Top Scholar

Chapter 493 Good News Arrives in Hometown

When the good news reached the inner quarters of Wang Zhuangyuan's residence, the women of the Su family were overjoyed.

There are now four women from the Su family here. She Yunluo is already showing signs of pregnancy. Although Huang E has been accompanying her, how can she feel at ease with her family?
Upon hearing the news, Zhu Yin's aunt immediately brought her all the way from afar to take care of the pregnant woman.

Actually, the proprietress, being the mother-in-law, should have come, but her child is still young and she can't travel far. And with so many people building in both Nanjing and Beijing, how much will that cost?
So the sisters-in-law got together and decided that each would take on a role: the boss's wife would stay in Luzhou to earn money, the eldest aunt would come to Nanjing with her eldest daughter-in-law to take care of things, and the younger aunt and sister-in-law would be responsible for the elderly and children at home.

The Su family doesn't support idlers...

Aunt and Zhu Yin arrived in Nanjing last month. Now that She Yunluo's condition has stabilized, they can't stay at Wang Zhuangyuan's house any longer, so the women are discussing where to go next.

But whether to go back to Sichuan or go to Beijing is still undecided; it depends on how well the man in Beijing does on the exam.

The results were excellent—Su Lu became the top scholar, and Su Man became the third-ranked scholar!

Huang E and Zhu Yin were overjoyed; the two sisters-in-law wished they could sprout wings and fly to Beijing.

My aunt felt the same way; her husband and son were both in Beijing!
She immediately made the decision: "Go to Beijing! Pack your bags quickly and take the nearest ship to Beijing!"

"Yes!" the young wives replied happily.

~~
Three more days.

As the sun rose over Bijia Mountain in Luzhou City, the sound of gongs and drums boomed like thunder from Jiangdong Gate, even louder than when the imperial examination results were announced half a month earlier!
Everyone in the city knows that today is the day to announce the good news from the palace examination. The final rankings of the seven successful candidates from Luzhou will finally be revealed!

"The results of the palace examination are out!" At Heshan Academy, Liu Dachuan rushed into Zhengyi Hall with a face full of excitement and shouted to the students, "What are you still studying for? Let's go out into the streets!"

The students threw down their books and rushed out cheering. Their Zhengyi Academy had produced two successful candidates in the imperial examinations, one a top scholar and the other tenth! Who wouldn't want to know their rankings in the final examination?!
"Su Huiyuan will definitely be the top scholar in the imperial examination; no one in the world can surpass him!"

"I hope Senior Zhu can also achieve the highest score! That would be amazing!"

Deng Qing, the newly appointed headmaster of Heshan Academy, had already donned his former scholar's hat and sash, and stood beaming at the academy gate, addressing the cheering teachers and students who surged toward him:

"Come with me down the mountain to receive the good news!"

"Yes!" all the teachers and students responded, and then descended Bijia Mountain in a grand procession to go to Daguantai to receive the good news.

A huge decorated pavilion was erected in front of the Grand View Terrace in the prefecture, and the area around it was already packed with people, even more lively than when the results of the imperial examination were announced last month... Who didn't want to know as soon as possible what the final rankings of the seven successful candidates from Luzhou were? And most importantly—would the top scholar of this year's examination come from Luzhou?!

On the high platform below the decorated tower stood the teachers and benefactors of the seven newly appointed scholars, who were waiting for the provincial officials to announce the good news.

Su Youma helped the old man stand in the very center of the high platform. The old man never imagined that he, a retired centurion, would one day stand at the pinnacle of Luzhou's gentry.

There was nothing he could do; his two grandsons were just too promising.

Standing to the old man's right was Old Master Zhu, who was also beaming from ear to ear. His son and son-in-law had both passed the imperial examinations; the Zhu family had finally achieved great success! Those scoundrels who wanted to see them fail had been utterly disappointed…

Mr. Gangshan was also invited. He taught a student who achieved the highest rank in the provincial examination and the tenth place in the metropolitan examination. Now, his status in Luzhou City is no lower than that of his second brother.

Even the old Hanlin scholar was brought here. He hardly goes to the academy anymore, but since his last disciple has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, he had to come today to witness whether the boy could make history and become the first person in the Ming Dynasty to achieve the highest rank in the imperial examinations!
As the entire city eagerly awaited the arrival of the delegation from the province, carrying red flags and banners, they appeared on the main street with great fanfare.

The official title plaques clearly read "Left Provincial Governor of Sichuan" and "Right Provincial Governor of Sichuan," indicating that the two provincial governors had come together to report the victory.

But right now, everyone's concern wasn't for the two provincial governors, but for the seven reports of victory! Fortunately, the provincial officials understood everyone's feelings, so the well-trained constables all raised their voices and shouted:

"Good news from the capital! In the imperial examination of the third year of Zhengde (1518), Master Zeng Yu of Luzhou has achieved the highest rank of 115th in the third class! His name is on the honor roll, bringing glory to his ancestors!"

Amid cheers, the nine-ring firecrackers exploded, filling the air with silvery-red smoke, and the crackling of the whips shook the earth.

"Good news! Mr. Lin Zhihong from Luzhou has achieved the 90th place in the second class of the high school entrance examination! His academic record is outstanding, and his future is bright!"

Fireworks trailed golden tails in the daylight; though their colors were obscured, they added brilliance to the spectacle.

After reporting on Xiao Tingjie and Bai Yunshan, the messengers announced in unison, "Great news! Master Zhu Zihe from Luzhou has achieved the top rank in the second class of the imperial examination! Uncle and nephew both achieved the highest rank, their fame will last forever!"

"Awesome!" The entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers!

The grand occasion of Zhu Liu's passing the imperial examination three years ago is still vivid in the minds of the people of Luzhou. They have a deep affection for this first Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from Luzhou in twelve years.

Therefore, when people heard that he had been labeled a "traitor" by Liu Jin, flogged in court, and exiled to Qiongzhou, they all felt deep regret and sympathy.

Three years later, Zhu Liu's nephew achieved the exact same ranking again. How could the villagers not be moved to tears? They cried out, "Heaven has eyes!"
On the high platform, Zhu Jie was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He hugged his brother tightly, crying like a sixty-year-old boy. "Waaah, third brother, I never expected Zihe to be so promising! Our Zhu family ancestors have appeared to us..."

"Alright, alright, stop crying, you're smearing your snot on me." Although Zhu Zhang was also crying, it didn't stop him from disliking his second brother.

"Please don't get too excited." He was still worried about his second brother's health. Last time, when the ninth brother passed the high school entrance exam, the eldest brother passed away in his ecstasy. They couldn't afford to sacrifice another one this time…

"Congratulations, my dear nephew," the old man said, also congratulating the two brothers.

"Haha, Uncle, we should be congratulating you!" Zhu Jie laughed, tears streaming down his face. "Both of your grandsons have passed the imperial examinations!"

"No way, there are only three top scholars, and my grandson can have two of them?" the old man said incredulously.

“Zihe is fourth, and Yingzhi and Hongzhi haven’t even registered yet! So they must both be in the top three!” Zhu Jie laughed loudly.

"But old man, please don't get excited!" Zhu Zhang looked worriedly at the bewildered Su Dacheng and asked Su Youma beside him, "Is the Qiangxin Dushen Pill ready?"

"It's ready." Su Youma nodded.

"Haha, don't worry. This old man crawled out of piles of corpses, what kind of big scene haven't I seen?" The old man said nonchalantly.

At this moment, the messenger arrived at the foot of the Grand View Tower and finally unfurled the sixth victory report. Hundreds of soldiers and officers shouted in unison:
"Great news! Master Su Man from Luzhou has achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination! He has been appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy!!"

There were no further tongue twisters following it, because the two words "third-place scholar" were enough to make even the most lavish praise in the world pale in comparison!

The officers and soldiers who came to announce the good news shouted it three times in unison, and the cheers that resounded throughout the entire city of Luzhou were deafening. This was the first time that Luzhou had produced a third-place scholar!

"Hahaha! My grandson became the third-ranked scholar?!" Amidst the overwhelming congratulations, the old man was so happy he was practically jumping for joy.

"Yes, congratulations, Elder Lingjun! The Su family's literary fortunes are flourishing!" From now on, all the gentry in the city must respectfully address him as Elder Lingjun!

"What about my little grandson?" The old man, still half-lying back and forth, hadn't forgotten his beloved Qiu-ge'er.

Before he finished speaking, the entire place fell silent instantly, even the sound of firecrackers stopped.

This is the final suspense; now it all depends on whether Su Lu will be the top scholar or the second-best!
Then one hundred messengers pulled on the reins and shouted in unison with all their might:

"Good news! Su Huiyuan of Luzhou has achieved first place in all six examinations: the county examination, the prefectural examination, the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination. He has been awarded the title of 'Six-time Top Scholar' and has been appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy!"

An unprecedented and immense joy instantly overwhelmed the entire city of Luzhou!

"A six-time champion! He really is a six-time champion!"

"Unprecedented! Our Luzhou has produced a six-time champion!" The people jumped and shouted with excitement, and many even shed tears. From the county examination to the palace examination, he ranked first in all six examinations. In the hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, no one has been able to do this!

And the young master Su, whom they watched grow up, the 'Little Yang Shen of Luzhou' back then, actually did it!
All the people of Luzhou were filled with pride, cheering as if their own child had been admitted to high school, until their voices were hoarse and their hands were swollen from clapping.

The sounds of firecrackers, drums, and cheers mingled together, pushing the carnival in Luzhou to its climax!
~~
Led by Prefect Lu, the two provincial governors ascended the high platform to extend their greetings to the teachers and elders of the seven newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

As the grandfather of six top scholars and three third-place scholars, Su Dacheng naturally became the focus of the two provincial governors' visit. To their surprise, the old man was quite calm... he just sat there and ignored them.

"Old Master Ling fainted from excitement just now. He only woke up after taking the ginseng pill. The medicine is taking effect now, and he needs to calm down before he can come to his senses again," Zhu Jie quickly explained.

"We understand, we understand. Please take good care of the old magistrate!" The two provincial governors nodded hurriedly and said, "Quickly help the old man to the building to rest. The top two scholars have entrusted the old man to our care, so we must not allow any mishaps!"

The group carefully carried the old man into the Grand View Terrace, and then called the most famous doctor in Luzhou City, "Golden Needle Liu," to give the old man acupuncture. After a short while, the old man finally regained his senses.

"Oh dear..." Su Dacheng sighed, looking bewildered, "I feel like I've just had a dream."

"What did you dream about?" everyone asked.

"I dreamt that one of my grandsons became the top scholar in the imperial examination, and the other became the third-ranked scholar..." The old man chuckled sheepishly, "I was just having such good dreams."

"Old Lord Ling, that wasn't a dream!" Governor Du said with a smile, "Your virtuous grandson Hongzhi achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, and your virtuous grandson Yingzhi achieved the third-highest rank!"

"Oh my god..." The old man was about to faint again.

P.S. I wrote a side story today (it's not finished yet), so the second chapter will be released later, but the good news is that the third chapter should be released around that time.

(End of this chapter)