Firefly Journey

Chapter 182 Hopscotch (5)

Duan Feibai? Who's that? Never heard of him.

As soon as Emperor Zhuang finished speaking, the students and ministers around him were all taken aback.

Among the young talents of the Chu Kingdom, none surpassed Ding Sheng, the junior tutor of the Black and White Academy, and Du Guangting, the son of Right Chancellor Du. The rest were somewhat inferior to these two.

Among the dozens of students who came to the main hall, most of them did not recognize Duan Feibai. Only a few looked at the young man at the very end of the line.

The boy was simply dressed and had an unremarkable appearance, as if he were invisible and no one had ever paid him any attention.

Upon hearing that he had been chosen as the top scholar, the young man showed a slight excitement in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and he returned to his usual demeanor.

Even more surprised than the students were the civil officials standing at the front.

They all participated in the discussion of the literary rankings to varying degrees, and the result was consistent with what the public expected.

Who would have thought that their own emperor would act unpredictably and suddenly appoint a poor scholar as the top scholar?

Civil and military officials, including Right Chancellor Du Fufeng, were all wondering what His Majesty the Emperor's intentions were.

Only the veteran minister Zhao Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he had expected this all along.

Emperor Zhuang cleared his throat and said, "The top three in the civil service examination, come forward. I have something to say to you."

Ding Sheng and Du Guangting strode forward and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, walked to the emperor's desk.

Only the boy named Duan Feibai, because he was standing at the back of the line, took longer to get forward than the third and second place winners.

The crowd's gazes were like knives, all focused on him, but the young man remained calm and his steps were steady.

Emperor Zhuang's gaze swept over them one by one, his eyes first landing on Du Guangting.

"Minister Du, you are truly blessed! Young Master Du is so young, yet he is already a leading figure in our Great Chu. His future is limitless."

Du Fufeng quickly replied, "My son has only a little talent, which is hardly worthy of being called a scholar. It is already a great fortune that His Majesty has selected him as the third-ranked scholar. I dare not ask for anything more."

My only wish is that my son will dedicate himself wholeheartedly to contributing to the prosperity of the Great Chu.

Emperor Zhuang nodded in satisfaction, but in his heart he was thinking, "You, Du Fufeng, are so humble on the surface, but you're probably so happy you can't breathe."

Once your status as the third-ranked scholar is revealed, all the princes and nobles in the capital will probably be eager to marry you. Once you are married, your position in the court will be even more secure.

Given time, once Zhao Zheng retires, the position of Left Chancellor will surely be yours.

Emperor Zhuang then turned his gaze to Ding Sheng and said gently:

"The Imperial Academy is the premier institution of learning in the Great Chu, producing many talented individuals. I observe that this young man's writing has the potential to be a master, and he may even surpass his predecessors in the future, outshining the teachers who have graduated from the academy."

What do you think, Minister Pei?

Pei Xingyan was full of vigor. Back in his youth, he was just like Ding Sheng today, receiving a name from His Majesty in the palace.

However, he was the top scholar in the imperial examination at that time, which made him even more famous.

He was unfamiliar with officialdom and only studied literature, so he served in the Imperial Academy and rose through the ranks to become the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

Pei Xingjian laughed heartily: "I dare not say much about anything else, but as long as Ding Sheng is given some more time, surpassing this old man like me will be no problem."

Emperor Zhuang nodded again, finally turning his gaze to the boy in plain clothes.

"Duan Feibai, what a nice name. Where are you from?"

Emperor Zhuang changed his question.

For the two people in front, Emperor Zhuang did not ask them directly, but instead chatted with their elders the whole time.

When it came to Duan Feibai, they asked him directly: Does the top scholar receive special treatment?

Of course, it could also be because no elders were present.

Duan Feibai replied, "Yunzhou."

"Jiangnan is a land of beauty and talented people," Emperor Zhuang said slowly. "Who is Duan Tiexiong to you?"

Duan Feibai was stunned, as if struck by lightning, and stood frozen in place.

He took a deep breath and said, "It was indeed my late father. How could Your Majesty..."

Emperor Zhuang's expression was solemn, and his words were filled with sorrow: "In the battle of the Kolumbutz Mountains, our Great Chu suffered a great loss of strength, and countless men perished at the hands of the enemy."

Duan Tiexiong, the military commander, led his troops to a heroic death in battle, which I witnessed in the entire process.

Unexpectedly, his son was a refined and scholarly man, completely unlike his rough and uncouth father.

Duan Feibai remained silent.

Emperor Zhuang smiled and said, "Enough of the past. From today onwards, you will take up a post in the Ministry of Revenue. Three months later, you will join Pei Xingyan to represent the Black and White Academy and our Great Chu in the inter-national academy competition."

"Yes."

……

……

Fengling spent the afternoon with Lin Yuanran at the ghost hotel, but she couldn't empathize with the parts he found interesting.

For some reason, Feng Ling didn't feel bored. Listening to Lin Yuanran recount the various aspects of life for the lower-class residents was a form of entertainment.

As the sun set, Lin Yuanran, having probably seen enough, said to Feng Ling, "It's getting late, you should go back."

"No, I haven't had enough yet," said Wind Chime.

She didn't want to go back early at all, because her family might not have all left yet, and seeing them would annoy her. She thought it better to sneak back in the middle of the night.

Lin Yuanran didn't say anything more, because he knew that if she was willing, he wanted to spend more time with her.

"Are you going back?" Wind Chime asked.

"No need, I'm free today," Lin Yuanran said softly.

He certainly had something to do; he was just about to go get the letters from his friends in Torreg Town when he ran into the wind chimes as he went out, so he had to put it off for now.

But if I can spend more time with her, what's wrong with putting off replying? Does the letter grow legs and run away?

As the two walked through the twilight streets, Fengling suddenly said, "Let's go to the place where you celebrated your birthday last time."

Lin Yuanran didn't care and readily agreed.

It was already dark when the two arrived at the desolate mountains on the outskirts of Yicheng.

Looking at the flowers, grasses, and trees that were gradually sprouting, and listening to the howls of magical beasts rising and falling in the wind, Lin Yuanran said, "You said last time that I was the third person to come here, and you were the second. So who was the first one?"

Fengling frowned: "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Lin Yuanran wisely shut up. It wasn't that he was so curious that he had to know, but he was trying to find something to talk about, but it seemed he had failed.

The two remained silent for a while.

Fengling suddenly said, "This is so boring, let's play a game."

"Games?" Lin Yuanran was indifferent. "I'm fine with anything."

Fengling was in high spirits: "Can you play hopscotch?"

Then, as if she had thought of something, she added, "If you don't know how, that's fine. You can play something else. Let me think..."

The girl was bathed in moonlight, her right index finger pressed against her thin lips, a scene so beautiful it was like a painting, making Lin Yuanran's heart restless.

“I will,” he said.

"Really? Then let's go."

Unsuspecting, Fengling used her magic to write and draw in the overgrown clearing, and soon the game grid was ready.

"Let's get this straight, no magic allowed," Wind Chime said.

"Well, I see."

Wind Chime went first, tiptoeing and hopping around.

Looking at the lively girl, Lin Yuanran knew that no matter how the game ended, he would be the loser.