Chapter 138 You look a lot like someone
Looking at the increasingly composed Ming Er, the system was filled with mixed emotions.
The task is 65% complete.
Once the mission is completed, it and its host must leave this world.
The thought of that day makes the system feel terrible.
"Wow, host, I feel so sad."
Xiang Bei pressed down on the system, "Stop, we haven't separated yet, don't do this."
"But there will always come a day like that, won't there? There's a saying that all good things must come to an end."
Xiang Bei pulled the system off her arm. "Let's talk about it when we're done. It's too early to say these things now. To put it bluntly, you're about to die, and if Ming Er cries at your grave in advance, you'll feel unhappy, won't you?"
The system thought it made sense, but after Xiang Bei released it, it realized something was wrong. "Host, how could you say that?"
Separation and death are clearly two different things; the host is deliberately confusing the concepts.
Xiang Bei took the sword, grabbed the system, tied it to it, and shot it towards the target, hitting the bullseye.
The system started beeping and whining again, but Xiang Bei ignored it and turned to look at Ming Er.
Judging from the current trend, Ming Er is bound to enter officialdom.
Xiang Bei didn't know how to play political games. She thought that this world was fictional, and her tuition fees weren't paid for nothing. She had indeed learned a wide variety of things. Looking back over five thousand years of history, what kind of schemes hadn't the ancients used?
She's not very good at coming up with serious ideas, but she can come up with a few bad ones.
When Xiang Bei pondered, the system strongly objected, saying that it was a system to save the female protagonist in a tragic novel, and that it was absolutely not allowed to let the female protagonist go astray.
"Go away, go away, what kind of crooked path are you taking? I won't offend others unless they offend me. Ming Er can be a plain dumpling, but she can't be solid, understand?"
At the very least, he has to be a hypocrite.
If Ming Er were still the naive female protagonist from the original story, she would definitely revert to her old ways and be tortured to the point of losing her bearings.
"Do you want all our efforts over this long period of time to go to waste?"
"No, it's just that when you said you were learning a lot of different things, your expression was a bit scary, as if you were telling Ming Er to kill and set fires."
"I'm not stupid. I need a reason to actually do it," Xiang Bei scoffed.
The system truly took Ming'er's teaching to heart, imparting all sorts of historical strategies to her. She was also very intelligent, grasping everything immediately.
There's no need to say anything else; just let Ming'er figure it out himself.
Only by experiencing it firsthand can you know how to live it.
Mingzhuo was also a scholar, and when Ming'er taught her these things, she had her own thoughts. Her family didn't understand, but after she passed the exam, she would definitely become an official in the court, so she seriously discussed many issues with Ming'er.
The two sisters had different views on the same issue. Mingzhuo even debated with Minger and found that Minger's theory seemed more reasonable, which gave her a sense of enlightenment.
Ming Er wasn't a bookworm; he would take time to go out and explore. The customs and culture of the capital were very different from those of the county town.
The family's "Top Scholar Skewers" and "Top Scholar Porridge" sell well; candidates who come to take the imperial examinations are willing to buy a bowl of porridge and eat two skewers.
Just for the name, I have to wish myself good luck.
Mingzhuo rarely went out; she spent most of her time studying diligently at home, while Ming'er was more inclined towards practical application.
Although Ming Er repeated the lessons taught by the Ninth Female Teacher to Ming Da, Ming Da was different from Ming Er, who had received systematic education from the beginning. In some parts, Ming Da could not fully understand.
Based on Ming'er's experience, his older sister is diligent and hardworking, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, making the list of successful candidates should not be a problem.
She now has confidence not only in herself, but also in her older sister.
As Ming Er walked, she arrived at the most bustling part of the capital. She wasn't captivated by the splendor before her, but instead glanced around. Hearing so much about it was no substitute for seeing it for herself.
This area is inhabited by high-ranking officials and nobles, a world apart from where they live.
She wasn't looking at the bustling places, but rather at some inconspicuous corners.
The words spoken by pedestrians often reveal some underlying issues.
It is said that some people have even placed bets on which high-ranking official or wealthy family will produce this year's top scholar.
Ming Er paused for a moment, then found the betting area and went inside to take a look. She discovered that the highest bet was placed by a person named Ming Xi.
It is said that this person is the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an. She is exceptionally talented in literature and achieved the "minor triple crown" (a top honor in the imperial examinations) at the age of ten. Combined with her previous achievement of being the top scholar in the provincial and metropolitan examinations, she has already achieved the "four crowns" (a top honor in the imperial examinations).
Ming Er raised an eyebrow. Not only did this person share the same surname as her, but he was also on par with her.
These people are now placing bets on whether Mingxi can win the championship.
Clearly, many people bet that Mingxi would become the top scholar in the imperial examination.
Ming Er laughed when she saw the odds of 1 to 10. She borrowed 10 taels of silver from the female tutor, but the female tutor gave her 100 taels of silver notes in return.
Count me in; I bet she won't win the top prize.
Ming Er's smile widened; she and Ms. Xiang had the same idea.
She also bet that the other side wouldn't win the championship this time.
He took out the silver notes and bet without hesitation that Mingxi could not win the top prize.
If she wins the bet, with odds of 1 to 10, she can earn a thousand taels.
As soon as Ming Er placed the silver on the table, all eyes turned to him, and they looked him up and down with astonishment.
"Madam, you're not from the capital, are you?"
"yes."
"No wonder. I advised you not to be so impulsive. You have no idea about the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an..."
"Place your bet now, place your bet now!" the dealer shouted hastily, pulling the silver over to give Ming Er no chance to back out.
This woman clearly came from the countryside and had no idea how formidable Mingxi, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an, was.
Anyway, he came here to give everyone silver, and this is a hundred taels! He doesn't look like a rich person. This time he's going to lose everything, even his underwear.
Others also thought Ming Er was foolish, and some couldn't stand it and reminded her again so that she could be mentally prepared.
"It's okay, it's just for fun."
Ming Er was modest, but in her heart she was calculating that as long as she won the top prize, one hundred taels of silver would turn into one thousand taels.
After returning the principal to the female tutor, the remaining amount could be divided equally, leaving her with several hundred taels of silver, so she wouldn't lose out no matter what.
For Ming Er, as long as she wins the top prize, she will have made a huge profit.
Ming Er glanced at it, took the token, and left. If she won the bet later, she could use the token to collect her money.
Seeing Ming Er's departing figure, the others couldn't help but laugh. "Two fools came today. Before that woman, there was another young woman who also bet a hundred taels. I think they're just idiots."
"That's right. If we had asked around more, we wouldn't have thrown our money away here."
“They’re not stupid, why would we make money?” someone laughed.
Ming Er heard their comments but didn't pay them any mind.
They'll find out how silly they are when the results are released.
She wandered around to other places, and found that the students from wealthy families lived in the best locations in the capital.
After wandering around without finding anything, Ming Er prepared to go back.
I heard a lot about that Mingxi on the way, and many people thought she would definitely win the top prize this time.
Ming Er overheard it but didn't take it to heart.
On the way back, someone ran towards us, with a man chasing after her shouting, "Thief! Thief! Catch her!"
Ming Er stepped forward and blocked the thief's path.
"Get out of the way!" the thief shouted as soon as he saw that the child was not very old.
"Here we go again." Ming Er reached out his hand.
"I think you're asking for it!"
The thief raised his hand to slap Ming Er in the face, but Ming Er grabbed his wrist halfway through.
Ming Er kicked the thief in the stomach, causing the thief to fall to the ground in pain, clutching his stomach and rolling around.
"Thank you." The man who had caught up immediately bowed and thanked Ming Er for helping to stop the thief, and snatched his master's purse back from the thief.
Then a man walked over. Knowing that Ming Er had helped him retrieve his purse, he paused for a moment when he looked at Ming Er.
"Young master," the servant whispered a reminder, and the man snapped out of his daze.
"Thank you for your help, madam."
"Host, it's the male lead, he's the male lead!" The system jumped up suddenly.
Xiang Bei perked up, "You mean this man is the one in the book who later became the Grand Secretary?"
"Yes, yes, that's him."
The system was struck dumb when it saw that Ming Er was also staring straight at the other person.
"Ming Er... she... she... could she have fallen in love with the male lead at first sight? What a tragedy! We've tried so hard, and Ming Er still ended up with a man. Is this another result of plot revisions?"
The original text did not mention that the male protagonist's purse was stolen.
Now the two of them meet under these circumstances.
Xiang Bei glanced at Ming Er's expression and felt that he didn't seem to have fallen in love at first sight.
[Ming Er, what are you looking at?]
A line of words suddenly floated before her eyes. Ming Er looked away and nodded. For her, this was just a small favor.
She just felt that the man looked a little strange.
Both their clothing and jewelry revealed their extraordinary family background.
They look pretty good too.
What puzzled Ming'er was that, even though it was their first time meeting, her heart was beating abnormally when she saw this man.
Even when she was covered in bruises while riding a horse, her heart still beat abnormally fast.
Ming Er frowned, not wanting to investigate further, and was about to leave when another woman arrived.
"Ah Yun, what happened?" the woman called out, and the man immediately walked over with a smile.
"Ah Xi, you've finally arrived." Ji Yun walked to Ming Xi's side and told her what had just happened.
The system screamed, "They're here! They're finally here! The male lead, the second female lead, and our Ming Er have met! Ming Er, charge! Don't be afraid, I'll always be behind you! Charge ...
Xiang Bei shut the system up, saying, "Shut up, you're too noisy."
Outside the big screen, Ming Er and Ming Xi's eyes met. Ming Er keenly noticed that Ming Xi frowned slightly when she saw her.
Ming Er raised an eyebrow at the other person; this attitude was rather strange.
He had clearly never met this woman before, and on their first meeting, she seemed to dislike him very much.
Is this what Master Jiu was talking about, that some people are just born with incompatible auras?
"Thank you so much, madam, for helping my Ah Yun find her purse," Mingxi said.
"It was just a small favor."
Ming Er did not linger any longer.
As she left, she glanced up at the window on the second floor of the restaurant next door.
From the moment she was last seen, a gaze had been fixed on her.
Ming Er smiled, finding the capital city far more interesting than she had imagined. She didn't bother to investigate further and left without looking back.
Ming Er told A Zu about the fact that he had spent one hundred taels of silver on the female tutor.
Ming Sheng's eyes widened, and it took him a while to understand. There was a high-ranking official's daughter in the capital who, like Ming Er, had passed the three minor imperial examinations and then the provincial examination.
Now everyone's betting on her to win the imperial examination.
Ming Er's bet of one hundred taels won't win.
Ming Sheng was certain he wouldn't win, since if Ming Er won the top prize, he'd heard there was even silver involved. And this silver was supposedly given by a deity, meaning even the gods believed Ming Er was destined to be the top scholar.
"Where did you place your bet? I want to go place one too." Mingsheng calculated how much money he had at home and decided to bet more.
"Grandpa, I'm just telling you, please don't do anything rash."
"No reckless actions, no reckless actions." Ming Sheng himself certainly wouldn't dare to go, but Ming Er dared to bet, that's because there's a god involved.
She made reckless bets, and if she loses money, she'll have nowhere to turn for help.
Mingzhuo also wandered around the area and heard about Mingxi's situation. When she returned, she told Ming'er about it. She didn't think Mingxi was a match for Ming'er, and she told him because she was worried that Ming'er might underestimate this opponent.
With such a formidable rival, we can't afford to be careless.
Seeing that Ming Er had a plan, Ming Zhuo patted her shoulder and said, "You have to work hard. I'm still waiting for the day you become the top scholar. By the way, you have to be careful. When you see the list, don't get kidnapped and married off to someone else."
"Sister, don't make fun of me. You're the one who needs to be careful. The chances of them catching you are greater than catching me."
Ming Er is of a certain age; even if she were captured, she wouldn't be able to get married.
She offered some words of comfort to her family, telling them not to worry and that she would definitely not let her guard down.
Ming Er hadn't left the house for the past few days, but someone had sent him an invitation, specifically asking him to attend a banquet, and even a carriage had been prepared.
Judging from the manner in which the person came, it was still necessary to make Ming Er go.
Ming Sheng thought they were there to cause trouble, so he said he would hold them off while Ming Er ran away through the back door.
Ming Er certainly wouldn't run away on her own. Apart from the thief she caught a few days ago, she hadn't offended anyone in the capital.
Even a thief wouldn't dare to openly cause trouble at their door.
Ming Er looked at the person who had just arrived and felt that he looked somewhat familiar.
Before she could speak, the other person clasped their hands in a fist salute to Ming Er, "Madam Ming, do you still remember me?"
Ming Er recognized the other person and nodded.
The man laughed, "My master requests your presence."
The Ming family had never seen anything like this before, and they were all somewhat flustered.
“Ah Zu, it’s alright, I know her.”
As they were talking, Ming Er had already boarded the carriage.
"Grandpa, I'll be right back."
After Ming Er left, everyone felt uneasy. That carriage didn't look like an ordinary family's. Where did Ming Er meet such a person?
Ming Er was not flustered at all, and even vaguely guessed the other party's identity.
The carriage finally stopped after traveling for quite a while.
Ming Er got off the car and looked at the magnificent restaurant in front of him.
"please."
Ming Er nodded and followed them upstairs into a private room, where a woman was standing with her back to him.
The door to the private room was closed, leaving only the two of them inside.
But Ming Er could sense that there were people lurking in the shadows, and quite a few of them.
After a moment of silence, Ming Er bowed to the retreating figure and said, "Ming Yang, a scholar from Chongzhou, greets Your Highness the Third Princess."
Upon hearing the title "Ming Er," Xiang Bei read the original text again. In the original text, the one who ultimately ascended the throne was not the third princess; her fate was to live among the common people and die unexpectedly.
But on that day, the three princesses and their guards were clearly being chased. If they hadn't encountered Ming Er, their fate might have been just as described in the original text: dying without knowing why.
The other person turned to look at Ming Er, "You're quite clever, come and sit down."
"Yes," Ming Er replied, and walked over to sit down.
He even picked up the teapot and poured tea for the third princess, and then poured himself a cup of tea.
Zhong Lishuang looked at Ming Er, "It's been a long time. You've really surprised me."
Ming Er smiled and said, "Your Highness is too kind."
Zhong Lishuang didn't keep them in suspense. "Ming Er, let me be frank. I think you're quite good. Would you be willing to join my ranks?"
Ming Er looked at the tea in the cup in front of him without saying a word.
It seems that the person who spied on her from the second floor that day was the Third Prince.
After a moment of silence, Ming Er finally spoke, "Your Highness, I am not alone."
Zhong Lishuang picked up her teacup, took a sip, put the cup down, and kept her gaze fixed on Ming Er's face.
“Ming Er, do you know that you look a lot like someone? I thought so the first time I saw you.”
Ming Er looked up at Zhong Lishuang, "The person Your Highness mentioned, could he also be surnamed Ming?"
You know?
Ming Er shook his head. "I don't know. I'm just guessing that Your Highness must know something to say that."
Zhong Lishuang laughed, stood up and looked at Ming Er, "I like talking to smart people, Ming Er, you are very good."
After saying that, the person turned and left.
Ming Er stared at her back for a long time. The guard from back then, who was also the one who picked her up today, handed her a token.
"Ming Er, the Third Prince said that your excellent martial arts skills should not be wasted. This is the token for the martial arts examination, which does not conflict with the time of the civil service examination. My prince hopes to see someone who is proficient in both martial arts and literature."
Ming Er looked at the sign without saying a word.
The other party laughed and said, "Don't worry, although this token was given by the Third Prince, it was personally approved by His Majesty the Emperor. Go ahead and take the exam, consider it my prince repaying you for saving his life back then."
Having said that, Ming Er did not refuse.
"Thank you very much for your trouble, Third Prince. I will certainly not let you down."
Looking at the martial arts examination token in his hand, Ming Er suddenly had the same thought.
After putting the token away, Ming Er sighed, "Master Xiang, I feel that my life will not be peaceful from now on."
Ming Er didn't see the scrolling text; she only felt someone pat the top of her head.
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