Chapter 31: The Posting of Results

The Hanlin Academicians finally recovered from their shock as the Eunuch quickly disappeared. Some began to whisper among themselves.

Clearly, this was an unbelievable event. Everyone racked their brains but could not understand how the three who passed with high honors were exactly the three Xiucai that everyone had pitied.

Emperor Hongzhi then remembered something and opened his eyes. He said, “Send an order immediately. Send someone to the school and ask how these three performed in the Academy Examination.”

Of course. Checking their level was simple—they only needed to know their previous examination results.

So the Imperial Palace turned into chaos. This year’s candidates all had school records, which documented their Academy Examination results. It would be very difficult for ordinary people to check, but for the Imperial Palace, it was easy.

Then came an anxious wait. After half an hour, a Eunuch ran in gasping, knelt, and said, “Your Majesty, I have found out. These three did not perform well in the Academy Examination. Ouyang Zhi was a bit better, but in Baoding Prefecture, he was only a second-class Shengyuan. The other two were even worse, especially Liu Wenshan, who almost failed.”

Everyone gasped again. These three were clearly underachievers.

Yet, these three underachievers, only because of Fang Jifan, dominated the top ranks.

“This person…” Emperor Hongzhi paused. Everyone knew who the Emperor was referring to, but thinking of this person made everyone feel awkward. Wasn’t this person a scoundrel and a good-for-nothing?

At this moment, Emperor Hongzhi’s gaze fell upon Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao. His look was indescribably complex, but then the Emperor said calmly, “Post the results.”

…

The day of the posting was always lively.

Early in the morning, Fang Jifan tidied up and excitedly took his three disciples out in a Carriage.

After working hard to teach three disciples, this was a big deal. Fang Jifan even thought that the ancient teacher-student system was excellent. Taking these disciples under his wing meant that if they succeeded in the future, it would be like having three portable long-term meal tickets. As their teacher… ahem… maybe he could rely on them for life.

Of course… that was not important right now.

What was important was that Fang Jifan wanted to test his results.

His mind was filled with too many things from this era, like Ebony, the Bureaucratization of Native Chieftains, and exam questions. In short, it was like a huge treasure trove with many things worth discovering.

If this exam attempt succeeded, then the next step would be to push forward and aim for the Metropolitan Examination.

But Fang Jifan was still uneasy. These three had little talent. Were they blockheads? If they didn’t pass, the loss would be huge. Over the past half month, three mouths had almost eaten Fang Jifan into poverty. In the future, they might still be burdens.

When they arrived at the Prefectural School entrance, it was already crowded and extremely noisy. Scholars wearing scholars’ scarves and Confucian robes were everywhere, forming a sea of people.

Fang Jifan, sporting a Golden Belt and waving a Xiangfei Bamboo Fan, took the lead. Deng Jian cleared the way through the crowd. Ouyang Zhi and the other two hesitated. As soon as they appeared, someone recognized them. “Brother Ouyang, Brother Liu…”

Upon hearing “Brother Ouyang” and “Brother Liu,” many people craned their necks to look.

“Are those… those three?”

“That’s them!”

Then everyone’s gaze uniformly fell upon Fang Jifan in his luxurious clothes, the Golden Belt and jewels on him almost blinding.

Ouyang Zhi and the others received countless sympathetic looks.

More people looked at Fang Jifan disdainfully. Even if they weren’t as wealthy or from as high a family, they still looked down on him.

Fang Jifan paid no attention. The biggest advantage of being a spendthrift was that once recognized, it was like having a water-repelling pearl. Before he even pushed through the crowd, the gathered Scholars automatically made a wide path for him.

When they reached the posting area, of course, it was still empty. Clearly, the results hadn’t been posted yet.

Fang Jifan stood still. Ouyang Zhi and the others waited anxiously.

“Brother Ouyang, Brother Ouyang…” Suddenly, an urgent voice called from behind.

Turning, it was Wang Jianren. Seeing Ouyang Zhi, Wang Jianren said, “Terrible, this is bad.”

Ouyang Zhi stared blankly, not understanding.

Wang Jianren beat his chest and stamped his feet. “After I went back, I thought about it later. It seems I wrote one character wrong in the exam. This is bad. I thought I was sure to rank first, but with this one wrong character, it might displease the examiners. I might unfortunately drop to second. Ah… If I only get second, I’ll have no face to see my elders back home.”

He looked very upset.

Fang Jifan’s eyelids twitched upon hearing this. He glanced sideways at the distressed Wang Jianren.

“Ah… forget it, forget it. This is fate. Second is second. But in the county, prefecture, and academy exams, I achieved three minor perfect scores, always topping the list. To stumble in this Provincial Examination is the biggest regret of my life…”

Wang Jianren sighed again.

Ouyang Zhi was honest and didn’t know how to comfort him.

But Wang Jianren then smiled at Ouyang Zhi. “But Brother Ouyang, I also wish you success this time. Even if it’s just at the bottom, if you’re lucky and get a Provincial Graduate degree, it would bring honor to your ancestors. Exams aren’t necessarily related to usual studies; it’s all luck. If fortune comes, who knows, you might pass.”

These words… sounded so harsh.

Fang Jifan felt uncomfortable all over. This was insulting his disciples. Even when hitting a dog, one must consider its owner… Well, maybe his disciples shouldn’t be called dogs. Alright, it was like looking down on people.

Fang Jifan was about to argue with Wang Jianren when he heard someone shout excitedly, “The results are posted! The results are posted!”

Instantly, the crowd surged, everyone stretching their necks and standing on tiptoes.

Fang Jifan held his breath.

Wang Jianren, who had been complaining, suddenly fell silent and stared fixedly at the list.

He searched frantically. When the list was finally pasted, he immediately looked at the top position.

The top was the Jieyuan. The Jieyuan! That was vastly different from an ordinary Provincial Graduate.

But…

Suddenly, his face turned pale.

It wasn’t him!

The name at the top wasn’t Wang An, but… Ouyang Zhi…

Ouyang Zhi?

He hurriedly looked down the list… Jiang Chen…

Third… Liu Wenshan.

Pfft…

He suddenly felt his throat very dry.

He wasn’t first, not second, not even third.

Furious, a mouthful of blood spurted out. He barely stood, not even thinking about who Ouyang Zhi was, his mind a complete mess. Fourth… no… Fifth… still not… Only at sixth did he finally see his name…

Sixth…

His throat moved. Then, as if all strength had left his body, he felt dizzy, about to faint.

In his ears, countless exclamations erupted: “Ouyang Zhi… Jiang Chen… Liu Wenshan…”

The voices of countless people together shot straight to the sky.

Ouyang Zhi was too excited to control himself. He trembled all over.

Fang Jifan was even more excited than the three of them. They passed! Even better than expected—they swept the top three, leaving no chance for anyone else.

Phew…

These three Provincial Graduates were his disciples! One of them was the Jieyuan!

Then, he heard someone nearby shouting joyfully, “I passed too! I passed too!”

But more people looked ashen-faced, crying bitterly.