After Lou Yunchun came to tell Xu Jiang the good news, he left in a hurry because he had other things to do.
Xu Jiang excitedly brought the good news to Shopkeeper Wang, who immediately jumped up and clapped his hands, saying, "As expected of my brother Hu! He won! Haha, he won! And he's the top scorer! If this gets out, won't I be in big trouble?"
Xu Jiang also laughed foolishly.
Shopkeeper Wang could no longer sit still, so he ordered his assistants to close the shop and took Xu Jiang to the street.
The grand event after the announcement of the imperial examination results each year was a parade of jubilation and triumph. The top three Jinshi (Jinshi) scholars would leave the imperial city, inscribe their names on the Wild Goose Pagoda, and then pay their respects at the Confucius Temple. Afterwards, they would ride majestic horses, donning the white Jinshi robes and wearing flowers in their hair, parading through the streets to impress the public.
Shopkeeper Wang and Xu Jiang each rode a donkey and went to Shoukangfang.
The top scholar’s parade must pass through Shoukangfang.
Before reaching Shoukangfang, we saw crowds of people on the street, with families carrying their elderly and children, heading towards the inner river.
"Sister, hurry up, there will be no room left soon."
"Ouch, slow down, be careful not to bump into someone."
The two finally reached the riverbank, only to find it packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. From time to time, there were cries of surprise. It turned out the real champion hadn't arrived yet, but the 'water champion' had announced himself.
From this we can see what a grand occasion it will be in a while.
Both of them were riding donkeys, and since they couldn't squeeze through, they found the main street and headed towards Shuiyuntan. Hu Xu and the other successful candidates would pass Shuiyuntan on their way to Qujiang Pavilion to attend the Qujiang Banquet held by the court to celebrate the successful candidates.
There are also many people in Shuiyuntan, but because it is a curved bay with embankments and stone bridges, the terrain is wide and it is not as crowded as Shoukangfang.
The two men came to Huiwan and led the donkey to drink water. Xu Jiang saw someone selling tea on the shore, so she went over and bought two bowls of mint drink, and brought it over to share with Manager Wang.
After being squeezed all the way, both of them felt thirsty. The mint was refreshing and soothing to the throat. After one bowl, they felt relaxed both physically and mentally.
"Great!" Shopkeeper Wang laughed heartily and said happily, "Even more exciting is that Brother Hu passed the high school entrance exam! Ten years of hard study, three years of dormancy, and finally he's soaring into the sky!"
Xu Jiang enjoyed the spring breeze, narrowed her eyes and smiled, "When I first read his poems, I knew he was no ordinary person."
Shopkeeper Wang bowed to the sky and said, "It's a good world, with a wise ruler and clear laws, that gives more and more students from poor families the opportunity to enter the court and serve as officials, bringing benefits to us people." Then he sighed, "It's a pity that my boy is not a good student, so he can't win this honor."
"Everyone has their own strengths. As the saying goes, every profession has its top talent. Who knows, maybe he will be the top talent in the rice industry in the future."
"Oh, I'm really comforted by your kind words. I'll give him a little less beating when I get home today."
Xu Jiang couldn't help but burst out laughing when she heard this.
After finishing his mint drink and returning the bowl, Xu Jiang heard a commotion upstream. Looking up, he saw figures on the riverbank, like a wave, pressing forward.
“Here I come!”
"The top scholar is here!"
The people of Shuiyuntan also became agitated and ran forward to get a first glimpse of it.
"Come on, let's go there too."
Shopkeeper Wang and Xu Jiang tied their donkey to a tree and followed the crowd to the roadside, where they huddled together with the common people and waited for the parade to pass by.
With the sound of gongs and drums, a parade consisting of three pairs of gong players, three pairs of drum players, three tall horses, three Jinshi (imperial scholar) graduates, twenty-five Jinshi graduates, and a dozen officials appeared in front of everyone and slowly walked along the river bank.
"Brother Hu! Look! It's Brother Hu!" Shopkeeper Wang pointed at the man leading the way on horseback and shouted excitedly.
"I see!" Hu Xu was wearing the top scholar's uniform, a top scholar's hat, riding a horse, and wearing red and colorful ribbons. He was leading the team.
It is really high-spirited and dazzling.
He is no longer the poor scholar who was ridiculed by others for throwing poems at him, but the new top scholar chosen by the sage!
Xu Jiang looked at him with hot eyes, unable to suppress the surging emotions in her heart. She waved at him excitedly and cheered with the people around her.
"Zhuchun! Zhuchun!"
Shopkeeper Wang also shouted excitedly, "Brother Hu! If you become rich and powerful, don't forget me!"
The team was getting closer and closer, and more and more people came. Xu Jiang and Manager Wang squeezed into the crowd, and their voices mixed with those of the common people, cheering for the number one scholar and sending him their most sincere congratulations.
Hu Xu thought he heard two familiar voices calling him, but when he looked around, he saw no one. However, as he passed the embankment, he saw two donkeys tied to a willow tree. One of them had a familiar wooden sign hanging around its neck.
Xu Jiang is here!
He suddenly turned around to look for it, but was blocked by a figure.
It’s Zhao Xiu.
Zhao Xiu smiled at him, "Brother Hu, what are you looking at?"
Hu Xu's heart trembled, he withdrew his gaze, and said lightly: "Nothing."
Zhao Xiu was ranked third in the imperial examination, but there was no joy on his face. He stared at Hu Xu who was walking in front of him, with a shadow in his eyes.
The parade team had gone far away, and many people followed it to Qujiang Pavilion.
The people around gradually dispersed, and Xu Jiang and Manager Wang returned to the tree to lead the donkey.
Shopkeeper Wang was a little disappointed. "It's a pity that Brother Hu didn't see us. Otherwise, he would have been very happy to know we were here."
It was all because of the group of people rushing over from behind, who almost pushed him and Xu Jiang into the river.
"It doesn't matter. Are you worried that we won't have the chance to congratulate each other in person later?" Xu Jiang smiled broadly. She glanced at the direction the team was leaving and said to Shopkeeper Wang, "They've gone far away. Let's go back."
After the results were announced, Hu Xu became famous. His background, teachers, and deeds, all true and false, became the talk of the people for the next month.
Many parents and elders take him as an example and encourage their children to study hard and become top scorers in the imperial examinations like him in the future.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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