So Tragic, Two Men! (Seeking Recommendations and Collections!)

"Kaifeng Prefecture! I have returned!"

Huang Shang stood upon a hillside, gazing into the distance at the majestic silhouette of the city.

Facts proved that things in this world rarely go exactly as one expects.

Wu Que had not utilized the Beggar Sect's informants to track him down.

The Beggar Sect was not omnipotent; in the vast sea of people, finding one specific individual was incredibly difficult and relied entirely on luck.

Clearly, Wu Que's luck was not very good.

Consequently, much of the preparation Huang Shang had made turned out to be useless effort, a battle of wits against thin air.

Fortunately, the journey continued regardless.

It was now December.

Huang Shang had finished the Provincial Examination in August, left Yong Prefecture in September, traveled through Hunan, down into Guangxi, then turned into the Liangzhe region, and finally headed north all the way back to Kaifeng.

Originally, he had intended to visit Weizhou in the Qinfeng Circuit—modern-day Gansu—to pay his respects to Zhang Zai, but with the Metropolitan Examination approaching, he chose to arrive in the capital early to avoid any unforeseen complications.

In reality, Huang Shang was already late.

Since the Provincial Examination concluded in August, scholars from every circuit and prefecture across the country had been converging on the Eastern Capital.

This was far more exaggerated than the annual spring travel rush of later generations.

Scholars did not travel to the capital alone; most were accompanied by study boys, servants, or even their entire families.

Although the Eastern Capital was an unparalleled metropolis with a population exceeding one million and wealth that surpassed all under heaven, the sudden influx of so many people was quite a strain.

Sure enough, while still a long distance from the outer city gates, the area was already bustling with a crowded, lively market that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Such a scene made one wonder if they had already passed through the city walls and entered the capital itself.

The study boy Murong Fu and the Four Great Retainers, carrying poles and leading horses, all wore expressions of shock as they gazed at this prosperous spectacle.

Having spent their lives in the martial arts world, they were accustomed to avoiding the influence of the authorities and dominating their own corners.

Only at this moment did they clearly realize that no matter how vast the pugilistic world might be, it could never compare to the dynasty.

"Here, I shall take the first step toward restoring my country!"

Murong Fu pursed his lips, his eyes filled with determination.

Murong Bo had already bid farewell to Huang Shang, but in reality, he was still secretly providing protection; with the combined strength of father and son, they would surely achieve something great.

Huang Shang could not be bothered with the psychological state of his subordinates and looked toward a group of scholars not far away.

This group was surrounding a high wall, craning their necks to peek inside, though they could only see the branches of trees protruding over the top.

Even so, their eyes were filled with longing as they engaged in this act that appeared quite foolish to outsiders.

With a quick thought, Huang Shang realized what place that was.

Qionglin Garden.

One of the holy lands for scholars under heaven.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was the Qujiang Banquet specifically to entertain scholars who had passed the imperial examinations; now, there was the Qionglin Banquet, held right here in Qionglin Garden.

By next March, when the list of successful candidates was posted, the new scholars would ride horses through the streets, traveling all the way from Xuande Gate to Qionglin Garden.

On that day, hundreds of thousands of commoners would gather along the roadside to watch and cheer.

Imagine that scene; for scholars who had spent ten years studying in the cold, achieving fame in a single stroke was indeed the highest honor.

"But even if you look a hundred more times now, it won't do you any good!"

Huang Shang immediately withdrew his gaze and spurred his horse forward.

In truth, he could understand the scholars' mentality, much like how many students would visit Peking University or Tsinghua University when traveling to Beijing on Earth.

Even if you can't get in, you can't stop me from dreaming about it, right?

Past Qionglin Garden, not far away lay Jinming Pool.

This imperial garden, often called the West Lake, was not just for viewing; the navy also conducted drills there.

In Huang Shang's memories, the Emperor had visited a few years prior, with various military units competing for banners, boats maneuvering, and armor gleaming.

Tents were erected to the east of the pool, where thousands of commoners watched and let out thunderous cheers.

The atmosphere was remarkably similar to the sporting events of later generations.

However, in recent years, the Emperor's health had been deteriorating, and he had been unable to attend in person.

Although the tradition of military competition remained, without the Emperor watching, it was clearly not as intense or spectacular.

"Historically, Emperor Renzong of Song passed away in April of next year. With less than half a year left and him being bedridden, will the Palace Examination be handed over to Emperor Yingzong of Song?"

Seeing Jinming Pool, what occupied Huang Shang's mind was the Palace Examination and which Great Song sovereign would preside over it.

Names like Renzong and Yingzong were temple names given only after death, but for the sake of convenience, Huang Shang used them directly.

Not to mention Renzong, who had already been on the throne for forty-one years, making him the longest-reigning emperor of the Song Dynasty.

As for his successor, Emperor Yingzong, he was rather pitiable; he died of illness after reigning for a mere four years, appearing quite the bit-part player.

In reality, the process by which he inherited the throne was fraught with immense difficulty.

He was not the son of Emperor Renzong. Because Emperor Renzong had no heirs—all his sons having died in infancy—it was only after repeated remonstrations from officials like Han Qi, Ouyang Xiu, and Bao Zheng that he was selected as the imperial heir.

However, he was not chosen all at once; as early as 1035, he had already been adopted by Emperor Renzong.

Whenever Emperor Renzong's harem gave birth to a new prince, he was immediately sent back to his biological father, only to be brought back into the palace once the prince died in infancy, his status as a mere tool laid bare for all to see.

It was not until this August, just before Huang Shang participated in the Provincial Examination, that Emperor Renzong—whose sons had all perished and who, advanced in age and feeling his strength failing—finally gave up hope and named him the Crown Prince.

From 1035 to 1062, he endured for a full twenty-seven years.

Looking throughout history, even biological crown princes rarely had it easy, often walking on thin ice for fear of being deposed, let alone someone in his position.

Of course, if one were to compare the duration, twenty-some years is nothing; back on Earth, there was one who waited over sixty years...

Huang Shang was not considering these things out of boredom, but in preparation for the Palace Examination.

The attitude of the Son of Heaven was tied to the position of Top Scholar, so he could not afford not to think about it.

Returning to the matter at hand, both Qionglin Garden and Jinming Pool were located in the west of the city. After passing these two iconic landmarks and walking a bit further, they finally arrived at the true city gates.

Looking from afar, the dark green walls, standing five zhang high, filled his field of vision. This city wall, fifty li in total length, protected the number one megacity of the era.

In terms of scale, Kaifeng was actually superior to Chang'an and Luoyang.

Because it had no natural defenses to rely on, it meant there were no mountains or rivers to obstruct it, allowing it to expand and extend freely.

What a pity...

Thinking of the Jingkang Incident, the scenes Huang Shang had witnessed on the border of Guangxi suddenly flashed through his mind.

That had been merely a small town of a thousand people.

If that were replaced by the entirety of Kaifeng?

What kind of tragic state would that be?

"Fortunately, there is still time!"

Huang Shang reined in his thoughts and spurred his horse forward.

Although the number of people entering the city was immense, shoulder to shoulder, he sat upright on his horse, his posture tall and his temperament outstanding, making him stand out at a glance.

After half an hour of hassle, just as he entered the city, his vision blurred, and suddenly two men appeared, their tiger-like eyes reddened as they looked over and called out: "Virtuous Brother! Virtuous Brother!"

Huang Shang was startled. He looked at them, and only after a long moment did he hesitantly say: "Brother Xu? Brother Hua?"

Xu Feng! Wu Que!

This hesitation was not an act.

It was truly because these two Reincarnators were so haggard that he hadn't recognized them for a moment.

Xu Feng was naturally a rough-and-tumble man, so that was one thing, but Wu Que had always been the picture of a graceful young gentleman; now, he looked like he could join the Beggar Sect, so one could imagine just how drastic the change was.

Watching as a page boy cleared the path before Huang Shang and four servants carried his luggage behind him—not only showing no signs of travel-weariness but appearing even more handsome and distinguished—Xu Feng and Wu Que unconsciously licked their cracked lips.

Heaven have mercy, they had been guarding the gates of Kaifeng Prefecture for nearly a month, almost turning into statues of longing.

Let's start with Xu Feng.

After the battle at the Worry-Free Cave, Huang Shang had been taken away. Although Xu Yue had comforted him afterward, saying that at least they had escaped with their lives and avoided using their trump cards, and that even with the loss of the Dao Scripture, they hadn't suffered a net loss.

In terms of Reincarnation Points alone, that was indeed true, and besides, one only had one life; the value of a life-saving trump card was often much higher.

So, while Xu Yue had felt the sting of the loss at the time, she eventually let it go, treating it as a loss of wealth to avert disaster.

But Xu Feng could not get over the hurdle; he always felt that he had finally hit the jackpot, only to lose the lottery ticket.

That feeling of losing a billion made him suffer from insomnia.

However, in the vast sea of people, Xu Feng had to accept reality.

It wasn't until two months ago that he discovered Wu Que lurking suspiciously at the gates of Kaifeng Prefecture.

What a pair of miserable men, finally reunited.

Thanks to book friends "Heaven Crystal Hun Tian Treasure Mirror" and "Brother Tutu ← True" for the tips.