Chapter 183: Overnight, Before Ten Thousand People
"The day after tomorrow? Because that's when the results are posted? I don't see how that's so important. It's not like anyone can take your top spot away from you, right?" Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and said with a sneer.
Suddenly, he fell silent because of the four words in his own statement. Looking at Chen Changsheng, he said, "Yeah, you're the top scholar now... I admit, at the very beginning, I really couldn't see you succeeding. Even when you and Gou Hanshi walked into the Dust-Washing Pavilion together, I still didn't think you could actually take first place in the Grand Examination. I never expected you to actually pull it off."
He extended his right hand, placed it on Chen Changsheng's shoulder, and squeezed lightly. "Impressive," he said.
The library fell silent. Xuan Yuan Po didn't speak, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at Chen Changsheng said the same thing.
"You've worked hard."
Chen Changsheng looked at Tang Thirty-Six seriously, then turned to Xuan Yuan Po and said, "Everyone has worked hard."
That "everyone" included Xuan Yuan Po, included Jin Yulu, and of course, Luoluo. Without these people, no matter how hard he tried, how could he have created such a miracle?
Leaving the library and returning to the small building—Tang Thirty-Six and Xuan Yuan Po should be drinking rice wine. Chen Changsheng lay in the wooden tub, enjoying the scalding heat of the water while thinking about the liveliness over there.
After Luoluo and her people moved out of the Herb Garden, this newly repaired wooden door had not been opened for a long time. He had moved the bathing tub back here.
Whether in early spring or under the snow of deep winter, bathing in the open air was always a wonderful pleasure. It was a habit he had developed from the hot springs outside the old temple in Xining Town.
His hands rested on the rim of the tub. His gaze passed over the small building's rooftop and settled on the night sky. Looking at the vast sea of stars, sensing that distant little red star, he felt very peaceful and joyful.
There were countless stars in the sky. Knowing that one of them belonged completely, quietly, silently, and certainly to him, and that they were the only ones for each other—that made him feel good.
Walking silently through the abyss of despair, without companions, without a staff, unable to see the sunlight, yet never stopping his steps, finally emerging from the mist to see hope—that made him feel even better.
Beneath the starlight, a sincere smile appeared on Chen Changsheng's still somewhat youthful face.
Also beneath the starlight, on the other side of the National Academy's wall, atop the treetops of the forest, deep within the Imperial City, there stood a solitary, clear, and lofty pavilion, as if existing apart from the world. It was the Lingyan Pavilion.
Looking at the distant Lingyan Pavilion, the smile on Chen Changsheng's face gradually faded, returning to calm. He silently said to himself, "I'll be seeing you soon. I hope our meeting is pleasant."
At this point, the implications hidden behind those few autumn-like moments in the Dust-Washing Pavilion, the confrontation between the old and new factions of the National Church and its relationship with the National Academy, and what the aged Archbishop was really thinking—all of these had become very unimportant matters to him. He no longer considered them, nor did he even think about them anymore.
Beyond life and death, everything else was ordinary, or trivial.
The next morning, Chen Changsheng still woke up punctually at the fifth hour. Following his established routine, he got up, ignored Tang Thirty-Six's complaints about a hangover and Xuan Yuan Po's thunderous snoring, dragged the two out of bed and to the table, ladled out millet porridge and pickled vegetables from the pot, and placed them in the bowls before them.
Tang Thirty-Six and Xuan Yuan Po, after last night's drinking and merrymaking, were extremely groggy. But upon smelling the aroma of the pickled vegetables and seeing the golden millet porridge, their appetites suddenly returned, and they buried their heads in their bowls, slurping loudly.
Before long, Jin Yulu walked in.
Chen Changsheng and the others were somewhat surprised. Over the past few months, Chief Steward Jin had always eaten his own rich meals in the gatehouse and rarely joined the National Academy for its three daily meals.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm still not interested in food without meat," Jin Yulu said with a chuckle. Xuan Yuan Po nodded vigorously upon hearing this. As fellow members of the Demon race, he strongly agreed with the Chief Steward's statement, though he dared not voice it in front of Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng stood up, ladled a bowl of millet porridge, and handed it to Jin Yulu, asking, "What happened?"
Jin Yulu handed him a stack of papers, downed the millet porridge in one gulp, and then said, "It's been nonstop since early morning. You need to figure out how to handle this yourself."
With that, he turned and walked toward the gate.
Chen Changsheng took the stack and flipped through it casually. Looking at the handwriting and names on the papers, his expression grew serious, then puzzled.
The thick stack was entirely composed of name cards and gift lists—a gift list from Prince Chenliu, gifts from several Red-Robed priests of the Ecclesiastical Office, a particularly generous private gift from Priest Xin, name cards from several court ministers, one of which was actually from Xue Xingchuan. When Chen Changsheng flipped to the very bottom, he even saw gift lists from other Holy Churches besides the Ecclesiastical Office.
What was going on? Chen Changsheng was baffled. After Tang Thirty-Six looked through the stack of name cards and gift lists, he also found it incredibly strange. The three of them walked to the gate, intending to consult Jin Yulu, but they only saw a bustling scene at the entrance. Countless craftsmen were working tirelessly. In just one short night, a jade gate had already begun to take shape. They were left speechless.
Chen Changsheng's achievement of first place in the Grand Examination was far from enough to bring about these changes. Overnight, the capital's attitude toward the National Academy had become completely different. There had to be some issue.
Unable to figure it out, they stopped thinking about it. Chen Changsheng and the others didn't leave the National Academy. As usual, they sat in the library, reading and cultivating, discussing and reviewing the details of the Grand Examination.
—Especially the final details of his match against Gou Hanshi.
How to reach the Mysterious Realm? Chen Changsheng didn't fully understand it himself, but he still wanted to share his experience with Tang Thirty-Six and Xuan Yuan Po, hoping it might help them break through into the Mysterious Realm in the future.
Other than that, the day passed without anything special. Chen Changsheng occasionally glanced toward the gate or the quiet wall by the pond, expecting Zhe Xiu to appear at any moment, but he never did.
A day passed, then another night, and it was time for the official posting of the Grand Examination results.
The results were not posted at the Li Palace but on the square before the Daming Palace. Today, the sky was clear and cloudless, and sunlight poured down continuously, driving away the lingering chill of early spring. The temperature was as heated as the atmosphere of the crowd.
The vendors selling stools, melon seeds, and tea on the periphery were, as always, the busiest people. The soldiers and constables maintaining order were, as always, the most hardworking. Only the common folk, cracking melon seeds and occasionally chatting with familiar soldiers, were the happiest people. Being able to watch the excitement without having to worry about anything was, of course, a happy thing.
The square before the Daming Palace was packed with people. Thousands upon thousands of capital residents and tourists from other prefectures crowded everywhere, their faces filled with excitement.
A ritual official in a vermilion court robe stood on the stone steps north of the square, holding a scroll of silk in his hands, loudly announcing the list of the top three ranks of this year's Grand Examination.
Before and behind him stood sixteen black-clad strongmen holding cracking whips. Each time the ritual official announced a name, the sixteen strongmen would swing their whips in unison, making the sharp cracking sounds echo across the entire square, drowning out the crowd's murmurs. During the brief moment of silence, the court musicians behind the stone steps would play a piece of music to celebrate.
It was a simple, even monotonous procedure, but because of the special status of the Grand Examination and the atmosphere of the crowd, it felt particularly lively. After each name was announced came the whip cracks, followed by the music, and finally, the thunderous cheers that filled the square before the Daming Palace.
Each time the ritual official announced a name, cheers soared into the sky. The examinees waiting by the side of the hall would straighten their clothes, follow the proper etiquette, and come before the hall to receive the congratulations of the people and the rewards of the Zhou court.
A total of forty-three examinees were selected in the Grand Examination. They came before the hall one by one, their expressions varied. Most were overjoyed, some looked proud and self-assured, some were calm as usual, some were nervous and uneasy, and some seemed somewhat despondent, greatly dissatisfied with their rankings.
Although Su Moyu had been eliminated early in the matches by Zhe Xiu, his literary examination results were excellent. He barely managed to enter the top three ranks, landing at the very bottom of that list. He felt a bit emotional about it but didn't show it, accepting everything calmly.
Most of the well-known examinees like him had entered the top three ranks, with few exceptions. Zhe Xiu, having no literary examination scores, did not make it into the top three. As the red-robed ritual official continued to call out names, people gradually heard the names of the three young scholars from Huaiyuan Academy, three from Star-Gazing Academy, two from Holy Maiden Peak, one from the Heavenly Dao Institute, two from the Ancestral Temple, and naturally, the three young masters from Lishan Sword Sect.
The people counted and calculated, finding that, as in previous years, the southerners still held the upper hand. Their cheers gradually grew weaker, but their anticipation for the announcement of the top list grew even stronger. Perhaps for this reason, or perhaps because Tang Thirty-Six was so popular among the capital's women, the cheers before the Daming Palace were the loudest when the ritual official announced his name.
Finally, it was time for the announcement of the top list of the Grand Examination. Although the rankings had long been decided, the people still craned their necks in anticipation, looking particularly excited, and the murmurs grew louder.
This year, the third place on the top list was Zhong Hui, a scholar from Huaiyuan Academy. Zhong Hui was a famous young genius, ranked ninth on the Azure Cloud List. Logically, entering the top list should have been very difficult for him. However, in this Grand Examination, Luoluo's scores were not counted, Tianhai Shengxue withdrew early, Liang Banhu lost to his junior apprentice Qi Jian, Qi Jian and Guan Feibai both lost to Zhe Xiu in succession, and Zhuang Huanyu unexpectedly lost. Combined with his literary examination scores, he luckily made it into the top list.
Zhong Hui was well aware that his entry into the top list was mainly due to luck. There was no joy on his face, but when he received the gold-painted ruyi representing third place, he dared not show any hint of indifference. Because after entering the top list, the person responsible for awarding the prizes was no longer the ritual official but a true heavyweight—Prime Minister Yu Wenjing of the Zhou dynasty.
Next, Gou Hanshi walked from the side of the hall to the front. Not yet twenty years old, dressed in simple cloth, his expression calm and composed, he allowed the Prime Minister to fasten a jade belt around his waist, politely thanked him, and then stepped aside. Only when the capital's people generously offered their applause and cheers did he smile.
The next moment, the square before the Daming Palace fell into an extraordinary silence. The breathing of the whip-wielding strongmen, and even the rustling of clothes in the crowd, sounded harsh.
A young man walked up the stone steps toward the front of the hall.
Countless gazes fell upon him.
(I finally arrived in Guangzhou today. See you all the day after tomorrow. As for how we'll meet, I'll sort it out on WeChat later and post it for everyone to see. I'll also mention it in tomorrow's chapter. Also, the KFC that my boss and I went to every day had a violent incident today—a serious one. According to the news, twelve people were injured. I hope the injured recover soon. Blessings, silence.)