Chapter 209 The Top Scholar! (First Update)
The Imperial College received the news yesterday that the results would be released today, so the Imperial College simply gave all the students of the six halls a holiday.
Elementary education was unrelated to the imperial examinations; classes were held normally.
In the past, it was always Xiao Liulang who had a holiday, and Xiao Jingkong who had a holiday. But now it was Xiao Jingkong's turn to go to school alone, and Xiao Jingkong looked resentful.
"Who says students of elementary education have nothing to do with the imperial examinations? I have to go and see how my son at home did on the exams!" Little Jingkong carried his schoolbag, his little hands behind his back, leaned forward slightly, and walked with the same steps that Grandpa Zhao next door took when he went for a walk.
His little face was scrunched up, and he was sighing, looking utterly distressed.
This is the kind of scene that Grandpa Zhao looks like when he's worrying about his youngest son, who's the most troublesome of his sons.
Xiao Liulang wasn't in a hurry to check the results, but the neighbors flocked there; they had placed bets and needed to see if they had won.
Feng Lin and Lin Chengye also went. They got up in the middle of the night and waited at the entrance of the examination hall.
Along with them, there were many other eager test takers waiting.
At Chenshi (7-9 AM), the gates of the examination hall opened, and two guards came out to post the list of successful candidates on the notice board.
Because the results of the imperial examinations were announced during the season when apricot blossoms were in full bloom, the list of successful candidates was also called the Apricot List.
Feng Lin and Lin Chengye were the first to rush forward, taking the lead at the top of the list.
They started looking down from the first-place winner.
"No way?"
They both exclaimed in unison that they were stunned.
The first place is Xiao Liulang.
But it wasn't just Xiao Liulang.
Even Prince An is here!
This year's Xingbang has produced two top scholars!
This is what left the two dumbfounded. Others may not understand Xiao Liulang's strength, but how could they not understand after being tutored by him for so long?
However, Prince An was indeed formidable, and his family background far surpassed that of Xiao Liulang, so it was not surprising to them that Prince An won first place.
Strangely enough, they tied for first place.
Never before in the entire history of the Zhao Kingdom has anything so shocking happened.
There's actually a reason for this.
In the imperial examination, only those who produce the complete first-class paper are qualified to become the top scholar. Generally, the chief examiner will not allow two complete first-class papers to appear in a single imperial examination, meaning there can only be one top scholar.
There was a slight mishap during this test.
Thanks to the cheating copyist, Prince An's exam paper was postponed, while Xiao Liulang's exam paper was reviewed first.
After the examiners finished grading all the papers from the three sessions, they selected the top two hundred papers with the highest overall scores and handed them over to the two vice presidents.
These exam papers are not separated into individual sessions; the three sessions are grouped together according to their numbers and called one set.
Among these exam papers, those that all the examiners marked with an A were called "small full A papers".
The small complete set of A scrolls fell into the hands of two senior and junior officers, and they obtained two more A scrolls, which was then called the complete set of A scrolls.
When the two presidents and vice presidents were grading the exam paper numbered sixty-nine, they were instantly amazed by the candidate's abilities.
The vice presidents this time are all students of Grand Tutor Zhuang. Naturally, they are biased towards Prince An when they become presidents. They also had some understanding of Prince An's test-taking style beforehand.
To be honest, when they saw this copied exam paper, they both felt that it didn't quite resemble Prince An's writing style.
But this exam paper was so well done, so exquisite, that it was beyond imagination and was indescribably excellent.
Apart from Prince An, no one else in the world could produce such a remarkable article.
So even though they felt something was off, the two were convinced it was Prince An's exam paper and unanimously gave it two A grades.
Xiao Liulang's exam paper thus received the highest grade.
On the last day, when they were grading the real Prince An's exam paper, a sense of familiarity washed over them. Although they were unwilling to admit it, this seemed to be the Prince An's writing style!
But if this is Prince An, then who is that?
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the two could not revert to their previous complete manuscript. Adding words like Gu Chengfeng did was easy, but erasing the words was impossible.
The two had no choice but to bite the bullet and give Prince An two more armors.
In the past, when this situation occurred, the list of successful candidates and their examination papers would be sent to the palace for the emperor and the cabinet to make a decision.
The exam paper still only had a number, not a name.
However, everyone knew perfectly well that one of them must be for Prince An.
After reviewing the examination papers, the emperor did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he summoned Grand Tutor Zhuang and asked him to choose for himself.
Grand Tutor Zhuang sneered inwardly. What was there to choose? In this day and age, could any scoundrel be compared to his grandson?
However, after looking at the two exam papers with disdain, he suddenly fell silent.
He was the grandfather of Prince An, so of course he could recognize which style of writing belonged to Prince An.
The emperor asked, "Should we summon other cabinet ministers to select the examination papers?"
Grand Tutor Zhuang cupped his hands and said, "No need, leave everything to His Majesty's decision."
The emperor smiled and said, "I think both of these exam papers are good. How about we rank them both first? What do you think, Grand Tutor?"
Grand Tutor Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty is wise."
The fact that Grand Tutor Zhuang could tolerate another person ranking first alongside his grandson shows just how excellent that person's exam paper must have been.
There's absolutely no way to criticize it.
If there was even the slightest point of contention, Grand Tutor Zhuang would never allow this tie for first place.
However, the emperor could not suppress Prince An all at once.
The cabinet is still under the control of Grand Tutor Zhuang. If candidates want to enter officialdom, they must first fall into the hands of Grand Tutor Zhuang.
In a corner of the palace, the voices of two men could be heard from behind a large tree.
"What kind of work is this? Wasn't it supposed to be taken away? How did it reappear?"
"Lord Tong said that he did indeed hide Prince An's exam paper, but for some reason, Prince An's exam paper reappeared on the last day. He suspected that it was haunted."
"Where in the world are there ghosts?"
"If it's not a ghost story, but something deliberate, then why doesn't the other party expose Lord Tong?"
"That's true."
"So... what's the next step?"
"What next step is there? The results are already out, do you think we can retake the exam?"
The original plan was to lose Prince An's exam paper. With the Zhuang family's influence, it wouldn't be difficult to find out that the exam paper was lost, and they would definitely find a way to make the imperial examination take place again.
They were unable to sabotage the first round of the imperial examination because they only learned of Prince An's weakness two days before the examination.
By then, they didn't have time for a thorough plan, so they could only use a roundabout method to make the imperial examination retaken. They would cause some mishaps in the examination hall, delaying the opening of the exam papers. If Prince An couldn't see the exam papers at night, he would naturally fail.
"What a pity!"
Xiao Liulang and Prince An both won the top prize in the imperial examination, causing Qingfeng Tower to suffer huge financial losses.
Gu Jiao's 1,000 taels of silver successfully became 11,000 taels of silver. She was overjoyed!
The neighbors in Bishui Hutong all bet on Xiao Liulang to come in first place, and he did indeed come in first. Isn't being tied for first place still considered first? The imperial court has already bestowed the title of top scholar; would a small place like Qingfeng Tower dare to deny it?
The Qingfeng Tower was filled with mournful cries.
The neighbors made a fortune and rushed to find the old lady to play card games.
Old lady: Hmm, very good. My wallet is bulging, the sheep are fat, it's time to start slaughtering!
They're all hers!
The old chief priest had just returned from outside and stepped off the carriage when the old lady grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the neighbor's house, where Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao were playing cards!
My main responsibility is to carry the money!
Feng Lin also passed the exam this time, but he was almost at the bottom, ranking 176th out of 210.
During the provincial examination, he ranked seventeenth in Youzhou, but in the spring examination in the capital, he ranked over one hundred and seventy. This disparity is heartbreaking.
However, he was considered to have done well in the exam. Several people who ranked ahead of him in the Youzhou provincial examination failed, and there weren't many who made the list ahead of him.
This is truly a battle of gods, it's incredibly brutal!
Lin Chengye also made the list, and his result was quite good, ranking 123rd.
You should know that Youzhou admitted fifty people in total for the provincial examination, and he was ranked forty-fifth. He almost failed to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).
Lin Chengye was so happy he was dumbfounded. The several thousand taels of silver hadn't been wasted. Master Liu Lang was amazing!
Feng Lin nodded deeply, looking at him. No wonder he's a player who's spent money!
Du Ruohan ranked fifteenth on the list.
It was slightly different from what he had imagined. His goal was to be in the top ten, but that was still a very good ranking. After all, it was a national unified exam, and all the students were top students. The exam was held once every three years, and only 210 people were admitted in total.
Du Ruohan was not an overly ambitious person, nor was he overly arrogant or confident. He quickly accepted his achievements and was satisfied with them.
Of course, he also understood that he was able to pass the exam thanks to Gu Jiao. If it weren't for the medicine for his cold that she gave him, he would have collapsed in the first exam.
This is not like the county or prefectural examinations where there is a large gap in ability. All the candidates are top performers. If you do not do well in one subject, you will often leave behind not just a dozen or so places, but the difference between being on the list and being off the list.
That evening, Du Ruohan carried large and small bags of things to Bishui Hutong.
Ever since the news of Xiao Liulang passing the imperial examination with top honors spread, the threshold of his house has been worn down by visitors.
Feng Lin and Lin Chengye also arrived.
Therefore, seeing Du Ruohan wasn't too surprising to Xiao Liulang; it was just what he had in his hand—
Seeing that he was almost full, Xiao Liulang unusually became polite: "It's just that you passed the provincial examination with top honors, there's no need to make such a fuss—"
"Jiao Niang! I'm here!" Du Ruohan ran into the house excitedly.
This is definitely the same style as Feng Lin's.
Xiao Liulang's face darkened.
Just like in Gu Jiao's dream, Xiao Liulang caused the biggest upset in the history of the imperial examination. In fact, because of Prince An, Xiao Liulang's first place was considered even more prestigious by everyone.
Tied for first place with Prince An, how incredibly powerful must this poor boy be?
This news spread much faster than the explosion at the Ministry of Works; it reached the entire capital in a single day.
Naturally, this news also reached the ears of Marquis Xuanping.
Marquis Xuanping gave him a look that said, "Don't try to fool me," and asked, "Who came in first place?"
"Young Master!" Steward Liu said with a grin.
He also bet on Xiao Liulang and won one hundred taels!
Gu Jiao made the bet, and he felt a pang of regret at the time, but now he's overjoyed.
After the initial joy, he felt a pang of regret, wondering why he hadn't brought an extra hundred or eighty taels of silver that day.
Marquis Xuanping's face was full of suspicion. Was he really that capable? And had another genius son?
Something feels off!
"Oh dear, why can't you have a smart son? Isn't the young marquis quite clever?"
Marquis Xuanping was self-aware in some respects. Xiao Heng's intelligence was not due to following in his footsteps; if he had, he would have been a rough and uncultured man.
Xiao Heng took after his mother; he was intelligent, refined, thoughtful, and knowledgeable.
So, whose offspring did this illegitimate child take after? Chen Yunniang? Chen Yunniang was a gentle and kind woman, but she didn't have this kind of brain.
Marquis Xuanping said solemnly, "Summon those old fogies here. Also, bring Xiao Liulang's exam paper."
All the candidates' exam papers were archived by the Ministry of Rites, and ordinary people could not obtain them.
However, Marquis Xuanping was no ordinary person; sometimes he was not even human.
Manager Liu obtained Xiao Liulang's handwritten scroll, and Chang Jing also found several elderly scholars with gray beards and hair, who walked with difficulty.
Marquis Xuanping had them compare Xiao Liulang's calligraphy scroll with Xiao Heng's writings from his lifetime.
Both of their articles amazed the senior scholars.
"Was this written by one person?" Marquis Xuanping asked in a deep voice.
"no."
"It's obviously not."
The older scholars all shook their heads.
"Are you sure?" Marquis Xuanping looked at the group with suspicion.
“My lord, if we can’t even distinguish between two people’s literary talents, then we have lived in vain all these years. Not only are their handwritings different, but their writing styles and ways of thinking are also completely different.”
One is daytime, the other is nighttime.
Xiao Heng's articles are like a gentle breeze, refreshing and uplifting, while Xiao Liulang's articles are like a fierce wind and icy snow, cutting into one's heart like a knife.
If this is the same person, how much pain and torment must they have gone through to scrape their bones like this?
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
