Chapter 69: Achieving a Small Triple

Page 1

Restaurant.

“The results will be posted tomorrow. If I fail again this time, I won’t continue with the imperial exams…”

“My family said if I don’t pass, I can try again for another year.”

“My family has become impoverished because of my studies and repeated attempts at the exams. I can’t be so selfish any longer. If I fail this time, I’ll find work in town and at least stop taking the exams for now.” If there’s a chance in the future, he would certainly want to try again.

But if he hasn’t succeeded after devoting all his time to the exams, and then later spends his days working instead of attending private school, his chances of passing would become even slimmer.

Upstairs, Li Su and his companions fell silent as they listened to the scholars’ conversation below.

Yun Qin sighed softly. “For ordinary families, supporting a scholar through the exams means the whole family sacrifices. After failing several times, many scholars give up.” And it’s not that some of them aren’t hardworking or lacking in knowledge—sometimes it’s just a matter of luck.

Li Su nodded. “For ordinary families, the cost of failure in the exams is simply too high.” High risk and little forgiveness—no wonder so few from humble backgrounds succeed.

Most importantly, the resources available to poor scholars and those of noble families are worlds apart.

Even for himself, if not for his master’s guidance and the many modern books he’d been able to read, giving him knowledge beyond the average person, he would never have achieved what he had today.

It wasn’t just about money; much of the knowledge was still hoarded by the great families, and the children of the poor could only access the Four Books and Five Classics, the core of the exams. Progressing further became nearly impossible.

Yun Qin murmured to himself about the cost of failure. He’d never heard some of the things his wise friend said, but upon reflection, they were remarkably accurate.

He couldn’t help but say, “If paper, ink, brushes, and books weren’t so expensive, perhaps many more scholars could afford to keep trying.”

Li Su took note of this. He thought, when he reached high enough, he would bring down the price of paper; he knew how to make it.

But changing the price of paper would certainly threaten the interests of many powerful families. If he didn’t have enough influence, he wouldn’t even know how he died.

Perhaps his master would protect him, but he trusted himself more.

The topic grew heavy, so Lin Ze changed the subject. “After the results are posted tomorrow, we’ll be heading home. I’m really going to miss all of you.” These days of studying and living together had been pleasant.

But once they parted, Yun Qin wouldn’t be able to spend every day with Su anymore. At least their places were secure.

“We’ll meet again one day,” Yun Qin said, raising his cup. “A toast to everyone.”

The others also lifted their cups. After a round of drinks, laughter replaced some of the sadness of parting.

…

Page 2

Dawn had not yet broken, and already many scholars had gathered at the examination grounds.

For many sons of poor families, this was a turning point in their lives.

As the sky brightened, more scholars arrived. Li Su and his friends also joined the crowd.

Qin Ming was so anxious his fingers trembled. In his heart, he prayed to every god he knew, called upon all his ancestors, begging them to let him succeed!

If there hadn’t been so many people around, he might have knelt down to pray then and there.

Several yamen runners strode out, holding the results in their hands. Under the crowd’s feverish gaze, they posted the list on the wall, followed by the top scorer’s examination essay.

The scholars crowded to the front, some standing on tiptoe, craning their necks, desperate to press their eyes to the list.

Some were jostled about, barely able to move, yet still forced their way forward.

Those on the edges of the crowd flushed red with anxiety, making repeated attempts to squeeze in, only to be pushed out again, their eyes full of worry.

“I passed! I passed!” one scholar shouted, his face flushed with excitement. “This is wonderful!”

Li Su recognized him—it was the scholar who said last night that he’d give up if he failed again.

His friends congratulated him and shared his joy.

Even Qin Ming couldn’t get close to the list this time. Though he was burning with impatience, there was nothing he could do but wait until the crowd thinned out.

Ye Wenshu struggled for ages to wedge his head in from a corner. He wondered if he’d finally surpassed Li Su this time.

He started searching from tenth place upwards for his name. When he saw himself in third place, he felt a twinge of disappointment; he had secretly hoped for something higher.

Clearly, there were many strong contenders this year.

He had thought he might at least be second.

But he hadn’t seen Li Su’s name on the list yet—how could that be?

Ye Wenshu’s heart skipped a beat. He kept looking, hoping he was mistaken, perhaps Li Su had fumbled and ended up further down the list!

When he reached second place and still hadn’t found Li Su, he assumed Li Su must have failed.

But when his eyes fell on the very top, it was as if he’d been scalded—he stared, wide-eyed, at the two large characters in disbelief.

Page 3

Weren’t there supposed to be many formidable scholars this year? How did Li Su end up at the top?

Just then, a yamen runner emerged from the examination hall, calling out loudly, “Is Master Li Su present?”

Upon hearing his name, Li Su immediately replied, “Officer, I am here. Is there something you need?”

At once, he drew the attention of many scholars. Those who’d seen the list now knew that Li Su was this year’s top scorer, and they looked at him with admiration.

The yamen runner walked over to Li Su, full of respect and excitement. “Congratulations, Master Li, on achieving the title of scholar and taking first place in the county, prefectural, and academy exams—winning the Minor Triple Crown!”

At his announcement, a wave of astonished chatter swept through the crowd.

Li Su was stunned. Was the Minor Triple Crown such a big deal that an officer would personally deliver the news?

He quickly fished out some silver, saying, “Thank you, officer, for bringing the good news. Please accept this small token of gratitude.” Luckily, he had silver on him—otherwise, this would have been awkward.

Normally, when someone passed the academy exam, a yamen runner would go to the scholar’s home to deliver the news, not seek out the scholar in person—candidates usually checked the results themselves.

The yamen runner, after a show of polite refusal, accepted the silver with satisfaction; he had fought for the honor of delivering this news! That was why he’d come out later than the others who posted the results.

After the yamen runner left, Lin Ze and the others exclaimed with excitement, “Su! Congratulations! The Minor Triple Crown! You actually did it!”

Qin Ming gave Li Su a thumbs-up. “Su, congratulations! I can’t believe I have a friend who’s a Minor Triple Crown winner!” He grinned from ear to ear in delight.

Ren Shuhua was equally thrilled. “Su, congratulations!” Even his grandfather probably had never seen a Minor Triple Crown winner, and now he had the good fortune to befriend one!

Li Su accepted their congratulations. Though he had expected it, he was still genuinely happy.

At last, there were people who would be excited and happy for his achievements.

“There are fewer people at the list now—you should go check your own results,” Li Su said to the other three.

They nodded eagerly and rushed off, hoping their own results wouldn’t be too embarrassing.

Around them, voices of awe and admiration could be heard.

“Minor Triple Crown? Someone actually won the Minor Triple Crown this year?”