Chapter 236 My husband passed the imperial examination with top honors.
The fifth prince was overjoyed upon hearing this; since he was escaping anyway, anywhere was fine.
Just as the two of them finished speaking, a group of robbers suddenly appeared in front of them.
"You, leave everything in the carriage behind!"
The coachman and the fifth prince were so frightened that they quickly got into the carriage.
The Fifth Prince sat in the carriage, head hunched, not daring to move an inch.
The coachman, a man of the world, said frankly, "My carriage is empty."
The bandits didn't believe it, so they strode over to the carriage and pulled open the curtain.
The fifth prince, startled by their presence, threw the entire bundle away without a second thought, exclaiming, "There's silver in here!"
This startled both the bandits and the coachman.
The bandits immediately surrounded the bundle, opened it, and found it full of gold and silver jewelry.
Upon seeing this, the coachman quickly spurred the carriage away.
"Young man, sit down properly."
The Fifth Prince gripped the carriage tightly. "Yes, Uncle."
The coachman sped up the carriage, and before the bandits could notice, they had already run far away.
Once they reached a safe place, the coachman slowed down, let out a long sigh of relief, and asked the Fifth Prince, "You said your parents are dead, so how come you're carrying so much gold and silver jewelry?!"
The fifth prince lowered his head, on the verge of tears, "That was all my possessions."
The coachman was taken aback. "You silly child, you only needed to throw away a portion of the silver. Why didn't you keep any for yourself?"
The Fifth Prince was filled with regret at this moment, "I was so scared!"
The driver shook his head helplessly, "You're such a coward, young man!"
The Fifth Prince was now penniless and had no choice but to shamelessly follow the coachman.
The driver continued heading towards Cheng'an County.
Ten days later, the palace examination began.
Zhou Ruiyuan carefully disguised himself before entering the palace.
Four years later, he finally returned to the palace.
This time, however, he was no longer the crown prince, but a candidate.
During the palace examination, the emperor admired him and did not make things difficult for him after he finished answering the questions. He only asked him a few questions and then let him go.
When he left, he had to keep his head down to avoid being recognized by the ministers in the court.
Fortunately, the day passed without incident, and no one recognized him as the former Crown Prince.
Two days later, the list of successful candidates for the provincial examination was released.
Although Zhou Ruiyuan did not become the top scholar, he did become the third-ranked scholar.
For him, being the top scorer was too eye-catching, while being the third-place finisher was just right.
The next day, the handsome young scholar, along with a group of other successful candidates, returned to the palace. This time, after leaving the palace, he received an imperial edict from the emperor.
The emperor personally appointed him as the magistrate of Cheng'an County, and after a year, he was to go to the capital again to serve as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
This is simply a show for others: first, serve as a minor official in a local area for a year, and then be given a chance to make meritorious contributions and be promoted directly to the third rank.
Zhou Ruiyuan was slightly surprised when he received the imperial edict, not expecting the emperor to value him so highly.
However, this is also an opportunity.
Three days later, Zhou Ruiyuan headed towards Cheng'an County with the appointment as the magistrate of Cheng'an County.
Within Changliu Village.
Upon hearing that the coachman had returned, Du Wanchun hurriedly greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Zhang, how is my husband doing in the capital?"
The coachman replied with a smile, "Manager Zhou is doing well in the capital."
Hearing the voice, the Fifth Prince in the carriage leaned out and looked at Du Wanchun. "Uncle, who is this?"
The driver replied, "This is our eldest young mistress."
At this moment, Aunt Zhou also came over with a smile, "Did he receive everything?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze fell upon the figure of the Fifth Prince, and both of them were startled.
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