Chapter 109, while not quite passing, is also considered to have passed...
What time is it?
It was already time to officially announce the results.
Because I went to bed late, by the time I rushed to check the list of successful candidates, I couldn't squeeze into the crowd that had been waiting at the government office for a long time.
After Guo Baiwen got up, he didn't forget to take a look at Lin Zhongbin's room.
As soon as I pushed the door open, I found it empty inside.
The people inside had already left sometime earlier.
Guo Baiwen couldn't help but gasp, unsure whether to admire or marvel at how someone could be so drunk as to still be able to check the results before they were released.
Unable to check the results in time and unable to find anyone, he could only wait in the inn where he was staying, along with other candidates, for the messenger to deliver the good news.
I wonder what the situation is like at the government office where the results were posted.
Guo Baiwen took a sip of hot tea, but couldn't resist standing by the window, gazing at the Examination Yuan not far away.
The vermilion gate was tightly closed, and there was no trace of the bustling scene that once teemed with people.
The Examination Yuan and the government office were not in the same place. At that time, in order to be closer to the examination venue, most people would choose to stay in inns and hostels near the Examination Yuan.
Now, considering that the government office is at least five streets away, even someone with superhuman vision wouldn't be able to see the list of successful candidates.
Well, whether it's a few hours earlier or a few hours later, we'll find out eventually anyway.
In the lobby of the inn, many candidates who dared not look at the list of successful candidates were sitting in small groups, quietly discussing who would be the top scorer in this year's provincial examination.
Discussing the question of whether one will pass the exam is more likely to attract attention than discussing whether one will pass the exam.
Everyone was talking at once, mentioning all sorts of names.
The top scorer in the previous prefectural examination should have the highest probability of becoming the top scorer in this provincial examination, but other counties also have their own top scorers in the county examination, and they were also among the top scorers in the last prefectural examination.
This time, the discussion was largely due to the division of the population, and surprisingly, quite a few names of candidates for the top scorer in the provincial examination suddenly emerged.
It is only at this time that everyone can temporarily put their achievements aside.
Although the pressure was immense for the nominated candidates, it also livened up the previously subdued atmosphere considerably.
However, the excitement didn't last long. Among the people sitting below, some with sharp ears could hear the sound of gongs and drums getting closer and closer.
Before everyone's attention could be fully focused on the door, "bang—" the waiter, disheveled, nearly bumped into the wooden door in front of the inn.
His shoes were hanging precariously on his feet, but he clearly didn't care. He just shouted to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper! The list is out! The county government's teams have already started reporting the good news!"
This sound was no less than a thunderclap, instantly shattering the peaceful atmosphere in the hall.
Some people unconsciously swallowed, and many others immediately stood up from their benches upon hearing the sound.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly followed to the main entrance.
Every year when the results are released, besides the candidates and their families, the most nervous people are the owners of guesthouses and hostels.
If many of the students staying here pass their exams, we can use that as a lucky reason to "reasonably" raise the room rates again.
No matter what, this year, Jinbang Inn absolutely cannot lose to the neighboring Jidi Inn!
With this thought in mind, the waiter had just moved aside from his spot by the door when the procession announcing good news approached, making a lot of noise.
I don't know if this good news was sent to someone who passed the imperial examination or to someone who passed with flying colors.
The once bustling hall fell silent, and everyone's eyes lit up as the procession bringing good news drew ever closer.
Taking the imperial examination was no easy feat. Not only did it cost money to hire someone to vouch for you, but the expenses for entering the examination hall and staying in a hotel were also considerable.
For students from impoverished families, taking an exam is tantamount to gambling away everything their family has.
Everyone shared the same thought, so upon seeing the approaching procession bringing good news, they went straight into the Jidi Inn across the street.
Besides the test takers, the owner of the Golden List Inn was also disappointed.
However, there were many such teams bringing good news today, and everyone's disappointment didn't last long before it was quickly dispelled by the teams that followed them into the Golden List Inn.
The team announcing the good news did so gradually, from the lowest to the highest ranking on the list.
Therefore, those who receive the good news first, even if they pass the college entrance examination, are not necessarily the best.
Everyone was holding their breath, eagerly awaiting their share of good news.
Guo Baiwen was no exception.
He only learned when he was preparing to take the academy exam that the list of those who passed the exam, which was officially two hundred people, was actually divided into different levels.
The top forty candidates in the provincial examination were called "Linsheng". In addition to the privileges that Xiucai (scholars) normally enjoyed, they would receive a monthly Linsheng allowance, consisting of six dou of rice and a small amount of silver.
Although the other candidates who ranked lower were also scholars, they did not receive a monthly stipend and could not vouch for other candidates who took the exam.
However, those who excel can be selected as "linsheng" (students with stipends) through an annual examination.
Becoming a student of the Imperial Academy in one fell swoop would be the best outcome, since in addition to the monthly stipend, the fact that one could be exempted from the imperial examinations and directly participate in the provincial examinations was already something to be envied.
Even so, despite receiving the good news of a lower ranking, everyone's happiness was genuine.
With so many students failing the exam every year, it's already quite an achievement to pass.
As the line of people delivering their congratulatory messages grew denser, Guo Baiwen watched as the student sitting next to him also received his own congratulatory message.
It's impossible not to feel anxious.
Just then, Lin Zhongbin, who had been missing all morning, came running in through the inn's main gate, carrying an oil paper package of unknown origin.
"Yi Zhang!"
At the boss's command, Guo Baiwen instinctively raised his hand.
I watched helplessly as he carried the things in his hands and sat down next to me.
Amidst the cheers and laughter of the examinees and their congratulatory procession, Guo Baiwen could still clearly hear Lin Zhongbin's next words.
"Yizhang! I just checked this morning, you passed the exam!"
These words were spoken in a plain tone, yet they seemed to come out at an unusually fast pace.
It was so fast it felt like Guo Baiwen's own hallucination. He instinctively grabbed Lin Zhongbin's arm and couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah?"
Lin Zhongbin patted the back of his hand and deliberately raised his voice, "I! Talk about you! This time! You passed the exam!"
This time he finally heard it clearly, and Guo Baiwen was about to grab the person and ask them for details.
Over there, a new team delivering good news had already stepped into the gates of the Golden List Inn, and loudly asked at the entrance, "May I ask, is Guo Baiwen, the scholar from Xiuning County, here?"
Now, there was no need to ask Lin Zhongbin anymore. Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue, who were sitting, subconsciously stood up.
The man at the head of the procession saw the two people who had stood up from a short distance away, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "May I ask if you are Guo, the student from Xiuning County?"
The innkeeper reacted even faster than him, and fearing that the procession would leave, he quickly agreed and hurriedly made way for him, "Yes, yes, this is the one."
When the procession arrived, the leader suddenly unfurled the rolled-up news report.
When Guo Baiwen saw the words 'Yisi year, Qianzhou prefectural examination, 151st place, Guojia Village, Xiuning County, Guo Baiwen…' written on it, he came to his senses and realized that everything he had just witnessed was not a hallucination.
"It's me! It's me! I passed!"
The red congratulatory notice was so eye-catching. Guo Baiwen stared at the words on it, his lips unconsciously curving upwards. He carefully looked back and forth at the ranking of 151 for a moment.
Only then did they carefully put the things away.
Chen Baoyue couldn't hide her joy after hearing Guo Baiwen say that she had passed away. The money she had been carrying as a precaution was now finally able to be taken out openly from her sleeve.
Besides the team announcing the good news, the innkeeper also gave some food to everyone sitting at the table.
Each money pouch contained only a small amount, around thirty or fifty coins, so giving it away wouldn't hurt too much, nor would it make one seem too stingy.
After receiving the money, the crowd naturally offered a few words of congratulations and good wishes.
The scene was peaceful for a while.
After seeing off the team bringing good news, Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue looked at each other with smiles on their faces, unable to stop smiling.
Just as Guo Baiwen sat down, he turned his head and saw Lin Zhongbin staring longingly at the well-preserved newsletter in his hand.
Guo Baiwen, who had just been immersed in joy, suddenly came to his senses. When Lin Zhongbin returned, he only said that Guo had passed this time, but he didn't mention his own performance at all.
Could it be?
Lin Zhongbin noticed his gaze, subconsciously raised the corners of his mouth, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, "Yizhang, congratulations on achieving your goal in this exam!"
After saying that, he looked a little embarrassed, "I didn't get such good results in this exam."
Upon hearing this, Guo Baiwen immediately felt that the good news in his hand was burning hot.
"This, this, then you—"
He wasn't a very good talker to begin with, and at this moment, he suddenly had even less idea what to say.
If he had known the news before receiving the good news, perhaps he could have said some comforting words to Lin Zhongbin.
But now that he has won the lottery and Lin Zhongbin has lost, whatever he says seems somewhat ambiguous.
Fortunately, Lin Zhongbin seemed to have come to terms with it before he returned. He opened the oil paper bag he had been carrying all the way back, which contained things like the exam luck charms he had bought in front of the prefectural government office.
He handed a packet to Guo Baiwen and then said, "Actually, it's not so bad. Although it's said that it didn't pass, if you really want to say it, it should be considered as passing?"
The words were a mouthful, and Guo Baiwen repeated them to himself twice but still didn't understand. He asked sincerely, "So what exactly is it—" Is it over or not?
"I made it onto the supplementary list of candidates for this year's provincial examination." Lin Zhongbin winked at him.
After the group returned to their rooms upstairs from the lobby, Guo Baiwen finally understood what Lin Zhongbin meant by "secondary list".
Generally speaking, only those candidates who made it onto the official list of the provincial examinations were considered true scholars.
However, because there are many students taking the exam each time, in addition to the two hundred candidates on the main list, there will be an additional supplementary list of about twenty people.
If a vacancy arises on the main list—like the lawyer I met in Xiuning County last time, who was stripped of his scholar title, or someone died—the candidates on the supplementary list will be added in order of their ranking from highest to lowest.
In general, the candidates on the supplementary list are those who have excellent grades but were not admitted, and they can still enter the prefectural or county schools.
Even if there are no vacancies in the end, as long as candidates pass the annual examinations of the prefectural or county schools, those who rank first or second can be promoted to Xiucai (a scholar who has passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).
That's why Lin Zhongbin just said that he didn't pass this time, but he also passed it in a way.
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