☆, Chapter 169 We must be on guard!
Grandma Li arrived in the capital ten days ago.
Uncle Zhao was worried that she was too old, so he didn't dare to rush. It took him seventeen or eighteen days to arrive. After arriving in the capital, the old lady didn't go out. Firstly, Zhou Mujiao really didn't have time to accompany her out for a walk. Secondly, the old lady was afraid of going to her hometown. The Zhou residence was only one street away from the Li family. It wouldn't take more than half a cup of tea to walk there. She just didn't dare to go.
Today, Zhou Mujiao had some free time, Jiang Wuyu also returned, Canglan Academy was on holiday, and Xiao Wu and Xiao Jiu were both there. With so many people accompanying her, Old Madam Li finally had the courage to go out.
It was dusk, and there was still a little time before it got dark. Old Mrs. Li had no interest in appreciating the changes along the way. She hadn't lifted the carriage curtain once during the journey, keeping her eyes closed to rest until Jiang Wuyu said they had arrived, at which point Old Mrs. Li opened her eyes.
When she accompanied Lord Li to Lingnan to take up his post, there were still five or six families living in the Li residence. The Li family was originally a large clan. Not only did the Li family in the capital have so many people, but there was also an entire clan in their hometown. If you count back nine generations, there were at least tens of thousands of people.
After that incident, all members of the Li family within five degrees of kinship were exiled or sent to the army. As for those outside five degrees of kinship, some changed their surnames, and others moved away. Twenty years have passed, and no one knows how many real members of the Li family are still alive.
The gate of the Li residence in front of us is half collapsed, and the walls are full of cracks. A heavy rain could destroy the entire wall, and the base of the wall is covered with moss and weeds.
Grandma Li lifted the curtain and glanced inside before saying, "Let's go back."
Zhou Mujiao grasped the old lady's hand: "Grandmother, I have already sent Uncle Jiang to find the surviving members of the Li family. The Emperor owes me a huge favor. Once we find them, I will ask the Emperor to return the Li family to us."
"There's no need to bother looking for them." Old Madam Li told Jiang Wuyu to turn around. "The Li family is a family with a criminal record. The further away they are from us, the better they can live their lives. If one day Heaven opens its eyes and the Emperor helps our Li family clear their name and restore our glory, they will naturally come back on their own."
Even if tens of thousands of Li family members returned, her sons, her daughters, and her own nephews and nieces would never come back.
Not everyone with the surname Li can be called a member of the Li family.
As darkness fell, the carriage departed from the Li family home and headed straight for Yue Dong Lou, having agreed to take the old lady to dinner there.
As soon as the group entered, the innkeeper greeted them: "Miss Zhou, your friends have been here for a while and are already drinking. They're in the Earth Room."
Zhou Mujiao asked in confusion, "My friend? Who? I didn't make any appointments today."
The shopkeeper was even more puzzled: "But they took out your token, and I only let them into the Earth Room after I saw the token."
"It's a girl?"
"No, they are two young gentlemen. They look quite noble and speak with a Beijing accent, but I have never seen them before. I wonder which pampered noble sons they are."
"Okay, I'll go take a look. You take my grandmother and the others to the private room on the first floor."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a joyful cry came from upstairs: "Miss Zhou!"
That sound...
It's the Crown Prince!
The Crown Prince rushed down, his face beaming with joy. Behind him followed the Seventeenth Prince, who, though younger, was far more composed than the Crown Prince. Upon seeing Zhou Mujiao, he merely smiled and said, "Miss Zhou."
Then he looked at Jiang Wuyu: "Lord Jiang, who is this...?"
Zhou Mujiao then introduced, "This is my grandmother. Grandmother, this is the current Crown Prince and His Highness the Seventeenth Prince. Grandmother, I'll talk to them for a while, and then I'll have dinner with you later."
Old Madam Li gave a slight curtsy and was then helped by Jiang Wuyu to a private room on the first floor. She was hunched over and looked even older than the average old lady. The Seventeenth Prince frowned, feeling that this old lady looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
After Zhou Mujiao left, the two brothers returned to their room. The seventeenth prince expressed his doubts to the crown prince, who said, "Of course she looks familiar. She looks a lot like Miss Zhou. I've even imagined what Miss Zhou will look like when she gets old."
The seventeenth prince thought for a moment and nodded: "It does look somewhat similar. But I still find it strange. It is said that Miss Zhou's biological grandmother has long passed away, and the one in the family was picked up by Lord Jiang when he was wandering the world. If Lord Jiang picked her up, how could she look similar to Miss Zhou?"
"Does Seventeenth Brother intend to investigate further?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to investigate; it's just out of curiosity. Miss Zhou just saved me, and I'm only worried that the old lady might have some kind of problem, which could harm Miss Zhou."
The Crown Prince was puzzled: "You are familiar with Lord Jiang, so why didn't he tell you about the old lady's situation?"
“I am not familiar with Lord Jiang. He was the one who informed me, I saw the evidence, and then I returned to the capital with him. Lord Jiang is a member of the Six Doors. He only obeys my father. Even if I asked him, he might not tell me the truth.”
After the seventeenth prince finished speaking, he seemed to remember something, frowned, and ultimately said nothing. However, when he left, he made a point of saying goodbye to Zhou Mujiao in the private room on the first floor.
This move puzzled the Crown Prince greatly, and he immediately ordered his men to keep a close watch on Zhou Mujiao's family.
After all, even the wise prince, who had been Buddhist for decades, could rebel at will, and Zhou Mujiao even publicly admitted that she wanted to be the emperor. We have to be careful.
The imperial examination consisted of three sessions, each lasting three days. From the moment one entered the examination hall and moved into the dormitory on the first day, even if one died inside, one was not allowed to leave the examination hall until the end of the examination. The ancient imperial examination was extremely complicated, and this one-size-fits-all approach saved a lot of trouble, eliminated the idea of cheating during the examination, and ensured the personal safety of the candidates during the examination.
After the final exam, the candidates had to stay in the examination room for another two hours until the checks were completed and it was confirmed that no cheating had occurred, before they could leave together.
This year, two thousand candidates participated in the provincial examination, but only three hundred could advance to the palace examination. Above the palace examination, there was no further elimination; only a ranking and classification system was established. One hundred candidates were ranked in the first class (甲), three in the first rank of the first class, ten in the second rank, and the rest in the third rank. One candidate each was ranked in the second and third classes. Afterward, the court would assign these candidates to various departments according to their rank. These newcomers would then serve for two or three years, and based on their abilities, they would be either retained in the capital or sent to other regions.
"You can go out now!"
The candidates couldn't wait to grab their bags and run outside.
Imagine how crowded it would be if two thousand people walked out at the same time. If it weren't for the soldiers maintaining order, there would have been a stampede, and the once peaceful examination hall would have turned into a battlefield.
After leaving the examination room, Zhao Yunjing did not rush to leave, but waited until most of the examinees had left before going out.
The students of Canglan Academy still had some tacit understanding. As soon as Zhao Yunjing went out, he saw dozens of classmates led by Young Master Chen.
"How did you do on the exam, Brother Zhao? You must have filled out the entire paper, right?"
"fine."
"If you say it's alright, then it must be alright. But I'm doomed! What if you get the top score and I fail miserably? Sigh!"
A car horn sounded outside, instructing Zhao Yunjing to turn right as he left. Zhao Yunjing smiled slightly and reassured him, "Gold shines wherever it is."
After saying that, he couldn't wait to run outside.
Feng Wei clicked his tongue: "This guy! Hey Chen, how did your exam go? How did you feel?"
"good."
"After the results are announced, you'll have to get married, right? That Miss Meng has been with you all the way from Peach Blossom County. It's not easy for a young lady to do that."
Young Master Chen smiled faintly: "Yes, Miss Meng has had such a hard life. Why don't you marry her and cherish her yourself, Brother Feng? I don't need you to worry about my important life event."
"In the end, you're still thinking about Miss Zhou." Feng Wei lowered his voice. "You've seen it yourself, they're doing well, and things will only get better from here on out. Don't be foolish."
"...Get lost."
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