The news that Mrs. Zou from the family of the Minister of Revenue spent ten thousand taels of silver to buy an inkstone spread throughout Shengjing!
"What kind of inkstone costs ten thousand taels? Could it be that Madam Zou has been cheated?"
"I think she's a spendthrift! She spent ten thousand taels just to buy an inkstone. If she wants to buy a table, it must be one hundred thousand taels, right?"
"What do you know! That's the Gaoyuan Inkstone used by Mr. Shen Mo!"
On the day when Zou Jianan took part in the Spring Examination, everyone, whether they knew him or not, cast their eyes on him the moment he appeared.
The more reserved ones just watched silently. The more straightforward ones walked up directly and asked with a smile, "Excuse me, Brother Zou, did you bring the Gaoyuan Inkstone with you today?"
He rubbed his hands excitedly and said impatiently: "We are all good brothers. No matter what, we should open our brothers' eyes!"
The common people only knew that the inkstone costing ten thousand taels of silver was an exaggeration, but these scholars knew that the value of this inkstone was far more than that!
That is Mr. Shen Mo’s inkstone!
Zou Jianan naturally brought it with him. Although he could not bring it into the examination room, for peace of mind, he would hold the teacher's inkstone until the last moment!
"Go away! Is the sir's inkstone used to open the eyes?" Zou Jianan protected the inkstone in his arms as if he were protecting his own cub, and moved forward carefully without even revealing a corner of the box.
His stingy look angered everyone, "Zou Jianan, you're so ungrateful! What's wrong with just giving us a look? Let us get a taste of your Confucian spirit!"
Zou Jianan didn't even turn his head. "What are you trying to get involved with? Don't let your vulgarity ruin me!"
This group of bad friends came to block the inkstone during the Spring Examination. What were they thinking? Didn’t they think he didn’t know?
If you have the ability, buy it yourself!
Zou Jianan walked quickly, holding the inkstone, and soon left those people behind. His family had specially sent four servants to escort him today, because they had long anticipated the situation today.
Fortunately, it is better to be prepared.
The Spring Examination was packed with students, each one having fought their way through numerous obstacles to reach the exam. Even though Zou Jianan thought he was well prepared, he still felt a little uneasy looking at the vast crowd.
"Sir, you must grant me strength!"
He hugged the inkstone tightly, and then, with great reluctance, handed it to the servant at home. He repeatedly warned, "Remember, you can't drop it. After you take it back, let my mother worship it and no one else can touch it!"
In the past few days, he has kept this inkstone at home. If he didn't want to be influenced by the teacher's Confucian spirit, he would not have brought it to the examination hall today.
However, I don’t know if it was Zou Jianan’s illusion, but I always felt that when he walked into the examination room after carrying the inkstone all the way, he was more confident than before!
It must be the power of the gentleman that worked!
"Hey, how are you preparing? You can't even fail this idiot, right?" Qin Shaobei looked at Zou Jianan with amusement as he went in, and then he and Pei Ru were waiting for inspection at the back. He really didn't expect that someone would actually believe what his sister made up.
Not only do some people believe it, but they are also very confident about it.
"He doesn't really think that he can pass the exam with this inkstone, right?" Qin Shaobei touched his chin, very surprised.
After all, he is the son of the Minister of Revenue. He can’t be so naive, right?
Pei Rushi didn't even bother to look at him, and said as he walked forward, "It has nothing to do with me."
What others did was unimportant to Pei Rushi. He came to participate in the Spring Examination, and all he had to do was prepare himself and take the exam seriously.
As for who will take the exam, how they will do, those are not his concerns.
Qin Shaobei started chasing after her, "Pei Rushi, don't walk so fast! We still have to wait a while, let's chat!"
When preparing for the exam, in order to concentrate, Qin Shaobei rarely locked himself up and did not see anyone. Now that he finally came out and saw people, with his temper, he even wanted to chat with a passing dog.
But Pei Rushi didn't cooperate at all. After standing in the line, he was very focused and had no desire to chat at all.
Qin Shaobei was unwilling to leave, so he stood beside him and chatted with him. Seeing that he ignored him, it didn't matter, as long as there was someone next to him, it would be fine.
The chattering sound kept lingering in his ears. Pei Rushi noticed the expressions of the people around him and began to get impatient. So, when Qin Shaobei kept chattering, he finally spoke:
"If you don't shut up, I'm afraid you won't even be able to pass the test for a fool."
"How is that possible?!"
Qin Shaobei jumped up instantly, and after realizing where he was, he calmed down under the contemptuous gazes of the crowd and said in a low voice, "Even if you are jealous of my talent, you can't curse me like this before the exam, right?"
He bumped Pei Rushi's arm and said, "I didn't realize you still have this hand."
Qin Shaobei smiled cunningly, but Pei Rushi looked at him as if he were a fool.
Just as they were about to speak, they heard someone calling them. When they turned around, they saw several women trying to squeeze over.
"Fortunately, I made it in time."
Shen Ruoyan came over with her maids. Because there were too many people, she was still sweating even with the maids protecting her.
"I had calculated the time, but I didn't expect the streets to be blocked today. I had to take a long detour to get here." Shen Ruoyan said as she asked someone to bring her things. The examination conditions were demanding, so she prepared everything she could.
"Cousin, Master Pei, these are pastries. They can be kept for a long time. They should be enough for the next few days." Shen Ruoyan opened the lid, and the pastries inside could no longer be seen in their original appearance. "They are all broken into pieces. You can take them in without worry."
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