The key point was that the Yu Qing he knew never read books or wrote anything. For months of interaction he carried not even half a piece of a scholar’s belongings. Every day he just played with insects and did not look like a scholar at all. He seemed more like a masked bandit. There were too many unreliable aspects. Even with a hundred eyes one could not see that he would achieve the current success.
Just such an unreliable person, who lay around playing every day, somehow took the examination while playing and actually became the Huiyuan with full marks. Where could one reason this out?
Of course, if one thought about it carefully there had been signs beforehand. It was during the word riddle guessing at Liezhou Wenhua Academy. That Shihuang brother had already shown him an extraordinary talent once.
Alas! Xu Fei sighed in his heart. Perhaps he really was hiding his true abilities deeply.
Su Yingtao immediately followed up on Zhan Muchun’s words. This was not Zhan brother seeing wrongly. We ourselves did not see it either. Shihuang brother truly was an extraordinary person. His heavenly endowed talent was incomparable. However Zhan brother you also did well. Your ranking of thirteenth means that Liezhou’s Jieyuan surpassed the Jieyuan from more than thirty other prefectures. The literary spirit in Liezhou’s literary circles will surely surge greatly.
Zhan Muchun himself had no dissatisfaction with the result he achieved and was quite happy. It gave an account to both himself and his family. Yet he still sighed. Compared with Shihuang brother it pales in comparison. The light of a grain of rice contending with the bright moon has no comparability. Once Shihuang brother’s results spread back to Liezhou the scholars will surely rush to tell one another. As fellow examinees from Liezhou in the same year we share in the glory.
Several people nodded in agreement. Fang Wenxian suddenly saw Xu Fei’s silent appearance and quickly said, Xu brother also did well.
As soon as these words came out not only the other three but even he himself felt heartache.
As Liezhou’s Jieyuan, Zhan Muchun had made the tribute list and they had nothing to say. His strength was clearly there. But what about this Xu Fei? He ranked over a hundred in the provincial examination yet still made the list. How could those ranked higher than him bear it?
Thinking again he felt he was overthinking. There was another person who ranked over a hundred in the provincial examination whose result was even more exaggerated. In comparison Xu Fei was not exaggerated at all. It was estimated that Xu Fei probably had some ability but just did not perform well in the provincial examination. Taking first in the word riddle at Wenhua Academy might already explain some issues.
Being praised Xu Fei felt guilty. He himself knew how his result came about and quickly said, One hundred and fifty fifth place is not good. It was probably just good luck.
He actually wanted to score higher. Yet even when he pieced together essays with the exam questions he could not get into the top hundred. It was really because all those who came to the capital for the examination this time were elites among the scholars from various prefectures and they did not let him fulfil his wish.
Su Yingtao said, Xu brother your words are slapping our faces. You passed the examination while we failed.
Pan Wenqing said, Xu brother, with over ten thousand people from various prefectures competing against one another ranking one hundred and fifty fifth is already remarkable.
Feeling sour and uncomfortable inside yet still having to praise the other person with their mouths, Zhan Muchun looked at the appearance of the four and smiled slightly. Some things were better left known in the heart. He raised his hand and patted his shoulder. It is fine. Take the examination again next time. With your abilities there is still a chance. After saying that he headed towards the place where the exam papers were publicly displayed.
The others naturally followed.
With Su Yingtao and the four vigorously clearing the way Zhan Muchun and Xu Fei quickly passed through the crowd and reached the front. They smoothly saw the Huiyuan public notice paper where the most people gathered.
After carefully reading it Zhan Muchun suddenly sighed from the heart. Once entering the monarch’s hall, fulfilling the fame before and after life. It amplified the longing hearts of countless examinees with boundless heroism. Facing the heavenly palace, fulfilling the fame before and after life. The poem name and the last line echoed each other from afar and were extremely brilliant. On the topic of official achievement nothing surpasses this. It responded to the exam question with the momentum of swallowing mountains and rivers. This poem answering this question deserves full marks.
Su Yingtao could not help but sincerely praise, Shihuang brother’s spirit and ambition are truly extraordinary.
Pan Wenqing smiled bitterly. As Zhan brother said, swallowing mountains and rivers. When Shihuang brother was in the examination hall putting pen to paper he was probably already determined to succeed.
Xu Fei scratched the corner of his mouth with his finger. No matter how he looked at this poem it did not match the Yu Qing in his impression. He did not see that fellow’s spirit. Instead he saw some qualities of swindling and cheating. He really could not imagine how a person who wanted money more than his life could write such lines with such breadth of mind. It was a bit against heavenly principles.
However he had seen Yu Qing’s handwriting. He saw it during the word riddle guessing. Yu Qing’s characters were indeed written well and he could recognise them now at a glance.
The group also followed with a flurry of praises. Yet Zhan Muchun did not listen and carefully examined the other exam papers again. Unlike the poem after looking he once again exclaimed in amazement. Completed in one breath. It looks like a masterpiece completed in one breath. His Majesty receives the mandate from heaven. Reading this line he shook his head and exclaimed again. Shihuang brother has the wonderful brush that adds the finishing touch to a dragon and the great talent that turns the universe with his pen. I am not as good.
When the few had seen enough and squeezed out of the crowd to look at other people’s answers Zhan Muchun still sincerely sighed. Today being able to see Shihuang brother’s magnificent writing stirs the heart and lungs and brings great benefit. This trip was not in vain. This trip was not in vain.
Not long after the few left that area a carriage also stopped near the street entrance.
Yu Qing inside the carriage had an expressionless and unruffled appearance as he lifted the carriage curtain and got off.
Du Fei who followed and got off nodded secretly to himself. Encountering such a huge joyous event yet still able to remain so composed on the surface on honour and disgrace. He truly deserved to be the young master trained by Lord A and indeed had his father’s style.
He had caught up with Yu Qing later. Since horses could not be galloped in the capital he feared Yu Qing might have an accident and had forcefully pulled him into the carriage to bring him over.
As soon as the two walked away the minor official from Liezhou Guild Hall also followed.
The lean man lifted the carriage curtain for a look. Seeing it empty inside he immediately turned back and said to left and right, What are you still dazed for? Go find the person.
Everyone immediately jumped off their horses and tied them to the hitching posts.
Yu Qing had already stood under the archway and clearly saw the big name on the list. Those three characters A Shihuang were truly shocking to the eye.
Witnessing it with his own eyes Du Fei tightened his lips and his eyes also reddened. He thought secretly that the old lord’s spirit in heaven could now rest in peace.
Yu Qing who had not said a word suddenly turned and left. He still had basic judgement. Wherever there were more people at the public notice papers he went there. Reaching the front of the crowd he raised his hand and pushed left and right in a series of moves to enter. With his cultivation a group of ordinary people could not block him.
Standing in front of the familiar paper Yu Qing looked at the handwriting. The face that had shown no expression finally began to flash with despair.
He did not believe it. Even though he had personally seen the people reporting the good news and even though his heart was already in a panic he still did not believe it.
How could he have passed the examination? It was even more impossible to become the Huiyuan and a full marks Huiyuan at that. Even if lying one should find the right person.
Even though he had just seen the top ranking独占鳌头 on the archway and even though his heart panicked even more he still did not believe it.
He had done the paper himself. Did he not know? There must be someone behind this playing tricks.
Only at this moment when he personally saw his own answer paper and personally saw the exam paper he had written by hand did the panic in his heart finally fail to hold and signs of collapse finally appeared.
Yet he still forced himself to stay calm and carefully examined the content. Could someone have falsified it?
It was possible. Perhaps an enemy of A Jiezhuang discovered that A Jiezhuang’s son had come and deliberately did something.
However after looking through all four question papers he found no issues at all. It was exactly his original exam paper without any change. He could recite the content and would not remember wrongly.
A trace of reason flashing in his mind also told him that A Jiezhuang’s enemies were sick. What was the point of helping you tamper in the examination hall with such dangerous tricks?
Could it be a misjudgement of the exam paper?
He remembered that fu discussion. Although the obscure wording he did not quite understand he at least recognised the characters. He could roughly see the general meaning when he looked himself right? He had clearly answered off topic and deviated wildly yet it could still be graded full marks? Were they bullying him for not having properly attended school?
He had previously looked at Mister Ming’s answers. Based on Mister Ming’s own breaking of the topic he felt that Mister Ming had even answered the question偏 off and with that level it was no wonder he failed nine times. That was why he had completely relaxed and used Mister Ming’s answers.
Who would have thought that the current result told him that the off topic answer had actually scored full marks. How could he accept that?
The reason he could keep a straight face and run all the way here from the Zhong residence was not without cause. He had even packed his bags for leaving and was prepared to lay his cards on the table and go. Yet came a report of joy from his ancestors saying he had passed with full marks as Huiyuan. Even if the sky collapsed it would not be like this.
He now very much wanted to roar out loud. Which blind dog official graded the paper?
Yet reason in his mind told him again that the papers taken out for public display no matter how different could not be as outrageous as he imagined.
Because of this the expression on his face as he stared at the exam paper even bared his teeth. His face turned ferocious and his clenched fists made the knuckles crack. He wished he could now drag out Mister Ming and beat him fiercely. Not chopping him into minced meat would hardly dispel the hatred in his heart. He was really angry enough. From childhood to adulthood he had never seen such an unreliable person.
You failed the examination nine times over more than twenty years and could not pass. You casually did a question for me and passed. An answer hastily done in one afternoon without even checking or revising could pass as Huiyuan. Moreover it was an answer done the previous night without sleeping well that scored full marks.
He could not accept it even with ten thousand reasons.
He could not find any reason for passing the examination.
He could not find any reason for falling into such a big pit.
He failed nine times over twenty years and could not pass yet his Yu Qing intervened and let someone casually write an answer and it passed? Passing was one thing but becoming Huiyuan? It did not end there and it could even produce a full marks Huiyuan rarely seen in a hundred years. With this you say you are that Wuhou Mister who failed nine times?
He now wanted to tear down the exam paper on the wall and eat it directly then stretch out two fingers to poke blind his own dog eyes as apology to A Shihuang.
Why find whoever to answer the questions? Anyone casually found would do. Why find that Wuhou Mister?
Reason in his heart told him again that if given another chance he might still find Mister Ming to do the answers.
Was there anything safer than finding a person who could not pass no matter how many times he took the examination?
Du Fei did not know when he had squeezed to Yu Qing’s side. Although he also could not understand the answers very well he personally saw the full marks marked on the paper and felt it should be good. He said softly, Should find paper and pen to copy it down. The yuanwai will definitely want a copy later to save someone from running another trip. By the way do you have it in your mind? If you do it would be better for you to write it out when you go back.
Write your great uncle! Yu Qing threw dirty words at the Du Shu he usually called and turned to leave.
Du Fei stood dazed in place thinking he had misheard.
Yu Qing walked out of the crowd and looked up at the sky. In his heart he made a firm decision. As the sect leader he would set a rule for the Linglong Temple disciples. To become the sect leader one must study.