Top Scholar

Chapter 464 Victory
A large contingent of Imperial Guards escorted the emperor's entourage as they slowly drove toward the Leopard Chamber.

Inside the imperial carriage, palace lanterns flickered gently, casting a soft light. Emperor Zhengde leaned against his imperial couch, his feet casually propped up on a table, idly flipping through the list presented by Zhang Yong.

"Oh, so many?" Zhu Houzhao raised an eyebrow and turned the page, quite surprised.

"Reporting to Master, there are a total of 567 people," Zhang Yong replied softly.

"How much of this was given away as a favor?" Zhu Houzhao asked with great interest.

“Except for Liu Jin’s fifty, the rest are all like that,” Zhang Yong said softly.

"Oh my goodness, isn't this a huge profit?!" Zhu Houzhao immediately sat up straight, his eyes shining. "But they were all sold for five hundred taels each, right? They weren't given away for free, were they?"

“How could we give it away for free? We’re not their godfather,” Zhang Yong laughed.

"Quickly calculate for me how much this costs?" Zhu Houzhao swallowed hard.

"Your Majesty, it is 258,500 taels." Zhang Yong said.

"Good heavens, this is really a windfall! Second Brother, you're really capable, awesome!" Zhu Houzhao wanted to hug Zhang Yong and give him a kiss.

"However, quite a few candidates couldn't raise the money all at once... They only paid the initial payment and wrote IOUs for the rest." Zhang Yong said with a wry smile, "It will probably take some trouble to collect the debts later."

"They've got some nerve, daring to renege on their father-in-law's debts?" Zhu Houzhao glared at him. "You can't just be a nice guy all the time; you have to learn from your eldest son-in-law's ruthlessness. See who dares to owe him money then?"

"Yes." Zhang Yong nodded hurriedly and said, "This old servant will definitely collect the debt severely, not a single penny less!"

"That's more like it. Besides, five hundred taels of silver isn't much." Zhu Houzhao smiled and instructed in a deep voice:

"Remember this: give me 200,000 taels of silver within a month, and the rest will be your hard-earned money!"

He paused, then added to clear his name, "Don't think I'm a money-grubber, I have a very important use for this money!"

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! This old servant guarantees that you will deliver the full amount on time!" Zhang Yong quickly expressed his gratitude and made the promise, then whispered for instructions:

"What should be done with the people on that list?"

"Issue my decree to the Ministry of Rites!" Zhu Houzhao said in a deep voice, "The candidates on this list are forever forbidden from entering the examination hall!"

"However, those who pay obediently can retain their scholar status; we can't let them waste their money." After a pause, he added with a fair expression:
"If anyone dares not to pay, strip them of their scholar's degree and official robes, and they'll end up with nothing!"

"This old servant obeys the order." Zhang Yong respectfully accepted the command and put away the list.

The imperial carriage continued on its way, and the palace lanterns made Zhu Houzhao's eyes shine. He seemed to be already envisioning the effects of spending those 200,000 taels of silver.

~~
The next day was the auspicious day for announcing the good news of the imperial examination.

According to regulations, the Ministry of Rites will officially release the yellow list tomorrow.

But just like during the provincial examinations, the clerks and officials in the ministry would set off a day in advance to report the success to the successful candidates—this was an incredibly lucrative task!
The 350 successful candidates in the imperial examinations were all extremely wealthy, and this was the most triumphant moment of their lives—the moment they passed the imperial examinations with flying colors. Their reward money must have been very generous!
This was a rare opportunity for a lowly department like the Ministry of Rites to make money, so the officials and clerks naturally rushed to take advantage of it, running around more diligently than anyone else!
Therefore, the sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers announcing good news are the main theme of this day in Beijing!
The candidates naturally didn't wander around; they all obediently stayed in the guild hall waiting for the good news. In fact, many of them had already observed a three-day fast... that is, abstaining from alcohol, meat, and women for three days. It was said that this could ward off bad luck and increase their fortune.

Today, they got up early to burn incense and pray for good news.

~~
The streets of Luomashi were lined with guild halls. The Sichuan Guild Hall in Sichuan Camp Alley, the Henan Guild Hall on the west side, and the Zhejiang Guild Hall and Fujian Guild Hall at the east end were all decorated with lanterns and were bustling with activity.

The manager and his staff had been working non-stop the day before, preparing a feast, setting up a decorated tent, inviting a drum and gong troupe, and even stocking up on firecrackers and fireworks. They were all waiting for the good news to arrive today so they could celebrate in a grand manner.

Among them, the Henan Guild Hall's display was the most eye-catching... It had three colorful arches, with the middle one being three zhang tall, a full zhang taller than the others!
Although the plaque at the highest point of the archway was covered with red silk, the silk was so thin that the golden characters "Huiyuan Jidi" (meaning "Top Scholar in the Imperial Examination") could be faintly seen. There was also another plaque with the words "Yayuan Jidi" (meaning "Second Scholar in the Imperial Examination") barely visible, as if afraid that others wouldn't know that today, the top scholar and the second-place scholar would be announced.

At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), Jiao Huangzhong, the son of Grand Secretary Jiao, and Liu Ren, the son of Minister Liu, arrived at the Henan Guild Hall of Loyalty, surrounded by a group of servants and hangers-on.

With their father's power, they could easily have someone from the Ministry of Rites come directly to their residence to deliver the good news. But what could compare to the prestige of being here in the bustling city, under the watchful eyes of all the candidates from various provinces? So the two had already instructed their families that if anyone came to deliver good news, they should come directly here to receive their reward.

Two sedan chairs came down, and Jiao Huangzhong and Liu Yu got out of the sedan chairs. The former was a fat man with a sallow complexion and a face full of fat, while the latter was a thin man with a pale face.

Both of them stopped and looked up at the colorful gate. Liu Yu quickly unfolded his fan and whispered to Jiao Huangzhong, "Isn't it a bit too ostentatious to hang the plaque up so early?"

"Hey, take it off now? Aren't you afraid of bringing bad luck?" Jiao Huang muttered.

"That won't do." Liu Yu quickly shook his head, smiling sheepishly, "I'm just afraid that if something goes wrong and I don't get second place, people will laugh at me."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be the top scholar this time, and you'll be second! If Grand Secretary Wang dares to rank us differently, my father will beat him up, believe it or not!" Jiao Huangzhong snorted.

"I believe you." Liu Yu nodded. Grand Secretary Jiao was the most notorious tyrant in the court. If Wang Ao dared not do as he pleased, would he still want to go back to work in the cabinet?

"Please come in, gentlemen," a group of scholars from Henan, along with officials, wealthy merchants, and gentry from Henan serving in the capital, came out to greet them. "We wouldn't dare start the banquet without you two, the main guests!"

"Starting the feast so early?" Jiao Huangzhong chuckled.

"Waiting is so tedious, let's drink while we wait," everyone laughed.

"That makes sense, let's go." Jiao Huangzhong laughed, his whole body trembling with laughter. "Let's go, let's drink!"
The Sichuan Guild Hall, not far away, was also bustling with people. Although it wasn't as extravagant as the Henan Guild Hall, it was still filled with laughter and was very lively.

The scholars drank tea and chatted, using banter to alleviate the torment of waiting and their inner anxiety.

Nobody here would dare to confidently say they're guaranteed to win...

Zhu Zhishan was also present, so the other candidates jokingly asked, "Mr. Zhishan, what brings you to our Sichuan Guild Hall today?"

Zhu Zhishan stroked his beard with his six fingers and chuckled, "Didn't my son also take the exam...?"

Every time he said that, the scholars would feel a pang of sadness, always feeling that this old scoundrel was taking advantage of them.

Zhu Zhishan, oblivious to the situation, muttered to himself, "What if my son passes the exam while I fail? How embarrassing would that be?"

"Mr. Zhishan, please stop talking." Bai Yunshan said with a wry smile, "What you've said makes me not even want to win anymore."

"Don't be like that, that's my own son, so it's best not to go with him." Zhu Zhishan quickly waved his hand and said, "You're not my son, what are you so alarmed about?"

"I didn't do it either," Bai Yunshan said speechlessly.

"Oh, they're even arguing now," Zhu Zhishan teased.

This caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Su Lu also chatted with several fellow villagers from the Lizhe Association, and the topic naturally turned to rumors about the imperial examinations.

"I heard that quite a few people bought joints this time," Feng Xun said in a low voice. "Those of us who didn't buy them are probably going to be wiped out."

“I know, someone also tried to sell it to me the day before the exam,” Shi Tianzhu said in a deep voice. “They said it was the last day before the exam and the price had dropped to five hundred taels of silver.”

"Did you buy it?" Cheng Qichong asked.

"Nonsense, do you think he'd dare say anything if we bought it?" Yang Shen said.

"Of course I won't buy it," Shi Tianzhu laughed. "Didn't Brother Hongzhi specifically remind us that nobody should buy joints?"

"I realized we sold too much on the last day, and I felt like something bad was going to happen," Su Lu said calmly. "Anyway, we're still young. What's wrong with failing a few subjects late?"

"That's right, we're different from those people, we can afford to wait," Feng Xun exclaimed.

"Besides, I haven't had enough of being a Juren yet. I can't wait to enjoy a few years of good fortune before passing the Jinshi exam and working hard to become an official."

“Actually, something happened last night…” Yang Dun was also there, and he said quietly, “I heard that the examination hall caught fire and burned all the examination papers in the collection office.”

"Really?!" Everyone asked hurriedly, "Then will the results not be released and we have to retake the exam?"

"No, that won't happen." Yang Dun shook his head and said, "The ones that were burned were the unfinished papers. The papers that were selected were all in the Zhigong Hall at the time, where they were being sorted and ranked."

"As long as it doesn't affect the release of the results, it's fine to burn it." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't have the courage to take the exam for nine days in a row again anytime soon; that could really lead to someone's death.

“I also heard,” Yang Dun said in an even lower voice, “that the Emperor went to the examination hall yesterday, and his imperial carriage was still there when the fire was set off.”

"Won't the Emperor be furious?!" the crowd gasped. "Everyone here is doomed!"

"No, they said that since there are no adverse effects, they will not pursue the matter further," Yang Dun said, shaking his head.

"Maybe he's afraid the Emperor will see the failed papers and realize that all the successful candidates are rubbish!" Yang Shen snorted. "It's fine if they fail, as long as Jiao Huangzhong and Liu Ren are on the list, I'll be ashamed to be ranked alongside them!"

“Who can argue with that? Only when the eunuch faction falls and the imperial examinations are peaceful will it be time for truly talented people like you and the top scholar to rise to prominence!” Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.

Su Lu smiled but remained silent, his heart filled with mixed emotions. It seemed he was about to fail the exam for the first time in his life…

Alas, after half a year and traveling thousands of miles, I returned empty-handed. How can I face the elders of Sichuan?!

Although he kept saying he didn't care, how could he not care, given his competitive nature?

Just as I was feeling down, I heard a series of firecrackers going off at the entrance of the guild hall, followed by a messenger shouting:

"Good news! Master Cheng of Jiading, Sichuan, whose given name is Qichong, has achieved the highest rank in the Wuchen Imperial Examination, ranking 330th, and has been summoned to the Emperor in the Golden Palace!"

Cheng Qichong, who had already given up hope, burst into laughter.

"Oh, I'm hit!"

P.S. Don't worry, the next chapter will definitely have a resolution.

(End of this chapter)