Chapter 213: Ripples on the First List

As the provincial examination lists were posted one after another.

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

There were also many people who were resilient in their nerves, still waiting full of hope.

The crowd of thousands of people looking at the list gradually fell into a wanton and chaotic emotional ripple. As the lists were posted one after another, those who did not pass the list became more and more panicked, and their emotions became more and more excited.

The crowd was filled with heavy anxiety and fanaticism, and countless people couldn't help but rush to the front of the list.

Hundreds of elite imperial guards were nervous and fully prepared, blocking and controlling the surging crowd.

These burly and well-trained elite imperial guards, facing these scholars who had no power to truss a chicken, actually couldn't do it, and retreated several steps before barely stabilizing their position.

And Cai Xiaoyu and Liu Xiaoping beside Jia Cong cheered with relief one after another.

Cai Xiaoyu ranked 39th, and Liu Xiaoping ranked 87th. Being able to enter the top 100 of the provincial examination in a state could be considered a very good ranking. Only Cui Anzhi had a bitter face.

Jia Cong browsed at the fastest speed, then his face showed shock, and finally he smiled satisfactorily.

Back then, he and Qu Hongxiu had escaped from the hands of Zhou Junxing of the Pushu Academy once, and he still had lingering fears when he thought about it.

But more students who didn't pass the list still held extravagant hopes.

The person in the blue robe next to him was Zhou Zian, the son of Zhou Junxing, the director of the Pushu Academy. These two studied at the Hongyang Academy. I heard they had some talent. It looks like they are going to fail the exam."

Jia Cong remembered these two names. Among the people Cai Xiaoyu mentioned who went to the Zheng Prefecture to send gifts that day, it seemed that these two families were among them.

Whether they are really better than themselves, scholars look down on each other, and it has been the same since ancient times.

Cai Xiaoyu saw that although Jia Cong was still calm, his eyes were full of tension. At this time, who could be calm?

Students who can enter the provincial examination have already obtained the fame of a scholar and have put in several years, or even decades, of hard work in their studies.

At this time, Cai Xiaoyu whispered to Jia Cong, Liu Xiaoping, and others: "You see the tall man in the blue robe, that is Shi Yongxin, the nephew of Shi Jian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice."

Who hasn't exhausted their efforts and gone all out? Who wouldn't easily give up hope? Even if they passed the second list, that hope had already become an extravagant hope.

But his name didn't appear on the second list, and the first list only had the top ten rankings.

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

He might enter the first list, or he might accidentally fail the exam. In short, at this stage, the risk is great, the opportunity is still there, and it is neither up nor down, which is especially tormenting.

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

According to common sense, passing the list is not a big problem. According to the estimation of Cai Xiaoyu and others, Jia Cong's talent ranking in the second list, entering the top 20, should be a relatively reasonable and normal performance.

Originally, in their hearts, Jia Cong's academic performance was the best, ranking at the top in the monthly examinations of the academy for the past six months, and he was taught by a famous teacher like Liu Jing'an.

Most of these people understood their own level. They didn't make it to the previous lists, but they wanted to see their names on the first list, which was probably also a delusion.

Because many students who didn't pass the list almost gave up hope.

What attracted his attention more was the name of the second person, Zhou Zian, the son of Zhou Junxing.

Finally, under the eyes of everyone, the first list was posted on the wall by the Ministry of Rites runners.

And the students who had already passed the list, whether they were greatly relieved in their hearts, or felt that the ranking was too low and were unwilling, all wanted to see who the people on the first list were.

Cai Xiaoyu, standing to the side, widened his eyes, with an expression of disbelief, and shouted: "My God, Yuzhang, you won the top spot, the top spot! You brat have become the Jieyuan!"

Jia Cong himself didn't expect that he had won the top spot. He had some confidence in passing the list, although he didn't see his name when it was posted to the second list, but he didn't give up hope.

In his expectation, the best result was to enter the top 20 of the first list, but he really didn't expect to win the top spot.

Cai Xiaoyu's duck voice was a bit sharp and harsh, which immediately attracted the attention of the people around, and countless eyes looked over, putting quite a bit of pressure on him. Jia Cong couldn't help but frown.

This time, nearly two thousand people participated in the Yongzhou Grace Examination, and one in ten passed. Most of the people at the scene were frustrated people who failed the exam.

He, the top spot, was almost a target for everyone, and he was not very popular. It was almost like sprinkling salt on people's hearts.

Originally, he could have quietly left and made a fortune, but he didn't expect to be harmed by Cai the Fatty's duck voice.

The top spot of the provincial examination, the name of Jieyuan, was the glory that countless students dreamed of, and all kinds of discussions began to roar.

"Isn't this Jia Cong of the Yi Literature Hall of the Academy? He has been in the top one or two in every monthly examination. He is indeed extraordinary."

"Isn't this Jia Cong a descendant of the Rongguo Prefecture? A noble descendant, born with wealth and glory, also came to compete with us poor students for the opportunity to break the laurel!"

"The Ning and Rong Jia family is a top wealthy family with monstrous power. A noble dissolute descendant can also win the top spot. There must be someone seeking private gain and cheating!"

"An extravagant noble descendant also came to take the imperial examination road, insulting the nobility of Confucianism, insulting the literature, it's really ridiculous."

"This guy has quite a reputation for talent, two new poems famous in Jiangnan..."

"Who knows? Maybe he didn't write them, a child who hasn't shed his milk teeth..."

These noisy discussions, only a few were praising, most were questioning, alienation, contempt, and even malice.

The over a thousand failed students at the scene, those scholars who did not win the glory of the first list, were all people who valued the imperial examination and official career highly, and among them, those who were willing to break their heads, calculate privately, were probably not a few.

At the moment of the list release, under the impulse of heart agitation, what was vented was the most authentic emotion without disguise, and how much kindness could there be in it?

This scene suddenly reminded Jia Cong of that policy paper question: "Today's scholars are proficient in classics and seek official positions, but their virtue is not vibrant, the evil of muddling along."

Jia Cong sneered in his heart: This is the scholar of today.

At this time, a somewhat cold and hard, but somewhat clear voice said: "I have long heard of the reputation of Brother Jia. Your teacher, Master Jing'an, was once the Minister of Rites."

"During the Yongzhou provincial examination, Brother Jia was also named the top candidate by Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites, which can be considered a consistent inheritance."

"Now Brother Jia has actually won the top spot in the Yongzhou provincial examination, and he is already a two-time successful candidate."

"Since the founding of the Great Zhou, fifty years ago, there was a three-time successful candidate in Zhejiang."

"But since then, the Great Zhou has not only not appeared a three-time successful candidate, but even a two-time successful candidate has never appeared again."

"Brother Jia is talented, and he comes from a top noble family. He is truly gifted. I admire him!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone around, whether they had kindness to Jia Cong or were exclusive and malicious, gasped.

This remark, on the surface, seemed to be praising and flattering, but the implied meaning of pointing fingers was as sharp as a knife, and the words were very bold.

Saying that Jia Cong's teacher Liu Jing'an was once the Minister of Rites, and Guo Youchang, who named Jia Cong the top candidate in the provincial examination, was also an official of the Ministry of Rites, and now he is the new Minister of Rites.

Saying that this is a consistent inheritance is nothing more than pointing out that there is a suspicion of private malpractice. Who doesn't know that the provincial and metropolitan examinations are matters under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, and even the grading place for this provincial examination is the Donghua Building of the Ministry of Rites.

That person was also formidable. He didn't point it out clearly in his words, making people unable to grasp any handle, but mixing these unrelated things together and saying them out, but it could make people think about it, which was truly vicious.

As soon as these words came out, it was like sprinkling a spark into rolling oil. In an instant, the students around made a dull sound of discussion, and their emotions became uncontrollably excited.

Cai Xiaoyu, Liu Xiaoping, Cui Anzhi, and others beside Jia Cong saw that the surroundings suddenly became somewhat aggressive, and their faces changed.

Jia Cong's face was solemn, looking at the person who just spoke, seeing that this person was of medium height and wearing a blue robe.

It was Zhou Zian, the son of Zhou Junxing, the director of the Pushu Academy, whom Cai Xiaoyu mentioned just now!

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 214 =====