Top Scholar

Chapter 495 The Frenzy of Renaming Zhuangyuan Town (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
At Commander Ma's command, shops selling "Jieyuan Tea," "Jieyuan Pastry," "Jieyuan Tofu Pudding," "Jieyuan Cloth Shop," "Jieyuan Bookstore," and "Jieyuan Ancestral Hall" sprang up all over the town...

Overnight, they were all transformed into "Top Scholar Tea", "Top Scholar Pastry", "Top Scholar Tofu Pudding", "Top Scholar Cloth Shop", "Top Scholar Bookstore", "Top Scholar Shrine"...

A new restaurant called "Zhuangyuan Jiaoqie" has opened, which is said to be the snack that Su Zhuangyuan loved to eat back then, and it uses his teacher's wife's recipe.

Of course, some brands have changed their names to "Six Yuan," such as "Six Yuan Bellyband" or "Six Yuan Cured Meat," emphasizing their uniqueness.

As for the brothels in town, they didn't follow the trend of the top scholar, but instead changed their names to 'Tanhua Tower'...

Taiping Elementary School became a renowned "cradle of top scholars." The gate plaque was changed to "Scholar's Hall," and the old desk and chairs where Su Lu once sat were enshrined separately. The "Inscription Pavilion" was filled with incense smoke all year round, blackening the white walls—but that's another story.

As for Erlangtan, everything remained the same, except that the Su Clan Ancestral Hall had been completely renovated, with double-tiered banners hanging on the two merit flags, and golden banners bearing the title of top scholar fluttering in the air...

Erlangtan is now incredibly wealthy, not because it can't afford to be renovated, but because it wants to preserve its original appearance as much as possible and not ruin its unparalleled feng shui!
~~
The news reached Suzhou in late spring.

Tang Bohu's villa outside Suzhou, Peach Blossom Hermitage, was surrounded by bamboo fences and winding paths. The once vibrant peach blossoms had fallen from the trees, carpeting the ground with fallen petals. It truly lived up to the saying, "The peach blossoms have faded, spring's beauty gone too soon."

Since the imperial examination scandal, which plunged him from his lofty position into the mire, Tang Yin experienced the bitterness of human nature. The elders of Suzhou, who had once been proud of him, now regarded him as a despicable person, clenching their fists and confronting him like an enemy. Friends turned against him, his wife divorced him, his servants betrayed him, and even the family dog ​​bit him.

Tang Yin then built the Peach Blossom Hermitage in Peach Blossom Village outside the city to live in seclusion. He spent his days drowning his sorrows in wine and making a living through calligraphy and painting, and basically cut off all contact with others.

In the main hall of Peach Blossom Hermitage, hangs his handwritten poem "Peach Blossom Hermitage Song" from the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign:
'In Peach Blossom Valley dwells a Peach Blossom Hermitage, in which dwells a Peach Blossom Immortal. The Peach Blossom Immortal plants peach trees, and picks the blossoms to exchange for wine. Sober, he sits before the flowers; drunk, he sleeps beneath them. Half-awake, half-drunk, day after day; flowers fall and bloom, year after year.'

"I'd rather grow old and die amidst flowers and wine than bow before carriages and horses... Others laugh at my madness, but I laugh at their ignorance. The tombs of the heroes of the Five Mausoleums are nowhere to be seen; now, without flowers or wine, they are fields tilled by farmers."

However, the room was spotless, with various calligraphy and paintings arranged in an elegant manner. The writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the table were neatly arranged, showing no sign of being disheveled or destitute.

This surprised Wen Zhengming, who hadn't been here in a long time. He remembered that the last time he came, the place was a complete mess, like a doghouse. There wasn't even room to put his feet down inside, and the yard was littered with piles of vomit...

"Ninth Sister took care of all this." Tang Bohu was also neat and tidy. Although his clothes were simple, he was clean and presentable from head to toe, unlike when he was slovenly in Nanjing.

Although Wen Zhengming had broken ties with Tang Bohu, he had always kept an eye on his longtime friend and knew that Jiu Niang was the famous courtesan Shen Jiu Niang that he had brought back from the Qinhuai River in Nanjing.

He was a meticulous scholar, and although he had some reservations about his friend's self-destructive behavior and living with a prostitute, he was relieved to see Tang Bohu's current state.

"Didn't you break off our friendship? Why are you inviting me for drinks now?" But the thought of Tang Bohu writing a letter to sever ties with him made Wen Zhengming furious.

"I was just saying discouraging things, did you really take it seriously?" Tang Bohu smiled and invited him to take a seat. "Come, come, have a cup of my homemade peach blossom wine first."

On the stone table in the courtyard, two sets of bowls and chopsticks, a pot of wine, and several plates of exquisite side dishes were already set out, all cooked by Shen Jiuniang herself.

After Wen Zhengming was seated, Shen Jiuniang, wearing a plain apron, brought the last plate of fresh bamboo shoots and cured meat to the table and said softly, "Mr. Hengshan, please enjoy your meal. I will make you a soup."

She had gentle features, no flowers in her hair, only a plain ribbon tied her hair up, and her simple clothes could not hide her elegance, showing no trace of the worldly air of a former courtesan.

Wen Zhengming nodded slightly, and after Jiu Niang left, he sighed softly, "Alright, this woman is not bad."

"Yes," Tang Bohu said with a smile as he poured him wine. "Ninth Sister is a good woman who pulled me out of the mire."

“That’s good.” Wen Zhengming nodded again, waiting for his main text.

"Zhengming, I have invited you to Peach Blossom Hermitage today, firstly to say goodbye, and secondly to apologize." Tang Bohu raised his wine cup, shedding his usual unrestrained manner.

"Where are you going?" Wen Zhengming asked hurriedly.

"The capital." Tang Bohu uttered these two words with some difficulty.

"Huh?" Wen Zhengming's eyes widened in surprise. That was Tang Yin's most painful place, filled with unbearable memories. "Why would you go there when you have a perfectly good life to live?"

"I'll keep my promise," Tang Bohu said softly. "I lost a bet, and I have to honor my word."

"Who?" Wen Zhengming was a little jealous. He knew it definitely wasn't that idiot Zhu Zhishan.

"The newly appointed top scholar, Su Hongzhi," Tang Bohu said solemnly. "Last year in Nanjing, he prescribed me a remedy—the unity of knowledge and action."

He paused, then exhaled a long breath and said, "Since I can't get out of this situation, I have no choice but to face my inner demons—and ascend to the Emperor's Hall once more!"

"But you can't take the exam anymore, can you?" Wen Zhengming asked, puzzled.

"He said he would help me regain my eligibility to take the exam," Tang Bohu explained. "Of course I didn't believe him, because he was barely able to protect himself at the time, and he still had to go to Liu Jin's territory to take the exam. I thought that even if Liu Jin let him take the exam, he would frame him at the examination hall, so I advised him not to go." "But he insisted on going, and even made a bet with me that if he was alright, I should also pull myself together." Tang Bohu smiled in admiration.

"He faced far greater difficulties than I did, but he has already declared his victory with six championships. What right do I have to continue to languish?"

"All my advice to you is less effective than a few words of advice from Scholar Su," Wen Zhengming said wistfully. "It really is true that comparisons are the thief of joy."

"Alright, Zhengming, don't be angry with me anymore." Tang Bohu smiled and raised his wine cup to him, looking ashamed. "The nonsense I said to you back then was wrong of me. I took out my resentment on you, my true friend, on you. I took my kindness for granted. I apologize to you."

"Sigh, it's good that you know." Wen Zhengming then reluctantly took the wine cup, gently clinked glasses with him, and the two drank it all in one gulp.

As the peach blossom wine went down his throat, a warm sensation spread throughout his body, and the old grudges vanished like smoke. Wen Zhengming put down his wine cup and said with satisfaction:

"The argument back then was just because I was worried you were going astray. I was a bit harsh, and I was also at fault. But it's good that you can pull yourself together. If you're going to Beijing, I'll go with you."

"Great!" Tang Bohu looked up abruptly, overjoyed. "Zhengming, are you really willing to travel with me?"

"Who told you to be so troublesome?" Wen Zhengming said with a look of disgust, "You're reckless and impulsive, offending people with just three words. You even went to Beijing, a den of dragons and tigers, and wanted to overturn the case. What if I hadn't been there to keep an eye on you and made you fall into a trap again?"

"Yes, yes." Tang Bohu nodded vigorously and said, "If you had been in the capital when I took the imperial examination last time, I guarantee that this whole thing wouldn't have happened!"

"Do you think I don't want to go?!" Wen Zhengming rolled his eyes and said, "Didn't I fail the imperial examination?"

Of the four talented scholars of Wuzhong, the other three have already passed the provincial examination, and Xu Zhenqing has even passed the imperial examination. Only he, the "academic failure," is still stuck at the provincial examination.

"Haha, it just so happens that Xu Changgu is currently teaching at the Imperial Academy. Let him help you get a place to study there. You can take the exam directly in Shuntian Prefecture and you're sure to pass!" Once Tang Bohu decided to take that step, he became quite lively.

Changgu is Xu Zhenqing, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign. He served as the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and was later demoted to Doctor of the Imperial Academy due to the case of the escaped prisoner.

"Look, you're going to cause trouble again." Wen Zhengming glared at him and said, "Changgu is barely able to take care of himself right now, and you still want to add to his troubles? Is that the way to be a friend?"

"Oh, oh, oh, I'll listen to you." Tang Bohu chuckled awkwardly as he poured him some wine. "In the past, I always thought you were too talkative, but now I realize that my past achievements were inseparable from your and Zhishan's persuasion."

"Good to know." Wen Zhengming laughed and scolded, "If you dare to say I'm nagging again, see if I'll still talk to you."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore," Tang Bohu quickly said with a smile.

They were the same age, became friends at fifteen, and their 24-year friendship was incredibly deep. Once the barriers were removed, their relationship naturally grew even closer.

They drank and chatted incessantly, as if trying to make up for all the things they hadn't said in the past few years.

"Did Brother Zhishan fail again?"

"Yes, he's not on the list of successful candidates, and we don't know if he's come back."

"Try to contact him. If he doesn't come back, let him stay. Let's reunite the four talents of Wuzhong in the capital and see if we can have a second spring."

"Good idea, let me think of a way."

The two chatted enthusiastically. Shen Jiuniang brought over a bowl of water shield soup, ladled one bowl for each of them, and said with a smile, "Drink more, you won't be able to drink it even if you want to when you go to Beijing."

"Thank you," Wen Zhengming said, taking the soup bowl and gently blowing on a spoonful of hot soup.

After Shen Jiuniang left, he put down the soup bowl and asked softly, "What about her?"

"I wanted to marry her before I left, but she firmly disagreed, saying that I already had enough troubles and couldn't have another one," Tang Bohu said sadly.

“Indeed.” Wen Zhengming nodded and said softly, “You are already a target of gossip. If you marry a courtesan, it will definitely cause controversy and ruin your important business.”

"Yes, once I've settled things in the capital, no matter the outcome, I will return to marry her," Tang Bohu said in a deep voice, then called out to the house, "Ninth Sister, wait for me for three years!"

Wen Zhengming secretly rolled his eyes. The competition in the courtesan profession is so fierce, and the good times only last three to five years. People are waiting for him.
The bamboo curtain swayed gently, and after a long while, Shen Jiuniang's voice came: "Okay, I'll wait for you."

P.S. This is a first post, later revisions. Please vote with your monthly tickets! Also, the aftermath of the top scholar's story is finished; the next chapter will officially begin the story after he enters officialdom…

(End of this chapter)