This exam will take a whole day.

Unable to find any shade, Xiangyang squatted in a corner, his little face sunburned red and his lips cracked, looking pitiful.

Some people took pity on him and gave him a few coins.

Xiangyang happily accepted it and even said a few auspicious words to the person who accepted it.

Xiao Guai was stunned: "Xiangyang, how could you become a beggar!"

“What’s wrong with being a beggar?” Xiangyang said, counting the coins one by one. “Being a beggar is earning money, not stealing it.”

Just as Xiao Guai was wondering what to say, Xiang Yang spoke up again.

"By the way, aren't I Minghe now? Don't call me Xiangyang anymore."

"Huh?" Xiao Guai was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening.

Do we really have to be this serious?

Little Darling: "Minghe?"

Minghe: "Hey, what's wrong?"

Little Darling: "..."

Because someone started it, one after another, others started throwing coins at Minghe.

Minghe accepted them all, and his auspicious words were incredibly varied and witty.

May your child soar like a roc on the wind, rising ninety thousand miles high!

"The youth's vigor surpasses the rising sun; one day they will surely roam freely and dominate the world!"

"A three-thousand-word essay on the imperial examination, a name inscribed on the golden list in the vibrant spring!"

One auspicious phrase after another came out, making passersby laugh heartily and exclaim, "Good! Good!"

Just then, several unassuming elderly men with beards passed by and glanced at the little beggar.

After some laughter, one of them walked over to Minghe, bent down, and asked the little beggar with a smile, "Which teacher taught you those auspicious words?"

"Huh?" Minghe sat on the ground and blinked.

Given his own knowledge and age, if he claimed to have written it himself, these old foxes from ancient times would easily see through his deception.

So, he blinked his big eyes, looking a little scared and innocent, and said, "This, this is all from what I heard from my young master. I, I am my young master's page."

"Oh?" The old man blinked with interest, then asked, "So, what's your young master's name?"

Minghe: "My young master's name is Xu Jingying."

The old man was puzzled by what he heard.

Does the Xu family have such a young master?

The man didn't say anything, but took out a small ingot of silver from his pocket, gave it to him, and then left.

Minghe vaguely heard those people say that after the exam, they would take out the young master Xu's exam paper separately and take a look at it.

"Wow!" Minghe and Xiaoguai exclaimed in surprise, "Xu Jingying is the male lead, right? Look, he's already cheating!"

Xiao Guai: "...Xiangyang, you guided him out with a clear direction and purpose, didn't you?"

Minghe: "I told you to call me Minghe."

“Oh~” Xiao Guai was a little worried. “Ming, Minghe, if we put him in a high position, won’t that make him a great villain? It would be better to guide him to be an ordinary person.”

“That kid is very ambitious,” Minghe shrugged. “If his ambitions are not satisfied, he will only become more and more abnormal. So, he is destined to be extraordinary.”

Perhaps this is what people mean when they say, "If you don't become a demon, you become a god."

Minghe carefully kept all the copper coins she had begged, not intending to let Xu Jingying know.

After all, this might be undignified for Xu Jingying, so he might as well hide the money and find a way to spend it on Xu Jingying later.

The sun was getting stronger and stronger, and Minghe's face was peeling from the sun.

Xu Jingying finally finished the exam and came out. As soon as he came out, he saw a little boy huddled in a corner behind the bustling crowd, looking drowsy.

He...didn't go back?

Was he waiting for me to finish my exams and come out the whole time?

Xu Jingying's heart was slightly touched, and then she walked towards him.

He stood in front of Minghe, looking at him quietly, but when his mouth opened slightly, he forgot what his name was.

His name is Ming, but what does "Ming" mean?

Xu Jingying squatted down in front of Minghe.

The sunset glow bathed the two boys, making the scene incredibly heartwarming.

Xu Jingying reached out his hand and touched Minghe.

"elder brother?"

Minghe, who was huddled in this small corner and dozing off, was jolted awake by the call of "brother." When she opened her eyes, she saw a tender face bathed in the golden glow of the sunset.

Ah~

It's unbelievably beautiful.

Minghe smiled even before her eyes were fully open. It wasn't the naivety and ignorance typical of someone her age, but rather the magnanimity of an elder.

Xu Jingying suddenly felt that no matter what he did or what kind of person he was, he could easily forgive himself.

Even his mother had never looked at him like that.

Minghe smiled and said, "Young Master, you call me 'brother' so sweetly."

Xu Jingying, who was squatting in front of him, trembled slightly and called out to him, "Brother."

Minghe: "Hmm?"

Xu Jingying smiled at him, "Brother, you're so good to me. Will you treat me this well in the future?"

“Yes, I will,” Minghe saw the dark thoughts in the boy’s eyes, but he smiled back and revealed their identities, saying, “Only a servant would.”

As long as I remain his servant, my life belongs to him.

Minghe hadn't eaten all day, and by the time he got back, he was so hungry he was dizzy.

There's another exam tomorrow, so Minghe took some time to go to the market and buy some rice and flour. When Xu Jingying asked about it, he said that he had asked for his wages in advance.

Xu Jingying ate the food he had cooked and asked him, "How much did all this cost?"

“Not much.” Minghe felt there was no need to say it explicitly.

But he could also tell that Xu Jingying was planning how to repay him.

Xu Jingying didn't think much of it.

Xu Jingying is indeed less nervous now than yesterday.

The questions on the test were all simple, and although he hadn't deliberately studied them, he was still able to answer them.

Minghe could tell from his state of mind.

Indeed, someone who can become a great treacherous minister must be quite learned.

The exam went smoothly the next day, and Minghe waited for him outside all day.

He was still wearing those ridiculous straw sandals.

The Xu family probably still doesn't know that their young master passed the imperial examination in the last two days.

Two days after the exam, the county magistrate personally visited the Xu family.

Mr. Xu was overwhelmed with gratitude, and Mrs. Xu even pulled her eldest daughter to do her makeup.

The entire government was busy preparing.