Chapter 16: The Emperor’s List

After Fan Xian left this Tongfu Inn, the four readers in the room looked at each other in dismay, as if they couldn’t imagine that the world would drop such a big burrito on their heads.

“How can this be?” Yang Wanli sat on the bed somewhat dumbfounded. After Cheng Jialin and Shi Yanli congratulated him, they laughed and said, “From now on, Yang Wanli has climbed up to the Minister of Xiangshang and the Minister of the Household, so I’m afraid his career path will be smooth sailing.”

Yang Wanli naive face but through a bitter: “I have always been extremely appreciative of small Fan Taoyuan talent, this spring exam is also thanks to the adult accommodation, think behind the scenes to read the scrolls, this small Fan Taoyuan also contributed a lot of force, just …… I prefer small Fan Taoyuan today did not come to such a trip. ”

Cheng Shi two people dumbfounded, know Yang Wanli feel Fan Xian seems to have the suspicion of market favor.

Hou Jichang, who has always been the leader of the crowd, smiled and shook his head, “If Little Lord Fan is a market grace, there is no need for him to come here in person, Wanli, you’re worrying too much, I’ve already decided that, from now on, I’ll take Little Lord Fan into consideration in the court, and I’m determined to make something of my career.”

Shi Yanli was stunned, wondering why Hou, who has always boasted of his innocence, suddenly changed his temperament.

Yang Wanli shook his head and said: “I also know that every examination, the door division students this is the practice, just Hou brother know, I always respect small Fan Ta-Jen’s talent, the examination of the hospital because of the body of the reason of the belt, and extremely happy with small Fan Ta-Jen’s temperament, so I always hope that small Fan Ta-Jen and these court officials can be a little bit different is.”

“Pray for all, pray for all.” Cheng Jialin chided, “Although Little Lord Fan has the immortal material in the poem, but after all, he is also a court official, the son of a powerful nobleman, and to be able to come here in person is already not easy. Does Brother Wanli expect Lord Fan Jr. to be a True Immortal who doesn’t eat fire and smoke? Not to mention that a True Immortal would not necessarily be better for this poor mortal world than an able official who is skilled in planning.”

Shi Yanli clapped his hands in admiration and said, “Although Brother Jia Lin has few words, this is a thorough statement today.” Turning to Yang Wanli, he said: “If you talk about admiration, Wanli, you are definitely not as good as me, I often read the Half Leisurely Zhai Poetry in my hand, and I can recite the more than a hundred poems inside backwards and forwards, but today, when I saw Lord Fan, I did not have the slightest bit of disappointment. Why? All because the poem is the voice of the heart, this little Lord Fan is indeed my generation of free people, and that rotten officials in the dynasty, can not be argued together.”

He smiled, and then said: “Earlier I carried the roast chicken over, the alley umbrella is not many people, I love to play a chaotic energy, look at an umbrella under the young man’s face, breath fresh, breathable, and some of the novelty of the discussion and appalling, so rashly drilled into the umbrella under his umbrella, all the way over, if it is the general power officials, can not allow me to be so rude? But that little Lord Fan was all smiles, walking with me without a trace of unnaturalness in his countenance. To be honest, I was a bit surprised to learn that he was Fan Xian at the inn. Fan Xian Fan Xian, he really didn’t let me down.”

It was only then that the crowd realized that there was such a thing earlier, no wonder Fan Xian had just said that he had a half-parachute relationship with Shi Yanli, and they couldn’t help but smile when they thought of the feelings involved. Yang Wanli touched his head somewhat awkwardly: “Perhaps …… just feeling some sense of silence of disillusionment? It always feels that little Lord Fan should be the kind of noble character who idly lies on a grapevine, wakes up to write ten thousand poems, and ignores the sordid affairs of the dynasty.”

Hou Jichang shook his head disapprovingly and coldly said, “That kind of character seems to be pure and elegant, but it is really useless to the country and unhelpful to the people, if Lord Fan is really this kind of wordsmith, I would look down on him instead.”

“Not really, not really.” Yang Wanli sighed.

Hou Jichang said with a faint smile, “I’m not afraid to tell you a joke, the only way for a scholar to serve his country is to become an official, and the depth and horror of the imperial government is not something that outsiders like you and I can understand. So little Fan sir came today, in fact, not he needs us, but he knows that we need him.”

He paused, and then said, “Although I have some pride, but I am not a sour person who does not know how to advance or retreat, since we have this opportunity, of course, we must grasp it, if in the dynasty we must follow a certain character, then I think, Lord Fan should be the best object, I think that in the future, as the officialdom as, and our usual ideal talent is the least conflict. ”

The crowd dissented in unison, “Why?” Everyone was already a bit curious about Hou Jichang’s resolute attitude, and hearing him emphasize it again at this time, they were even more curious.

Hou Jichang picked up his teacup from the table and looked at the leftover tea that Fan Xian was drinking next to him, slightly lost in thought, and only after a long time did he say, “A red man of the dynasty who travels on a rainy day actually pays attention to the fact that when the water on the surface of his umbrella falls, it doesn’t drip into the pots of the hawkers who are hiding from the rain on the roadside, and would rather have his own body wet, but still has to turn to the side of the side outside. Such an attentive and benevolent character, if he is not a great traitor or a great evil, he is a great saint or a great sage.”

He smiled, “A seventeen year old young man cannot conceal himself so well at all times, so I decided that Lord Little Fan was a great sage and a great virtuous man, my judgment was that simple because I was moved by that scene in the rain.”

There was silence in the room for a long time before a sigh of relief came from the room.

On the second day, above the vermilion wall on the left side of the examination courtyard, the yellow paper that the candidates had been waiting for was finally posted. Qing Chun examination rules are not complicated, after the township test is the test, the test will be taken out after the three candidates, but not ranked, according to the brush strokes arranged in the royal list above.

The number of three a varies from year to year. Because of the Qingli three years had opened an additional section, so after two years to take the number of soldiers are a little less. This year, the names on the royal list, a total of only one hundred and eight. Precisely because of the acquisition of less, so whether it is the capital in the Imperial College students, or various counties and roads to the capital to catch the examination of the Tribute students, are a little nervous and difficult to rest.

Examination courtyard westward is a bridge, if you want to go to the vermilion wall to see the list, have to cross the bridge, at this time under the vermilion wall has been surrounded by students wearing long shirt, head to head, is nervous and unparalleled in the big yellow paper looking for their own names.

And at the end of the bridge, the heart has eaten the pill of Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli walking slowly, the bridge is still left yesterday’s rain stains, moss between the stone tiles seem particularly slippery, four people walking that way, Cheng Jialin nearly slipped, causing the crowd to laugh. Cheng Jialin smiled to himself, although he and Shi Hanyan Li two people’s steps with the two friends generally slow, but deep inside is inevitably nervous.

Came under the vermilion wall, the four managed to squeeze into the crowd, from the left hand side to start looking, do not know how long to look, fiercely heard Shi Hanyan Li let out a cry of joy: “Hou brother, Hou brother! I’ve won! I’ve won!”

The rest of the three heard the sound, rushed to the side of Shi Hanyan Li, really saw the head of the third row of Huran wrote Hou Jichang’s name, can not help but be excited, Yang Wanli gently whacked Hou Jichang’s shoulder a fist, full of smiles.

Hou Jichang slightly smile, want to show a trace of self-preservation, but this is what kind of big deal! Although he called himself noble, but the thought of ten years of hard work, parents at home, many of the envious eyes of the scholars beside him, but also can not help but be a little fluttery up, lips can not help but grinning, revealing a very happy smile.

At this time, the royal list “Hou Ji Chang” three gold powder written name, seems to be shining in the sunlight, seems to be golden, unlimited prospects.

Four people now no longer separate, simply to the right to look carefully, and do not know how long, and finally managed to find Yang Wanli’s name in the royal list, and only then really believe the words of yesterday’s little Lord Fan. Yang Wanli saw his name really on the royal list, excited, eyes a little red, mumbling to himself: “really hit, really hit.”

He suddenly let out a strange cry, rushed out from the crowd, ran to the edge of the bridge, and roared loudly to the water under the bridge, his voice echoed in the bridge hole, making a buzzing sound.

Three friends smiled at him, know why he was so excited – Yang Wanli lost his mother at the age of eight, since childhood in Quanzhou grew up alone, thanks to his father endured the hunger and cold for him to buy a lot of volumes of Tibetan books, but also persuade him to enter the clan school to endure the stigma of learning, extremely difficult to pass the township exams, which came to Kyoto.

But Kyoto in January, Yang Wanli realized that his own talent should be there, their own sparse reasoning than the side of the scholar but also more practical some, but there is nothing to do with the remoteness of the home mountain, the clan school simple, always did not learn the Beijing students of the rhetoric of the complex, a thesis written out is always dry and unattractive.

So even Hou Jichang, Shi Yanli these close friends also think that he is unlikely to win, Yang Wanli himself did not save what to expect, so spent the last of the silver to buy a student among the most popular jacket, Shi Yanli’s article in the inside of the clip, want to gamble on a bet.

Where did I expect, actually not into the examination courtyard, was in the middle of the Lang Fan Xian to pull out, when Yang Wanli heart mourning as if dead, thought he was ten years of school is considered a waste of time, did not think that the little Fan adults but gave himself a second chance.

After the examination, he didn’t dare to use the cheat sheet in the jacket, naturally, he did not have any glory to speak of, so he also stopped recording all the thoughts, just drinking and enjoying himself, only to hear that Guo Shangshu was arrested and sent to prison before more than a trace of joy. I didn’t expect yesterday, but Lord Fan personally came to see himself at the Tongfu Inn, and secretly pointed out that he might be in the third place.

Sorrow followed by joy, despair followed by hope, the impact of this emotion has continued until the daytime today, Yang Wanli after crossing the bridge, standing under the vermilion wall, more and more feel that yesterday’s visit of Lord Fan is a dream, he is impossible to win.

…… Yet, it really hit!

Yang Wanli looked at the slightly swirling river water in his own somewhat distorted face, a little calmer, naturally understand why he just a few days to get such a creation, the heart of the young adult so grateful.