Finally, almost everyone in the village who was at home followed, forming a huge, bustling crowd.
"These yamen runners in red clothes came to deliver the news with gongs and drums. Ten years ago, Wang Xiucai was on the list once, but the number of people was half that of this one."
"No one from our village passed the imperial examination to become a scholar. Could it be that they went to the neighboring village?"
"They're probably going to the neighboring village to see which one from there passed the exam. They must be ranked high. Let's go and see what's going on."
The constables asked a child a question, and then proceeded to the front of the shepherd's house, leaving the villagers looking at each other in bewilderment.
They began to realize that there was something they had overlooked.
"Excuse me, is student Mu Xinghe at home?" the leader asked.
Mu Xinghe came out of the house and bowed respectfully.
The foreman nodded, took out a document, and read aloud: "Mu Xinghe, a native of Datian Village, Qingshui Town, Ning County, aged seventeen, ranked among the top eight in the Yuezhou County Examination in August of the Jia Shen year, meeting the requirements for a stipend student. He is permitted to receive one shi of rice and grain from the county government every month, and will be paid a salary of five hundred wen. He will be assessed at the prefectural government every two years. If he passes the assessment, he will continue to enjoy the stipend student's preferential treatment; if he fails the assessment, he will be demoted to an ordinary scholar."
The villagers were in an uproar. They never expected that Mu Xinghe would actually pass the imperial examination and become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), ranking among the top eight in the entire prefecture.
What does this mean?
Those who are confident of passing the imperial examination are among the top twenty in the entire prefecture, so Mu Xinghe is definitely going to pass.
"This child doesn't seem flamboyant at all. I thought he wasn't very bright, but I never expected him to be so talented and so good at learning."
"Yes, you really can't judge a book by its cover."
"Returning to the village with such good results but not making a fuss shows that this child is very composed."
"So the Qiao family already knew, which is why they couldn't wait to finalize the marriage. Xi'er is going to be very lucky in the future."
"I'll be an official's wife from now on, with people to serve me, and I'll never have to lift a finger. I can't even imagine living like that."
In an instant, the tide turned, and everyone praised Mu Xinghe for his composure and competence, and the Qiao family for their foresight in seizing the opportunity.
Mu Xinghe's two uncles and fourth uncle looked at him in disbelief, thinking that the boy was lying to them and hadn't even passed the preliminary examination.
Who would have thought they'd bring back a mere scholar, a student with a stipend?
These red-uniformed yamen runners also brought twenty catties of rice and two taels of silver as a reward.
After taking care of what needed to be done, they went back.
Meanwhile, the area in front of the Mu family's house was in an uproar.
After experiencing shock and disbelief, the villagers began to accept the fact. Apart from a small group of people who were jealous and resentful, most of them sincerely congratulated Mu Xinghe.
Just like before, Mu Xinghe remained humble and expressed his gratitude to everyone one by one.
Zhao Lizheng stepped forward, patted Mu Xinghe on the shoulder, and said with a look of satisfaction: "Xinghe, you are a low-key and honest person who never shows off your skills. It is unprecedented in our village that you have become a student of the Imperial Academy. You are the pride of our Datian Village."
"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell everyone. You are a promising talent, and everyone will never abandon you. We will support you with every meal and every drop of soup until the day you pass the imperial examination."
Mu Xinghe knew that Zhao Lizheng was good to him. After his mother died, Zhao Lizheng told him to come to him if he had any difficulties, and even gave him five catties of rice.
He was too embarrassed to ask Zhao Lizheng for money again after borrowing it last time.
“Yes, Xinghe lost his parents and his family was destitute. Now that he has passed the imperial examination and become a government-subsidized student, he is ambitious. Let’s support him as much as we can,” a villager said.
So everyone went home, bringing eggs, dried vegetables, meat, and rice.
In no time, the main room of Mu Xinghe's house was filled with things.
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