Chapter 309: Entering the Game

Seeing that the day of the exam results had arrived, Gu Jiu Ling came to Nan Shan Shu Yuan early in the morning by carriage.

Gu Jiu Ling could avoid other matters, but she could not miss the day Gu Kang's results were posted.

At this moment Nan Shan Shu Yuan was also peaceful, yet in this calm the master and disciple's expressions bore a hint of tension.

Gu Jiu Ling sat in the hall, with Mr. Wen occupying the seat of honor, and Gu Kang seated beside him in the subordinate position.

Throughout Shang Jing, many had received Mr. Wen's guidance in their writings, so whoever passed the imperial examinations would come to report their good news to him.

However, Gu Kang was special—he was Mr. Wen's personally accepted inner disciple, living with him and attending to his daily needs, which gave him a closeness unlike anyone else.

Today the sun shone brightly and the weather was clear, which could be considered a good omen.

Gu Jiu Ling leaned back in her chair, and Jiu Yue placed a soft cushion behind her waist.

By noon, people came one after another to congratulate Mr. Wen.

Some had placed twenty‑fourth in the jinshi examinations, some forty‑sixth, and one had even placed seventy‑second.

Barely making it to the last place, that person's everyday learning was not outstanding, but having received Mr. Wen's guidance on a few policy essays, he could still be considered a pleasant surprise.

As more and more people came to report good news, Mr. Wen welcomed them with a smile, offered a few words of advice, and spoke some blessings.

Although Gu Kang, seated nearby, struggled to keep his composure, he could not help feeling a sense of loss.

He had thought that even if he failed to place among the front ranks, he at least ought to secure a position in the latter part of the jinshi list, yet he ended up failing to make the list at all.

He could not help but regret privately, wishing he had studied diligently at the academy years ago, so as not to end up in this predicament.

If he had not become Mr. Wen's disciple, it would have been tolerable.

Anyway, his past reputation was already ruined, yet now he was a disciple under Mr. Wen's name, even Mr. Wen's inner‑door disciple.

A single spring examination exposed his true nature, throwing him back to the ugly state he started from, making Gu Kang's body tremble slightly as his hands clenched into fists.

He wished he could kill himself—how could there be such a worthless person as him in this world?

Nor should one blame Gu Kang for giving up on himself; over the past half year he had exerted nearly all his strength to make up for past shortcomings.

He could even have exchanged his life for an official degree to prove he was not the worthless man people thought him to be, but the outcome fell short of his hopes.

He repeatedly pondered the essays he had written in the examination hall, every stroke made with utmost care, following the lines of thought taught daily by Mr. Wen and his elder sister—why then did it still fail?

At this moment Gu Kang suffered to the extreme; as time passed, it amounted essentially to a death sentence for him.

The results are posted starting from the last place, then batch by batch moving forward.

Normally the Imperial Guard takes the yellow‑backed paper, mounts the list, and delivers it with drums and gongs to the examinees' homes, whereby one can also earn some reward silver, or even cadge a cup of wine.

Thus the Imperial Guard is quite willing to do this; already more than twenty places have been posted, indicating that Gu Kang certainly did not perform well this time.

Gu Kang had indeed fallen behind in many respects; even with half a year of earnest effort to catch up, he could not hope to place among the front ranks, and by now the lists for the lower positions had essentially all been posted.

Gu Jiu Ling lifted her gaze to her brother, her heart filling with a few more worries.

At this moment Gu Kang's complexion was awful to the extreme; he wanted to cry but forced himself to hold back, unwilling to shed tears before his teacher.

Yet his feelings were stifled badly; he had lived in a daze from childhood, and later was betrayed and framed by his own relatives. Only after great difficulty did he gain his elder sister's advice, giving him today's opportunity, yet he did not want his efforts to end in utter futility.

Now even Mr. Wen sensed Gu Kang's mood, sighed gently, and looked at him saying: 'When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it must first afflict his mind, tire his bones, and starve his flesh.'

"Gu Kang, you are still young; if you do not succeed this year, you can continue the examinations next year."

"After all, you are my disciple; teaching you is my duty, so you must not give up on yourself."

A wave of pain surged in Gu Kang's chest; he rose and bowed to Mr. Wen, his voice already trembling slightly.

Although he had endured so much and tempered his mind, he was still a seventeen‑ or eighteen‑year‑old youth, and his competitive spirit remained.

Having started with such high hopes, this performance ended in gloom, losing both substance and face.

Moreover, Mr. Wen had taught him self‑cultivation, family regulation, state governance, and world peace.

To establish destiny for the people, to set the heart of heaven and earth.

To use his talents to benefit the populace—yet now he cannot even pass the jinshi examinations, let alone serve as a local official to promote reforms in Southern Qi; everything has become empty talk, even a joke.

The high hopes Mr. Wen had placed on him were like a series of slaps, striking Gu Kang's face hard and causing excruciating pain.

"Thank you, teacher, for your instruction; I will continue the examinations next year, student."

"To let the teacher suffer this implication together with the student, the student feels unwilling……"

Before he could utter the word 'endure', tears welled at the corners of Gu Kang's eyes; he hastily wiped them, sniffed, and gave a bitter laugh: 'Please excuse me, teacher; I have simply not put in enough effort.'

"From now on, the student will surely study diligently and never slack off."

Gu Kang's following words were also as if he were convincing himself.

Gu Jiu Ling slowly rose, stood before Gu Kang, sighed, and took hold of his arm, smiling: 'It's all right; this failure means nothing—there will be another chance.'

"If that truly fails, you can help Elder Sister manage the properties our mother left behind and become a wealthy landlord."

"Or we could take Mr. Wen and travel the world, write and establish our doctrines as reclusive scholars, finding solace in mountains and waters—also a fine path."

"Well said!" Mr. Wen looked at Gu Jiu Ling, his eyes gaining a touch of admiration.

"The Princess Consort possesses great wisdom; Gu Kang, study carefully from your elder sister."

Gu Kang was about to speak when suddenly a pageboy's report came from outside: the newly graduated Third Place and Second Place had come to congratulate Mr. Wen.

When the two young talents entered Nan Shan Shu Yuan one after another to visit Mr. Wen, Gu Jiu Ling was momentarily stunned.

The one leading the way she did recognize—it was Heir Apparent Lin Jingyuan of the An Guo Gong Fu.

Lin Jingyuan had placed Second Place in the examinations, a result everyone agreed upon.

After all, among Shang Jing's younger generation, aside from Lin Jingyuan there was only Gu Huai, who had just died in prison.

Unfortunately, Gu Huai's intentions were not upright, so he naturally had no chance.

Behind Lin Jingyuan followed a youth who looked quite unfamiliar, yet when Mr. Wen saw him he rose slowly from his seat, supporting himself on the chair.

"Mr. Wen!" the youth exclaimed, dressed in a blue robe embroidered with bamboo patterns, his appearance exceptionally handsome.

He hurried forward a step to steady the rising Mr. Wen, then stepped back and bowed deeply in respect.

"How is your father?"

The young man raised his head, laughed, and said: "My father runs an academy in Yucheng, Jiangnan, has taken on many disciples, and is in good health; thank you, Mr. Wen, for your concern."

Gu Jiu Ling instantly understood—this was none other than the young master of the Li family, a famed scholarly household known throughout the world.

This person is the third-place laureate.

The Li family is a famous scholarly clan, and they even produced an Empress Li.

Unfortunately, Empress Li died early, leaving only Crown Prince Xiao Ting.

The Li family's offspring attained the rank of third-place laureate; clearly, the Li family is aiming to enter officialdom.

Now they also see that the Duan family is declining, and the Third Prince Xiao Wei was directly knocked down by Xiao Yin.

It seems that in this capital struggle, more and more great clans have joined the fray.