Top Scholar

Chapter 467 Someone's Scamming His Son! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"What?! The top scholar?!" Su Youcai's eyes widened instantly, and he was stunned for a long time.

"Oh my! Qiu-ge got first place again?!" The second brother was stunned at first, then jumped up and stretched out his arms, which were obviously thicker than before, and pulled him into his arms.

"That's wonderful! That's wonderful!" Su Youcai also seemed to wake from a dream, and stepped forward with sobs. The three of them hugged each other tightly, their hot tears mingling together, making it impossible to tell whose clothes were wet.

Through their tear-filled eyes, the father and his two sons seemed to see again the sorghum fields along the Chishui River; the stilted houses of Erlangtan…

The pine oil lamp, banana leaf paper, and Su Tai's snoring... accompanied Su Lu through those long nights of studying hard.

The difficult past of father and son supporting each other has now turned into a burning sweetness, surging in the chests of the three of them, so warm that it makes their noses tingle.

The humble dwelling house held scriptures, and the poor family's son devoted himself to learning. At this moment, the most beautiful outcome was finally achieved.

"Oh, so excited?" Zhu Shou peeked in from outside the door and, seeing the three of them hugging each other excitedly, said somewhat displeased:

"Too fussy, not like a man."

"What do you know?" Su Lu quickly separated from his father and brothers, no longer wanting to provoke this only son who had no father.

"We've come all the way from Erlangtan, four thousand miles away, step by step, to get to where we are today. It's been so difficult. What's wrong with a hug?"

"Hug me! Hug me! Hug me!" Zhu Shou pouted and said, "Do you want me to hug you too?"

"Stop being disgusting," Su Lu said with a laugh, "Why are you here so early?"

"Is it early? It's already past noon." Zhu Shou laughed. "I was thinking of going to deliver the good news to you in person and give you a surprise. But Old Zhang said that the imperial examination is a matter for the Ministry of Rites, and it's not good for the palace to get involved. Besides, if someone recognizes me, they might think that you got this top score through connections."

"Eunuch Zhang is too meticulous." Su Lu cupped his hands and smiled at Zhang Yong, "I wouldn't be where I am today without your righteous rescue back then."

"What do we do? How can we not know?" Zhang Yong covered his mouth and laughed. "But I dare not take credit. Let's talk behind closed doors. Your success in passing the imperial examination this time is inseparable from the Emperor's great grace, and of course, the secret assistance of Young Master Zhu."

"Mmm-hmm." Zhu Shou nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with a 'praise me' expression.

"Your Majesty's grace is boundless; I am willing to give my life for you!" Su Lu then solemnly clasped his hands in the direction of the palace, and then asked Zhu Shou with a smile, "But what help did you give me?"

"I can help you a lot!" Zhu Shou laughed. "Didn't you say you didn't want those key words? I'll partner with Eunuch Zhang and sell over five hundred copies for five hundred taels each."

"Holy crap..." Su Lu was stunned. He finally understood why the large-scale cheating in this year's imperial examination had come to an abrupt end. It turned out that it had been attacked by Zhu Shou's DDoS attack.

If this guy had been born 500 years later, he might have been a hacker at the very least...

"Tell me, isn't my skill amazing?" Zhu Shouba asked, looking at Su Lu.

"God, a super god! Having it is the same as not having it!" Su Lu naturally praised without reservation: "He directly rendered the crucial words useless!"

"Hahaha, this is what I call 'fighting fire with fire'!" Zhu Shou's tail was practically wagging in the air.

Su Lu praised Zhu Shou again, patted him on the back to appease him, and then asked, "I heard that His Majesty went to the examination hall last night?"

"You're well-informed," Zhu Shou said with a smile, waving his hand. "Don't worry, the Emperor isn't doing this for you, but for the fairness of the imperial examinations."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, the rankings had already been determined when the Emperor went up. It didn't affect anyone's ranking."

"So... what were you doing with the Emperor?" Su Lu asked curiously.

"Let's see if anyone is defying the rules. The Emperor has repeatedly warned against using such sensitive terms." Zhu Shou chuckled as he spoke, "Luckily you didn't listen to me, or you would have really been in trouble."

"..." Upon hearing this, Su Lu's pupils shrank. Why did it feel like the emperor's entrapment was targeting him as well?
"Fortunately, they didn't dare take a single exam paper that could be used to pull strings," Zhu Shou said sarcastically. "Knowing how to write the word 'death' means they're not completely beyond redemption."

"So, you mean all those selected this time were people who didn't have connections?" Su Lu asked.

"You could say that," Zhu Shou nodded. "Of course, there might be other factors involved, but we don't know for sure. In any case, this is the fairest subject we've ever been on."

Su Lu nodded and then asked, "What about the missing scroll?"

"Burn it." Zhu Shou and Su Lu said without any hesitation, "Let's leave it at that, otherwise some people won't be able to sleep well."

"How can those who didn't cheat prove their innocence?" Su Lu asked, frowning.

“Simple,” Zhu Shou said calmly. “Just wait and see in three years… If that candidate can still take the exam, then he didn’t cheat. If you never see him again, then he bought his way in.”

Su Lu nodded, a chill running down his spine. Was this the terrifying art of the emperor?

It seems Zhu Shou is not stupid at all; he must never try to fool a tiger like a cat again...

~~
Along Houhai Lake, the willow branches are already showing tender yellow, and when the wind blows, they softly brush the water's surface.

Yang Shen stood motionless on the lakeshore, his gaze fixed on his reflection in the water. He remained motionless for a long time, not even noticing Yang Dun standing behind him. "Brother, what are you doing standing here?"

Yang Dun's voice suddenly rang out, startling Yang Shen so much that he almost fell headfirst into Houhai Lake.

"Watch out!" Fortunately, Yang Dun reacted quickly and grabbed his arm.

After rescuing his older brother, he angrily said, "So what if you failed one subject? Is it worth making a scene?"

"I didn't mean to kill myself!" Yang Shen said, frustrated. "You scared me so much I almost fell into the water!"

"Is it my fault?" Yang Dun pointed to his own nose. "You stood by the water for ages, swaying all over the place. Who wouldn't be scared?"

"I'm examining myself." Yang Shen looked at his reflection in the water, filled with resentment. "Look at my eyebrows, my demeanor, what about me looks wrong?"

"Perhaps the chief examiner of the metropolitan examination has different preferences than the examiners of the provincial examination. They don't like the brilliant writing of talented scholars, but prefer the plain and steady style of writing?"

“I changed my approach a long time ago. This time I’m studying the family’s traditional ‘I Ching’ text, and the writing is very proper, without the slightest deviation.” Yang Shen slumped his shoulders, extremely frustrated. “I’ve already lost to Su Hongzhi once, how could I possibly act rashly again this time?”

Actually, losing to Su Lu wasn't the problem; the real issue was losing to the other 349 people, which was a huge blow to him.

"Besides, Mr. Zhenze and Scholar Liang both watched me grow up; they know my articles intimately." He lowered his voice, full of confusion, and said:
"No need for connections; just by looking at my style and brushstrokes, the paper will shine. Besides, I'm a genuine artist trained in the field! How could I possibly fail this time?"

Yang Tinghe and Liang Chu were both probationary officials in the fourteenth year of the Chenghua reign. Wang Ao was one year ahead of them. All three were scholar-officials who had long resided in the Hanlin Academy and had never been appointed to any outside post. Since they were close in age, their friendship was naturally quite deep.

Yang Shen had received much guidance from his two uncles since childhood, and his writing skills were truly inherited from them. Now that both of his uncles were serving as examiners, he had failed the exam—it was simply outrageous!
“That makes sense.” Yang Dun stroked his chin and pondered, “Could it be that someone is imitating your writing style and writing so similarly that you two uncles have mistaken it for something else?”

"Hmph!" Yang Shen sneered, saying arrogantly, "Who else in this examination besides Su Hongzhi has such ability? But would a top scholar like him do something so disgraceful?"

“Well… that’s definitely not possible. Their writing is already better than yours, why force yourself to fit in…” Yang Dun scratched his head and suggested, “Why don’t we go home and ask Dad?”

"I'm not going back!" Yang Shen shook his head resolutely, frowning as he speculated, "After thinking it over, I can only think of one possibility—do you think it's possible that the old man deliberately made me fail the exam?"

"How could that be!" Yang Dun shook his head in disbelief. "You just went too far and failed to marry your cousin, then went back to the capital and cursed your father for being cold-blooded, then ran away from home, and... didn't you even go home for the New Year?... Well, your father is really going to be driven crazy by you."

He paused, then raised his voice, "But even if Father is angry, he doesn't have to be this heartless, does he? The glory of our Yang family still depends on you to continue it!"

Yang Shen grunted, "That's hard to say!"

~~
That night, at the residence of Grand Secretary Yang.

The study was quiet. Yang Tinghe was under the lamp, crunching on salted soybeans while reading a book with great interest.

The door hinges clicked softly, and a man pushed the door open and entered. His features bore a resemblance to his own; it was his younger brother, Yang Tingyi, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the twelfth year of the Hongzhi reign.

The Yang family produced three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations): the two brothers and their father, Yang Chun.

However, Yang Tinghe was the first member of the Yang family to pass the imperial examination. He passed the provincial examination at the age of twelve and the imperial examination at the age of nineteen, making him a top student among top students.

After he passed the high school entrance exam, he shared his exam-taking tips with his family, which enabled his father and younger brother to pass the exams one after another.

Therefore, in the Yang family today, whether it is official position or the power of speech within the family, Yang Tinghe is the most respected.

"Brother." Yang Tingyi bowed respectfully.

"What is it?" Yang Tinghe frowned slightly. He disliked being disturbed in his private time, and his younger brother was no exception.

Yang Tingyi got straight to the point: "I'm here to ask why the two brothers, who were described using rhetoric, both failed the exam?"

Yang Tinghe didn't even look up, his fingertips tracing the pages of the book, his voice very indifferent: "Ci Xiu's writing skills are still far from adequate. Wasn't his good ranking in the provincial examination only because the chief examiner gave him face?"

"Then what about repair?" Yang Tingyi pressed. "Is his skill level sufficient?"

"Skill level is one thing, but there's nothing we can do if he underperforms." Yang Tinghe remained expressionless when he mentioned his rebellious son, but the soybeans in his hand made a crunching sound.

"It would be strange if someone as arrogant and conceited as him, who doesn't even recognize his own father, could do well on the exam!"

“Even if he underperformed, he shouldn’t have failed the exam, right? Both examiners watched him grow up. His writing style and skill are unmatched; you can recognize him at a glance.” Yang Tingyi’s words echoed Yang Shen’s.

Yang Tinghe then put down his book, his phoenix eyes looking indifferently at his younger brother, his tone calm and unwavering:
“I specifically asked Scholar Liang not to take him.”

P.S. Lesson learned, no more hooks left unanswered, please vote with monthly tickets...

After posting the first chapter today, I went to a meeting and didn't get back until 7 pm. So the next chapter will probably be posted around the same time...

(End of this chapter)