Chapter 240 A Heavy Blow
Shou'an Hall.
Today is the day the results of the autumn imperial examinations are announced. The younger generation of the Gu family have all gathered at Shou'an Hall to pay their respects to Madam Gu. Afterwards, the family chats and laughs together, while also waiting for good news to come back.
Not long ago, Madam Gu asked Zhang to send a servant to check the list to see if any of Gu's children were on it.
When Gu Xiuyuan went to the examination hall to register, his mother repeatedly told him that he must work hard to pass the imperial examination, which put him under a lot of pressure. Even after the exam, he was still not much relieved and was afraid of failing. At this moment, he was so nervous that his palms were sweating, but he still held a glimmer of hope. He studied hard day and night, hoping to get a good result.
Not only him, but even the usually calm Gu Xiuhong was a little nervous.
Gu Xiuming was the same. His heart was racing and his mind was in turmoil. He had thought about the elders' reactions after he passed the imperial examination many times. Today, he wanted to make the elders truly change their opinion of him and also make his father take him seriously again so that he could firmly secure his position as the heir apparent.
Seeing that her three grandsons were all sitting upright with tense faces, waiting for the servants who had gone out to check the results to return, Madam Gu knew that these three children were all under twenty years old. And passing the imperial examination in the autumn was not an easy thing. She did not dare to have too high expectations. If they passed, that would be a good thing. If they did not pass, they would continue to work hard.
She said gently, "You don't need to be too nervous. Take it easy. You're all still young, and you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future. Even if you don't pass the imperial examination, you can always try again in three years."
Zhang desperately hoped her son would succeed, but at this point, she didn't dare put pressure on him. She was afraid that if he failed the exam, she would put pressure on him and he wouldn't be able to handle the blow and would stop trying. It didn't matter if he failed; she would comfort him and encourage him to work even harder.
Hearing her mother-in-law say this, she also said softly, "Yes, your grandmother is right. You are all young men who are not yet twenty years old. You will have many more opportunities in the future. If you pass the imperial examination this time, it will be a joyous occasion. We will open the ancestral hall to inform our ancestors. If you do not pass, there is no need to be discouraged."
Madam Chen jokingly added, "Xiuhong, don't worry. Even if you don't pass the imperial examination, your mother won't force you to get married. Your sister is getting married next month. I'll hold my grandson first, and I can hold my grandson later."
The tense atmosphere gradually relaxed, and the three young men felt much less nervous.
Not long after, a maid came in and reported, "Madam, Xiao Liu who went to check the results has returned!"
Upon hearing this, those present were stunned for a moment, then quickly became tense.
Madam Gu hurriedly said, "Quickly, bring the person in!"
Soon, everyone saw the servant named Xiao Liu walk in with a big smile, and they knew that there must be good news. The tense atmosphere dissipated instantly.
The three brothers, Gu Xiuyuan, Gu Xiuhong, and Gu Xiuming, stared intently at Xiao Liu, waiting for him to deliver the news.
Madam Gu asked, "How is it?"
Xiao Liu respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Old Madam, I heard that there were 11,250 candidates from Shuntian Prefecture for this year's autumn imperial examination, and only 126 students passed. The eldest son is on the list, ranking 120th, and the second son is also on the list, ranking 18th..."
This is wonderful news!
Madam Gu was immediately overjoyed. Before Xiao Liu could finish speaking, she said excitedly, "Good, good, good! Today we will open the ancestral hall to tell our ancestors the good news. Our Gu family descendants have made something of themselves. Eldest daughter-in-law, you go and arrange the family banquet later. We will celebrate properly."
Zhang hurriedly replied, "Yes, Mother."
The first and second wives were all smiles, their joy beyond words.
Our dynasty is very strict with the imperial examinations. In order to select outstanding talents, the admission rate is extremely low. In Shuntian Prefecture, 11,250 candidates participated in this autumn examination, but only 126 were on the list.
With such fierce competition, it was truly remarkable that their young son could make it onto the list. Passing the imperial examination meant having the opportunity to become an official; the title of Juren (举人) was the key to entering officialdom.
Of course, for a family like theirs, it's not like they can't afford to send their children to school. How could they stop at just becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination)? They would definitely continue to study hard and eventually become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), which would give them many more opportunities.
Seeing the smiles on their masters' faces, Xiao Liu hesitated whether to speak up after being interrupted, as saying it would be somewhat of a downer.
Gu Xiuming only heard his two older brothers' rankings before his grandmother interrupted him. He was very anxious to know his own ranking, but he had to hold back and wait for his elders to ask first, otherwise he would appear unreliable.
Meng Jinyao noticed the subtle change in Xiao Liu's face and had a vague guess in her mind. She asked gently, "Xiao Liu, what rank did our Xiu Ming get?"
After recovering from her shock, Madam Gu quickly asked, "Yes, what rank did Xiuming get?"
She thought to herself, since her eldest and second grandsons were both on the list and were brothers from the same family, her third grandson shouldn't be too bad either, right?
The people from the first and second wives' families were also curious. Ever since Gu Xiuming was released from confinement, he seemed like a completely different person. He was respectful to Meng Jinyao, and also very studious, often seeking knowledge from his father. Since he was personally taught by Gu Jingxi, his exam results shouldn't be too bad. If he still failed, it would prove that he wasn't smart enough.
Xiao Liu stammered, "The young master... he didn't pass the imperial examination."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
As the person involved, Gu Xiuming was stunned by this bolt from the blue, his mind buzzing and his face full of disbelief. He clearly felt that he had done well in the exam and that he was sure to pass the autumn examination this time, but reality gave him a heavy blow. Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong both passed the exam, but he didn't. How could this be?
Madam Gu was also a little disappointed, but considering that two of her three children had passed the imperial examinations, which had already brought honor to the family, and that Xiu Ming was only sixteen years old and younger than his two older brothers, if he didn't pass this time, he could take the exam again in three years.
Meng Jinyao appeared stunned for a moment, but was mostly gloating. She wasn't that magnanimous; when the time came to be wicked, so was being wicked. Only a fool would want their enemy to be on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Hypocritical people like Gu Xiuming shouldn't be allowed to serve in the court; otherwise, who knows if they might become parasites on the country in the future?
That's what she thought, but on the surface she still played the role of a good mother. She immediately frowned and said in a deep voice, "How is this possible? Are you sure you're not mistaken? Our Xiuming studies so hard, how could he fail the exam? This morning the Marquis said that he was so diligent that he might pass."
These words, seemingly expressing an inability to accept his son's failure to pass the exam, were actually like a sharp sword piercing Gu Xiuming's heart. They dealt another heavy blow to Gu Xiuming's spirit, who was still reeling from the shock. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were a fatal blow to his soul.
Upon hearing these words, Gu Xiuming felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation that nearly overwhelmed him.
Gu Jingxi glanced at his son, then silently looked at his wife. This girl really held grudges; she would definitely not hold back when she had the chance to kick someone when they were down, and she would deliberately stab them in the heart.
He thought he had to be more careful in the future, lest he give that little rascal a chance to hurt him.
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