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

……

"Whoosh...whoosh..."

A cold wind howled across the Qinhuai River, sweeping through the entire Gongyuan Street.

The wind caused the square scarves on everyone's heads to sway from side to side.

Outside the Jiangnan Examination Hall, a dense crowd of people waited for the results to be announced, thronging towards the Dragon Gate.

In the cold weather, the white breath exhaled by people bloomed like clouds, creating a chaotic and noisy sound.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

"Don't push me!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! I am honored to have you move aside, but please do me a favor..."

"Is he a scholar?"

"No, I came to see my father..."

"roll!"

"Oops... my shoe fell off..."

"Li Sizhong! Li Sizhong! May I ask if Li Sizhong has passed the exam?"

"Did my husband win the lottery?"

"I won! I won! Give me a reward!..."

……

As the roll call began, starting with "sixty-second place".

The expressions on each face were different.

Some people's faces turned red, some screamed loudly, and some had hopeful eyes.

Some people's faces changed constantly, sometimes flushed, sometimes pale, sometimes filled with despair, and sometimes with a sense of relief.

At the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall.

The list of winners has been revealed: "Zhang Heyue ranked 62nd in high school!"

A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd!

"Master Zhang!"

"Master Zhang! Where is Master Zhang?!"

"I have good news for you!..."

Some of the hangers-on who made a living from this kind of meal had already found out the addresses of many of the candidates.

Several hangers-on who remembered Zhang Heyue's address immediately relayed the message, one after another, surrounding and shouting it out.

They read out the names, hometowns, and birth dates on the list, and had the scholars selling their wares outside the crowd write down Master Zhang's information on red slips of paper. Then, each of them took a red slip and ran off to the Zhang family to deliver the good news.

On such a joyous occasion, anyone who brings a red invitation to announce the good news will naturally be rewarded by the host family.

Some of these hangers-on ate at nearby restaurants and carried red invitation cards, shouting at the top of their lungs along the Qinhuai River.

If they happen to come to see the list of successful candidates, or if they happen to come to see Master Zhang or his relatives, or if they happen to come to see Master Zhang or his relatives who have been eyeing him for a long time and are planning to find a son-in-law through the list, they will be richly rewarded.

The Crane Cry Tower, which is closest to the Imperial Examination Hall, was naturally the first place the messenger would rush to deliver the good news.

All gentlemen with some wealth who come here to wait for the announcement to be published will first and foremost wait at the Crane Cry Tower.

The messenger, named Xu Xiaotong, was panting heavily as he ran.

The first person, brandishing a red invitation card, burst through the restaurant's threshold, shouting excitedly at the top of his lungs:

"The Zhang family—Master Zhang Heyue—ranked sixty-second in the imperial examination!..." The voice was loud and clear, full of vigor.

pity……

Unlike usual, Xu's shout today did not elicit gasps from the building... Crane Cry Tower was unusually quiet today...

The lobby on the first floor of the restaurant was packed with people.

Everyone had their backs to him, yet they heard his shout.

"Swish swish swish swish!"

These people all turned their heads and glanced at him.

Seeing that their faces were pale and they didn't look like they were waiting for the results to be announced, Xu Xiaotong paused in surprise, his voice also stopping abruptly.

Xu Xiaotong was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked up at the second floor. He found that the openwork second-floor railing was also full of people. When they heard his announcement of good news, everyone looked down and glanced at him.

"Zhang Heyue?"

"Zhang Heyue... um... Zhang Heyue..."

The name of the newly appointed scholar, Master Zhang, caused a stir among the crowd, but it was clear that none of them were his relatives or friends.

The crowd glanced at him a few times, seemingly losing interest completely, and quickly turned their heads back to look at the middle of the restaurant, which Xu Xiaotong couldn't see at all.

The messenger, panting heavily, was somewhat speechless.

He never imagined that Crane Cry Tower, which usually erupted in excitement whenever good news was announced, would be so quiet today!

"What the hell!" Xu Xiaotong's mind was spinning, and he suddenly felt a surge of anger and became furious.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he scoffed twice, then hopped around, peering into the crowd, eager to see what had happened that could possibly overshadow the release of the examination results...

……

……

Inside the Crane Cry Tower.

The scholar named Yang Gu lay on the floor, his eyes bulging and bloodshot, staring at something, with veins bulging on his temples.

The lower half of his face was swollen, and his mouth was covered with blisters as he gasped for breath.

His right hand gripped Li Yanting's left hand tightly, while his left hand was held in Qian Huang's hands.

"Thump thump thump thump," her two feet kept kicking on the ground, her body twisted, clearly in extreme pain.

Li Yanting and Qian Huang were sweating profusely. Yang Gu's grip was extremely strong, and their hands were bleeding from his fingernails. However, they did not complain at all and just lowered their heads to comfort each other.

"Senior brother...it's alright, it's alright now..."

"The doctor is here! The doctor is here..."

"The Tartars deserve to die!"

"Keep pouring cold water on it!"

Sweat dripped from Qing Zude's forehead into his eyes. His fingers trembled as he gripped the porcelain bowl, scooped up a bowl of warm water from a wooden bucket, and "plop!" poured it repeatedly onto Yang Jieyuan's mouth, which was covered in redness and blisters...

Lian Ziweng's eyes were also filled with fear, and he had lost all of the spirit he had when arguing with Yang Gu. He cooperated with Qing Zude, holding a bowl of warm water and pouring it into Yang Gu's mouth, but he dared not pour it too quickly, only sip by sip.

Li Yanting turned his head and called out in a trembling voice:

"Shopkeeper! Water! Bring me more water!"

"Hey! They're here! They're here!"

The shopkeeper kept groaning and hunching over as he hurried along, scratching his head in frustration. He ordered a waiter to take the bucket of water he was carrying and deliver it to Yang Jieyuan.

He then carried the other bucket and jogged over to another spot.

The person lying there was barely recognizable as human. Several doctors were pouring warm water on him, feeding him boiling water, and muttering, "He won't survive... Oh dear... He's like this... He won't survive... I don't know if he'll even make it..."

"I need water too!"

A sharp, angry voice suddenly rang out, and the woman wearing a headscarf looked pale and distressed. A waiter called out, "Coming, coming!" and brought over another bucket of water.

The woman scooped up a ladle of water and poured it onto a swollen, blister-covered hand.

Two other students from Bailu Academy also splashed warm water on this hand, and the water on the table kept flowing down the edge of the table, wetting the ground.

"Does it hurt?"

Gongsun Heng pouted and poured water on her master's hand, looking at her master sitting peacefully with heartache.

Ning Nan looked at his hand, which was swollen like a pig's trotter, moved his fingers slightly, and felt somewhat relieved.

I lost most of my sense of sensation, and there were quite a few blisters. My skin was peeling off, but I could still move my fingers... As long as they could move, that was fine... Fortunately, they came out quickly.

Well... if I pass the imperial examination today, then in the palace examination a few days later... I'll probably only be able to write with my left hand.

"It doesn't hurt."

Master Ning shook his head and smiled:

"It's a little itchy."

He grabbed Lu Jing's head and shoved it into the wine pot. His hand had just lost feeling, and Lu Jing was on the verge of death. The scholar suddenly unleashed astonishing strength, pressed his hand against the table, and shouted as he jerked his head back up...

But he was almost dead; his throat, eyes, ears, and skin were all burned. Even if he survived, he would be a cripple...

However, now that Lu Jing knows the pain, he will probably never again send someone to force hot wine into Yang Gu's mouth, nor will he ever force Gongsun Heng to drink.