Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Winning 6 Yuan in a Row

In the vast, endless darkness, a point of white light suddenly appeared, followed by a white comet streaking across the darkness, leaving behind a faint trail of light.

The pure white comet flew quietly in the darkness. At some unknown time, in the endless void, a point of gold light emerged, followed by the appearance of a golden meteor.

In this endless, boundless void, two meteors that should have never intersected somehow crossed paths!

Boom!

A misty white fog spread out, and a magnificent golden light shone. Then, at the same moment, two wills suddenly woke up.

“Damn, can’t you fly? Are you rushing to reincarnate?”

A grumbling voice echoed through the star cloud woven with misty white fog and brilliant golden light, followed by another voice that retorted without politeness.

“Well, I am going to reincarnate, aren’t you?”

“Damn, I forgot!”

“Idiot, you are trying to reincarnate without a brain? How could this happen, forgot your eyes?”

“Damn it, I was flying straight, and you came in at an angle…”

“Nonsense, you just woke up…”

From the star cloud formed of gold and white fog, two meteors slid out, leaving in opposite directions. As the distance gradually increased, the two grumbling wills quieted down, because even if they continued to argue, the other party wouldn’t hear it.

However, these two gradually calming wills had not noticed that the color of their own meteors had changed. Inside the bright meteor, its core was dyed a bit of gold, and inside the magnificent golden meteor, it had become pure white.

…

“Mr. An, Mr. An, stop fishing and hurry home. The people from the county government office bringing good news are rushing to your house!”

On the wild grass-covered ridge, a young child wearing open-crotch pants ran all the way to a small wild pond, shouting at a group of children fishing with bamboo poles.

“Someone is bringing good news to my house again?”

Among a group of mud-covered children, a handsome boy in clean clothes with only mud on the soles of his feet stood up. He glanced in the distance, his face calm as this was not his first time, he had gotten used to it.

Although he was calm, the children playing with him began to laugh upon hearing the news, forgetting their fishing poles in hand, and began rushing towards his house,

“Mr. An, your eldest brother must have passed the exam!”

“Yes, yes, your brother has passed again; we can feast again!”

A young boy in open-crotch pants salivated, his eyes full of longing and anticipation. Since Mr. An’s eldest brother began participating in the imperial examination, the village had held several feasts, each one better than the last.

“Eat, eat, eat, you guys are just gluttonous, all you think about is the feast!”

Hearing the greedy words of the group around him, the handsome boy laughed and scolded, kicking them in the buttocks, then hurried off towards his home, thinking as he ran.

“The last person who brought good news announced that my elder brother was first in the Prefecture Exam. After this test follows the Imperial Examination. He’s sure to receive the title of Advanced Scholar; it just depends on how many people the emperor ranks before him. If the current emperor isn’t crazy, he should give him the first rank. That would make him look good!”

With a group of youngsters stumbling behind him, Feng Qing’an had just made it near his house when he saw the celebratory procession arrived. Unlike the previous few times, this procession was unprecedentedly massive.

The procession was hundreds strong, among which he saw several extraordinary individuals dressed in silken robes. The celebratory procession passed, with loud pounding of drums, fireworks, dragon and lion dances, and red decorations everywhere, filling the entire Shili Fengjiagang with a festive atmosphere.

The kids following Feng Qing’an had never seen such a grand arrangement and were astonished. They pushed and shoved, running ahead of the joyous procession, making their way to Feng Qing’an’s house.

By now, the surroundings of the Feng Family courtyard were filled three layers deep with people, including Feng Qing’an, with his still-undeveloped height, leading a group of children. They were surrounded by the backs of adults, making it impossible for Feng Qing’an to even see his own house.

He could also see that the trees near his house were full of people, to say nothing of the rooftops of the neighboring houses. There were masses of people lying atop them, seemingly not afraid of causing the roofs to collapse. He even saw a yellow dog that, somehow, had also been hauled up.

With such a crowd, Feng Qing’an felt that even a passerby might only be able to watch the spectacle from the outskirts. Fortunately, the villagers soon recognized him among the crowd,

“Isn’t this Feng Family’s second son?”

“Oh, Qing’an is back!”

“This is the brother of our champion, make way for him, let him in!”

After hearing these words, the crowd that was tightly packed around the Feng family courtyard painstakingly made a small path, allowing the champion’s brother to enter. As for the children behind him, they had to give up any hope of entering.

Feng Qing’an, hearing the increasing shouts of familiarity from the villagers, responded while squeezing into the courtyard.

Ever since his older brother participated in the imperial examination and excelled, their family’s status in the village has skyrocketed. Even he, a child just over the age of ten, reaped the benefits, and people would call him Qing’an when he walked down the street, rarely using his childhood nickname.

“Er Niu, where have you been playing? The people who came to announce the good news are almost here. Hurry up and come to me, I will change your clothes.”

Just as Feng Qing’an entered the courtyard, he was immediately grabbed by a young woman in brocade clothes. Both admonishing and dragging him into the inner room.

Feng Qing’an, who had been called Qing’an all the way back home, felt a sudden darkness upon hearing his nickname. This was his mother, Yin Shi, one of the few who still called him by his pet name.

“Mother, I’ve only worn these clothes for two days!”

Feng Qing’an did not protest. His older brother was referred to as Zhi’er at home, so how could he complain about being called Er Niu?

“Two days is enough. I’ve sewn you a new set of clothes, hurry up and change.”

When Feng Qing’an walked out of the inner room dressed in his new clothes, he saw that the group bringing the good news had already entered the courtyard. Among them were two particularly noticeable figures. From the murmurs that reached him, he learned that these were the local county and prefecture lords from faraway Jiangyang Prefecture.

“My older brother was the top scorer in the county, prefecture, and imperial exams. He’s already achieved the ‘Small Three Toppers’, and was the best candidate in the prefecture and metropolitan exams. He’s won five exams in a row. As long as the emperor has a clear discernment, this will be the first ever ‘Six Dominant Scholar’ in the opening dynasty!”

Although Feng Qing’an was slightly surprised at the arrival of these two important figures, it seemed reasonable given his older brother, who’s only three and a half years his senior and not yet fourteen, made it all the way to the end on his first try at the imperial examination.

Indeed, Feng Qing’an knew his older brother was a literary genius, but he never imagined his brother would be so extraordinary. He hadn’t even reached the age of marriage and he already aced the imperial examination. He was practically a non-human!

“In the name of the majesty who is chosen by Heaven and Earth, an imperial decree proclaims: On the 15th day of the third month of the twenty-eighth year of Yongkang, by the Emperor’s grace, Feng Qingping of Jiangyang Prefecture, who is an advanced scholar, has won the top spot on the list of champions, hereby issued as an edict to celebrate nationwide.”

The Yamen Runner reading the imperial decree on the yellow silk had a powerful voice. Even those watching from outside the courtyard could hear him. The crowd was silent for a moment, then exploded with excitement.

He’s the champion!?

Feng family’s eldest son, who has not even fully lost his fuzz, has won the exam!

“Congratulations to the Feng family for Feng Qingping’s outstanding achievement in becoming champion… ”

While the Yamen runner was loudly giving out blessings and repeating the content of the announcement, Feng Qing’an stood among his family, hearing the bustling noise around him. Suddenly he felt a sense of coolness and a mechanical voice rang out in his mind,

[System file data abnormal, decompression failed, would you like to decompress again?]

“Mother!”

Feng Qing’an ignored the voice in his mind and rushed towards Yin Shi, who had fainted and collapsed softly, where she was then caught by his father.