He is not young anymore, so he naturally understands the reason behind this.
"No matter what, I will give it my all for this autumn's exam," he said firmly. "I will do my best, and no matter what the result is, I hope to have no regrets."
Ever since that night, Wen Zhu's heart was always in turmoil whenever he thought of Chen Rang.
Fortunately, the imperial examination was about to begin, and Shen Rang became very busy. He came home very late and very tired every day. At this time, Wen Chan could not go to him, and Wen Zhu could finally relax for a few days.
The autumn exam is divided into three stages, each lasting three days.
After the exams are over, the real busyness begins.
Officials were sealing the test papers and copying the answers, and people sent from the capital to deliver the imperial edicts were rushing to various places without stopping.
The post stations along the way prepared fast horses and food early to ensure that they could complete the mission smoothly.
This incident happened suddenly, catching many places off guard. Some people were excited, while others felt disappointed.
Those who had been preparing for the celebration banquet were now silent, but those who were usually inconspicuous but had real talents and skills were all smiling.
Regardless of what the future holds, at least this imperial examination was the fairest in history!
The support of scholars all over the world for the court reached an unprecedented level.
When the emperor heard the good news, he was very satisfied and immediately gave the prince a generous reward.
Even Concubine De benefited from this. Not only did she receive extra rewards, she was also favored by the emperor for several consecutive days and enjoyed great glory in the palace.
The Queen and the Crown Prince looked at the smug look on the mother and son's faces.
"Prince, it was these mother and son who stole our glory! Are we just going to let them go like this?"
There was dissatisfaction in the Queen's voice.
The prince bowed and replied, "I have already set up an ambush on the road, hoping to intercept the officials, but my father actually sent troops to escort them, so I really didn't find the opportunity."
The Queen sneered, "The eldest prince is really lucky. There is always someone to clean up his mess!"
"Don't be angry, mother. It's not worth hurting your body." The prince consoled her.
However, how could the queen not be angry?
The original plan was for the crown prince to come forward, but the eldest prince took the credit.
Coupled with the military escort arranged by the emperor, there was no way to intervene.
"There will always be a way to teach Concubine De a lesson!" The Queen slammed the table in anger.
Within a few days, lists were posted in various places.
Early in the morning, Duan Huaichuan had already arrived at Chen's study waiting for news.
Except for the Chen couple, all other students came.
We waited from early morning until noon, and when everyone was about to give up hope, loud sounds of gongs and drums were heard outside.
Everyone looked up hurriedly and saw the village chief walking in with a few new faces.
As soon as the visitor entered, he clasped his fists and asked, "Excuse me, who is Mr. Duan Huaichuan?"
Duan Huaichuan immediately stood up and saluted: "It is the junior."
The man smiled and congratulated, "Congratulations, Master Duan, you've become the top scholar this time. That's really a string of good things!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the people present suddenly quieted down and then burst into cheers.
Topping the list of the provincial examination was an incredible achievement.
The eyes of the messengers were full of admiration for him.
After the list was announced, everyone was discussing who this new champion was.
Most people thought he came from a prominent family, but they didn't expect he came from such an inconspicuous little village.
As soon as the news came out, the whole Xikou Village was in an uproar. The village had a top scholar!
Someone immediately suggested changing the village name to "Jieyuan Village", which sounds so domineering.
People gathered in the study to ask for the reward, and Mrs. Chen distributed it one after another with a smile, without being stingy at all.
After all, Duan Huaichuan lost his parents when he was young, and it was the Chen couple who raised him as their own son. Naturally, they are generous now.
When the rewards were distributed, the village began to prepare a grand banquet to celebrate this happy event.
Duan Huaichuan, on the other hand, held the wedding newspaper tightly, his eyes flashing with longing for the future.
Officials in the capital became very busy after learning that the imperial examination results were announced.
Shen Jun was no exception, and specially invited Shen Rang to help handle the affairs.
The two of them sat in the study, checking the list of grades page by page, looking for a few young people with potential to enter the court for the prince.
Finally, several candidates were selected, and then people were sent to contact the young people who were favored to join the prince's camp.
In fact, Shen Rang did not really want to help the prince. Seeing this situation, he decided to take the list back and deal with it separately.
At this time, he remembered that there was a girl in someone's family taking the exam. Although he was not sure who it was, he still thought about telling her the news.
Coming out of the study, Shen Rang said to his attendant, "Take Miss Wen Zhu to Shui Yang Tower."
Jing Yuan was slightly surprised, but still nodded and replied: "Okay."
There is a large lake in the marquis's mansion, and an exquisite pavilion is built in the middle of the lake.
Standing on this pavilion, you can have a panoramic view of the entire lake. The surrounding environment is quiet and comfortable, so people call it the Water Pavilion.
Usually, this is just a place for Shen to rest, and no one else is allowed to enter easily.
Even Shen Jun and Zheng had never been in there before, but today Wen Zhu became the first guest.
"Miss Wen Zhu, please go upstairs." Jing Yuan stopped at the stairs and motioned her to go first.
Wen Zhu walked up the stairs to the Shuiyang Building. As soon as he entered the room, he was attracted by the beautiful lake view in front of him.
A shimmering lake appeared before my eyes. There was nothing blocking my view and I could fully see the entire scenery of the lake and mountains. My mood couldn't help but become much brighter.
Just as she was immersed in the scenery, she suddenly realized that someone was watching her from behind.
Shen Rang didn't speak immediately. He waited until she turned around before handing her a note. "The imperial examination results have been announced. Come and see if your brother's name is on it."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhu's eyes immediately lit up.
I originally planned to ask Doukou for help to inquire about the information, but I didn’t expect to get the news so quickly. I am really surprised and relieved!
Putting aside her previous plan, she walked over, took the note and said thank you: "Thank you, Prince."
There were many names on the list, but Wen Zhu found the answer almost instantly and shouted excitedly, "Top of the list!"
She pointed at Duan Huaichuan's name and told Shen Rang excitedly, "Look, my brother got the first place!"
At this moment, for some reason, Shen Rang felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
She calls herself the prince, yet she uses such a kind term for her brother...
However, these subtle emotional changes were not noticed by Wen Zhu, who was immersed in joy. She was still very happy about her brother's good grades.
After all, achieving such excellent results on the first attempt at the exam means that the future is definitely bright!
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a cup hitting the table.
I saw Shen Rang put a cup of tea on the table and said, "Have some tea."
"Thank you, Prince."
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