Chapter 84

"Ouch, who tripped me?!" Miss Diao rubbed her forehead, seeing her hand covered in blood, and immediately burst into tears. "Help! Help..."

In the corner, Wang Xian, who had stealthily extended his leg, quickly retracted it and turned around, touching his sister's little head with a concerned look. "Did she hurt you?"

Yinling clung to her brother's side, her face showing 'shock and fear.' "Wah, so scary..." she said, then burst into tears. The brother and sister were in perfect sync, how could they let Miss Diao, who had just fallen, become the victim instead of the villain?

In the boat hall, the two women's cries drew the attention of people on nearby boats, who stopped their music and craned their necks to see what was happening.

This made Li Yu extremely embarrassed, as the lantern outside the boat bore the inscription 'Fuyang Li Family,' which would certainly bring shame to his family.

"Stop crying!" he shouted. "You don't find it embarrassing, but I do!"

This scolding had no effect on little Yinling, who was only twelve and had inherited her mother's boldness. However, it was different for Miss Diao, who came from a scholarly family and was always self-assured. Now, she was in such a mess, not only without sympathy but also despised. She was so ashamed that she fainted.

"Let's go," Wang Xian said, holding his sister's hand. He nodded to Lin Qing'er and smiled at everyone. "Thank you for your hospitality. I will never forget this night, and I will repay you in the future!"

"Let's wait for the results," Li Yu said. "If the clerk is chosen but not present, won't it anger the elders?"

"The elders wouldn't bother with a small clerk like me," Wang Xian said with a faint smile. "If I'm called by chance, please explain to them that I couldn't handle the alcohol and left early."

As he left the cabin, a firework shot up from the deck of the boat, making a loud bang, followed by a chorus of voices:

"Tonight's poetry contest, the top ten are here! Please call the names of the scholars to come aboard!"

The scholars rushed out of the cabin, their heads tilted up like hungry dogs, praying, "It must be me, it must be me."

The lake, which had been lively, suddenly fell silent. The voices from the deck of the boat rang out:

"First place, Mr. Zheng Weiheng from Cixi!"

"Great!" A cheer went up, and everyone looked to see a boat with a 'Cixi' lantern heading toward the deck, accompanied by cheers.

After a long moment, the voices from the deck continued:

"Second place, Mr. Huang Zhen from Hangzhou!"

"Great! Great! Great!" The local residents were different; their cheers were ten times louder than before. Another boat headed toward the deck, with cheers growing louder as it passed.

"Third place, Mr. Zhou Cheng from Shanyin County!"

"Fourth place, Mr. Luo Sicheng from Qiantang County!"

"Fifth place, Mr. Wang Han from Yuyao County!"

As Li Qi had predicted, except for the first scholar from Cixi, Ningbo, the rest were mostly from Hangzhou and Shaoxing. The city of Hangzhou was composed of Renhe and Qiantang counties, while the city of Shaoxing was composed of Shanyin and Kuaiji counties.

"Sixth place, Mr. Yu Qian from Renhe County!"

"Wow!" Yinling had been listening intently and exclaimed, "Is it that kid from earlier?"

"Quiet!" The scholars shouted together. Yinling stuck out her tongue and whispered, "It doesn't matter to you, why are you so nervous..."

"We have no chance, and your brother has even less!" a scholar said angrily.

"That's not necessarily true," Yinling said, wrinkling her nose. She hated these scholars.

"If your brother is chosen, we'd rather jump off the boat and swim back!" the scholars sneered.

"Uh..." Yinling made a face. But she heard her brother say solemnly, "Let's make a bet!"

"Bet, then bet!" The scholars were thoroughly fed up with Wang Xian's pretense.

"If I'm chosen, you all swim back," Wang Xian said, scanning them with a faint smile. "If not, I'll swim back."

"That's not fair, you're just one, and we're many!"

"I'll swim naked," Wang Xian said, revealing his true nature.

The women giggled, and the scholars, who had heard up to the eighth name without a Fuyang representative, became impatient. "Fine, it's a deal!"

"It's a deal!" Wang Xian nodded, and everyone perked up their ears to hear the last two names.

"Ninth place, Mr. Zhou Yi from Yutian County!"

"There's only one left," the scholars said mockingly to Wang Xian, "I bet it's the clerk?"

"Um." Wang Xian nodded, "Let's raise the anchor."

"You're not afraid of the wind blowing your words away..." The scholars laughed without restraint.

Their laughter was cut short by the voices from the deck, announcing the last name:

"第十位，富阳县令史王贤！"

"Uh..." The laughter stopped abruptly, the scholars were stunned, and the women dropped their jaws. Only little Yinling was jumping and cheering, "We won, we won!"

The West Lake fell silent, and the people on the boats looked at each other. They knew that '令史' was a respectful term for a clerk. Could the tenth place really be a clerk? This made the self-proclaimed talented scholars of Zhejiang feel humiliated.

In a complex and indescribable atmosphere, the Fuyang boat headed toward the deck.

The atmosphere on the Fuyang boat was even more complex and indescribable. This poetry contest was not a real imperial examination, and being called out was a great honor, but not being called out was not a loss. Therefore, the scholars from each county could still maintain good manners and cheer for their fellow countymen.

But on the Fuyang boat, the scholars had deliberately brought Wang Xian on board to tease him. They had tested his mettle and forced him to lose face, relying on two women to protect him.

Just a moment ago, everyone looked down on him and treated him as a joke. Who knew that in this moment, he would slap them in the face, making their previous actions a joke!

For the Fuyang scholars, not being called out was not a big deal; the county was naturally at a disadvantage compared to the provincial and city capitals. But if Wang Xian was called out, their previous ridicule would become a joke. How could they bear it?

"This is too bizarre..." As the boat approached the deck, the scholars on nearby boats could clearly hear the discussions: "With such talent, why be a clerk?"

"Exactly, what talent can a clerk have?" someone said, "Perhaps he bought the poem to gain fame?"

"Or maybe the elders made a mistake?" The scholars were half jealous and half disbelieving. Indeed, if his talent could surpass all the students in the province, why would he be a small clerk?

"This selection is hard to believe..." After a moment of shock, the scholars gradually unified their stance. They could not accept being overshadowed by a clerk. "Why don't we ask the elders to explain?"

"Silence!" A loud voice came from the second floor of the deck. The scholars saw a middle-aged man in a brocade robe with a long beard and quickly bowed, "Master!"

The man was Xu Guan, the provincial education commissioner, who had selected all the students in the province. He had heard the students' discussions clearly and could no longer hold back his reprimand.

As soon as he spoke, the scene fell silent, and all the students bowed their heads, obediently listening to Xu Guan's scolding:

"Have you ever met Wang Xian? Has he ever done anything wrong that you know of?"

"Um..." The scholars were speechless.

"Without seeing or hearing something, can you make assumptions about its existence?" Xu Guan asked.

"No..." the scholars answered.

"Such a mindset is a waste of the sages' teachings!" Xu Guan snorted and softened his tone, "Have you heard the poem, 'Biting the green mountain, not letting go, no matter which way the wind blows'?"

"Yes, isn't it by an anonymous author?" the scholars asked.

"Who said that?" Xu Guan coldly replied, "It was written by Wang Xian!"

"Wow, he's just a clerk..." the scholars still found it hard to believe.

"What's wrong with being a clerk?" Xu Guan laughed coldly, "Even the provincial governor was once a clerk."

"Um..." The scholars dared not speak more, but they were not convinced. During the Hongwu era, the imperial examination was suspended for several years, allowing many clerks to rise to high positions, but they would eventually be cleared out!

"Reflect on your behavior," Xu Guan said, then left.

At this moment, the Fuyang boat docked at the deck. Wang Xian bowed to the scholars and smiled, "Excuse me."

Li Yu's smile was more painful than a cry. He forced himself to return the bow, his mouth bitter, "The clerk must bring glory to Fuyang."

"Doing you no harm is enough," Wang Xian smiled faintly, but this time, everyone thought he was being sarcastic.

Meanwhile, Miss Diao, who had not fainted but was just pretending, was about to faint for real...

Climbing the ladder to the deck, passing through layers of strict security, Wang Xian saw a scene that he would never forget.

On the vast platform, incense wafted, and the lights were dazzling. Behind the screens and curtains, dozens of dancers in light silk gowns danced to the music. Around the platform were golden-embossed nanmu tables and jade basins, filled with exotic delicacies and fruits. Even the Queen Mother of the West's Jade Pool could not compare.

"Here he comes, here he comes," a man in a brocade robe with a beard laughed. "Everyone is here, stop this bird dance!"

The scholars around him sighed inwardly, thinking it was a waste of such beautiful music, but they dared not contradict him and stopped the dance.

The dancers bowed gracefully and filed out, leaving the center for Wang Xian and the nine scholars...

---

The page flip begins with an ad.

The page flip ends with an ad.