Chapter 856 Champion Scholar

The first provincial exam ended.

Altogether, it lasted three days.

After Gu Jingzhe came out of the exam hall, he was completely drained.

Gu Dashu and Gu Dahuan waited outside the exam hall with their people; seeing Gu Jingzhe come out, Gu Dashu directly lifted him onto the carriage. After resting a few days, he would once again step onto the venue of the final palace examination.

When Gu Jingzhe returned home, he greeted Tong Huaqiong, asked a few concerned questions about Lu Zhaozhao, and then, really unable to hold on any longer, fell straight into bed and slept.

Very quickly, the results of the provincial exam were released.

In the memories of Tong Dajiao from the previous lifetime, there was no ranking related to Gu Jingzhe’s provincial exam, only his final glorious ranking as Tanhua.

Su Chengmin was the first to see the list; Gu Jingzhe’s name was hanging high at the very top.

The well-deserved Provincial Champion.

Su Chengmin and Gu Taohua hurried to the Gu Family to inform Tong Huaqiong and the others.

Upon learning that Gu Jingzhe was the Provincial Champion, the whole family boiled over with excitement.

Tong Huaqiong had a strong premonition; she felt that this time Gu Jingzhe might take off the title of Tanhua and replace it with that of Champion Scholar.

Second Uncle of the Gu family said excitedly, “Doesn’t this mean Jingzhe is already the Champion Scholar?”

Tong Huaqiong said, “Not necessarily; we still have to see the palace examination.”

The village head clapped his hands excitedly and said, “Just you wait and see. No matter how many exams there are, the Champion Scholar will still be Jingzhe’s.”

“That’s right, Jingzhe is definitely the Champion Scholar.”

“We’ve already come this far. If the Champion Scholar isn’t given to Jingzhe, then to whom?”

Chen Sufen, Liu Yueer, and the others all looked exhilarated.

Their little brother-in-law was about to become Champion Scholar; as sisters-in-law, they felt basked in honor.

Naturally, Tong Huaqiong hoped Gu Jingzhe would be the Champion Scholar; she prayed that nothing unexpected would happen during the palace exam, that when the Emperor saw Gu Jingzhe’s face he wouldn’t have a seizure.

Gu Taohua looked at Lu Zhaozhao with a smile and said, “Third Sister-in-law has a bit of luck about her. Your elder brother is Champion Scholar, and your husband is also Champion Scholar.”

Then she stroked Lu Zhaozhao’s belly and said, “Who knows, maybe the child in your belly will also be a Champion Scholar in the future.”

Lu Zhaozhao covered her mouth and said, “Mother has already said, the palace exam hasn’t even started yet. Talking about the Champion Scholar is something we should keep within the family; it mustn’t spread outside.”

Of course, Lu Zhaozhao hoped to become the wife of the Champion Scholar, but before the final result came out, she still had to keep a low profile.

So as to avoid the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Lu Zhaozhao’s words reminded Tong Huaqiong; with a very serious expression she cautioned everyone: “Zhaozhao is right. The more it’s at this time, the more we must stay calm. We absolutely must not talk nonsense outside. When the palace exam is over, there will be plenty of time for us to celebrate and proclaim it.”

Everyone, having received Tong Huaqiong’s exhortation, all responded in agreement.

Though Tong Huaqiong said with her mouth that they should keep a low profile, in business she was riding hard on the popularity of Gu Jingzhe’s Provincial Champion title.

Tightly grabbing onto the traffic brought by her son being Provincial Champion, Tong Huaqiong launched a whole series of promotional activities across all the shops under her name.

At once, the entire city was drawn to Tong’s Trading House and unconsciously began to pay attention to the outcome of the palace exam; the Shengjing Casino even opened bets on whether Gu Jingzhe could win the Champion Scholar title.

Upon hearing the news, Tong Huaqiong went and placed a bet of ten thousand taels of Silver; after hearing of it, Lu Zhaozhao followed with another twenty thousand.

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both very confident that Gu Jingzhe could rank as Champion Scholar.

The palace examination began.

The freshly minted Provincial Champion once again stepped onto the palace examination venue.

The chief examiner of the palace exam was the Emperor; therefore, any student who could step onto the palace examination was called a pupil of the Son of Heaven.

Having experienced the torment of the provincial exam, Gu Jingzhe’s palace examination went very smoothly.

On the final day, all the tribute students had to gather in the Taiji Palace; only after the Grand Proclamation Ceremony, the calling of names in the hall, and a series of other rituals would it be considered complete.

According to the provincial ranking, Gu Jingzhe stood at the head of the examinees in the Taiji Palace; his originally calm state of mind suddenly turned nervous.

To say he had no designs whatsoever on the Champion Scholar title would be a lie.

Among the scholars standing in the Taiji Palace, which one had not burned the midnight oil, and which one did not want to be appointed Champion Scholar and enjoy the gaze of all?

Gu Jingzhe was a bit worried: what if the Emperor did not appoint him as Champion Scholar?

The Emperor had indeed hesitated.

The first time Gu Jingzhe entered the Emperor’s heart was when Fan Tong shouted in the street that Prince Ning had ruined Gu Jingzhe’s spring exam; this affair was brought before the Emperor. The Emperor punished Prince Ning and remembered the name Gu Jingzhe.

During the palace exam, he first saw this civilian “little uncle” of the Crown Prince.

He was just too dazzlingly handsome; none of the noble and imperial clan youths in all Shengjing could compare to him.

Even Lu Zhaoyang, whose looks everyone praised as handsome, would be inferior beside him.

Such a face was clearly prepared for a Tanhua.

After some hesitation, the Emperor arrived at a decision in his heart.

In recent years, Dasheng had first experienced an unprecedentedly harsh winter, then a great drought; last autumn the south even suffered a once-in-a-century torrential rain.

These years could be said to have been filled with calamities.

Rumor among the people had it that these disasters were caused by Heaven’s dissatisfaction with the Emperor.

The Emperor urgently needed an auspicious sign to prove that he was still favored by Heaven.

Since the founding of Dasheng, there had only been one Champion Scholar who had taken first place in all six rounds of examinations, and that was Lu Zhaoyang.

If there were to be a second, it would further prove that he was an undeniably enlightened ruler.

Thus, while Gu Jingzhe was feeling a bit dazed under the warm sunlight of the Taiji Palace, a voice surged into his ears like a tide.

“…First Class, First Place, Gu Jingzhe…”

“First Class, First Place, Gu Jingzhe”—this sentence echoed again and again within the Taiji Palace; the reverberation almost pierced Gu Jingzhe’s eardrums.

Even as he walked into the grand hall to pay audience, he still could not quite believe that he had done it, that he had won the Champion Scholar title.

Under the guidance of the Ministry of Rites, Gu Jingzhe, together with over a hundred newly minted jinshi, filed out of the hall.

At the palace gate, the previous Champion Scholar, Lu Zhaoyang, draped a red silk sash over Gu Jingzhe and placed a red flower on his head. An official from the Ministry of Rites ordered someone to lead out the imperial horse bestowed by the Emperor.

As the new Champion Scholar, Gu Jingzhe had to ride the imperial horse through the streets back home, while receiving the observation and congratulations of the city’s common folk.

…

“Will Third Brother really win the Champion Scholar title?” Gu Dashu was rather nervous.

Gu Dashu and Gu Dahuan had come out early to guard the street.

So that when the imperial list was posted, they could see it at the first possible moment.

Gu Dahuan said, “Even if he isn’t the Champion Scholar, Third Brother will still be a jinshi. A jinshi is already very good. You must know, our family hasn’t produced a scholar in generations.”

Very soon the street turned lively.

The Ministry of Rites sent people to post the imperial list.

Everyone knew the palace exam results were being released today; a densely packed crowd gathered beneath the list.

The brothers Gu Dashu and Gu Dahuan were instantly scattered by the crowd.

Gu Dashu pushed and shoved with all his might, squeezing toward the inside. The servant boy he had brought with him was nimble and squeezed to the imperial list first.

“Young Master, Second Young Master, our Third Young Master has taken the Champion Scholar title!”

Don’t doubt it—under Tong Huaqiong’s requirement, the whole family had to learn to read. The servant by Gu Dashu’s side could also read; because he had come with the expectation in mind, when he looked at the list he only looked at the very top, and the three characters “Gu Jingzhe” stabbed into his eyes, bright and clear.

The servant’s delighted shout exploded amid the crowd.

Gu Dashu asked in delight, “Really?”

He soon squeezed his way under the imperial list and lifted his head. Sure enough, he saw the three characters “Gu Jingzhe” hanging at the very top.

“Elder Brother, Elder Brother, Third Brother is the Champion Scholar!”

Gu Dashu turned and shouted loudly to Gu Dahuan, who had been squeezed out of the crowd.

The crowd was attracted by Gu Dashu’s shout.

Gu Dashu straightened his chest and, basking in glory, said, “See that? Gu Jingzhe. The new Champion Scholar is my Third Brother.”