Some of Ning'an County's residents had gathered outside the County Academy. Some were friends and relatives of the Licentiates taking this year's cultivated talent examination, others were local scholars, and only a small handful had no connection to the examination.
The county's scholars were especially eager, from old men in their seventies and eighties down to child scholars of seven or eight. To them, the annual posting of the imperial examination results meant more than the New Year.
The older scholars were holding forth about amusing incidents from past years, while the young listened with relish.
When the three golden lists appeared, a brief silence fell outside the Literary Academy.
Everyone who had seen the County Academy post its results several times instinctively sensed something strange.
"Why are there three golden lists?"
Questions rose from every direction.
"Could they have written in larger characters?"
"No. There are basic rules governing the size of the writing on the golden lists. They can't just make it larger."
"Then there's only one possibility..."
"Let's wait and see. Don't celebrate too soon..."
Everyone waited anxiously. Once the three golden lists were posted, those nearby hurried forward in a surge. The people at the very front and the runners guarding the lists were squeezed against the wall, their faces pressed into the plaster as they shouted miserably for everyone to stop pushing.
The Ning'an County residents behind them paid no heed. They kept pushing while craning their necks to read the golden lists, exclaiming again and again.
"So many Academy Students!"
"There must be forty or fifty!"
"Thanks to the transformation of the Literary Star and Void Sage Fang, our Jing Kingdom received more examination places. But there's no way a single Ning'an County could have forty or fifty! That's almost thirty percent of the