Top Scholar

Chapter 437 First-Class Filial Son
The next day, Su Lu stayed in bed for the first time in his life.

He felt soreness, numbness, and swelling all over his body, as if his bones were about to fall apart, as if he were sick. This was normal; traveling two thousand miles in the dead of winter would be unbearable for anyone, not even Qian Ning.

But Su Tai was an exception. He still got up on time and even practiced his martial arts in the yard, showing no signs of fatigue...

Su Youcai took Su Lu's pulse and found that he was only tired and not sick, so he instructed him:

"Don't go anywhere these next few days. Take a break and get yourself back to normal. Otherwise, the test will be on the ninth of next month, and you definitely won't be able to handle it in your current condition."

"Yes," Su Lu replied obediently, but he could only lie there until the sun was high in the sky before he could no longer stay in bed.

Sichuan people are not used to sleeping on kang (heated brick beds). Even with thick mattresses, they always feel that the kang is too hard and it hurts no matter how they lie down.

I gritted my teeth and got up. First, I sat cross-legged and practiced a set of breathing exercises taught by the old abbot. Then, I got out of bed and practiced a set of the Eight Vajra Exercises taught by my teacher. Finally, I felt much lighter.

He lifted the curtain and went into the outer room, where he saw his elder brother sitting by the stove, tending the fire while intently reading.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Su Man heard the noise.

"My whole body aches from sleeping, so I need to stretch my muscles." Su Lu turned his arms and sat down next to his older brother.

"I'm not used to it either." Su Man picked up the copper kettle on the stove, poured a cup of hot tea for Su Lu, and handed it to him.

"But Beijing is too cold. You can't stand it without sleeping on a kang (heated brick bed). I'll get used to it slowly."

"So there are kang beds in the examination hall too?" Su Lu asked jokingly, holding a cup of hot tea.

"Does that mean we'll have to put a woman in your cell?" Su Man chuckled and cursed.

“That’s a good idea,” Su Lu said with a smile.

"Keep dreaming!" Su Man glared at him, then sighed, "I'm just hoping it will warm up next month. If it's still this cold, I'll be half dead after the three exams."

"I hope so." Su Lu took a sip of hot tea and glanced at the book in his older brother's hand. "What are you reading?"

“The Collected Works of Mr. Zhenze Cheng,” Su Manyang said, gesturing with the book cover. “You should take a good look at it later. It’s widely known in Beijing that the chief examiner of the University of Science and Technology of China is none other than Grand Secretary Wang.”

“Yes, my master said so too.” Su Lu nodded and lowered his voice, “He said that Liu Jin originally wanted to give the job to Jiao Fang, but since Young Master Jiao also had to take the exam, Grand Secretary Jiao had to avoid suspicion.”

"He did try to avoid suspicion, but rumors have been circulating in the capital since before the new year that Jiao Fang's son, Jiao Huangzhong, is already the designated champion." Su Man snorted, her dissatisfaction evident in her words.

"And there's Liu Ren, the son of Liu Yu, the Minister of War, who is said to have secured second place."

"Have the eunuch faction become so brazen?" Su Lu was dumbfounded. "They're not even bothering to pretend anymore?"

Jiao Fang goes without saying, but Liu Yu was also a key member of the eunuch faction. When Liu Jin first started accepting bribes, he expected only a few hundred taels of silver, but Liu Yu was the first person to offer a lavish gift of tens of thousands of taels.

Liu Jin was overjoyed upon receiving it, exclaiming, "Mr. Liu, you have treated me so kindly!"

From then on, his appetite returned, and he could no longer be bothered with small sums of money, even a few hundred taels of silver...

Of course, Liu Yu was also highly regarded, and soon he was transferred from the relatively low-paying position of Left Censor-in-Chief to the extremely wealthy Minister of War.

Such a shameless person would naturally follow in Jiao Fang's footsteps and seek benefits for his son.

Su Lu just thought that this kind of thing was hardly honorable, and should at least be kept secret, right? How could the whole world know about it before the exam even started?
"Could it be that those young masters surnamed Jiao and Liu are a pair of simpletons?" Su Lu asked, frowning. "How come the whole world knows about it?"

"I don't know," Su Man shook her head and said, "It doesn't seem to be what those two said. They're not that stupid. But it's just spreading like wildfire, with all sorts of details."

“This is what they call ‘walls have ears,’” Su Lu said with a hint of schadenfreude. “Now that he’s stuck in one-sided ways, let’s see what Grand Secretary Jiao and Minister Liu will do.”

“Don’t worry about them,” Su Man sighed. “Now many candidates are trying to get in Liu Jin’s favor, saying that only by giving gifts to his brother-in-law can they pass the imperial examination.”

He spat and said, "A bunch of short-sighted idiots! Once this stain is on your record, it will never be erased!"

“That’s right. We’re still young. It doesn’t matter if we don’t pass the exam. We can’t do something that would bring shame to our ancestors.” Su Lu nodded and said in a deep voice, “However, Mr. Zhenze is renowned throughout the world. I don’t believe he would listen to Liu Jin completely.”

Su Man smiled in relief: "It doesn't matter, let fate decide. It's already a blessing that we brothers have the opportunity to take the imperial examination."

“That’s true.” Su Lu agreed. “Once I’ve recovered, I’ll pass on my master’s secrets to becoming a top scholar to my elder brother. My chances of passing this exam are slim; let’s see if you can manage it.”

Rumors of shady dealings were rampant, and Su Man was equally lacking in confidence: "All I can say is that I'll do my best..."

As the two brothers were talking, a sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from outside the courtyard, mixed with the high-pitched voice of a eunuch.

Hearing the commotion, Su Youcai rushed to the door and saw that it was none other than Eunuch Zhang Yong!

Zhang Yong was followed by a group of eunuchs playing music and carrying a plaque wrapped in red silk.

Su Youcai quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Zhang, it's an honor to have you here! Please come in!"

"Congratulations, my esteemed brother! His Majesty has bestowed a plaque upon Scholar Su!" Zhang Yong returned the greeting with a broad smile and clasped his hands in return.
“Brother, quickly set up an incense table and kneel down with your son to welcome him.”

"Which Su Jieyuan?" Su Youcai asked cautiously.

"I forgot, I forgot, my virtuous brother has two sons who are top scholars in the imperial examinations." Zhang Yong laughed, "They are the young top scholar Su." "Alright, alright." Su Youcai did not dare to delay and hurriedly ordered someone to set up an incense table and told Su Lu to quickly change into a round-necked black gauze hat.

Su Lu was completely stunned. This was too sudden! He had just gotten up, hadn't even washed his face or brushed his teeth...

But Grandpa Zhang was still waiting there. He quickly dressed and came out into the courtyard, where the whole family knelt down, straightening their clothes.

"By imperial decree, a plaque is bestowed upon Su Lu, the top scholar from Sichuan, as a commendation." Zhang Yong stood beside the incense table, drawing out the words as he finished reading, and then waved his hand.

As the red silk was unveiled, five large gilded characters were revealed on the imperial plaque, written in a flowing, elegant style—

'A first-rate filial son!'

Su Lu was even more confused now. What the hell was this title?!
"Su Jieyuan, hurry up and thank the Emperor! This was personally inscribed by the Emperor himself!" Zhang Yong urged.

"Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your great favor. Long live the Emperor!" Su Lu hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude.

Then the plaque-awarding ceremony came to a successful conclusion...

Su Lu inwardly screamed, "This is way too hasty!"
To be honest, the ceremony when Prefect Jia bestowed upon him the plaque of "Triple Victory" was much more grand than this.

"His Majesty dislikes those formalities, so Scholar Su should get used to it." Zhang Yong also felt quite apologetic, but he didn't have the final say.

"You flatter me, Eunuch Zhang. I am already overwhelmed with gratitude," Su Lu said with a smile.

“Su Jieyuan, there’s no need to be so formal. Your father and your uncle and I have been friends through thick and thin. May I call you my nephew?” Zhang Yong said with a smile as he helped him up.

"Uncle," Su Lu replied, adopting a more formal and distant form of address.

"Alright, my dear nephew, let's go inside and talk." Zhang Yong was already quite satisfied.

~~
In the hall.

After serving the tea, Zhang Yong smiled and said to the Su family, "This plaque was given by the Emperor to thank Su Jieyuan."

"Why does Your Majesty thank me?" Su Lu asked softly.

“Your essay, ‘The Difficulty of Finding Beauty,’ has been of great merit.” Zhang Yong explained, “Just before the New Year, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had a little disagreement, and in a fit of anger, the Emperor moved out of the Forbidden City and into the Leopard House.”

"..." Su Lu thought to himself that this was no small matter; she had even run away from home.

"We thought the Emperor would calm down and go back, but who knew that even as the year draws to a close, he shows no intention of returning to the palace," Zhang Yong continued.

"With New Year's Eve fast approaching, how could His Majesty not go back home for the New Year? There's not only the Empress Dowager in the palace, but also the Grand Empress Dowager... The Empress was very anxious and asked us to find a way to persuade His Majesty to go back."

He sighed and said, "But the Emperor had already declared that anyone who dared to offer advice would be sent to accompany the founding emperor. So none of us dared to speak. In the end, we had no choice but to present the Emperor with the 'Letter on the Difficulty of Finding Beauty' written by the top scholar."

"And the result?" Su Lu was sweating profusely. Wasn't this just asking him to step on a landmine?

"After reading it, the Emperor hugged the panda and cried for a long time. Then he issued an edict to return to the palace and apologize to the Empress Dowager," Zhang Yong replied.

"Actually, the Empress Dowager had been hoping for this opportunity for a long time. She said many kind words to the Emperor, and the mother and son reconciled as before. The New Year finally passed peacefully and happily."

"That's good..." Su Lu breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Zhang Yong continued, "Later, the Empress Dowager asked the Emperor whose advice he had taken. The Emperor then showed the Empress Dowager the letter. After reading it, the Empress Dowager was very moved and asked the Emperor to reward Su Jieyuan handsomely and to publish the 'Letter on the Difficulty of Lust' throughout the land."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Then the Emperor wrote this plaque for you and ordered my family to deliver it to you when you came to the capital."

"..." The Su family members looked at each other in bewilderment. The so-called reward was just a plaque? There wasn't even a formal imperial edict?

"That's roughly how things are." After Zhang Yong finished speaking, seeing that Su Lu seemed hesitant to speak, he smiled and said, "Nephew, feel free to ask me anything you want to know. I will tell you everything I can."

"Thank you, Uncle." Su Lu cupped his hands in greeting and asked softly, "Then I'll ask directly... Does the Emperor have any objections to my article?"

"What do you mean?" Zhang Yong asked calmly.

"Nephew, I see a fiery temper in this imperial calligraphy," Su Lu whispered.

"Well..." Zhang Yong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and smiled, "That's not true. Even if the Emperor is angry, it's not directed at you."

He paused for a moment, then added meaningfully, "Speaking of which, the Emperor still lives in the Leopard Chamber."

"Understood." Su Lu quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said solemnly, "Thank you, Uncle."

"You're welcome." Zhang Yong smiled gently, stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. Being on duty isn't very free."

"By the way, Brother Zhang, there really is something." Su Youcai then briefly told Zhang Yong about Qian Ning's matter.

After listening, Zhang Yong nodded and said, "It's a small matter. Just let him come back with me."

P.S. The next chapter will be available tomorrow morning. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)