Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 87: The Good News Arrives, the Scholar Has Passed the Imperial Examination with Top Honors
(Third update, I've successfully completed the mission.)
"Young master! Young master, you've won!"

Shi Qifeng shouted loudly, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Apart from Chen Shounian and a few others, no one else recognized Shi Qifeng and felt that it was abrupt and unexpected.

Looking further back, you can see people desperately chasing after them.

If Shi Qifeng hadn't kept shouting "I've won!", he probably would have been captured long ago.

So, whose servant is this?

Who is this "young master"?

The answer was soon revealed as Chen Jin rushed out of the crowd and strode forward to meet him.

"It turned out to be his attendant, shouting and yelling. How rude of him."

"That's not right. How can a mere servant decide whether something is good or bad?"

"Has he lost his mind?"

Immediately, doubts arose.

This is because such a situation is contrary to common sense and quite rare.

Even if the servant was sent by Chen Jin to the examination hall to check the results, if Chen Jin himself passed, the good news would arrive at the Chen family's ancestral home first.

How could it be so delayed?
In the crowd, Chen Shounian's expression shifted uncertainly, looking anxious and uncertain. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and said, "I understand! It must be because when Chen Jin registered his information, he wrote the address as Old Clothes Lane, so the messenger went there."

The crowd listened with surprise and doubt, but upon further reflection, they felt it made perfect sense.

But if that's the case, and the good news isn't announced until the very end, wouldn't the ranking be among the top?

Top three?

Even higher...

Shi Qifeng dismounted, panting heavily, looking excited and thrilled. He glanced at Chen Jin approaching, then turned away, seemingly waiting for the others to catch up.

Chen Jin arrived first, asking in confusion, "Old Shi, you said I won, how did that happen?"

Shi Qifeng hurriedly said, "Young master, you have passed, but the specific ranking will have to wait for the messenger to announce it. I made a promise to them, and I can't break the rules."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin was initially delighted.

The joy seemed to surge from the acupoint on the sole of the foot, rising straight to the top of the head, causing an uncontrollable surge of happiness, and even a moment of confusion and disorientation.

Fortunately, the image of Kui Xing kicking the Dipper lamp in his mind still had some residual power, and the firelight illuminated it, instantly bringing him back to his senses.

Great sorrow is divine, and so is great joy.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—the underlying principles are largely the same: none of them should be taken to excess.

Given Chen Jin's behavior, he shouldn't have acted this way, but today's events were full of twists and turns, and his emotions became somewhat out of control.

After waiting for a while, the person behind finally arrived. It was a messenger dressed in festive attire, panting heavily, pointing at Shi Qifeng: "You, you scoundrel, this is outrageous! You stole my horse..."

Shi Qifeng clasped his hands and said, "I'm sorry! I'm in a hurry to tell you the good news as soon as possible. Please take a breath and then announce my young master's ranking."

The messenger, being a professional, quickly regained his composure, mounted his horse, glanced around, and then announced loudly: "Congratulations to Chen Jin, young master of the Chen family, for achieving first place in the provincial examination of Gaozhou in the year of Yichou..."

His pronunciation was clear and resonant, and his voice was as loud as a bell.

hum!
The entire audience erupted in uproar, followed by complete silence.

Almost no one could have predicted this outcome; even Chen Jin and Chen Shounian would not have imagined it.

What a surprise.

It was so unexpected that it was hard to accept all at once.

There was absolutely no possibility of such a thing being faked, so Chen Jin not only passed the exam, but also became the top scholar in the provincial examination.

For the Chen family, with its profound heritage and extensive traditions, producing a top scholar in the provincial examination is not a groundbreaking or unprecedented event.

One was just produced in the last session.

Further up, there have been similar occurrences before.

Looking at the numerous memorial arches for successful candidates in the imperial examinations and those for the highest degree in the imperial examinations on their ancestral land, the presence of an additional top scholar in the provincial examinations could be seen as icing on the cake, and certainly not enough to leave the Chen family dumbfounded.

However, today's events took too many unexpected turns, eliciting a huge sense of astonishment and even shock.

"Hahaha!" Amidst loud laughter, Chen Shounian walked out with a radiant face, raising his eyebrows in triumph and saying, "I knew it! Chen Jin is talented and diligent, how could he not succeed?"

Clan Chief Chen Shouqi: "..."

Chen Shouyi: "..."

Chen Shouzhi: "..."

……

Chen Jin was the top scholar in the imperial examination, so whatever Chen Shounian says now makes sense.

At the same time, this signifies that Chen Jin can officially be recognized as a member of the clan and included in the sixth branch of the family genealogy.

As for creating a separate genealogy, passing the provincial examination is not enough; one must at least pass the imperial examination to be considered a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

"congratulations!"

Congratulations, Sixth Brother!

"Sixth Brother, it's time to buy a drink..."

A series of familiar congratulatory greetings rang out, and now it was Chen Shounian's turn to be surrounded by people. The scene was noisy and joyful, filled with happiness.

It's not a case of being arrogant at first and then obsequious; it's simply human nature.

It's important to understand that Chen Jin who failed the exam and Chen Jin who succeeded are essentially two different people.

At least in terms of value, they are two different people.

For the entire Chen clan, Chen Jin's success in the imperial examination, especially his first-place ranking, was undoubtedly a positive development.

Since it's a good thing, the whole clan should celebrate.

……

"I never expected him to pass the exam, and even come out on top. He is indeed a talented and capable person."

In the crowd, Chen Xuejie stared intently at Chen Jin: "In this way, next year in the imperial examination, I will be able to compete with him in the examination hall."

In fact, Chen Xuejie passed the provincial examination a year earlier and should have already taken the metropolitan examination once. However, after he became the top scholar in the provincial examination, he unfortunately fell ill, which delayed his progress.

He turned his head and looked at the serene and refined Guo Ai, but he saw that the girl's gaze never left Chen Jin, and he couldn't help but feel sad.

Throughout the entire process of waiting for the results to be announced, Guo Ai sat there quietly without uttering a word.

Strictly speaking, she was also an "outsider," and only by coming with her maternal grandfather could she have a place.

So they didn't have much of a say, so they just waited and watched quietly.

The main focus was on observing Chen Jin.

Although her grandfather never explicitly said that he wanted to bring her and Chen Jin together, Guo Ai was already very clever and knew it all along.

During the Great Qian Dynasty, matters between men and women were actually quite simple and brutal, with the mainstream being arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers.

Neither the man nor the woman had much choice, especially daughters of prominent families and scions of powerful clans, who often needed to arrange marriages based on social standing and family background.

This was the case for Guo Ai's parents' generation.

Now it's her turn.

Her maternal grandfather, Chen Shounian, did not force her, but Guo Ai knew in her heart that since her surname was "Guo," she would not have much freedom of choice.

In this world, a man can aspire to "not have a family until his career is accomplished," like Chen Jin, who was over thirty and still unmarried.

But not for women.

Once you're over twenty, you're considered an old maid and people will look down on you.

Guo Ai was not like other young ladies from prominent families. She had her own opinions, and her most basic requirement for a man was that she did not dislike him.

This requirement seems simple, but in practice it feels quite difficult.

Just then, a huge cheer erupted from the scene. It turned out that the eight newly successful candidates in this year's imperial examinations were lined up and preparing to enter the ancestral hall to begin the ancestral worship ceremony and pray for the blessings of their ancestors.

Standing at the very front of the line was none other than Chen Jin, the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Last time, he only received a blessing from his sixth-generation ancestor after the incense sticks had almost burned out. Now, having transformed himself, how many blessings will he receive?

(End of this chapter)