327 Failed the Exam?
Wei Shulan suddenly said, "Oh, right! The results are being announced today, so we have to be on our guard."
Zhao Zhitong looked up, puzzled. "Ah, why?"
Wei Shulan whispered, "I heard a few days ago that on Results Announcent Day, many families will be looking for potential suitors for their daughters in front of the results list. If they admire a particular young man, they will directly pull him aside to propose marriage."
Zhao Zhitong found it hard to believe. "Really?"
Wei Shulan shook her head. "I’m not sure; I’ve never seen such a scene myself, I only heard about it. But think about it, these scholars are all disciples of the Emperor, their futures are bright. The top scorer can even marry a princess, so it must be true. We must keep a close eye on Qiao Muchen. He was the top scholar from last year’s provincial examinations. Many families in the Capital City must have their sights on him by now."
Zhao Zhitong thought Wei Shulan’s words were a little too exaggerated.
However, she went along with her best friend’s excitent and giggled, "Then we must keep a hawk-eye on him, so Qiao Muchen isn’t snatched away, hahaha."
As Zhao Zhitong and Wei Shulan joked, Zhao Yue, who was nearby, felt neglected. "Hey, Wei Shulan, what do you an by that? Why only keep an eye on Qiao Muchen? What about ? A gentleman as dashing and distinguished as myself is highly sought after; I’m in a very precarious position too, you know!"
Wei Shulan rolled her eyes. "You? Please. What family would want to snatch *you* away?"
Zhao Yue protested, "Hey, you’re wrong there! Let tell you, I, this young master, am dashing and debonair; I can write poetry and compose music..."
Zhao Yue began singing his own praises, and the more he boasted, the less anyone wanted to listen.
They quickly finished their noodles and hurried outside.
「 」
When they arrived, a large crowd had already gathered in front of the results list; it was a bustling scene. From the crowd ca intermittent sounds of scholars, so joyful, others disappointed.
Zhao Zhitong and Wei Shulan, hand in hand, smiled as they squeezed their way to the front of the crowd.
Wei Shulan pointed to the list above them. "It should all be here. Let’s look carefully."
Zhao Zhitong nodded, and they began to read the nas one by one. Just then, Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue also squeezed in and stood next to Zhao Zhitong and Wei Shulan, looking at the list together.
Unexpectedly, neither Qiao Muchen’s nor Zhao Yue’s nas were on the A-list.
They were puzzled for a mont but then continued to scan downwards. After all, examinees from all over the Great Zhou Dynasty were present, and it was teeming with hidden talents. Furthermore, the grading of essays is subjective, as different examiners have different tastes; anything was possible.
Zhao Zhitong exclaid, "Ah, I see it! Zhao Yue, you’re ranked thirty-sixth on the B-list. Congratulations, congratulations!"
Zhao Yue laughed. "No big deal."
Then the group continued their search, but when they had gone through the entire list, they still hadn’t found Qiao Muchen’s na!
Zhao Zhitong furrowed her brows, finding it hard to believe. "How is this possible?"
Wei Shulan also looked incredulous. "How can his na not be there?"
At this ti, Zhao Yue’s smile had faded, his brows knitting tightly. I’m on the list, so it makes no sense that Qiao Muchen isn’t! Even if he didn’t make the A-list or beco the Huiyuan, he shouldn’t have failed outright. Sothing’s wrong! That was his imdiate thought.
Zhao Zhitong looked at Qiao Muchen, her eyes filled with worry. However, Qiao Muchen seed unfazed and even reassured them.
"Don’t worry, don’t overthink it."
Zhao Zhitong frowned. "Qiao Muchen..."
But the words caught in her throat. She didn’t know how to comfort him. Should she say, ’Don’t be sad, there must be a mistake with the list’? Or, ’Don’t be sad, you’ll have another chance if you didn’t pass this ti’? Neither felt appropriate.
Just as she was struggling with this dilemma, a flurry of congratulatory noises suddenly erupted beside her.
"Congratulations, congratulations, Young Master Pei! You’ve topped the list!"
"Young Master Pei is indeed a low-key man, ordinarily unassuming, but in the examination, you have astounded everyone with your brilliant performance."
...
"Hahaha, it’s nothing, just a simple task," followed a boastful male voice. Zhao Zhitong instinctively turned and saw a young man in his twenties dressed in ornate silk, fanning himself with a folding fan, looking down his nose at everyone.
Zhao Zhitong whispered, "Who is this?"
Zhao Yue whispered back, "Young Master Pei, the young master of the Pei State’s Duchy Mansion."
Zhao Zhitong nodded. After thinking for a mont, she recalled who he was: the son of the current emperor’s paternal first cousin.
Apart from people like Pei Yuanqing and Pei Siqing who were enfeoffed as princes, there were also those who had been granted the title of State Duke by the late emperor.
This Young Master Pei was one of the latter.
While the crowd was flattering this snobbish Young Master Pei, so began to denigrate Qiao Muchen to elevate Pei further.
"Hey, what rank did our top scholar from last year’s provincial exams, the once unrivaled Young Master Qiao, achieve this ti?"
"Haha, I don’t think I saw his na."
"Ah, no way! Did he fail? Tsk tsk. See, this is what happens when you’re too high-profile. One should learn from our Young Master Pei: be discreet, not so ostentatious. True success is getting on the list and making a stunning debut."
...
If they hadn’t brought up Qiao Muchen, Zhao Zhitong wouldn’t have paid them much mind. But their remarks made her focus on this so-called "Huiyuan," the top scorer.
This Young Master Pei looked presentable enough, but his condescending air and forced scholarly deanor made him seem rather out of place. This kind of person ranked first?
Just as Zhao Zhitong was pondering this, soone in the crowd suddenly scoffed.
"What’s there to be so proud of? It’s just a result obtained by cheating!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Young Master Pei’s entourage imdiately beca agitated, shouting, "Who? Who’s spouting nonsense? Show yourself!"
"I said it!"
Following an angry roar, a scholar dressed in shabby clothes, with a stern and upright expression, stepped forward.
Unafraid of their power, he declared loudly, "Pei Shangqing, Young Master Pei, you know best how you achieved this top rank! I saw it with my own eyes! You smuggled notes into the examination hall. That exam paper of yours—I bet you didn’t even write it yourself!"
That scholar was truly bold, daring to expose Young Master Pei’s cheating so openly, clearly ready to face any consequences.
"You—you’re spouting utter nonsense!" Pei Shangqing’s face turned red with anger as he retorted, "My, this young master’s, results were earned through my own efforts!"
Instantly, the people around Pei Shangqing chid in, all claiming the scholar was rely jealous of Young Master Pei.
"Exactly! Young Master Pei achieved the best results; he’s the Huiyuan. Who could possibly write it for him?"
"Right! Young Master Pei is number one. Whose paper could he have copied?"
...
Young Master Pei said arrogantly, "Hmph, that’s right. I am the Huiyuan. Who else is as talented as I am, capable of writing such an excellent essay?"
At this mont, others who, like the poor scholar, detested cheating also stepped forward.
"I think it’s more like no one is as shaless as you!"
"Exactly! So thick-skinned and shaless!"
...
"How audacious! To openly insult a contemporary literary talent, the future State Duke! Utterly shaless! You’re all just jealous!"
"That’s right! You failed the exam and now you act without sha. You’re a disgrace to scholars!"
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