Inspect Records

Suddenly, the holy light shuddered. Holy radiance filled the entire city, and at the very top of the Golden List, a name appeared: Lin Su!

The golden light withdrew, while holy light guarded the list. A massive list, whole and clear, was revealed before everyone.

"Eh..." Zhang Yiyu fixed her beautiful eyes on it, her little mouth slightly agape.

Ding Hai suddenly raised his head. Though he had never been tall, at this moment he abruptly seemed extraordinarily towering. His face was ashen, then turned bright red in an instant.

With a thump from the grass, something fell from a tree—it was Little Fox. She stared blankly at the enormous list, and even her fox fur had begun to flush red.

At Lin Manor, Uncle Deng suddenly threw back his head and let out a roar!

Lin Jialiang cried out, "Mother, look!"

Madam Lin jerked up her head, rubbed her eyes, then rubbed them again. Suddenly, she rushed down the steps to the courtyard wall, as though that would let her see more clearly.

A towel in Xiao Xue's hand flew high into the air. "Young Master is the Top Provincial Scholar!"

"Top Provincial Scholar!"

"Top Provincial Scholar!"

Great cries erupted from the Wine Factory.

Above the pavilion, Dark Night stared at the Golden List, her eyes filled with disbelief...

How was this possible? How could he be the Top Provincial Scholar? He hardly studied at all—and he even wrote dirty little stories...

The twenty-three Gambling Scholars were all petrified as well. They had thought Zhao Ji was the final name, never expecting that the Golden List was not yet finished—there was still one more.

That last name to appear was like a gigantic mountain crashing down upon their heads, leaving them utterly unable to breathe.

Though this day should have brought the boundless joy of having their names on the Golden List, once that name came down upon them, they suddenly felt all their joy scatter into ashes...

"This is impossible!" Black lines streamed down Zhao Ji's handsome face. "Absolutely impossible!"

Lin Su said coldly, "It is the Sacred Decree. Does Brother Zhao refuse to accept it?"

Zhao Ji's eyes bulged, but ultimately he did not leap into this huge pit. Drawing a long breath, he said, "It is the Sacred Decree. This disciple would not dare refuse to accept it! But the Holy Hall has long had an ironclad rule: if there are doubts about any candidate's results, twenty successful candidates may jointly submit an appeal and Inspect Records."

"Exactly! Inspect Records! This disciple seconds the motion!" Zhang Haoyue stepped forward.

"I second it as well!"

In the blink of an eye, all twenty-three scholars who had gambled against Lin Su stepped forward.

Inspecting Records was indeed a scholar's right, but exercising that right came at a price—you were questioning the Holy Hall! Thus, once this right was invoked, it would leave a stain in the Holy Hall's records. That stain might not directly be used as Evidence of crime to punish you, but ultimately, it would create hidden trouble.

Therefore, under Normal circumstances, no one would do such a thing.

But what day was today?

They had a wager!

This wager concerned their Literary Fame and their path in literature. If they truly had to fulfill the wager and L-run through the entire city, their Literary Altar would surely be covered in dust. They simply Could not afford such a price.

The Confucian Temple Night Watchman stared at them. "Do you truly wish to inspect them?"

"Inspect them!" Zhao Ji spat out the word in a deep voice. When weighing two evils, one chose the lesser. Questioning the Holy Hall might bring hidden trouble, but the Holy Hall was, after all, the Holy Hall—vast beyond measure and always generous toward scholars. Perhaps if his father intervened in the future, the adverse effects could be erased. But if he did not drag Lin Su down from the position of Top Provincial Scholar, he would never get past today's ordeal!

The twenty-three scholars Looked at each other. In the end, they still gritted their teeth. Inspect them!

They truly did not believe Lin Su could produce any remarkable policy essay. He was descended from a Military Family. What was a Military Family? The sort of people who knew only how to charge into battle, utterly ignorant of the grand affairs of state and the military. His father was precisely that kind of man. How could a descendant of a fallen Military Family possibly understand the great strategies of war and state?

"Fine! As you wish! Top Provincial Scholar Lin Su's Two Poems and One Essay shall be made public before all!"

As the voice fell, every name on the Golden List vanished. In their place appeared two Poem Drafts and one policy essay.

"Yesterday's Stars, Yesterday's Wind; west of the painted tower, east of the cassia hall. Without the wings of phoenixes flying side-by-side, Hearts have telepathy, understanding at a single touch." The Poem Draft gleamed in seven colors!

A Seven-Colored Poem! Above it was a golden circle bearing the character "A"—Grade A! The second poem was also Grade A, and so was the policy essay.

Two Poems and One Essay, all of them Grade A! Experts looked at the content; laymen looked at the ratings. Three Grade As meant there was no dispute whatsoever over the position of Top Provincial Scholar. Everyone knew that in the Holy Hall's evaluations, attaining Grade A was extraordinarily difficult. No matter what examination it was, earning even one Grade A was something one could boast about for a lifetime. Yet Lin Su had earned three Grade As in a single examination!

Little Fox's eyes immediately filled with infatuation. What am I supposed to do with all this uncontainable flirtiness of mine...

Zhang Yiyu's beautiful eyes surged like tides. A single poem had drawn her into a hazy realm. How could words be so wondrous? In Just a few dozen words, how could they possess such soul-stirring magic...

Madam Lin's eyes shone Greatly Lit. "Second son, hurry and copy it down. No—bring brush and ink. Your mother will copy it herself..."

Above the pavilion, Dark Night stared blankly at the poem, then looked around in confusion. West of the painted tower, east of the cassia hall... Lin Manor had a painted tower and a cassia hall, but what were their positions... She happened to be west of the painted tower, and there really was a cassia hall over there!

My heavens...

He had written this poem yesterday. When he said "last night," he meant the night before last!

What had happened the night before last? That evening, he had just written one of those dirty little stories! The shock it had given her was truly no small thing; even now, whenever she thought of it, her Heartbeat Accelerated...

You wrote such filthy smut, and now you say you and I have Hearts have telepathy, understanding at a single touch? You, you, you... you filthy hooligan! You are ruining my innocence! I'll kill you...

In an Instant, this generation's Heavenly King of the assassination world had turned into a muddled little girl, her heart a pot of boiling porridge. A hundred and twenty parts of her wanted to kill him, yet she could not stop herself from reciting the poem over and over...

The tens of thousands at the scene were likewise shaken by the poem.

This poem was Completely Different from his earlier ones. It was a rare, perfect love poem.

"What a 'Yesterday's Stars, Yesterday's Wind,' what a Seven-Colored Poem! It truly writes longing to its utmost limit. Lin Qicai produces seven colors the moment he acts—it Truly Lives Up to Its Reputation!" An elderly scholar gently Shook Her Head. "From this day forth, how many young ladies in their inner chambers will dream of phoenixes flying side by side..."

"Elder Ding is absolutely right! Once this poem emerged, there would be no more love poems in the world!" Another old man said, "But even more terrifying is the second poem. To leave the painting behind and use poetry to speak of a painting—this has been an eternal conundrum! Yet this poem opened up an entirely new vista, fresh and natural, without the slightest affectation. Not a single word about painting appears in the whole piece, yet it portrays the painting's characteristics with utter vividness. Third Young Master Lin, in the way of poetry, the marvel of your word choice truly leaves one at a loss for words!"

The third man sighed. "You only see the marvel of his poetry, but what I see is the marvel of his calligraphy! This handwriting of his is free and unrestrained, with the faint air of forming a school of its own. Given time, this person may well use the full maturity of this script to compose a new chapter in the path of literature!"

Zhang Yiyu suddenly shuddered, emerging from the artistic conception of those peerless poems. Her eyes lit up brilliantly.

This was precisely the typeface she had searched for so bitterly!

The man from the river yesterday was him!

For the first time, genuine terror showed in the eyes of Zhao Ji, Zhang Haoyue, and the others.

The first two poems had pulverized every poem they had written in their lives—including, naturally, the poems they had just composed for the imperial examination!

Compared to these poems, their own works were truly at the level of children's scribbles, utterly beyond comparison!

In the way of poetry, if he was a grandmaster, then they were merely apprentices!

But as for the policy essay, they absolutely refused to believe it...

"'On the Four Nations': The destruction of the four nations was not because their weapons were dull or their battles poorly fought; the flaw lay in bribing Great Corner..." An old man recited it, then slapped his thigh with a bang. "Well written! Well said! Exactly so—one sentence strikes straight at the heart of the matter. What a prodigy!"

The scholars were also competing to recite it. "Thousands upon thousands of citizens weep blood as they await the royal army, while the lords of court still flaunt Luocheng and wag their tails..."

As they reached this point, everyone's gaze converged upon Zhang Haoyue.

Black lines streamed down Zhang Haoyue's face. The Pact of Luocheng had been the negotiation with Great Corner led by his father. Great Cang had ceded the Four Towns of the Northwest, and Great Corner had withdrawn its troops.

At court, everyone had lavishly praised Lord Zhang Wenyuan for accepting his charge in a moment of crisis and saving the nation from the brink of destruction. Yet among the common people, there had always been considerable criticism. Today, Lin Su had summed it up in two sentences: "Thousands upon thousands of citizens weep blood as they await the royal army, while the lords of court still flaunt Luocheng and wag their tails!"

Those two sentences had defined the Pact of Luocheng once and for all!

You were nothing but a dog!

You had sacrificed Hundreds of Millions of Citizens out of fear of Great Corner!

A traitor to the people! A traitor to the country!

Once it spread across the land, his father would be left with an eternal infamy!

And such venomous infamy at that: a broken-backed dog wagging its tail and begging for pity!

Lin Jialiang threw back his head and laughed. "Thousands upon thousands of citizens weep blood as they await the royal army, while the lords of court still flaunt Luocheng and wag their tails! A splendid curse! A timeless masterpiece! Zhang Wenyuan, you old bastard—did you ever imagine that while you could harm my father, my Third Brother could leave you with an eternal stain upon your name?"

His voice soared into the clouds, yet tears streamed down his face...

This famous line rapidly spread throughout the city, transforming into a tidal wave...

Before long, it was expected to become popular all over the world, becoming the catchphrase of hundreds of millions of people in the Northwest!

Zhang Haoyue suddenly stepped forward. "Lin Su has committed a grave act of rebellion, recklessly discussing state affairs and twisting right and wrong. He should be—"

Zhao Ji urgently reached out and clamped a hand over Zhang Haoyue's mouth.

Zhang Haoyue raised his eyes, his face slowly turning pale. The Confucian Temple Night Watchman stared coldly at him. The golden list seemed to have suddenly gained a trace more Killing Intent, while Lin Su—the instigator of it all—watched him with an expression of enjoying the show. Then Zhang Haoyue suddenly remembered something terrifying.

Lin Su's policy essay had already received the Holy Hall's approval. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to rank as Provincial Examination Top Scorer. The moment Zhang Haoyue raised an objection to this essay, he would end up exactly like his elder brother, Zhang Xiu!

Lin Su had probably been waiting for precisely this, which was why he stood there watching the show with that harmless-looking expression...

Too sinister!

Too terrifying!

This was no place for a person to stay. I want to go home...

"Collect!" A single word rang out. The examination papers were taken away, and the golden list reappeared.

Every scholar in the front rows was drenched in sweat.

They had reviewed the Two Poems and One Essay, and there was not the slightest room left for objection!

With poetry like this and an essay like this, who would dare raise the slightest objection? Let alone in a Provincial Examination hall—even in the metropolitan examination hall, such poems and essay would still be of the highest caliber!

For such literary talent to appear in the Provincial Examination was simply a Dimensional Strike! Of course, this world had no such term, but the meaning was exactly the same...

"Newly promoted xiucai, bestowed the Literary Altar!"