Zheng and Mr. Shen were afraid of affecting Mu Erpang's mood, so they didn't go to see him off to take the exam for several days.
In the days after Mu Erpang finished his exams, the two elders were still extremely anxious.
On the day of the announcement of the results, they still said they would not go. Since they were illiterate anyway, they asked Chen Cui to take Mu Erpang to see the results, and they could just come back and let them know.
But having said that, they had not slept all night and their eyes were bloodshot.
Chen Cui said, "Dad and Mom, let's go together. You're also restless at home. The sooner you go, the sooner you can see the doctor, and you'll be less anxious."
Mu Erpang also nodded, "Besides, there will be a lot of people where the results are announced. What if my mother and I can't squeeze in..."
Hearing that he could help, Zheng and Mr. Shen didn't say anything and immediately followed him out.
It was just daybreak and the neighbors nearby had just gotten up and had not yet left their homes.
When we got near the place where the results were announced, it was crowded with people.
Before the county examination, a round case is issued, and the final ranking is issued in a long case. In order to prevent duplicate names, not only each person's name must be written, but also the words "local people" must be written next to the name.
Although Yongnian County is not a large place, other similar counties may only produce 20 to 30 people in the county examination every year. And because there is a well-established Qingzhu Academy here, the literary style is also quite popular.
Therefore, there are forty or fifty people on the list every year.
A long case involving forty or fifty people would seem a bit difficult.
Mr. Shen and Mrs. Zheng immediately surrounded the mother and son and helped them squeeze forward.
"What are you squeezing for?"
"That's right, even if you squeeze forward you may not be on the list!"
Because those who had come before had already seen the rankings, many people knew that they or the scholars in their families were not on the list, and they felt resentful and said unpleasant things.
Normally, Zheng would always argue with others, but this time, she was only thinking about Mu Erpang's grades, and she rarely talked back.
Coincidentally, they later met the He brothers. The two brothers came from Xiaohe Village, so even though they didn't sleep all night and got up before dawn, they still came here at this moment.
With the help of these two brothers, Shen Cui and his team made much progress smoothly and could see the words on the long table clearly.
Zheng was in the front, responsible for clearing the way, and was the first to see the notice.
Before the others could see clearly, they heard her trembling lips saying: "Mumumu..."
Although Zheng could not read many words, he knew the word "Mu"!
The first place in the county examination was Mu Hanshan from Shuiyun Village!
Mu Erpang was also a little surprised. Although he performed well in the first four games, the last game... So it was the new ideas he came up with on the spot that made up for his lack of talent in poetry and prose?
"It really is the top case!" Shen Cui's heart beat faster as she spoke.
Knowing her son's level well, Shen Cui thought he should be in the top five this time, but she didn't expect him to get first place!
Especially when she recalled how he had worked diligently for five winters and six summers in the past few years, Shen Cui's eyes became a little hot.
"Congratulations, Brother Mu!" He Qing and He Yan said in unison, both with genuine smiles on their faces.
The people who were watching the list nearby heard their conversation to some extent, and their reactions varied. Some people were already ecstatic to see that their names were on the list, but when they heard that the top candidate was right next to them, they took a closer look and saw that he was a teenager who was only as tall as their chin. The joy on their faces suddenly disappeared by half, and their expressions became complicated. Some people whose names were not on the list were already dumbfounded, pale as a ghost, and fell to the ground when they heard this... Fortunately, there were many people in front of the list, and the people next to them reached out and supported them.
The government office had also been prepared. In addition to the police officers, there was also a doctor who had been dispatched in advance to the place where the results were announced. He immediately came over and carried the man aside for treatment.
It really is true that some are happy while others are sad.
Later, Mu Erpang asked Shen Cui to take Zheng and Mr. Shen to stand aside first - the two elders were so excited that Zheng kept crying and Mr. Shen's eyes also turned red.
Shen Cui took them aside to rest and calmed their overly excited emotions.
Mu Erpang accompanied He Qing and He Yan to see their rankings.
Turning around, they met Zhang Zian in the crowd again.
Zhang Zian was very aware of his own level, so he looked from the end to the front. Now the two groups met in the middle.
It was on this section of the list that they all saw Zhang Zian’s name—he ranked 20th.
He Qing's name was not far from his, and he ranked 26th.
He Qing and Zhang Zian congratulated each other, and then they fell silent at the same time.
Because Mu Erpang and the other three were watching from the front, and Zhang Zian was watching from the back, neither side saw He Yan's name.
"Look at it again. I was just worried about myself and might have missed something!" Zhang Zian said.
He Qing and Mu Erpang each took one of He Yan's hands and looked back.
At this time, most of the people who were rushing to see the list had already finished, so the pressure of the crowd was suddenly reduced, and the four of them could see it all the way without any obstruction.
Zhang Zian did not miss it. He Yan’s name was not on the list.
Later, they were silent. Instead, He Yan smiled and said, "It's okay. My brother took four years to pass the exam, and I only took two years! Don't let those of you who passed the exam look gloomy because of me. That would really make me unhappy!"
He Yan's smile was somewhat forced, but he was really happy for everyone. As he spoke, he put one hand on He Qing's shoulder and held Mu Erpang with the other hand, "Especially Brother Mu, you got the first place in the county exam at such a young age. Although I didn't pass the exam this year, I am lucky to have met you!"
He was indeed open-minded, and Mu Erpang and the others finally felt relieved.
"Let me treat you," said Mu Erpang, "Let's find a small stall to have breakfast, so we can have some conversation."
The others nodded, and Mu Erpang prepared to go back and report to Shen Cui.
At this moment, a shrill scream broke out from the crowd that had not yet completely dispersed.
"How is that possible? How could I not be on the list?"
The voice sounded very familiar, and several people immediately recognized that the person screaming was Huang Junping!
Every year when the county examination results are announced, there are students who express their dismay. But after all, it is only the first examination. If you fail, there is only one examination every year. If you fail this year, there is always next year. Passing the exam is just the first step in the scientific examination. It is rare to see someone so crazy.
Therefore, the crowd that was about to disperse gathered together again at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Mu Erpang and the others who were standing in front of the list were forced to move forward because they didn't have time to push away.
So they saw with their own eyes that Huang Junping had disheveled hair and was crying and shouting like a madman, while the head of the Huang family who came with him had his eyes wide open, as if he had not expected this situation. By the time he reacted and wanted to comfort Huang Junping, he was also separated from the crowd.
Seeing that the officers with swords were about to come over after hearing the noise, Zhang Zian looked at Mu Erpang and the others pleadingly, and they worked together to rush forward and hold back Huang Junping who was about to lie on the notice board.
"Brother Huang, calm down!" Zhang Zian was sweating anxiously.
"Brother Huang, I didn't pass the exam this year either. Let's try harder next year." He Yan did not hesitate to expose his own scars to comfort him.
But Huang Junping couldn't hear them at all, and he kept shouting, "Impossible, impossible! I was given a hall title after the first round. Although I didn't get promoted again, I still performed well. In the last round, I wrote poems and essays quickly and well!"
He really looked like a madman, and He Qing and He Yan were afraid of hurting him, so they didn't dare to really use force to hold him down. Zhang Zian wanted to cover his mouth, but Huang Junping almost bit him, so he was unwilling to extend his hand.
After his outcry, other failed candidates also started to talk about it, "This guy may be crazy, but he doesn't seem to be lying."
Someone else said, "That's right. Those who have been promoted to hall titles over the years have at least performed extremely well in one performance. If they perform normally, even if they can't guarantee a rank, they will not be left out of the list."
After such voices were heard, some people began to speculate that there was something fishy about the county exam results.
Seeing that something was not right, the officer went to report to the county magistrate himself, and soon the county magistrate was alarmed and came over.
"Who is making such a fuss?" The magistrate had been busy preparing for the county examination for many days. He finally finished his work today and had half a day to relax. However, he was disturbed for no reason. Naturally, he felt a little surprised, and his dignity became even heavier.
The scholars who had been discussing the issue just now shut up and became as silent as a mouse.
Huang Junping didn't dare to yell anymore. He just gritted his teeth and suppressed his grief and anger.
No one answered, so the officer who stayed on guard nearby stepped forward and repeated what Huang Junping and the other scholars had just said.
The magistrate stroked his beard and said, "In the past few years, few people who were given hall titles failed the exam, but this year there is an exception... The student who just shouted about the injustice, please come forward. I only have one question for you."
In front of the county magistrate, Zhang Zian and the others let go, and Huang Junping stumbled forward.
The magistrate did ask him only one question, "The last exam was for a poem, the title of which was 'Feng Fu's arms stretched out'. Did you write the line 'soft and slender jade fingers, graceful steps of golden lotus'?"
"It was exactly written by the student!" Huang Junping recognized it quickly.
That poem is truly the best one he has ever written. After going back and thinking about it over and over again, I feel that no word could be written better!
Look, now even the county magistrate can recite it, which shows his literary talent...
Huang Junping was still thinking to himself, but when he saw Mu Erpang, Zhang Zian, He Qing, He Yan, and even the several writers who had spoken for him earlier, their expressions became complicated.
"Ridiculous!" The magistrate waved his sleeves angrily, stopped talking nonsense with him, and turned away.
As soon as the magistrate left, the onlookers were as confused as Huang Junping himself, and hurried to seek help from the literati dressed as scholars.
Someone laughed and said, "This guy is really funny. Feng Fu was a warrior in history, with the last name Feng and the first name Fu. But he wrote a poem describing the beauty of a woman! Not only did he not read books like Mencius, he even forgot the rules of the test poem. How dare he shout about injustice?!"
Those who are not well-versed in literature only have half of the understanding after listening to it, but they know one thing: this scholar wrote something erotic in the imperial examination!
"This guy looks fair and handsome, why would he write something like this?"
"Doesn't this prove the saying 'There are beautiful women in books'?"
The crowd suddenly burst into laughter. Huang Junping's face turned red and white, and finally his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
His family members finally squeezed forward, quickly carried him on their shoulders, and went to find a doctor!
The author has something to say:
This is a true story, adapted into the text——
Wu Baotai, the provincial education commissioner of Guangdong, asked students to write a test poem with the theme of "Feng Fu gets off the carriage with her arms stretched out". Some candidates did not know the source of the question and assumed that Feng Fu was a woman. Wu Baotai was furious and expelled the candidates who did not know the source of the question and made up stories.
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