I'm coming clean: I'm the reincarnation of the God of Literature.

Three days after the children's examination ended, undercurrents were swirling in Qinghe County.

The Gu family courtyard in Qingshan Village was unusually quiet.

Gu Mingzhe always says "Keep a calm mind, keep a calm mind," but he spends all day pacing around in the yard.

He would walk to the door and look towards the main road at the village entrance, then run back into the house and mutter incantations to the ancestral tablets.

Ms. Lin was also nervous, but her way of dealing with it was by cooking.

Three meals a day, each different. The fire on the stove never went out, and the aroma of chicken soup filled the entire yard.

Gu Ang, his mouth greasy with food, still managed to encourage Gu Ci: "Mother, don't worry, Ci'er will definitely be fine! Top scholar! He must be top scholar!"

Lin placed a chicken leg on his plate: "You talk too much! Eat up! You'll have the energy to go to the county to check the results!"

Only Gu Ci acted as if nothing had happened.

He sits at his desk every day, either reading or practicing calligraphy, and occasionally gives Gu Ang some pointers on his studies.

That composure made Gu Mingzhe feel uneasy.

"Ci'er, aren't you in a hurry at all?"

Gu Ci looked up and smiled, "Dad, the exams are over, there's no use in rushing. Just wait for the news."

Gu Mingzhe opened his mouth, but in the end he could only go back to the courtyard and pace around.

On the day the results were announced, it was still dark.

Gu Ang got out of bed, put on his clothes, and was about to run outside.

"I'm going to check the rankings!"

Lin grabbed his arm, saying, "What's the rush! It's not even fully light yet!"

"I need to get a good spot!" Gu Ang stamped his feet anxiously.

In the end, Gu Ci spoke up: "Brother, you go ahead, go early, don't squeeze in with the crowd."

Upon receiving the order, Gu Ang took off running and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Looking at her youngest son's face, Madam Lin felt both heartache and pride: "Ci'er, just wait at home. There are many people outside, so don't let them crowd you."

"Yes, Mother." Gu Ci nodded obediently.

At the same time, the entrance to Qinghe County School was already packed with people.

On the second floor of Wangjiang Tower, opposite the county school, Manager Chen of Hanmozhai sat upright, his eyes fixed on the gate of the county school.

"Listen up, both of you! When the list comes out, you two need to look for it like crazy! As soon as you see Gu Ci's name, without hesitation, come back and report! Whoever comes back first gets double their pay this month!"

"Alright! Just you wait and see, manager!" The two young waiters rubbed their hands together, eager to get started.

Manager Chen picked up his teacup and blew on it to cool it down.

The master gave a strict order: for Mr. Gu's joyous occasion, Hanmozhai must be the first to come and offer their congratulations!

This isn't just a gift; it's a friendship! It's a future!

Noon, 3:45.

"Clang—clang—clang—"

Three melodious chimes rang out from the county school.

The tightly closed door slowly opened.

The crowd erupted in excitement, with everyone craning their necks to push forward.

"It's out! It's out!"

"Don't push me! It's my shoe!"

Two yamen runners carried a huge red notice and, amidst the commotion, laboriously hung it on the screen wall.

A yamen runner responsible for announcing the results stepped forward and cleared his throat.

The entire square fell silent.

The bailiff unfolded the roster in his hand and began calling out the names from back to front, drawing out the names in a drawn-out tone.

"Fiftieth place, Zhangjia Village, Wang Zhili!"

A woman's ecstatic scream erupted from the crowd: "He won! My son won!"

"Forty-ninth place, Li Family Village, Zhao Jiadi!"

An old man jumped up excitedly and threw off his felt hat.

Each time a name was called, there was a cheer or a sigh from the crowd.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Gu Ang stood at the front of the crowd, his heart pounding in his throat.

His fists were clenched so tightly that he didn't feel any pain even when his nails dug into his flesh.

"Thirtieth place..."

"Twentieth place..."

The number of names dwindled, and when the tenth name was called, everyone held their breath.

"...Third place, from the Li family in the east of the city, Li Wencai!"

Surrounded by several servants, a wealthy young man was so excited that his face turned red.

"Second place, from the county school, Sun Ming, son of Scholar Sun!"

In the crowd, Sun, the scholar, was overcome with tears, repeatedly muttering, "Good, good!"

After the yamen runner finished reading the second name, he suddenly stopped.

He picked up the water ladle, slowly took a sip of water, and even smacked his lips.

In the square, countless people held their breath.

"What happened? Why did you stop reading?"

"Who's the first person listed? Read it quickly!"

"I bet twenty taels of silver on Gu the Prodigy's top score, so hurry up and tell me!"

Gu Ang's forehead was covered in sweat, and he felt his heart pounding.

Enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention, the yamen runner deliberately cleared his throat again and then said the name that everyone was looking forward to to the crowd!

"In this year's preliminary examination, he ranked first in the county examination—"

"Qingshan Village, Gu Ci!"

After a moment of silence.

The entire county school square was in an uproar!

"We won! We're the top scorer!!"

"I knew it! I knew it was Gu the Prodigy!"

"My God! It really is the top student! The top student at the age of eight!"

Cheers soared into the sky.

Those gamblers who had placed heavy bets on the betting odds were celebrating wildly.

"I'm rich! I'm rich!"

"Hahaha! Long live Gu the Prodigy!"

Some people threw their hats into the air, while others hugged strangers next to them, laughing and crying at the same time.

Gu Ang stood still.

The first thing on the desk... Ci'er is the first thing on the desk...

After realizing what was happening, he suddenly turned around and tried to squeeze out.

He wants to go home!

He wanted to be the first to tell his younger brother the good news!

Tell your parents!

Gu Ang shouted as he ran.

He ran across Zhuque Street, out of the county town, and back to Qingshan Village.

"We passed! Ci'er! You're the top scorer! We're the top scorers!"

He rushed into his own courtyard and saw Gu Ci standing calmly in the yard.

Gu Ang rushed to his younger brother and hugged him tightly.

"My brother... is the top scorer... you really are the top scorer!"

"You've brought honor to our family!"

The sixteen-year-old boy cried like a child.

Gu Ci patted his brother's back and whispered, "Brother, I saw it."

On the other side, Gu Mingzhe heard the shouts and rushed out of the house. When he heard the words "the top of the desk," he froze.

The next moment, this student, who had been down on his luck his whole life, knelt down in the direction of the ancestral tablets in the main room.

He pounded the ground with his fists and wailed loudly.

"Our ancestors are above!"

"My Gu family...my Gu family has produced a prodigy! My Gu family has produced a county magistrate!"

Mrs. Lin also ran out of the kitchen, hugged her two sons, and cried uncontrollably.

The family was embracing and weeping bitterly.

A deafening sound of gongs, drums, and firecrackers came from outside the courtyard.

"Congratulations to Lord Gu of Qinghe County, and congratulations to young Master Gu for achieving the top score in this year's county-level imperial examination!"

A group of yamen runners, surrounding the magistrate's advisor, carrying red and colorful congratulatory gifts, arrived in a grand procession at the Gu family's gate.

The entire Qingshan Village was alarmed.

The villagers rushed out of their homes and surrounded the Gu family's courtyard.

"Good heavens! It's the county government's messenger team announcing good news!"

"The Gu family has really produced a top offender!"

"I told you long ago that Ci'er is a genius descended from heaven!"

The advisor walked into the courtyard with a big smile and bowed to Gu Mingzhe.

"Mr. Gu, congratulations!"

Gu Mingzhe quickly wiped away his tears and awkwardly stepped forward to return the greeting.

The advisor handed a gold-embossed congratulatory letter to Gu Mingzhe, and then took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Gu Ci.

"Mr. Gu, this is a letter from Magistrate Wang in his own handwriting."

He cleared his throat and spoke loudly.

"A message has come from Lord Wang: Gu Ci from Qingshan Village has achieved the highest score in the county examination! With the prefectural examination just around the corner, we hope he will continue his efforts and bring further glory to Qinghe County! A banquet will be held at the county government office tomorrow to celebrate this achievement alone!"