Chapter 207

As soon as the yellow list results were announced, the top three scholars of the first class began their grand procession through the streets.

As for the others, they could go home and rest first, then attend the palace banquet the next day.

This banquet, called the “Enron Banquet,” was much more prestigious than the previous “Lu Ming Banquet.”

It was a state banquet attended by royal nobles and ministers.

During the banquet, the Emperor would even appoint a few individuals for questioning, poetry recitals, which required preparation.

Wei Xi and his group had been busy standing and kneeling all morning, wearing their scholar robes, which made it inconvenient for them to stay outside.

Therefore, Luo Buyu took them back to rest, while Shen Cui followed the majority to watch the procession.

Mei Ruochu and the other two were still dressed in scholar robes, riding high on big horses, but they also wore red silk sashes, making them look like bridegrooms.

As the procession began, the onlookers, comprising mostly of common folk, started moving along with them.

Entertainment activities for the common folk were limited, and the triennial scholar procession was a rare grand event in the capital, especially since the procession would be accompanied by drumming and trumpeting, making it quite a spectacle.

The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, making it nearly impossible to move where the procession passed.

If one observed closely, they would notice that the young girls crowded at the front were each holding a flower basket, with lively bouquets inside.

This actually made things a bit easier for Shen Cui, because most men were gentlemanly enough not to compete with women for prime viewing spots, so she smoothly made her way to a front-row position.

The atmosphere in the capital was quite liberal, and Shen Cui overheard someone saying from afar, “My maid just came from the yellow list announcement. She said this year’s top three scholars are all young and handsome!”

The girl next to her immediately asked, “What about the top scholar of this year?”

The first girl replied, “Unfortunately, she didn’t get a clear look at the top scholar’s appearance!”

Other girls around were also leaning in to listen attentively, and upon hearing these words, they all expressed their disappointment in unison.

For them, during the once-every-three-years procession, the top scholar was the most attention-worthy figure.

As they chatted, the procession gradually approached.

The young girls immediately erupted into cheers.

“Your maid was right! The top scholar and the second-ranked scholar are indeed exceptionally handsome. Why wasn’t one of them chosen as the top scholar?”

“The top scholar exudes scholarly aura and charm, not just mere good looks, but the second-ranked scholar is also flawless except for being a bit frail.”

“Could it be because all three of them are equally talented, so the Emperor chose an ordinary person as the top scholar?”

“Ah, it’s just like three years ago when the top scholar was the most outstanding in appearance, and the other two were quite ordinary in comparison.”

They didn’t remember the specifics of the appearance of the top scholar from three years ago, but they remembered being greatly impressed at the time.

As they spoke, the young girls exchanged glances, as if saying, ‘If the scholars chosen today are all young, could it be that they can’t stand seeing someone better than them chosen as the top scholar?’ That would be too boring!

But in the presence of the Emperor, they dared only think about it, not speak it out loud.

As they conversed, the procession arrived.

Several girls cheered along with the crowd, throwing their flowers at Mei Ruochu as if they were giving them away for free.

After Mei Ruochu passed by, at a distance, it was Shen Aoshuang’s turn.

Following the same pattern, several girls began a new round of cheering and flower-throwing.

Seeing their baskets nearly empty, Shen Cui wanted to remind them to save some for Mu Er Pang who followed after, but saying it directly seemed a bit condescending.

As she hesitated, Mu Er Pang on horseback had already come closer.

He was lagging far behind Mei Ruochu and Shen Aoshuang because of his filial piety.

He guessed his mother would definitely come to see him, so he deliberately slowed down his horse.

Therefore, everyone ahead only saw Mei Ruochu and Shen Aoshuang, but they didn’t see him, the third top scholar.

Although Mei Ruochu and Shen Aoshuang didn’t spot Shen Cui in the crowd, Mu Er Pang hadn’t come close yet, but he immediately found her in the crowd.

He didn’t want to appear rude in public, so he just discreetly smiled and waved at Shen Cui while lightly chuckling.

Shen Cui smiled back and waved in return.

The excitement among the girls around her intensified.

“Who said the third top scholar isn’t handsome? Why spread false rumors?”

“That’s right, the third top scholar is not only handsome but also smiles at us!”

“Must be the third top scholar’s horse that’s not good, why is it walking so slowly!”

Unfortunately, they had already thrown all their flowers, and they couldn’t just throw the flower baskets at people, so they could only feel regretful.

Then someone from behind said, “Did any of you feel… the third top scholar looks somewhat familiar? Like we’ve seen him somewhere before.”

Others chimed in, but they quickly moved away from their original spot, following the procession.

Seeing the enthusiastic crowd, Shen Cui decided not to join them in the crowd again.

Instead, she chose a less crowded path and returned to the entrance of the academy—after all, the real purpose of the procession was to showcase the top scholars of the first class in the city and then return home in glory.

So, the endpoint was here.

She waited at the entrance for about half an hour.

The grand procession passed by, followed by the curious onlookers.

Seeing Shen Aoshuang also returning, Shen Cui was a bit surprised because she had thought he would go straight back to the Shen family.

The procession stopped at the entrance of the academy, and Mei Ruochu, Shen Aoshuang, and Mu Er Pang dismounted together.

The three stood side by side, exchanged glances, and seemed to have silently agreed on something as they all prepared to bow to Shen Cui.

Shen Cui had sensed something from their exchange of glances. Before they could act, she quickly stepped forward and stopped Mei Ruochu and Shen Aoshuang, who were about to bow.

With only two hands, Shen Cui naturally couldn’t free up a hand to pull Mu Er Pang, so Mu Er Pang performed a solid bow.

Instead of just bowing, he went down on one knee in front of Shen Cui with a solid thud.

After kneeling down, Mu Er Pang solemnly bowed his head to Shen Cui. “Today, your son has been named the top scholar. I thank you for nurturing me…”

Receiving his bow, Shen Cui didn’t feel guilty at all.

But if they continued, it would become too sentimental.

It wasn’t the time to shed tears on this joyous day.

Feeling a bit envious, Shen Cui helped him up from the ground and smiled, brushing off the dust from his knees.

Afterwards, she distributed the money prepared in advance to the officials accompanying the procession.

Zhou Shi also came out of the academy with her servants to distribute some red eggs to the onlookers, spreading the joy around.

After nearly half an hour of busy work, the people outside the academy gradually dispersed.

Shen Cui led them back to the Cuiwei academy.

Once the door closed, Mu Er Pang’s straight back immediately slumped, and he complained about being tired.

No wonder he was tired.

First, he had to stay focused in the palace all morning, then he had to ride a horse with a straight back for over an hour.

It was almost evening now, and they hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast.

Mei Ruochu and Shen Aoshuang were also tired, so after they entered the room, they didn’t say much.

After they sat down, Zhou Shu brought over hot tea.

Wei Xi and Wei Shu had already recovered, so they also helped serve the tea.

Wei Xi happened to be serving Mu Er Pang.

Just as Mu Er Pang was about to sit down, pretending to be obedient, he suddenly stood up straight, “Why trouble Junior Brother to serve me? I can do it myself!”

He wasn’t doing this for any other reason but to make up for teasing Wei Xi too much yesterday, fearing that Wei Xi might tease him back later.

Wei Xi had a sore throat, but that didn’t stop him from joking with Mu Er Pang, “Oh? So capable? Serving ‘Little Mu, the top scholar’ is my honor. After all, ‘Little Mu, the top scholar,’ might be invited to become a son-in-law in a few days.”

As Mu Er Pang continued to drink his tea with a forced smile, “Thanks to you not going, there were so many girls on the street today, throwing things at us. Sachets, bouquets, handkerchiefs, it’s fine. But some people even threw jade ornaments at us! Luckily, I dodged in time; otherwise, I’d have been hit hard. If you were the top scholar, it wouldn’t have been just these things. I bet they would have thrown gold coins, silver ingots, and property deeds at you as if they were free. You might not even come back after the procession; they might just tie you up and take you away to become a son-in-law…”

With these words, a flush rose on Wei Xi’s face, ready to ‘avenge’ Mu Er Pang.

This kind of thing, how should I put it? It’s like when someone who’s enlightened starts talking nonsense, they’re afraid that those who aren’t enlightened won’t understand.

Seeing Wei Xi blushing again, Shen Cui raised her hand as if to hit him, and Mu Er Pang quickly shut his mouth obediently.

After a while, Mei Ruochu brought up, “Have you guys noticed that something seems different after we returned to the academy today?”

Mu Er Pang, feeling serious for a moment, said he hadn’t. “Mei Big Brother, are you feeling tired?”

This wasn’t just a psychological effect of Mei Ruochu being tired; it was because they had ‘graduated’ now.

They were no longer the system’s cultivation targets, so they couldn’t feel the beneficial effects like tranquility and calmness in the academy anymore.

Moreover, the academy couldn’t shelter them or shield them from the rules of the dimension anymore.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shen Cui took out six “Bone Cleansing Pills” and said they were supplements.

They had all been in the academy for many years, and Shen Cui provided their daily necessities, so just like Shen Cui thought, without her needing to come up with any excuses, they all followed Mu Er Pang’s example and didn’t ask many questions, each taking a pill and swallowing it.

There was one pill left on the table. Mu Er Pang reached out for it, but Shen Cui slapped his hand away, saying, “You’ve already taken this medicine after the county exam, haven’t you forgotten?”

Mu Er Pang said he hadn’t forgotten. “That’s why I didn’t take it at first, but after seeing an extra one…”

“This one is for your sister-in-law.” Shen Cui handed the pill to Zhou Shi.

“What about mine?” Since it was from Shen Cui, Zhou Shi didn’t politely refuse and took the pill as well.

After seeing them all take the pills, Shen Cui turned off the full-level academy function in the system.

Perhaps saying she turned it off wasn’t accurate because she simply moved the academy to a different location.

The new function of the full-level academy didn’t require her to physically regulate anything in a particular place.

With a thought, she could establish the academy wherever she wanted, and that place would be recognized by the system as the academy.

After operating in the system for a while, the last step was to add a new member to the ‘new academy’ who was thousands of miles away.

[System Prompt: Mu Yunchuan has become a new member of the academy.]