Water Margin people

Liangshan City.

The day for the announcement of the results of the Spring Examination is approaching soon.

The candidates gathered in the square waiting for the results to be announced.

The square was bustling with people, most of whom were there just to watch the fun. After the test, they would know the results, and their greatest interest now was to guess who was on the list.

"I bet fifty silver coins."

"I bet two silver coins."

"I bet ten silver coins."

……

Those onlookers began to discuss, and each of them thought that they would win the bet.

People are like this. They may not win the exam, but they will never admit defeat when it comes to gambling.

Huge imperial edicts were carried out one after another, and each imperial edict was like a huge curtain.

"So big?"

The onlookers were stunned when they saw the imperial edict that was several meters long. How many names were written on it?

The imperial edict was opened, and the names were revealed to the public one by one.

"I'm hit!"

"There is me! There is me!"

"I got hit too!"

Many people cheered as they saw their test numbers and names.

"What's going on? Why isn't there a list? Where's the top scorer? Where's the first place? Where's the second place? Where's the third place?"

The faces of the onlookers changed drastically. This time the list only had names and categories, without the traditional top three and rankings. This made them, who had spent a lot of money on the bet, confused. How could they settle the account?

“Is there something wrong with the list?”

Someone shouted that there had been rankings in the imperial examinations since ancient times, but this time there was none.

"An Jing, the list is correct! Starting from this spring exam, there will be no more rankings for candidates. There will only be admission and rejection!"

The official in charge of announcing the results spoke to everyone.

"Then who is the top scholar?"

Someone continued to ask, they needed a result, otherwise how to count the money on the gambling table?

"Don't you understand what I'm saying? There won't be any top scorers if there's no ranking in the future!"

The official looked at those people and said coldly.

Nowadays, the Spring Imperial Examination is not only for selecting officials, but also for selecting talents from all walks of life. Officials are talents, and people from other industries are also talents. How do we rank these talents?

How can one compare a person who is good at policy making and suitable for local governance with a person who is proficient in arithmetic and can calculate astronomy and geography?

"No top scorer? No ranking?"

Everyone finally reacted and they felt as if the sky had fallen. Their gamble had failed and they suffered heavy losses.

"Let's go find a restaurant and a gambling house!"

Those people went to the taverns and gambling houses in the city, shouting.

Those who are on the list naturally don’t care about these things. Those who can get into high school are all focused on their studies. Who has time to gamble?

"Okay, you all have it, follow me into the palace, His Majesty wants to see you!"

The official pointed at the admitted candidates and said.

"His Majesty wants to see us!"

The candidates had no time to celebrate, their faces were filled with surprise. It was their honor to meet His Majesty the Emperor.

"Let's go!"

The official certainly knew why these admitted candidates were like that. It was the same when he first met His Majesty the Emperor.

Everyone came to the dock near Liangshan Lake, where several large ships were already waiting.

Everyone took a boat to Liangshan Pier, where Wen Huanzhang was already waiting.

"Greetings to Mr. Wen!"

Everyone saluted to Wen Huanzhang.

"Follow me into the palace. His Majesty has already prepared a banquet for you."

Wen Huanzhang looked at the admitted candidates and smiled.

Everyone followed Wen Huanzhang to Liangshan and entered the palace. The square outside the Council Hall was already filled with tables and chairs.

"Please take your seats!"

Wen Huanzhang pointed at the arranged tables and chairs and spoke.

The examinees were a little nervous. After finding their desks and chairs, they were afraid to sit down. "Everyone, sit down!"

Wen Huanzhang said.

The candidates then sat down in panic, but none of them dared to sit still.

"Your Majesty is here!"

Following the guards' shouts, all the candidates stood up.

Sun Lei, wearing the emperor's crown and robes, walked out of the palace surrounded by officials.

"Why are you all standing? Sit down!"

Sun Lei said with a smile as he looked at the candidates who were trembling with nervousness.

The candidates sat down excitedly, and each of them looked at the emperor, wanting to see his majesty clearly so that they could tell everyone about it when they returned.

The palace maids quickly set up a banquet, but the candidates didn't even look at the sumptuous banquet.

"Binfu, that... that's not Brother Shi... No, His Majesty the Emperor!"

Hu Quan looked at Yu Yunwen and spoke. He suddenly realized that the emperor looked very similar to the man who had been drinking and chatting in Yu Yunwen's courtyard a few days ago, and the more he looked, the more he felt that they were alike.

"This...isn't...uh!"

Yu Yunwen was reminded of this and suddenly realized something was wrong. They were too similar, almost exactly the same.

"It's unlikely!"

Yu Yunwen comforted himself, thinking that it was just a coincidence, that Brother Shi and the Emperor just looked similar.

"Why do I feel like I'm alone?"

Hong Shi also spoke.

“It’s really just one person!”

The others also spoke up. They had a very pleasant conversation that day and were very impressed by Brother Shi's conversation and experience. They were deeply impressed.

In the past few days, everyone even looked everywhere for Brother Shi, hoping to have another chat, but unfortunately they couldn't find him.

"Don't talk nonsense! Don't talk nonsense! They just look similar!"

Yu Yunwen comforted himself.

Sun Lei didn't like giving speeches. He thought it was a waste of time, so he just ordered the banquet to start.

The examinees finally felt relieved and looked at the delicacies in front of them. Even though some of them came from wealthy families and ate well on weekdays, the banquet in the palace was still an eye-opener for them.

The banquet gradually became lively, and the candidates began to get to know each other and talk about what happened today.

"Your Majesty, would you like to meet these students?"

An official spoke up.

"Wait a minute, let's talk about this after they have eaten something."

Sun Lei waved his hand and said that there were more than 2,000 candidates admitted this year. If he were to meet them all until dark, he would not be able to meet them all. It seemed that he could only meet selected ones.

The imperial wine in the palace was extremely sweet and mellow. Many candidates felt dizzy after drinking it, but they did not dare to act rashly as they remembered that this was the imperial palace.

Sun Lei brought officials to the students, and Lu Zhishen and Wu Song would not miss this opportunity.

"Come on, have a drink!"

Lu Zhishen held up the wine bowl and spoke to several candidates.

"Shangzhu Kingdom!"

The candidates quickly stood up with their wine glasses in hand. Lu Zhishen changed into the robes of a pillar state, which put a lot of pressure on these candidates.

Some people also recognized Lu Zhishen and Wu Song, the two who had the absolute confrontation in the restaurant.

The candidates suddenly realized that it was not surprising that a Supreme Pillar of the State and a Duke could compete with each other, especially since they both had extensive knowledge.

Sun Lei greeted the examinees with a smile, but he didn't drink any alcohol. If he had, he wouldn't know how many jars of wine he would have drunk.

"Brother, I'll go drink a few bowls with them!"

Li Kui also became interested and looked eager to try it out.

"Don't get drunk!"

Sun Lei looked at Li Kui and reminded him that it was okay for him to drink a little since they were happy today, but he must not get drunk and lose his manners.

"I, Tieniu, am the most obedient!"

Li Kui patted his chest and said. (End of this chapter)