After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

……

Inside the Cloud Crane Pavilion.

The cold wind from the Qinhuai River made the two tightly closed windows on the west side rattle loudly.

The students of Bailu Academy had tense eyes, slightly parted lips, and sat upright.

Besides several pots of so-called "scholar's tea," the round table also had about a dozen plates of expensive red, celadon, and yellow glazed dishes, filled with various tea snacks, exquisitely shaped and fragrant. There were also several plates of candied fruit, roasted peanuts, broad beans, and several plates of dried bean curd for their enjoyment.

But ever since the phrase "Sixth place - Ya Kui - Master Li Youzhi of the Li family" came out, no one in the room had any appetite for tea, snacks, or treats.

Everyone pricked up their ears to listen to the calls of names coming from downstairs.

After the distant and resonant chanting of the names.

Sometimes, shouts like "So-and-so is here" would come from Heming Tower.

This means that the newly appointed scholar is currently at Heming Tower.

The servant who came to announce the names was overjoyed, hurrying along and bowing as he called out "Master" repeatedly to receive his reward.

Inside the building, congratulatory shouts such as "Congratulations, Brother So-and-so!", "May you achieve great success!", "Let's raise a toast!", and "May your career soar to new heights today!" would also ring out.

After a name is called out, only a collective gasp can be heard from Heming Tower.

The servant who called out the names had made a wasted trip, only managing to win a cheer and a few copper coins as a reward from the restaurant owner before returning home dejectedly.

……

……

"First place—the top scholar—Ning family…Ning Nan…Master Ning!…"

When this name was suddenly sung on the first floor of Heming Tower.

The voices and expressions of everyone in the private room froze, and a deathly silence fell over the room.

The students from Bailu Academy stared in disbelief. After a moment, they slowly turned their heads, their necks stiff, to look at the moon-robed youth who was in the same private room as them.

"The top scholar..." someone murmured in shock.

Master Ning had a piece of dried bean curd stuffed in his mouth, and his eyes were somewhat glazed over.

Ta-da!

At this moment, Gongsun Heng reacted the fastest, lifting her robe and running out alone, "I'm going to take a look!" The female disciple's voice, growing louder and louder as it faded into the distance, was filled with barely suppressed excitement and agitation.

Qing Zude, his face flushed, stood up abruptly. His taut, chubby face trembled slightly as he stared at Ning Nan and shouted:

"The top scholar in the imperial examination?!"

His voice was sharp and trembling, filled with disbelief.

The other students also had their lips agape and their hearts pounding.

For a moment, the few who failed the exam forgot to feel sorry for themselves.

Qian Huang, Qing Zude, and the others who had passed the exam also turned their heads and gasped... The top scholar?!

Originally, it seemed that Bailu Academy was having some bad luck this year.

When they first heard the names of some familiar candidates, they could still calmly comment on the newly appointed gentlemen who had passed the imperial examinations.

Like the first one, Li Youzhi, one of the older senior brothers chuckled and said:

"Li Youzhi truly deserves to be called a great talent of Mingli Academy... Mingli Academy hasn't produced a Juren (successful candidate in the imperial examination) for several years, but this year Li Youzhi has succeeded. Heh... truly a cause for celebration..."

Bailu Academy is the envy of the world, far surpassing Mingli Academy.

The senior brother had a certain pride in his heart, and his tone inevitably carried a hint of 'commenting,' as if a senior was praising an ambitious junior.

They smiled along, but a bitter feeling welled up inside them. After all, the other person had passed the imperial examination and was already a "master," while their own fate was still uncertain.

As the names were called out one by one, they would chime in with comments like, "With Lin Ju's talent, he should have passed the imperial examination last year," "Passing the imperial examination this year under the Empress's special decree is not bad either..." "Gong Wensong actually passed?!" "He must be forty-five, right?... That's truly remarkable," "Brother Wensong's hard work has finally paid off..." "Tan Muyu's ranking is a bit low," "Not bad, I thought he would definitely be the top scholar..."

Inside the small private room, the group exuded an air of authority, as if they were giving orders and pontificating.

However, such comments gradually disappeared after reaching the "fifty" mark.

Even Qing Zude, who was the most talkative, turned pale and fell silent.

One particularly thin student even started trembling uncontrollably, his teeth chattering, shaking like a leaf...

"Fifty places already..."

Someone sighed deeply and muttered a sentence, the implication being, "Why isn't it my turn yet..."

Upon hearing his words, the students of Bailu Academy couldn't help but take a deep breath, their eyes sometimes firm and sometimes blank.

Fortunately, at this moment, the name of the fifty-second person—Master Qian Huang of the Qian family… was called out. Upon hearing that their senior brother Qian had passed the imperial examination, everyone felt a mixture of envy and sourness, but their spirits were also lifted. They congratulated their senior brother Qian while also feeling a little more at ease.

When the name of the Tartar "Hongfeng" was sung for the 99th place, the crowd felt neither envy nor mockery, but only despair.

Although he secretly harbored the hope of becoming the top scholar in the Five Classics Examination, he was also aware of his own limitations and knew that the chances were slim. Given his past failures in the imperial examinations, he was unlikely to pass this time.

Then, when "Number 100 - Qing Zude" appeared, the hopes of the others were completely dashed. After breaking out in a cold sweat, they relaxed and congratulated the overjoyed Qing Zude... Qing Zude's surname and given name were not very common, so it was easy to recognize him just by hearing them...

When the "Five Classics Champions" were announced.

Those who failed the exam were already weak, and most of them were just watching the show with a detached, amused attitude.

Having already achieved the rank of 'Fifty-Second Place,' Qian Huang was now known as 'Master Qian,' and his face was beaming with pride.

He came from a poor family. After passing the county-level imperial examination, he failed the provincial-level examination twice and made a living by copying books at the academy.

His wife and two daughters lived with his father-in-law and brother-in-law, making a living by sewing clothes and doing needlework, and also saving him money from time to time to buy books and ink.

Qian Huang's eyes stung with tears... He couldn't help but imagine the messenger arriving at his father-in-law's house to report that he, Qian Huang, had become a scholar... Would his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and wife weep with joy? Would his family be able to hold their heads high in the village, no longer hearing the gossip that "marrying a pedantic scholar is worse than marrying a live-in son-in-law"...

Qing Zude, who came in last place, was overjoyed. He laughed heartily at the dejected Lian Ziweng and the others, saying, "I'll take my leave first. When we meet again in the future, will you all be old men with white hair?" The others took a deep breath, but found it difficult to retaliate...

Just then, everyone heard the announcement of Li Yanting's name as the winner of the "Asian Scholar" title...

Even though Li Yanting was extremely calm and composed, when he heard ninety-eight names before finally hearing his own, he felt a chill run down his spine and trembled with excitement...

Not long after.

The scholar from Lijia Village generously threw out ten taels of silver and returned to his private room.

The students of Bailu Academy expressed their congratulations with emotion. Compared to Qing Zude, Li Yanting clasped his hands and smiled, saying, "I will go first, and I hope you will surpass me later."

Seeing that he remained humble despite receiving the Central Asian Yuan title, everyone's goodwill towards this junior brother grew even stronger, exclaiming, "Junior brother, you are truly talented!", "Thank you for your kind words, junior brother!", "Haha, I take the Central Asian Yuan title as a blessing..."

Lian Ziweng raised his chin and snorted, "Qing Zuimo, Qing Zuimo, if it weren't for Li Yayuan, I'm afraid my Bailu Academy would have been Qing Zuimo this year..." Everyone laughed when they saw him mocking Qing Zuimo, and their sorrow at failing the exam was somewhat dispelled.

The words had barely left his lips...

The order of names being called out, "Top Scholar – Ning Mansion – Ning South – Master Ning," then spread...

Everyone was stunned...

……

Inside the deathly silent "Cloud Crane Pavilion".

Ning Nan's chopsticks were still hovering over a plate of dried tofu, his expression somewhat dazed.

"Phew..." The student who had just received the Central Asian Yuan glanced at him and then sighed.

"Heh," Li Yanting withdrew his gaze, shook his head and chuckled, his clear eyes sweeping over everyone at the table as he said:

"Lou Jizuo's demotion... seems justified..."