Chapter 55 Rule of Law by Law

It was barely the Si hour when they arrived at the restaurant, still very early before the announcement of the examination results.

The seat reserved by Patron Bai was exceptionally good; sitting by the window afforded a direct view of the entrance to the Imperial Examination Compound.

Without standing on ceremony, Patron Bai ordered an entire table of breakfast items, then chattered incessantly to Master Zhou: "Master Zhou is truly my lucky star. Not only did you save my life, but I heard you even successfully predicted one of the exam questions this time. It is the utmost blessing for my Yan'er to receive your guidance, and I don't even know how to..."

Master Zhou listened to Patron Bai's flattery while leisurely eating his breakfast, showing not a shred of impatience.

Just as Wang Xuezhou and the others were burning with anxiety and finding it hard to sit still, the crowd at the entrance of the Examination Compound began to stir.

A squad of bailiffs with sabers at their waists split into two lines. Someone holding a red placard stepped forward to paste it up, and the moment they finished, the people lingering around swarmed forward.

Pushing and shoving, pulling hair and scratching eyes, some even grabbed the trousers of the person directly in front of them—all to squeeze through and be the very first to see the list.

The person who pulled someone else's trousers down was recognized by Wang Xuezhou as none other than Axe.

"Passed! I've passed!"

A figure rushed in like a whirlwind from outside, running straight to their table. The young page spoke with a face full of excitement: "Passed! The young master has passed! Following master's instructions, I looked from the bottom up, and I spotted the young master's name right at a glance—it's right at the very end!"

Bai Yan struck the table heavily with a trembling hand, causing the bowls and dishes to rattle. "I passed?!"

"Yes, young master! You passed in last place!"

The page shouted even louder.

Patrons at the other tables looked on with envy; regardless of the ranking, at least the young master had made the list.

"Hahahaha! My boy passed! He passed, hahahaha! There will be heavy rewards for everyone when we return!"

Patron Bai was so excited he was incoherent. Master Zhou smiled faintly and said, "Congratulations."

"Congratulations to Brother Bai for making the prestigious roll today!"

Wang Xuezhou reacted first, offering his congratulations to Bai Yan.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Zheng Guangyuan and the others offered absent-minded felicitations, then anxiously asked, "Did you happen to see our rankings?"

The page scratched his head. "I saw my own young master's name and rushed back to report the good fortune; I didn't get a chance to look for the other young masters' names."

Master Zhou said calmly, "Do not panic. Wu Haai has already gone to check."

"Choudan! Choudan! You passed! I saw it—you're even the top scorer! Your name is right at the very top, written in huge characters!"

Axe had run all the way back with one of his shoes nearly falling off, shouting in wild excitement.

A commotion swept through the entire restaurant. The top scorer was actually in this very dining establishment?!

Quite a few people stood up to look in their direction, though finding them complete strangers, they refrained from walking over directly to intrude.

Master Zhou stood up, looking rather surprised. "Did you see clearly? Truly the top scorer?"

Axe nodded vigorously. "It's the top scorer! Absolutely no doubt about it!"

Lately, he and Choudan had been eating and sleeping together, and he had firmly memorized Choudan's name, waiting precisely for this day. He could not possibly have gotten it wrong!

"Choudan, you are the top scorer!" Qi Xian said with a trace of agitation.

Wang Xuezhou did not put on false modesty; his mouth split into a wide grin. "I heard it."

"Splendid! To think you brought back first place yet again. I'm afraid our Master's school will be trampled flat by eager students seeking admission come next year."

Zheng Guangyuan joked with a smile, and Xia Qianli nodded along.

While Zhao Xing was happy, his heart remained suspended in his throat.

Messages trickled in from various people inside the restaurant; some who had passed beamed with joy, others who failed wept bitterly, and a few beat their heads against the floor in frustration and regret.

Time seemed to drag unbearably. Just as the remaining few could hardly bear sitting any longer, Wu Hai returned.

"Young Master Qi ranked thirty-fifth in the prefectural examination, and Young Master Zhao ranked one hundred and twentieth."

Qi Xian stopped breathing for a fleeting moment, only letting out a long, relaxed sigh once he heard his placement.

Zheng Guangyuan and Xia Qianli slumped back into their chairs, utterly dejected.

Zheng Guangyuan found it hard to accept. "I didn't pass?! That shouldn't be..."

Seeing the two of them like this, Zhao Xing and Qi Xian found it inappropriate to appear overly joyous, so they pressed down the corners of their mouths and remained silent.

Master Zhou sighed. "A single setback amounts to nothing. You are still young, and there will be many opportunities ahead. Learn from this experience and study diligently for the next examination."

The two of them nodded with sorrowful expressions.

Patron Bai could no longer suppress the corners of his mouth. "Cough, cough. At noon, I will host a banquet with two full tables of dishes. I beg Master Zhou to honor us with your presence and allow me to play the gracious host..."

Escorted by Master Zhou, they brushed aside others attempting to strike up a conversation and left the restaurant.

Since passing the prefectural examination merely granted the status of a licentiate (Tongsheng) rather than marking an official entry into the imperial examinations, naturally no celebratory gongs or drums were beaten to announce the news.

After checking the results, the group began making preparations for the return journey.

Midway, Wang Xuezhou made a trip to the Donglin Bookstore to inquire about some matters.

The staff informed him that the bookstore had purchased the original manuscript for five hundred taels of silver per piece before printing it.

Wang Xuezhou acknowledged this with a nod and pursued the inquiry no further.

Over the past four years, aside from the first two years when his handwriting was utterly atrocious and Zhu An had ghostwritten for him, he had penned all subsequent works himself.

The royalties he had gradually received from Crane Residence over the span of four years amounted to no more than five hundred taels, and even that had not been disbursed all at once.

Still, there was little use dwelling on it. At the time, the establishment was willing to grant him royalties purely out of regard for Zhu An; otherwise, even five hundred taels might have been out of the question.

Over all these years, apart from sending some home to his family, he had long converted the remaining three hundred taels into silver notes, keeping them safely on his person.

Yet, upon learning of this today, a trace of lingering discomfort settled in his heart. It was finally time to bring *The Distinction Between Immortals and Mortals* to a proper conclusion.

He bought some gifts for his family and two sets of clothes for Axe, then returned to Baishan County under Master Zhou's guidance.

The grass grew verdant and the willows turned a delicate yellow; peach blossoms scattered wildly while pear blossoms exuded fragrance.

Before they had even reached Xilang Village, Wang Xuezhou already spotted the nameless little hill standing against a backdrop of blue skies and white clouds, its skeletal ridge cloaked in vibrant green and dotted with white blossoms, looking profoundly endearing.

Villagers standing at the village entrance caught sight of him from afar and snapped rigidly straight.

"Uncle Dan?" Goudan squinted, looking uncertainly at the two figures approaching ahead.

Seeing him, Wang Xuezhou beamed and waved. "Goudan, what are you doing here?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Goudan's eyes widened abruptly, and he turned and bolted. "My Uncle Dan is back!! My Uncle Dan is back!!"

"Why are you running!"

Wang Xuezhou watched speechlessly as Goudan hollered and dashed into the village, a sudden realization dawning on him that made his expression freeze.

No... It couldn't be, right?

Axe followed nervously behind him as the two quickened their pace toward the Wang household.

"Choudan! It really is you!"

A massive crowd surged forward from ahead, led precisely by the old village chief and Old Man Wang.

Seeing him, Old Man Wang's eyes crinkled away in joy. "Choudan! The village chief told me you took the prefectural examination and placed as the top scorer—the very first place! Is that true?!"