Chapter 77 Neither he nor his father wanted to be like Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife, Chen Shimei)...
The examiner in charge of managing family records sensed something was amiss. He pulled out the family record of "Zhao Zongsu" and immediately understood why Ouyang Xiu had hesitated for so long.
A series of words, shattering his reason, flashed before his eyes, but no matter how many times he read them, those few ink characters remained imprinted on the snow-white paper, proclaiming his existence in reality. He could only convey his shock to everyone in a trembling voice.
"Zhao Zongsu was born in the first year of the Qingli era. His father was Prince Pu, Zhao Yunrang, and his guarantor was Fan Zhongyan."
Any one of those messages would be enough to make anyone's brain freeze, let alone three of them at once. For a moment, the only sound in the huge room was the breathing of the examiners. And the echoes of the person's words still lingered in their ears.
"How is that possible?" Someone seemed to still be rational, but their eyes were already unfocused: "We've both read that article, how could it be written by a three-year-old child?"
"Ahem... His birthday has passed, so he must be four years old now."
"That's not the point! Could it be that someone's test paper was copied with the wrong name and it was recorded as his?"
"Yes...yes! Please, sir, retrieve the original records and see what exactly happened!"
Ouyang Xiu didn't waste any words; if they wanted to see it, they could. He immediately ordered someone to find the copy with "Zhao Zongsu" written on it from the original manuscript and distribute it among the crowd. The handwriting on the original manuscript, which could only belong to a young child, proved that their rational guess had failed, and they could only accept this utterly absurd reality.
"My lord, what do you think of this...?"
“Then just do as I said before, and make the transcription,” Ouyang Xiu said calmly. “Whatever responsibility there may be, I will bear it.”
Everyone was completely speechless and did as instructed.
In the short span of a few breaths, Ouyang Xiu weighed countless options when announcing the names of the top scholars in this autumn imperial examination. However, when faced with the collective questioning from the examiners, he became even more determined.
The essay "On Factions" was written last year. The Emperor read it but neither commented nor approved, though he tacitly allowed it to circulate among Confucian scholars nationwide. Fan Zhongyan, who first advocated for reform, was transferred to Shaanxi to guard the border, but the Emperor appointed one of his little-known officers as a general. Fu Bi, the prime minister, who was expected to be demoted to a remote area after the successful Song-Xia peace talks, inexplicably remained firmly in his position.
Furthermore, as the Imperial College was at the forefront of reform, the emperor not only did not abolish its measures, but even visited it in person to praise the students' ingenious self-governance and reform.
All of this seems to suggest that the new policy faction is not as bad as expected?
Given Ouyang Xiu's own reputation, wouldn't it be enough for him to vouch for a top scholar with a somewhat unusual identity?
But most importantly… Ouyang Xiu held the examination paper in his hands, light yet heavy as a thousand pounds. Zhao Zongsu's talent was worthy of his guarantee. What did it matter if he suffered some gossip? Reform could not be accomplished overnight. Only when the torch of their generation of old bones had burned out, and there were still young people in the court who shared their ideals, could they see a glimmer of hope.
His eyes flickered slightly, as if he had suddenly thought of something far ahead.
After a moment, he came to his senses and said, "You must not destroy the draft that Zhao Zongsu handed over. Keep it in case you need it in the future."
What unforeseen needs?
Of course, it's necessary to be questioned from time to time.
He seemed to foresee the turmoil that would follow the release of the autumn examination results, yet he was certain that once the original manuscripts were released, all the rumors would vanish. With a wave of his hand, he instructed the examiners to begin transcribing the following rankings.
Fan Chunren, Zeng Gong, Su Shi...
A dozen or so people later, there was another one named Yan Jidao.
Upon seeing "Fan Chunren," Ouyang Xiu gave a cryptic chuckle. He figured having more debts wasn't a bad thing; he already had Fan Zhongyan's disciple become the top scholar in the provincial examination, so what was there to fear if his own son also passed?
"Find this person's exam paper as well."
As for Su Shi, he was the one quietly highlighted by all the examiners—this was the kid who wrote about an allusion they didn't recognize. Looking at his family history, his birth year was… the third year of the Jingyou era? That means this kid who stumped them was only seven years old this year?
"Incredible, truly incredible!" one of the examiners exclaimed. "This year's list really has produced some outstanding talents."
"Yes, who can disagree? First, there was the three-year-old Jieyuan (top scholar in the provincial examination) recommended by the public, and next is Lord Fan's eldest son, two Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examination) who are only seven years old, one of whom is the son of Minister Yan Shu. If we can still see their names next spring, that would be wonderful. The Emperor would surely be overjoyed to hear about it."
In fact, some of the examiners suspected that Ouyang Xiu's recommendation of a mere child as the top scholar was due to some unspeakable exchange of benefits. However, after the names of Fan Chunren and Yan Jidao appeared, they began to believe that Zhao Zongsu was truly talented. Otherwise, why wouldn't Ouyang Xiu have chosen these two genuine sons of prime ministers through underhanded means, instead of risking trouble by selecting a member of the imperial clan whose relationship with civil officials had always been distant?
After the last name of Sun Shan was copied, regardless of the arguments and setbacks along the way, the examiners exchanged glances, all feeling a sense of relief akin to the post-liberation era. In any case, their grading work had finally come to an end.
“Tomorrow, we will post this notice.” Ouyang Xiu then added a few more polite words of mutual encouragement: “I only hope to see you all here again next spring.”
Meanwhile, he secretly hoped: if only he could see a few of the names on the list. He just wondered what their future would hold after the list was posted. Would they succumb to the criticism and gossip, or would they achieve extraordinary success at a young age, only to fall hard at the top, or…
Ouyang Xiu himself had been away from passing the imperial examinations for a long time and had forgotten one thing. Facing the first hurdle of the autumn examination results announcement, it wasn't a change in mindset, but rather how to safely extricate himself from the situation on the day the results were released—to avoid being the subject of someone else's scheme to marry him.
Because Fusu underestimated this point, he fell into a deep and miserable predicament.
He had certainly heard of the Song Dynasty custom of "catching a son-in-law after the imperial examination results are announced." But he thought that even if he didn't pass the exam, there would still be a spectacle to watch. Secondly, he was young; no one could force a four-year-old to get married, could they?
Therefore, he swaggered off with Su Shi to see the list of successful candidates.
Fan Chunren, who always took the lead, declined the trip, saying that he had already sent his page to gather information.
"I'm afraid your sister-in-law will be jealous." He said this with his face and ears turning red.
Fusu grinned and made a "hiss," but Su Shi seized the opportunity and teased him with ill intent: "So, Senior Brother Fan, you're certain you'll be on the list?"
Fan Chunren pondered for a moment: "More or less."
He then earnestly instructed, "The list of successful candidates will surely be a mixed bag. If you two are going together, you might as well bring Zigu along. If all else fails, you can sit here with me and wait for the page to return."
"No way! Senior Brother Zeng is so old-fashioned, he'll spoil the fun of us watching people catch their sons-in-law."
Fan Chunren said helplessly, "Alright then, you must be careful and remember to come back safely."
"Also, never mention that you are a student of the Imperial Academy when you are arguing, lest you embarrass the academy."
Fusu: "..."
Su Shi: "..."
They exchanged a glance, and Fusu accused, "Senior brother, you've changed! When did you turn bad?"
Fan Chunren laughed loudly.
Perhaps his advice had an effect, for Fusu and Su Shi traveled together without incident, their journey proceeding smoothly and without any quarrels. When they arrived at the place where the results were posted, they saw from afar a bustling crowd, shoulder to shoulder.
Fusu swallowed hard: "What should we do?"
Su Shi: "Squeeze!"
They made full use of their strengths, maneuvering through the crowd thanks to their height. People only felt a jostling force near their thighs, as if something had slipped past like an eel. The two quickly reached the vicinity of where the results were posted.
But soon, the disadvantages of their small stature became obvious—even if they looked up, they couldn't see the list at all, only a dense crowd of heads.
Fusu hissed.
He had originally intended to ask Su Shi if anyone nearby would be kind enough to lift them up and let them see the list of successful candidates. But Su Shi turned his head and made a "shh" gesture at him: "Listen carefully."
What are you listening to?
Fusu's little ears twitched. In the noisy crowd, a voice that kept repeating itself gathered into a wave of sound and entered his ears.
Where is Zhao Zongsu?
Where is Zhao Zongsu, the top scholar in the imperial examination?
Zhao Zongsu, isn't that his alias? The top scholar in the imperial examination?
Fusu's mind went blank for a moment. He wanted to listen again to make sure he hadn't misheard, but Su Shi had already grabbed his arm with a joyful expression and started shaking it up and down and left and right: "Young Master Zhao, it seems you've passed the imperial examination with top honors!"
Fusu was shocked, his vision blurred with dizziness, but the flurry of missing person posters that had been going on and on suddenly fell silent. A deep voice rang out right next to Fusu's ear: "Your father is Zhao Zongsu? He passed the imperial examination with top honors?"
Fusu: "Huh?"
It wasn't his father, it was him. His father is in the Chuigong Hall.
Suddenly, he understood why these people were looking for "Zhao Zongsu". They were looking for the top scholar in the list of successful candidates, but it wasn't him. Who else could it be but a merchant looking for a son-in-law in the list of successful candidates?
The man, presumably the leader of the merchant's servants, sized up Fusu and muttered to himself, "Having a son is a pity. But with a son this handsome, the father must be quite good-looking too. Oh well, he's a good match for my young lady, so..."
Fusu's face instantly showed fear.
No, no, no, neither his father nor he wanted to be a Chen Shimei (a notorious traitor in Chinese folklore)! Bao Zheng (a famous Chinese empress) also didn't want to commit regicide, really!
Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he feigned innocence and cuteness: "Uncle, you must have misheard. Zhao Zongsu isn't my father."
"Heh." The head servant sneered, "At such a young age, you can already lie without batting an eye. No wonder you're the son of a top scholar. I just clearly heard the young man next to you call you 'Young Master Zhao' and mention the words 'top scholar'."
He then pointed to the imperial edict behind him: "Take another look. Among the successful candidates on this list, which one has the surname Zhao? Do you think everyone is qualified to have the surname Zhao?"
Fusu: "...I'm telling the truth."
Whether in his past life or this life, he is the one most qualified to bear the surname Zhao.
Faced with this dramatic turn of events, he quickly accepted the honor of having achieved the top scholar rank in the imperial examinations. There was no trepidation, no "impersonation syndrome," only the worry of how to escape his current predicament.
It's clear that this merchant, who immediately claims his daughter is a perfect match for the top scholar and acts like he's forcing a sale, probably comes from a powerful family. But I can't make a scene or lead the merchant's servants towards the palace; otherwise, if the Emperor finds out about this farce, what will become of his reputation?!
Fusu looked around again. Those who had been frantically searching for someone had all stopped. The area was packed with people, and rushing out would surely result in someone being trampled and injured.
It seems there's only one way.
They would pretend to agree first, then slip away from the group once they reached a sparsely populated area and make their escape.
Fusu's bright eyes darted around: "Alright, I'll take you to find my father."
Su Shi was taken aback: No, are you really looking for me or just pretending?
But he had no time to hesitate, for at the leader's command, a large group of people followed Fusu away. Left with no other choice, he could only follow, his heart pounding: Where would Zhao Xiaolang take them? The Imperial Academy? Or the Palace?
Leaving the bustling crowd below the list of successful candidates and entering the streets of Bianjing, this unusual group began to swagger through the city. The head servant, oblivious to their surroundings, kept subtly probing, trying to get Fusu to say more about "Zhao Zongsu."
Fusu was observing the surrounding road conditions and had no time to spare for covering up his lie.
Knowing full well that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make, he evaded the question by saying, "As for my father, I'll take you to see him and you'll know what he's like."
They didn't hide it from anyone; everyone around could hear them.
Unexpectedly, a passerby suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stepped forward, reached out and stopped Fusu and his entourage, looked Fusu up and down, and frowned deeply.
"You said you wanted to take him to see your father? What kind of behavior is that?"
The head servant, filled with anticipation, blurted out, "Could you be his father?"
Only a father would dare to discipline his son like that, right?
He's so handsome, and even looks his age.
passerby: "..."
Passerby: "…………"
What the hell?! This is even more outrageous!
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Author's Note: How many times have I been asked to be someone's father?
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