Chapter 49: First Name First Name
At the end of April, after waiting for six full days, until the candidates began to murmur, the results of the provincial examination were finally announced.
The government office was once again crowded with people. In addition to the candidates and their families who were looking at the list, there were also many ordinary people who loved to join in the fun.
There are even people carrying baskets on their shoulders selling small items here, such as walnuts, melon seeds and snacks, and their business is surprisingly good.
Su Fengzhang looked at his second uncle and reluctantly advised, "Second Uncle, if you pass the provincial exam, someone will come to announce the good news. There's absolutely no need for us to wait here."
Second Uncle Su insisted, "Other people can't see as quickly as you can. Besides, when your father passed the exam, it was me who helped him look at the list. Second Uncle is lucky in this area."
After hearing this, Su Fengzhang stopped talking, knowing that this was Uncle Su's obsession.
In fact, the speed at which I read the news might not be as fast as that of others who reported the good news. After all, they had received the news in the yamen before the results were announced and had set off early.
When the list finally came out, the crowd suddenly surged, and Uncle Su used his powerful strength to rush in.
After a while, Second Uncle Su rushed out again with a somewhat crazy look, grabbing Su Fengzhang's hand and saying, "First place, first place, Erlang, you are the first in the provincial examination."
The people around were in an uproar. The candidates were naturally envious and jealous, but the onlookers didn't care about that and came over to congratulate him. It took Su Fengzhang a long time to squeeze out of the crowd.
On the way back, Second Uncle Su couldn't stop smiling, saying, "You look like my elder brother, so I knew you would pass the exam."
As a result, when I just got back, I happened to see two yamen runners coming out happily, one holding a purse in his hand.
Seeing them coming back, Wenzhu quickly greeted them, "Fengzhang, congratulations on winning first place."
It turned out that these two people were the ones who came to announce the good news. They happened to bump into each other at the gate, so naturally they congratulated each other again.
Uncle Su quickly took out a handful of copper coins and stuffed them into the two yamen runners. The two did not expect such a pleasant surprise, and they did not mind that the copper coins were too few, and accepted them with a smile.
As soon as they left, Mr. Wen frowned slightly and said, "Those two officials didn't just come to announce the good news. They also brought a message from the prefect, asking you to go to the yamen tomorrow. He will host a banquet for you."
Su Fengzhang noticed that his expression was not right and asked curiously, "Sir, why are you so upset? Isn't it normal for the prefect to hold a banquet after the prefectural examination?"
Mr. Wen just sighed, shook his head and said, "I hope I'm overthinking it."
The private banquet of the prefect, Lord Fang, was held in the evening of the second day. The time was indeed a bit tight. The results of the prefectural examination had not been announced for a long time, and now that the results had just been announced, he was in a hurry to hold a banquet. I don’t know what Lord Fang was busy with.
The next afternoon, Su Fengzhang rushed to the government office early to attend the banquet.
The Wen family was not too far from the government office, and the carriage soon stopped outside the office.
The place where the prefect held the banquet was inside the yamen behind the government office. The entire government office covered a large area. The front was the court, and the backyard was where the local officials lived. Some officials who did not have houses in the local area would also live in the back.
Su Fengzhang was very familiar with this layout. After all, he also lived with his father in the backyard of the county magistrate's office.
Su Fengzhang walked into the gate and looked around at the decoration. As a prefect's residence, the backyard was not too big, but it was decorated very artistically. What surprised him was that there was not much decoration in the courtyard, and even the lanterns on the trees were old.
It was still twilight at this time, but the lanterns were already lit. Even so, the courtyard still felt a little dim, with a strange and ominous atmosphere.
When Su Fengzhang arrived, some people were already there. In the end, fifty people were admitted in this provincial examination. Since the prefect had invited them, these students naturally did not dare to refuse and all came.
As soon as Su Fengzhang walked in, he attracted the attention of the students present. Firstly, he was the top scorer in the provincial examination, and secondly, he stood out from the crowd in height and had an outstanding appearance.
"Our Qingzhou Prefecture's top candidate Su is here. I'm so sorry for my disrespect." This person was a candidate from Hushan County and recognized Su Fengzhang.
"You're welcome, Brother Xu." Su Fengzhang spoke in a distanced manner. After a while, he became close to everyone present. His identity as the number one was useful, and the students who came in later were also willing to say hello to him.
"I didn't expect Brother Su to be so young. He is truly a young talent in Qingzhou Prefecture."
"I am Wang Dahai from Linzhou County, honored to meet Mr. Su."
"Yes, I wonder if I will have a chance to spar with Brother Su and learn from him later."
"Why don't we wait until after the private banquet and find a place to have a drink together and exchange ideas."
There is no best in literature. Gradually, these words took on a bit of tension. The students around showed meaningful smiles, and it was obvious that they were very happy to see Su Fengzhang being besieged.
If he can handle it, these students will naturally be willing to communicate. If he can't, then the first place will be unfounded.
Su Fengzhang naturally wouldn't show his fear at this time, and said with a smile: "If you brothers are sincere in making an appointment, I naturally have no reason to refuse."
He agreed directly, which made those students afraid to go too far. After all, Su Fengzhang was the first in the county examination of Hushan County, and now he won the first in the prefectural examination of Qingzhou Prefecture. It can be seen that he is definitely not incompetent.
With these two first cases in his hands, unless something unexpected happens, he will be the real scholar. It is a sure thing. It can be difficult but it cannot be too awkward. Everyone present understands this.
"The prefect is here." At this moment, a bailiff shouted loudly.
The scene suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked towards the entrance at the same time, shouting in unison: "Students greet the prefect."
The prefect Fang Zhiwen looked to be about forty years old, with slightly gray hair at the temples and a very short beard. He was still wearing his official uniform, and his face was very calm, showing no emotion.
Su Fengzhang subconsciously felt that Mr. Fang was not in such a good mood.
Fang Zhiwen's mood was indeed not so good. He swept his eyes over the people present and lingered on Su Fengzhang for a while, but it was not noticeable.
Soon, Fang Zhiwen raised the wine glass in his hand and said with a smile: "You are all talented people of our great Zhou Dynasty. I would like to toast you first. I hope that all of you will serve the country in the future."
After saying that, he drank a full glass of wine.
"Thank you, Mr. Prefect." At this time, no matter whether you can drink or not, you have to drink this glass anyway.
Fang Zhiwen put down his wine glass and continued, "Since you are a young and talented person from our Great Zhou, and a future pillar of the country, as a local official, I have a favor to ask of you today."
"Please go ahead and speak, Your Excellency. It would be a blessing for us to serve you," a student in his early forties said first.
Su Fengzhang's bad premonition grew stronger, but when he looked back, he saw that almost everyone present felt the same way.
Fang Zhiwen nodded and continued, "I admire your kindness."
"Since taking office as the prefect of Qingzhou, I have worked diligently and conscientiously for the country and its people. This is how Qingzhou recovered from the devastating flood. However, I cannot sleep peacefully until the Qingjiang River is cleared. This matter concerns countless people in Jiangnan, and it is truly unbearable for me to swallow. Therefore, I am asking for your help."
This confused the listeners. Everyone knew the importance of managing Qingjiang River, but this was not something that a few scholars could decide.
"Master Fang, we are just students. How can we possibly help with such a major undertaking as governing Qingjiang?"
Fang Zhiwen smiled and said, "You are naturally not capable of governing Qingjiang, but the imperial envoy sent by the court has arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture. He will be responsible for governing the area, but he needs your help with a small favor."
Su Fengzhang suddenly thought of those Feiyu suits. Even if they were imperial envoys, they could not wear Feiyu suits unless they were guards of the royal family, unless the person coming this time was a prince or a prince.
Su Fengzhang quickly recalled that there were indeed princes in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but they were the uncle of the current emperor, who was nearly seventy years old and unlikely to be sent out to govern Qingjiang. So the only possibility was the prince.
But what is more important now is what exactly does the prefect want them to do for you?
"Please speak frankly, Lord Fang. We are willing to do our best to help."
Su Fengzhang thought to himself that this was not good, but sure enough, the next moment Lord Fang chuckled softly: "Good, good, you have ambition."
"Your Excellency, the Imperial Commissioner has no shortage of civilians to serve in the administration of Qingjiang, but he lacks people who can read, write, and do math. Qingzhou Prefecture is still under reconstruction, and we can't spare that many officials. This is why I thought of you, the students."
"You are all literate, able to write and do math, and have no official duties to attend to. Aren't you the best candidates?"
"Since you are all determined to pass the imperial examinations, you must want to serve your country. Since this is the case, sooner or later, it will be the same. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate your abilities and avoid wasting time on empty talk?"
Before the words were finished, the faces of the students present changed drastically, and one of them even shouted out in disbelief, "Service?"
Lord Fang simply explained: "It doesn't count as military service, I just went there to help."
Having said that, everyone knows the difficulty of managing the Qingjiang River. In previous years, the corvée labor for dredging and managing the Qingjiang River was the heaviest, and the local people were most resistant and fearful of it.
Not to mention anything else, the officials who went with them all complained bitterly, and some even died from this corvee labor.
Those present were all locals from Qingzhou Prefecture, so they naturally understood this matter. Although they wanted to serve the Great Zhou, they had no intention of going to serve. In fact, many of them had families that were conditionally exempt from corvee labor.
The student who had been the most active was the most shocked. He shouted, "Master Fang, my father is a Juren (academic scholar), so I don't need to serve in the army. Moreover, I have been weak since childhood. If I go, I am afraid I will die. I hope you will understand."
He started to complain:
"Yes, I'd like to support the soup kitchen, but the idea of serving in the army is unthinkable. I'd only cause more trouble if I went."
"We are here to take the imperial examinations, not to perform forced labor. How can you be so casual?"
"My mother is waiting for me to return home, sir, this is absolutely unacceptable."
For a moment, the students were noisy and in chaos. Su Fengzhang also frowned, but he felt that even if they complained to the end, it was unlikely that Lord Fang would change his mind. He seemed amiable, but he was a man of final say.
Suddenly, a slightly hoarse voice came from the middle hall: "Whoever is unwilling, stand up and let this prince see."
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