Chapter Twenty-Five: The Examination Begins

Of course, those were worries for the elders, issues that had nothing to do with the young men.

“Autumn Brother!” The clan members gathering for the exam surrounded Su Lu, greeting him warmly—their attitude worlds apart from last time. No one questioned any longer why he was sitting for the exam.

“Good morning, everyone!” Su Lu greeted them with a smile.

“That ‘forgetting curve’ of yours works wonders. I memorize things so much better now!” The youths chimed in, thanking him:

“Your ‘tomato timer’ is amazing! I could never focus, but now it’s cured me! Though my grandmother isn’t too happy.”

“Haha, that’s because you burned a whole year’s worth of incense in just a month!” The group burst into laughter.

Su Lu still felt embarrassed about teaching study methods at the clan school, but he had his father pass on some techniques to their kin.

Yet Su Youcai understood the principle that what works in one place might not work in another. With the major exam approaching, he didn’t rashly teach flashy tricks, lest he mislead the boys. Just by applying the ‘tomato timer’ and ‘forgetting curve’ to time management and review planning, the youths benefited immensely.

Once they tasted the advantages, Su Youcai revealed that these were Su Lu’s methods. Instantly, Su Lu’s image among his brothers soared—Autumn Brother’s loyalty moved them deeply.

~~

Once everyone had arrived, Su Youcai led the group out, meeting the Cheng family at the town gate.

Cheng’s side also had ten children sitting the exam, accompanied by Scholar Cheng.

Scholar Cheng didn’t even glance at Su Youcai. Although the families were joined by marriage, he harbored a belly full of resentment, more uncomfortable than swallowing a fly.

The Cheng youths glared at the Su boys. The young are easily swayed by their elders; Su Lu’s uncle had inexplicably married the prettiest girl from Cheng’s family, which infuriated them!

The Su boys, all military household sons, were no pushovers, returning fierce stares. Fortunately, today was special—the parents quickly stopped their children from exchanging insults.

Su Youcai and Scholar Cheng deliberately put distance between their groups, each leading their own towards Taiping Town.

Taiping Town lay upstream on Erlang Beach, accessible by both water and a postal road.

That road had been built during the Hongwu era, when Yunnan was being conquered. The boss Zhu had set high standards—wide, flat, and straight, ten miles to Taiping Town.

Yet the generations since the founding had not maintained it; the road was now potholed, shaking one's guts loose if riding in a cart.

Even the Chengs chose to walk, though Scholar Cheng rode a sedan chair.

On the road, Su Lu took out his ‘mistake notebook’, making the most of the time to review errors he’d compiled. His brothers followed suit, pulling out their books, reciting as they walked—a true last-minute sharpening of the sword.

From afar, the Cheng youths mocked, “You never work hard, now you’re praying to Buddha before exams—too late!”

“Waste of effort! Competition is fierce this year, none of them will pass.”

“Pay them no mind,” Scholar Cheng, resting with closed eyes in his chair, admonished, “Focus your thoughts. Your opponents are the county’s top talents, not these rough fellows.”

“Yes, sir,” the Cheng youths bowed, suppressing their nerves in quieter ways.

~~

Mountain folk are sturdy; in half an hour, they arrived at Taiping Town.

The sun had just crested the mountains, bathing the town nestled against hills and water, with its slate roofs and wooden buildings, in a gentle golden light.

This was the site of Taiping Thousand-Households, the most important ferry on the Chishui River, with a stone-based wooden arch bridge connecting Yongning to Bozhou across the water.

Naturally, Taiping Town was far larger and more prosperous than Erlang Beach, with nearly a thousand households. There were dozens of shops offering nearly all daily necessities—even a brothel.

But Taiping’s real fame came from its academy, built at the foot of Guanshan to the south.

Founded in the Yongle era, the academy sprawled over ten acres—white walls, gray tiles, ancient cypresses within, banana trees outside—its style a world apart from the rough, dark architecture of the southwest.

Beside the academy lay several hundred acres of school fields. Half were granted by the garrison, the rest donated by local gentry.

This season, the fields were barren, but packed with people, astonishing Su Lu’s group.

“How many folks are here?” The chubby Su Lang gawked.

“At least three or four thousand,” the youths guessed, faces paling.

“Even if only half are here to take the exam, that's a thousand or two.”

“A thousand or two thousand—that’s a big difference,” the tall, sharp-featured one remarked.

“One thousand two hundred!” A clear, serious voice rang out, and they saw Su Man stride forth from the crowd.

The surrounding crowd noticed this handsome youth, dressed in spotless white scholar’s robes, looking every bit the paragon they hoped their sons might become.

“Elder brother.” The clan youths dared not call him Spring Brother, bowing respectfully.

“Big brother.” Su Lu and Su Tai quickly greeted him.

Su Man nodded, saluted the elders, then explained, “In previous years, there were only six or seven hundred candidates. This time, the number has doubled.”

“Why is that?” the elders inquired.

“Because starting this year, the best students will be selected to attend Crane Mountain Academy for their final year,” Su Man explained patiently. “This is a huge advantage for examinees and even for those aiming to become scholars. So this year, not only the three garrisons of our county, but also Yongning and Bozhou, have sent candidates.”

“My goodness,” Su Lu gasped, “Will they expand admissions?”

All eyes turned to Spring Brother, but he shook his head. “No, still only sixty spots.”

“Oh no…” the youths groaned.

“That’s expected. The court hasn’t increased slots for state or county schools, so expanding the academy would be pointless—and would harm its reputation,” Su Man explained.

Su Lu thought, but they could collect so much more tuition… but perhaps scholars of this era weren’t as vulgar as himself.

“Don’t let this shake you,” Su Man’s stern gaze swept over his kin, “The academy may be hard to get into, but compared to the scholar exam, it’s far easier—if you lack confidence here, what hope for the scholar’s test?”

“Yes, sir,” his brothers responded promptly.

“If you’re confident, come with me. If not, head home with your family,” Su Man declared, turning on his heel.

“Wait for me, big brother!” Su Lu hurried after.

“We’re coming, elder brother!” Su Lang and the others followed.

“So you’re confident now?” Su Man called over his shoulder, striding ahead.

“Yes, we are!” the youths replied.

“Too quiet—I can't hear you!” Su Man said sternly.

“We’re confident!” they shouted, drawing curious looks.

Though embarrassed at being watched, they also felt a strange sense of being protagonists.

Their fighting spirit ignited, and their confidence grew!

~~

With Su Man leading, they registered smoothly.

Registration was simple—each paid twenty coins as an exam fee, then entered the academy to queue for the oral exam.

“No admission slip or anything?” Su Lu winced as he handed over twenty coins—a small fortune to him.

“You’ll be registered after passing the oral exam. Fail and you go home,” Su Man said coolly. “No need to pay—I’ve already covered your fee.”

“Oh, oh.” Su Lu quickly tried to hand the money to his big brother.

But Su Man refused, looking disgusted. “No manners—how could a younger brother give money to his elder?”

“Thank you, big brother.” Su Lu could only put the coins away. Last time it was Second Brother, this time Big Brother—he hadn’t spent a coin himself yet.

“If you want to thank me, pass the academy exam,” Su Man waved him off impatiently.

The oral exam was held just inside the academy gates; those accompanying the candidates had to stop at the entrance.

~~

Under the academy’s double-eaved mountain gate hung a plaque inscribed “A Corner Births Talent,” the calligraphy bold and powerful.

On either side, a couplet read:
“Wind carries refined melody from the Central Plains,
Cloud brings gentle rain from distant frontier.”

Su Lu and his brothers entered, finding the vast courtyard packed with people. Gazing about, they saw the oral exam had already begun.

At the inner gate, a row of desks awaited, with twenty upper-hall scholars dressed like Spring Brother, serving as examiners.

Su Man was meant to be among them, but he’d requested leave to avoid conflict of interest with his kin.

Twenty queues formed, some shorter than others. The group split up, picking the shortest line.

Su Lu’s line had about thirty students ahead, all trembling with nerves.

Those waiting were anxious, those being examined almost suffocating. They sat opposite the examiner, forced to answer questions from a stranger—many stammered.

The exam was merciless: the young examiner pressed with sharp questions, and a single mistake meant “come back next year.”

Those who passed received a yellow bamboo token, rose relieved, and bowed their thanks.

The failed shuffled off, heads low—their spirits so crushed, the whole year would feel grim.

Su Lu counted—of thirty ahead, only nine passed, the rest eliminated. The pass rate was less than one-third.

Pressure mounted, but Su Lu, a veteran of countless harsher exams, was unaffected.

He waited a full hour for his turn. Luckily, the day was bright and sunny, or he’d have frozen.

Su Man had rehearsed the oral exam with Su Lu; he followed his brother’s instructions, stepping forward and bowing deeply.

“Thank you for your hard work, elder. I’ve heard all the rules—no need to repeat them,” he said respectfully.

The ‘elder’ was indeed weary, his throat nearly scorched from hours of questioning. Hearing this, he nodded, allowing Su Lu to sit, warning him once more, “You have only one chance. Think carefully before answering.”

“Yes, please give your question,” Su Lu replied, sitting upright, composed.