The imperial horse emerged from the East Flower Gate and slowly headed south along Imperial Street.
May was the liveliest season in the Capital.
The spring chill had passed, the excitement of the Flower Festival still lingered, and the examination results were out!
The newly crowned top scholar was parading through the streets.
The news flew out of the East Flower Gate as though it had grown wings, reaching every street and alley in the Capital in less than an hour.
People surged in from every direction, crowding both sides of Imperial Street, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks.
They waited to see the imperial horse draped in red and finery, waited to see the young man clad in a Scarlet Robe.
"Here he comes! Here comes the top scholar!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd immediately stirred.
Children perched on adults' shoulders, their eyes round and wide.
Young ladies hid behind the curtains of teahouses, round fans half concealing their faces.
Quite a few people even kept murmuring "top scholar, top scholar," as though hoping to take some of that good fortune home.
Wei Nisheng sat on horseback, his Scarlet Robe blazing like fire, a silver belt at his waist and black boots on his feet.
All said the top scholar was a handsome sight; his Scarlet Robe and imperial steed set the Capital alight.
The people in the streets beheld his face, and all praised the top scholar's handsome grace!
The imperial horse moved very slowly.
It was not the horse that was slow, but the soldier leading it.
The point of the top scholar's parade was to let everyone get a good look, not to hurry anywhere.
Hooves struck the flagstones-clop, clop, clop-one measured beat after another, neither hurried nor restless.
"What a fine young top scholar!"