Chapter 241 One in a Hundred
Xiao Liu hurriedly shook his head, glanced nervously at Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi, and replied, "Madam, I looked carefully three times, but I didn't see the young master's name. I only saw the names of the eldest and second young masters."
Meng Jinyao was stunned, and after a moment she pretended to hesitate and said, "Why don't you go and take a look again? The Marquis clearly said this morning that Xiuming had a chance to pass the imperial examination, how could he not have passed?"
Zhang and Chen exchanged a silent glance. They knew that she definitely didn't like this son. Even though he had been very filial recently, how could the shame of the past be erased?
Gu Xiuming's elopement nearly ruined her life, and the whole capital was laughing at her. If she had been weaker, she probably would have committed suicide because of the gossip. Now that she has the opportunity to humiliate Gu Xiuming, Meng Jinyao will definitely not let it go.
Zhang was still hoping that the third branch of the family might adopt her youngest son, so naturally she didn't want Gu Xiuming to be successful. Now that Gu Xiuming had failed the exam, it was exactly what she wanted.
She immediately sided with Meng Jinyao, echoing her words: "Third sister-in-law, as a mother myself, I understand your feelings, but Xiao Liu has seen it three times, so he shouldn't have missed anything. Xiu Ming is only sixteen years old, and if he takes the exam again in three years, he'll only be eighteen."
Madam Chen chimed in, "Yes, Third Sister-in-law, Xiu Ming is still young, younger than both Xiu Yuan and Xiu Hong."
Old Madam Gu had always been satisfied with her youngest daughter-in-law, so she didn't think much of it at the moment. She just assumed that her daughter-in-law had high hopes for her son. After all, they only had this one adopted son, so it was normal for them to have high expectations for him. Especially after seeing that Xiu Yuan and Xiu Hong had both passed the imperial examinations, the couple felt a sense of disappointment. So she comforted her, saying, "Third daughter-in-law, you two should also relax. The child is only sixteen years old. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Gu Xiuming was still immersed in his grief and could not pull himself out. Today's blow was no less than when he was punished in the ancestral hall for running away from his marriage. Now, listening to their words, he felt a strong sense of mockery. The seemingly regretful but actually gloating looks made him feel ashamed.
Even though he was the one who failed the exam, the person who was comforted was Meng Jinyao, which made him even more resentful. He was not his father's biological son after all, and no one took him seriously. When he was outstanding, they fawned over him, but when he was not as outstanding as his brother, he was nothing.
He should have realized long ago that a family like the Gu family only values interests. Even though he had been adopted for nearly eleven years, and all those years of affection were nothing compared to interests, Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong had passed the imperial examinations and brought glory to the Marquis's mansion. He, the heir, had to step aside. After all that talk, they didn't even bother to offer him a single word of feigned comfort.
While Gu Xiuming was grumbling to himself, Meng Jinyao, as if she could read his mind, quickly offered him feigned comfort.
She looked regretful and sighed softly, "You're right, Xiu Ming is only sixteen. I was a little too hasty."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Gu Xiuming. She saw that Gu Xiuming was clearly upset and angry, and the loneliness in his eyes was hard to hide, but he still tried his best to maintain a calm and composed appearance, not afraid of bottling up his emotions.
She smiled almost imperceptibly and comforted him, "Xiuming, don't be sad. Work hard, accumulate knowledge and experience, and take the exam again in three years. You'll definitely pass."
Gu Xiuming forced a smile and replied gently, "Mother, don't worry, I'm not upset. I was just trying to gain experience for this autumn examination. Passing was an unexpected joy, and I'm not upset if I don't pass." He glanced at his parents, lowered his head with a somber expression, and said guiltily, "However, I still disappointed you, Mother and Father, and I feel deeply ashamed."
Meng Jinyao smiled kindly and spoke gently and unhurriedly: "My son, don't worry too much. Your father and I are already very pleased that you passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen. You know, other people's sons are twenty years old and still haven't passed the imperial examination."
As she spoke, her tone became increasingly gentle: "This time, there were 11,250 candidates from Shuntian Prefecture participating in the autumn examination, and only 126 of them passed. That's one in a hundred, the competition is so fierce. You are young and inexperienced, so it's normal for you to lose to those experienced veteran candidates. You have gained experience this time, which is also good for preparing for the next time."
What does it mean to say the most heart-wrenching words in the gentlest tone?
That's how Meng Jinyao is.
Gu Xiuming was already feeling down, and he had just recovered a little when Meng Jinyao stabbed him in the back again. He was originally full of confidence that he would pass the imperial examination, but reality gave him a rude awakening. Now, Meng Jinyao was reminding him that he was one in a hundred, which made him feel even worse.
What a perfect example of one in a hundred!
The three brothers went to participate in the autumn imperial examination. His eldest and second eldest brothers were chosen, but he was not. If only one of the three had passed, it would have been better, at least someone would have shared his failure. Now, two of the three brothers passed, but he was the only one who failed.
It was one thing for the second brother to pass the imperial examination, as his father praised his academic achievements. However, among the brothers, apart from the fourth brother who didn't like studying, the eldest brother, who was rather mediocre, actually passed the examination. Where did that leave him with his pride?
However, no matter how unwilling he was, he still had to smile and reply in front of his family: "Mother is right."
Gu Jingxi glanced at his son. He knew that Xiu Ming was resentful because his two older brothers had passed the imperial examination while he had failed. Unfortunately, this little rascal wouldn't let Xiu Ming off the hook. Seeing that things had gone far enough, he helped his son out of the predicament and changed the subject to the next point: "Mother, didn't you say you wanted to open the ancestral hall to inform our ancestors of the good news?"
Madam Gu also remembered this matter. In fact, no matter which of the three of them passed the imperial examination today, the ancestral hall would be opened. Now that two of her grandsons have passed the examination, the ancestral hall must be opened to offer incense to the ancestors and to inform them of the good news. She immediately said, "Eldest son, you are the eldest brother, so this matter is entrusted to you to handle."
She didn't favor anyone and gave it directly to the eldest son of a concubine, maintaining the proper order of seniority. This way, the second son wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Although the third son was the legitimate son, none of his own children had passed the imperial examinations, so it didn't matter if he wasn't in charge. Letting the father, whose children had passed the examinations, handle the event would be more motivating, since there would be that excitement involved.
And so, Gu Jingsheng took charge of opening the ancestral hall and preparing for the ancestral worship, while Zhang Shi organized the family banquet. It was all done by the eldest brother and sister-in-law, and the second and third branches of the family naturally had no objections.
When the whole family went to the ancestral hall to burn incense, only Gu Xiuming forced a smile, but dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. If his face fell, others would think that he was jealous of his brother and could not bear to see his brother doing well.
After paying respects to their ancestors, everyone left the ancestral hall.
Madam Gu said gently, "Xiuming, your grandmother believes you will definitely pass the imperial examination in three years."
Gu Xiuming replied with a smile, "Grandson will definitely work hard and learn from my two elder brothers."
Seeing that he had a smile on his lips and was acting as if nothing had happened, Madam Gu was relieved. With this mindset, he could continue to work hard. Why should she worry about not passing the imperial examination in three years?
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