460 people have not arrived yet, but the letter has arrived first
It was basically expected that Ping An and Zhou Heng would win this time.
The top three were like a dark horse that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caught up with the last candidate in the group, who was known as Sun Shan.
After the people in the small courtyard on the village were ecstatic, Wanli took Jixiang and Dazhuang and rushed to the gambling house in the city.
This time, in order to support Young Master Ping'an, they basically bet one hundred taels, with Wanli and He Jin each betting five hundred.
Ping'an could not have imagined that his father and uncle had also secretly bought bets. It was only after he gave the stub to Wanli to collect it that others found out about it. They each bet one hundred taels.
Ping An won the first place, with odds of one to four. If you bet one hundred, you can get back four hundred taels including principal and interest, a net profit of three hundred.
The three strong men and Zhou Heng were heartbroken. They didn't have much money on them, and they bet on Ping An to get the first place. It was good for Ping An to study, but betting on the first place was still risky. They originally prepared twenty taels each, but later Ping An forced them to add another thirty taels, saying that if they lost, it would be theirs, and if they won, they would be theirs.
It's already very good to earn one hundred and fifty taels from fifty taels of books.
They still couldn't get involved in gambling. Even at this moment, they couldn't help but feel happy, but they were also filled with regret.
This is not good.
Ping An took the oil-paper bag handed over by Lin Feng, which contained eight thousand taels of silver notes, a net profit of six thousand, as his master had bet the same amount as him.
This kind of money can only be earned this way. There is no way to take the imperial examination. The top scorer in a prefecture is not the most impressive. When it comes to the imperial examination in the capital, the top scorers in the provincial examinations of all prefectures will come to take the exam. That’s not all. There are also many juren who have taken the exam once, two or three times.
Ping An didn’t even think about getting first place.
He never really thought about becoming the top scorer. It would be great if he could be in the top ten or twenty.
Wan Changsheng wanted to show off when he got home, but after thinking about it, he decided not to mention it.
Just like what the eldest master said, it would be best to get to the capital before the middle of the twelfth lunar month.
After I have settled down a little, it will be the Chinese New Year. There is only one month after the Chinese New Year, and the spring exam will be on February 20th. During this period, I still have to check the examination venues and do other preparations.
It snowed a little last night, but luckily it stopped soon. However, there is no guarantee that there won’t be heavy snow along the way. If we leave early, we won’t be delayed for a few days, but if it’s after the New Year, I wouldn’t dare to think about it.
Besides, my wife and son have no intention of returning home.
That's all.
The next day was the Lu Ming Banquet. Although Ping An had been praised by the world since he was a child because he was his master's apprentice, he had become accustomed to it.
This time, he won the top spot in the provincial examination and still stole the limelight.
In the entire Yong'an City, there are probably few people who don't know that Wan Ping'an, the eldest son's apprentice, has won four first prizes in a row.
Many people stamped their feet in regret.
Quite a number of people were originally planning to bet on him for the first place, but later thought better of it and decided to bet on the second or fourth place, thus missing out on the opportunity to make a fortune.
Some people even thought that it must be a lucky coincidence. There were people who won the top three places in the provincial examination at the age of 18, but those who really won the first place in the provincial examination were basically older people, or even those who had experience in provincial examinations.
Zhou Heng got thirteenth place this time, which was a pretty good ranking. He went to the banquet with Sanqiang and Ping'an. When he arrived at the banquet, he saw that something was wrong and immediately took Sanqiang to hide aside.
Peace is too dazzling.
From the prefect to the examiner, and even the candidates of the same year, all of them gathered around him. Some asked him to compose a poem, some asked him about his reading experience, and later, some even asked him to help diagnose their pulse.
Ping An is feeling quite tired.
He just returned home from Tianguang Temple the evening before yesterday, was surprised and happy yesterday, and today is the Luming Banquet, which gave him no chance to catch his breath.
Before that, there was a nine-day exam. As soon as the exam was over, we went to Tianguang Temple to see the abbot and then keep vigil and attend the funeral.
It's about a month before and after.
He was so tired, more tired than ever before.
But at the banquet, he was always smiling and talking, without a trace of impatience.
When they returned to the carriage after the banquet, Lin Feng and Xiao Wu noticed that something was wrong with the young master, and immediately drove to Baicaotang.
Sun Sicheng happened to be in the medical clinic. Seeing Xiao Wu driving the carriage over in a rage, he knew something was wrong. Sure enough, the next moment, Lin Feng and Xiao Wu helped Ping An get off the carriage.
Zhou Heng and the top three followed closely behind.
"Master, the young master has a fever." Lin Feng frowned.
Sun Sicheng said nothing, but touched Ping'an's forehead, which was almost big enough to boil an egg.
"Hurry up and send him to the back hall. Xiao Wu will take Zhou Heng and San Qiang back to the village later. Tell Ping An's mother that Ping An is feeling a little unwell and will stay in the city tonight."
Wan Changsheng and his uncle went out to see patients. Before they went out to see patients, he told them to go home directly after the consultation and not to come tomorrow. They should pack up at home and rush to the capital as soon as Chen Xuan arrived.
Ping'an knew that his master was treating him while he was drowsy, so he felt at ease and slept without any worries.
Even when taking medicine, I drink it with my eyes closed.
I slept until dark and was already lying on the kang in my master's house.
"Awake? I'll ask Lin Feng to bring some porridge. Just have a bite. Lin Feng, go get some food. Go and have a rest later. Don't let everyone fall ill. Wanli is not feeling well either."
"Is Uncle Ming sick too?"
"Not as serious as yours, but I'm still a little hot. The death of the abbot must have been a big blow to him."
"Master, I met the abbot last night. He said he was going to be reincarnated and he didn't want to be a monk in his next life."
"What you think about during the day you will dream about at night." He also saw it, but didn't say anything.
Ping'an remained silent. He believed it now, but there were some things he could not tell anyone. So let it be.
The next morning, Xiao Wu brought a small note: "Master, this is from Master Chen to Master Chen."
Ping An took it and looked at it: "Xuan, I'm lucky to have passed the exam, and I'm ranked 59th."
Ping An smiled, it was not bad nor good. In the general large prefectures of the Great Zhou Dynasty, one hundred juren were admitted each time, such as Yong'an. Some small prefectures only had sixty to eighty people.
Qingzhou is not small. If there are 100 people, Chen Xuan ranks 59th, which is considered average. However, it would be difficult to go to the capital for the imperial examination with such a score. However, it is also good to accumulate some experience. For example, if he is Sun Shan among the top three, he has basically no chance of passing the exam in the capital.
But you can accumulate experience. Besides, you can also go to Jinghua Academy or Imperial College to study. In these two academies, as long as you are a juren, you are generally exempt from examinations.
"Chen Xuan has also passed the exam. He will probably arrive in the next two days. Xiao Wu, go back to the manor in the evening. We should pack up some things. My parents and uncle are going to the capital this time, so we won't come here often in the future."
In the afternoon, Sun Sicheng returned home and learned that Chen Xuan had also passed the exam. It was not too surprising. He had been in the hands of the Wang father and son for two and a half years. As long as he studied hard and had good talent, there was a high probability that he would pass the exam.
"Your uncle and aunt will be here tomorrow with little Changze. Calculating the date, Chen Xuan should be able to come in the next two days. He is safe. You feel better today. Is it okay to leave in two days?"
"Master, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired this month. I'll be back to the village this afternoon. I have some things to pack. I'm afraid my mother will worry."
Sun Sicheng nodded, "Have you written a letter to the old man of the Wang family?
Ping An took out a letter and said, "Master, please help me mail it."
He originally wanted to send a letter to the Hao family in the border town, but then he thought better of it as it was too far away. He had sent them sea goods in Minzhou before, and now it must have arrived, so it could be considered a New Year's gift.
The next afternoon, Chen Xuan arrived with his guards, exhausted.
Ping An smiled and said, "You really have received the letter before you have arrived. Congratulations, Mr. Chen."
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