Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 99 Paying Homage at the Temple of Confucius

Lu Chuan bid farewell to his father, who was drinking and chatting with the shopkeeper, and walked alone toward the side gate of the prefectural school.

Several scholars who had passed the imperial examination in the same year had arrived and lined up in a proper and orderly manner.

Upon seeing Lu Chuan walk in, their eyes flashed with complex emotions. They bowed politely and addressed him as Brother Lu.

Lu Chuan remained humble and returned the greetings one by one, taking the second place in the queue.

Before long, the yamen's assistant clerk led several clerks out, carrying a stack of blue silk robes and hats.

"Qingyang County, Luchuan, the second-place winner in the re-examination, receives the scholar's robes."

Lu Chuan responded in a deep voice, stepped forward, and raised his hands high above his head.

The tray landed in his palm.

On the tray was a set of scholar's robes specially designed for him.

It was a wide-sleeved robe with a blue silk base and black trim; the fabric was crisp and sturdy.

Beside the blue-collared robe was a black peacock-patterned headscarf and a pair of white-trimmed, black-soled scholar's boots.

This outfit also has an incredibly prestigious name: Refined Attire.

Wearing it meant that Lu Chuan had completely broken away from the common people.

From this day forward, officials will not be required to kneel before officials, will be exempt from corporal punishment, and will not be subject to arbitrary corporal punishment.

Deep inside the government office, in the changing room.

Lu Chuan placed the tray on the bench, and when he lifted the blue robe with both hands, he was somewhat lost in thought.

Shoes touched the ground, then boots were put on.

Lu Chuan put his hands into his sleeves, straightened his clothes, and finally put the black peacock headscarf on his head properly.

A bronze mirror stood in the corner of the changing room.

Lu Chuan walked over slowly and stopped in front of the mirror.

The boy in the mirror, though only eleven years old, exuded a sharp and spirited air thanks to the blue robe he wore.

That still somewhat chubby face already possessed the demeanor of a scholar.

"From this day forward, I shall be a student of the Great Qian Dynasty."

Looking at himself in the mirror, Lu Chuan felt a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe. This was not just a piece of clothing; it was an invulnerable "armor" bestowed upon him by the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty. From then on, he would no longer kneel before officials, would be exempt from corvée labor, and would truly shatter the shackles of being a "commoner" in the mire behind him.

The next day, just as dawn broke.

Lu Chuan immediately expressed his gratitude to his mentor.

Then we arrived at the main hall of the Education Bureau.

Above the main hall hangs a plaque that reads "Refined and Cultured".

The provincial education commissioner, dressed in an official robe and wearing a black gauze hat, sat upright behind the gavel.

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

Suddenly, the master of ceremonies in charge of the ceremony raised his voice.

"New students, take your places."

"kneel."

Inside the main hall, hundreds of scholars knelt down, led by Lu Chuan, who ranked first and second in the examination.

"One kowtow."

"Kowtowing again."

"Three kowtows."

The grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

"Rise! Ceremony complete!"

As the master of ceremonies gave his final proclamation, hundreds of students waved their long sleeves and stood up in unison, each bowing their heads and lowering their eyes, their hands folded in front of their abdomens.

The head of the school administration stood up and spoke in a deep voice.

"Today you have shed your commoner status and donned this scholar's robe. You are now students of the court, disciples of the emperor. This robe is meant to give you scholars dignity, not to serve as a shield for you to prey on the people and resist taxes."

The education commissioner's gaze was sharp as a knife.

"The Great Qian Dynasty has no shortage of literati who can write about romance and nature, but it lacks pillars who can share the burdens of the court and speak up for the people. You should study the classics, understand the principles of the sages, serve the ministers when you go out, and serve your fathers and elder brothers when you return home."

"If anyone abuses their official position and reputation to act recklessly and ruin the literary style of Yingnan Prefecture, I can take away your skin at any time."

"Have you all understood?"

Below the main hall, hundreds of scholars trembled and bowed in unison.

"The students will respectfully follow the teachings of the university administration."

The academic administrator looked down at the solemn expressions of the people below and smiled with satisfaction.

He then raised his hand and said loudly:

"Very good, full of vigor and discipline. In my three years of service in Yingnan Prefecture, I have seen this year's students with the most outstanding character. Among you are many talented young scholars who have shown great promise, as well as outstanding individuals who have achieved fame through diligent study. I hope you will not fail to live up to your aspirations today, but continue to strive forward. When you achieve your goals, I will be waiting in the capital to celebrate with you."

This praise and expectation carried immense weight, causing everyone in the audience to blush and respond in unison, "Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency."

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps could be heard from both sides of the hall.

Dozens of yamen runners, each carrying a tray, filed in.

The tray held hairpins made of silk.

Those who excelled in the re-examination were not only bestowed with official robes by the imperial court, but also given a grand ceremony of being paraded through the streets with flowers in their hair.

An old yamen runner walked steadily to Lu Chuan, bent down, picked up a red silk flower from the tray, held it with both hands, and pinned it to the brim of Lu Chuan's turban.

Red silk against a black scarf, blue collar against red flowers.

Lu Chuan bowed slightly to express his gratitude. The old yamen runner was flattered and quickly bowed and stepped back.

In a short while, red silk flowers were pinned to the brims of the hats of all the hundreds of scholars in the hall.

At first glance, the Qinghai landscape is dotted with countless vibrant red spots, adding a touch of soaring heroism to its otherwise refined atmosphere.

"The auspicious hour has arrived. The students line up, the spirit official's drum is sounded, and we welcome the saint."

Led by more than ten officials from the prefectural school, Lu Chuan and his entourage strode out of the school administration office.

Outside the main gate, a ceremonial procession with music and repertoire was already waiting.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The streets were already packed with people.

"Look, that's the top scholar of this year's imperial examination."

"My God, he's a god!"

Amidst the exclamations of praise, Lu Chuan remained unmoved, his sleeves fluttering in the breeze.

We walked toward the main hall of the Confucius Temple, where the teacher of all ages is enshrined.

The gates of the Confucius Temple were wide open, and ancient music accompanied the sound of the music, shutting out the noise from outside.

Led by the academic officials, Lu Chuan and the others stepped onto the stone steps of the Danbi.

Directly in front, the shrine of Confucius, the most revered teacher, is enshrined, with a golden plaque inscribed with the words "Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations" by successive emperors.

Before the altar, incense burns in a bronze cauldron, its smoke rising gently.

At this time, the sacrificial offerings of three kinds of animals had already been placed on the table.

Lu Chuan stood in the front row, with the top student on his left and the other students following closely behind on his right.

"As the new students pay homage to the saint, they stand in solemn silence."

As the chief academic officer announced the arrival of the bells, the chime bells on both sides of the main hall struck each other.

"The newly appointed students were led to perform the ceremony of being released from their rank and to offer incense."

At the instructor's signal, Lu Chuan stepped out of the line.

He clasped his hands together, raised them to eyebrow level, and took three sticks of incense, each as thick as a child's arm, from the clerk beside him.

He walked to the altar of the sage and looked at the statue of Confucius.

"With each incense offering, may sacred learning flourish and literary fortune endure."

"On this second pilgrimage, we pray for the prosperity of our nation and the well-being of all its people."

"Offering incense three times, may my heart remain untainted and my integrity unchanged."

Lu Chuan silently recited the mantra in his mind, then bowed and inserted the incense stick into the large cauldron.

A faint spark appeared, followed by a large plume of blue smoke.

Immediately following was the Three Offerings ceremony.

"First Offering of the Jurchen."