Chapter Sixty-Five: The Fifth Stirring of the Literary Star!

On the examination grounds, the first stirrings from a candidate soon set off a chain reaction, as if a thousand sails were competing to be first, each striving for preeminence, with the commotion spreading one after another.

The brilliance of the Literary Star flickered; for some, the whirlpool of literary aura would appear only to slowly fade, indicating that their essays lacked the necessary depth and could not yet condense true literary power. For others, the whirlpool would continue to condense, evoking extraordinary phenomena, a sign they had attained a fine level of scholarship and were poised for further advancement.

It was now near the end of the Shen hour, and the stifling heat from the sun had faded. Meanwhile, the frequency of the literary aura whirlpools and the tremors of the Literary Star on the examination grounds was gradually increasing.

“From the look of things, several literary aura whirlpools have formed—there should be seven or eight successful scholars by now, right?”

“For the very first session to produce so many scholars—our prefecture’s literati are truly impressive this time.”

Outside the examination hall, townsfolk gathered along the street, voicing their admiration, with many others nodding in agreement, clearly sharing this sentiment.

“Old man, is this your first time witnessing such a spectacle?”

A sharp-featured, shrewd-looking middle-aged man stood beside an elderly gentleman who had just sighed in awe, his eyes filled with teasing pride, as if he himself had passed the scholar’s examination.

“Old man, you’re speaking too soon. Not many will succeed today. If you count, the whirlpools and Literary Star tremors have occurred only about twenty times, and some whirlpools faded halfway through. I doubt there’ll even be seven or eight scholars.”

This man, Sun Er, was a well-known idler in the city. Seeing the old man look his way, he flicked his sleeve and, with a smug air, continued his commentary.

“There are at least seven or eight hundred candidates this year, and only seven or eight scholars so far—that’s nothing. The real excitement comes tomorrow. When all the topics have been answered, then you’ll witness a truly remarkable scene.”

“There’ll be literary aura whirlpools everywhere, and the light of the Literary Star will ripple endlessly, lingering long after. Then, one extraordinary phenomenon after another will appear. It’s a sight to behold!”

As Sun Er spoke, he gesticulated animatedly, describing the scene so vividly that the old man and those nearby were utterly captivated, conjuring up wondrous images in their minds.

Sun Er continued his grand narration for quite some time, seemingly unsatisfied, and then declared with certainty, “I think that’s all we’ll see today. The candidates have probably finished their papers—there hasn’t even been a triple tremor of the Literary Star. Soon, the sun will set, and the examinees will emerge.”

“To be honest, it doesn’t compare to what I saw a couple of years ago. Then, one out of every ten among the seven hundred child scholars became a successful candidate.”

“This time, it’s all rather uneven—very uneven indeed.”

Sun Er shook his head in regret, but just then, the people around him let out a collective gasp. Sun Er turned to see streams of brilliant azure light surging forth from the examination grounds.

The dazzling blue radiance swept across the entire hall in an instant.

With that radiant azure came a rush of clear water; the sound of mountain streams echoed, the water flowing effortlessly through the crowd without wetting a single thing.

It was a vivid and resounding manifestation!

“What’s happening?” Sun Er stared, dumbfounded, eyes wide with astonishment. Upstairs, a young gentleman, clutching his folding fan, pointed excitedly and exclaimed,

“A triple tremor of the Literary Star—no, a fourth tremor!”

Where he pointed, the Literary Star suspended above the altar pulsed with even greater force, sending wave after wave rippling outward.

“Five tremors!”

“Five tremors! This means a grand essay on the classics has been written!”

A cry of astonishment rose from the crowd, causing a flurry of excitement. Officials and guards moved to quell the commotion, while Sun Er stood rooted to the spot.

The old man who had been listening to his earlier boasts now turned to him, a wry smile on his face. “Well, sir, what do you think of this? Have you ever seen anything like it before?”

“Is this the ‘uneven’ result you spoke of?”

Nearby children stifled laughter, while many in the crowd glanced mockingly at Sun Er. The irony landed so quickly.

Sun Er’s face burned with shame; he took a deep breath, cheeks puffed, staring resentfully at the old man and stammered, “I’m no scholar—I could never guess how many great talents are inside that hall!”

His words set off wild laughter all around, and Sun Er, unable to withstand the embarrassment, ducked his head and slipped away into the crowd.

Meanwhile, on the upper floor of the northern building, the officials, too, gazed at the scene below, their faces filled with joy and anticipation.

Five tremors of the Literary Star—such a feat was rare even on the second day of examinations, yet here it was on the very first.

What manner of essay on the classics could have inspired such a phenomenon?

“A five-tremor essay, and with such a manifestation—at the very least, it must be of upper second grade. Could it be that Jizhou Prefecture will produce a first-grade scholar this time?”

“Essays on the classics are far more difficult than discourses or poetry; innovation is rare. Five tremors of the Literary Star—remarkable, truly remarkable!”

The instructor from Taihe County cried out in amazement, scanning the examination grounds eagerly, hoping to spot the candidate responsible for such a feat.

When the Literary Star trembled, heaven and earth’s literary aura would be stirred, and a literary whirlpool would appear.

All the instructors pressed forward, eager to see whether it was their own county’s prodigy who had achieved this. Even the usually unhurried Chief Examiner could not help but rise, wishing to behold the author of this extraordinary essay.

Ouyang Hong, too, wanted to move forward, but when the earlier whirlpools had appeared, not a single one came from Shiyang County, making him the butt of his colleagues’ jests. Now, his steps faltered with uncertainty.

At that moment, an official shouted excitedly, “Look! The literary aura whirlpool has appeared—wait! How can it be so enormous?”

All eyes turned to see a whirlpool forming in the examination grounds—not two or three zhang high, a mere foot or so wide, but towering ten zhang in height and three in width.

Such a whirlpool, reaching nearly to the heavens, was a sight reserved for the provincial examinations!

Even those outside on the street could see the gigantic whirlpool churning above the wall of the examination hall.

Everyone craned their necks, exclaiming in awe.

Zhan Bo, the instructor from Wan’an County, swallowed hard and called to a nearby clerk, “Quick, check who occupies examination cell number thirty-three in Section Ding!”

The others also turned, their eyes on the clerk, who was sweating profusely as he rifled through the papers with trembling hands. After a moment, he looked up in surprise.

“Sirs, the candidate in cell thirty-three, Section Ding, is named Song Mu. He is seventeen years old, from Shiyang County.”

“Shiyang County…”

Several officials paused at this, especially the instructor from Taihe County, whose county had already produced two scholars; he could not help but glance at Ouyang Hong.

Ouyang Hong, standing in the pavilion, clutching his sleeve tightly, was momentarily stunned upon hearing the name.

After a moment, he pursed his lips and asked in disbelief, “Are you sure?”

The clerk double-checked and nodded emphatically. “Sir, there is no mistake. It is Song Mu from Shiyang County.”

“Song Mu…” Ouyang Hong murmured, turning to gaze outside. Seeing the swirling vortex, a surge of inexpressible joy welled up within him.

Zhan Bo’s expression froze in disbelief; the other instructors stepped forward to offer formal congratulations, their faces filled with astonishment.

“Congratulations, Lord Ouyang. It seems Shiyang County will claim the top spot this time.”

“Congratulations, congratulations.”

All the officials bowed to Ouyang Hong, who returned the gesture in a daze. Meanwhile, the Chief Examiner, watching the swirling vortex outside, turned back into the room, laughing heartily and stroking his beard.

“A five-tremor essay on the classics—there can be few such works in all of southern Jiangnan. Song Mu, truly worthy son of the Song family’s literary lineage.”

“Send out my order: this news must not be leaked or discussed in private for the time being!”

…