We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

At Ma Zhong's command, the Imperial Guards soldiers, who had been standing at attention, all stepped forward in unison.

They formed an impenetrable human wall, using their bodies to firmly block the students who were trying to surge forward from outside the safety line.

At the same time, the gates of the imperial city slowly opened a crack amidst the sound of machinery.

Through the crack in the door, one could vaguely see officials dressed in the robes of the Ministry of Rites, carrying several huge vermilion lacquered lists, walking heavily towards the outside.

The moment of revealing the results has finally arrived!

At that moment, even though Zhang Qian was already disheartened, he still involuntarily held his breath.

I felt as if my heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and even the surrounding noise seemed to disappear instantly.

Although the hope was slim, the impending verdict concerning fate was unbearable, and the instinctive tension was simply impossible to suppress.

More than 10,000 applicants were selected, but only about 600 were ultimately chosen.

To avoid misunderstandings caused by duplicate names, the list must include not only names, but also place of origin and age. Obviously, a single list cannot accommodate so much information.

Therefore, Li Che ordered the list to be divided into six sheets, each listing more than one hundred people, starting from the last ranked person and proceeding forward until the final top one hundred.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites set up a ladder and posted the last-ranked list on the palace wall.

"Wow—"

The crowd instantly erupted like a boiling oil pan, with countless eyes fixed on the list.

A large crowd surged forward as students jostled to confirm their names as quickly as possible.

Ma Zhong was prepared and shouted again in a stern voice: "Royal Guard!"

"what!"

The Imperial Guards responded in unison, their shoulders braced against the large wooden shields, their feet firmly planted, holding back the surging crowd.

At the same time, an official from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward, took a deep breath, and began to loudly announce the names:

"Ranked 672nd, Qizhou, Sun Hai, age 37..."

Among the crowd, a middle-aged student wearing a faded blue shirt suddenly froze, as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt.

"Who? Sun Hai... Is that me?" he muttered to himself, his face full of disbelief.

Upon hearing this, a student nearby forced a smile and bowed to the middle-aged student to confirm, "Brother, are you from Qizhou?"

“That’s right! That’s right, Qizhou!” The student named Sun Hai nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling.

"Age, place of origin, and name are all correct. It is indeed you, my friend! Congratulations!" the student said with a complicated tone.

"I...I won?! I really won!!!"

After repeatedly confirming, Sun Hai felt as if his body was instantly injected with boundless power, and his previously hunched back suddenly straightened.

His eyes were red and hot, his head was buzzing, and he was almost overwhelmed by immense joy.

He was from a poor family in the north, and his family had declined since his father's generation.

The older generation had long given up on restoring the family's reputation, spending their days drowning their sorrows in alcohol, living a life of debauchery.

Only he refused to succumb to despair and continued to study diligently by the window, clinging to a few tattered books.

After reaching adulthood, he wandered from place to place, hoping to gain the appreciation and recommendation of some famous scholar and return to officialdom.

But in this world, who would recommend a down-on-his-luck young man with no background?

Approaching forty, he still had accomplished nothing and suffered endless scorn.

When His Majesty's edict seeking talented individuals arrived, he came to the capital almost as if it were his last chance, never expecting... that he would actually succeed!

Although he was last in line, if he passed the imperial examination, he would become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and would be qualified to become an official.

With his family no longer needing to live off their wealth and with the prospect of a comeback, how could he not be overjoyed?

"I won! I won!!!" he couldn't help but shout again, as if he were going crazy.

The students around him looked at his mad appearance with various expressions.

Some looked on with envy, some with disdain, and most with indifference.

It's impossible to truly understand the joys and sorrows of others.

The announcements by the Ministry of Rites officials continued steadily and clearly:

"Six hundred and seventy-first, Dezhou, Cui Haowen, thirty-first year of age..."

"Rank 670, Qizhou, Ran Fuzhi, age 30..."

"Ranked 669th, Lanzhou, Shenyuan, age 29..."

Only then did the students come to their senses and begin to discuss among themselves.

"They only selected a little over six hundred people? We had tens of thousands of people taking the exam!"

"Yes, didn't His Majesty say that one should not be bound by social status and should only appoint people based on their talents? We have traveled thousands of miles to seek refuge with you, why are you only taking so few people?"

"Six hundred people is too few? The imperial court is considerate of us poor scholars, but it also accepts those who don't work for free. Naturally, it will select the best and not support those who are just filling positions."

"Pah! I know you, you're Shen Yuan, the one I just mentioned! You've already been chosen, so it's easy for you to talk like that!"

Most people who care about the rankings don't care about such disputes.

Only those who know their knowledge is too shallow and have no chance of making the list will get caught up in this, in order to cover up their inner resentment.

The lists were posted one by one, and the names were read aloud one by one.

"The 300th person, from Luzhou, Zeng Qixing, age 21..."

In the blink of an eye, more than three hundred people have already read his name.

Zhang Qian listened in silence; these names were all completely unfamiliar to him.

His background was far from humble, so naturally he didn't know these students who had some family background in scholarship.

But he spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd—the same impoverished scions of wealthy families who had mocked him at the entrance of the recruitment hall.

They were huddled in the crowd, their faces ashen, silent as if they were mute.

Clearly, their names did not appear in the published list of the last 300.

As for the top 300... they themselves know that with their level of ability, their chances are even slimmer.

Just then, the voice of the Ministry of Rites official rang out again:

"Number 251, Yunmeng Mountain, Zhu Mo, age 16..."

Upon hearing this, the white-robed students beside Lin Qingyuan immediately smiled and looked at the youngest among them: "Junior Brother, congratulations!"

Zhu Mo was the youngest among the group from Yunmeng Mountain and lacked composure. At this moment, his face was flushed, and he could not hide his excitement.

But he still suppressed his excitement and returned the greeting to his fellow disciples:

"Fellow disciples, please don't make fun of me. I am the least learned in our sect, and my ranking is so low that I was read out first. I am truly ashamed."

Lin Qingyuan smiled gently and said, "Being selected is a skill in itself, not to mention that we may not be ranked higher than you, and there may be many others who are not selected."

Zhu Mo waved his hands repeatedly, not daring to agree.

Zhang Qian had been getting along well with the people of Yunmeng Mountain these days, so he quickly stepped forward to offer his sincere congratulations.

Zhu Mo did not show any disrespect to Zhang Qian because of his background, and returned the greeting with proper etiquette.

Sure enough, as the rankings entered the top 200, disciples from Yunmeng Mountain began to appear in large numbers.

"Number 121, Yunmeng Mountain, Wu Xun, age 20..."

"Ranked 110th, Yunmeng Mountain, Zhao Yi, age 22..."

"Ranked 102nd, Yunmeng Mountain, Chen Guanxin, age 19..."

The fact that three Yunmeng Mountain disciples passed the high school entrance exam in succession, and that their rankings were so close, immediately caused quite a stir and discussion among the students.

The name Yunmeng Mountain itself carries a sense of mystery and legend.

I wonder if these students from Yunmeng Mountain are from some hidden sect?

Finally, the last list was solemnly posted on the palace wall by officials from the Ministry of Rites.

"boom--"

A huge wave of noise erupted from the crowd, and everyone temporarily stopped discussing, with countless eyes fixed on the top of the list.

There, the top rankings of this imperial examination will be revealed!

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed student in front exclaimed:

"Zhang... Zhang Qian? Which gentleman is Zhang Qian?!"

This exclamation was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples among the crowd!