Chapter 86

Ah Kuan scratched his head and stammered, "Sister Qiulan, I did see the young master's name clearly, but I don't recognize the characters above it..."

"You, you dead Ah Kuan, don't you know numbers?" Qiulan was so angry that her almond eyes bulged, and she hit Ah Kuan in a bad temper.

"I do know numbers, but there are no numbers above the young master's name!"

"What? No numbers? You're still lying to me! Since he's on the list, how can there be no ranking! I'll beat you..."

Seeing Qiulan still furious, Ah Kuan dodged to the side, holding his head and looking at Sister Qiulan with a wronged expression. Qiulan pointed at Ah Kuan angrily and said, "You dare to run? Go back and I'll punish you by not letting you eat lunch!"

On the side, Su Yueyun thought for a moment, then suddenly had an epiphany and showed a joyful expression. She hurriedly calmed the furious Qiulan, "Sister, Ah Kuan might not be lying!"

"Sister Yueyun, he said there are no numbers above the young master's name, how is that possible? He must be talking nonsense!"

"Whether he's talking nonsense or not, I'll know soon enough!"

Su Yueyun smiled mysteriously and gestured for Ah Kuan to come closer. But Ah Kuan seemed to fear Qiulan's authority and dared not approach. In the end, it was only after Qiulan promised that Ah Kuan cautiously returned to the carriage.

"Ah Kuan, I ask you, to the left of your young master's name, is there a name? And above that name, is it written...?" Su Yueyun's expression suddenly became serious, and she extended two slender fingers, asking tentatively, "Second?"

Ah Kuan thought for a moment, scratched his head, and then said, "Yes! To the left of the young master's name, there is indeed a 'second'!"

Ah!

Su Yueyun took a deep breath, then grabbed Qiulan's hand and said joyfully, "Sister, your young master is the first place in this provincial examination!"

"F... first place?" Qiulan was taken aback by Su Yueyun's words, then opened her cherry mouth and said, "But Ah Kuan said..."

"The list ranks from right to left. Since Yu Ge is on the right of the second place, he must be the first place! The reason Ah Kuan didn't see the number above Yu Ge's name is that the list used 'top scholar' or 'Jieyuan' to replace the first place!"

"Really?" Qiulan, after hearing Su Yueyun's explanation, nervously grabbed Yueyun's hand.

Su Yueyun turned her head and asked Ah Kuan, "Above your young master's name, are there two characters?"

"Yes, yes! There are really two characters, but I don't recognize them..."

As soon as Ah Kuan finished speaking, Qiulan, holding Su Yueyun's hand, jumped up in the carriage, repeatedly muttering, "The young master got first place... the young master got first place..."

At this moment, a familiar figure squeezed out from the crowd around the list. Su Yueyun looked up and was surprised, then softly called, "Father, why are you here!"

"I came to see the list, of course. With so many people, it's a good thing you two didn't go in, or it would have been quite a mess..." Su Quanzhong, supporting his waist, walked over with a hobbled step.

Su Yueyun quickly got off the carriage and helped Su Quanzhong, scolding him with concern, "Since you knew it would be crowded, why did you still go?"

Su Quanzhong paid no attention and instead smiled with joy, praising, "Ye Yu, that boy, has indeed lived up to everyone's expectations, becoming a Jieyuan! Hahaha! Oh, my old back almost broke..."

"I told you to wait for the news at home, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've brought this on yourself! Come, let me help you into the carriage!" Although Su Yueyun was somewhat resentful, she was also secretly thrilled to have her guess confirmed by her father.

Su Quanzhong, with a joyful face, was helped by his daughter into the carriage. He then casually asked Qiulan, "Where's Ye Yu? Why didn't he come to see the list?"

"It's just us making a fuss. He's long gone. Who knows, he might be drinking somewhere right now!"

Hearing Su Yueyun's scolding, Qiulan pouted and playfully defended Ye Yu, "The young master wouldn't do that!"

"His ability to remain calm in any situation is something even I can't match. Truly remarkable!" In the carriage, the two women were joking, while Su Quanzhong was lost in thought, muttering to himself.

...

"I never thought the Jieyuan of this year would be a young man under twenty! This makes me, who has studied the classics for many years, feel ashamed..." A young scholar in his twenties, looking at the name at the top of the list, couldn't help but sigh.

"Although Brother Meng is only second, there's no need to feel inferior. Ye Yu's first place, though unexpected, is also reasonable!" A yellow-faced man beside the young scholar spoke with a serious expression.

Hearing this, the young scholar was taken aback and then asked in confusion, "Oh? Brother Yue, what do you mean?"

"Before the exam, my father predicted that Ye Yu would definitely be in the top three this year! Although the result is a bit different, it still confirms my father's prediction!"

"Ha ha ha! I see! Your father is the governor of this state, and to recommend someone so highly is indeed fitting!"

The young scholar's name was Meng Tong, and the yellow-faced man was Yue Lin's second son, Yue Chen!

Yue Chen patted Meng Tong's shoulder and said very freely, "Come! To celebrate our names being on the list, I, Yue Chen, will treat you to a drink today!"

The two squeezed out of the crowd and left the examination hall, chatting and laughing.

In the teahouse, Ye Mingzhi, upon hearing the servant's report, had a cold expression. His name was not on the list, while the Ye Yu he despised was at the top. The stark contrast made it hard for him to bear.

He angrily overturned a tray of fruit on the table and roared in a fit of rage, "I, Ye Mingzhi, have lost to Ye Yu in the imperial examination! Why!?"

Li Mo stared at the distant examination hall, also shocked. Although he thought Ye Yu had a chance to pass, he didn't expect him to top the list. Ye Yu's sudden rise posed a significant challenge for his own imperial examination next year.

Seeing Ye Mingzhi's hysterical outburst, Li Mo remained cold and indifferent. After Ye Mingzhi vented his anger, Li Mo sneered, "It seems that Ye Yu will always be above you, Ye Mingzhi!"

"No! No! This bastard has taken my family's business, my woman, and now... I won't give up!"

"Hmph! What can you do if you don't give up? He's now a Jieyuan! In a few months, he'll go to the capital for the imperial examination, and if he passes, his value will skyrocket! And you can't even pass the provincial examination. What can you do to compete with him?"

Seeing Ye Mingzhi's anger reignited by his provocation, Li Mo was secretly delighted and added fuel to the fire, "I finally understand why that Chulian girl can't forget Ye Yu..."

"You! What did you say? Say it again!" Ye Mingzhi, as if his tail had been stepped on, grabbed Li Mo's collar and snarled.

Li Mo used his fan to push Ye Mingzhi away and said mockingly, "Ye Brother, getting angry at me won't help. It's not like I'm the one on top of you!"

"Oh, I suddenly remembered, there are many of my old classmates who must have passed this exam! I'll go congratulate them! Farewell, Ye Brother!"

Before leaving, Li Mo didn't forget to mock Ye Yu. The word "passed" was a cruel irony and a sore spot for Ye Mingzhi.

Ye Mingzhi stood by the window, angrily slamming it, and gritted his teeth, muttering, "Ye Yu, I, Ye Mingzhi, will never let this go!"

In a thatched cottage at the foot of the mountain, Ye Yu was practicing painting at a desk. In the past hour, he had sneezed several times. He wondered what was wrong with him today. Could someone be thinking of him?

"Disciple, are you feeling a cold?" Wang Ximeng, seeing Ye Yu sneeze several times, came over and asked with concern.

Ye Yu laughed awkwardly, "In recent days, I've been diligent in my studies and have paid special attention to keeping warm. It shouldn't be a cold..."

"Good! Come, try a different brush!"

Looking at the brush Wang Ximeng handed him, Ye Yu was stunned and swallowed hard, asking, "Master, are you asking me to use this brush?"

"What, you're afraid to use it!"

"Um... no, but this brush is too heavy!"

Ye Yu looked at the thick, iron-made brush, which was as thick as a baby's arm, and his face showed a serious expression.

"Ha ha ha! The art of calligraphy and painting is about handling heavy things with ease! If you can control this heavy iron brush, using a bamboo brush in the future will be as graceful as a startled swan and as agile as a flying dragon!"

"Oh? Is that true, Master?"

Wang Ximeng nodded and said solemnly, "You told me before that you practice calligraphy by placing coins on the end of the brush to keep them from falling. This method is good, but it only helps you practice steady brushwork! The downside is that it doesn't build wrist strength! Wrist strength is essential in calligraphy and painting. Without it, even a slight tremor can ruin a piece of work, which would be a pity."

"Master's wise words, I have learned!"

Ye Yu suddenly understood, recalling how the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi practiced calligraphy for years, turning the pond water black, and how he focused on building wrist strength. Wang Ximeng's method of using a heavy iron brush was a specialized shortcut.

Understanding his master's good intentions, Ye Yu no longer hesitated and picked up the iron brush to start painting on the stone table. However, due to the thickness and weight of the brush, he picked it up several times but put it down each time. After half an hour, his fingers were already blistered from the effort. And due to the excessive pressure, his fingers trembled slightly after putting down the iron brush.

But Ye Yu did not give up. After a short rest, he picked up the heavy iron brush again and continued practicing. During this time, Qiulan and Su Yueyun came to congratulate him. Although Ye Yu was very happy, he seemed indifferent and continued to focus on learning painting techniques under Wang Ximeng's guidance.

Wang Ximeng, seeing Ye Yu's diligent study, was very satisfied with his disciple's calm and composed nature. He taught him even more carefully, scolding and guiding him whenever he was dissatisfied.

In the two months of diligent study, Ye Yu's painting skills improved significantly! If it weren't for the state government's celebration banquet for the new scholars, which he, as the new Jieyuan, had to attend, Ye Yu would not have taken a single day off.