Chapter 148 Passing the Provincial Examination

On the ninth day, Su Yang met quite a few young ladies from prominent families in Jiangzhou. Each of them possessed surprisingly exceptional physical constitutions, though none were women he could afford to provoke lightly. Though they did not share the bed, he left favorable impressions with all of them. This camaraderie would prove invaluable; after all, as platonic soulmates who shared every emotional depth save for physical intimacy, they might well be able to lend him a helping hand in the future.

On the tenth day, with the imperial examinations starting tomorrow, Su Yang felt quite nervous. He took Gu Chen along to the pleasure quarters to listen to music. Over the past few days, he had continually guided Gu Chen into committing various wicked deeds: kicking the good leg of a lame man, viciously cursing a mute for his inability to speak, stealing copper coins from a beggar, and smashing an old dog's food bowl. Regrettably, the fortune hovering above this fellow's head remained entirely unchanged.

That very evening, relying on a brilliant poem, Su Yang once again overshadowed the scholars of Jiangcheng, leaving them unable to lift their heads in comparison, and won the favor of a recently prominent courtesan. Gu Chen, watching with burning desire, was deliberately led into a trap by Su Yang, and true to form, the fellow could no longer restrain himself. Under the cover of darkness, he sneaked into the room, attempting to violate the courtesan.

This time, twenty to thirty percent of the fortune above Gu Chen's head detached and floated away. It seemed that the minor misdeeds he had previously guided Gu Chen into were simply too trivial; only when confronted with a beastly act of this magnitude did a genuine shift in fortune occur.

Naturally, Su Yang would not stand by and watch Gu Chen succeed. With a single kick, he sent him flying, fracturing one of Gu Chen's legs in the process. In the dead of night, the wretched fellow had no choice but to seek out a bone-setter. Gu Chen's two rank-one martial artist companions seemed utterly clueless as to what had happened, undoubtedly suffering the consequences of the diminished fortune above Gu Chen's head.

The fortune that had stripped away from Gu Chen slowly drifted down from the firmament, once again settling entirely upon Su Yang's own head. This left Su Yang utterly astounded. That night, he expressed his profound gratitude to the courtesan in earnest.

On the eleventh day, the imperial examinations commenced. There were three sessions in total, spanning nine days and seven nights!

The first session tested the Eight-Legged Essay, with topics drawn from the Four Books and Five Classics.

The second session tested administrative prose for official use, divided into two categories: official correspondence between government offices and judicial verdicts based on provided case studies.

The third session tested policy questions, addressing concrete issues concerning the people's livelihood and the state, requiring candidates to propose countermeasures and solutions.

Gu Chen arrived dragging his lame leg, his eyes filled with resentment and venomous hatred toward Su Yang. The camaraderie they had so recently built vanished into thin air. The meager five percent of fortune still lingering above Gu Chen's head made Su Yang's mouth water with envy. He hurriedly stepped forward to offer an explanation, claiming that he truly hadn't been able to see clearly in the dark last night, and protested that if Gu Chen had merely made a sound to let him know who it was, he certainly wouldn't have acted thus.

Sure enough, upon hearing Su Yang's words, Gu Chen's mood improved considerably.

Time flew by.

Ancient examinations were truly grueling, but fortunately, Su Yang was able to handle them with ease. It seemed every test question happened to fall within his areas of expertise and the predicted topics he had studied—perhaps this was simply the work of destiny and fortune.

After the examinations concluded, the exhausted scholars dragged their weary bodies back to the inn, took hot baths, and fell into a deep sleep.

Su Yang, however, returned to the pleasure quarters to listen to music. A courtesan personally attended to his bath, her delicate fingers brushing against his skin, sending an involuntary shiver coursing through his entire body.

On the first day after the examinations, he immersed himself entirely in the pleasure quarters.

On the second day after the examinations, Su Yang stood before the grand gates of the Jiaofangsi, peering inside... well, he didn't quite dare to step within!

The patrons inside the Jiaofangsi were without exception high-ranking officials of Jiangzhou; for a mere scholar of the lowest rank to enter would be far too conspicuous. It was said that only those holding official posts were permitted inside.

Word had it that the Jiaofangsi housed the female family members of disgraced officials, every single one of them an absolute peerless beauty. Such establishments existed only in major metropolises like Jiangzhou, while those in the capital were even more lavish.

When high-ranking officials committed grave crimes, their female relatives were relegated to the Jiaofangsi, where former political rivals would often spare no expense to catch a glimpse of novelty. Although forced prostitution was strictly forbidden within the Jiaofangsi, resourceful men always found ways around the rules.

On the third day after the examinations, Gu Chen packed up and returned to his hometown without waiting for the official posting of the rankings. His silver had already dwindled to next to nothing, and had he lingered any longer in Jiangzhou, he likely would have starved to death.

The provincial examinations would first post their results in Jiangzhou, after which notices would be dispatched to prefectural and county offices across the regions, ensuring Gu Chen would learn of his standing in due time. Su Yang, on the other hand, chose to remain in Jiangcheng to await the results while deepening his emotional bonds with the daughters of Jiangcheng's prominent families.

On the tenth day.

The provincial examination results were posted. The top scholar was the Jieyuan, the second was the Yayuan, the third, fourth, and fifth were the Jingkui, and the sixth was the Yakui!

Although Gu Chen had lost half his fortune, he had still managed to place as the top Jieyuan, while Su Yang himself had secured the position of the second-place Yayuan. This outcome left Su Yang deeply astonished by the potency of his own fortune.

Su Yang opened his status panel for a quick glance. The designation of "Minor Scholar" under his literary fortune had already transformed into "Grand Scholar." Empowered by this Confucian literary fortune, he was now capable of influencing certain aspects of the weather—summoning winds and calling forth rain, wielding a tongue as sharp as a spear and sword, and drafting binding Confucian decrees with his brush.

"Let the wind rise!"

The Confucian fortune in his palm flowed like water across his vision, surged into the air, and instantly dissipated. In the next moment, a gust of wind swept through, though within the span of a single cup of tea, it vanished without a trace.

Su Yang could sense that the temporary depletion of Confucian fortune within his body would naturally replenish itself as time passed.

The Governor had announced a grand banquet to entertain all the newly minted provincial graduates, scheduled for three days hence. Naturally, Su Yang intended to stay; having the opportunity to meet the Governor in person could only be considered a stroke of great fortune.

During these past two days, Su Yang continued to frequent the pleasure quarters with his fellow successful graduates, all the while casting yearning glances toward the direction of the Jiaofangsi.

Xiaoqian's injuries had mostly healed. Possessing the strength of a rank-two feral ghost, she had first attached herself to a jade pendant, which Su Yang now wore suspended around his neck.

News of Su Yang placing as the second-place Yayuan had already reached the ears of daughters from noble families throughout Jiangzhou, and they flocked to offer their congratulations. After all, over the past few days, he had cultivated exceptionally harmonious relationships with all these young ladies.

Having already taken a wife, it was naturally impossible for these daughters of prominent houses to become concubines—unless one day he were to rise to high office, perhaps ascending to the position of Governor. Only then might such a thing become feasible.

Therefore, for the time being, it was best to avoid stirring up complications.

To remain the ideal gentleman in their hearts was, after all, a rather pleasant state of affairs.

On the third day.

The Champion Tower.

Tonight, the entire Champion Tower had been reserved to host the two hundred newly minted provincial graduates. While two hundred graduates might sound like a substantial number, when distributed across the vast territory, it amounted to fewer than three per prefecture.

Some remote and educationally backward counties hadn't produced a single provincial graduate in a century.

Regrettably, Gu Chen, the top Jieyuan, had long since returned to his hometown, leaving Su Yang, the second-place Yayuan, to take the seat of honor at the very head of the banquet, while the rest of the graduates successively took their places.

Everyone was already well-acquainted with one another, especially when it came to Su Yang, whose brilliance in the pleasure quarters had outshone them all. Who could possibly rival him?

"His Excellency the Governor has arrived!"

At the soaring announcement of a servant, the graduates instantly fell silent. A middle-aged man clad in scholarly robes stepped into view, exuding an innate aura of solemn majesty that commanded respect without the need for anger.

With the entrance of the middle-aged man, the atmosphere at the venue instantly hushed. Every graduate looked up in awe at this regional grand administrator.

Bai Xingzhou!

Standing closest, Su Yang could most acutely feel the terrifying pressure radiating from Bai Xingzhou. Fortunately, apart from being a scholar, he was also a rank-two martial artist; otherwise, he would have been just like the fellow beside him, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down his forehead while his entire body trembled uncontrollably.