Exam Results Announced

"Impossible? Did I write the answers wrong?"

Feng Yuan heard Lu Hong muttering to himself. His expression shifted slightly as he picked up Chu Ming's exam paper to inspect it.

In the inner hall, the only sound was the rustle of paper being turned over and over.

Lu Hong stood up, watching nervously.

But Feng Yuan's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Good! He got ninety-nine percent of it right. He even wrote out the final reading comprehension answer without a single mistake. This Chu Ming has a very thorough understanding of all three poetry books!"

He made no attempt to hold back his praise. "It's just that these few mistakes are far too obvious, and his handwriting is a little ugly too—crooked and all over the place..."

Looking at the corrections and two other spots, he let the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.

For the moment, it was hard to say whether Chu Ming was the illegitimate son of Baiyuan County's wealthy Chu Family, but based on this exam paper alone, he could absolutely come first in this year's Willow Town Academy Exam.

A complicated look flashed through Lu Hong's eyes. He knew just as well that this unexpected paper would snatch first place away from his son.

But with Feng Yuan right in front of him, he couldn't very well pull any shady tricks as a father.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt that the extra questions Feng Yuan had added were a good idea. Lu Xian had had an amazing memory since childhood. Surely he could reclaim first place.

"Lord Feng has a keen eye. You saw at a glance that this person was no ordinary fellow. Lu Hong is impressed!"

He didn't forget to flatter Feng Yuan, either. Before the exam, Feng Yuan had already taken an interest in the boy.

"Heh heh. Teacher Lu, hurry up and mark the remaining papers."

"Yes, sir."

In less than a quarter of an hour, all the papers had been graded.

"Chu Ming first, Lu Xian second, Guan Chong third, Chi Lin fourth..." Lu Hong tallied the exam rankings.

"Lord Feng, should we announce the rankings first, or begin the memory test?"

"Announce the rankings first."

The rankings were only a rough measure, in his mind, of how much knowledge those young men had crammed into their heads. Still, they followed the Great Qin Dynasty's system for selecting talent, and the rules couldn't be thrown into disarray.

"Yes, sir."

Lu Hong took the graded exam papers and headed toward the outer hall.

The outer hall.

"Everyone, quiet down." Lu Hong stood at the front of the hall, his expression impassive.

The boys below quickly returned to their desks and sat down obediently, but their hearts were pounding.

The papers were graded. They were about to announce the results.

How nerve-racking.

No one spoke, but an oppressive tension that made it hard to breathe weighed on every heart, including those of Lu Xian and his two companions.

"I'll announce the results now." Once everyone was seated and quiet, Lu Hong cleared his throat. "Wu Chun, fourth-tier, lower grade."

Wu Chun was the boy who stood half a head taller than everyone else. He had hauled Huang Lu up by the collar.

Huh?

Hahaha...

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Wu Chun himself looked stunned, and everyone else was a little surprised by the result too.

The Academy Exam had twelve grades: A, B, C, and D, each divided into upper, middle, and lower.

Fourth-tier, lower grade was the very worst.

Huang Lu secretly gloated beside him.

"Sun Han, fourth-tier, lower grade."

"Huang Lu, fourth-tier, lower grade."

Who?

Huang Lu's body jerked. His eyes filled with disbelief.

"Brother Chu, did you just hear my name?" Huang Lu leaned toward Chu Ming and asked in a very quiet voice.

Chu Ming nodded slightly.

Impossible!

I, Huang Lu, have studied poetry and books diligently for two and a half years and eaten several baskets of medicinal herbs. How could I get fourth-tier, lower grade...

"Brother Chu, how come they still haven't called your name?"

Clearly, the rankings were being announced from lowest to highest.

The earlier your name was called, the worse you'd done.

"Wan Hui, third-tier, upper grade."

"Gong Rong, second-tier, lower grade."

As they passed the halfway mark, quite a few boys slumped dejectedly over their desks, their eyes vacant and lifeless.

"Brother Chu, you didn't forget to write your name, did you?"

After a brief moment of pulling himself together, Huang Lu's thoughts quickly opened up.

The results had already reached second-tier, lower grade, and Chu Ming's name still hadn't appeared. As far as he was concerned, Chu Ming must have forgotten to write his name.

As for doing well?

Huang Lu hadn't even considered it. Chu Ming listened to music at the brothels, was obsessed with travelogues, and had only come to take the Academy Exam because Huang Lu had tricked him into it.

Hahaha, with Chu Ming and Wu Chun at the bottom, I'll have an excuse when I go back and talk to my old man.

"Brother Chu, I've got a travelogue called Poetic Travels. I'll give it to you when we get back." Huang Lu was in a good mood.

Chu Ming nodded perfunctorily.

"Chi Lin, first-tier, lower grade."

"Guan Chong, first-tier, middle grade."

"Lu Xian, first-tier, upper grade."

As the words fell, Lu Xian unconsciously raised his chin.

As expected, the top three were Lu Xian and his two companions.

Most of the boys looked as if it were only natural. A few wore disappointed expressions.

"Congratulations, Brother Lu, on taking first place." Chi Lin sat beside Lu Xian and offered his congratulations in a low voice.

First-tier, upper grade was the best possible result. First place was a sure thing.

But just as he finished congratulating him, another announcement came from the front of the hall: "Chu Ming, first-tier, upper grade."

Who?

The boys froze. Lu Xian, Guan Chong, and Chi Lin were just as stunned.

Chu Ming?

That name sounded familiar. Had they heard it somewhere before?

Chu Ming? Brother Chu!

Huang Lu, at the back, suddenly came to his senses. He whipped around and stared at Chu Ming.

"You—you wrote your name? Just writing your name got you first-tier, upper grade?"

"No, Brother Chu, you got first-tier, upper grade?!"

Huang Lu stammered incoherently. For a moment, he didn't even realize how loud he was or that he'd broken the exam hall's rules.

The boys all whipped around to look.

They'd heard the name Chu Ming just earlier, while waiting for the Academy Exam results!

The pale-faced fellow who had slung an arm around Huang Lu, listened to music at the brothels, and immersed himself in travelogues!

Someone like that could get first-tier, upper grade?!

Doubt instantly flooded the boys' eyes as they stared at him.

Guan Chong and Chi Lin most of all!

First-tier, upper grade meant that this nobody at the back had done better than they had.

Chi Lin's eyes were wide as saucers.

Two first-tier, upper grades and one first-tier, middle grade. Then his place among the top three...

He clenched both fists tight, then suddenly raised his head and looked toward the front of the hall. "Teacher Lu, did you make a mistake?"

Hm?

How dare he question the teacher?!

The boys all turned their attention to Chi Lin again.

Chi Lin's face flushed crimson. Realizing he'd spoken out of turn, he hurriedly apologized. "Teacher Lu, I—I..."

Lu Hong looked at Chi Lin, his expression still calm. The challenge had done little to change his demeanor.

This result was hard for Chi Lin to accept, but even Lu Hong himself could hardly believe it yet, and was even less willing to believe it.

After all, though they'd both earned first-tier, upper grade, his son Lu Xian had still come in second.

"I'll announce the top three now."

The top three were obvious enough. The only question was who had come first.

It should be Lu Xian.

For a Chu Ming who had appeared out of nowhere to earn first-tier, upper grade—surpassing Guan Chong and Chi Lin—was already astonishing. There was no way he could be better than Lu Xian, the teacher's own son.

"Third place, Guan Chong."

The boys showed little reaction, but Chi Lin's body trembled slightly.

"Second place..." Lu Hong paused, his gaze sweeping toward the back before settling on Lu Xian at the front.

Lu Xian's heart gave a jolt.

He understood his father's gaze better than anyone.

"Lu Xian."

Just as expected!

Lu Xian's face instantly tightened.

"Huh?"

The boys were completely dumbfounded.

Lu Xian had come second, and first place had gone to Chu Ming—not one of the academy students, but a boy no one knew?!

Quite a few immediately looked at Huang Lu.

So this was the fellow you said spent his time listening to music at the brothels, loved travelogues, and never studied?