Chapter 10

"Alas, what a pity." Wang Yuanjun had lost count of how many times he had said this in the past few days.

The group rechecked the test papers.

Finally, County Magistrate Cai and two others came to Fang Yun's test paper, discussing it continuously, but ultimately found no solution.

It was not until lunchtime that County Magistrate Cai still hesitated, and could only temporarily set it aside to have lunch.

After lunch, the group rested for a while before returning to the examination room.

County Magistrate Cai was still reluctant to let the only dual-jia child scholar in Jingguo slip away from his hands.

Wang Yuanjun consoled him, saying, "There's no need to worry too much. With the talent of Mingzhou and the correct Holy Words, his future achievements will certainly not be less than ours. The empty fame of being the top dual-jia child scholar in the world is not worth it. Even with a body full of injuries, he can still become the top scholar, and passing the imperial examination is a given."

County Magistrate Cai stood there for a moment, then suddenly said with a righteous air, "We select talents for the emperor, the country, the sage, and the human race. How can we be timid and hesitant due to others' slander! One lifetime of cursing is better than a hundred lifetimes of cursing!"

Wan Xuezheng and Wang Yuanjun were speechless, as County Magistrate Cai's words implied that if he gave Fang Yun dual-jia, he would be cursed for one lifetime, but if he didn't, he would be cursed for a hundred lifetimes, elevating Fang Yun to an extreme level.

After saying this, County Magistrate Cai made a bold stroke, erasing the previous evaluation of Fang Yun's Holy Words as class B, and rewrote the evaluation:

A body full of illness and injuries,

Riding a cart to the examination hall;

A poor family with little ink and paper,

Selecting virtuous and capable people for the sage.

Jia!

Please the sage to decide!

Wan Xuezheng and Wang Yuanjun were stunned, not expecting County Magistrate Cai to make such a bold move.

The two had been officials for many years and immediately realized that County Magistrate Cai saw that Fang Yun was bound to become famous, so he was taking a chance.

If he lost, it would just be a fine, and the court would not impose severe punishment, as giving Fang Yun dual-jia would also benefit Jingguo.

But if he won, he would become the first county magistrate to produce a dual-jia child scholar in Jingguo. Although the Yuanjun was in charge of education, the county magistrate was the main examiner and the head of the county, and the greatest credit would go to him, ensuring a promotion.

Wang Yuanjun and Wan Xuezheng were immediately convinced, no wonder the other was a Jinshi, as his courage and boldness were unmatched.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately shouted, "Please the sage to decide!"

The voices of the three entered the void through the talent-filled atmosphere of the literary academy, finally reaching Qufu, south of Mount Tai and by the East Sea, the Holy Academy.

From a distance, it looked like an inverted mountain, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, with the mountain peak pointing down into the ground, and a vast platform at the top, where buildings stood and clouds drifted.

Confucius loved Mount Tai but did not want to harm its main peak, Yuhuangding, so he took a 3,000-foot mountain from the side, cut it horizontally from the base, carried it back to Qufu, and gently threw it, thus creating the world-famous "Inverted Peak Mountain." He then drew a picture in the air, and a black-and-white building painting hung in the sky.

Confucius blew, and the ink and buildings fell onto the top of the inverted peak, forming the Qufu Academy, which is now the Holy Academy.

At the center of the Holy Academy was a vast hall that could seat 100,000 people, where Confucius taught, named the Hall of All Sages.

Inside the Hall of All Sages was a holy platform, with many statues on it, honoring all the sages from ancient times to the present.

Below the holy platform, three elegant old men sat in a row, with no one else present.

At first glance, these three old men seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, their eyes were filled with countless strange scenes.

There were stars moving, seasons changing, deep valleys and mountains, and bustling cities, from the northern grasslands to the southern rainforests, from the western deserts to the eastern coasts, all the scenes of the world were there.

At this moment, the most frequent scenes in their eyes were the scenes from the literary academies across the Saint Yuan Continent.

The Saint Yuan Continent had ten countries and ninety states, each state with nine prefectures, and each prefecture with nine counties, totaling more than 7,000 literary academies, all of which were within the sight of the three.

One of them spoke.

"Jia, or Yi."

Another one spoke.

"Heaven's disciple, injured and sick, came to the exam, his handwriting can be practiced, and his heart towards the sage is rare, Jia!"

The last one remained silent for a long time, then finally spoke one word.

"Jia!"

The voice of the last one traveled across thousands of mountains and rivers, echoing in the examination room of Jixian's literary academy, making everyone feel as if they had heard a thunderclap, their hair standing on end.

Everyone was both surprised and delighted.

"Half-sage's voice? It's equivalent to a month of hard cultivation!" a lecturer was overjoyed.

Wan Xuezheng said, "Generally, if a half-sage agrees, they would only tacitly approve, but the half-sage actually spoke, fearing we might not give him Jia, indicating strong approval, almost as good as a half-sage's personal recommendation, a great blessing."

County Magistrate Cai thought for a moment and said, "This matter of the half-sage's voice must not be disclosed. First, he is still young, and if he knows, he will become arrogant, which is detrimental to his future. It's best to tell him when he becomes a juren. Second, he will already be a target for criticism if he gets dual-jia, and if there's the half-sage's voice, many villains will slander him behind his back. I will report this to the literary chancellor and have him order a seal of silence. If anyone leaks this, the punishment will be the same as killing a juren, dismemberment by five horses!"

County Magistrate Cai's eyes were cold, and his talent aura surged, spreading a chill throughout the examination room.

When a juren was angry, their talent aura could transform into a deadly weapon, extremely terrifying.

The ten lecturers in the literary academy hurriedly bowed, saying they would not dare.

"We are generations of Jingguo citizens, and we are delighted to see such talent, how could we harm him?"

"I am a distant relative of Fang Yun, and I taught him to read, I would never harm him."

"Hmph!" County Magistrate Cai snorted, displeased. The lecturer knew it was Fang Yun's paper before the name was revealed, indicating that these lecturers had been eavesdropping on their conversations.

Wang Yuanjun said, "County Magistrate's words are very wise. He is still young, and we must not over-praise him. I have also seen Fang Zhongyong, and I have always been worried about him, unfortunately, his father is driven by greed, and his future is uncertain."

County Magistrate Cai nodded and said, "Since the rankings are determined, let's open the name seals and write the golden list."

Thus, the group tore open the sealed names on the test papers and took out five large yellow papers, the so-called golden list.

County Magistrate Cai glanced at the fifty child scholars and wrote on the top left corner of the first yellow paper: Fang Yun, Jia, Jia.

The second line read: Fang Zhongyong, Yi, Yi.

...

"Born at the wrong time," Wang Yuanjun said softly, looking at Fang Zhongyong's name.

After writing the golden list for the fifty child scholars, County Magistrate Cai said, "I will write the invitations for today's literary gathering."

Wang Yuanjun and Wan Xuezheng remained silent.

After the list was posted, the three examiners would host a literary gathering, inviting local officials and the top ten child scholars to discuss, comment, and appreciate the county examination papers.

The invitations could be written by others, but County Magistrate Cai writing them himself indicated that he placed great importance on today's gathering.

By the time everything was done, it was already past three in the afternoon. The main gate of the literary academy was wide open, and outside, there was a sea of people, with a large number of candidates and their relatives crowding the entrance, making it impossible to move.

Before the golden list was posted, a man hurriedly walked into the literary academy. Everyone recognized him as the county's chief constable, Lu, and wondered what major event had occurred.

Lu quickly found County Magistrate Cai, bowed, and said, "County Magistrate, the incident that night has been largely investigated, but there is no evidence."

"Speak!" County Magistrate Cai was not tall, but his eyes were sharp, looking sternly at Lu.

"Yes! Liu Zicheng of Dahuang Prefecture had his eye on Fang Yun's foster wife, deliberately befriending Fang Yun, but Yang Yuhuan was a chaste and loyal woman, devoted to Fang Yun, and Fang Yun did not abandon her for money. Liu Zicheng, enraged by his failure, threatened him and later ordered people to beat Fang Yun in a small alley near the Jixiang Wine House."

"Is it certain that it was the Liu family of Dahuang Prefecture?"

"Absolutely certain," Lu said carefully, watching County Magistrate Cai.

County Magistrate Cai frowned and thought hard.

After a moment, Lu said softly, "I also heard a strange story about Fang Yun, I'm not sure if I should tell it."

"Speak!"

"Fang Yun said that the night he was beaten, he was saved by a mysterious person, who then took him as a student and taught him a lot in one night."

"Oh? What was Fang Yun's literary talent and knowledge like before that?" County Magistrate Cai asked immediately.

"Poor, even worse than mine, he could not have passed the child scholar examination."

County Magistrate Cai looked at Lu.

Two hundred years ago, the status of constables was very low, with no rank, but in recent years, with the population growth and the flourishing of talent, more and more people were passing the examinations, and many child scholars and scholars were filling various positions. The chief constable now had a rank of ninth grade, responsible for law enforcement and public security, and even had a literary treasure badge issued by the court.

This Lu was a scholar who had no hope of passing the juren examination and thus became a chief constable.

"I understand, don't tell anyone else about this matter."

"Yes, sir."

As Lu was about to turn and leave, County Magistrate Cai took out an invitation and said, "This is an invitation for him to attend the literary gathering at the Jixiang Wine House. You deliver it personally