Chapter 133: Claiming the Crown

"Elder brother, elder brother!"

Because county and prefectural examinations had no fixed venues, let alone the concept of a "locked hall," and because examiners were not temporarily appointed in secret but rather publicly announced and known to everyone, the phenomenon of exam cheating was far less severe than in later eras. Instead, the real and meaningful battle of wits took place outside the examination hall. Therefore, after the first and second sessions concluded that day, all candidates were sent home, returning the next day for the final session. Even so, two consecutive days of testing were exceptionally exhausting. This was thanks to Du Shiyi's daily physical conditioning over the past three years; otherwise, sitting all day long answering questions on a hard, unyielding single mat, his lower back would have given out long ago. Over the following days, he first rested and recuperated for a few days to store up his energy, then took Du Shisanniang for a stroll through the now bustling Thousand Treasures Pavilion, where they were naturally treated as honored guests.

Early this morning, he was jolted awake by a series of shakes. Opening his eyes to find that the sky outside was still dark, he could not help but speak in a slightly reluctant tone: "Shisanniang, what is it so early in the morning?"

"Elder brother, have you forgotten? Today the examination results are posted!" Realizing that Du Shiyi was still half-asleep, Du Shisanniang grew anxious and hurriedly added, "Today is the day the Wannian County examination results are released. Liu Mo went to inquire and said they would be posted early in the morning. Although it is not the Jingzhao Prefecture examination, it is still the first hurdle elder brother must clear!"

"Once the rankings are out, someone will come to our door to announce the good news."

Du Shiyi yawned, and seeing the little girl pouting with deep dissatisfaction, he felt utterly helpless. He had already done everything he could; across the three sessions, he had exerted his utmost strength. The first session on scripture recitation was entirely flawless, the essays of the second and third sessions were brilliant and ornate, and the policy discourse was diligent and pragmatic. Moreover, he had remained completely unaffected even when such an incident occurred inside the examination hall. If he still managed to fail and fall off the rankings list, it would mean all his preparation and maneuvering had been in vain, and he might as well just take the Mingjing examination next time. Since matters stood thus, rushing to the Wannian County Office to look at the name list only to be watched like a monkey in a cage held zero appeal for him.

"Very well, since you want to see it, your elder brother will accompany you!"

"What do you mean accompany me? You are the one taking the exams, not me!" Du Shisanniang was instantly choked with exasperation. Yet, seeing Du Shiyi stretch and slowly sit up, she still motioned to Zhuying nearby to fetch his outer garments. Watching him dress, she meticulously straightened his belt. After a long moment, she whispered, "Elder brother, the three Feng sisters all wanted to come and wait upon you, but I sent them off to the Thousand Treasures Pavilion side to build momentum and rally support for our wares. You won't blame me, will you?"

"Hmm?" Seeing the little girl looking somewhat guilty, Du Shiyi, after a momentary blank stare, burst into laughter. Once he finished laughing, under Du Shisanniang's reproachful gaze, he said with a straight face, "Art has its specialties. They have followed Grand Madam Gongsun for many years, so singing comes naturally to them, but waiting on people is not necessarily their forte!"

"Then shall I let Tian Mo wait by elder brother's side... Didn't he also follow elder brother back at Suspension Peak on Mount Song?"

"Tian Mo on Suspension Peak buried his head solely in planting vegetables and foraging for wild greens and mushrooms on the mountain; he never concerned himself with my meals or clothing. He has been busy and thoroughly happy these past few days in the vegetable plot behind the Cui family estate. Asking him to handle such daily life services would make him miserable, and it would make me even more miserable. Besides, I am accustomed to managing these trivial matters myself. Stop worrying blindly!"

After washing up, Du Shiyi strolled outward. Stepping out of the room, he saw the faint morning glow gradually appearing at the edge of the sky while the morning drum had not yet sounded. He turned his head and smiled at Du Shisanniang: "The hour is still early; even if we hurry to the Wannian County Office, the results might not be posted yet. Since we have rare leisure, how about your elder brother performs a sword dance for you?"

Ever since they set out from the Eastern Capital of Luoyang, the brother and sister had lived under the same roof. However, leisurely moments like this only occurred when Du Shiyi had just finished his county examinations. Therefore, Du Shisanniang agreed almost without a second thought, smiling as she watched Zhuying hand over the sword. She watched as Du Shiyi unsheathed the blade, his steps shifting slightly, and began to execute the sword forms steadily and unhurriedly.

Unlike the sword dances performed by Grand Madam Gongsun and her disciples that she had once witnessed, she felt that whether her elder brother's footwork or his precious sword was concerned, most of the time they were steady and solid. Only occasionally, with a light and nimble leap, did the sword light suddenly turn fierce and sharp. Although it was not as breathtakingly beautiful as Grand Madam Gongsun's sword-weapon dance, in her eyes, it was still the most formidable thing in the world.

She did not know how long she had stood there in silent observation. Seeing Du Shiyi finally draw his form to a slow and steady halt, she quickly stepped forward to take the soft towel handed over by Zhuying. As Du Shiyi, covered in a light sheen of sweat, shook his head and walked back into his room to change into fresh garments, she could no longer suppress her inner apprehension. She softly asked the approaching Qiuniang in a low voice, "Big Nurse, do you think elder brother will have a good outcome in this county examination?"

"Why is my lady still worrying about this even now?" Qiuniang said without hesitation, "Our young master is bound to pass—it's at most a question of how high his ranking will be!"

"But the ranking is also very important..."

Right up until the moment she followed Du Shiyi out the door, Du Shisanniang was still murmuring doubts in her heart. Delayed by the early morning sword dance, and further slowed by Du Shiyi's dawdling over breakfast, the gates of the residential wards were already wide open, and pedestrians filled the streets in all directions. However, Chang'an noble daughters of her age rarely ventured out at such an early hour, making their heavily guarded entourage exceptionally conspicuous. Upon entering the north gate of Xuanyang Ward, Du Shisanniang finally could not help urging her horse closer to Du Shiyi and asked in a low voice, "Elder brother, bringing so many people with us today... isn't it a bit too ostentatious?"

"Before taking the exams, naturally one must keep a low profile. Now that I am taking my younger sister to view the results list, failing to maintain a grand profile would be doing you an injustice, wouldn't it?"

Though Du Shiyi spoke thus, what he was thinking in his heart was that inside the examination hall, people had dared to resort to such clumsy and despicable tactics. In case someone decided to stir up trouble today when the results were posted, how could he not bring a larger escort just in case? Showing not the slightest ripple of emotion on his face, he simply chatted and laughed amiably with Du Shisanniang. When they spotted the Wannian County Office in the distance, they saw that the candidates and servants waiting before the gates already numbered several dozen. Someone with sharp eyes caught sight of them, and as their entourage drew closer and closer, the crowd voluntarily cleared a path. Moreover, Du Shiyi caught something in the gazes of many people that he had not noticed before.

It was an extra layer of awe and reverence!

The results had not yet been posted. Du Shiyi and Du Shisanniang reined in their horses to wait against the north wall of the east-west cross street within the ward, and he reached out to summon Liu Mo: "Has something happened over the last few days?"

Du Shiyi had spent these past few days purely relaxing and entertaining himself, and Liu Mo had no intention of spoiling the mood. Since he was now being asked, however, he respectfully replied, "That minor official who previously disrupted the examination hall... has been found to have accepted bribes to act on another's behalf, and the sum involved was quite substantial. According to the law, he is to receive a hundred heavy cane blows. Barring any accidents, he probably won't survive."

Even though Du Shiyi deeply resented the petty official who had accepted favors and tripped him up so severely inside the exam hall, upon hearing of such swift and ruthless retribution—and that the crime was not the disruption of the examination itself, but the acceptance of bribes and solicitation—he still frowned slightly and then asked, "Has the Cui family exerted any pressure regarding this matter?"

"The master and mistress of our household are all in the Eastern Capital observing mourning periods, so naturally they did not interfere. I heard that Grand Administrator Yuan of Jingzhao personally ordered the investigation and handed down the verdict, perhaps to make an example to others."

That old soft-hearted Yuan Qianyao could be so ruthless at a critical moment!

Once again realizing that the rumors and impressions of later generations were not entirely reliable, Du Shiyi fell into brief contemplation, failing to notice that the crowd of people gathering to view the results was growing larger by the minute. Among them were even quite a few scholars who had been eliminated during the very first session, and Du Wenruo, mixed within the mob, was glaring at him with eyes full of jealousy and hatred. However, Qiuniang caught those two burning gazes. Recognizing Du Wenruo, she intended to warn Du Shiyi, but after thinking twice, she ultimately decided to hold her tongue for the time being.

No one knew how long they waited until the main gates of the county office swung wide open. A minor official accompanied by two bailiffs emerged carrying the list of successful candidates and proceeded straight to the notice board to paste it up. Before the sheets were even fully posted, someone shouted out.

"It is Du the Nineteenth of Jingzhao who has claimed the top spot!"

The rankings of the county examination did not attract the tens of thousands of gazes commanded by the prefectural and provincial examinations; however, the twists and turns of the events that had occurred on the first day of testing had spread like wildfire within the span of a few days. At this moment, the scholars gathered around the results list chattered noisily. Although people cast frequent glances toward Du Shiyi, for the moment, no one dared to openly pick a fight. Just as the initial commotion began to subside slightly, another voice suddenly rang out.

"Du the Nineteenth, the scripture recitation test is always the most intricate and difficult. For others, getting six out of ten right is already an immense struggle, so why is it that you were able to answer every single one!"

Seeing the surrounding crowd turn their eyes toward him, Du Shiyi was about to answer when Du Shisanniang, startled by the sudden shout, snapped back from her initial state of wild elation. Her face flushed red with anger, and she suddenly spurred her horse forward a step, raising her voice to declare: "That is because my elder brother, during his years studying on Mount Song, diligently copied books every single day without rest. The Four Books, the Five Classics, historical commentaries, and poetry treatises—heaven knows how many books he copied! If anyone is dissatisfied, come back and question him after you have copied enough books to reach the height of a grown person! Because my elder brother found copying books so convenient back then, he conceived the method of thread-bound books, which is why thread-bound books now flourish throughout the capital markets, surpassing scrolls and folded accordion books!"

This was the first time she had ever argued with anyone in public. Seeing the surrounding area fall silent, she bit her lower lip before gathering her courage to continue: "Elder brother, in the future let's simply open a bookstore and display all the books you have copied over these years for everyone to see! Let them see exactly how much bitter effort you expended, rather than letting them attribute your success to mere luck while they themselves refuse to work hard!"

Looking at Du Shisanniang, whose face was flushed with agitation, Du Shiyi could not help but burst into laughter. At this moment, he could not be bothered to offer any further explanations. He stepped forward to take hold of Du Shisanniang's reins and smiled, saying, "The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold, and the sharpness of a precious sword is forged through grinding. Shisanniang, why bother arguing with people like this? Since we've seen the list, let's head back!"

Watching with their own eyes as the crowd once again cleared a path for Du Shiyi and his sister's entourage, and watching as those who had failed were either left speechless or muttered among themselves behind his back, Du Wenruo felt his lungs ready to burst with fury. His own name, sitting as the third from the bottom on the results list, appeared blindingly glaring, stinging his heart with a sour and painful ache. By association, he grew to hate Wannian County Sub-Prefect Guo Quan, the examiner for the county tests, right along with them. He viciously clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and turned on his heel to leave. Mounting his horse and casting off his servants all the way until he reached the south gate of Xuanyang Ward, a sudden thought struck him.

Wang the Thirteenth of Taiyuan was said to be taking the Chang'an County examination, but what about Liu Ximing, whom he had met at Consort Doulu's birthday banquet? And what about those few young scions of the Jingzhao Du family he knew who intended to pursue the imperial examinations? Could it be... could it be that they had all avoided taking the Wannian County exams precisely because Du Shiyi was taking them there, and instead scattered to take the tests in the other counties of Jingzhao Prefecture?

"Those crafty bastards..."

Though he muttered thus under his breath, in his heart he knew this was likely the truth. For a moment, his rage and resentment made the corners of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.