Chapter Eighty-Nine: Top Scorer!-Vanquishing Demons with Poetry(You ask the vast heavens.)

The prefect, Qiu Buchu, and the educational inspector, Fan Zhengxiong, had alighted from their carriage beside the street not far from the prefectural academy. Wearing red official robes, they walked slowly toward the academy.

Behind them followed a number of officials dressed in the same robes, each carrying rolls of crimson silk.

At once, every gaze fixed upon those bolts of red silk, and the scholars held their breath, their hearts beating faster all at once.

It was as though a teacher had entered the room carrying the exam papers, and the results were about to be announced.

Upon that silk rested the reward for years of diligent study.

Song Mu was also staring intently as the prefect and the inspector approached the academy gates.

Both Qiu Buchu and Fan Zhengxiong wore smiles. They swept their eyes over the gathered students, then stroked their beards and nodded in turn.

A minor clerk nearby began to recite the ceremony. Prefect Qiu stepped forward first with words of encouragement, and then Inspector Fan came forward as well.

While the inspector was speaking, soldiers had already worked together to hang the bound silk upon the archway. When Fan finished, two red cords, each tied to a bolt of crimson silk, were handed respectively to Qiu Buchu and Fan Zhengxiong.

One cord held the main list, the names of those who had successfully attained the licentiate rank.

The other held the supplementary list, for those whose names were recovered and who could receive another baptism by the Literary Star.

At that moment, everyone held their breath. Fan Zhengxiong gripped the red cord tightly, bowed toward the north, and shouted aloud,

"May Heaven bless Great Wen. May the scholarly path honor the sage!"

The assembled students shouted with him. Then Fan Zhengxiong raised his hand and yanked down the cord in his grasp.

"Unseal the list! Open the gates of the examination hall! Welcome the newly risen licentiate talents of Jizhou Prefecture!"

As the words fell, the entire street erupted in joy. Cheers and applause crashed like thunder; cries of praise mingled with the crackle of firecrackers. Two rows of soldiers slowly pushed open the heavy gates of the prefectural academy, and the bindings on the red silk were released. The cloth fluttered in the wind and drifted downward.

Song Mu felt gooseflesh racing over his entire body, and in that instant, a boundless longing surged within him.

As the red silk fell away, golden names were revealed. From top to bottom, one name after another appeared in order. On the several-zhang-high crimson banner, those names gleamed in the sunlight, brilliant and dazzling.

"Read the list!" Fan Zhengxiong said once more.

Deputy examiner Xiao Li, a graduate of the metropolitan examination, was already holding a roster and began to call out the names in a voice like rolling thunder.

"First place in the Year Twenty-Seven Chongwen Jizhou Prefecture provincial academy examination!"

"Song Mu of Shiyang County!"

"Second place, Xue Kaiwen of Jizhou Prefecture!"

"Third place, Zhang Yiqi of Wanan County!"

"..." "Sixth place, Cui Kexing of Taihe County!"

"..." "Fifteenth place, Kong Zong of Shiyang County!"

Xiao Li’s voice, infused with scholarly power, boomed across the square. Each name he announced shook the entire place, and the crowd erupted in cheers with every call.

Among the gathered students, congratulations rang out from all sides.

Yet where the students of Shiyang County stood, there was utter silence.

"Did I hear that right? The top scholar is Brother Song?"

"No... no mistake. Look at the main list. The first name is Brother Song!"

Several examination candidates muttered in disbelief, pointing toward the red list already hanging outside the examination hall.

Everyone raised their heads, rubbed their eyes once more, and looked again. When they saw Song Mu's name hanging high upon the list, they could not help but gasp in astonishment.

Master Xun was also shaken. He stepped forward a few paces, looked carefully, confirmed that it was indeed Song Mu's name, and then turned to Ouyang Hong beside him.

Ouyang Hong was already stroking his beard in satisfaction as he looked at the students behind him. Master Xun, visibly stirred, turned again and immediately saw Song Mu standing out among the crowd like a crane among chickens.

Song Mu, too, felt his heart surge.

When his own name had been called first, he let out a long breath. After a moment, he drew in another, deep and steady.

Now, at last, he could offer some solace to the Song Mu who had studied so bitterly for so many years.

Song Mu slowly lifted his head and saw everyone around him looking his way. Kong Zong was standing beside him, and at once he stepped forward and cupped his hands.

"Brother Song, congratulations!"

Several other licentiates also came up and offered their congratulations.

"Brother Song, congratulations!"

Song Mu returned each salute in turn, congratulating them back, and little by little his expression settled into calm.

The ambitions he had once only imagined were finally bearing fruit.

So he thought. But just then, a sudden cry rose from the crowd. It carried both surprise and delight, and then a figure abruptly dropped to his knees and wept.

This unexpected scene startled Song Mu. He and the others at once turned to look into the ranks, where they saw a student from Shiyang County crouched not far behind them, covering his face and crying.

It was Shao Le.

A licentiate nearby quickly understood and said with feeling,

"When Shao Le took the county examination, he was only a hair's breadth from reaching the licentiate rank. We all thought he would have to wait another year, but against expectation he has now made the supplementary list in this fiercely competitive field."

Song Mu turned to look at the roster. On the supplementary list, the third name was Shao Le.

Once on the supplementary list, one could receive the Literary Star’s baptism again together with the licentiates. For Shao Le, who stood already half a step from success, this was no different from heaven granting him another chance.

By then Shao Le had gradually steadied himself and stood up, bowing to those around him.

Everyone went over to offer their congratulations, and Song Mu also stepped forward to salute him.

"Brother Shao, congratulations."

Shao Le looked up at Song Mu, deeply moved, and returned the salute.

"Brother Song, the joy is mutual. I owe much to you, and this time I will surely strive my utmost to become a licentiate!"

Shao Le was genuinely emotional. During this period, he had benefited greatly from Song Mu’s care in the county academy, and had also personally witnessed the completion of the poem endowed with nine dou of talent. All of it had left him with deep feelings and insights.

In this examination, Shao Le could clearly feel that he had performed beyond his usual level.

He had thought he would have to wait for the next contest, yet he had unexpectedly secured a place on the supplementary list, and now once more there was hope of reaching the licentiate rank.

His face was bright with excitement, and he looked forward eagerly to the coming baptism by the Literary Star.

Among the students, congratulations passed back and forth. Some wept with joy, some beamed from ear to ear, and some wore faces of disappointment.

Each carried his own thoughts. Even so, they quickly collected themselves and prepared to see the essays that would be posted next.

After the results were announced, the papers of the top three in each subject would be displayed for all to inspect, and everyone wanted to see exactly how the essays of the top three in this examination had been written.

In particular, they all wanted to know what sort of article and poem Song Mu, that sudden rising star who had received the blessing of a Sage, had produced.

After a while, Xiao Li finally finished reading the names. Fan Zhengxiong then swept a great hand forward and called out to the crowd,

"The candidates from the main and supplementary lists, step forward and enter the prefectural academy to receive the baptism of the Literary Star!"

When that cry ended, the tutors from each county academy singled out the successful candidates from their respective groups, and each county advanced in turn.

Song Mu naturally stood at the front, leading the students from Shiyang County forward together with Ouyang Hong.

At that moment, another announcement was made.

"Top scholar of the Year Twenty-Seven Chongwen Jizhou Prefecture examination: Song Mu of Shiyang County. Of the fifty-six candidates from Shiyang County, eleven made the main list and one made the supplementary list!"

The official's words sent ripples through the crowd.

Among the candidates from one county academy, one-fifth had actually passed as licentiates.

And as they marveled, their eyes were drawn at once to the young man standing in the leading position.

He was a handsome youth with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, broad-shouldered and upright, wearing a faint smile. About him there lingered an elegant and tranquil air of refinement.

Such a top scholar was not only gifted beyond measure, but also strikingly handsome. In an instant, he drew shrieks from the girls watching the ceremony from the teahouses above.

...