Chapter 530 - 199: Familiar Face
Chapter 530: Chapter 199: Familiar Face
By the time the officials emerged from the examination hall, the crowd at the entrance had not yet fully dispersed, but the scholars were no longer staging a sit-in protest.
They stood in the sunlight, gathered in small groups, discussing the news spread by the constables and debating how much of it was true. All the while, they kept stealing glances at the examination hall, hoping for the latest information.
When the officials in their robes emerged, the entire crowd of scholars fell silent.
Once they recovered, they hurriedly bowed in greeting, their expressions respectful and their voices earnest as they paid their respects to the officials.
Mr. Zhou was advanced in years and had a fondness for such spirited young men. He smiled, said, "Good, good," several times, and then gestured for them all to rise.
One of the bolder scholars, seeing Mr. Zhou’s affable nature, ventured to ask, "Sir, have the rankings been decided?"
Mr. Zhou nodded. "You need only wait patiently. The results will be posted tomorrow."
"So it’s certain that Tao Yanxun is not the top scorer?"
Mr. Zhou spoke with great solemnity. "The purpose of the imperial examinations is to select the finest scholars in the land for the Emperor’s service. To govern the realm, His Majesty needs exceptional individuals. Everyone rises based on their own abilities, to be selected and promoted by His Majesty. As one of his ministers, I am bound by my duty to present outstanding talent to the throne. I would never dare to be careless in this matter, nor will I tolerate anyone causing a disturbance over it."
Hearing this, the students were finally put at ease.
"That’s a relief, that’s a relief."
"I and my fellow officials have no selfish motives; we are all united in our loyalty to His Majesty. You must not listen to instigators and assume the worst of the examiners."
"We heed your instruction."
As the students crowded around the officials, trying to glean more information, Xu Shiling happened to glance to the side, where he saw a woman tugging her son by the ear, leading him away from the crowd.
Xu Shiling thought nothing of it and immediately looked away.
But no sooner had he looked away than his head snapped back around.
However, the crowd was surging, with many scholars hurrying toward them. The mother and son were quickly swallowed by the throng, disappearing from sight.
Unwilling to let them go, Xu Shiling rushed forward, pushing through the people to chase after them.
Sheng Mingchuan shouted for someone to stop him and hurried over himself. "The governor is still here, Shiling! What are you doing?"
"Mr. Sheng, I saw my little sister! It was really her! I could never be mistaken—her profile was identical to my sister’s."
Xu Shiling was overcome with emotion. His lips trembled, and he swayed on his feet, torn between hope and despair.
Seeing his state, Sheng Mingchuan pitied him, assuming he was hallucinating. But when he saw the desperate sincerity on Xu Shiling’s face, he began to have his doubts. "Was it really your little sister? Could your eyes have been playing tricks on you?"
Xu Shiling clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his voice from breaking.
"I’m not mistaken. It was my sister. She followed me everywhere when we were kids. I could mistake anyone else, but never her."
"Are you certain it was your sister?"
"Absolutely certain!"
"Did you see which way she went?"
Xu Shiling faltered, gesturing toward the scholars who were now swarming them. "I couldn’t see clearly. So many people rushed over at once, and they just... vanished."
"They? Who else was with her?"
"A young man. He was wearing a scholar’s long robe and cap. I’d guess he was one of the students here for the Imperial Examination."
"If we have a lead, we can find her. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this for you."
"How can I not worry?"
"So many years have passed; what’s the harm in waiting a little longer? Don’t panic. What’s meant to be will be. You just have to be patient..."
Xu Su Ying knew nothing of the scene that had just unfolded in front of the examination hall.
She was hauling De’an by the ear on the way to the Zhao Family’s home.
"You’ve gotten bold, haven’t you! You said you were going to play with Jing, but instead you ran off to the examination hall to stage a protest! If Xie Ming’s wife hadn’t sent someone to inform me, I’d still be completely in the dark. You little brat, you’ve really got some nerve. Did you think you could intimidate the examiners and all those officials? If you’re so capable, why don’t you just fly to the moon!"
De’an howled in pain. "Mama! You’re my own mother! Any harder and you’ll rip my ear off! Mama, let go! My ear hurts!"
De’an felt like crying but couldn’t shed a tear, so he just wailed even louder.
’And who was he even doing all this for!’
’If Jing hadn’t ordered him to go stir up trouble, he could have been doing anything at home. Why did he have to go to the examination hall?’
’The ground was all dusty and freezing. He’d only sat there for a short while, but not only was his butt cold, the hard ground made him sore.’