Chapter 57: Parading Through the Streets on Horseback

When he saw the characters “Shen Xiuyan,” he sighed inwardly. No wonder he was able to write the treatise on land management during the academy exam.

Indeed, this talent is unmatched by others.

His gaze then wandered over the faces of the ten selected individuals.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, “Lin Jiazhong and Wu Jiping’s essays are solid and well-reasoned, but I find it hard to judge them apart…”

Shen Xiuyan held his breath, feeling a chill in his heart. Wife, I’m sorry—your third place has flown away.

As he was distracted, the voice continued, “But historically, the third place scholar is always the one with better looks, and I cannot break the tradition of our ancestors. So, young Lin Jiazhong, in my eyes, is the more handsome one. Thus, Lin Jiazhong shall be the third place, and Wu Jiping shall be the second place.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” the two bowed.

Since it’s the top class, whether one is second or third place doesn’t matter much. What matters most is the emperor’s recognition.

Besides, Lin Jiazhong was praised for his good looks, and after he stepped down, he couldn’t help but touch his face. Not a single person had ever complimented his looks before…

He then glanced at the second-place scholar. Well, with all those wrinkles on his face, he was definitely more handsome than him.

Shen Xiuyan had already lost all hope—completely giving up.
Emperor Deye, perhaps sensing the awkwardness of the moment, cleared his throat.

“As for the top scholar of the Jin Ke exam, that would be Shen Xiuyan. His essay is not only solid and well-reasoned, but it also offers fresh perspectives—many of which have impressed me greatly. The court needs this kind of new blood.”

……

The hall fell silent, almost to the point of being vacuum-like.

The officials were eager to wake up the emperor who seemed to be pretending to sleep. If he wanted to name Shen Xiuyan as the top scholar, he could have said so directly…

Shen Xiuyan, whose name had been called, was the first to snap back to reality. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

How is this possible???

How did he become the top scholar???

But then again, the title of top scholar sounds much better than that of the third place, right? At least he moved up two ranks!

Mingyue should be satisfied with this…

His love-struck brain immediately thought of Mingyue, and it was hopeless.

The atmosphere was so awkward that Emperor Deye waved his sleeve. “You may all leave.”

“Yes…” The officials led the Jinshi candidates out.
The Minister of Rites, walking ahead, couldn’t help but shake his head.

He inwardly cursed the emperor. If he liked someone’s literary talent, he could have just said so—but he had to go around in circles like this.
Anyone who wasn’t blind could see that Shen Xiuyan was the more handsome one.

He didn’t want to admit Shen Xiuyan as the top scholar and was too shy to say it directly, citing the rules of the ancestors…

Well, he had to preserve some face.

Now that he thought about it, the emperor wasn’t wrong…

Wait, no!

If Shen Xiuyan is the top scholar…

He suddenly turned around and exclaimed, “Shen Xiuyan, wait a minute. If I remember correctly, you were the xiayuan in the district exam and the top candidate in the provincial exam, right?”

Shen Xiuyan nodded.

“Three honors in a row! This is truly three honors in a row!!!” The Minister of Rites was shocked. He turned around and instructed a small eunuch to inform the emperor of this good news.

The small eunuch was equally stunned as he ran inside.

Shen Xiuyan, however, was still standing there, dumbfounded, staring at him.

The Minister of Rites shook his head in frustration. This person surely didn’t know what being a top scholar in all three exams meant!

This was the manifestation of the God of Literature—an omen of good fortune!

Shen Xiuyan was the first person in nearly a hundred years to achieve this feat. Even if he did nothing, he would still be a good luck charm.

With a sense of camaraderie, the Minister of Rites put his arm around Shen Xiuyan’s neck. “Come, let me walk with you and educate you about this.”

After a series of friendly exchanges, Shen Xiuyan finally realized his worth.

To put it nicely, he was the live advertisement of the Nanyue Dynasty.

To put it less nicely, he was just an expendable mascot.

What’s there to get excited about?

In the palace, Emperor Deye was overjoyed.
He was now even more certain that his decision earlier was correct.

He had almost forgotten about this because he was so reluctant to let go of the talent. If he had remembered that Shen Xiuyan was the xiayuan and the top candidate in the provincial exam earlier, would he have been so conflicted?
So, even though he had forgotten, Shen Xiuyan was still the top scholar.

It was fate.

With this auspicious omen, Emperor Deye was in a great mood. “Bring me the brush and ink…”

By noon, the most bustling street on the South City Wall began to post the imperial edict.

The crowd, already packed to the brim, surged forward, and the slightly plump Su father was carried along by the crowd.

He couldn’t see the imperial edict because of all the pushing and shoving.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that he should have sent the young servant to squeeze through. This time, he had been too impulsive—unable to resist his curiosity—and had gotten off the carriage.

After all, this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Seeing that he couldn’t squeeze in anymore, he thought he might as well leave and come back later.

But just as the imperial edict was posted, he casually glanced at it. The large characters “Shen Xiuyan” jumped out at him, and he couldn’t ignore them.

At that moment, he felt his limbs go numb, and he could hear nothing.

A moment later, a sharp scream pierced through the air—

“Hahahahahaha! He did it! My son-in-law did it!!!”

People around him glanced at him, thinking, Oh, another crazy person.

This time, he mustered all his strength and stopped following the crowd. He pushed against the flow and rushed out.

Once on the carriage, he immediately shouted, “Go, go, go—back home quickly!!!”

He had to tell his daughter the great news.
Haha.

His! Son-in-law! Is! The! Top! Scholar!

At the eastern gate of the palace, the top three scholars were already ready, preparing for the traditional horseback procession.

Shen Xiuyan, still a bit displeased with the big red flower pinned to his chest, thought it wasn’t as good-looking as the one at his wedding.

Yes, he was being quite double-standard.

“Here they come, here they come—they’re coming out!” someone in the bustling street shouted.
Everyone held their breath and looked over, seeing the majestic chestnut-colored horse carrying three people slowly emerge.

The three sitting on the horse were the top scholars of the Jin Ke exam.

The escorting procession was grand, and the streets were lined with commoners.

With the sound of firecrackers, the horseback parade officially began.

At this time, the second-floor windows along the street also opened, with many wealthy merchants and officials—eager to find a suitable candidate—eyeing the men.

When they saw the appearance of the three, a brief silence descended on the scene, lasting only an instant before dissipating.

Then, flowers, sachets, and handkerchiefs—free of charge—were tossed at Shen Xiuyan, one after another.

Shen Xiuyan felt his vision darken, completely buried in the “enthusiastic” sea of people.

He could vaguely hear the chatter of the surrounding commoners—

“What’s going on this year? How come the top scholar is much more handsome than the third place?”

“Who knows, maybe he’s more talented.”

The second-place scholar immediately took the opportunity to comfort the third-place scholar.

“Jiazhong, don’t listen to them. Since His Majesty said you’re good-looking, you’re the best-looking.”

Lin Jiazhong: “……”

Thanks, but that didn’t comfort him.
After all, he wasn’t blind…

But he didn’t mind. As long as he could get into the Hanlin Academy as a top scholar, he was already very happy.

Suddenly, a handkerchief came flying directly toward his face. He looked over.

Look, there are still people who appreciate him. Let’s see who has such good taste.

The young lady on the other side gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I threw it off target…”

Lin Jiazhong: “…….”
He knew it. Why bother humiliating himself like this?

Sigh~