The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 36 - 32: Prefectural Exam

Chapter 36: Chapter 32: Prefectural Exam

The month was June, dawn broke very early.

Xu Qing had slept soundly through the night, engaging in no other task.

Since he began reading and cultivating his spirit, he found peace easily, able to sleep soundly despite the weight of earthly concerns. After consuming the breakfast prepared by his aunt, Xu Qing headed out, the Guo brothers already waiting for him.

The two brothers escorted Xu Qing to the outskirts of South City and stopped there.

Since the Prefecture School was directly managed by the Government, it did not fall under the jurisdiction of Qingshui County. Being Officials, they couldn’t simply enter another territory.

Well, the key point was the presence of the Zhao brothers at the Government.

Under normal circumstances, this would definitely go unregulated, but once encountered by the Zhao brothers, they would surely seize upon it relentlessly.

Xu Qing was aware of this and naturally would not allow the Guo brothers to follow him to the Prefecture School.

Xu Qing didn’t ask any other commoners to follow him, but Mi San, now the esteemed leader of the beggars in Qingshui County and his fervently devoted lickspittle, insisted on accompanying Mr. Xu.

Recently, rumors concerning Xu Qing began to circulate, and Mi San took it upon himself to alleviate his master’s worries, recruiting beggars and children to spread lurid stories about the Zhao family.

He too understood the human heart.

Dispelling rumors was useless; it was better to spread a more sensational one.

Furthermore, Zhao Xiong was now affiliated with the Government, not currently in charge. Seeking to arrest someone would require observing the County Government’s reactions.

However, this was just stirring public sentiment at the grassroots level, unable to influence the young students.

These young students were eager to spread rumors about Xu Qing’s relationship with the Magistrate. The reason was nothing more than a conflict of interest - among them were sons of scholars and scholars, who did not wish for Xu Qing of a Clerk’s family to rise above them.

In their eyes, Xu Qing was cheating.

How could someone adopted by a low-status family also merit being considered as a good citizen, eligible to participate in the examinations!

Xu Qing arrived outside the security line of the Prefecture School.

The crowd was dense; people were everywhere. Mi San couldn’t squeeze through and followed behind.

Xu Qing, now a celebrity, was recognized by someone, and as the word spread from one to ten, to a hundred, soon many knew that the star case leader of Qingshui County, Xu Qing, had arrived.

Zhao Bao was in charge of maintaining order and, seeing the disturbance in the direction of Xu Qing, called out, "Don’t push and shove, line up in order."

While speaking, he headed in Xu Qing’s direction.

It turned out Zhao Bao wanted to take advantage of the commotion in the crowd to make his move. If he could just push Xu Qing over, and a stampede ensued, Xu Qing would be left either dead or crippled.

Seeing Zhao Bao approaching, Xu Qing knew the man was harboring malicious intent.

Yet, he remained calm and collected.

Firstly, his Qi Fortune contained no trace of dark energy, signifying that Zhao Bao’s capabilities were insufficient to trouble him.

Secondly, having sparred with the Guo brothers before, he had utmost confidence in his current abilities.

Even so, he remained vigilant.

He had slept well the night before, full of energy, and had eaten well in the morning, bolstering his strength.

At this moment, he decided not to be stingy with the time he spent in the Absolute State, activating the state just as Zhao Bao neared.

In an instant, the movements of the surrounding crowd appeared to slow down several folds, his senses heightened immensely.

This was the enhancement of his reaction.

Zhao Bao tried to trip him up.

In Xu Qing’s eyes, Zhao Bao’s whole body was full of openings.

He moved like a nimble white crane, taking a step and shoving the people around him to position himself beside Zhao Bao. A forceful Bright Strength knee strike found its mark on the very private parts of Zhao Bao.

Zhao Bao heard something explode, and a shriek of pain escaped him as he doubled over.

Just then, the crowd surged forward.

Despite his uniform, he was trampled over by the relentless mass, vision darkening to black, and he fainted on the spot.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing appeared to be carried forward by the crowd, his foul play unnoticed.

Even Zhao Bao didn’t realize immediately what had happened.

The Government examination takes precedence.

While Zhao Bao’s situation was spotted by other constables, they had no time to deal with it right then, and could only drag the unconscious Zhao Bao, foaming at the mouth and trampled with countless footprints, out to be temporarily examined by a Doctor waiting nearby for such incidents.

Inside the security line, peddlers ready to sell their wares were already waiting.

As per the rules of the Government examination, only those who were neatly groomed could enter.

Each Government examination sees such crush incidents where people lose hats and shoes, providing these peddlers with a chance to make a fortune.

How did these peddlers gain access?

Well, they all have relatives working as Clerks in the government offices, relying on this event for their annual fortune.

Even though the higher-ups were aware of it, they didn’t interfere.

After all, the young students were not true scholars.

More importantly, the government officials had themselves suffered this ordeal in their youth, so why should their juniors be exempt?

Nearby, Yan Shan stood in disarray.

Having paid for a replacement for his lost hat, he saw Xu Qing.

"Brother Xu arrives," Yan Shan greeted, as Xu Qing was the Top Scorer of the county examination and Yan Shan, should his own ranking in subsequent examinations not surpass that, must address him as Brother Xu in formal settings (and in front of others).

This was an unspoken rule.

Privately, of course, they could call each other as they liked.

Previously Xu Qing stated he did not care, so privately, the two still spoke amiably, addressing each other by age.

But in such settings, with other successful county examination candidates nearby, Yan Shan would be challenged if he failed to observe the formalities.

Scholars were inadequate combatants on the outside, but when it came to internal struggles, each had the potential of a great master.

Xu Qing exchanged pleasantries with Yan Shan.

Yan Shan did not bring up the rumors swirling around Xu Qing.

Though hearing them did, inexplicably, bring him some relief, to voice them would seem somewhat disgraceful.

However, should Xu Qing be expelled from the Prefecture examination, he would definitely stand up for him.

How to put it, his friendship with Xu Qing was such that he hoped Xu Qing’s talents would be recognized, yet he didn’t want Xu Qing to soar too high.

Complicated!

Afterward, the two entered the examination venue, seated close to each other.

The prelude to the opening of the Prefecture Examination had come to an end.

This was Xu Qing’s first time meeting Magistrate He.

He was a lean and stern middle-aged man who commanded respect at first glance.

Moreover, unlike the ordinary magistrate position of the Fifth Rank, because Jiangning Prefecture was under the direct jurisdiction of Zhili city, the rank of its officials was one level higher. Therefore, Magistrate He was of the Fourth Rank. Climbing up two more levels would allow one to barely enter the ranks of high officials in the country.

The discipline of the Prefecture Examination was also unusually strict.

Whispering was not allowed. If discovered, the perpetrator would be immediately expelled from the examination hall.

When the examination questions were distributed,

some candidates showed a troubled expression upon seeing the questions.

The name of the exam question was "When the people are sufficient, who needs insufficiency?"

This was the main theme around which the Reform Faction and the conservatives at the court were centered.

At present, the Reform Faction prevailed.

Candidates with informed sources had long known that the Academic Supervisor of this imperial examination and the chief examiner of the county examination were both from the Reform Faction.

But Magistrate He was a conservative.

If one pleases Magistrate He, wouldn’t it mean opposing the Academic Supervisor, and still hope to pass the imperial examination?

The Academic Supervisor had the authority to review the Prefecture Examination papers, so cheating was impossible.

You think it’s an exam, but it’s actually picking sides.

Choose the Reform Faction, and you won’t pass today.

Choose the conservatives, and you won’t have a tomorrow.

Some children of the officials planned to give up the examination.

This question is too difficult; they don’t know how to answer it!

As for the many candidates unaware of the situation, they were not troubled; however, as they studied only the eight-legged essay and were mostly ignorant of economics, their insights were superficial.

This exam question was supposed to be an advantage for children of scholars, but they didn’t dare to write freely due to knowledge of the internal situation.

Yan Shan, of course, belonged to those with sources of information, and couldn’t help frowning.

Xu Qing, however, was unburdened.

His female master had already paved the way for him with Magistrate He, how could he not choose Magistrate He’s side?

As for the Academic Supervisor, that was a matter for later; there was still a chance to resolve it.

With his female master’s connection, they should always give him an opportunity to argue his case, right?

Xu Qing appeared calm, activating the "Absolute Focus" state. Inspiration surged like a tide, and he penned the opening line of his essay:

"When the people below are wealthy, the ruler above naturally becomes wealthy."

This single line was already first-rate for this contemporary topic.

It’s just that, it was from an Imperial Examination paper Xu Qing had read in his previous life, written by the Top Scorer.

With this top-tier opening to guide him, inspiration flowed endlessly, and Xu Qing further merged modern concepts into his essay,

Leaving a covert message for later justification to the Reform Faction.

However, this was just the prelude. Without a classic long exposition, it would be impossible to convince entirely. Even if Magistrate He noticed, he would not be able to openly criticize it.

The key was that the entire essay burst forth from Xu Qing’s recent accumulation, and also benefited from the Top Scorer’s opening.

Although this opening did not have the historical top-tier momentum of "A commoner becomes the teacher of a hundred generations, a single word becomes a law for the whole world," it was stunning enough for his time.

Magistrate He was energetic and chose to grade the papers on the spot for this Prefecture Examination.

After Xu Qing finished his essay, he did not submit it hastily.

He observed the direction of the wind.

After about ten people had turned in their papers, eight of whom had been disqualified,

The psychological pressure on the subsequent candidates was tremendous.

If Xu Qing delayed his submission any longer, it would have resulted in a lull.

Yan Shan hesitated before submitting his paper.

Xu Qing’s submission came just in time to relieve Magistrate He.

Being a Second Rank Scholar and known for his smart and decisive nature, Magistrate He graded papers quickly.

While he only took about ten breaths to review the essays of the earlier candidates, he stopped for a full quarter of an hour on Xu Qing’s paper, finally letting out a deep sigh: "This paper should be ranked first. You others, submit your papers, and I will review them after leaving the examination hall."

He knew there would certainly be candidates who would not be convinced.

As soon as the examination period ended, he had a Clerk recite Xu Qing’s essay aloud in front of the remaining candidates.

Hearing the essay, most candidates were despondent. Knowing that Xu Qing’s essay, even if it had been in the county examination, could have competed for the Top Scorer position. Moreover, the essay largely favored the conservative side.

If this essay was not ranked first, it would have been impossible.

And after the Clerk finished reading, the Holy Image of Master in the examination hall actually trembled and took a long while to stop.

"Shocking the Saint’s Image!" some candidates exclaimed, envious of Xu Qing’s good fortune.

With the Shocking the Saint’s Image event, even if the Academic Supervisor despised Xu Qing’s stance, he would not dare to dismiss Xu Qing rashly in the imperial examination.

Not to mention, Xu Qing was now the top-ranked in two consecutive examinations!

...

On the archway of the examination hall, Xu Qing’s female master, Feng Wu, and Magistrate He’s concubine, Yin Sanniang, disguised as Government Officials, watched everything that unfolded below.

Feng Wu was secretly amazed and whispered, "Sanniang, I asked for your help. I didn’t expect such significant aid. With this Holy Image trembling, what kind of mechanism did you employ?"

However, Sanniang’s expression was strange, with a fleeting look of horror, and after a long while, she responded softly, "I didn’t do this."

"Ah."

...

At this moment, in Xu Qing’s body, the bronze mirror was infused with a sacred white light unseen by others at the moment the Holy Image trembled.

Ripples appeared on the bronze mirror, and under the label "Fortune," a new entry emerged.