Top Scholar

Chapter 453 Leaping Over the Dragon Gate (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The ninth day of the second lunar month is the day the imperial examination begins!
At the turn of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) and the beginning of the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the stars and moon filled the sky, and the night was as dark as ink, yet the lights in the Su family courtyard were already on.

Without being called, Su Man and Su Lu got up and dressed themselves by candlelight.

After washing up, the two carefully applied horse oil to their faces and hands to prevent their skin from cracking from the cold before going to the hall.

Su Youcai had gotten up an hour early and prepared a sumptuous breakfast for the two of them.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two brothers came to the statue of Su Dongpo in the central hall and knelt down to offer incense in devout worship, following Su Youcai.

"May our ancestors bless us, and may my son succeed in this examination and restore the glory of our ancestors!" Su Youcai silently prayed, then offered incense and kowtowed with great solemnity.

Su Luyi respectfully kowtowed three times, each time his forehead touching the cold ground. He had never been so devout before, nor had he ever needed his ancestors' blessings as much as he did now!

After the two brothers got up, Su Youcai wiped the dust off their clothes and foreheads and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."

"Yes," the two replied in unison. Following Su Youcai, they walked outside, while Su Tai, Youxi, Youli, Xiaoyuer, and others carried their bedding and exam boxes out the door.

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, Yang Shen, Zhu Zihe, and other scholars, surrounded by a large entourage, left the Sichuan Guild Hall in a grand procession.

The two groups met on Luomashi Street and headed towards Shuntian Gongyuan, their feet treading on the frost-covered ground!

The night wind brushed against our cheeks, bringing a biting chill. The white breath exhaled by the crowd condensed into mist under the lanterns, only to quickly dissipate.

It was the coldest time of day, and the scholars, even in their thickest coats, were still shivering. Some crossed their arms over their chests and hunched their necks as they walked. Others stamped their feet as they went and occasionally took off their gloves to warm their frostbitten noses.

"Ah!"

"Achoo..." Sneezing sounds of various tones rose and fell, and many people had clear snot hanging from their noses.

"Damn it, it's already February, how come it's still so cold?" Bai Yunshan said, his teeth chattering. "What's the point of taking the exam? I can't even stick my hands out of my pockets."

It seems that when people are freezing, they really do swear... Even the dignified Third Young Master Bai is swearing all the time, as if it would warm him up.

"It's like this at night, it'll warm up when the sun comes out." A senior who had taken the exam shared his experience: "So there's no need to force yourself after you enter the exam room. Get into bed early when it gets dark, don't count on answering questions by candlelight. Don't get up too early either, it's freezing cold, you simply can't write anything."

"Still writing? My head's too cold to even turn around," another senior colleague said with a wry smile. "So when it's warm during the day, don't do anything else, just make the most of your time to write and compose!"

"That's true. The last two rounds were okay, but the first round was extremely rushed, and you might not be able to finish answering all the questions," another senior colleague chimed in.

"Didn't they say we could light a fire to keep warm after dark?" the newly appointed scholars asked, puzzled. "Why is it still so cold at night?"

"Is it possible that they would freeze to death without a fire?" the senior rolled his eyes.

"That cell is drafty and has no walls on one side, so it can't retain heat at all. If you light a fire, you can only keep yourself from freezing to death."

"You'll regret it if you force yourself to write at night and get sick from the cold..."

"Understood, thank you for your guidance, senior." The young scholars naturally believed him without a doubt, unaware that the experienced scholars had their own tricks for answering questions at night.

There's no way around it; under the regional admission system, they may not be in competition with students from other provinces, but they are definitely competitors with students from their own province.

~~
As they spoke, the Sichuan scholars passed Zhushikou and arrived at the intersection of Chongwenmen Street and Chang'an Street.

The most striking feature here is a four-pillar, three-bay wooden archway with soaring roof. Because it is located on the east side of the Imperial City and is unique, it is called the "Dongdan Archway," and this place is also simply called "Dongdan."

The scholars, seeing only the two characters "就日" (jiù rì, meaning "to approach the sun") on the archway, naturally knew that it came from the phrase "就之如日" (jiù zhī rú rì, meaning "to approach it like the sun") in the Records of the Grand Historian, implying that the people yearned for the emperor's favor.

Then they saw a eunuch wearing a sable coat standing under the archway, followed by a group of servants wearing cotton-padded jackets. He looked quite distinguished.

As the candidates were about to step forward, the eunuch in sable robes came to greet them. Although it was dark and his face was not clearly visible, he spoke with a familiar Sichuan accent.

"May I ask you gentlemen, are you scholars from Sichuan?"

"Indeed! May I ask what advice you have for me, sir?" The scholars felt a great sense of kinship and quickly bowed in response.

"Greetings, everyone. I am Song An, a eunuch from the Shu Prince's Palace. I am here to accompany the Shu Prince's sister, Princess Yibin, on her short stay in the capital." The eunuch spoke with a friendly smile and gestured for the servant behind him to step forward.

"Fellow countrymen, you have traveled a long way to the capital to take the imperial examination. It is fate that we meet here. Your Highness, upholding the tradition of our Shu Prince's Mansion in respecting education and cherishing talent, and also out of consideration for fellow countrymen, has specially ordered me to wait here to serve you a bowl of warming soup and a hand warmer to help you ward off the cold."

Su Lu, Zhu Zihe, and the other candidates from Luzhou recognized Eunuch Song. They were both surprised and moved, and bowed deeply to him, saying, "In the previous provincial examination, we were grateful to you for giving us a writing brush on behalf of His Highness the Prince of Shu to encourage us. Today, in the metropolitan examination, you have once again gone to great lengths to provide us with soup and a stove on behalf of the Princess. We are truly grateful for the Prince's affection that extends across thousands of miles!"

"Hehehe, what a coincidence..." Eunuch Song's smile was slightly awkward, because on the day of last year's provincial examination, he only gave pens to the candidates from Luzhou, and didn't get any from the other prefectures. "All candidates, please enjoy it while it's hot." Eunuch Song waved his hand, and the servants brought out bowls of steaming ginger, jujube, and mutton soup, the aroma filling the air!
The scholars, frozen stiff from the journey, could hardly resist the allure of warmth. They hastily thanked the bowls, took the piping hot soup, and savored the rising steam while sipping the delicious broth. A warm current slid down their throats and into their stomachs, instantly dispelling most of the chill.

After the scholars finished their soup, the servants handed them hand warmers one by one. The warmers were made of exquisite copper and contained burning silver charcoal. They were warm to the touch, and even their frozen noses gradually regained feeling.

When it was Su Lu's turn to step forward, he bowed deeply to Eunuch Song and said sincerely, "Thank you for your help, Eunuch Song; thank you for your kindness, Your Highness; and thank you for your grace, Princess! I will never forget your kindness and will repay you with all my heart!"

His words were not at all polite; they were entirely sincere… His father and brothers had already told him that last year, when His Highness the Prince of Shu heard that he was in danger, he immediately sent Princess Yibin to the capital under the guise of congratulating the Empress Dowager on her birthday, intending to present the “Letter on the Difficulty of Beauty” to move the Empress Dowager to rescue him with his filial piety.

Although later, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Zheng Wang seditious speech case occurred, and the Empress Dowager and her son overturned the table at the birthday banquet, the invitation was not sent out and they were not of much help, but their good intentions were genuine!
Su Lu was deeply grateful, but he had no chance to thank her in person. Now that he had finally met Eunuch Song, who was by the princess's side, he was able to express his gratitude.

With a complex expression, Eunuch Song looked at the renowned scholar who had won the imperial examination. He returned the greeting and said solemnly, "Scholar, you flatter me. The prescription you left behind saved my prince's life. What we have done for you is far from enough to repay your kindness."

Having said that, he took a heavy brocade bundle and presented it with both hands, saying, "This is a gift carefully prepared by my Highness for the examination. I wish Scholar Su good luck in the examination and that he will be the best!"

Su Lu accepted the gifts with both hands and bowed deeply again: "Thank you, Eunuch, thank you, Princess. Su Lu will do his utmost to live up to your expectations!"

Having said that, he and his fellow villagers bid farewell to Eunuch Song, carrying warm wishes in their hearts, and with even more vigorous steps than when they arrived, headed east toward the Shuntian Examination Hall.

Eunuch Song then walked to the carriage behind the pavilion.

A ram's horn lantern hung on the carriage, and the windows were open. Princess Yibin's face was red from the cold as she stared intently at Su Lu's back as he disappeared at the street corner, unwilling to look away for a long time.

"Your Highness, we've taken care of everything. Let's go back now," Song An said softly.

"We should wait until after the palace examination, I still want to watch the imperial parade," the little princess said, shaking her head.

"..." Song An said helplessly, "This old servant meant to return to the Princess's residence, not to Chengdu."

"Alright then." The little princess stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Who told you to keep urging me to go back? It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

"This old servant... will not urge you any further." Eunuch Song gave a wry smile. In any case, if he went back now, he wouldn't be able to give away the furs he had bought.

“That’s right. The Emperor’s white fox can’t withstand the journey. If it dies, our Shu Prince’s Mansion will suffer the consequences.” The little princess said seriously, “It would be better to wait until spring is in full bloom before we set off.”

"Your Highness is wise, this old servant understands." Eunuch Song thought to himself, judging from the color of that white fox's fur, it doesn't look like it's afraid of the cold at all.

But a good lackey is one who sees through things but doesn't say anything...

~~
The closer you get to the examination hall, the more lanterns there are, gradually forming a bright river of light that meanders towards the examination hall street.

Upon arriving at Gongyuan Street, it was unsurprisingly packed with people, and tall thorny bushes were faintly visible in the night. At the street entrance, Imperial Guards and soldiers were already on duty, keeping the group of people accompanying the examinees outside the gate.

Su Lu and the others slowly lined up and moved forward in the crowd. By the time it was finally their turn to enter, the stars had set and the moon had fallen, with only the morning star still twinkling in the pale sky.

The two brothers turned to look at Youcai and Sutai, their unspoken words condensed into one sentence: "Please."

Su Tai nodded emphatically and said, "Don't worry, I'm a completely different person now. I can work from morning till night without getting tired!"

"Well done..." Su Youcai praised him, even though he didn't know what he was going to do.

The two brothers took the examination kit and bedding from their family. Su Lu, with a bundle hanging around his neck, crossed the gate like a refugee and entered the Shuntian Examination Hall.

The layout of the Shuntian Examination Hall was the same as that of the Chengdu Examination Hall, with a roll call hall and a search hall located outside the main gate.

Candidates first went to the roll call hall to register, showing their fake tickets to prove that they were taking the exam themselves and not having someone else take it for them.

Of course, the simple description on the floating ticket is not enough. The main evidence is the mutual guarantee among the candidates. It is impossible for nine candidates to risk their academic success to cover up for the substitute test taker. Therefore, the practice of proxy test takers can be basically eliminated.

After verifying their identity, they went to the adjacent search and investigation room for a search.

The search targets were, after all, those who had already achieved official rank, and thus the process was far more civilized than the searches conducted during the provincial examinations. 'The search was limited to a simple physical examination; a towel was held up for inspection, but there was no need to remove clothing or expose the body.'

So the group didn't suffer any difficulties and passed the body search. They dressed neatly again, packed their examination boxes, and went to the examination hall in front of the Dragon Gate to receive their examination papers.

Then we entered the Dragon Gate and went into the examination hall!

P.S. This is a post I'll edit later. Please vote with my monthly tickets!!!

(End of this chapter)