I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 596 Provincial Examination
In the blink of an eye, it was March again. Fang Yun's momentum was soaring and no one could stop him. He even skipped the grade and went to the scholar class with the teacher's tacit approval, and achieved excellent results again. He shocked everyone in Guangyuan Academy again and again, and made everyone numb gradually.

During this period, Fang Yun was not only studying hard, he even had enough energy to participate in the struggle between the poor and the aristocratic families. He used himself as bait twice, and both times the aristocratic families suffered great losses. Naturally, he also benefited from it. His reputation among the poor became stronger and stronger. Not only did the students come to him, but even many scholars were willing to be under Fang Yun's magnanimity.

Some people also think that Fang Yun will become the second Zhou Wenju, who also came from a poor family. No, it was not even a poor family. She was a cowherd and had no chance to study. She could only audit classes in the study occasionally. One day, by chance, the private school teacher tested her twice and was stunned by her memory. She felt a sense of appreciation for her talent and accepted her as an undergraduate.

Now he has risen rapidly to the position of Prime Minister. During his tenure, he introduced many policies to support poor students and help children from poor families. Many talents have emerged in the past twenty years, but no one can compare with Zhou Wenju.

Although Fang Yun is just a student now, he is placed with high hopes. If he really enters politics in the future, these will be his strong capital.

Today's fans will definitely become his die-hard fans!

On the tenth day of May, many students got up early. The weather was very good today, with a warm and pleasant breeze. The early morning sun shone on the square in front of Guangyuan Academy, covering the statues of the literary and Taoist sages with a piece of clothing.

Before the results of the provincial examination came out, many people were waiting anxiously in the square, talking to the statue or chatting with classmates to relieve their tension.

At 9:00 PM, Fang Yun arrived here with several good classmates. They saw that the square was full of students waiting for the results, as well as their family and friends. It was a scene of great excitement.

Before he even reached the list, Fang Yun was recognized. Naturally, everyone was talking about it, because this time Fang Yun had made another bet with someone else, but the stakes were higher. This time the bet was on the provincial examination, and the person he was betting with was Xia Duan. The bet was on who would get first place in the provincial examination. The loser would have to give up the path to the imperial examination.

The stakes were high. Although Wang Pan had taken the gamble, if he lost he would just not be able to continue studying at Guangyuan Academy. With the Wang family's background, his academic status could be transferred elsewhere. Even if it was not as good as Guangyuan Academy, it would not be too far behind. It would only be a loss of face and damage to his literary reputation.

Seeing Fang Yun here, the discussion became even louder.

"I heard that Xia Duan composed a quatrain this time, with five movements of precious light, surpassing all others!"

"Doesn't that mean Fang Yun is doomed to fail?"

"He deserves to lose. He's been so arrogant these past few months, boasting about being Prime Minister Zhou's successor. Now we're going to cut off his path to the imperial examinations. Let's see what he can do!"

"Alas, isn't Fang Yun known for his exceptional poetic talent? Why is it that he can't bring himself to excel in the exam room?"

“It’s not just a name.”

Fang Yun walked forward silently, while the people around him whispered comfort. If it was before Xia Duan's poem, the number of people around him would be several times more. But seeing that the situation was not right, Fang Yun might be knocked down from the clouds. Although it cannot be said that the monkeys scatter when the tree falls, it is also a loss of people's hearts. Many people have already lost hope in Fang Yun. After all, his answer sheet did not show any literary aura, which showed that his momentum was mediocre.

The gambling between the two was a huge event, and almost everyone in Guangyuan Academy knew about it. Now, after it was spread, not only the scholars in Guangyuan Academy, but even the common people in the streets and alleys probably knew that Fang Yun overestimated his abilities and would end up in a miserable situation. At most, he would have to return to his hometown to be a teacher.

"It's okay. I'll go ask Dean Tao. He's always been very caring towards you. With him mediating, there's still room for reconciliation."

"There's no written agreement on this bet. It's just a verbal agreement. It doesn't count!"

Seeing that there were still people around him who continued to support him, Fang Yun smiled for the first time, but there was inevitably a hint of reluctance in his smile.

When many people saw Fang Yun coming, they made way for him and allowed him to walk inside. He was about to reach the gold list.

A triumphant voice sounded in everyone's ears.

"Fang Yun, I heard you wrote another poem and it was published in the literary newspaper. Doesn't that mean you're the only one who can win the provincial examination?"

Fang Yun turned his head and saw that it was Wang Pan, and immediately replied in a cold tone.

"Brother Wang is not on the waiting list in Jiangchuan, so why did you come here specifically?"

As soon as these words came out, Wang Pan's face froze. After he lost the bet with Fang Yun, he could no longer stay in Guangyuan Academy. With the help of the Wang family, he transferred his student status to another academy, so he was no longer a candidate in this examination area. However, when he heard that Fang Yun failed in this exam, and Xia Duan's poem "Baoguang Wuxian" crushed Fang Yun, he felt happy and even ignored his own results to criticize Fang Yun first.

Unexpectedly, although Fang Yun was depressed, he still spoke with sarcasm, so he sneered.

"Fang Yun, I lost to you, but I kept my promise and left Guangyuan Academy obediently. I believe you are also a gentleman who keeps your promises. You will not ask others to come forward to cancel the bet and continue studying for the exam."

This was a heart-piercing remark. He naturally knew that with Fang Yun's ability, even if he failed the exam, he would have no problem passing the exam to become a scholar. The key point was that if he didn't get the top spot, he would never be able to take the imperial examination again and would only be a scholar for the rest of his life. Even if he had higher talent and learning, if he didn't receive the imperial title of a scholar, the possibility of him continuing to grow by practicing his own literary skills would be slim. That was why he couldn't wait to shut Fang Yun's mouth.

Fang Yun's face was cold, and someone beside him said, "Wang Pan, that's enough!"

"Enough?" Wang Pan's face changed. He shouted, "No, why didn't you say this when I left Guangyuan Academy in such a miserable and dejected state that day?"

"That's all your own fault!"

"It's all your own fault! Well said!" Wang Pan put away his sarcastic expression and said solemnly.

"You've brought this upon yourself! Was I yesterday the same person as Fang Yun today? Fang Yun has been invincible since he became famous, but now it's time for him to have a taste of defeat. I, Wang Pan, have lost face but I still know how to work hard. Although the list from my side hasn't been released yet, I'm sure that Wang Pan will be on it. I really want to thank you, Brother Fang!"

"Brother Fang's career is over, but I know very well how talented and gifted you are. I have a younger sister, only 28 years old, who has already secretly fallen in love with you. If you don't give up on me, I can mediate and make it happen. Then you and I can become a close family!"

Fang Yun shook his head and said, "I appreciate your kindness."

Wang Pan sighed upon seeing this. He was not a narrow-minded person. Although he was furious at the time, after thinking about it, he realized that he was being used as a gun by others to deal with Fang Yun, and he had to swallow the bitter fruit of failure. Now, after this experience, he was more motivated to work harder, and his feelings towards Fang Yun were somewhat complicated.

Of course there was resentment, but there was also some admiration, so what he said was not false. If Fang Yun was willing, he would naturally bring him home, but he would let him do whatever he wanted afterwards.

Afterwards, several people jumped out to mock him. They were all enemies that Fang Yun had made during this period. They said words that attacked Fang Yun's mind, which made Fang Yun's face change again and again. If it were normal, Fang Yun would have retaliated immediately, but at this moment, he had lost his courage. He felt more and more uneasy after listening to these words.

At this time, Xu Gongwang suddenly walked out of the crowd, looked at Fang Yun, shook his head slightly, and did not add insult to injury. Although his Xu family had some targeted measures against Fang Yun, Xu Gongwang himself had never made things difficult for Fang Yun. In his heart, Fang Yun was an opponent worthy of serious consideration in his future.

He didn't want to see Fang Yun end up like this today. After all, having a goal and having no goal are two completely different states. He hopes to defeat Fang Yun, but not in this way.

Then Li Ming also stood next to the notice board and waved to Fang Yun. He also ranked in the top ten in the second monthly exam, and was qualified to live in the first-class school building, so he moved out of Yichengju in Yinlong Lake.

Of course, the more important reason was that Li Ming discovered that the person who brought Fang Yun back that night seemed to be a dragon lady living in Hidden Dragon Lake. She would sometimes emerge from the lake in the middle of the night. He didn't know if Fang Yun was aware of this dragon lady's identity, but she would often meet with him secretly. Li Ming found this somewhat inconvenient and moved away. After that, the two of them had no further contact, but today, under such circumstances, Li Ming was actually enthusiastic.

"Brother Yun'er, are you all right?"

Hearing the words "Brother Yun'er", Fang Yun felt a warm feeling in his heart, so he smiled dryly and said, "You haven't called me Brother Yun'er for a long time. In just three short months, it really feels like a dream."

Li Ming chuckled and said, "Sometimes, there are too many voices around you, which can make you ignore some things. Without experiencing certain things, it's hard to distinguish. The so-called dreaming of life is nothing more than this."

Fang Yun also nodded with feeling, then looked at the few friends left around him and sighed deeply.

At this moment, many officers in black clothes came out from inside. The leader was holding a roll of red paper in his hand, followed by several officials in official attire.

Everyone knew that it was time to announce the results, and they all held their breath, looking forward to the final result.

Even Fang Yun was a little nervous at this moment, and kept asking himself in his heart.

"Is what I wrote really wrong? Do I really have to give up my official career and pursue writing in opposition? No, absolutely not!"

At this time, Li Mingze pulled him out of his complicated thoughts and spoke softly.

"Go and see, the road ahead will be exciting!"

Inexplicably, Fang Yun felt at ease when he looked at Dong Yong, who was a few years younger than him. This calmness seemed to be contagious and made Fang Yun feel at ease. Looking at his faint smile, Fang Yun realized that he seemed to have never seen through this fellow countryman.

At this time, Xia Duan and Fang Yun were walking in front together, and he showed a confident smile.

"Fang Yun, just wait and see."

Fang Yun just remained silent, but he took it as a sign of weakness, and immediately laughed. Everyone stopped in front of the notice board.

Then the officer posted the golden list, and when the officer walked away, the first line of words on the list immediately attracted countless people's attention.

Some people even bowed to Xia Duan and congratulated him: "Congratulations, Mr. Xia, congratulations, Mr. Xia, for winning the provincial examination!"

"Huh?" Xia Duan was also stunned, then looked at the list, and it was clearly on the first row.

Fang Yun!

Mo Yi, A-level!
The meaning of the scriptures, A-level!
Poetry, A-level!
The second place is Xia Duan.

The crowd fell silent, followed by tiny sounds, nothing more than something.

"Fang Yun is first? Xia Duan is second?"

"Fang Yun is wearing full armor?!"

After more than ten breaths, the crowd exploded like a huge thunder with a fuse as long as ten meters, and the aftermath of the explosion spread in all directions.

"How is this possible?!"

"Full armor, I've never seen or even heard of it in all these years!"

"There is one!"

"Who is it? Meng Ran!"

"That's all from the ancient calendar, it doesn't count. Don't you think Mo Yi is right about this armor?"

"I heard that Fang Yun also got all the answers right when he tested Mo Yi before, but he is the one who got all the answers right!"

"It's very rare to get a Mo Yi in the provincial examination. It's hard to get an A-level score in many years. It's really incredible!"

"But didn't others say Fang Yun's performance was poor?"

"Who knows? It's just a rumor."

Such voices were heard continuously, and even Fang Yun himself was surprised and stood still. Several of his die-hard fans around him cheered and jumped for joy, and were even happier than if they themselves had won the title of Maocai.

Now it was Xia Duan who was distraught. He rubbed his eyes, looked over and over again, and then asked in a trembling voice: "Am I seeing things?"

Fang Yun breathed a sigh of relief. Even he was not immune to this. He shook his head and smiled, "When I was taking the test, I was full of confidence and had no worries at all. Today I know what it means to be in constant fear."

Li Ming smiled and said, "That's good. Otherwise, you always look so confident. You look too mature. I didn't know how old you were. Well, now that the results are in, we can go back to the village and celebrate openly. See you at the dock tomorrow."

Fang Yun laughed even louder upon hearing this, feeling indescribably happy.

People came one after another to congratulate Fang Yun. The eyes that were just full of pity immediately turned into envy. The endless praises were heard in his ears. Fang Yun just responded to them. When the dust settled, Fang Yun looked again, but there was no sign of Li Ming. He just went closer to the gold list and saw that the word "Dong Yong" was at the back of the list. He was also a scholar of the same year, so he felt relieved.

This was the joyous occasion, but Xia Duan was filled with sorrow and worry. The words "Xia Duan ranked second" were extremely eye-catching. Although the sun was shining brightly at the moment, Xia Duan felt cold all over, clenched his fists, and had a dry mouth.

"I lost"

(End of this chapter)