Chapter 97: Placed in the Top Three

Following Fang Jifan was quite a challenge for Ouyang Zhi, Liu Wenshan, and Jiang Chen. Showing their faces in such a public place especially required immense courage. So, the three of them kept their heads down and followed closely behind Fang Jifan, looking like children who had done something wrong.

“Hello, Nephew Fang…”

Just then, two figures emerged from the crowd. Both were tall and thin, with pale faces that suggested a lack of proper nutrition. However, at this moment, their faces carried a faint flush, like the spring breeze brushing against them.

Were these not the Marquis of Shouning and the Earl of Jianchang?

Fang Jifan smiled too and gave a slight bow to them. “Greetings, my two uncles. How are you both? Have you eaten?”

Zhang Yanling beamed with joy. His older brother had told him to prepare a basket to collect silver today—they were going to strike it rich. He chuckled and said, “I have, I had two bowls of porridge.”

Zhang Heling glared at him, signaling for him to keep quiet. Then, smiling, he asked, “How about you, Nephew? Have you eaten?”

Fang Jifan replied, “I have. I also had porridge, along with a few chicken legs and a small roast pig. It’s a pity I couldn’t finish it all, so I threw the rest away.”

Zhang Yanling swallowed and began to drool.

Zhang Heling put on a stern expression and criticized Fang Jifan seriously. “Eating like that isn’t healthy. It’s not good for your well-being.”

“Oh.” Fang Jifan nodded.

“Let’s check the results, check the results. As an Imperial Uncle, I also need to pay attention to our Great Ming’s Imperial Examination. Nephew, after you.”

Fang Jifan grinned. “I, too, share the same concern for the talented scholars of our Great Ming. Uncle, please, after you.”

“Don’t be so polite, Nephew. You go first.”

Fang Jifan thought it was pointless, so he put his hands behind his back and went ahead first. When he reached the area beneath the results board, he noticed Tang Yin, Xu Jing, and others gathered on the other side. Tang Yin spotted Fang Jifan and felt a familiar ache in his bones. Knowing it was better not to provoke him, he pretended not to see Fang Jifan.

As for Fang Jifan, he merely smiled and remained silent.

Beneath the results board, countless voices buzzed with lively chatter. Many were filled with anticipation, but even more had already glimpsed the outcome. In terms of the wager, Tang Yin was certain to win.

Finally, the auspicious hour arrived. A gong sounded, and someone announced loudly, “Posting the red results!”

The so-called “posting the red” referred to the fact that the results board was bright red, symbolizing celebration.

Shortly after, the main gate of the Examination Hall opened wide. An academic official emerged, followed by a procession of yamen runners.

The noisy area outside the Examination Hall suddenly fell silent.

Thousands of heads turned, all eyes fixed on the spot where the results would be posted. Many held their breath, their eyes wide with anticipation.

Once the results were posted, those whose names appeared would soar like carp leaping over the dragon gate, rising to great heights and becoming elite members of society.

Meanwhile, those who failed would see their ten years of diligent study go to waste, like water flowing eastward. All their efforts, even their very lives, would lose meaning.

The first results board was displayed.

It was posted on the right side.

In ancient times, the left was considered noble and the right humble. Those whose names appeared on the right side typically ranked lower among the successful candidates.

Dozens of names were clearly listed. Many people began frantically searching for their own names. Eventually, a voice burst forth from the crowd, choked with tears of joy. “I… I passed…”

The voice trembled, as if the speaker could hardly believe it. Although ranked near the bottom, passing meant becoming a Tribute Scholar. Only after the Palace Examination could one officially become a Metropolitan Graduate. Still, this was a step toward that goal. With a low ranking, they would only be placed in the third tier, offering little future prospects.

But even as a mere Third Rank Graduate, it was still a high achievement. A Metropolitan Graduate was a Metropolitan Graduate. This meant that soon, they could be appointed to an official position—at the very least, as a county magistrate, a true official.

“I passed too…”

“I passed!”

Excited voices, one after another, rose and fell uncontrollably.

Many people hugged each other and cried; others burst into wild laughter.

Fang Jifan suddenly felt that this scene was quite similar to congratulating someone in his previous life for winning a Maserati—rather amusing.

However, at this moment, he was also quite nervous. After all, his three disciples had been freeloading off him for so long. If they didn’t pass, wouldn’t that be a disaster?

Fortunately, Fang Jifan had great confidence in his three disciples.

The Eight-Legged Essay was a notorious pitfall. Since ancient times, how many brilliant talents had still failed the exam? Among the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan, even setting aside the cheating scandal, the historical Tang Yin did not rank first in the Top Three. As for the other so-called Jiangnan talents, like Zhu Yunming, also known as Zhu Zhishan, it took him five attempts just to pass the Provincial Examination. He took the Metropolitan Examination seven times and failed every time. Then there was Wen Zhengming, who repeatedly failed the exams and only managed to secure a minor official position through his father’s influence.

Lastly, Xu Zhenqing barely managed to become a Metropolitan Graduate when he was nearly forty, and even then, he did not rank high. He died a few years later.

Here, Fang Jifan had to give credit to Emperor Taizu. The Eight-Legged Essay system he established was truly the bane of talented scholars. No matter how gifted or intelligent one was, they still had to adhere to the tedious rules: breaking the topic, carrying the topic, raising the argument, second argument… Each section had to follow a strict format and rules. Not one extra character could be added, not one could be omitted. It also had to rhyme. Beyond that, the entire paper had to be completed within a single day.

And even if one finished, that was just barely meeting the requirements. In those few short hours, the essay still had to catch the examiner’s eye.

Keep in mind that when ancient people composed poetry or lyrics, they needed to refine and polish their work. No matter how great their talent, they couldn’t just casually produce timeless masterpieces. Before a poem was finalized, it required editing and revision, with each word carefully considered.

The Eight-Legged Essay was essentially about writing nonsense—nonsense that had to make sense, adhere to standards, and convey the wisdom of the Sages. And sorry, there wasn’t much time. If people were given ten days or half a month to write a single Eight-Legged Essay, every Provincial Graduate standing beneath the results board could produce a splendid essay. But to complete this task in less than a day and still impress? Sorry, but everyone present was rubbish—including Tang Yin.

His three disciples had worked on these very topics for a full six months. They had practiced the essay for the Imperial Examination countless times, racking their brains over it. Each of them had dozens of methods for breaking the topic in their minds, and every single word had been deliberated dozens, even hundreds, of times. This was their advantage—an unparalleled advantage!

Why did ancient Scholars love predicting exam topics? Because if they could guess the topic correctly, even an ordinary person stood a chance of passing the Imperial Examination. Fang Jifan believed that although his three disciples were rather honest, they had still managed to become Xiucai despite poverty and lack of proper guidance. After more than half a year of training in the Fang Family, their skills were definitely not lacking. Moreover, they had practiced the essay for this Metropolitan Examination numerous times in advance.

To put it bluntly, no matter how so-called talented these Scholars were, even if a divine immortal showed up, they would still be no match for his three disciples.

As one results board after another was posted, cheers rose and fell around them.

Those whose names had yet to appear grew increasingly anxious. Ouyang Zhi and the other two saw six or seven boards go up without their names on them, and they couldn’t help but feel anxious as well.

As for the Zhang Brothers, they swallowed nervously. Although they knew victory was certain, they couldn’t help feeling a bit tense.

When the fifth board was posted, a name suddenly appeared before Fang Jifan’s eyes—Jiang Chen…

Jiang Chen… eighth place…

Hiss…

Someone clearly saw Jiang Chen’s name and couldn’t help but gasp.

That big spendthrift Fang really had some skills after all, managing to get his disciple to place eighth in the Metropolitan Examination.

This ranking was excellent. As long as nothing went terribly wrong in the Palace Examination, he was almost guaranteed to become a Second Rank Jinshi, bringing glory to his family.

Only one results board remained.

Tang Yin still appeared calm. His close friend Xu Jing had already made the list at twenty-seventh place. It wasn’t a great ranking, but it wasn’t terrible either. There was hope for the Second Rank, though he would need to put in extra effort during the Palace Examination.

Xu Jing already looked pleased, but he wasn’t in a hurry to celebrate just yet. At this moment, everyone was waiting for the final results board.

By now, many whose names hadn’t appeared were already losing heart. After all, only three names would be on the last board, making their hopes increasingly dim.

The final results board was promptly displayed.

Fang Jifan held his breath…

First place… Top Candidate of the Imperial Examination: Ouyang Zhi…

It was Ouyang Zhi…

Second place… Liu Wenshan…

Instantly, the crowd erupted in exclamations.

Third place… Tang Yin…