They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 8 seems like a waste of money.
The river breeze, carrying the fishy smell of water, swept across the mudflats, swirling up a few clumps of withered reeds.

Fisherman Zhang slammed the straw rope net heavily onto the muddy ground at Chen Guangrui's feet. A golden scale flashed inside the net, and water droplets splashed from the fish's tail, wetting the hem of Chen Guangrui's robe.

"My esteemed guest, one string of cash! As promised!"

Old Zhang's Adam's apple bobbed, his cloudy eyes fixed on the other person's action of taking out money.

Chen Guangrui smiled without saying a word and placed a string of coins directly into the old man's chapped palm.

"Alright, thank you so much!"

Old Zhang said no more, shouldered his fishing net, took the remaining fish and turned to leave. His straw sandals trod across the rocky beach, and he hummed a fisherman's song in a raucous tone. His figure quickly disappeared into the reeds downstream.

The mudflats returned to their lifeless state.

Chen An stared at the two golden carp in the shallow puddle, finally unable to contain himself any longer.
"Brother! This string of cash is enough for our expenses for several days!"

Seeing that another string of silver coins had disappeared from his remaining banknotes, Chen An felt a pang of heartache.

"These two goldfish are beautiful, but they're useless to us. We bought them out of thin air, but we can't keep them alive, and it would be a waste to eat them."

Chen Guangrui watched the carp still thrashing about in the shallow puddle, fiddling with the two peach pits he had brought from the post station in his sleeve, his gaze following the disappearance of the ripples.
“Yuan Shoucheng asks for two golden carp every day, but today two are suddenly missing. What do you think he will think?”

Chen An was taken aback: "You want to force that fortune teller to come to you?"

Chen Guangrui chuckled and brushed the mud off the corner of his robe. "That old fox ran away as soon as he saw me for some reason. Now that I've bought his two golden carp, let's see if he still comes looking for me."

Chen An stood to the side, seemingly understanding, yet also seemingly not fully comprehending.
“Then let’s just buy these two golden carp and take them home. What are we waiting for here? The fortune teller won’t come here.”

The wind rustled through the reeds, and Chen An's back straightened instantly.

"Brother, I have a feeling there's something in this forest watching us. Should we go back first?"

He stood warily beside Chen Guangrui, watching for any sounds coming from the woods, while Chen Guangrui stood by the puddle, remaining silent.

He stared at the shimmering river surface, as if deep in thought, or perhaps waiting for something to emerge from the water.

The water is so still, how could anything possibly come out?

Chen An stood to the side without saying a word. If Chen Guangrui wanted to wait, then he would wait with him!
However, his eyes remained cautiously fixed on the woods.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Guangrui bent down, picked up the golden carp, and threw it directly into the Jing River.

When Chen An, who had been focused on the woods, noticed these things, he was taken aback.
"Brother! What are you doing? This golden carp, bought with a string of cash, why are you releasing it?"

He was getting anxious and tried to catch the fish before it swam away. "Even if we don't eat it, we can still get a hundred or so coins for it. It's such a waste to throw it away!"

Chen Guangrui reached out to stop them, saying, "They are treasures of the Jinghe River aquatic creatures. Since you and I have obtained them, it would be better to release them back into the wild."

"But."

Chen An hesitated, then secretly counted the remaining silver coins in his hand.

Chen Guangrui remained standing by the river, showing no sign of leaving; he was still waiting.

As dusk settled on the horizon, Chen An reminded Chen Guangrui that if they didn't leave soon, they might not be able to enter the city. Chen Guangrui then got up and left, somewhat disappointed.

Chen An muttered to himself from the side.
"That's strange. I felt like someone was watching us just now, but the feeling disappeared after we released those two golden carp?"

"Could there really be a river god in this river? Does he not want us to take those two fish?"

Then he shook his head. "Impossible, brother. Didn't you always say there are no ghosts or gods in this world? Right?"

Chen Guangrui had been somewhat disappointed, but upon hearing the martial artist Chen An's intuition, his brow relaxed considerably, and he replied with a smile.

"What if I'm wrong?"

"Impossible, brother, you've never been wrong?"

"But Yuan Shoucheng can calculate the best fishing spot every day. Don't you think that's a bit strange?"

Chen An still shook his head, "Brother, you said that fortune tellers are all bettors, you can't take them seriously."

"Is all of this what I said?"

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't lie to me about something I didn't say, would you?"

"How could that be? Brother, you said you have a very good memory. If I lie to you, I'll have to make up even more lies to keep them from being exposed."

"Yes, I did say that."

When they returned to the inn, it was still before curfew.

Chen Guangrui saw that the postmaster was standing at the entrance of the post station. Upon seeing him return, the postmaster hurriedly came forward with a friendly smile, "Scholar Chen, a guest has come to visit."

"guest?"

Chen Guangrui was somewhat intrigued. "Who is it?" "It's Zhang Changling, who ranked second on this year's list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations."

"Zhang Changling?"

Chen Guangrui frowned slightly.
"What is he here for?"

Seeing the puzzled look on Chen Guangrui's face, the postmaster leaned closer and whispered,

"This Zhang Bangyan has been waiting in the hall for a long time. He said he was a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and came here to get to know the Zhuangyuan (top scholar) better."

The subtle expectation that Chen Guangrui had developed from waiting in vain by the Jing River—the hope that something extraordinary would happen—dissipated instantly. He had thought that Yuan Shoucheng or the strange figure in the river would come to him, but he never expected that it would be Zhang Changling, the second-place scholar with whom he had no connection.

"Youlao Yi Cheng."

Chen Guangrui exchanged a polite greeting, signaling Chen An to stay outside. He then straightened his robe, which was slightly dusty from the journey, and slowly walked into the reception room of the inn.

Inside the hall, Zhang Changling was admiring a calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall with his hands behind his back. Hearing footsteps, he quickly turned around, a warm yet perfectly appropriate smile spreading across his face, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brother Chen! I apologize for my intrusion in visiting, and I hope you will forgive me!"

Chen Guangrui returned the greeting, "Brother Zhang, you're too kind. I didn't know you were here; what brings you here?"

"How dare I offer any guidance!"

Zhang Changling laughed even more enthusiastically.
"Our friendship as fellow students is as close as hands and feet. I have recently been deeply impressed by the magnificent atmosphere of the capital, but I have not had the chance to have a deep conversation with Brother Chen, which is a real pity. Today I have taken the liberty of visiting you, firstly because I admire your great talent, and secondly... I would also like to learn a thing or two from you."

The two men took their seats as host and guest, and the postmaster served them coarse tea before bowing and leaving.

Chen Guangrui picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and understood.

"No one visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason," and Zhang Changling had probably seen him "running around" visiting officials these past few days and was imitating him. He remained calm and pretended to listen attentively: "Brother Zhang, please speak freely."

Zhang Changling took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, a hint of smugness barely concealed between his brows, but he feigned humility and lowered his voice.

"To my shame, I've noticed that Brother Chen has been frequently visiting renowned scholars lately, and I've long admired that approach, so I've decided to try and imitate him..."

He paused, carefully observing Chen Guangrui's expression. Seeing that the other party merely nodded slightly, his eyes calm and unwavering, he had no choice but to continue.
"The other day, I had the audacity to pay a visit to the residence of Censor Sun Fujia."

"Oh? Senior Sun?"

Chen Guangrui raised his eyes, his face showing just the right amount of "surprise" and a little "admiration".

Before Zhang Changling could think further, seeing Chen Guangrui's surprise, he felt a sense of smugness.

"Brother Chen, you may not know this, but even within the imperial court, there are distinctions between officials. The officials you've been visiting these past few days are actually..."

He stopped mid-sentence, then gave a mysterious smile.
“Lord Sun also rose to his position through the imperial examinations. He is our senior, and we should get closer to him.”

At this point, Zhang Changling became even more smug. Although Chen Guangrui was the top scholar in the imperial examination, he seemed to have a better understanding of the ways of officialdom than he did.

Judging from the looks of it, Zhang Changling must have received some information or promise from the previous top scholar, which is why he couldn't resist showing off. He's even forgotten his original purpose. Chen Guangrui, following Zhang Changling's smug tone, continued...
"Brother Zhang is truly remarkable to have earned the approval of a senior. Senior Sun must be among the most discerning people in Chang'an."

This lukewarm flattery made Zhang Changling even more smug. Originally, he was "well-versed in officialdom" and wanted to test Chen Guangrui, but now, because of his smugness, he had forgotten all the words he had prepared.

On the contrary, it was Chen Guangrui's simple flattery that made him blurt out all the things he wanted to test him.

Zhang Changling leaned forward slightly, his lowered voice carrying a deliberate air of mystery.

"I recently heard rumors that there may be good news in the palace. The court will be holding a banquet to commend the outstanding talents of this year's imperial examinations in the coming days... It is said to be in half a month? I am new to the capital and am at a loss. I do not know how we should prepare for such a grand event?"

As he spoke, he stared intently into Chen Guangrui's eyes, trying to catch any trace of prior knowledge or special preparation.

However, even if he deliberately tested Chen Guangrui, he wouldn't let him get any information out of her. Now that he'd brought it up like this, Chen Guangrui was even less likely to say another word.
"Oh? Is that so? A banquet to celebrate the new recruits? This is truly an honor for us! In half a month..."

He frowned slightly, as if pondering for a moment.
“Brother Zhang is indeed well-informed. This kind of palace banquet will surely be arranged and hosted by the Ministry of Rites according to old customs. We only need to follow the imperial edict, arrive on time, be dignified in appearance, and speak appropriately. Brother Zhang, you don’t need to worry. With your talent, you will surely shine in front of the emperor.”

These words were so well-placed that Zhang Changling didn't glean anything of value from them. Instead, he was flattered and speechless.

He looked closely at Chen Guangrui, who seemed completely convinced of his message about "half a month later" and was pleased about it, but showed no intention of discussing it further.

Zhang Changling didn't think Chen Guangrui had any ulterior motives, but he did look down on the top scholar somewhat:

This Chen Guangrui is all bookworms; he's completely clueless about officialdom. He didn't even prepare for the Qionglin Banquet, and the officials he visited were all hostile to each other. What's even more ridiculous is that he apparently visited Wei Zheng today.
Chen Guangrui is courting death for being one of Wei Zheng's men and Crown Prince Jiancheng's men.
It's a pity that this guy got the top score.

Zhang Bangyan was very satisfied with his guess. He was already planning how to shine at the Qionglin Banquet in half a month and surpass the top scholar. He hoped that he would be favored by the emperor and, even if he didn't become the top scholar, he would still have a better future than the top scholar.

Having achieved what he thought was the desired result, Zhang Changling left triumphantly.

At this time, the drum at Shuntian Gate was struck forty times, signifying the closing of the market and wards. Then, the drums in each street were struck sixty times, and all the city's gates were completely closed. Chang'an City had begun its curfew.

Chen Guangrui, seemingly exhausted from the day's work, actually fell asleep in his chair.

What he didn't expect was that, in his reverie, he suddenly turned around and saw a huge dragon head staring intently at him.

(End of this chapter)