The summer weather was scorching, and only in the morning was there a coolness, as willow branches by the river danced with the wind, and curious birds fluttered their wings atop the trees, watching the crowded throng below the courtyard walls.
When the Great Qian Empire released the examination results, it was at the break of dawn, and all those who came to view the spectacle—scholars, students, and onlooking citizens—crowded around the Ministry of Rites' wall, forming a mountain of people.
"The results are out, the results are out, make way!"
"Please step aside, the results have arrived."
"Don't push, ah, if we don't hang up the list, you won't be able to see it, right?"
A group of soldiers, armed with spears, struggled to part the crowd, constantly shouting as they did. Behind them, two officials from the Ministry of Rites, dressed in bright red robes and beaming, carried the merit list together, hanging it cheerfully on the city wall under the intense gaze of all.