Chapter 502
Chapter 502
Seeing the king speak so disingenuously, Ye Jun and Ye Eun couldn’t help but bow their heads once more.
*Your Majesty, must we go through this charade amongst ourselves? Even if you are not tired of saying such things, we are certainly tired of hearing them.*
Ye Eun spoke.
“The two chief examiners for the civil and martial examinations are unable to reach a decision and await Your Majesty’s judgment.”
King Ning Yuanxian sneered.
“What is there to be undecided about? This Silver Examination, both civil and martial, was conducted with fairness and integrity, without the slightest hint of malpractice. If that is the case, what is there to prevent the announcement?”
Ye Eun replied.
“They are concerned that a great uproar will follow the publication of the lists, one they cannot handle.”
Ning Yuanxian retorted.
“Useless fools. Do they think I will reject Madman Lan and his ten companions simply because the results are surprising? Am I expected to yield to the mediocre and incompetent?”
Inwardly, Ning Yuanxian was overjoyed, exultant even. For the past month, he had been so berated that he was on the verge of fury. The censors had attacked him daily; while ostensibly impeaching Shen Lang, their blades were truly aimed at him, all but calling him a foolish ruler. Though they dared not say it to his face, he knew how many officials and scholars privately cursed him as a dimwitted king. But now, he could finally hold his head high and put the whole world to shame. It was utterly satisfying.
*Not only am I not a foolish ruler, but I am a sovereign with a discerning eye for talent. And you—you are all but blind, common fools.*
“Post the lists. What are you waiting for? It will be dark soon! Ye Jun, go to the Privy Council. Ye Eun, you go to the Examination Hall. Order them to post the lists at once. And not just that—have them post both the civil and martial examination lists together.”
“As you command!”
Ye Jun and Ye Eun hurried off to carry out their duties. Since the king wished to put the world to shame, they naturally had to act with the utmost urgency.
***
Outside the Examination Hall, over two thousand civil examination candidates waited with bated breath for the results to be posted. Outside the Privy Council, only a few hundred waited. The martial examination employed an elimination system, so the candidates already knew they had passed; their only question was their ranking. The few hundred who came to see the lists were, first, the successful candidates, there to flaunt their achievement, and second, friends and relatives of the unsuccessful, there to see if their rivals had passed. If a rival succeeded, it was a nightmare for their peers from the same martial academy. If a rival failed, everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.
*Your misery is my comfort.*
Besides them, several thousand others awaited the posting of the lists. Apart from the servants of powerful noble families, local ruffians were also present. They had a very significant bet with Shen Lang and were eagerly anticipating the results. They had no doubt that Shen Lang would lose this time and were just waiting for the moment they could spit in his face.
As the sun sank in the west, they grew increasingly anxious.
*Why haven't they posted the lists yet? It's a full hour later than last year. Has there been an incident? Some sort of cheating? Even if there was, it doesn't matter. We just need to confirm that Madman Lan and the ten beggars didn't pass. That’s all we need to go and spit on Shen Lang.*
Suddenly, the crowd parted. A person of great importance had arrived.
“Young Master Zhu, you’ve come as well!”
Everyone bowed in greeting. The newcomer was the true prodigy, Zhu Hongbing.
“Has Young Master Zhu come to see the lists himself?”
“Does Young Master Zhu even need to? It’s obvious he’ll be first.”
“Indeed. If Young Master Zhu isn’t first, the sun will rise in the west tomorrow.”
Though their words were fawning, they were also sincere. This alone showed that the Zhu Clan’s public relations campaign had been a great success. No one was green with envy at the prospect of Zhu Hongbing taking first place; on the contrary, they hoped for it.
“Young Master Zhu could have taken first place years ago, but the Grand Chancellor held him back from the examinations twice. It’s not easy being the scion of a prestigious family.”
“That’s right. If Young Master Zhu doesn’t take first place this time, I’ll gouge my eyes out.”
“Agreed. And if that Madman Lan passes, then I’ll gouge out my own eyeballs.”
Zhu Hongbing stood behind them, smiling awkwardly as he waited for the lists to be posted. His demeanor won him much favor.
*The Grand Chancellor’s grandson and the Queen’s nephew, here in person to see the lists instead of sending a servant. And not a hint of arrogance about him. Truly the capital’s foremost talent.*
Someone suddenly asked.
“What about Shen Lang? Hasn’t Shen Lang come?”
“How dare that human disaster show his face here? He’s certain to lose. If he came, he’d drown in our spit. It’s all written down in black and white, signed and thumb-printed. Surely Shen Lang wouldn’t dare to break the bet?”
“I’ve been saving up three days’ worth of old phlegm to spit in Shen Lang’s face. What if he doesn’t show?”
“After the lists are posted, we’ll march straight to the Marquis of Changping’s Estate and surround him. The moment he steps out the door, we’ll let him have it. The terms of the bet are written down clearly. Even if we’re sued and brought before the King, we’ll have our say, won’t we?”
At that moment, someone sneered.
“His Majesty won’t protect that scoundrel. This time, Madman Lan and the ten beggars not only failed to pass but also slept through the examination, shaming His Majesty. Shen Lang is as good as guilty of deceiving the sovereign. Once these lists are posted, those eleven beggars will have their heads on the ground. Shen Lang has committed a capital crime; he’s in for a world of trouble.”
Hearing this, everyone thought it made sense. Just then, the crowd stirred again.
“Shen Lang is here, Shen Lang is here! That son-in-law truly knows no fear!”
“That scoundrel must not know how to write the character for ‘death’.”
“Perhaps he’s come because he’s thirsty. I’ll give him a mouthful of my years-old phlegm.”
Soon, the large open space in front of the Examination Hall was filled with the sound of hacking coughs. At least several thousand people were clearing their throats, preparing to dredge up phlegm. But Shen Lang was flanked by several hundred formidable female warriors protecting him.
A local ruffian shouted.
“Shen Lang, will you honor the bet we made the other day?”
Shen Lang smiled and replied.
“Of course, I will.”
This delighted the crowd.
“Shen Lang, you said it yourself. Did everyone hear? Shen Lang said he’ll honor the bet. So in a little while, when we spit on you, don’t you dare dodge or resist!”
Shen Lang said.
“After the lists are posted, if I lose, you may spit as you please. But if I win, you must also honor the bet and each eat ten catties of dung.”
Hearing this, a great wave of laughter erupted from the crowd.
*How could Shen Lang possibly win? News has already spread that Madman Lan slept through the entire examination. And as for Lan’s ten beggars, word is they came out of the martial examination grounds looking dejected from day one. The sun would sooner rise in the west than Shen Lang win.*
Shen Lang emphasized again.
“I will keep my promise. Will you keep yours?”
They all answered in unison.
“We will, we will! If Madman Lan and the ten beggars pass, we will each eat ten catties of dung. We’ll keep our promise!”
“We will!”
The capital’s foremost genius, Zhu Hongbing, frowned upon hearing this. He had long heard of Shen Lang’s reputation, but he never expected the man to be so vulgar, pandering to the masses to curry favor. It was truly disappointing. However, subscribing to the principle that “a gentleman does not utter foul words,” Zhu Hongbing said nothing and simply ignored Shen Lang as if he were air. After Shen Lang’s arrival, the crowd grew even more impatient.
*Why haven’t the lists been posted yet? It’s been an hour and a half past the usual time. What on earth is going on?*
Just then, the sound of a gong rang out from a distance, and several people with loud voices shouted.
“The lists are being posted!”
Previously, there was no gong or loud announcement; the lists were posted quietly. (Ning Yuanxian had deliberately ordered the loud announcement to put people to shame and flaunt his own discerning eye for talent.) Hearing the announcement, everyone began to grow excited.
*Finally, it’s here, it’s here.*
Thousands of people swarmed forward like bees. The guards, with no intention of making people wait, moved forward all at once and posted all the results lists. Not only the list for the Silver Civil Examination, but the list for the Silver Martial Examination was posted alongside it. Everyone was surprised by this.
*There was never a rule like this before. Only the civil examination list is supposed to be posted at the Examination Hall. But this is good, too. Saves us a trip to the Privy Council.*
Zhu Hongbing, certain he would be first, had come to see the lists in person. This was not to show off, but as a gesture of courtesy, to give the impression that he was no different from anyone else. He intended to take a symbolic look at the posted list and then leave immediately. But as he lifted his head and saw the list, his heart trembled. The person in first place was not him, but someone named Lan Ling. His own name was written in the second-place position.
*How… how is this possible? What happened? I was sure to be first, so why have I been dropped to second? I performed to the best of my abilities in this examination. How could another’s essay be superior to mine? Could it be that I was deliberately suppressed because of my status and background? That can’t be, Grandfather said nothing of the sort. Besides, who is this Lan Ling? I’ve never heard the name before.*
It wasn’t just Zhu Hongbing; everyone present was initially shocked upon seeing the list.
*Zhu Hongbing isn’t first? This is unbelievable.*
“Madman Lan isn’t on the list! Shen Lang lost! Let’s go spit on him!”
Countless ruffians sprang into action, preparing to surge toward Shen Lang, to fulfill the terms of the bet, to spit with all their might. They were less interested in Zhu Hongbing not being first than in the fact that Madman Lan’s name was absent. That was enough for them.
“We won, we won! Let’s spit on Shen Lang!”
But just then, someone said quietly.
“Madman Lan is just a nickname. His real name is Lan Ling.”
The words struck the crowd with shock.
*No way. How could that be?*
“That’s right, Madman Lan’s name is Lan Ling! And the ten beggars are named Lan One, Lan Two, all the way to Lan Ten. They all passed! They placed from third to nineteenth in the martial examination. Madman Lan took first place in the Silver Civil Examination, becoming the Top Scholar of the Capital! The ten beggars are all on the martial examination list. Shen Lang won! He won!”
Everyone looked up at the names on the lists. It was just as the man had said. All eleven of Shen Lang’s candidates had passed. A hair-raising, deathly silence fell over the crowd. Then, as if a boulder had been thrown into a calm lake, a massive uproar erupted.