Everyone ate for a long time during dinner.
The imperial examination is tomorrow, and it will last for nine days. Lu Zheng will be going to Kuncheng before the examination ends, so everyone chatted for quite a while.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Zheng held up his teacup and said, "It's a pity I won't be able to see you pass the imperial examination with flying colors, so, Uncle, I'll offer you this tea instead of wine to wish you success!"
Gu Shouxin glanced at him: "It's nothing, I don't care whether you can see it or not!"
That's what they said, but Gu Shouxin still drank the tea.
Gu Shouxin instructed, "You better do a good job! You look like a scholar, but you insist on doing the work of a military officer. Well, you chose this yourself, just remember to keep your life on the battlefield!"
Lu Zheng: "I promise to complete Second Uncle's mission, save my life, and come back to listen to Second Uncle's teachings."
...
On the first day of the ninth month, the triennial imperial examination began.
Before dawn, many candidates were already queuing to enter the examination hall at the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall in Beijing, along with many relatives who came to see them off.
Gu Xin and Gu Hui still looked like two young masters. Together with Cai Xiaolian, they watched Gu Shouxin finish his inspection and enter the examination hall before going home to catch up on sleep.
It's definitely too early now.
The imperial examination was held every three days, for a total of three sessions.
Although Cai Xiaolian had great faith in Gu Shouxin's abilities, she was also worried.
Lu Xue from next door would come over every day to chat with Cai Xiaolian, though it was more of a chat than a chat, to listen to her business acumen.
Lu Xue was very interested in Liansheng Street, which Cai Xiaolian had mentioned earlier, so she asked Cai Xiaolian if it was feasible to set up such a street in the capital.
Cai Xiaolian said that it would be better to develop Liansheng Street in other places than in the capital, because no one in the capital is short of money. The rich look down on those small houses, and the poor can't afford them, so it's not worth it.
But she had a plan for the capital: to build a place exclusively for the wealthy to enjoy themselves, preferably one that was warm in winter and cool in summer.
In Beijing, it snows in winter and gets very cold, while summers are very hot. If you could find a place that's warm in winter and cool in summer, business would definitely be booming.
Her mention of it made Lu Xue even more interested.
Cai Xiaolian and her family of four had discussed it and planned to bring in two partners and then persuade the emperor to join them after everything was settled, and then get this business going.
Cai Xiaolian has been drawing recently!
Just hearing Cai Xiaolian's description, Lu Xue couldn't help but wish she could have such a place right away.
Cai Xiaolian treated Lu Xue like her own daughter. This child had a tough life. She lost her mother at a young age, her biological father didn't care for her, and she had to protect her younger brother. She had a grandfather who loved her, but he died the year she came of age. If it weren't for her capable younger brother, she would have been tricked by her stepmother and married into a terrible marriage.
Lu Zheng found a good husband for his sister when he was ten years old. He wasn't reborn when he was ten, so choosing the right person was his own skill.
Cai Xiaolian sometimes tells Gu Shouxin that even without the male lead's halo, this child is still promising.
On the afternoon of the first day of the second round of the imperial examination, the emperor summoned Lu Zheng to the palace again.
The emperor looked at Lu Zheng with disdain: "Come, come with me."
Lu Zheng: "?"
He didn't ask any questions and just went with the emperor.
He had been to the palace in his previous life. The more he walked, the more confused he became. The emperor took him to the palace of the Empress Dowager.
He didn't know the Empress Dowager at this point in his life, and the Empress Dowager shouldn't know him either!
Could it be that the Empress Dowager was riding in Shen Feng's carriage that day?
What did this usually low-key but very shrewd old lady want from him?
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