"I made it!"
"Why... why isn't my name there? There must be a mistake."
After the yamen runners left, the crowd surged forward in a frenzy. Those whose names were on the list were overjoyed, while those who failed wept bitterly in each other's arms.
The same place, yet it marked the divergence of two entirely different paths in life.
Ling Ming desperately pushed his way to the front of the crowd, his eyes fixed intently on the rows of names on the announcement, barely daring to breathe.
Fifth place—Ling Ming!
The moment he saw his name, an overwhelming surge of pride erupted in his chest. He had passed!
He had fulfilled the promise he made at his parents' sickbed, becoming the first scholar in the Ling family.
Suppressing his excitement, Ling Ming began searching for Guo Feng and Zheng Fang's names. Considering their abilities, he instinctively scanned upward from his own position.
Third place—Zheng Fang!
Top of the list—Guo Feng!
At this, Ling Ming grew even more exhilarated and started shoving his way back out of the crowd. "Make way! I need to get out so you can see the list!"
If squeezing in had been difficult, squeezing out was downright torturous.
Beads of sweat dripped from Ling Ming's forehead in his urgency. He had to hurry back and deliver the good news to Brother Guo and Brother Zheng—especially Brother Guo, whose top rank in the prefectural exam spoke volumes about his brilliance.
Meanwhile, the yamen runners had already begun their rounds, beating gongs and drums to announce the successful candidates.
Song Yu and Zheng Fang sat calmly in the main hall of the inn, where many other examinees who had also avoided the chaos of the crowd waited for the official announcements.
The moment the gongs sounded, the atmosphere grew tense.
One by one, the names of successful candidates were called, yet Song Yu and Zheng Fang remained unruffled.
Some examinees who recognized Song Yu cast him puzzled glances:
This young master Guo had topped the prefectural exam—why hadn’t the yamen runners come to announce his success yet?
......
"Lu Yu, how many times have you taken this exam? Failing again proves you just don’t have the talent for it."
In a corner, the man called Lu Yu wore a dark expression, glaring venomously at every candidate whose name was announced.
"The announcements aren’t over yet. How do you know I didn’t pass?" Lu Yu snatched up a teacup and flung its contents at the speaker’s face. "Stop wishing misfortune on me."
"I’ve already sent someone to check. The yamen runners have returned to their duties, meaning they’ve finished announcing all the successful candidates. You’ll have to wait another three years."
Three years—the words cut deep into Lu Yu’s heart.
Yet instead of retaliating further, Lu Yu strode over to Song Yu and sat down across from him. "Young Master Guo, topping the prefectural exam only to fail the prefectural-level one—that must sting, doesn’t it?"
He had been observing Guo Feng for a while and noticed that he, too, hadn’t received any announcement.
"But I’ve been through this before. Luck plays a crucial role sometimes—it has nothing to do with ability."
He was clearly trying to drag Song Yu down to console himself.
"Did you also top the prefectural exam?"
Song Yu’s tone was even and polite, but the question made Lu Yu’s face twist in fury.
Of course, he hadn’t been first.
"Whether you were first or not doesn’t matter. You still failed the prefectural exam, didn’t you?"
"How do you know I failed?"
The moment Song Yu spoke, Ling Ming burst into the inn like a whirlwind:
"They passed!"
"Brother Guo is the top scorer! Brother Zheng is third on the list!"
"I saw the officials coming to announce the news—Prefectural Judge Zheng himself is leading the procession!"
The air froze.
Not only had he passed—he was the top scorer!
The reason no yamen runners had come earlier was because the prefectural judge himself was delivering the news!
"Congratulations, Brother Guo."
Zheng Fang was the first to react, smiling as he spoke. "It seems being the top scorer does matter after all. At least it proves one’s ability is far more important than luck."
The words were a slap in Lu Yu’s face—a resounding one.
The others in the inn quickly joined in, offering their congratulations one after another, making Lu Yu look like a complete fool.
"Prefectural Judge Zheng has arrived!"
A cry from outside sent all the examinees in the inn scrambling to their feet.
A prefectural judge held a sixth-rank position—an immensely prestigious figure in their eyes.
"Congratulations, Young Master Guo, for once again achieving the highest honor in the prefectural exam."
Prefectural Judge Zheng of Ji'an Prefecture was a scholar through and through.
"And to Young Master Zheng—congratulations on ranking third."
"Thank you, Your Honor." Song Yu and Zheng Fang both wore triumphant smiles. "We are deeply honored by your personal visit."
"It was the prefect’s order. He instructed me to personally congratulate the top three candidates." As one of the examiners, Prefectural Judge Zheng gazed at Song Yu with particular admiration.
"Ji'an produces exceptional scholars. I hope to hear more good news from you in the provincial exams."
After Prefectural Judge Zheng left, Song Yu walked up to Lu Yu and said calmly:
"If you lack ability, study harder. Don’t blame luck—it’s just an excuse."
......
Once the exam papers of the successful candidates were publicly displayed, Song Yu’s essay was copied countless times and spread like wildfire across the Great Qi Empire. Every scholar wanted to see what kind of brilliance could earn the top rank under Ye Shijie’s scrutiny.
After reading it, they were all left in awe.
Back at the inn—
A knock sounded at Song Yu’s door. When he opened it, he found Zheng Fang standing there, his face flushed red.
"Brother Zheng, did you get into a fight?"
Song Yu wondered inwardly—Zheng Fang didn’t seem the type to brawl...
"Brother Guo, I read your exam paper—it’s brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Zheng Fang gripped Song Yu’s shoulders in excitement. "I’m ashamed of my own inadequacy. If you could offer me even a little guidance in the future, I... I would be eternally grateful!"
"Stop, stop!" Song Yu felt like he was about to be shaken sick. "How did you even get a copy of my paper?"
"Brother Guo, you don’t know?"
Zheng Fang looked utterly astonished. "The moment your paper was posted, it was copied endlessly. By now, it’s probably spread across the entire Great Qi Empire."
"Brother Guo, you’ve made a name for yourself."
Made a name for himself—Song Yu’s heart trembled at the thought.
Zheng Fang continued excitedly, "In just a few days, every scholar in the empire will know that Ji'an Prefecture has a prodigy—a reformed prodigal who aced the imperial exams on his first attempt, sweeping the prefectural-level top honors. It’s even more thrilling than the tales in storybooks!"
Song Yu grinned foolishly.
This feeling of fame—it was a hundred times more exhilarating than being addressed as "Your Highness."
