Chapter 588 Top of the Autumn Examination List

The results of the autumn imperial examinations were announced the following day.

Gu Xiuwen participated in this autumn imperial examination. The men and women of the Gu family who did not hold official positions and were not required to work at the government office stayed with Madam Gu in her courtyard, waiting for the servant who had come to check the results. They attached great importance to Gu Xiuwen's performance in this autumn imperial examination.

Gu Xiuwen, the person involved, didn't seem to mind. He was playing with his fourth brother Wanwan and his nephew Yunxin. The two little guys were incredibly cute. It was just that the fourth brother called Yunxin "brother," which messed up the generational order and made the elders laugh. But when facing him, the fourth brother didn't make a mistake. He was taught to call him "third brother," and he did.

Gu Xiuwen laughed and said, "Third Aunt, is Fourth Brother so insistent on calling Yunxin 'older brother'?"

Meng Jinyao said helplessly, "This little fool has been calling me that from the beginning. Your third uncle and I tried to correct him, but we couldn't. He'll understand when he's older. There's no use saying anything now. He's stubbornly calling me 'brother,' so let him call me that."

Gu Xiuwen said, "Perhaps it's because Yunxin is the only child of similar age in the family, so the fourth brother stubbornly calls him 'elder brother'."

Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "I reckon so."

Zhang glanced at Wanwan, then turned her gaze to Meng Jinyao and said, "Wanwan's older brothers and sisters are all grown up. He's a bit lonely without any siblings of his own age to keep him company. Third sister-in-law and third brother, try your best to give Wanwan a younger brother or sister so that Wanwan can have a companion."

In front of everyone, Meng Jinyao couldn't very well say that her husband didn't want her to have any more children, so she just pretended to be shy and lowered her head without saying a word.

Madam Gu didn't care whether Wanwan had younger siblings or not. Having Wanwan, her precious grandson, was already an unexpected joy. She didn't ask for anything else, so she smiled and said, "Ayao, there's no need to feel pressured. Let nature take its course."

Zhang quickly agreed, "That's right, let nature take its course."

Feeling that the topic was not suitable to continue, Ms. Chen subtly changed the subject.

The family chatted and laughed, enjoying themselves immensely. The servant who had gone out to check the results returned with the good news. When Old Madam Gu asked him, he excitedly said, "Reporting to Old Madam, the Third Young Master has passed!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present showed joy, especially Zhang, who burst into tears of happiness. Her husband was a good-for-nothing, a complete scoundrel, and she had only hoped that her children would amount to something. Three years ago, Xiuyuan passed the imperial examination, and today, three years later, Xiuwen passed the same examination. Xiuyuan will participate in the spring imperial examination next year, and Xiuwen will also participate. If both brothers pass the imperial examination next year and become officials, she will finally be able to put her mind at ease. Then she can find a virtuous wife for Xiuwen and a good husband for her daughter. She will surely find a husband that her daughter will be satisfied with.

With a beaming smile, Madam Gu asked, "What place did the Third Young Master get in the exam?"

The servant replied, "Eighth place."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was astonished. They hadn't expected that this child, who had been spoiled and lazy, could achieve such a good ranking. It should be noted that Xiu Yuan and Xiu Hong, who had always studied diligently, did not achieve such good rankings in the autumn examination three years ago. Back then, Xiu Hong from the second branch of the family ranked eighteenth, which was already a very good ranking. Xiu Yuan from the first branch of the family was less talented, but he made up for it with hard work and ranked one hundred and twentieth, almost failing the exam. However, among more than ten thousand candidates, ranking one hundred and twentieth was one in ten thousand.

Meng Jinyao was also surprised. She had heard her husband say before that Xiuwen was very smart, no less so than Xiuhong from the second wife's side, and the most clever among the brothers. However, he was spoiled by his sister-in-law and became lazy, not studying hard. Now, seeing Xiuwen's rapid progress, she truly believed her husband's words. She wasn't too surprised when Xiuwen passed the county-level examination and became a scholar, but now that he ranked eighth in the autumn examination, she was truly astonished. It seemed that the time he spent traveling and studying had greatly benefited Xiuwen, and his studies had improved significantly.

Suddenly, Meng Jinyao remembered her younger brother and asked the servant, "My second brother also participated in this autumn examination. Did you see if he was at the top of the list?"

At this point, the servant was quite excited: "Madam, my uncle is also on the list this year, and he's even the top scholar in this autumn imperial examination!"

Who is the top scholar in this autumn imperial examination?

Meng Jinyao was both surprised and delighted. Her husband had previously tested her second brother and said that if he performed normally, he would definitely get a good ranking. She never expected him to get the top spot.

Originally, Zhang was overjoyed and wept because her son had ranked eighth in the exam. However, upon hearing that her younger brother's brother had become the top scholar in the provincial examination, her joy was somewhat diminished. Meng Chengzhang had previously ranked first in the provincial examination, and this time he was the top scholar in the autumn provincial examination. If he were to become the top scholar in the spring provincial examination next year, wouldn't he be a triple champion? This child is two years younger than their Xiuwen, yet he is so accomplished.

But the next moment, Zhang calmed down. Her son had a good relationship with Meng Chengzhang, and Meng Chengzhang was promising. In the future, they could support each other. It is said that when making friends, one should make good friends. It is better to make a promising friend than a useless one. A useless friend can only serve as a foil and cannot help at all.

Just as everyone was surprised that Meng Chengzhang was the top scorer in this year's autumn imperial examination, Gu Xiuwen's delighted voice rang out: "What did you say? My second uncle is the top scorer?"

The servant nodded: "That's right."

Gu Xiuwen was overjoyed: "I knew my second uncle had the talent to be a top scholar, and he was sure he would make it into the top three this time!"

Seeing her son's reaction, Zhang's lips twitched. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Although Wanwan could call Meng Chengzhang "uncle," he wasn't a proper uncle. Why was he so excited? Just now, her son hadn't been very excited when he learned he had come in eighth place. Now that someone else had come in first, he was so excited, without the slightest hint of disappointment at being outdone. She didn't know whether to call him dim-witted or not, but it was good. A good attitude would prevent him from getting upset. Maintaining a good attitude and continuing to be on good terms with Meng Chengzhang would be very helpful in the future.

Seeing this, Madam Gu was happy for her daughter-in-law's younger brother's success, and at the same time, she was very pleased with her grandson's reaction. This child's temperament was different from Zhang's and the eldest son's. He was lively and cheerful, broad-minded, and neither arrogant nor impatient. This proved that her decision was correct. Fortunately, she had asked Yaoling to find the headmaster of Lingshan Academy and let Xiuwen study at Lingshan Academy. He was influenced by the environment and studied hard, so that the child's talent was not buried.

Madam Gu rewarded the servant who was checking the list, and then said in a kind tone, "Today our family has a great joyous occasion, so we are holding a family banquet to celebrate. Eldest daughter-in-law, you are in charge of this matter."

Zhang smiled and replied, "Yes, Mother."

Madam Gu then looked at Gu Xiuwen and said gently, "Xiuwen, you did well in the exam this time, and your grandmother is proud of you. But you must not relax because of this. There will be the spring examination in a few months. Keep up the good work." As she spoke, she said to Gu Xiuyuan, "Xiuyuan, you will also participate in the spring examination next year. Your grandmother is hoping that you and your brother will be on the list."

Seeing his younger brother's success, Gu Xiuyuan, as the elder brother, inevitably felt some pressure. However, after three years of hard work and studying diligently, he occasionally sought guidance from his third uncle. He was confident about the upcoming imperial examination next year and replied with a smile, "Grandmother, rest assured, your grandson will definitely work hard."

Gu Xiuwen also said, "Grandmother, your grandson will work even harder."