Chapter 206

As soon as Lao Buyu heard that there would be new students soon, any traces of melancholy and sorrow vanished from his face, and he immediately asked, “Has the Headmaster already made enrollment plans? Will it be like before, where you already have candidates in mind, or will there be selection exams like in other academies?”

“I already have a candidate in mind, but we can consider selection exams as well. In any case, Master, don’t worry. I won’t let you idle,” Shen Cuicui assured him.

Lao Buyu perked up even more upon hearing that there was already a candidate.

He bombarded her with questions like a machine gun, “What kind of student has caught the Headmaster’s attention? Wait a minute, since the Headmaster arrived in the capital, he hasn’t gone out much… Anyway, how old is he? What level of education has he reached? I need to prepare early.”

He was really itching to get back to teaching, just like he used to, from sunrise to sunset.

Shen Cui responded vaguely, “I’m not entirely sure about his level, and he might not come over so soon. Master still has plenty of time to prepare. It’s not urgent.”

After chatting for a while, it was already midday, and with the big day for the students tomorrow, they both retired to rest.

…

The next day, at dawn, everyone from Cuiwei Academy got up.

After they finished preparing, Shen Cui brought over three bowls of dark liquid.

It was nothing else but loquat syrup, a remedy to clear heat, moisten the lungs, and refresh the throat.

The others didn’t need to take it, only Mu Erpang, Wei Xi, and Shen Aoshuang each received a bowl.

Because today they were going to the palace, where only the top three scholars would have their names announced.

The remaining two hundred or so would have to be announced by the fourth-place scholar.

Reading out names loudly and clearly was definitely going to strain their voices.

In truth, Shen Cui knew in her heart that Shen Aoshuang was likely the second-place winner.

The final ranking was mostly based on the emperor’s preferences.

Being able to impress him with one’s writing was a skill, and having ancestors who served the country well was also a skill.

Considering that his splendid essays were on par with those of Mu Erpang and Wei Xi, it was only natural that the emperor’s favor would tilt towards him.

This wasn’t some privilege that made people feel uncomfortable.

After all, his true talent and knowledge were evident.

He was always within the top ranks.

And let’s be honest, if in the future Mu Erpang could reach the level of Minister Shen, becoming a highly esteemed Minister, Shen Cuicui might not be able to do what the old man did, ensuring that his descendants remained anonymous and didn’t rely on any family background to take exams.

But it seemed that Shen Aoshuang had made up his mind not to confide in anyone at the academy until he had completed his exams thoroughly.

So Shen Cui just pretended not to know and prepared three bowls of syrup.

The loquat syrup looked a bit intimidating, but it tasted sweet when they drank it.

After they finished, the group left the academy and headed to the palace.

Upon entering the palace, they were searched, then gathered together, still divided into two groups: the First Group ( First Class ) Scholar and Second Group ( Second Class ) scholars, according to their ranks in the Imperial examination.

Amidst the music and etiquette, the officials led them to stand outside the Taihe Hall.

Finally, the imperial court procession, including Emperor Xihe, approached.

Shortly after, the hall echoed with the sound of the officials’ orderly bowing.

After the bowing ceremony, palace attendants chanted, “Announce the newly appointed scholars!”

Mei Ruochu and Wei Xi led the group under the guidance of the officials, taking steps forward once again.

This time, as they entered the hall, they were already officials.

Eunuchs brought in the official attire for them to put on immediately.

After they were dressed properly, they could formally bow to the emperor.

Emperor Xihe sat at the head, while the courtiers stood with hands down, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Once the new scholars were in position, an official from the Honglu Temple loudly read out the imperial decree:

“In the fifth year of Xihe’s reign, in the imperial examination, scholars of the first class shall be granted the title of Jinshi, scholars of the second class shall be granted status of Jinshi we’re they’re given a chance to be promoted to Jinshi, and scholars of the third class shall also be granted status of mid rank officials.”

“First place in the first class, Mei Ruochu—”

Mei Ruochu immediately stepped forward and knelt down on the left side of the royal road.

“Second place in the first class, Shen Aoshuang—”

Shen Aoshuang also stepped forward and knelt down on the right side of the royal road, slightly behind Mei Ruochu.

“Third place in the first class, Mu Hanshan—”

Mu Erpang took a moment to react, feeling a bit dizzy before realizing they were calling him.

After all, he thought Wei Xi looked better than him, and at his age of fifteen or sixteen, he still looked somewhat immature and hadn’t fully grown into his features.

In the folk tales, it’s often said that when the scholarly abilities of the imperial examination candidates are similar, the emperor usually selects the most handsome one to be the top scholar.

Moreover, throughout history, the top scholars of each examination session never worry about marriage matters—achieving the title of top scholar indicates outstanding academic prowess, as well as being officially recognized for their good looks by the emperor!

Top scholars who are both talented and good-looking are highly sought after even among prestigious families.

The day before, as they went to bed, he teased Wei Xi, calling him “Little Wei, the Top Scholar,” and asked if he was about to get married soon.

He joked about how lucky the girl who would marry such a handsome and talented husband would be.

Wei Xi blushed and playfully punched him a couple of times before the banter came to an end.

This morning, Mu Er Pang went a step further and asked Shen Cui for half a bowl of loquat paste to drink, preparing to showcase his clear and melodious voice.

Little did he expect that “Little Wei, the Top Scholar” wouldn’t show up, but instead, there was “Little Mu Erpang, the Top Scholar.”

Mu Er Pang waited for the officials to come and lead him out, and when he glanced ahead and saw Wei Xi standing there, slightly tilting his head with a barely noticeable smile on his face.

Naturally, he wasn’t upset about Mu Er Pang getting the top scholar position.

Instead, he planned to add fuel to the fire for all the teasing Mu Er Pang had directed at him.

Once the ceremony was over, he would make sure to tease Mu Er Pang back!

Mu Er Pang blushed, followed the officials, and knelt down on the left side of the Imperial Road, slightly behind Shen Ao Shuang, to receive his reward.

“Top Scholar Wei Xi, step forward and announce your name.”

Wei Xi composed himself, stepped forward to express his gratitude, and then received the imperial scroll, reading aloud:

“Ranked second in the second class, Li Zifeng.”

…

“Ranked twentieth in the second class, Wei Shu.”

…

“Ranked fifth in the third class, Cui Fei.”

…

The naming ceremony lasted from morning until noon.

Thankfully, the loquat paste from the morning helped clear his throat, and recently there hadn’t been any more tricks played on Wei Xi by the system, so although he was a bit tired, he managed to persevere.

Once the naming ceremony concluded, the Danhuang Dafeng music played again, and the courtiers knelt to pay their respects and bid farewell to the Emperor Xihe.

Finally, the ceremony came to an end, and the Ministry of Rites’ Secretary Wang carried the yellow list out of the Taihe Hall, placed it in the Longting Pavilion, performed the three bows, and then hung the yellow list on East Chang’an Street.

All the scholars followed the yellow list. Once it was taken outside, they left the palace as well.

Near Chang’an Street, crowds had gathered to see the list.

Although Shen Cui already knew their rankings through the system, the calculations were based on the time she personally witnessed or heard about them.

Today was essentially the graduation ceremony for the youth.

So, shortly after the youths entered the palace, she and Luo Buyu left the academy to wait outside.

Compared to the previous examination lists, the yellow list was several times larger, with each character written especially large. Shen Cui didn’t need to squeeze to the front to read it; she could already see the characters clearly.

After she finished reading, a series of system announcements rang in her ears:

“Number 1 cultivation target, ranked first, awarded 10,000 shopping points.”

“Number 2 cultivation target, ranked second, awarded 8,000 shopping points.”

“Number 3…”

“Number 4…”

“Number 5…”

“Number 6…”

“Congratulations to the host for completing all main tasks. Game cleared, awarded 100,000 shopping points.”

“The academy has reached maximum level. All item purchase rights are now unlocked.”

“The host can leave this plane at any time. Would you like to execute this immediately?”

Shen Cui first selected “No,” then opened the system’s store.

The first thing that caught her eye was the “Bone Cleansing Pill” that she had been longing for during this time.

It wasn’t cheap, priced at 20,000 shopping points per pill. But for her current situation, it wasn’t much at all.

She bought six pills in one go, still leaving plenty on her account.

“System, let’s start our new plan,” Shen Cui said with a smile that was now tinged with sincerity.

The system’s voice also sounded a bit cheerful. “Alright, host, let’s begin the trap…”

Sensing Shen Cui’s approval, he paused for a moment before continuing, “The academy enrollment plan has been initiated.”