Chapter 146: Love in the Ancient Planes 6

This time, 6 scholars from Tianchang Academy took the exam together. Only Yuan Qingci passed the exam, and the rest failed.

Despite this, the headmaster of the academy was still very happy.

After reading the list, the group returned to the inn together.

"Mr. Yuan, Mr. Yuan, you are back. Congratulations to Mr. Yuan for passing the exam, congratulations!"

The shopkeeper came up to greet him directly and showed great hospitality.

"Mr. Yuan wants to eat something today. I'll book it for you as a treat to celebrate your success in college."

Yuan Qingci declined the offer, "Thank you, shopkeeper. I won't accept any reward without merit. I appreciate your kindness."

The shopkeeper smiled and didn't force it. "You're too polite, sir. Just let me know if you have any requests. We should all share in this great event."

"Thank you, shopkeeper. Everything is fine."

After the shopkeeper left, classmate Fan grumbled somewhat dissatisfiedly, "Brother Yuan, you're too reserved. Why don't you make the best of the shopkeeper's kindness?"

"Brother Fan, be careful with your words." Classmate Lin beside him pulled his sleeve and reminded him.

Yuan Qingci smiled, "When Brother Fan gets admitted to the Imperial College, it won't be too late to help him."

"You! You are just a small promoter, don't be so proud!"

Classmate Fan was so angry that he threw his sleeves and walked up the stairs without caring about other people present.

Classmate Lin awkwardly explained for him, "Brother Fan was just in a hurry, Brother Yuan, don't be offended, he is just like this, he has no bad intentions."

Yuan Qingci didn't say anything, but the dean got angry.

"You are so arrogant before you get admitted to the Imperial College, and you like to seek small profits. You are not fit for great use."

Everyone present fell silent. Scholars value teachers the most. The dean commented on a student like this, and this person's future is probably ruined.

"I am lucky to be admitted to high school, thanks to the cultivation of the dean and the help of all my classmates."

Yuan Qingci bowed to everyone, "Today, I will treat you to a good drink."

The dean knew Yuan Qingci's family situation and tried to stop him, "Qingci, it's good that you have the intention, but you don't have to spend so much money."

Classmate Lin also agreed, "What the dean said is right, classmates should support each other, no need to be grateful. Now that Brother Yuan has passed the high school entrance examination, he will have a bright future in the future. We will need Brother Yuan's help when the time comes, so why be so polite?"

Several other classmates also agreed, saying that they did not want Yuan Qingci to treat them.

However, Yuan Qingci insisted on his own opinion and specially ordered a table of good wine and food to entertain the dean and his classmates.

Several people talked about the past and the present, chanted poems and made couplets, and they were very happy. They all drank a lot and were finally helped back to their rooms by the waiter.

The next morning, Yuan Qingci woke up with a splitting headache.

He drank too much yesterday, and his head was still dizzy today. He felt a little dizzy when he stood up. Thinking that he was about to leave for home, he was also a little happy in his heart.

"Knock, knock, knock" There was a knock on the door, "Mr. Yuan, are you awake?" It was the voice of the waiter.

Yuan Qingci walked over, opened the door, and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Mr. Yuan, these are invitations for you."

The waiter took out a stack of invitations and handed them to Yuan Qingci, "I don't have anything else to do. Do you have any other instructions?"

"No, you can leave." Yuan Qingci closed the door and began to look through the invitations.

The invitations sent by the waiter today were more than the name cards he received on the day the results were announced, and they were from different people.

It was not surprising to see invitations from merchants and brokers, but there were actually invitations from ladies in brothels, which scared him so much that he almost threw the invitations out.

Yuan Qingci was just thinking about replying to some of the invitations when he heard a knock on the door. It was the waiter's voice again.

"Mr. Yuan, the prefect has invited you. Please hurry over here."

Yuan Qingci was stunned. He was summoned by an important person.

Two quarters of an hour later, Yuan Qingci appeared in the residence of Shi Haochan, the prefect of Lizhou.

The prefect of Lizhou was a fourth-rank official, the highest official in the prefecture.

"You are Yuan Qingci, indeed young and promising."

Shi Haochan had a mustache, a handsome middle-aged man, seemingly gentle and polite, but with an inexplicable official aura. Yuan

Qingci bowed, "I am honored to meet you, sir."

"No need to be polite, I am sorry to ask you to come over, I hope you don't mind."

Shi Haochan stroked his beard and smiled amiably.

"Sit down, don't be so reserved. You are the son of Lizhou Prefecture, and you are also my disciple. We are all family, why should we be polite."

"Then I will obey your command."

Yuan Qingci sat down generously.

Shi Hao smiled hesitantly, as if he was quite satisfied with him, "Do you mind if I call you Qingci?"

"This is my honor."

Yuan Qingci stood straight, like a green bamboo, and spoke neither servilely nor arrogantly, without a trace of flattery.

"Qingci, are you from Qingshan Village, Lizhou Prefecture?"

Yuan Qingci nodded, "Yes, I am from Qingshan Village, Lizhou Prefecture."

Shi Hao nodded hesitantly, and asked again: "Are you old enough to tie your hair?"

"Yes, I am exactly 15 years old this year."

Shi Hao touched his beard hesitantly, "What does your family do for a living?"

"My father died early, and my mother is the only one in my family. We usually rely on some farm work to support the family." Yuan Qingci spoke calmly, without any feeling of inferiority.

"Students also copy books in the bookstore to earn some money."

Shi Hao was not surprised. He saw it from the moment Yuan Qingci entered the door.

He had seen many poor students, but it was extremely rare to see such a generous person.

"It is not easy for poor students to study. You can stand out in the provincial examination. I believe you must have studied harder than usual. It is really rare."

Yuan Qingci was not proud of Shi Haochan's praise, but just replied: "Students are luckier than most people in the world because they can read and write. If they don't work harder, it will be a bit unreasonable."

"Hahaha, you are quite interesting."

Shi Haochan laughed and suddenly asked: "You are only 15 years old, are you married?"

Yuan Qingci was stunned for a moment, and answered frankly: "Students have a fiancée in Qingshan Village."

"Oh... that means you are not married yet."

Shi Hao hesitated and stretched out his voice, "You are already a man at a young age, and your future is bright. Your fiancée in this village is a country woman. Don't you feel unwilling?"

Yuan Qingci shook his head, "This is the marriage my father arranged for me before he died. As a child, I should abide by it out of filial piety. Besides, my fiancée saved my life many years ago. I must keep my promise and take care of her all her life."

"I have a daughter, born to my legitimate wife. She is beautiful and has a dignified personality. She has been very intelligent since she was a child and loves reading. She is a match for you."

Shi Hao hesitated and took a sip of tea, his words were somewhat tentative. Yuan Qingci

was startled. He didn't know what the prefect's intention was, so he could only bite the bullet and refuse.

"Your Excellency, you are joking. I am a coarse student who has been digging for food in the soil since I was a child. How can a mere commoner be worthy of a rich lady?"

Shi Hao looked at him hesitantly for a while, and he could see that Yuan Qingci was sweating.

"Nothing, I just want to chat with you casually, please leave."

Yuan Qingci breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and saluted him.

Then he turned around and walked out quickly, his figure was a little flustered, as if someone was chasing him.

After he walked away, Shi Hao saw a young girl with a charming face and graceful figure walking out from behind the screen in the room.

"Did you hear that? He has a fiancée."

The woman snorted coldly and complained, "What's so great about a fiancée? She's just a country girl. How can she compare to me?"

"Yuan Qingci is a man who values ​​friendship. His fiancée saved his life."

"It's good that he values ​​friendship. It means I didn't make a mistake in him."

The woman smiled coquettishly, "I just like his loyalty."

If she likes someone, he's hers and no one can snatch him away.