Notes on Longevity

Chapter 11 The day the sutras were chanted in this building, the day the names of those who passed the imperial examinations

It was the fifteenth day of midsummer in the fourteenth year of the Wen Shang era, at dawn.

Summer had already arrived in Fuyang City. The sun was high in the sky, and it was extremely hot. The streets near the chanting tower were crowded with people, especially the stalls and vendors, which were surrounded by young men, mostly between twenty-five and thirty years old.

Their faces were anxious, and their expressions were panicked as they shouted at the stall owners:

"Give me three steamed buns!"

"I also want!"

"A bowl of plain noodles, with plenty of broth."

"Hey, don't rush, don't push."

The stall owners, looking at the crowd of young people surrounding them, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Every three years around this time, they would be incredibly busy. They even had to prepare noodles three days in advance, and the quantity had to be at least ten times more than usual, otherwise it wouldn't be enough for all the people in front of them.

Today is the day when the results of all the candidates who went to Beijing to take the imperial examinations will be released.

For every person who passed the exam, there was someone who failed. But more than those who failed, all the stall owners and test-takers were concerned about who passed.

No matter who you are or what your family background is, once you pass the imperial examination, it's like a toad in the field turning over and becoming a golden toad. This is a saying that has been passed down among the common people for a long time.

But to truly turn one's fortunes around, one must pass the imperial examination. Even if one doesn't ultimately become the top scholar, one can still claim to be a disciple of the emperor.

After all, the questions for the palace examination were set by the current emperor himself.

Just as the candidates were squatting, standing, or casually sitting on a rock, eating their steamed buns and noodles with gusto, a series of wild shouts came from afar: "The results are out! The results are out!"

At the same time, there was a sound of gongs being struck, which came from afar and gradually faded in intensity.

The candidates were slightly taken aback, but immediately put down their bowls or stuffed the unfinished buns back into their clothes and ran towards the sound of the gong. Some even fell down.

Outside the chanting hall, the candidates had already arrived, standing in front of a gong next to a huge horizontal wooden sign.

With a tense expression, he looked past the middle-aged man holding a wooden mallet in front of the gong and stared at the half-open, slightly ajar vermilion door of the chanting tower, but his gaze was fixed more on the second-floor platform above the chanting tower.

Inside the chanting hall, a middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent purple official robe and wearing a black court hat, with a solemn face and extremely dignified expression, held a dark gold scroll horizontally in his hand and walked with a dignified gait, stepping up the stairs leading to the second floor.

Behind him was a man of similar age.

The middle-aged man went up to the second floor and stood by the railing. As he looked down at the large group of examinees below, shouts rang out: "Examinees greet Your Excellency."

The tutor smiled, waved his hand at the examinees, and slowly unfolded the exam paper with both hands. The examinees downstairs watched him nervously and excitedly as he made his movements.

They were thinking, chanting, and even cursing under their breath, that they absolutely had to pass the exam this time!

After the examination papers were fully opened, the master announced in a loud and deep voice: "Today, the results of the provincial examination are being announced. I hope all candidates will listen carefully. I also wish that those who have passed the examination and become tribute students will be able to enter the palace examination."

At this point, the tutor glanced at the candidates downstairs and announced loudly, "A total of 157 candidates have passed the imperial examination."

Hearing this, the candidates downstairs clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, tense yet expectant of his next words: "Seventy-seven people will be in the top three!"

Upon hearing this, some test takers fainted from nervousness.

Fortunately, there were several small pavilions below the chanting tower, and a well-trained team led by the Imperial Medical Academy and military generals was already waiting nearby in case of emergency.

Upon seeing someone collapse, they quickly carried the unconscious examinee out, and the imperial physician fed them the medicine that had been prepared beforehand.

"Seventy-seven people in the second tier!"

The master continued to read aloud, already used to candidates fainting, as it was the same every time the results of the imperial examinations were announced.

"One armored soldier and three men!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the candidates downstairs became even more nervous. They craned their necks, staring intently at the presiding teacher, waiting for him to announce the names of the three men so they could check the list and see if their names were on it, hoping to find out if they had a chance to enter the final examination.

"Sanyuan, Zhang Tuyuan." "Ah!"

As the master's voice faded, another voice rang out. A man among the candidates downstairs trembled with excitement as he shouted to the sky, "I passed! I passed!"

After saying this, he ran to the back of the crowd and shouted to the onlookers, "I've passed! Father, Mother, your son has passed! When I become the top scholar, I will bring you to the capital!"

The onlookers applauded and cheered for Zhang Tuyuan.

Upon seeing this, the master smiled slightly, then adopted a solemn demeanor and announced, "Premier Li Chengru!"

This time, it was quiet downstairs. The master was also very curious and announced it again: "Ya Yuan, Li Chengru!"

There was still no response. The people downstairs looked at each other, asking if anyone knew the person, but it was clear that no one did.

Just as everyone was wondering, a voice came from somewhere in the crowd: "He's still at the inn, probably still asleep at this hour! He's probably forgotten that today is the day the results are announced!"

Upon hearing this, everyone began to discuss:

"Who is this person? They don't even know when the results will be released!"

"Yeah, it's amazing that they could still get into the top three."

The tutor, watching the candidates discussing downstairs, was puzzled, wondering why this guy hadn't come today. But announcing the first place in the imperial examination was more important, so he continued loudly, "The member who has achieved first place in this imperial examination is Zhang Ze'an!"

"I am but a humble student, and I am deeply grateful for your kind words!"

At this moment, a young man in his late twenties, dressed in plain white and holding a folding fan, stepped out of the crowd, bowed deeply to his mentor, and then turned to bow to all the examinees, saying with a smile, "Today, I, Zhang, have unexpectedly won first place, which is truly unbelievable. I originally thought I could only get the title of tribute student, but now I have won first place, which is really just a stroke of luck."

The candidates also congratulated Zhang Ze'an:

"Young Master Zhang, you are too kind. Your ability to win first place is a testament to your skill. If you have time, I would appreciate any guidance you may offer. I hope you will not be stingy with your knowledge."

The man who spoke was dressed in a blue robe and spoke eloquently to Zhang Ze'an.

“Of course!” Zhang Ze’an replied emphatically, “If I could read and discuss with scholars from all over the world, I would be more than happy to do so.”

Seeing this, the master upstairs laughed and said, "What a generous display of knowledge! I, Chen, also wish that the names of the others who have not yet been mentioned will also be on the list. I will be waiting for good news from the students in the court!"

"Thank you very much, Master!"

The crowd downstairs responded enthusiastically.

"The results will be released."

The master spoke to the man beside him.

"Yes, Master Chen."

After the middle-aged man, accompanied by several guards carrying swords, fully opened the half-open door, the examinees made way for him.

Once the toilet paper was pasted onto the horizontal wooden sign, everyone rushed forward to check if their names were on it.

Clearly, there were many candidates, but only 157 people made it onto the list, so naturally some people were crying and some were laughing.

Looking down at the excited and disappointed examinees, the professor upstairs pointed to a petite, handsome young man in the crowd and said to the man who had returned to the second floor, "That child is Yang You'an, the one I told you about."

"I heard that this child had already mastered the Four Books and Five Classics by the age of five, and was proficient in the Six Arts of a Gentleman by the age of ten. Why don't I see his name on the list?"

Watching Yang Youan's departing figure, the tutor sighed and said, "He's still just a child; it's inevitable that he'll make mistakes. As for Li Chengru, I wonder if we'll see him at the palace examination."

After finishing his speech, the master turned and left, walking down the steps into the chanting hall.

The man watched as Yang Youan emerged from the crowd and ran off in a certain direction.

(End of this chapter)