Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 87 Award Ceremony
The old, hoarse voice of the schoolmaster boomed through the already quiet classroom.

In an instant, the air in the entire school seemed to freeze, becoming so still you could hear a pin drop.

Several classmates in the front row suddenly turned their heads to look at him. Because they turned so fast, some of them even made a "crack" sound in their necks.

Zhang Sheng, sitting behind him, had his mouth slightly open, while Lu Guangyu, whose seat was further back, had expected this and was genuinely happy for his friend.

Next, Xuezheng announced the number of admitted students.

These quotas are allocated annually from the state schools to the county schools, primarily based on the state schools' capacity to provide educational resources.

"This year, five students have transferred from the Hejiang County School to the Luzhou Prefectural School!"

The voice just fell.

A muffled thud suddenly came from the back of the classroom.

He Cong coughed and fell to the ground, his face turning from red to white, and finally turning an unnatural bluish-gray.

"Silence!" Xue Zheng knocked on the desk.

"The list was then posted on the outer wall of the county school. Anyone who had objections to the evaluation of the exam paper could apply to view the original paper. If there were no objections, they could leave."

Although the original exam papers could be reviewed during the county-level examinations, it was virtually impossible to change the verdict. Reviewing the papers was only a way to figure out how points were lost.

Soon, the clerk who posted the notice went out through the side door.

The area outside the county school was already packed with people, all eagerly watching him post the list of successful candidates. The clerk first pasted the bottom part of the list with paste, then pasted the top part, which made those waiting to see who had passed the county exam extremely anxious.

"Mom, I still can't see. Can you lift me up?"

Lu Yuchi's childish voice peeked out from between the people.

The little girl sat on Pei Yan's shoulders. She recognized the character "Lu" and had good eyesight, so she was chosen to look at it.

"No, you're still holding your brother's hand."

Unfortunately, in such a crowded place, simply sitting on someone's shoulders wasn't enough height, so Lu Yuchi had no choice but to ask the old man next to her for help.

"Sir, could you please tell me where Lu Beigu is in the rankings?"

"Wait, we haven't finished pasting it all on yet."

At this moment, someone with sharp eyes chimed in, "Lu Beigu? Number one! Number one!"

At this moment, the gates of the county school were slowly pushed open.

The crowd immediately stirred, and countless eyes turned to the gate of the county school.

Inside the gate, Lu Beigu followed behind Li Pan, looking up at the sky outside the county academy wall, where the setting sun had already dyed the horizon golden red.

He felt that the moment the county school gates opened, a wave of sound surged in like a tide, making his ears ring.

When the surrounding crowd saw the county magistrate and the county school officials, dressed in official robes, come out, the noise subsided.

In front of everyone, Xue Zheng first bowed and greeted them very politely.

"Fellow villagers of Hejiang County, the results of the county examination have been posted. This year, our county is fortunate to have sent five students to the state school. If any of them can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, our county will be honored."

The Song Dynasty society placed an extremely high level of importance on the imperial examination system.

Therefore, even though it was just an exam to get into the prefectural school from the county school, it still attracted a lot of attention.

For local people, only by entering the state school could they have the possibility of passing the state examination and going to the capital for the imperial examination.

Therefore, those who pass the county examination each year are all seeds of hope.

"Please, sir."

Xue Zheng made a gesture.

After the scholar finished speaking, Li Pan, who was standing to the side, took the items from the clerk who was holding a red lacquered tray.

It was an exquisitely carved iron plaque, with the words "First place in the county examination of Hejiang County School, Luzhou, in the first year of Jiayou" clearly engraved on it.

Li Pan held the iron plaque in both hands and solemnly called out, "Lu Beigu."

The crowd on the county school side spontaneously made way, and the rustling sound of clothes rubbing together filled the air.

Lu Beigu walked out from among the students of the county school, and the eyes of his classmates, like countless fine needles, followed his movements.

All eyes of the crowd in front of the county school were focused on this young and handsome top scorer.

Li Pan's voice was calm and clear when he made the announcement.

"—Lu Beigu, who ranked first in the Hejiang County Examination in the first year of the Jiayou era, is hereby awarded an iron plaque to recognize his talent!"

Li Pan's rough fingers gently traced the engravings on the iron plate, as if confirming the weight of each character.

Then, he held the iron plaque out with both hands and solemnly handed it to Lu Beigu.

Lu Beigu took a deep breath, bowed, and accepted the iron plaque with both hands. It was heavy, cool and solid, with fine cloud patterns engraved on the edges. It felt slightly rough to the touch, but inexplicably gave people a sense of peace.

Li Pan gazed at the talented man he had discovered, his tone carrying a sincere expectation: "I hope that after you enter the state school, you will study diligently and live up to the expectations of your hometown."

Lu Beigu bowed again solemnly: "This student will keep your teachings in mind."

Then, Li Pan said to Lu Beigu, Lu Guangyu and the other five students who entered the state school through the county examination this year: "Go back and change your clothes first. There is a banquet at Zuixianlou in the south of the city tonight. Remember to attend."

This is an annual tradition where local gentry invite students who have entered the state school to participate in the village drinking ceremony, partly to show respect and partly to get to know these promising stars in advance.

Anyway, for the prominent people in these places, it doesn't cost much to chip in and treat the students to a big meal, but it's a good thing to build a good relationship. If one of them passes the imperial examination in the future, it will be easier to get along with them.

After all, if you really have to wait for someone to pass the imperial examination and then try to get to the next level, who will you be?
This is also an opportunity for these students who are about to enter the state school to form small groups. After all, although they are competitors in the county school, once they enter the state school, they will naturally become friends because they are all from the same place.

After the award ceremony ended, a group of classmates immediately surrounded him, their faces beaming with enthusiastic smiles and offering flattering and auspicious words.

Zhang Sheng grabbed Lu Beigu's sleeve, his voice trembling with excitement: "Brother Lu! You've come out on top! Amazing!"

Lu Guangyu, who was in the back row, squeezed forward and lightly punched Lu Beigu on the shoulder.

"I knew it from your calm and composed demeanor."

The teachers from the county school were also watching this scene. The headmaster said something, and several teachers laughed together. Looking at the young man, they seemed to be reminded of their own school days.

Several young classmates pushed and shoved each other, clamoring to touch the iron plate to absorb some of its scholarly aura.

"My uncle is number one!"

Lu Yuchi slid off Pei Yan's shoulder and skipped towards Lu Beigu like a happy little deer, her two little buns drawing cheerful arcs in the sunset.

Behind her, Lu Yanxi also broke free from Pei Yan's hand and followed with her short legs.

Pei Yan stood there, her fingers unconsciously twisting the handkerchief, unsure of how to react.

She watched with her own eyes as the boy got up to study every day at the crack of dawn, and studied diligently late into the night by the dim light of an oil lamp, his fingers calloused from the handle of the calligraphy brush.

Now, all of this has finally paid off.

Lu Yuchi was panting heavily, holding up the begonia flower in her hand, the edges of the petals curled up.

"Uncle, quickly lower your head!"

Lu Beigu obediently bent down, and the little girl tiptoed, using her reddened fingers to tuck a flower branch into the side of his hair. The petals brushed against his forehead, carrying the warm fragrance of the sun.

"Uncle?" Lu Yanxi tugged at his sleeve. "Mom said we're having sashimi tonight!"

On the way back, the neighbors spontaneously made way for them.

Old Zhao, the candy seller, insisted on giving him a candy shaped like "passing the imperial examination," the golden syrup glistening in the sunlight.

Lu Beigu carefully licked it, and the sweetness made his tongue tingle. This sweet fragrance mixed with the dusty smell of the street, the sesame aroma of the pancake shop, and the scent of mugwort wafting from someone's house, forming a moment in his life's memory.

Perhaps in the future, this will be the unique feeling of the day the results were released.

(End of this chapter)