Chapter 525 - 197: A Big Fight (2)
Chapter 525: Chapter 197: A Big Fight (2)
The thought of his sister, whose whereabouts were unknown, weighed heavily on Mr. Xu.
But he was still delighted that a candidate from his jurisdiction had placed third, earning the title of Jingkui. He rose and cupped his hands in a salute to Gong Yuanxiu. "I must thank Mr. Gong for his favor."
"No thanks are necessary. None at all. This young man possesses extraordinary ability and fully deserves his rank."
Gong Yuanxiu was in high spirits, already envisioning his promotion to a higher office upon his return to the capital. The smile on his face instantly grew wider.
His eyes darted about. He decided that not only should he share the joy with everyone, but he also needed to eliminate any opposition to Tao Yanxun being named the top scorer. And so, he took out the transcribed copy of the top scorer’s examination paper and passed it around for all to see.
"My fellow officials, please take a look. Does the Mr. Jie Yuan I have chosen live up to his title?"
One of the other magistrates took the paper and, after carefully looking through it, gave a reluctant nod.
Gong Yuanxiu’s character might have been questionable, but he was an Advanced Scholar, after all. He possessed the fundamental ability to evaluate the papers.
Gong Yuanxiu then passed over the transcribed papers of the second-place winner and the Jingkui as well, and the documents began to circulate among the officials.
Without a direct comparison, it might not have been apparent, but once they saw them side-by-side, it was clear the top scorer truly deserved the title. The level of scholarship was something most of them could not have matched even in their youth.
This time, the rankings were indeed well-deserved.
In truth, this year’s cohort was full of hidden talents; there were simply too many gifted scholars. In any other year, the Jingkui’s paper would have been good enough to be named top scorer.
If the paper from the southern examination hall, seat Di-379, was truly written by Tao Yanxun, then they had no objections.
As the papers were passed from one official to the next, they eventually reached the hands of the Provincial Governor.
The Provincial Governor opened his eyes in surprise, wiped a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth, and lowered his head to look at the paper. After barely a glance, he handed it to Sheng Mingchuan.
"My eyes are getting blurry. I can’t see clearly even this close, so you should be the one to look at it. You’ve presided over dozens of examinations, if not a hundred; I trust your judgment. If you say this paper is worthy of the top scorer, then I’ll agree."
Gong Yuanxiu’s face fell as he watched Sheng Mingchuan take the paper. But he quickly cheered up and saluted Sheng Mingchuan. "The Provincial Governor is right. Sir, you have served as chief examiner for dozens of terms. Please, help me check as well. Are the rankings I’ve set appropriate?"
Sheng Mingchuan ignored Gong Yuanxiu, his gaze fixed on the examination paper.
In truth, he didn’t need to read the entire paper. After just the first paragraph of the first policy essay, upon seeing the familiar diction and the effortless mastery conveyed between the lines, Sheng Mingchuan already knew.
He laughed to himself.
’Oh, Gong Yuanxiu, Gong Yuanxiu,’ he thought. ’You can scheme and plot all you want, but if Heaven itself isn’t on your side, what can you possibly do?’
A rare hint of delight touched Sheng Mingchuan’s face. He actively passed the paper to the next person. "Everyone, take a look, a good, close look. The Emperor appointed Mr. Gong as the chief examiner, so Mr. Gong certainly has the ability. I find his choice for top scorer to be spot on. Every word of this essay is a pearl of wisdom, a work of sheer brilliance that makes one want to slam the table in admiration."
Hearing this, the remaining magistrates were instantly intrigued.
’Gong Yuanxiu can actually be impartial?’
Too impatient to wait for the paper to be passed around one by one, they immediately huddled together to read it. A single look was all it took for them to let out a series of excited cries of "Marvelous!"
"This young man is a scholar of immense learning. The title of top scorer is well-deserved."
"His writing eclipses all his peers, his talent surpasses that of the local worthies. The title of top scorer can belong to no one else."
"His prose is powerful enough to startle the wind and rain. He is a worthy champion of letters."
"One look at his policy essay shows that the reputation of a ’genius top scorer’ is well-earned. This young man’s scholarship is profound. Winning the Provincial Examination is merely a prelude; he is destined to succeed in the palace examinations one day."
The one who spoke this last line was none other than Mr. Chen, father of Chen Yanhe.
Mr. Chen had always believed his son’s scholarship was second to none and that he would surely place first. But who could have known? There is always a higher mountain, a bigger sky.
However, there was something vaguely familiar about this Mr. Jie Yuan’s essay. Thinking back on the collections of works he had previously read, and running through the top scorers of the Child Examinations from all the prefectures in Heyuan Province, it seemed that only Zhao Jing’s writing style was a perfect match.
Because of their lofty ambitions, Mr. Chen and Chen Yanhe had carefully studied all their potential rivals before the Provincial Examination. They had ultimately concluded that only Zhao Jing of Xinghuai Prefecture was a truly formidable opponent.
Of course, they hadn’t ruled out the possibility of a dark horse emerging, or of a latecomer entering the race.
But among the known candidates, Zhao Jing was undoubtedly the greatest threat.
Thinking of Zhao Jing and then looking at the essay before him, Mr. Chen sighed, but couldn’t suppress a sense of amusement.
’Losing to Zhao Jing isn’t so hard to accept.’
’The only thing is, Gong Yuanxiu must have mistaken this for someone else’s paper. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be beaming with such joy, as if he’d written the top scorer’s essay himself.’