Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 213: A Turbulence in the First List

As the provincial examination lists were posted one after another.

More and more people cheered, and more fell into helpless and panicked silence.

There are also many people who are strong-willed and still waiting with hope.

Thousands of people who were looking at the list gradually fell into a wave of wild and chaotic emotions. As the lists were posted one after another, those who were not on the list became more and more panicked and their emotions became more and more agitated.

There was a strong sense of anxiety and enthusiasm among the crowd, and countless people involuntarily rushed to the front of the list.

Hundreds of elite imperial guards, with tense expressions and full alert, blocked and controlled the surging crowd.

These sturdy, well-trained elite imperial guards were actually powerless against these powerless scholars. They retreated several steps before they could barely keep their footing.

Cai Xiaoyu and Liu Xiaoping beside Jia Cong both cheered with relief.

Cai Xiaoyu ranked 39th and Liu Xiaoping ranked 87th. Being able to enter the top 100 in a state's provincial examination is considered a very good ranking. Only Cui Anzhi had a bitter look on his face.

As the second list was posted, the excited and chaotic emotions at the scene began to gradually subside.

Because many students who did not make the list have almost given up hope.

These people probably understand their own level. They are not on the previous lists, but want their names to appear at the top of the list, which is probably wishful thinking.

But there are many more students who are not on the list and still hold on to their hopes.

The students who were able to enter the provincial examination had all obtained the title of scholar and had put in several years or even decades of hard work in their studies.

Who doesn't work hard, go all out, and risk their life to enter the official career? Who would give up hope easily? Even if they have passed the second place, that hope has become a luxury.

As for the students who have made the list, no matter whether they are extremely fortunate or feel unwilling to accept their low ranking, they all want to see who are the people at the top of the list.

Are they really better than oneself? Scholars look down on each other, and this was also the case in ancient times.

At this time, Cai Xiaoyu, Jia Cong, Liu Xiaoping and others whispered: "The tall man in the blue robe you saw is Shi Yongxin, the nephew of Shi Jian, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice.

The man next to him in a green robe is Zhou Zian, the son of Zhou Junxing, the dean of Tui Academy. These two are studying at Hongyang Academy. I heard they have some talent, but it looks like they will fail the exam."

Jia Cong immediately thought of these two names. It seemed that these two families were among the people who went to Zheng Mansion to give gifts that Cai Xiaoyu mentioned that day.

What caught his attention even more was the name of the second person, Zhou Junxing's son Zhou Zi'an.

He and Qu Hongxiu once escaped from Zhou Junxing of Tuishuyuan, and he still feels scared when he thinks about it.

At this time, Cai Xiaoyu and Liu Xiaoping looked at Jia Cong with some concern.

Originally, in their minds, Jia Cong had the best academic performance. He had always been among the top students in the academy's monthly exams in the past six months, and he was also taught by a famous teacher like Liu Jing'an.

Normally, it should not be a problem for Jia Cong to be on the list. According to the estimation of Cai Xiaoyu and others, it should be a reasonable and normal performance for Jia Cong to be on the second list and enter the top 20.

However, his name was not on the second list, and he was only ranked in the top ten on the first list.

He may very well make it to the top of the list, or he may unexpectedly fail to make the list. In short, at this stage, the risk is very high, but there are still opportunities. It is particularly painful to be neither up nor down.

Cai Xiaoyu saw that although Jia Cong was relatively calm, his eyes were full of nervousness. At this time, who could remain calm?

Finally, the top list was posted on the wall by the officials of the Ministry of Rites under the watchful eyes of the public.

Jia Cong browsed through it as quickly as possible, then a look of shock appeared on his face, and finally he smiled with satisfaction.

Cai Xiaoyu, who was standing by, had his eyes wide open with an expression of disbelief, and shouted, "Oh my God, Yuzhang, you got the top spot, the top spot, you've become Lord Jieyuan!"

Jia Cong himself did not expect that he would actually top the list. He still had some confidence that he would be on the list. Although his name did not appear on the second list, he did not give up hope.

In his imagination, the best result was to enter the top 20 of the first list, but he never expected to win the first place. Cai Xiaoyu's duck voice was a bit sharp and piercing, which immediately attracted the attention of the people around him. Countless eyes looked at him, and there was quite a bit of pressure from being in the spotlight. Jia Cong couldn't help but frown.

Nearly two thousand people took part in the Yongzhou Enke County Examination, but only one in ten made it to the list, with most of the people present being frustrated people who had failed.

As the top of the list, I am almost the target of everyone's criticism. I am not very likable. It is almost like rubbing salt into other people's hearts.

Originally, he had received such a great surprise and was just going to leave quietly and make a fortune, but he didn't expect to be ruined by Fatty Cai's hoarse voice.

Topping the list of the provincial examination and being named Jieyuan is the honor that many students dream of, and various discussions began to arise.

"Isn't this Jia Cong from the Second Academy? He ranks among the top two in every monthly exam. He is indeed outstanding."

"Isn't Jia Cong a son of the Rongguo Mansion? He is a son of a noble family, born into wealth and splendor, and yet he comes to compete with people like us from humble backgrounds for the chance to win the championship!"

"The Ningrong Jia family is a top-notch wealthy family with tremendous power. A noble and dissolute young man can also take the top spot. Someone must have committed fraud for personal gain!"

"A son of a wealthy military hero is also taking the imperial examination. This is an insult to the noble Confucian tradition and a disgrace to civility. It's really ridiculous."

"This guy is quite talented, his two new poems are famous in Jiangnan..."

"Who knows, maybe it wasn't written by him, a little kid..."

Among these noisy discussions, only a few are supportive, while the majority are filled with doubt, alienation, contempt, and even malice.

There were more than a thousand failed students on the scene, those honorable scholars who did not make it to the top of the list, all of whom attached great importance to the imperial examination and official career. Among them, there were probably quite a few who were willing to break their heads and bleed for it, and who were making secret calculations.

At the moment the results are announced, people are so excited and excited that they express their most genuine emotions without any disguise. How much kindness can there be in them?

This scene suddenly reminded Jia Cong of the essay topic: Today's scholars are well versed in books and classics, and seek official positions, but their moral integrity is weak and they are content with mediocrity and follow the old ways.

Jia Cong sneered in his heart: This is what today's scholars are like.

At this time, a somewhat cold but somewhat clear voice said, "I have heard of Brother Jia Shi's reputation for a long time. Your teacher, Master Jing'an, was once the Grand Master of the Ministry of Rites.

During the Yongzhou Academy Examination, Brother Jia was selected as the top candidate by Lord Guo from the Ministry of Rites, so he can be considered to be in the same lineage.

Now, Brother Jia has won the first place in the Yongzhou provincial examination, which means he has won two first places in the imperial examination.

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zhejiang produced a person who won the top three places in the imperial examination fifty years ago.

But since then, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, not only has there been no one who has won the top three places in the imperial examination, but even no one who has won the top two places in the imperial examination.

Brother Jia is extremely talented and comes from a family of top nobility. He is truly blessed. I admire him!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around him, whether they were kind to Jia Cong or those who rejected and hated him, gasped.

On the surface, these words seem to be praise and compliments, but the implicit accusation is as sharp as a knife, and the words are very bold.

It is said that Jia Cong's teacher Liu Jing'an was once the Grand Master of the Ministry of Rites, and Guo Youchang, who selected Jia Cong as the first place in the imperial examination, was also an official of the Ministry of Rites, and now he is the new Grand Master of the Ministry of Rites.

To say that this is a continuation of the tradition is nothing more than to accuse it of having some hidden flaws. Everyone knows that the provincial and imperial examinations are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites. Even the place where the papers were marked for this provincial examination was the Donghua Building of the Ministry of Rites.

That person was also a powerful one. He didn't give any clear clues in his words, so people couldn't find any evidence against him. However, he mixed these unrelated things together and made people imagine a lot. He was really vicious.

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a spark was scattered in boiling oil. Almost instantly, the students around burst into a cacophony of discussions, and their emotions became uncontrollably excited.

Cai Xiaoyu, Liu Xiaoping, Cui Anzhi and others around Jia Cong changed their expressions when they saw that the crowd around them suddenly became agitated.

Jia Cong's face was solemn as he looked at the person who had just spoken. He saw that the man was of medium build and was wearing a green robe.

It is exactly what Cai Xiaoyu said just now, recommending Zhou Zian, the son of Zhou Junxing from the academy!

(End of this chapter)