There were three groups of people delivering good news: one was the porters waiting under the list, hoping to earn some joy money; another group was a few from the county government led by Constable Xiao Yang; and the last group was Luo Wu.
Luo Wu knew Gu Jinâan and others were here, so he specially informed County Magistrate Zheng that he wanted to deliver the good news to them.
County Magistrate Zheng admired Gu Jinâan, especially after reading his essays at the county examination. He looked forward to Gu Jinâan achieving high scores in the Prefecture and college examinations, bringing honor to Tianfu County.
For the examineeâs County Magistrate, having local scholars succeed in higher exams is also a commendable achievement.
The several groups met at the entrance of Futai Building, where Elder Xu immediately yelled "Oh my!" and made a pained expression.
Heâs getting on in years, and when Constable Xiao Yang and the others saw him, they were sure to ask, "Whatâs wrong with Elder Xu? Are you feeling unwell?"
The porter who came to deliver the good news didnât care about Elder Xuâs condition, wanting to squeeze inside Futai Building but was tightly held back by Xu Zhao Mingâs servant.
Elder Xu said, "Iâve just heard the results are out and specially came to Futai Building to find my grandson to hear the good news with him, but being old and useless, running a few steps made my whole body hurt."
While speaking, he took a step forward and was the first to cross the threshold.
Constable Xiao Yang and the others saw this and understood Elder Xuâs intention, not competing over the path and letting him go first.
Elder Xu went straight to the elegant room on the second floor. Seeing Xu Zhao Mingâs face dripping with cold sweat, he immediately knew he hadnât guessed the word puzzle and began to curse, "You arrogant brat! How dare you trouble others during a gathering with fellow examinees! Have you forgotten the Xu familyâs rules? Today Iâll beat you in front of your fellow examinees for being a foolish disgrace!"
As he spoke, he raised his cane to strike.
Xu Liang reacted quickly, hurriedly blocking him: "Uncle Grandpa, donât be angry. Brother Ming didnât mean to embarrass his fellow examinees. We were just figuring out word puzzles and sharing insights."
Gu Jinâan sat nearby, watching the Xu family act but kept silent with a laugh.
Elder Xu kept glancing at Gu Jinâan from the corner of his eye. Seeing this, he approached and said to Gu Jinâan, "Good Brother An, donât mind Brother Ming. He left home young and wasnât taught by adults, so heâs a bit arrogant... Winning or losing doesnât matter, okay?"
After speaking, he clasped his hands in salute towards Gu Jinâan.
Gu Jinâan hurriedly stood up to support him, not allowing him to complete the salute: "Youâre too kind, Elder. Weâre just killing time waiting for the list by guessing some word puzzles, not really concerned about winning or losing."
Great Chu values filial piety, and scholars particularly respect the elderly, regardless of whether this elder belongs to your family. If they are older than you, you must show respect.
Thus, since Elder Xu personally came to plead, Gu Jinâan couldnât refuse to give Xu Zhao Ming a way out, otherwise, it might spread that he was unkind and disrespectful towards elders.
Hearing this, Elder Xu finally relaxed and shouted to Xu Zhao Ming, "Arenât you going to hurry and thank Brother Gu Jiaâan!"
Xu Zhao Ming felt very embarrassed and couldnât move his feet.
While he hesitated, the porter delivering the message already rushed up, shouting loudly, "I congratulate Young Master Xu! You have leapt like a dragon over the dragon gate, ranking third in the county examination!"
Third place?
Xu Zhao Ming was stunned, his smile froze on his face. He asked the porter delivering the message, "What did you say? What rank did I get in the county examination?"
He was waiting to win the top scorer to regain his reputation; how could it be just third place?!
However, the porter still smiled broadly and shouted again, "I congratulate Young Master Xu! You have leapt like a dragon over the dragon gate, ranking third in the county examination!"
Xu Zhao Mingâs face turned pale, he staggered and almost fell if not for the quick-eyed servant who swiftly supported him.
Xu Zhao Ming pushed away the servantâs support and asked, "Whereâs Song Lin? Heâs responsible for checking the list. Why hasnât he returned yet? Hurry and find him to ask about the ranking!"
He looked as if he couldnât believe he only ranked third in the county examination.
The Yang Family had received much favor from the Xu Family in the county. Constable Xiao Yang didnât want Xu Zhao Ming to lose too much face and hurriedly said, "Young Master Xu, the Lord knows there are many examinees in Futai Building, and specifically asked me to deliver the good news; you indeed ranked third in the county examination."
But Xu Zhao Ming wanted to rank first, be the top scorer of the county, and didnât care at all for the third place!
He didnât want to admit his failure in the examination, and bit his lip saying, "Impossible, that ranking is wrong, something must..."
"Hold your tongue!" Elder Xuâs heart almost leapt out of his chest, nearly hitting Xu Zhao Ming, was Brother Ming mad? How dare he publicly question the county examination results, suggesting the County Magistrate was corrupt, intending to make an enemy of the County Magistrate?
Xu Zhao Ming came to his senses, shivered a bit. Thankfully, his grandfather reprimanded him quickly, or he wouldâve landed in great trouble.
Yet heâs still not satisfied, asking Constable Xiao Yang, "Who are first and second in the county examination?"
Xu Zhao Ming stared at Constable Xiao Yang as if awaiting a sentence, secretly hoping: Let it be anyone, just not Gu Jinâan!
However, things didnât go as he wished, Constable Xiao Yang said, "The top scorer in the county examination is Gu Jinâan, the second is Qi Kangming."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhao Mingâs mind exploded; he lost not just to Gu Jinâan but also to the unknown Qi Kangming.
He closed his eyes, waiting for the dizziness in his mind to settle, then turned with teary eyes to Qi Kangming, "Iâve never heard of you, how could you, without fame, possibly rank second?"
Elder Xu really wished he could die, deeply regretting sending Xu Zhao Ming to study in Jinling, only to be influenced by the Jiangnan Scholar, becoming arrogant and courting disaster.
The county examination rankings were already out; what use was asking more? Itâd just further embarrass oneself!
Moreover, it was just a county examination, nothing considerable. Thereâs still the Prefecture and college examinations ahead. Unable to accept defeat like this, wouldnât it make others look down upon?
Qi Kangming stood up and said, "This word puzzle set by Brother Cheng, I also heard for the first time. Now Iâve guessed nine characters; listen to them."
Is Xu Zhao Ming refusing to accept losing to him? Then heâd use the unfathomable word puzzle to strike back.
Qi Kangming said, "Four small ghosts for the four mountain spirits and evil spirits, the Pipa, zither, and harp as Eight Great Kings, ten sun and moon together as Dynasty, as for treading a river of stars, I havenât guessed it yet."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhao Ming was amazed, silently reciting Qi Kangmingâs answers... Not only do the mountain spirits and evil spirits all contain the word âghost,â but theyâre also legendary types of spirits, fitting the four small ghosts theory. The Pipa, zither, and harp ruled over eight kings, being the kings of string music, aligning with the Eight Great Kings theory.
And ten sun and moon combined as Dynasty.
Xu Zhao Mingâs face turned pale, filled with a sense of defeat, it was obviously such simple characters, why couldnât he think of them after pondering for an hour?
Just for this puzzle, he lost to Qi Kangming; what face did he have left to question Qi Kangmingâs county examination ranking?
Again looking at Brother Cheng, asking, "Whatâs treading a river of stars?"
Brother Cheng didnât hide it and smiled, "Itâs âæčŠâ."
As he spoke, he moistened a bit of tea, writing the character âæčŠâ on the table.
This is a rare character, many present didnât recognize it, asking, "What character is this? Never seen it before; can it be used in puzzles?"
Xu Zhao Ming said, "Itâs the character âæčŠ,â meaning the ancient character of Emperor Zhou, synonymous with âæ,â having the meaning of the day in the heavenly skies."
Even though this character is rare, Xu Zhao Ming had read chronicles about the ancient Emperor Zhou, this character prominently featured within, appearing multiple times.
However, he couldnât guess it, proving that although he learned it, his mind wasnât as flexible as Gu Jinâan or Qi Kangming, unable to apply what he learned in a practical sense.