AD (QT) Chapter 135

On the day the results were to be posted, Han Ze and his son arrived early at the announcement area, which was already crowded with people waiting to see the rankings.

The two xiucai teachers from the town academy arrived before them, leading a group of students and their families. Everyone was craning their necks in anticipation. Even those who felt they hadn’t performed well held a sliver of hope—perhaps, by some stroke of luck, they had passed.

Han Chengming and his sons had spent the past few days trying their luck at Han Ze’s house almost every day. Whether it was bad luck or simply a lack of fate, they never found Han Ze’s family at home. Consequently, Han Chengming felt a flicker of resentment upon seeing them now. He complained, “Big Brother, what have you been busy with all day? I couldn’t find you at all.”

“After Shubuo finished his exams, I took him out to see the sights. It’s a rare trip to the county seat, so we bought some things to take back. Why were you looking for me?” Han Ze replied indifferently.

Han Chengming was choked. He thought to himself: You have silver, so you’re always right.

Han Jixue stepped forward and looked at Han Shubuo. “Shubuo, are you confident you passed?”

Han Shubuo blinked and shook his head.

Han Jixue smiled. “It’s no big deal if you don’t pass this time. You’re young; you can just try again next time.”

Han Shubuo: “…”

He actually felt he had done quite well. But there was always someone better; since he didn’t know how others had performed, he couldn’t be certain. Regardless, the list was about to be posted, and he would know soon enough.

Han Ze glanced at Han Jixue, patted his son’s small head, and looked at the nephew with a smile. “Jixue is fourteen this year, right?”

Han Jixue nodded, looking at Han Ze, not understanding why his Big Uncle was asking his age now.

Han Ze hummed thoughtfully. “I recall that the Prefectural Exams are held twice every three years. There happens to be an exam next February. If you don’t pass as a tongsheng this time, you won’t be able to participate in next year’s exams. One slip-up could cost you two or three years…”

At this, he suddenly looked at Han Jixue and smiled. “Two or three years from now, Jixue will be seventeen. It’ll be time to find you a wife, won’t it, Chengming?”

Han Jixue’s face turned red. He immediately realized the implication: if he failed this time, his goal of becoming a xiucai before marriage talks began would be impossible. Without a scholarly title, how could he hope to find a wife from a prestigious family?

Marry a farm girl? What help could she give him? He clenched his fists. He had to pass. He definitely would.

He looked up at Han Ze. Recalling how well his Big Uncle had treated him when he was little, he lowered his head, a dark, mocking smile appearing on his face. No matter how good you were, I wasn’t your own flesh and blood. Now that you have a healthy biological son, you’ve abandoned me…

Han Chengming paused and glanced at his sons. It was possible Jiwen might fail, but Jixue’s scholarship had always been better. How could Jixue fail? He said to Han Ze, “Big Brother, don’t worry about my boys. You should worry more about Shubuo; after all, he’s the youngest one here.”

Being young meant fewer years of study, which was a disadvantage.

Han Ze smiled and ignored him. Being young and having studied for less time didn’t necessarily mean there was less knowledge in one’s head.

While Han Ze remained silent, the teacher from the academy couldn’t help but speak up: “Shubuo may be young, but his foundation is solid. You mustn’t look down on him just because of his age.”

Han Chengming’s face stiffened. He hadn’t expected the teacher to speak up for Han Shubuo. Inwardly, he was dismissive—he would know the truth once the results were out. What he didn’t realize was that the teacher wasn’t merely “defending” Shubuo; he was simply stating a fact.

At the hour of the Dragon (8:00 AM), the officials arrived punctually to post the list. The moment the officials stepped back, the crowd surged forward. Han Ze pulled Han Shubuo back. “No rush. We’ll look in a moment.”

Han Chengming shot him a disdainful look. “Big Brother, there really is no need for you to rush. It’s rare for someone as young as Shubuo to even take the tongsheng exam.”

“Shut your mouth,” Han Ze said impatiently.

Han Chengming gave a slight, mocking laugh. Fine, I’ll shut up. He was convinced Han Shubuo had failed. With that thought, he pulled his two sons. “Let’s go have a look.”

Just as they got close, they heard someone shouting the names on the list. “First place: Han Shubuo! Second place…”

Han Chengming couldn’t hear anything past the second name. He hurriedly pulled Han Jixue and asked, “They just said Han Shubuo. I… I didn’t hear wrong, did I?”

Han Jixue’s expression was terrible. Naturally, his father hadn’t heard wrong. He shook his head with a dark face. “Dad, you didn’t hear wrong. Han Shubuo is indeed first place. He is the xian-anshou¹County Exam Topper!”

He gritted his teeth. He had performed… quite well, hadn’t he!

If he had taken first place, what would he have to worry about?

Han Chengming’s eyes bulged with rage. “How could that little fool take first place?”

Han Jixue shot him a look. Whether the little fool was first wasn’t the issue; what mattered was what rank he had achieved.

He said, “Dad, you’re tall. Hurry and see where Jiwen and I ranked!”

Someone nearby heard him and snickered. Han Jixue glared at the man, but the stranger wasn’t intimidated. The man mocked, “Ranking? Whether you passed at all is yet to be seen, yet you’re so confident.”

Before Han Jixue could speak, Han Chengming glared at the man. “What did you say?”

Han Jixue pulled his arm. “Dad, ignore him. Looking at the list is what matters.”

Han Chengming snorted. His son was right; the list was the priority.

Before the three could squeeze to the front, a classmate from the town academy emerged. Seeing Han Chengming and his sons, the classmate smiled and said, “Han Jixue and Han Jiwen both passed.”

The three were overjoyed. Han Jixue hurriedly asked, “What rank are we?”

“Han Jixue is 180th. Han Jiwen is 169th.”

“Did you see it correctly?” Han Jixue asked with a dark face. How could he only be 180th? Even if he couldn’t beat the little fool—since Shubuo’s grades at the academy were obvious to everyone—how could he rank lower than Jiwen?

Han Chengming also asked from behind, “Yes, are you sure? Don’t talk nonsense.”

The classmate got annoyed and waved them off. “Fine, I saw it wrong. Go look for yourselves.”

Han Chengming and his sons glared at him. Chengming muttered, “Saw it wrong yet dared to speak. What kind of person is that!”

The classmate: “…”

Han Jiwen stood there dazed. He didn’t think the classmate had seen it wrong; he just couldn’t believe it. He had actually ranked better than his brother?

…

By now, Han Ze and his son also knew that Han Shubuo had taken first place. The father and son smiled at each other. The teacher said, “By the laws of this dynasty, the xian-anshou is directly certified as a tongsheng. You don’t need to take the Prefectural Exams in April; you can proceed directly to the Departmental Exams next year.”

Han Ze knew this. For Shubuo to take first place, he had to have genuine talent; one couldn’t become the topper without it.

Han Shubuo felt it was a bit of a pity; he had wanted to take more exams to sharpen his skills. But then he thought of how his parents had to accompany him every time, and the toll it took on them. Forget it, he thought. I can sharpen my skills anytime, but I shouldn’t exhaust my parents.

Two hundred candidates were accepted in this County Exam. Of the twelve from the academy, seven passed, including the topper. The two teachers stroked their beards in satisfaction. This was the best result the town academy had achieved since its founding. How could they not be pleased?

The five who didn’t pass were naturally dejected. The teachers comforted them, saying, “Don’t be discouraged. Just try again next time.”

What else could they do but comfort themselves?

Han Jiwen had been walking on air since seeing the list. He suddenly burst into a loud laugh and asked, “Dad, Teacher, did I really rank 169th?”

The teachers were also somewhat surprised that Han Jiwen had passed. They smiled and said, “Yes, you passed.”

Han Chengming’s gaze toward his second son was full of satisfaction. He hadn’t expected his second son to bring him such honor, ranking even higher than Jixue.

“Hehe… hehe…” Han Jiwen laughed foolishly. “I actually ranked higher than my brother?”

Han Jixue’s face turned black. He truly couldn’t believe he was only 180th. How was this possible?

Han Jiwen didn’t notice his brother’s expression and continued to giggle. “I finally beat my brother once! Hehe… hehe…”

Han Jixue’s face wasn’t just black now; it was grim. He wanted nothing more than to cover his brother’s mouth.

Han Chengming didn’t see a problem. He favored whichever son did well in school. In the past, Han Jiwen was always inferior to Han Jixue, so he naturally criticized Jiwen and praised Jixue. Now that Jiwen had done better, what was wrong with the boy laughing a little?

Han Ze glanced at the three of them. He felt Han Chengming’s style of education was flawed; trouble would surely arise sooner or later.

…

Once they returned home, Ge Hongbu burst into tears of joy upon hearing her son was first. She pulled him into a hug. “You’ve truly brought honor to your mother…”

Han Shubuo was growing up and wasn’t used to being hugged by his mother. He looked at his father, blinking in a silent plea for help. Han Ze shrugged, signaling he was powerless. Son, that’s your mother. Just endure it.

Han Shubuo: “…”

He coughed and awkwardly patted his mother’s back, stammering words of comfort. “D-don’t cry. In the f-future… I’ll earn you a title of nobility…”

His attempt at comfort only made Ge Hongbu cry harder. In this life, she didn’t rely on her parents, and even though Han Ze had changed his attitude, she never thought of relying on her husband. But her son was her own flesh and blood; she could rely on him, and no one could say otherwise.

Han Shubuo stiffened. Why is she crying even harder? He looked at his father for help again. Han Ze arched an eyebrow again, signaling: Every son must coax his own mother.

Han Shubuo: “…”

He really wanted to say: Isn’t my mother your wife? Shouldn’t you be the one coaxing her?

“Dad…”

Han Ze interrupted him. “I just remembered I have things to do in the study. I’ll head there first.”

Without waiting for a reply, he strode toward the study.

Han Shubuo stared in disbelief at his father’s retreating back, his small hand still rhythmically patting his mother’s back. He couldn’t help but think: I’ve been here so long and I’ve never seen you step foot in the study once. What “things” could you possibly have to do?

The next day, they began packing to return home. For the County Exams, officials didn’t travel to the villages to announce the results, so Han Maode and the others didn’t know yet. It wasn’t until the family returned that they learned Han Shubuo was first place. Another wave of celebration erupted.

Han Maode slapped his hands together. “Slaughter a chicken! No—slaughter a pig! I want to invite the whole village to celebrate…”

Han Ze hurriedly stopped him, amused and helpless. “Dad, Shubuo only passed the County Exam. Let’s wait until he becomes a xiucai. As for the pig, go ahead and slaughter it.”

Even if they didn’t invite the village, the family would eat it themselves.

Han Maode was a bit disappointed. It was a rare happy event for the family, and he wanted to show off. Why wouldn’t his son let him?

Han Ze persuaded him, “Don’t be disappointed, Dad. When Shubuo passes the xiucai exam next year, we will definitely host a feast, alright?”

Only then did Han Maode relent. “You’d better not try to stop me then.”

Han Ze promised, “I definitely won’t.”