Qingnan Village suddenly burst into life. The village now had three new Scholars, which was an incredible event for the villagers!
The Zhang family's home, in particular, was as crowded as a marketplace.
Not only had Zhang Yang become a Scholar, but he had also earned the title of Sanyuan in the student examinations for all of Huzhou. This was no small honor. Jing Country had nine prefectures in total, and it was uncommon for anyone to place first in all three stages of the student examinations.
In an age without modern communication, it was a mystery how the news spread so quickly, but it seemed as if all the surrounding villages knew overnight. As a result, many distant relatives the Zhang family rarely saw suddenly appeared. Some came to congratulate them, some to pry, and some to curry favor. Others hoped to register their farmland under Zhang Yang's name to reduce their taxes. He and her husband were so busy entertaining them all that their heads were spinning.
