Article 537, Zhao, third place
Have a good night's sleep.
Cheng Wanwan got up early, and Ninglan helped her comb her hair before she went downstairs for a meal.
After a whole day of driving the carriage, they only had some dry rations for lunch, so they needed to eat something better in the morning. She ordered a table full of food, and the seven of them ate at two separate tables.
They had only eaten halfway when the Cheng family came out from the backyard. They had fallen asleep late at night, so they had gotten up a little late. When they saw Cheng Wanwan eating in the main hall, with a table full of all kinds of food, such as porridge, eggs, dumplings, noodles, and scallion pancakes, the aroma made the Cheng family swallow hard.
Sister-in-law Cheng, being the most shameless, immediately moved closer to Cheng Wanwan's table: "Second Aunt, this meal looks beautiful, I wonder how it tastes..."
The way he looks, it's like his desire to eat is written all over his face.
"It tastes amazing." Zhao Sidan licked his lips, put the last dumpling in his mouth, and mumbled, "I'll wrap up the rest and eat them slowly in the carriage later."
Sister-in-law Cheng said dryly, "Fresh food will taste bad if we eat it later, otherwise your aunt will eat it for you..."
Zhao Sidan would never agree to that.
He still remembered that when he used to visit the Cheng family, his aunt would often pull his ear and call him a glutton, and would scold him mercilessly.
He would rather feed the food to Xiao Dian and Xiao Hei than give it to the Cheng family.
He put everything from the bottom of the bowl into a paper bag, wrapped it up, stuffed it into his sleeve, snorted, and strode toward the carriage.
Seeing that the young master of the house did not waste any food, Granny Qi and the others naturally packed up the remaining food and took it with them.
The two tables were instantly spotless, not a single grain of rice left.
Cheng Wanwan stood up and said, "We'll be leaving in a quarter of an hour, so you should eat something as soon as possible."
After saying that, she also walked out of the post station to take a walk outside to digest her food.
Sister-in-law Cheng was utterly humiliated and muttered, "Even the servants get to eat, but we Cheng family members can't even get a bite. Her second aunt is really getting more and more pretentious. No wonder some people say that even a dog in a rich family is more noble than us commoners. Tsk tsk, it's so true..."
"What are you saying, sister-in-law?" Cheng Wanwan suddenly appeared at the door with a big smile. "From what you're saying, are you envious of my dog?"
Sister-in-law Cheng was caught talking behind someone's back and looked extremely embarrassed.
Brother Cheng coughed and said, "Your sister-in-law isn't wrong. They're just a few servants. How can they eat so well? Look at us, we only ordered one steamed bun each. We're not even as well-fed as your servants. Our parents are old and have been traveling a long way. They're eating so poorly. They'll get sick sooner or later if this continues. You're a daughter too, how can you..."
"What, just because I call you 'sister-in-law,' you all really think you're my older brother and sister-in-law?" Cheng Wanwan smiled wryly. "We severed ties more than a year ago. Although I share the surname Cheng, I'm not a member of your Cheng family. The only reason we've traveled together is because of Zhao'er. What I eat is my own doing. If you want to eat, fine, just sign a contract of servitude, and I'll naturally take care of you the whole way. If you can't bring yourself to be a servant, then don't envy the servants who eat well!"
These words were utterly merciless.
Brother Cheng and Sister-in-law Cheng's faces turned pale and then red.
Cheng Wanwan continued, "By the way, your Cheng family still owes me five hundred taels of silver. I didn't mention it because your Cheng family is short of money right now and I planned to talk about it later. Since you have no shame, why should I care about your face? Old Madam Cheng, you also have more than a thousand taels of silver on hand, why don't you take it out to settle the debt?"
Grandma Cheng was furious.
The eldest son's wife is such a troublemaker. Why can't we just live in peace? She has to go and stir up trouble.
The old lady quickly said, "Wanwan, don't bother with those two ungrateful wretches, it's not worth it... I still remember the five hundred taels of silver you owe. Once things settle down in the capital, I'll definitely pay you back with any extra silver I have. I'll need your help along the way, thank you for your hard work."
These words finally calmed Cheng Wanwan down a bit.
She provided the carriage for free, saving the Cheng family a lot of money. Furthermore, with her, a lady of the court, accompanying them, the dangers the Cheng family would encounter along the way would be greatly reduced. She was unconditionally kind to the Cheng family, yet they still spoke ill of her behind her back, making her seem like she was some kind of heinous villain.
She said calmly, "If Boss Cheng doesn't like me spending money, then let's go our separate ways."
Grandma Cheng pinched Brother Cheng hard, wishing she could devour her son alive.
Brother Cheng reluctantly said, "Wanwan, that's not what I meant... Hey, I misspoke, please don't hold it against me. Let's go, it's getting late, if we delay any longer we won't reach the next post station before dark."
Cheng Wanwan tugged at the corners of her lips, turned around and left.
The caravan continued its journey, traveling along official roads that were wide and flat. At each post station, someone would greet them, and the trip went relatively smoothly.
Since they weren't in a hurry, and the Cheng family members were suffering from severe motion sickness, Cheng Wanwan couldn't bear to see it anymore. She asked Granny Yang to help diagnose their pulses and prescribe medicine, and they rested for an extra day. They continued their journey, and on April 29th, twenty-one days later, they finally arrived in the capital. As soon as they reached the city gate, the Cheng family members got out of the carriage to get some fresh air, preferring to walk rather than ride in the carriage again.
Cheng Wanwan also had back pain and wanted to get off the bus to stretch her legs and see the sights of Beijing.
As soon as they got off the carriage, they found the capital city bustling with activity. The streets were packed with people, and the carriage couldn't get in at all. They had to leave Cheng Jia and Wei Xiaohai outside the city while they went in to see what was going on.
Once inside the city gates, the commotion intensified, with the crowd surging in one direction like madmen.
Grandma Cheng was almost knocked over, but luckily Brother Cheng was strong and protected his mother. Otherwise, if she had been knocked over, she wouldn't know who to complain to.
"Good heavens, what's going on?" Although Granny Qi was from the capital, this was the first time she had ever seen such a scene. "Granny Yang, Ninglan, you protect Anren, I'll go and ask what happened."
There was no need to ask at all; a whole bunch of people around helped answer the question.
"Today, the top three scholars, personally selected by the Emperor, are parading through the streets. People from outside the city have come to watch the spectacle; otherwise, where would all these people come from?"
"The top scholars in previous years were all from poor families, so they didn't have such a grand display. This year's top scholar is the eldest son of the Fu family, the Minister of Rites. The Fu family has been spending money all the way, and the whole city has come to share in the joy. Enough said, hurry up and go pick up the money."
"So many people can't even get a few coins, why bother? I came all this way just to see the third-ranked scholar. The third-ranked scholar three years ago was really ugly. I wonder what this year's one looks like."
"..."
Grandma Cheng's eyes widened suddenly: "The results of the palace examination... the palace examination results are out! Come on, let's go see what Zhao'er's score is!"
Brother Cheng was somewhat disappointed: "They said the top scholar's surname is Fu, so it definitely isn't Zhao'er. Didn't they say Zhao'er was guaranteed to be the top scholar? How come it's different from what they said before..."
"I think you're confused!" Old Man Cheng slapped him on the back of the head. "As long as you can become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), it's considered a blessing from the Cheng family ancestors. How can you even dream of becoming the Zhuangyuan (the top scholar)? You're just a peasant, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand, or you'll become a laughing stock!"
Cheng Wanwan said, "The top two scholars parade through the streets. They come out of the palace, cross this main street, and go over there to see the results. Let's just go over there to see the results."
She suppressed her excitement, lifted her skirt, and walked towards a less crowded area, with Granny Qi and Granny Yang leading the way.
Ahead was the Great East Gate of the capital, where all important notices of the imperial city were posted. At this moment, a golden imperial edict was posted here, the most eye-catching list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations. The top scholar was leading the successful candidates through the streets. There weren't many people here, and Cheng Wanwan easily walked in.
She started looking at the first name.
First place: Fu Zheli.
Second place: ...
Third place: Cheng Zhao.
Cheng Wanwan's inner joy suddenly blossomed.
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