Chapter 76: The Top Scholar

  There is still a small chapter at 5 pm.

  This noble lady who cannot be easily teased was lucky, Yang Yunqiu appeared in the Treasure Pavilion and happened to make her custom-made shadow pendant, no need to wait for two months.

  It's said that because this pendant has some material requirements and is complicated to make, it takes the most time. Generally, Yang Yunqiu doesn't often make them, only the highest-level members have a chance to get one. Up until now, in three years, there are only six pendants that have been sold or given away.

  This young lady is the seventh one.

  As usual, the guest couldn't choose the style, and Yang Yunqiu made whatever he wanted. He thought for a moment and chose a piece of black jade.

  Jade was not very valuable in the past, and jade was not particularly liked during the Shang Dynasty. It belonged to a relatively ordinary gemstone. However, recently, because Zhenbao Pavilion likes to use jade when making various treasures, this type of hard jade has also become popular, with prices skyrocketing. Many wealthy families' wives have also started wearing jade jewelry.

  Rouge One glanced at Yang Yunqiu and chose Ink Jade. She couldn't help but laugh: "That young lady's status is not ordinary, you're just making do with this?"

  Yang Yunqiu raised an eyebrow, took out her own engraving knife and spiritual brush, lightly rotated it, and in just a moment, a thumb-sized piece of ink jade had transformed into a delicate and transparent little cat.

  Although it's just a rough draft, not yet carefully carved, the kind of vivid and lifelike spirit that seems to be able to jump up and play with people at any time has already made Rouge speechless. After a long while, she sighed: "Sometimes I really think you're a monster, it's simply not like you're a young person who's not even twenty years old yet."

  It's a master craftsman, probably having to work hard for twenty or thirty years to have such a foundation. What's more, young people today not only have to study and take exams, but also learn the six arts of a gentleman, and be proficient in everything. They can even learn so many miscellaneous skills. Although scholars may look down on craftsmen, a craftsman who has studied for a lifetime can usually only become an artisan. Someone like Yang Yunqiu, who can create works that others think are unbelievable, can already call himself a master, or even a great master. No matter what industry, someone who becomes a great master is worthy of respect.

  But the black cat seems a bit... unlucky.

  After spending three whole days, Yang Yunqiu finished carving the black cat pendant. From a distance, the cat looked like a living creature. Anyone who saw it, even those who didn't like cats, couldn't help but think it was cute.

  Lipstick on fingers itches, there's always a desire to stretch out one's hand and scratch the little cat's chin.

  Although I think black cats are inauspicious and worry that customers won't be satisfied, I have to admit that Yang Yunqiu's creations will at least sell. Not to mention for just 500 taels of gold, even if it were a thousand, people who can afford it would absolutely not find it expensive.

  In fact, one of the selling points of Zhen Bao Ge is that it's expensive. The items sold in Zhen Cang Lou are all unique and can't be found anywhere else in the world. They're completely different from the ordinary goods sold in the neighboring buildings.

  As expected, on the day of delivery, the young lady not only didn't haggle over the price but also didn't remember that black cats are considered unlucky. She simply adored it, especially when a specific beam of light shone on it, projecting an image of her mother and herself onto the wall and floor, as if her mother was playing with the beautiful and lively little cat, bringing out the most wonderful dreamlike scene.

  Yang Yunqiu was worried that it would be too shocking and unconventional, so she never made a life-sized, extremely realistic image again. The largest one she made afterwards was only half-length, but the young lady was still very satisfied.

  It was a big business deal, and Rouge was very happy, but Yang Yunqiu didn't have the heart to pay too much attention.

  The day of trial is approaching.

  In recent days, the entire capital has been in a state of frenzy, with a large number of candidates arriving for the exams. Many wine houses have come up with "Number One Scholar" cakes and wines, while various guesthouses are offering discounts or free stays.

  The gatherings between scholars are becoming more and more frequent, and Yang Yunqiu has also participated in a few of them. However, after staying in the capital for three years, he is considered one of the popular candidates for the imperial examination. Many wealthy merchants, even officials, have hinted that they have beautiful grown-up daughters at home waiting for him to pass the exam with high honors and propose marriage.

  The Yin Dynasty also had the custom of picking up sons-in-law under the list, and before the exam, those who were handsome, young, and unmarried scholars had already been targeted, and naturally, someone like Yang Yunqiu would not be left out.

  Yang Yunqiu himself didn't mind such things, but the servants in his household, like Er Ya and others, were very concerned. For several days, Er Ya kept whispering to him that every time Young Master Sun Zhaoyang went out for a stroll, many beautiful girls from the capital would throw their handbags and fruit at him. He had only been in the capital for a short while, but it seemed like he had already become the object of infatuation for the young ladies of noble families.

  "Young master, I heard that the eldest young master made a stunning appearance at the Xiuyun Building today. Everyone says he's sure to be ranked high on the imperial examination list."

  It's no wonder that Sun Zhaoyang originally had a certain aura, which was very attractive to girls. He was also good at showing off and liked to be the center of attention at every gathering, never letting others steal the spotlight.

  If not, he would have taken the imperial examination three years ago when he was eighteen years old. Although young, he was already an adult and it was suitable to take the imperial examination. With his level of knowledge, the opportunity to pass the exam was not small. Even if he didn't succeed, he could still try again next time. But he couldn't bear being surpassed by others, so he delayed for three years.

  This time, Sun Zhaoyang was clearly confident, frequently making a big show at various gatherings of scholars in the capital, with an air of superiority that only a few people could match. Even before the exam started, many wine houses had already asked him to write couplets for them, hoping that after he became the top scholar, their own wine houses would also become famous.

  Because Yang Yunqiu is Sun Zhongyang's younger brother, the two are often compared together. Moreover, there is a sense of neutrality, Sun Zhongyang may be showy, but some people will think that Yang Yunqiu is younger, talented and low-key, more reliable than his peacock-like performance.

  Especially Yang Yunqiu's calligraphy and painting, which have rarely appeared in front of people in the past three years, but have a small reputation, and many masters of calligraphy and painting think that Yang Yunqiu's calligraphy is among the best in the younger generation.

  The imperial examination selects scholars, of course, it's not all about how good one's writing is, but having a good handwriting will always be an advantage.

  His writing is good enough to make him a celebrity, even if he doesn't pass the imperial examination and become an official. Spending his whole life as a famous scholar would be just as impressive. In this era, being a famous scholar is more comfortable than being an official. Taking office might lead to trouble due to factional struggles or other reasons, but a carefree and self-sufficient famous scholar will absolutely not be bothered by anyone and will receive praise from everyone.

  Recently, Yang Yunqiu has been hearing all sorts of praise and speculative news, her ears are about to grow calluses, she's so annoyed that she doesn't even want to leave the house.

  But there's no way around it, every time the exam is about to take place, the hottest topic in the entire capital city is always these young scholars from all over the country, of course, those people who are still taking exams at the age of 70 or 80 can't compare to the attention given to young people.

  Generally, the recruitment process tends to favor younger people. Those over 50 years old find it very difficult to get selected. Which examiner wouldn't want to choose a batch of promising students? Those who are already old and have one foot in the grave, even if they pass the exam, how much potential can they still have?

  Yang Yunqiu is involved in several things and cannot avoid right and wrong.

  Time passed day by day, and soon it was the day of the exam.

  The two servant girls were busy preparing various examination supplies for him. The last time the imperial examinations took place, those scholars who had finished their exams and were no longer in human shape clearly frightened these little servant girls, fearing that their young master would also become like this.

  Although Er Ya understood in her heart that the young master of her family was not an ordinary person, and his body was not weak at all, she still worried. She couldn't sleep well for several days, which made Yang Yunqiu shake his head repeatedly. He used to worry about it, after all, he had heard that the three exams would be held continuously for nine days, during which they would eat and live in small rooms, which was unbearable. However, when it came to the actual event, he didn't worry at all. Wasn't it just a bit of hardship? As a cultivator, if he couldn't even overcome this little difficulty, how could he survive the many tribulations in the future?

  On this day of trial, with a good thing in hand, Yang Yunqiu went into battle lightly equipped.

  He wasn't worried at all, although the doll didn't help him cheat on the exam, it was still top-notch in gathering information quickly and accurately. It had already investigated the identities of this year's two chief examiners and eight examiners, as well as their backgrounds. Even their usual argumentative essays were collected in a big book. Each examiner's taboos and preferences were also thoroughly investigated.

  This time, the examiner Yang Yunqiu looked over and didn't find anything particularly strange. They were all very orthodox literati who knew how to cater to the emperor's thoughts. It seemed that they had been carefully selected by the emperor himself. As long as he grasped the emperor's intentions accurately, there wouldn't be any mistakes.

  In the past on Earth, when he read books, he always thought that emperors should not like those officials who would guess their intentions. It wasn't until he really came to ancient times that he understood, an official who doesn't know how to guess the emperor's intentions and act according to his thoughts, even if he works hard for a lifetime, can only be a low-ranking official and will never climb to a high position.

  Those who can climb to high positions, stand in front of the emperor's eyes, and influence the emperor are all officials who grasp the emperor's thoughts very accurately, regardless of their temperament.

  Yang Yunqiu's exam room happened to be right across from Sun Zhaoyang, fortunately there was a door and curtain in between, so they didn't have to make direct eye contact.

  The room was about the same as the rural test, only a little smaller, five feet long, four feet wide and eight feet high. If someone with a bigger head sat inside, it would be difficult to even turn around, and eating and sleeping were all in one place, the toilet was also placed inside. Seeing such an environment, Yang Yunqiu finally understood why some scholars couldn't bear it and got sick.

  Those pampered young masters, who have never experienced any hardship and have always been waited on hand and foot by their servants, how could they possibly endure such treatment? Even he had some thoughts of retreating.

  "No wonder Wang Yi took an exam and didn't pass, he refused to take it again."

  For those indigenous people who will spend their whole lives in the Yin Dynasty, of course, they would rather die to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar-official. For someone like Wang Yi, who treats it as a half-game, he has to consider whether it's worth it or not.

  Luran also said she wanted to descend into a man's body and try to experience the feeling of being a man. Later, Li Zifeng, who claimed to be her sworn brother, strongly disagreed, so she didn't succeed. However, until now, she has been pestering Yang Yunqiu to select a suitable man for her to possess, if she were allowed to experience this kind of suffering, it's estimated that she would never have wild thoughts again.

  Although the environment was poor, Yang Yunqiu still answered the questions carefully and everything went smoothly. It's just that when writing rhyming poems, it may not be written with much inspiration.

  He also wanted to find a famous article to copy, but after thinking for half a day, he couldn't think of which one was suitable, so he simply wrote it himself.

  Anyway, after taking the exam, he felt quite satisfied. He didn't dare say that he would definitely be in the top three, but getting a jinshi degree without falling to the level of a tongjinshi was still somewhat reassuring.

  Of course, it would take a bit of luck, and he didn't dare guarantee himself one hundred percent success.

  Yang Yunqiu was slightly worried, but when the list was announced, he became the champion of the first place. However, during the imperial examination, for the five questions, he had guessed almost all of them, but did not answer according to his previous official articles, and instead wrote out views such as "people are more important than the ruler" due to temporary excitement. Fortunately, he finally rounded it off and didn't go too far off track.

  Yang Yunqiu was worried that there would be a problem, but unexpectedly, after the eight examiners graded his paper, they gave him the lowest score and thought he should be in the top three. Six people thought he should get first place.

  The emperor even exclaimed: "Breathtaking!" and thus appointed him as the top scholar.

  Yang Yunqiu originally bet that he would be the top scorer, but now he has lost a lot of money - it was because he had seen too many exams before and thought that as a young scholar, if he did well in the exam, there was a greater possibility that he would be chosen by the emperor as the top scorer, especially since there were not many young people taking the exam this year, and 35 or 36 years old was already considered young.

  Unfortunately, most of this is just made up by others. The emperor isn't that arbitrary, it's just because he likes Tanhua's reputation, so he downgrades the article that can be a champion in his heart to a lower rank, only giving him a Tanhua.

  Not even the situation he had imagined before, where his ranking would be naturally demoted to second-class due to his father's official position, has occurred. It seems that the current Yin dynasty does not have such rules yet.

  Nowadays, the aristocratic families have not declined. Although the imperial examination system is relatively perfect, there are still many officials who rely on their fathers' influence to become officials. Even a low-ranking official like Sun Zhifu can make one of his sons an official, although he can only get a position of 8th or 9th rank.

  The imperial edict was posted, and the examination papers of the top three winners were also posted. The scholars of the world did not all feel convinced, but at least they did not make a big fuss about it. Of course, there were still some people who tried to find fault with the winner's poem, saying that it was quite ordinary. However, not all scholars are skilled in writing poetry on the examination grounds, and this is just a test of their poetic skills. Generally speaking, as long as they can write something out, stick to the topic, and do not make any major mistakes, they will get full marks. This kind of criticism really has no basis.

  In short, San Ding Jia was determined in this way, with most people expressing satisfaction and feeling that there was no cheating behavior.