Chapter 139 Autumn Examination Results Announced
However, after Sun Shaozong dropped the note in the carriage, the stable was quiet for two days. But on the morning of September 15th, something unexpected happened again.
And what appeared out of nowhere this time was not some doodled note, but a whole bag of gold and silver jewelry - needless to say, Ding Xiu used the Sun Mansion as a 'trap'!
Sun Shaozong couldn't figure out which parts of this large bag of stuff came from Qian Ning's mansion. In order to avoid getting into trouble, he had to hide them all.
As for whether to return it to Ding Xiu in the future, that is another matter.
Because he had to deal with the bag of gold and silver, Sun Shaozong went out much later than the scheduled time. When he arrived near the Imperial Examination Hall, he saw that the street was already blocked from the beginning to the end.
Zhao Wuwei and several yamen runners pushed and shoved for a long time but failed to open a passage.
Although he wanted to whip someone, he didn't know how many scholars and talents were hiding in this huge crowd, so he didn't dare to act rashly.
Seeing that if the delay continued, even the announcement of the results would be delayed, Sun Shaozong hurriedly called Zhao Wuwei to the front of the car and whispered some instructions to him.
With the order from above, Zhao Wuwei straightened his back immediately. He swung the wheel of a street whip to the ground with a snap and said loudly, "Lord Sun, the inspector of the Autumn Examination, is here. Please don't make mistakes, gentlemen and scholars!"
Once this title was called out, it was much more useful than the name of Shuntian Prefecture. Although this Inspector General was only a temporary position and would have no binding force by the time the results were announced - but at this critical juncture, who would dare to cause trouble?
Then the crowd split to the left and right, leaving a passage more than two meters wide.
Sun Shaozong's carriage finally successfully reached the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall.
Lin Delu and Zhou Da, leading a group of officials from the Criminal Law Department, had been waiting outside the gate for a long time.
As soon as Sun Shaozong got off the carriage, Lin Delu immediately stepped forward and asked, "Sir, it's almost time. The examiners inside must be getting anxious. You see..."
Ever since the examiners entered the Imperial Examination Hall, the main gate was sealed to indicate that only entry was allowed but exit was not - others could enter and exit through the ear door or side door.
Only on the day of the announcement of the results, when Shuntian Prefecture [or the Ministry of Rites] sent people to unseal the Imperial Examination Hall, could the examiners walk out with dignity.
“Then let’s start unblocking.”
As Sun Shaozong spoke, he slowly walked up the steps, and in front of the incense table that had been set up long ago, he first washed his hands with a copper basin, then picked up three sandalwood sticks, lit them, and bent over to insert them into the incense burner.
Two clerks nearby immediately shouted at the top of their voices: "The auspicious time has arrived, the Imperial Examination Hall is unsealed!"
Sun Shaozong stepped forward and stretched out his hand to tear the seal on the main door. Several officers immediately stepped forward and slowly pushed open the two vermilion lacquered doors.
Behind the gate, there was a group of red and blue officials waiting. Regardless of their official rank or personal character, all of them had dignified faces and were solemn and calm.
Sun Shaozong stepped forward and bowed, saying, "You have worked hard for more than a month to recruit talents for the country. Your merits are immeasurable. This government has prepared a banquet and will hold a banquet to celebrate your success at 9:00 p.m. tomorrow."
Although he also reserved a seat at the Luming Banquet, he was representing the "landlord" of Shuntian Prefecture at this time, so he regarded himself as the host.
After saying all this, Sun Shaozong stepped aside. The examiners, headed by the Minister of Rites Zhang Qiu, filed out with their sleeves fluttering, and each of them got straight into their official sedan chairs without looking around.
This time there was no need for the yamen runners to clear the way, as the crowd spontaneously made way for them.
This is because the list of successful candidates will be posted only after the examiners leave. If anyone dares to stop the examiner's sedan chair at this time, he or she will probably be dragged away and beaten by the anxious scholars.
The bearers moved very quickly, and soon they scattered like birds and beasts carrying the sedan chair.
At this time, four clerks carried a scroll and went out of the main gate surrounded by a group of soldiers. They used a pole to hang the scroll on the screen wall in front of the door.
"The auspicious time has arrived, the results will be announced!"
Following Lin Delu's shout, the four clerks removed their poles at the same time, and the scroll, which was more than three meters wide, unfolded with a loud noise under the pull of gravity.
Suddenly, the area in front of the screen wall was like a boiling pot, with people pushing and shoving each other, crying and cursing, it was really lively!
It’s not that the quality of the scholars is too poor, but the main reason is that those who can squeeze to the front are mostly burly and strong servants. In order to congratulate their masters in advance, they will naturally do everything they can.
After the first wave of people who were looking at the list had squeezed out of the crowd, either happy or annoyed, it was the turn of those scholars from poor families to take their places.
Compared to those slaves, their behavior was naturally much more polite, but their reaction after reading the list was ten times more intense than that of the slaves.
Some were ecstatic, some were looking around proudly, some were wailing bitterly, some were cursing the injustice of the heavens, and some were questioning the ulterior motive.
Of course, most of them stagger away in sadness.
If we ask someone to paint this scene and then hide the background, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with naming it "Visiting the Tomb on Qingming Festival".
However, this is normally tight. After all, among the more than 2,000 candidates who took part in the provincial examination, only 137 passed. The admission rate was less than one-eighteenth, so the majority were naturally frustrated.
I heard that the admission rate in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas is even more than fifty to one, which can be called a death examination area.
Looking at the scene of demons dancing wildly in front of the screen wall, Cheng Rixing couldn't help but sigh: "They are full of saintly writings, but in the face of fame and fortune, they are so ugly. It really makes people sad to see them."
Sun Shaozong glanced at him and thought that if this guy failed the imperial examination next spring, his performance might not be much better than those below him.
After waiting for about another half an hour, the crowd gradually dispersed. Although a few candidates found it hard to accept the fact that they had failed the exam and shouted that there must be something fishy going on, no one else echoed them.
Sun Shaozong was somewhat relieved, so he called Zhao Wuwei and ordered, "Leave a few people to guard here, in case there are any accidents in the afternoon."
After saying this, he prepared to take Lin Delu, Zhou Da and others back to the yamen to report.
Who would have thought that just after getting on the carriage, before Zhang Cheng could whip the horse, he saw a person jumping out from the restaurant diagonally opposite with a plop!
“Ah~!”
Seeing this, Cheng Rixing couldn't help but sigh again: "The words fame and fortune really do harm to people."
Just as he finished speaking, he heard someone in the restaurant shouting, "Oh no! The scholar has jumped off the building!"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. It was common for failed scholars to jump off buildings or hang themselves, but why did a successful scholar also jump off a building?
Sun Shaozong lifted the carriage curtain, jumped off the carriage swiftly, and said, "Come on, follow me to see what happened!"
