Chapter 57
When they reached the announcement board, a dense crowd had already gathered, pressing in from all sides. Among them were scholars anxious to see their results, friends and family who had come to offer support, and even those who had nothing to do with the examinations at all, but were there to try and 'snatch a promising son-in-law' the moment the rankings were posted.
At this moment, the sky was not yet fully bright, and the ranked list had not yet been delivered. Everyone was chatting idly.
"As soon as I spot a person of both talent and virtue, I'll order my servants to go up and pull him over. The men I've called today are all strong and sturdy servants!"
"Best save your energy, Master Qin. What if the man your servants grab turns out to be a xiucai in his forties or fifties? Who would end up calling whom 'father-in-law,' then?"
The crowd erupted in laughter.
"Go away, go away! You don't understand how things work and only know how to talk nonsense."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Hezhi silently tightened his grip on Fang Yu's wrist and whispered, "The customs of the people in this prefectural city are far too unrestrained."
"Catching a son-in-law under the list has existed since ancient times. Young Master Qiao, you must keep a close eye on Brother Fang. A person of his caliber, a dragon among men, is highly sought-after. Be careful he isn't pulled onto a carriage in an unguarded moment, and then you won't even know where to find him."
Fang Yu patted the back of Qiao Hezhi's hand: "Brother Sheng, don't scare my Xiao Qiao; he's already timid by nature."
Everyone laughed. Fang Yu then leaned closer to Qiao Hezhi's ear and said, "If you call me husband, no one would dare approach you."
Qiao Hezhi swatted Fang Yu: "You really can say such things out loud! Whether you pass or not, and whether anyone takes a fancy to you, is still another matter."
"It's here, it's here!"
As soon as Qiao Hezhi's words fell, the crowd erupted. They saw over a dozen bailiffs approaching together, with someone who seemed to be the Educational Commissioner in their midst. The crowd very understandingly gave way, opening a path.
"Brother Fang, I'll go take a look first!"
Fang Yu heard a distant shout. By the time he regained his senses, Sheng Jia was already following right behind the bailiffs, swallowed up by the crowd pushing inward.
Qiao Hezhi was extremely anxious, tightly gripping Fang Yu's hand and craning his neck to peer towards the announcement board. At this critical moment, the crowd was at its noisiest, jostling back and forth, each person wishing they could snatch the list from the Educational Commissioner's hands to see it quickly, unable to bear the torment of watching the commissioner's slow movements.
"Stop crowding me, you blind fool! I'm sure to pass this time!"
Qiao Hezhi heard a sharp reprimand and saw a man in luxurious clothes acting very rudely in the crowd, cursing everyone who pushed near him. Fang Yu promptly pulled Qiao Hezhi back to his side and said gently, "It's too crowded here. Let's not rush. Let's wait at the side first. Brother Sheng has already gone in to look. If my name is on the list, he will tell us. We can go take a look then."
"I passed, I passed, I passed!"
Qiao Hezhi suddenly turned his head and saw that someone under the announcement board had already let out a fervent roar, surrounded entirely by looks of congratulations and envy.
He naturally wanted to be the first to see the list, but everyone had the same idea. Seeing the sea of people pressed tightly together, he had no choice but to heed Fang Yu's suggestion. Just as the two were turning and about to move towards their carriage, they heard Sheng Jia shouting towards them: "Brother Fang! You passed!"
Hearing this, Qiao Hezhi's eyes instantly lit up. He lifted his gaze to Fang Yu, but before his smile could even bloom, Sheng Jia's voice cut in once more: "I passed! Second place—Yayuan!"
[Yayuan (亚元): an honorary title given to the candidate who achieves second place in the provincial-level imperial examination]
Hearing this, both of them were stunned for a moment, then immediately cupped their hands around their mouths as makeshift megaphones across the crowd to congratulate him: "Congratulations, Brother Sheng!"
Sheng Jia was as happy as a nimble and agile monkey, jumping straight up and down in the crowd: "Brother Fang, you are... Hey, hey! What are you doing? How dare you drag someone away in broad daylight!"
"Honorable Yayuan, our master wishes to invite you for a cup of tea."
Before Qiao Hezhi could hear his own husband's result, he saw several burly men swarm up and drag Sheng Jia away. Although Sheng Jia, being a farmer, was not weak, he was ultimately no match for these formidable, trained men and was simply pulled away.
The two couldn't help but laugh: "Anyway, Brother Sheng isn't married yet, and he's two years older than me. The other day he was telling me how he envied me. Let's do him a favor now and not disturb him."
Qiao Hezhi nodded with a smile: "Then we should still go see the list ourselves."
"What if I didn't pass..."
Qiao Hezhi quickly interjected: "If you pass, you become a Juren; if you don't, you're still a Xiucai. Either way, it's fine."
Fang Yu lowered his eyes, smiled, and ruffled his hair.
"This Yayuan and Jingkui are already here, so why hasn't the Jieyuan shown up yet?"
[Jingkui (经魁): an honorary title for the 3rd-5th place candidates in a provincial-level imperial exam]
"He was probably already dragged away by those list-catchers. Did you think they'd let you see him?"
"Do any of you know this person named..."
As the two squeezed to the front of the list, the moment Qiao Hezhi raised his head to look, he almost cried out in joy. But seeing how people in front of the list were being snatched up, and considering his own husband, who was in the prime of youth and exceptionally handsome—he would certainly be snatched away too. He quickly covered his mouth, leaving only his eyes looking at Fang Yu: "You passed! You're actually the Jieyuan? You're actually the Jieyuan!"
Fang Yu looked at those seemingly speaking eyes, brimming with light, and had no mind left to look at the list: "Mmm."
Even though the sound was not loud, it still attracted the attention of those nearby: "Jieyuan! The Jieyuan is here!"
"This is Fang Yu!"
Hearing the commotion, everyone looked over. Those lying in wait for the Jieyuan, seeing it was actually such a handsome and elegant gentleman, immediately swarmed over in a competing rush. Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Fang Yu quickly grabbed Qiao Hezhi's hand and ran: "Married, married! Don't chase us!"
The son-in-law catchers turned a deaf ear; seeing them run only made them more energetic.
The two hid back in their carriage and quickly drove away. Only when everyone could no longer catch up did they stop: "Why is this year's Jieyuan so reserved? Wouldn't being a son-in-law riding a dragon be wonderful? He actually ran so fast! Truly doesn't know what's good for him."
[乘龍快婿 (chéng lóng kuài xù): lit. a son-in-law riding a dragon; fig. an ideal or excellent son-in-law (with bright prospects)]
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