Chapter 60: Sec

Qin Ming entered and went straight to the top of the ranking list. When he saw the name he had been hoping for, a wide grin spread across his face—so wide his teeth disappeared behind his smile. He was beaming with such delight. Let these scholars look down on Su, thinking themselves so capable, yet not a single one of them could measure up.

Qin Ming continued to scan the list. Second place was Ye Wenshu. He admitted this fellow had some talent, but still fell short of Su. When Qin Ming spotted Lin Ze, Ren Shuhua, and his own name, he was as overjoyed as a wild horse galloping across the plains, bursting out from the crowd in excitement—anyone watching would see just how happy he was.

Lin Ze quickly grabbed Qin Ming by the sleeve and asked, “Well? How did it go?” Ren Shuhua, too, gazed at Qin Ming expectantly. Qin Ming lifted his chin mysteriously and shook his head, “Why don’t you guess?”

Lin Ze gave Qin Ming a playful smack on the head. “Just say it already! Are you trying to kill me with suspense?”

Lin Ze’s impatience was plain for all to see, both in his words and his expression. For Qin Ming to keep them hanging at a time like this—who else deserved a smack? But Qin Ming took it in stride, not the least bit annoyed. “Heh, Su is first on the list! All our names are there! I did pretty well too—we’re all ranked close together.” Even though he was last among the four, he’d still made progress!

The prefectural exam was much harder than the county one, yet his ranking had improved, and that was a significant step forward.

Lin Ze’s first reaction wasn’t excitement for his own results, but for Li Su’s. He laughed heartily, “Su really is at the top! Let’s go tell him!”

The three hurried over to Li Su. Qin Ming announced in a loud voice, “Su, you’re the top scorer in the prefecture! Congratulations—you’ve taken first place twice now!”

As he spoke, Qin Ming deliberately glanced at Ye Wenshu. Upon hearing this, Ye Wenshu’s brows drew together in a frown, suspecting Qin Ming was lying—how could Li Su possibly be the top scorer?

A storm raged in Ye Wenshu’s heart. He clenched his fists slightly. “Are you sure you didn’t misread it?” he demanded, fixing Qin Ming with a glare that seemed to threaten death by mere gaze if he repeated Li Su’s name again.

But Qin Ming was unfazed. “Congratulations to you as well, Master Ye—second place is still quite impressive. You’re just a tiny bit behind our Su.”

Saying this, Qin Ming pinched his thumb and forefinger together to show just how slight the gap was.

Ye Wenshu could no longer contain himself. He exploded in rage, “You’re lying!”

Qin Ming rolled his eyes. “If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself. The results are written there for all to see. A person must learn to accept their own mediocrity.” Even though Ye Wenshu was hardly mediocre, Qin Ming didn’t care.

Ye Wenshu had no interest in arguing further. Stumbling a little, he made his way toward the rankings. He tried to walk with a casual air, but his anxiety and disbelief made his steps clumsy and erratic.

Lin Ze snorted with laughter. “Ming, I didn’t expect you to be so sharp-tongued now.”

That sarcastic jab earlier must have stung Ye Wenshu.

Qin Ming was smug. “I learned from Su. Su, what do you think—have I mastered the craft?”

Li Su nodded. “You have.”

Qin Ming grinned even more broadly, pleased to be praised by Su. He finally felt he had amounted to something.

Meanwhile, Ye Wenshu was attempting to squeeze through the crowd to see the list. The other scholars grumbled in protest. “Who is that, pushing like that?” “If you’ve already seen it, step aside and make room!”

But Ye Wenshu ignored them, determined to force his way through. Just then, a friend who had come with him emerged from the crowd, and Ye Wenshu grabbed him by the shoulder. “Did you see my ranking?”

His friend’s face was pained with indecision. “Yes… I saw it.”

Ye Wenshu’s grip tightened. “Well?”

The scholar hesitated. “Wenshu, let go first. You made the list, and quite near the top, too.” If not for Li Su, Wenshu would have been satisfied with his place.

But fate had other plans. The scholar quickly freed his shoulder, afraid that Wenshu, upon seeing the result, might grip even harder in distress.

“Was it first place?” Ye Wenshu asked.

The scholar swallowed nervously. “No… second. Wenshu, second is very impressive! You just didn’t perform your best this time. Next time, you’ll surely surpass Li Su!” He thought he was offering comfort, but to Ye Wenshu, the words felt like salt in a wound.

Ye Wenshu had felt he’d done his best in the exam, but now his friend claimed he’d simply underperformed, letting Li Su seize the top spot. He was second.

If this was his best and he was still only second, what would happen if he had an off day—how far would he fall?

Ye Wenshu shook his head. “I’ll see for myself!” He was sure his friend was lying.

It was hard for Ye Wenshu to accept. He had delayed sitting for the exam for two years just for the glory of a “Triple Crown,” hoping to become famous in one fell swoop. Now he was being told that the top place had been snatched away, that all his preparations had been in vain—how could he accept that?

If he’d only wanted to pass as a licentiate, he could have done that years ago. Why waste so many years?

Ye Wenshu would not give up until he saw the list with his own eyes. By now, many had already viewed the rankings and stepped aside. The only thought in Ye Wenshu’s mind was to see it for himself.

He pushed forward, uncaring if he bumped into others, earning scowls from those he jostled. But seeing the look on his face, and with his friend apologizing for him, no one said anything in the end.

At last, Ye Wenshu broke through the crowd and saw the list clearly. At the very top, glaring and unmistakable, was the name Li Su.

Ye Wenshu’s vision went dark, and if not for his friend catching him, he might have fallen. “Wenshu, are you alright?” his friend asked with concern.

Ye Wenshu stared blankly at those two characters, unable to hear anything, unable to see anything but the name Li Su.

So Li Su truly was this formidable.

Ye Wenshu clenched his teeth. Why did Li Su have to appear? Why did he have to sit for the exam this year?

A thought crept unbidden into Ye Wenshu’s mind: if only Li Su hadn’t competed this year, he wouldn’t have had to face him, and first place would have been his.

He knew he had performed as well as he possibly could, and still Li Su had taken the top spot. It was beyond imagination what level of scholarship Li Su possessed.

Ye Wenshu had to admit he was shaken. No. He would go home and study even harder, driving himself to the utmost, so that next time, at the academy examination, he would surpass Li Su!

With a new goal in mind, Ye Wenshu managed to collect himself. He said weakly, “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

His friend asked, “Shall we go straight to Fortune Pavilion?”

Ye Wenshu was at a loss for words; he had almost forgotten about that. He now regretted inviting all the scholars to dine together—was he not embarrassed enough already?

But the invitation had already been extended. With some difficulty, Ye Wenshu replied, “Yes, let’s go to Fortune Pavilion.”