Qingxian asked

Chapter 20 Head of Case
Although Yan Shan looked distraught after reading Xu Qing's essay, Magistrate Wu beside him was relieved. With a famous official like Yan Shan, who was a top-notch candidate in this county exam, saying that Xu Qing won the first place was far more convincing than him, the county magistrate, picking him on the spot.

"Yan Shan is a man of vision. He is young and has written well. His future is limitless. As for Xu Qing, if he really wants to take the imperial examination, who can stop him? I have made a fortune by doing him a favor!"

The quality of an article is a matter of opinion.

But the spirituality and insight into worldly affairs revealed in the article undoubtedly make Xu Qing superior to Yan Shan.

Young people can understand the ways of the world early on and are not lacking in talent. As long as they are not too unlucky, they are destined to fly high.

In the county examination, there is actually no other ranking except the first place.

Magistrate Wu took the opportunity to decide on Xu Qing's title of "first place" and asked the clerk to copy Xu Qing's county examination essay outside the county school for people to see.

With a little polish, when Xu Qing becomes famous in the future, it will naturally become another good story, and maybe even an idiom "Wu Men Jin Xue" will be created.

Xu Qing had sharp ears and sharp eyes, so he naturally heard what was happening in the county school.

He slowed down his pace a little, enjoying the rare leisure time, and wanted to see if Zhao Bao and the others had given up. Anyway, he had passed the county examination, so he was just waiting for the fourth round to go through the motions.

There is plenty of time in between to play with Zhao Bao and others.

Xu Qing did not wait for Zhao Bao, but instead waited for the student who finished the paper second only to him in the previous examination room.

"Please stay, my friend."

"My dear brother, we are not yet students, so the word friend is not appropriate."

Friends are the names that scholars who have achieved at least the title of scholar call each other.

In this era, not everyone is qualified to say "calling friends".

"The county magistrate has already chosen you as the top candidate. According to convention, the top candidate will definitely be a student. As for me, if I can't pass the exam this time, I might as well kill myself!" Yan Shan is not very old, but he is proud of himself for having studied hard for ten years, so he is still a little arrogant.

But at the end, he looked at Xu Qing and felt a little inexplicably guilty.

When Xu Qing heard that he had won the first place in the case, he did not show any surprise, nor did he continue to dwell on this topic. Instead, he asked, "What is your name, brother?"

"Yanshan."

"Xu Qing."

"I know." Yan Shan was a little stuck when he said this. He really had no experience in interacting with people.

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Brother Yan, it's better to meet by chance than to invite each other. We are lucky enough to meet in the same examination room, which is a fate given by God. How about I treat you to a drink today, Brother Yan?"

Yan Shan admired Xu Qing's talent and really wanted to meet him, so he said politely, "That's what I want, but I dare not ask."

...

...

Jiangning Prefecture has a well-developed entertainment industry, and there are many restaurants of all sizes. Xu Qing was happy today, so he specially found a restaurant called Yihonglou. At this time of year, there are fresh vegetables, which go well with wine and have a unique flavor.

Xu Qing chatted with Yan Shan and found that Yan Shan did have some unusual insights due to his background, and that his studies at Julu Academy had broadened his horizons.

The two of them drank to their heart's content until Guo Zhuang's brother came over and they stopped drinking.

"Master Si is back. He heard that you won the first place in the case for the county lord. He was very happy and asked someone to send a fine banquet back home. Please come back with us."

Si Ye is another name for the Dianshi, the close officials in the yamen.

"Brother Yan, my uncle is looking for me, so I have to go back. It was very enjoyable to have a drink with you today, brother Yan. Let's get together again after the county exam." Xu Qing said goodbye to Yan Shan.

Yan Shan hurried to see him off.

...

...

On the way, Xu Qing was sobered up by the cold wind and spoke slowly: "How did it go?" "Everyone confessed. It was Zhao Bao who hired someone to cause trouble for you. But the beggar and the refugee didn't really do anything, so they can't be sentenced severely according to the law. But how to sentence them depends on you."

"They are just poor people who have no choice. The culprit is Zhao Bao. Just get rid of him." If he wants to do something, he must be ruthless, but he must also have the love for the people and the spirit of benevolence and righteousness of a scholar. Only in this way can he win the hearts of the people.

Moreover, in ancient stories, there are many important figures who deliberately let go of the assassins who wanted to assassinate them in order to declare their magnanimity and attract more people to join them.

Benevolence and righteousness are not spoken, but done.

Xu Qing took the initiative to let the two small figures go. He could have taken advantage of the popularity of being the first in the county examination to publicize it.

This is to build momentum for the provincial examination.

Not only is he the top candidate, but he is also a famous person in the county who is known for his benevolence and righteousness. If anyone wants to interfere in the provincial examination later, the prefect will not agree.

In fact, to put it bluntly, it is to expand one's influence.

Influence is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it is real.

In times of chaos, the heroes who rebel are often not the wealthiest, but the most famous.

"Where is Zhao Bao now?"

"It seems that things are not going well, so I went back to the countryside."

"Then I'll have to trouble Brother Guo and Brother Guo to help me keep an eye on Zhao Bao."

"That's right." The two brothers clasped their fists and said.

...

...

When Xu Qing returned home, he had already been crowned the first in the case, so naturally many people came to congratulate him. Although he did not burn paper for his ancestors' graves until smoke rose like Li Dianshi did, Zhou was still very excited.

Ever since Qingge'er fell into the water, their family's luck actually changed. In just three months, the Li family made a leap in social class.

Qing Ge'er was almost certain to become a scholar at the age of fourteen. Even if he passed the imperial examination at the age of thirty, he would still be extremely young.

In the Dayu Dynasty, those who passed the imperial examination before the age of thirty rarely failed to become Jinshi.

Once you pass the imperial examination and become an official, you will be a person in heaven!

A fourteen-year-old suspect was found in Qingshui County, and because it was the seat of a prefecture, the news quickly spread throughout Jiangning Prefecture.

Many people were skeptical at first, but the article was clearly posted outside the county school, so no one could argue with it. Moreover, with Yan Shan, the son of a famous official, praising him with all his heart, Xu Qing's reputation naturally became more and more famous.

Of course, there were also people who deliberately fanned the flames and wanted to praise Xu Qing to death.

There was even a rumor in Jiangning Prefecture that if Xu Qing failed to get the first place in the examination, it must be the fault of the prefect.

Xu Qing didn't care much about these rumors.

As his fame grew, new changes occurred in the luck column of Xu Qing's bronze mirror.

In the past few days, the orange color in the luck has become increasingly intense, almost completely replacing the red. In addition, there is another branch of content in the luck column:

Good fortune.

At the same time, a faint red aura lingered in the bronze mirror and on the words of Fuyuan's evaluation.

"What is the function of this faint red breath?" Xu Qing's heart moved, and his soul reached out to grab the red breath, and a sense of enlightenment suddenly surged in his heart.

He couldn't help showing joy.

(End of this chapter)