Mr. Wang drooped his head and complained again, "My scholarship is no match for my older brother's. If he had taken the exam this time, he would have surely placed first. What a shame..."
"These things take time. When your brother takes the exam next year, he's sure to win top honors."
"I suppose that's the only way to look at it now."
As they spoke, they arrived before the Dragon Gate.
This was, in fact, the north gate. To pass through it was to leave the examination grounds.
But it had long been known by a more auspicious name: the "Dragon Gate."
A carp leaping over the Dragon Gate—it was the dream of every scholar, the very aspiration that set them upon the path of the imperial examinations.
A few people were already waiting there, but not many—only five or six.
The Dragon Gate would only be opened once ten scholars had gathered. As their numbers were still insufficient, they could only wait.
