AD (QT) Chapter 108

With the provincial examinations over, all that remained was the agonizing wait for the results.

It usually took about twenty days from the end of the exams to the posting of the results. During this time, the examiners had to undergo a series of procedures—sealing the names on the papers, transcribing them to prevent handwriting recognition, grading, and finally unsealing them to fill the official list. Every step held the fate of the candidates in the balance. However, none of this involved the scholars; it was the examiners’ burden. The candidates could only sit at home in suspense, waiting for the day the list was released.

Wang Ziwen and Zhao Zhengxiu didn’t wake until the next morning. After breakfast, Zhao Zhengxiu tried to drag Han Ze and Wang Ziwen into a post-exam review of their answers. Wang Ziwen immediately protested, “No, no! When I left that hall, my head was spinning with classics, policy essays, and poetry. Only after a night’s sleep do I feel human again. I don’t want to relive those memories; it’s too painful. Whether we pass or not is up to Heaven now.”

Zhao Zhengxiu had also left the hall with his mind full of scholarly texts, and even now, his thoughts hadn’t fully emerged from the content of his papers. He gave a bitter smile and said, “You’re right. It’s over. Even if we compare answers, it won’t change anything. It only adds to our worries.”

In truth, he lacked confidence. There were two mathematics problems he couldn’t solve; he felt there was an eighty percent chance he would fail. Seeing that Han Ze and Wang Ziwen, while not entirely relaxed, didn’t seem overly worried, he assumed they had done well. A trace of bitterness touched his heart.

Wang Ziwen stood up and stretched. “We’ve been in Yangcheng so long and haven’t explored at all. Why don’t we go out for a stroll and relax?”

As the three left their small courtyard, they saw a physician hurrying away from the gate next door. Han Ze narrowed his eyes and glanced at the others. “A candidate next door has fallen ill. Since we are fellow students from the same county school, we should pay a visit.”

Wang Ziwen and Zhao Zhengxiu agreed. Upon inquiring, they learned that Liu Xiucai had started suffering from diarrhea while still inside the Examination Hall. He had stubbornly toughed it out for the full nine days, only to collapse the moment he stepped out. After two days of medical treatment, he was only just beginning to recover.

Liu Xiucai’s illness had come on fiercely, leaving Wang Caixia utterly terrified. Her entire focus had been on her husband, leaving her no room to pester Han Ze about his exam or gloat over whether he had fainted. Now that her husband was slightly better and could manage some porridge, she finally felt at ease. Seeing Han Ze standing there with a relatively healthy complexion, her expression turned complicated and dark.

Liu Xiucai asked the group how they had fared. Han Ze smiled and mentioned he had been assigned to the “stink stall.” Liu Xiucai raised an eyebrow; he hadn’t crossed paths with Han Ze in the hall and hadn’t known about the seating. Hearing this, he felt that Han Ze must have used up all his luck during the institute exams and had none left for the provincial level. Then, remembering how he himself had suffered from drinking unboiled water, he said nothing more. His own luck hadn’t been great either, had it? At least he had finished the exam despite the illness, and he felt he had performed reasonably well. The suffering hadn’t been for nothing.

After seeing Han Ze and the others out, Wang Caixia said softly, “Husband, go back to bed and rest a while longer.”

Liu Xiucai shook his head with a smile. “That brother-in-law of yours lacks a bit of fortune…”

He had assumed that since he, a strong man, had succumbed to illness, the frail Han Ze wouldn’t last the nine days. He hadn’t expected Han Ze to persevere, only to be placed in the stink stall. How many people could keep a clear mind and write while sitting in such a foul-smelling cubicle?

Wang Caixia smiled and added, “The Juren degree isn’t so easily won. With his poor health, it’s already a blessing that he didn’t faint in the hall.”

Liu Xiucai thought about it and decided she was right.

…

When Han Ze, Wang Ziwen, and Zhao Zhengxiu returned home and recounted Liu Xiucai’s illness, Old Madam Wang curled her lip. “People shouldn’t be so delicate. That Liu Xiucai was drinking tonic soup every day before the exam. If you ask me, he drank too much and turned his body soft. He can’t handle the slightest bit of hardship. You three didn’t drink any tonics, and look at you—perfectly fine.”

Wang Ziwen, knowing the connection between Liu Xiucai and Han Ze, looked at Han Ze apologetically. Han Ze simply smiled and said, “Auntie has a point.”

Old Madam Wang glanced at her son and said gruffly, “Don’t look at me like that. You might be the scholar, and your old mother might be illiterate, but there are some truths I know that you might not.”

Wang Ziwen sighed with a wry smile. “Yes, yes, Mother is right.”

As the day of the results drew near, Wang Ziwen lost his previous air of ease. He ordered his pageboy to go out and scout for news, hoping to hear something—anything. Of course, nothing could be learned this way; it was merely a way to soothe his nerves. Although Zhao Zhengxiu had lost confidence in passing, as the release approached, a sliver of hope remained. What if he made it?

Wang Caiwei had also become quite anxious, but seeing Han Ze’s complete lack of concern, she sighed and calmed herself. It wasn’t that Han Ze didn’t care; he simply knew that worrying was futile. Having lived through so many worlds, he could remain unfazed by most things.

At one point, seeing Han Ze’s calm face, Wang Ziwen couldn’t help but blurt out, “Han Ze, I really want to hit you.”

Han Ze glanced at his fist.

Wang Ziwen’s eyes widened. “The moment that decides our fate is almost here! Are you not worried at all?”

Han Ze put down his book and asked back, “How do you know I’m not worried?”

Wang Ziwen looked him up and down and gritted his teeth. “You’re still in the mood to read! Where is the worry? Even a blind man could see you’re not the least bit anxious.”

Han Ze raised an eyebrow and said with a straight face, “My worry is all on the inside. You just can’t see it.”

Wang Ziwen ignored him and slumped into a chair, staring blankly at a spot on the wall in a fit of dejection.

Han Ze glanced at him and went back to his book. He didn’t have much time. If he passed this exam, he would have to participate in the Metropolitan Examination next March. He needed to seize every second to study. He wasn’t as relaxed as Wang Ziwen thought.

Sitting nearby, Zhao Zhengxiu noticed something and asked tentatively, “Brother Han, are you very confident?”

Han Ze smiled. “Until the list is posted, nothing is certain.”

…

Finally, amidst the anxious waiting of the candidates, the 2nd of the ninth month arrived—the day the results were posted.

Before dawn, a crowd had already gathered at the gates of the Examination Hall. By mid-morning, the officials had finished posting the lists. A swarm of people surged forward, pushing and shoving. Han Ze looked at his own slight frame and silently retreated. Han Erlang stepped up, patting his chest. “Big Brother, I’ll go check the list.”

Han Ze nodded and agreed. Wang Ziwen and Zhao Zhengxiu were suddenly too nervous to go themselves and ordered their pageboys to go instead. Though they were taller and stronger than Han Ze, they too feared the crush of the crowd.

Liu Xiucai appeared beside them at some point and said with a smile, “Whether we become Juren or not depends on today.”

At this moment, even Han Ze wasn’t in the mood for small talk. All their eyes were fixed on the area where the lists were posted. Liu Xiucai didn’t mind the silence; in his view, these three were just there to accompany him. None of them would pass.

However, before Han Erlang could even reach the front, people at the foot of the list began shouting the names aloud.

“First place: Li Jia of Liuhe County!”

“Second place: Xu Mingsheng of Qinghu County!”

“Third place: Han Ze of Tongyang County!”

Han Ze of Tongyang County?

Han Ze of Tongyang County?

Han Erlang’s pupils dilated. Is that Big Brother? He grabbed the person next to him and shouted urgently, “Did they just say third place is Han Ze of Tongyang County?”

Without waiting for a reply, Han Erlang shoved his way through the crowd to the very front. He scanned from the top down. When he saw the third name, he gasped for breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, rubbed his eyes, and blinked. He stared intensely at those characters. It really was Han Ze of Tongyang County!

“My mother!” he screamed. “My brother passed! My brother passed!”

He frantically squeezed out of the crowd and ran toward the back, laughing and shouting at the top of his lungs. No one looked askance at his wild behavior, because there were plenty of newly minted Juren around him acting even more insane.

Han Erlang’s voice was booming; even from a distance, Han Ze and the others heard him. Han Ze let out a long breath of relief. Passing was enough. Wang Ziwen and Zhao Zhengxiu were genuinely happy for him and offered their congratulations, though they couldn’t help a sting of envy. Han Ze had passed, and at third place! They wondered if their own names were there.

The smile on Liu Xiucai’s face froze. Han Ze actually passed? Just then, his own pageboy walked over. He looked at the boy with desperate hope. If Han Ze could pass, surely he could too? He didn’t even care about the rank.

The pageboy whispered, “Young Master… I didn’t see your name on the list.”

After speaking, the boy quickly glanced at Han Ze’s group and lowered his head, wishing he could shrink into nothingness.

Liu Xiucai’s face turned pale. “Are you sure you didn’t miss it?” he asked darkly.

The pageboy said cautiously, “I… I checked three times…”

Liu Xiucai shoved him aside and stumbled toward the list. He pushed through the crowd until he stood directly beneath it. He started from the first name, checking them one by one. When he reached the third name, his gaze locked. Han Ze had actually taken third place… Third place!

He forced his eyes away and checked the rest with agonizing detail. There truly was no sign of his name. He checked again. Still nothing. Finally, his gaze fell back on the third-place spot. The two characters for “Han Ze” stung his eyes like needles.

A person behind him, seeing him standing motionless after finishing, guessed he had failed and gave him a rough shove. “If you’re done looking, get out of the way! Why are you blocking everyone?”

Liu Xiucai stumbled. He glared at the man, but remembering he was in a strange city, he didn’t dare retaliate. He gritted his teeth and left.

On the other side, Wang Ziwen watched Liu Xiucai walk away and sighed, shaking his head. “Some are happy, some are grieving.”

Just as he spoke, his pageboy came running back with a grin. Wang Ziwen’s heart skipped a beat—there was hope.

The pageboy panted out, “Young Master passed! You passed!”

“Really?” Wang Ziwen asked, exhilarated.

The pageboy nodded.

“What rank?”

“Eightieth.”

Wang Ziwen blinked and looked at Han Ze. “Doesn’t this provincial exam only admit eighty Juren?”

Han Ze smiled and nodded. “Congratulations. You made the cut.”

Wang Ziwen gave a wry laugh. “Last place is still a place. At least my name is on the list.”

Zhao Zhengxiu sighed. “It seems I have failed.”

The pageboy indeed hadn’t seen Zhao Zhengxiu’s name. Since his own master was the very last name on the list and he had read every single one, Zhao Zhengxiu’s was definitely not there.

For a moment, Han Ze and Wang Ziwen didn’t know how to comfort him. Fortunately, Zhao Zhengxiu didn’t seem to need it. He recovered quickly and said gracefully, “During the institute exams, my rank couldn’t keep up with yours. I didn’t have much confidence for the provincial level anyway. I’ll treat this as gaining experience.”