 Eagle Soaring Banquet

The Luzhou government held a grand banquet to celebrate Su Taima's outstanding achievement of traveling thousands of miles.

The candidates from Chengdu all came to offer their congratulations, and they chatted warmly with Su Tai and Ma Qianli about their shared experience of being born in the same year, which made the other martial arts candidates extremely envious.

“They’re doing this because of the eldest and third brothers,” Su Tai said, not flattered. After the guests left, he ate the delicious lion’s head meatballs while saying to She Yunluo, who was looking at him with admiration, “The military examination is not as good as the civil examination. It’s fine for others to say things like ‘three scholars from one family, two brothers who both became top scholars,’ but we shouldn’t mention it, or people will laugh at us.”

"You're such a rough man, how come you're so sensitive?" She Yunluo said, cupping her cheeks. "Actually, there's no need to care about what others say behind my back. Otherwise, how could I, a barbarian woman, survive?"

"Mm." Su Tai nodded and handed her the large bowl.

She Yunlu added a full bowl of rice to his bowl and said, "Besides, Qiu-ge'er is a Su Jieyuan, and so are you. We both earned our achievements through hard work, so there's no difference in status between us."

“But prejudice remains,” Su Tai said with a smile.

“Second Brother himself said it’s prejudice, which means their views are wrong!” Su Lu and Su Man came in after seeing the guests off, and said in a deep voice, “So it’s others who need to be changed, not us!”

“That’s right,” Su Man nodded in agreement. “If becoming a dignified martial arts champion still requires compromising oneself, then what’s the point of taking the imperial examination?”

“Second Brother is always like this.” Su Lu smiled and sat down next to Su Tai. “He is already a mountain, but he still thinks of himself as an insignificant stone.”

"Mmm-hmm." She Yunlu nodded vigorously, excitedly saying, "Did you hear that? You're already someone others look up to, so stop taking yourself for granted!"

"I understand." Su Tai scratched his head and chuckled, "Actually, I'm quite proud, but I'm afraid of giving my elder brother and Hongzhi something to talk about..."

“What are you saying?” Su Man laughed loudly. “Without you, how could there be ‘two brothers who both became top scholars and three family members who became successful candidates in the provincial examinations’? We brothers have helped each other achieve success and made each other famous! If anyone is trying to ride on your coattails, it’s me, the eldest brother. You are all top scholars, and I’m the only one who became a successful candidate in the provincial examinations.”

“Brother, that’s too unrealistic.” Su Tai finally burst into laughter, “But now that you say it, I feel pretty amazing too.”

~~
The west wing of the east courtyard was filled with a strong smell of medicine.

Ma Qianli lay on the bed with splints and bandages wrapped around his body, looking extremely miserable.

He was indeed in a terrible state. The military doctor at the military headquarters only saw him as exhausted, but when he returned and was examined by a folk healer, it was discovered that his left collarbone was broken, his sternum was fractured, and he had many lacerations all over his body...

Hearing that he was so badly injured yet still managed to pass the martial arts exam, the doctor's admiration for him was boundless, praising Ma Qianli as an iron man.

"Master Zhai, you can become a military officer without taking the military examination, why do you have to suffer like this?" After the doctor left, Cheng Wanzhou applied medicine to his face while asking in confusion.

"If I hadn't participated in the martial arts examination, I would have been demoted two ranks and started as a centurion. Now that I've passed the examination, I can start as a deputy commander. Isn't that a great deal?" Ma Qianli said with a smile.
"Besides, to gain a foothold in the military, you have to earn people's respect. My grandfather suffered because of this. For a long time, no one took him seriously in the army. It wasn't until he killed two chieftains that he was able to establish himself."

He paused for a moment and said, "So in the army, if you want to gain people's respect, you either have to go to the battlefield or take the military examination. Taking the military examination is safer than going to the battlefield."

"Sigh, I understand." Cheng Wanzhou nodded and sighed.

"Alright, Xiao Zhouzhou, stop feeling sorry for the headmaster. You have no idea how happy he is." Li Qiyu laughed from the side, "A martial arts graduate is still a graduate, much better than us mere scholars."

"Nonsense," Ma Qianli said. "A scholar who has acquired martial arts skills is worthless..."

“That’s nonsense. Let me explain it to you.” Li Qiyu then counted on his fingers:

"First of all, according to regulations, military graduates are exempt from all miscellaneous corvée duties, just like civil graduates."

"But in reality, it would be good if one could enjoy half the benefits of a scholar who passed the imperial examinations," Ma Qianli said.

"That's because the civil officials are shameless, taking advantage of the protection of officials to push their luck, not because the court is mistreating the military officials," Cheng Wanzhou said with a smile.

“Okay…” Ma Qianli certainly wouldn’t argue with them.

In reality, the vast majority of military examination graduates already held hereditary military officer status and enjoyed preferential treatment and exemptions, so the economic benefits of military examinations were not significant.

"Moreover, after passing the imperial examination and returning to their hometown, the government will also welcome them with courtesy. They will hang up a plaque to announce their success, just like the civil service examination, and give them commendations." Li Qiyu then added with a mischievous smile, "The head of the study will be even more glamorous when he returns to Taiping Town."

"Haha, he'll definitely be even more glamorous than Wen Juren!" the classmates laughed.

"That's because of my grandfather, the commander of a thousand households..." Ma Qianli said speechlessly. He had grown up and knew why he could never spend his money.

"Why make such a distinction?" Lin Zhihong laughed. "Even the Emperor relies on his ancestors, so what is there for the head of the study to be ashamed of?"

"Hehe, that's true." Ma Qianli smiled, touched.

"I haven't finished yet! There's the Deer Cry Banquet for the civil service exam and the Eagle Soaring Banquet for the military exam!" Li Qiyu said with envy, "I wonder if we'll ever have the chance to attend one of the 'Four Banquets of the Imperial Examination' in our lifetime..."

"It's tough," Cheng Wanfan sighed. "I don't think we've got a chance in this lifetime."

~~
The day after the results of the military examination were announced, the military command hosted a banquet for the chief examiner, officials, and military candidates, called the Eagle Soaring Banquet, with the same ceremony as the Deer Cry Banquet. The so-called "Eagle Soaring" means majestic and powerful like an eagle in flight, taken from the Book of Songs, "Our teacher, the Grand Master, is like an eagle soaring." It was one of the four official banquets held by the imperial court for the imperial examinations, and the military candidates naturally attached great importance to it. Although they were all bruised and battered, none of them were absent.

Su Tai, the martial arts champion, was naturally in the limelight. Dressed in the newly made round-necked robe of a scholar and a leather belt, he was led by the chief examiner and the military commander to the side of the head seat, where people came and went to offer him wine in an endless stream.

Upon learning that Su Tai was Su Lu's older brother, Liu Bing was overjoyed. He had unintentionally created a legendary tale that would surely be remembered in history!

He then immediately wrote a couplet for the Su brothers.

"Three members of one family achieved outstanding academic success, bringing glory to Sichuan; their family tradition of combining farming and scholarship ensures lasting blessings."
The two brothers, both scholars and warriors, shone brightly in the south, bringing honor to their family.

Zou Qing and his fellow students already held Su Tai, the top scholar in the provincial examination, in high esteem. Upon seeing this couplet, they realized Su Tai's impressive background and respected him even more.

Su Tai resolved his inner conflict yesterday, and today he no longer deliberately kept a low profile. He raised his glass with his peers, exchanged greetings, and quickly became one of them, establishing a friendship among them.

Those of them who will be in the army in the future will also need to communicate and help each other.

~~
The good news of Su Tai passing the martial arts examination and becoming the top scholar was quickly delivered to Luzhou City.

The good news spread throughout the streets and alleys in an instant—the two sons of the Su family had both passed the imperial examinations, one becoming the top scholar in the civil service exam and the other in the military exam!

Not to mention Luzhou City, even in the whole of Sichuan and the entire Ming Dynasty, there has never been such a grand event of two scholars from the same prefecture!

The Su residence was immediately bustling with carriages and people, and guests filled the gates to offer their congratulations. From high-ranking officials such as Huang Bingxian, Lu Zhizhou, and Han Zhizhi, to local gentry and celebrities, everyone came to offer their congratulations.

Su Youcai felt like he was in a dream. He hadn't even recovered from the joy of his youngest son becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination when his eldest son followed suit...

After seeing off wave after wave of customers, he asked the proprietress, "Do you think this is all just a pipe dream?"

"No, if my husband were to dream, he'd dream of passing the imperial examination with top honors," the proprietress exclaimed while breastfeeding her child.

"The stars of literature and martial arts both originated in our family; my husband is truly blessed."

She said in a low voice, lacking confidence, "As for me, I feel a little unworthy of enjoying such a great blessing for no reason."

“Oh, my wife, you’re mistaken.” Su Youcai sat on the edge of the bed, put his arm around the landlady’s shoulder and said, “When we first met, the three of us were so poor. It was only after you became the godmother of the two children that things got better. If we’re talking about good luck, it was you who brought it.”

As he spoke, he laughed and said, "You've been so devoted to your two children all these years, and they've treated you like their own mother. Just accept it without worry."

"I feel a little more at ease now that my husband says that..." The landlady leaned on Su Youcai's shoulder, sighing with deep emotion.

“I always thought these two kids would be successful in the future, but I never imagined they would be so successful.”

"Haha, it seems that sometimes having too good a eye for talent can be a problem." Su Youcai couldn't help but laugh. "Luckily, your husband isn't very ambitious, otherwise you'd be worried sick."

"My husband is such a good person and so handsome, I'm so worried I can't sleep..." The landlady nestled in his arms, her eyes squinting happily.

~~
The good news traveled along the Chishui River to Erlangtan.

The entire Erlangtan area was in an uproar. In the eyes of the simple mountain people, whether it was a literary champion or a martial arts champion, they were all golden phoenixes that flew out of Erlangtan! They all deserved to be celebrated in a grand manner!
The old man and his three sons returned to Erlangtan. After reporting the good news to their ancestors, they hung flagpoles to commemorate their three grandsons' achievements in front of the entire Erlangtan community.

Outside the Su Clan Ancestral Hall, six flagpoles bearing the marks of merit have been erected. Five of them have their tops carved into the shape of a pen tip, while the top of the other is shaped like an axe.

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the younger members of the clan slowly raised three grain bins, painted with gold paint, to the top of the three flagpoles in the middle.

Beneath the flagpole, three banners of merit fluttered in the mountain wind—

'The top scholar in the Sichuan provincial examination of the Dingmao year!'

'The top scholar in the Sichuan Wuxiang Examination of the Dingmao year!'

'A successful candidate in the Sichuan provincial examination of the Dingmao year!'

Cheng Xiucai was also among the crowd watching the ceremony, using a fan to shade his eyes as he looked at the three banners of merit with a complicated expression.

His own flagpole, however, will remain bald for the rest of his life...

Scholar Cheng couldn't help but sigh, "I've studied hard for half my life, exhausting all my energy, but I still haven't managed to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). I never expected that my two good grandsons would pass the exam on their first try, and both even achieved the top rank in the provincial examination. Truly, the younger generation is formidable..."

Upon hearing this, the Su family cursed Cheng for being shameless, but they couldn't refute him. After all, he was the boss's wife's father, and the boss's wife was the mother of the two masters.
This was a genuine kinship, undeniable to everyone. They could only offer forced smiles and agree, inwardly sighing at the strangeness of life…

(End of this chapter)