Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 83 First Place

The cell block area was eerily quiet.

Lu Chuan sat upright, eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.

At this moment, faint sobs could be heard from a nearby examination cell, caused by the pressure of a scholar. Further away in the corridor, the footsteps of patrolling officials could also be heard.

At exactly 5:00 PM, the gong signaling the end of the exam sounded.

The examiner, accompanied by his clerks, arrived as if by shadow.

When they arrived at Lu Chuan's place, they saw that his scroll was as clean as snow, and the entire text was written in one go with almost no smudging, and the ink was applied in one stroke. A strange look flashed in the eyes of the examiner, and then he put the scroll into the box.

"Students—exit in turn!"

At this command, the entire examination hall instantly erupted in chaos.

The candidates, some beaming with pride, others looking ashen-faced, filed out one after another.

The moment I stepped out of the examination hall gate, the evening glow was already appearing outside.

"Chuan'er".

Lu Shouye's voice rang out from the crowd.

He stayed there the whole time, his eyes bloodshot.

Upon seeing Lu Chuan emerge, they quickly pushed through the crowd and rushed forward.

"Father." Lu Chuan reached out to support his father, his heart aching.

"How was it? Was that question... difficult?" Lu Shouye took the test basket from Lu Chuan, his hands trembling.

Master Zhao also gathered around.

Although he was also nervous, he kept his voice down and asked with concern, "Lu Chuan, how are the directions for this year's eight-legged essay and examination poems?"

Lu Chuan smiled slightly at the teacher, his eyes exceptionally clear:

"Don't worry, Master, I am very careful."

The main event ended, and night fell.

But for the hundreds of scholars in Yingnan Prefecture, the real ordeal had only just begun.

The lights in the inn remained on all night.

After leaving the examination hall, some students gathered together to frantically discuss the questions. Whenever they found that their solutions differed from others, they would let out a sigh or even burst into tears on the spot. Others locked their doors, sat under the oil lamp, and repeatedly thought about whether there was a single stroke they had written that was not good enough.

Zhang Ruo paced back and forth in the room next to Lu Chuan's.

"Brother Lu, are you asleep?" He finally couldn't help but knock on Lu Chuan's door. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his hair was a little disheveled. "In my essay, I think I used the wrong allusion in the transition section. It wasn't exactly taboo, but it just felt like the flow of the essay was broken. Do you think the examiners will notice?"

Lu Chuan was sitting by the window, trimming his calligraphy brush by the moonlight.

He looked up at the anxious Zhang Ruo and gently comforted her:

"Brother Zhang, once you've put pen to paper, the paper is already in your possession. Thinking about it now is futile. If you can't sleep at night and damage your energy, what will you have the strength to handle the essay section of the re-examination if you pass the re-examination?"

Zhang Ruo gave a wry smile and plopped down on a bench: "Who can have your composure? I just took a walk around the main hall, and wow, those people from the Prefectural Academy are already discussing who can get the top score in the prefectural exam."

Meanwhile, inside the Zhigong Hall deep within the examination hall, a completely different scene unfolded.

Hundreds of exam papers were neatly stacked on the desk.

All the papers had been transcribed by a special scribe who copied them in red ink to prevent the examiners from recognizing the candidates by their handwriting.

Dozens of examiners were rapidly flipping through the papers by candlelight.

The surroundings were silent, with only the sound of papers turning over.

"This one..." An instructor frowned and tossed a paper aside. "The language is flowery, but it's empty and meaningless. It's a typical case of being all show and no substance. It's rejected."

Before the prefect and the education official at the head of the table, several specially selected examination papers were laid out in a row.

The educational official pointed to one of the documents and whispered, "Sir, this 'Treatise on Benevolence and Wisdom' is grand in style and profound in its meaning. In particular, the sentence 'Loving people is not about giving alms, but about enabling them to stand on their own feet' is truly thought-provoking."

"But this style is very similar to that of Lu Chuan from the literary gathering a few days ago. If we invite him, it might cause some people to be dissatisfied."

The prefect picked up his teacup, blew away the foam on the surface, and remained silent for a long time.

Lu Shouye was also not asleep in the courtyard of the West Street Inn.

He was wearing a long robe, squatting on the steps, looking around.

"Old Lu, aren't you going to rest?" The innkeeper, who was patrolling at night, saw him still squatting and couldn't help but advise him, "Your son is a Wenquxing (a star associated with literature and scholarship), he'll definitely be fine."

"Hehe, thank you for your kind words." Lu Shouye chuckled and pulled out two pieces of pickled vegetables from his pocket. "I just can't sleep, my heart is pounding."

He turned to look at the room where Lu Chuan was standing, silently praying for the blessings of his ancestors.

As long as Chuan'er is safe and sound, he will accept it even if he doesn't succeed.

These three days were the quietest and noisiest days in Yingnan Prefecture.

The city was quiet because most students stayed indoors, creating an eerie atmosphere; it was noisy because the rumors in the restaurants and teahouses never stopped.

This tense atmosphere even extended to the street vendors and laborers.

On the evening of the third day, the side gate of the prefectural school quietly opened, and several clerks carried out a huge notice board.

In that instant, countless scholars, servants, and onlookers who had been waiting rushed toward the screen wall.

The results are out!

The recruitment list is out!

Zhang Ru rushed downstairs like a madwoman.

Lu Shouye also woke up with a start, and he called out in a trembling voice, "Chuan'er, the list... the list is out."

The crowd surged in like a tidal wave.

At that moment, all restraint, etiquette, and composure were shattered in the face of the red list that concerned their future.

Normally gentle and refined students were now desperately pushing and shoving into the crowd, some even losing their shoes but not caring to turn around.

Lu Shouye rushed the fastest.

He was originally a manual laborer, but he managed to squeeze out an opening.

"Make way! Make way, everyone!"

He didn't actually know many characters, but he memorized the name Lu Chuan.

The top spot on the list is where the most people are gathered.

"I passed! I passed!" a student screamed, then his eyes rolled back and he fell straight backward. If someone hadn't caught him, he would have fallen directly onto the stone steps.

"No... How could there be no one?" On the other side, an elderly examinee with a white beard trembled as he traced his finger back and forth at the end of the list until he confirmed that the blank page was blank. Finally, he collapsed to his knees and burst into tears, his decades of pent-up despair erupting at that moment.

This is the main event.

Enter and you advance; leave and you're strangers.

Zhang Ru followed behind Lu Shouye. After all, he was educated and had sharp eyes, scanning the list from the bottom up.

"Seventieth place, no...fiftieth place, no..." Zhou Wencai was very flustered. With each name he missed, his face turned paler.

Until his gaze moved to the very top of the list, to that row of large characters.

"Lu...Lu Chuan."

Zhang Ruo's voice changed, both surprised and delighted.

Lu Shouye froze upon hearing the name.

Ignoring the shoving from those around him, he rubbed his eyes hard and stared at the name in the middle of the first row.

Yes, that's the character, that's the stroke.

"First place, my son is first place."