Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Zhao Beidou was stunned. When the announcer proclaimed his name as the first, he froze on the spot, his mind going blank.

Was he really the first place? How could he have come first? He actually was the first place!

At that moment, it felt as though his body and soul had separated, one extremely excited, the other unusually calm. It was a nudge from someone nearby that brought him back to reality. “The top scholar, go forward!”

Zhao Beidou then walked forward step by step, led by the palace attendants to change into the top scholar’s robe and put on the silk flower. “Congratulations, Top Scholar.”

“Thank you.”

Like his elder brother, he was tall and naturally a clothes hanger. Although he was still a bit thin, the robe made him look as handsome as a jade crown and as straight as a pine.

Behind him followed the second and third place winners, both slightly older. The second place winner, Lin Jingzhe, was in his thirties with a beard, while the third place winner, Bai Lingjun, was in his early twenties with a clear and handsome appearance. Following them were the announcers of the second group of successful candidates and Lin Zijian, who ranked fifth.

Lin Zijian was even more excited than Zhao Beidou, waving at him constantly, bursting with things he wanted to say but had held back.

Next was the horse parade. They would walk from North Street to South Street, passing by Zhangtai Road and West Ward, almost under the gaze of all the citizens of Shang Jing. The feeling was indescribable!

The ceremonial officer ahead cracked his whip three times and shouted, “The successful candidates are here!”

Everyone was ready to ride. Despite being scholars, they had all mastered the Six Arts of a Gentleman. Zhao Beidou was quite good at archery and horse riding, mounting the horse unaided.

The tall chestnut horse snorted as it was led slowly out of the palace gate by a junior official.

Ahead was a vast sky, and these new elites of the Wu Dynasty walked out amid cheers.

*

“This year's top scholar is really young.”

“Yes, he looks only sixteen or seventeen. I wonder if he has come of age.”

“With this appearance, how many young women and men in the city will dream of him tonight.”

Everyone laughed and teased. At first, Zhao Beidou felt a bit shy, but as the praise continued, he grew more confident, straightening his back, eyes forward, forcing a serious expression.

After half an hour, they turned into West Ward. Zhao Beidou could no longer pretend. He strained his ears and scanned with his eyes, looking for his family, wondering if his elder brother and sister-in-law could see him.

West Ward was lined with restaurants, teahouses, and flower shops. Handkerchiefs and fragrant sachets were thrown at him and the third-place winner as if they were free. But more were thrown at him, almost piling up in front of him.

The Wu Dynasty had an open and inclusive culture, and the gender divide wasn’t strict. The women were even more outgoing than the men, calling out “Top Scholar!” and whistling, making Zhao Beidou's ears red.

As they were about to pass their family's restaurant, he finally heard his sister-in-law and sister calling out, “Beidou! Beidou!”

Zhao Beidou looked up and saw his elder brother, sister-in-law, sister, and second brother all leaning out of the window waving at him, so he waved back.

Lu Yao couldn't hold back her tears.

Zhao Beidou, anxious, shouted, “Sister-in-law, don’t cry. I’ve passed the imperial exams!”

“I know, sister-in-law is happy! Our Dou has done us proud!”

Zhao Beichuan and Xiaochun, Xiaonian also had red eyes, and at this moment, the whole family felt a deep sense of pride.

He couldn’t delay any longer; the line behind him was waiting. Zhao Beidou quickly urged his horse onward. Behind him, Lin Zijian also waved to the people upstairs, “Sister-in-law! Elder Brother Beichuan!”

“Hey! Zijian!” Lu Yao happily waved back. Zhao Beichuan counted the number of horses and said, “Zijian is fifth, two places higher than in the imperial examinations.”

Madam Lin was equally delighted, in her private room on the third floor with several well-connected ladies.

Madam Lin saw her son waving from above and was hesitant to lean out. It was Madam Deng who nudged her and said, "Why are you afraid? Your son is so successful!"

Only then did Madam Lin smile and call out her son's name, Lin Zijian. Hearing this, her son's eyes lit up and he waved vigorously at them, "Mother!"

"Ah!" Madam Lin covered her mouth with her handkerchief, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Madam Gao gently patted her on the back for comfort. "Now you can finally relax. Even if your husband isn't dependable, at least you have a capable son. Unfortunately, my two sons can't even complete their studies. They gave up after only a few years."

Madam Xiao also sighed, "It's true. My eldest is doing okay, just managing a middle rank in the Guozijian, but my second son is so mischievous that he gives me headaches."

Every family has its own troubles, but Madam Lin was content. Her son had successfully passed the imperial examinations and would soon be assigned an official position. She wouldn't have to put up with anyone's disdain anymore.

After the parade, the newly appointed scholars couldn't return home immediately. They still had to attend the Qionglin Feast at the palace.

As the new top scholar, Zhao Beidou was the center of attention that day. At the Qionglin Feast, he sat closest to the royal family and even had the chance to speak with the emperor, much to everyone's envy.

Emperor Xing was a kind-hearted old man. In his younger years, he wasn't so gentle, but as he aged, his temperament softened.

Zhao Beidou's status as the top scholar was personally approved by the emperor, and it had much to do with Liu Cheng'en.

A few days earlier, the two were chatting in the study when they casually mentioned the exam questions from the imperial examinations. Liu Cheng'en brought up Zhao Beidou's essay. Upon hearing it, the emperor furrowed his brow and after a long pause, said, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have thought this essay was written by you."

Liu Cheng'en chuckled, "I no longer possess the sharpness of my youth."

"Indeed, the older you get, the more worries you have. These young people are more capable than we are. What was the name of that young man you mentioned?"

"Zhao Beidou, the Beidou of the Big Dipper."

"Hmm, he's indeed a promising talent."

During the final round of the examinations, the emperor couldn't find Zhao Beidou's paper among the top twenty. He instructed his ministers to retrieve Zhao's paper, only to discover it had been ranked in the seventies for being too outspoken.

The emperor examined the paper closely and after a long while, placed it at the top of the pile. The cabinet ministers exchanged glances, already guessing the emperor's thoughts.

Speaking of the Qionglin Feast, the food was rather ordinary. The stewed fish was bland with a slight fishy smell, and the braised meat was not fully cooked. Zhao Beidou put down his chopsticks after a few bites.

"Beidou, doesn't the food suit your taste?" the emperor asked kindly, like an elder relative inquiring about a younger family member.

Zhao Beidou was startled and immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, your humble servant is not very hungry."

"Rise, you don't need to be so formal."

Zhao Beidou's heart raced as he quickly returned to his seat and picked up his chopsticks again.

"How many brothers and sisters do you have? Are your parents still alive?"

Zhao Beidou knelt again, "Your Majesty, your humble servant has four siblings. Our parents passed away many years ago, and it was my elder brother and sister-in-law who raised us."

The emperor waved his hand, and Zhao Beidou sat down, still nervous.

Emperor Xing knew the young man was too in awe of him to eat comfortably. So, he said, "I'll take my leave first. Continue eating."

Everyone stood and knelt as the emperor left, "Farewell, Your Majesty!"

Once the emperor was gone, everyone relaxed. They raised their cups, chatted, and built connections. After all, they would soon serve together in court, and these connections might prove useful someday.

The second-place scholar, Lin Jingzhe, was older and very composed. He toasted Zhao Beidou and then put down his cup to chat with close friends.

The third-place scholar, Bai Lingjun, spoke extensively with Zhao Beidou, inquiring about his plans for the next three months. After the imperial examinations, all newly appointed scholars were granted a three-month leave to return home and announce the good news before returning to Shangjing in June to take up their official positions.

"Zhao Beidou said, 'I might need to make a trip back home first.'"

"Bai Lingjun said with a frown, 'I have to go back to my hometown too, but it’s quite a distance and I need to take a boat, which gives me a headache just thinking about it.'"

"His hometown was indeed quite far from Shang Jing, in Yu Prefecture."

While they were talking, Lin Zijian came over with a cup and a jug of wine. "Come on, Beidou, we haven’t had a drink together yet."

Zhao Beidou saw that his cheeks were flushed red; clearly, he had been drinking a lot. "Drink less, don’t drink too much."

"Don’t worry, the palace wine isn’t very potent. It’s not like your family’s Lu Wine. I won’t get drunk even if I drink ten more cups." He poured a cup of wine for each of them.

"To our promising futures!"

Zhao Beidou raised his cup and clinked it with his. "To reaching great heights!"

*

After the imperial examination, the Zhao family immediately packed up and closed the restaurant for a month to return to their hometown and prepare for the wedding of Xiaochun and Zhang Qiulan, and to celebrate Zhao Beidou’s success with a banquet in Ping Prefecture!

Sitting in the carriage, Lu Yao still couldn’t believe that his younger brother had actually become the top scholar. It felt like winning the lottery, leaving him in a daze.

"Beichuan, pinch me."

"Why?"

"I always feel like I’m dreaming."

Zhao Beichuan laughed and pushed his arm back. "You’ve asked me to pinch you several times already. Aren’t you awake yet?"

"But that’s the top scholar! Rare throughout history, it’s no exaggeration to say that our ancestors’ graves are smoking."

"It’s also thanks to his sister-in-law. She had the foresight to send him to school for his education." Zhao Beichuan helped him gently massage his calf, as Lu Yao’s legs were a bit swollen from sitting in the carriage for too long.

"Hmm, you’re right. The top scholar is at least one-fifth my doing."

"It’s half your doing."

"Oh, I wouldn’t dare take all the credit." He even laughed at himself.

Zhao Beichuan couldn’t help but laugh too. "How should we arrange the celebration banquet?"

"I plan to host a three-day banquet at the restaurant, inviting everyone we know to celebrate."

"Okay, I’ll take care of things for Xiaochun."

The two had already been betrothed earlier this year, and the wedding house was ready. They could move in after some tidying up. The rest were the things needed for the wedding day and the guests to invite, all of which can be easily managed with Zhang Yu’s help.

The wedding was a bit rushed, but according to Zhang Qiulan’s original intention, it was just a formality, and he had to hurry back to Shang Jing to open his shop.

Lu Yao wouldn’t let him do that. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event; it must be celebrated grandly.

His own wedding with Zhao Beichuan had been simple, and he regretted it. But there’s no fixing it; they can’t exactly have a second wedding.

His younger siblings’ weddings must be grandly arranged.

On the twenty-sixth of February, they finally returned to Ping Prefecture after a hurried journey.

As soon as they returned to the restaurant, Lu Miao grabbed him eagerly. "Did our Xiaodou really become the top scholar?"

Lu Yao was surprised. "The news has already reached here?"

"Yesterday afternoon, I heard from the customers. Is it true?"

"Yes, it’s true! Xiaodou has become the top scholar after passing the imperial examination!"

"Heavens above! Lu Miao was so excited, he nearly leaped up. "Where are they now?"

"Beichuan took them home to drop off their luggage first; they’ll be back shortly."

"I’ll go tell Second Brother and Fourth Brother to come over, and later we must meet the new top scholar!"