When did watching a spectacle become a matter of life and death?
After the initial shock subsided, these individuals secretly rejoiced that they hadn't gotten too close to watch the spectacle.
After Madam Hua and her entourage left, Madam Huang glanced at Xu Dongsheng.
"Are you stupid? People are already eyeing your wife, and you're still acting all high and mighty."
Next time the Hua family comes, don't even ask why, just drive them away.
Xu Dongsheng quickly bowed and agreed, realizing that he hadn't been decisive enough today.
He genuinely didn't think about his own wife, after all, the Zhao family still had two daughters who weren't engaged yet.
Seeing Xu Dongsheng bowing his head and being scolded, Zhao Qingyan muttered "Serves him right" and hurried back to her room.
Meanwhile, inside the house, the Zhao family members were either playing chess or reading.
Everything seemed peaceful and serene; the little incident just now had no effect on them at all.
The neighbors hadn't even had time to rejoice before the alley was filled with questioning from the officials.
Finally, the old woman from the Zhu family across the street from the Zhao family, and the old woman from the Niu family, who were neighbors on the left, were taken away by the officials.
The reason? Slander and defamation, deliberately inducing bad people to commit crimes.
The next day, the judgments for the Zhu family and the old woman from the Niu family were delivered to their homes.
These two are the first people in the county's history to be imprisoned for gossiping, and they will be sentenced to six months in prison.
Although it may not seem like a long time, what kind of good life can a woman have in prison?
When the men of the Zhu and Niu families learned that their wives had been convicted, they sent a letter of divorce directly to the county jail.
The two women cried their hearts out.
If it were solely because of the Zhao family's affairs, these two might not have been sentenced so severely.
While investigating them, the constables also took the opportunity to investigate all the neighborhood disputes caused by rumors in the area over the years.
It was discovered that two women had committed suicide in this alley alone, both times because of rumors spread by these two individuals.
The criminal law stipulates that the period of imprisonment is 1 to 6 months.
Hong Dahai was so angry that he sentenced him to the maximum penalty of six months.
The family that had lost a daughter to suicide celebrated by setting off firecrackers after learning that the Zhu family and the old woman from the Niu family had been convicted.
It's not that we didn't try to get justice for our daughter back then.
But those two old women had such sharp tongues that he couldn't win an argument with them and had to suffer in silence.
Today is truly a day of divine intervention.
The firecrackers were incredibly loud.
Ask what happy event is going on.
"What goes around comes around. It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't come yet. I'm happy, happy for my deceased daughter."
Those wicked people finally got their comeuppance. May the Bodhisattva protect them, and may they die in prison. After death, they will descend to the 18 levels of hell, never to be reborn.
Those who heard it couldn't help but sigh; they were all beautiful young women, and they were gone because of these gossipy people.
All of this was irrelevant to the Zhao family, who were busy waiting for the results of the provincial examination.
This time, the decision will determine whether the Zhao family's social standing can be elevated to a higher level, allowing them to truly enter the ranks of "officials".
This was the day the results of the provincial examination were to be released, and the Zhao family members, as usual, stayed at home obediently to wait for the results.
Why not go to the front of the government office to see?
The Zhao family will tell you that it's called having nothing better to do.
If you win, someone will naturally come to congratulate you; just prepare the congratulatory money. If no one comes to congratulate you, then keep trying.
Going to the bottom of the leaderboard to check the results is still quite risky.
One reason was the large number of people taking the provincial examinations, and another was that every year during the provincial examinations, there were people trying to find a husband among those who passed. This led to many farcical situations.
Those who could find a son-in-law through the imperial examinations were mostly merchants, whose social standing was naturally not very high.
Otherwise, they would have already betrothed their daughter to a family of equal social standing.
Merchants are different; they have money, but what they lack is the opportunity to climb a ladder to success.
Therefore, shrewd merchants set their sights on these newly graduated scholars.
Those from wealthier families would have their servants or pageboys go to see the list; it was unheard of for a young master to go in person.
Therefore, the sons-in-law who were chosen through the examination were generally from poor families.
These are the people that merchants like best, who lure them with profits to marry off an average-looking illegitimate daughter.
Having a promising son-in-law who is a successful candidate in the imperial examinations is a worthwhile investment, even if it means losing ten daughters instead of one.
Therefore, the practice of catching a son-in-law after the list of successful candidates has a long history.
Waiting is the most agonizing thing. You know the outcome is there, but you still have to wait.
The answer will only be revealed at that auspicious time, and you can imagine how bittersweet that feeling will be.
"Is this the Zhao family? Is it the Zhao family from Zhao Family Village, Wufang Town, Qingyang County?"
When they heard someone outside bring out their exact address, the entire Zhao family stood up.
He strode straight to the main gate.
When they opened the door, wow, there was a group of officials standing outside. Luckily, they were all dressed in their usual festive attire, otherwise they would have thought they were there to arrest someone.
Congratulations to Xu Dongsheng from Zhao Family Village, Wufang Town, Qingyang County, for winning first place in the provincial examination.
Congratulations to Zhao Qianci from Zhao Family Village, Wufang Town, Qingyang County, for winning second place in the provincial examination.
Congratulations to Zhao Changgeng from Zhao Family Village, Wufang Town, Qingyang County, for ranking thirteenth in the provincial examination…
After the announcement of the good news, the Zhao family was stunned. The exact rankings didn't matter; what mattered was that they all passed the imperial examinations.
Little Zhao Qingbei ended up hanging at the back of the car, coming in last place.
From this point on, the lowest age limit for the youngest successful candidate in the imperial examinations in Lingnan Prefecture was broken once again. No one has surpassed this record for the past century.
The examiners weighed the pros and cons of the matter repeatedly regarding whether young Zhao Qingyi could pass the imperial examination.
The little guy has a unique and insightful mind; he gets straight to the point and doesn't beat around the bush at all. He answers exactly what he thinks.
The examiners, however, mostly maintained a moderate approach.
When expressing himself, he also liked to be vague and ambiguous, and some examiners even thought that Zhao Qingyi's articles were too straightforward.
If such a person were to become an official, he would either offend a large number of his colleagues or be eliminated early in the power struggles of officialdom.
Ultimately, the final decision on who gets shortlisted rests with the chief examiner.
However, the examiner was taken aback when he learned Zhao Qingbei's age.
She's way too young.
When copying the list of successful candidates, both the chief examiner and the examiners almost thought that the Zhao family had cheated.
How could the success rate be 100% if the questions weren't obtained in advance?
Even more outrageous is that there was a first place winner and a second place winner.
Since cheating is suspected, it is natural to investigate further.
The first group to be investigated were the Zhao family members, including Xu Dongsheng, and their answers.
Generally, if you get the answers in advance, the approach to answering the questions will be similar.
The Zhao family members, however, showed absolutely no overlap in their approaches; they were truly a thousand different people with a thousand different faces.
Especially when the investigation results are presented,
The examiners and graders also understood why this family had passed the imperial examination.
Firstly, he was exceptionally gifted; secondly, he had two prominent figures in the literary world in his family who guided him in his studies. It would be strange if he wasn't academically accomplished.
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