After glancing at Jing Zhe, Qing Qiu walked in from outside the door.
She had overheard the conversation inside the money exchange.
He said coldly, "You're saying my money came from an illegitimate source?"
"Qing...Qingqiu Heroine?"
The shopkeeper had obviously seen Qingqiu before; he was so frightened that he stammered.
"I didn't know this silver was yours!"
As she spoke, she glanced thoughtfully at Jing Zhe, especially at his use of the word "fairy maiden," which Qing Qiu didn't react to at all!
He didn't know that Qingyun Sect had abandoned the Taoist temple for many years and was most annoyed by others calling their disciples "Taoist Master" or "Fairy Maiden." A year ago, when Qingqiu came to Jingzhou with her master, someone had called her Fairy Maiden.
He remembered it clearly: the man was kicked far away...
He couldn't help but glance at Jing Zhe a few more times.
"Since it's the fairy's money, there's naturally no problem!"
After saying that, he kicked the waiter, "So clueless? A heroine has arrived, why aren't you taking a seat? Why aren't you serving her the best tea? Why aren't you sending someone to count the silver and exchange it for banknotes?"
"..."
The man was stumped by the question and didn't know what to do first.
Then he got kicked again, and immediately realized what was happening, going to the back to greet people.
Jing Zhe, who was standing nearby, looked at this scene with some envy.
Perhaps this is what it means to be a big shot?
Qingqiu remained expressionless. "What did you just say was the replacement ratio here?"
"Oh dear, it's an honor for our bank to have you, heroine. How could we possibly charge a replacement fee?"
The shopkeeper's fawning smile was a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor; his obsequiousness was so obvious it was disgusting.
The once empty lobby of the money exchange was soon packed with employees, and their efficiency became incredibly high. After only one bowl of tea, the money was counted, totaling more than 3,120 taels.
One has to admire how wealthy and extravagant the people of Jingzhou are, able to offer over a hundred taels of silver a day to those two bodhisattvas. But the most pitiful one is the fat Taoist priest, who missed out on such a large sum of money. If he knew this in the afterlife, he would probably go berserk.
The shopkeeper was very generous and, after rounding up, gave her three thousand two hundred taels of silver. Qingqiu took the silver without saying a word and left.
The slightly embarrassed shopkeeper bowed to Jing Zhe again, "Young master, please don't take offense at what happened just now. My surname is Ma. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!"
Jing Zhe also clasped his hands in a fist salute to him, looking very serious.
"Goodbye, Mr. Donkey!"
"..."
...
Once we left the money exchange, it was time to say goodbye.
"Fairy Maiden, let's part ways here!"
Jing Zhe bowed to Qing Qiu and turned to leave.
You won't even give me a tael of silver, I can't be bothered to look at you.
"Wait a minute."
Jing Zhe turned around and said, "I've already brought the money for you. You're a member of the Qingyun Sect, so don't go back on your word!"
Qingqiu glared at him. "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"Yes, it looks very similar."
Jing Zhe nodded.
"..."
A moment later, Qingqiu took out two hundred taels of silver notes and handed them over.
"for you."
Jing Zhe didn't even look at it, took it and stuffed it into his clothes, left a sentence and walked away without looking back.
"I won't thank you; this is my well-deserved reward for your hard work!"
"..."
Qingqiu stared at his retreating figure for a while, then shook her head with a smile and turned to leave.
...
Jing Zhe planned to visit Zhang Xiaoyu's house first.
As I walked down the street, I suddenly saw a group of people running around, all gathered at the end of the street, looking at something. Others also ran in that direction.
However, there were so many people inside that those at the back couldn't squeeze in and had to stand on tiptoe to look inside, making the scene quite chaotic.
Jing Zhe was very curious, so he walked to the edge of the crowd, randomly pulled someone aside, and asked, "Brother, what's this place up ahead?"
The man turned and glanced at him. "The exam results are out!"
After saying that, they squeezed in again.
Jing Zhe suddenly realized what was going on, and at the same time felt very emotional.
When he was arrested and taken to Mangshan, he used the pretense of fulfilling Jing Wenmao's last wish to go to the capital to take the imperial examination. Of course, he did intend to take the exam, since his second sister was the daughter of the prime minister, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to get in through connections.
I never expected that after all the twists and turns along the way, the results of the imperial examination in Jingzhou would already be out, so I could only laugh at myself.
He had no reference points and no friends in Jingzhou City, so there was no need for him to go and turn to leave.
At this moment, someone was escorted out from the crowd.
"Brother Chen, congratulations!"
"I knew it! With Brother Chen's talent, getting first place in this exam is a piece of cake!"
"Brother Chen, if you become successful in the future, don't forget us!"
"Hehe, how could that be?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Jing Zhe stopped.
That voice... it sounds so familiar!
I turned around, and sure enough, it was him!
At this moment, the man who was the focus of the crowd and looked smug was none other than Chen Jiannan, the former number one talent in Yongzhou and now the number two talent in Yongzhou!
Then Chen Jiannan humbly said, "You flatter me too much! Getting first place in this examination is just the beginning. If I can gain His Majesty's favor after I enter the palace to meet the Emperor, then you can congratulate me then!"
As far as Jing Zhe knew, because Emperor Anguo loved poetry, Anguo's literary style flourished. Many talented scholars were able to enter the palace to meet the emperor with a good poem. If they performed well, it was not difficult for them to obtain an official position. Therefore, the poetry gathering in Jingzhou was particularly lively every year, and talented scholars from all over Anguo would show off their skills.
The examinations in Anguo were slightly different from those in Jingzhe's time. While there were provincial examinations, metropolitan examinations, and palace examinations, they were purely for selecting talents for the court to govern the country.
Besides these, there is also the high school entrance examination.
The provincial examination was held before the Mid-Autumn Festival each year. The top scorer in the provincial examination and the winner of the Mid-Autumn Poetry Contest would go to the palace to meet the emperor together.
The exam content leans more towards poetry, which is why Jing Zhe wanted to take the exam in the first place; writing poetry is not difficult for him.
I never expected that even a mediocre student like Chen Jiannan could get first place in the exam. It seems that the talented students of Jingzhou are nothing special after all!
"Brother Chen is a man of great talent, yet so humble. He is truly a model for us scholars!"
"That's right. Although Brother Chen is from Yongzhou, who in Jingzhou doesn't know his name?"
"With Brother Chen's talent, it's only a matter of time before His Majesty appreciates him!"
"I heard that Brother Chen is a distant relative of the Prime Minister's family and they are even considering a marriage alliance. Now that Brother Chen has achieved first place in the imperial examination, becoming the Prime Minister's son-in-law is just around the corner! At that time, we will all have to rely on Brother Chen's help!"
Yes, yes!
Chen Jiannan waved his hand modestly, but his face was beaming with joy. Perhaps what everyone was saying was exactly what he was thinking.
Jing Zhe, who was watching the show from the sidelines, clenched his fists when he heard them talking about the prime minister's son-in-law!
————
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