Chapter 24, First Place, Jieyuan
Pei Wu stared blankly at Jiang Ru, being pushed forward by the crowd. When he was just inches away from Jiang Ru, she reached out and grabbed him.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, fearing that Pei Wu would be pushed to another spot, she quickly pulled him to a quieter place.
Pei Wu stared blankly at Jiang Ru, unsure of how to resist, and followed Jiang Ru step by step away from the crowd.
Jiang Ru pulled him to the wall before letting go of Pei Wu's sleeve, adding, "The situation is urgent, there are too many people, so I can only grab you for now. Don't throw a tantrum again."
After saying that, she took out a bag of hot meat buns from her bundle: "Eat quickly."
She had specially gone to buy these steamed buns beforehand, but since it was during the provincial examinations, the nearby vendors had all raised their prices, and it was painful for her to spend the money on these few buns.
Pei Wu took the meat bun blankly, and took a bite at Jiang Ru's urging.
Meat buns are much tastier than dry rations; they're warm and comforting all the way down to your stomach. While eating his bun, Pei Wu still asked Jiang Ru, "How did you manage to get through this?"
Jiang Ru casually replied, "I came over because I thought you had finished your exams, so I came to pick you up."
She said with feigned seriousness, "Did you see someone faint just now? I was worried you might faint on the way and not be able to get back, so I came to pick you up. Aren't I good?"
Pei Wu could no longer hear what she was saying; his gaze was fixed on Jiang Ru's face as he asked her, "How did you manage to walk all this way?"
Jiang Ru asked, puzzled: "Didn't you go through this too?"
She took it for granted; after all, it was only a day's journey, which was easy for her.
Pei Wu sensed something was wrong. He frowned and was about to say something when Jiang Ru suddenly raised her hand and beckoned in a certain direction. She called out, "Brother Zheng, over here."
Zheng Qiuhong was in even worse condition than Pei Wu. His cheeks were sunken, his eyes were dark, and his lips were dry. When he heard Jiang Ru's voice, he looked up in shock, as if he hadn't expected Jiang Ru to come here.
He was only surprised for a moment before quickening his pace, but even with that, his steps were unsteady, and it took him a lot of effort to get across.
Jiang Ru took out two meat buns from her bundle and handed them to him: "Eat them quickly."
Zheng Qiuhong took the steamed buns and, without even exchanging pleasantries, immediately began to wolf them down.
He ate quickly, finishing two buns in a few bites. When he looked up again, his eyes were already brimming with tears: "I've never eaten such delicious buns before... Waaah!"
The tough guy shed tears, and Jiang Ru was a little overwhelmed. She hid behind Pei Wu and said, "He's your friend, you comfort him."
Pei Wu: ""
Fortunately, Zheng Qiuhong only shed a few symbolic tears and recovered on her own.
The candidates gradually left, and there weren't many people left at the entrance of the examination hall. It was time for them to prepare to go home.
The shops in this area were bustling with activity. The largest restaurant in the area even hosted a banquet with a very auspicious name: the Scholar's Banquet. The dishes served were also auspicious, such as duck and Ding Sheng cake, all for good luck.
With this gimmick, the price was correspondingly exorbitantly high, sometimes costing several strings of cash per table, yet people still went to eat there.
As Jiang Ru passed by the restaurant, the waiter was enthusiastically greeting customers, so she quietly walked a little further away.
Now that the exam was over, they didn't linger. They bought some food for the road and started their return journey together.
Having promised Zhao Jing that she would bring her something delicious when she returned, Jiang Ru also stopped by a pastry shop on her way and bought a bag of chestnut cakes to bring to Zhao Jing.
After traveling for nearly a day, they finally returned to Guilin Township. They arranged a time with Zheng Qiuhong to check the results, and then they parted ways.
Jiang Ru had been walking for several days in a row, but she was still in good spirits. Her hair was slightly damp with sweat, but her eyes were very bright.
Ever since she met Pei Wu, he would always seem to glance at her face, but when Jiang Ru turned around, he would look away. After this happened several times, Jiang Ru found it amusing: "Why are you always looking at me?"
Pei Wu hesitated for a moment: "You shouldn't have come to pick me up."
Jiang Ru didn't understand why.
Pei Wu frowned: "It's very dangerous."
"But I'm so bored all by myself. You have no idea how I've been getting by these past few days," Jiang Ru began to complain. "I don't even have anyone to talk to, so I had to come to you."
Her words made it sound as if she couldn't function without Pei Wu, so Pei Wu hesitated for a moment and then stopped talking.
He could say Jiang Ru was immature, or that she was being unreasonable, but all of this was for him.
Pei Wu pondered for a long time before finally saying, "Discuss what you want to do in the future with me first."
"I discussed it with you, and you just gave your permission?" Jiang Ru raised an eyebrow.
Of course it's inaccurate; the answer is obvious.
Every time Jiang Ru spoke, she managed to shut Pei Wu up. Just when Pei Wu didn't know how to retaliate, Jiang Ru preemptively said, "But I really want to see you."
The last syllable was drawn out, sticky and slurred, leaving Pei Wu completely at a loss for words.
He walked silently beside Jiang Ru, carrying their luggage on his back. After a long while, he finally managed to utter, "This is the last time."
Jiang Ru laughed: "If you don't pass the exam this time, I'll still pick you up next time. But if you pass, I won't be able to pick you up even if I wanted to, right?"
Sophistry.
But it's not without reason.
Pei Wu's expression softened slightly, and Jiang Ru then asked, "Was the exam difficult?"
With Pei Wu's talent, the exam questions should not be difficult. He passed the preliminary examination at the age of twelve and was the top scholar in all three rounds, which is commonly known as the "minor triumph".
As expected, Pei Wu said, "It's not difficult."
Jiang Ru became curious: "Do you think you can get the top score in the provincial examination?"
Pei Wu looked at her quietly, without saying a word.
Jiang Ru understood: "I get it, keep a low profile."
She laughed heartily, seemingly certain that Pei Wu would achieve a good result. Pei Wu, who was always confident, suddenly lost his composure and abruptly asked, "What if I don't pass the exam?"
Jiang Ru was smiling, and her smile didn't fade upon hearing this: "You didn't pass the exam..."
She paused deliberately, and Pei Wu's heart also tightened. Jiang Ru said, "We've already agreed that if we don't pass the exam, we'll go to the countryside to find work and not become officials."
This was Jiang Ru's initial thought. At that time, she only wanted Pei Wu to stay away from the imperial examinations and the court. Later, she changed her mind. She felt that as long as Pei Wu followed his heart, that would be good enough.
She had confirmed that Pei Wu was of good character and not the traitor rumored to be. On the contrary, she felt that Pei Wu's ambitions should not go unfulfilled.
Jiang Ru raised her lips and lightly tapped Pei Wu from a distance: "Let's make a bet. I bet you'll pass the imperial examination. If you lose, you have to promise me one thing."
Her bet had no impact on her at all; it was clearly Pei Wu who suffered a loss. Besides, they all knew whether Pei Wu could pass the exam or not.
Even so, Pei Wu nodded, his voice low and deep: "Okay."
"To avoid you going back on your word, we need to get this written agreement done when we get home," Jiang Ru suggested.
No matter what she said, Pei Wu would agree. Just like now, Pei Wu simply gave a soft "hmm".
It was already evening when they arrived home. The gate to the courtyard was tightly closed. When they opened the gate, there was a line of words written on the ground. Zhao Jing's handwriting was very elegant, similar to Pei Wu's.
She wrote: Sister, the chickens have been fed and watered. I'm going home for dinner.
Zhao Jing went back first, so Jiang Ru put the chestnut cake away and would give it to Zhao Jing when she came tomorrow.
The moonlight was bright, and a wooden table was set up under the pear tree, complete with paper and ink. The soft light, like gauze, reflected the two figures on the paper. They were neither too far nor too close, but their shadows were stuck together, intimately connected.
Jiang Ru turned her face to the side, the moonlight caressing her face like delicate water flowing slowly, clear and sparkling. She leaned forward and poked at the paper: "Write."
If Pei Wu passes the imperial examination on his first attempt, he will promise Jiang Ru one thing, and he cannot go back on his word.
After Pei Wu finished writing, he smiled helplessly: "Actually, even without a written agreement, I will do whatever you ask me to do."
Jiang Ru had already lifted the paper. She blew on it and waited for the ink to dry. She smiled at Pei Wu and said, "You don't understand."
Words spoken can be taken back, but words written on paper are tangible and visible.
She was very insistent on having Pei Wu sign a written agreement, so Pei Wu had no choice but to go along with her.
After the provincial examination, one had to wait for the results to be released. The results were released in the Great Xia Dynasty over a period of about ten days, usually at the end of August, or at most until the middle of September.
Pei Wu remained humble and unperturbed, continuing to read and teach the children to read and write as usual, completely unconcerned about his ranking.
In stark contrast to Pei Wu was Jiang Ru, who was extremely concerned about Pei Wu's grades. One day, she even dreamed that Pei Wu had failed the exam, and she felt depressed for a long time after waking up.
He dreamed again that Pei Wu had topped the list of successful candidates, moved into the capital, and became the regent.
Compared to the two dreams, Pei Wu's failure to pass the exam didn't seem so heartbreaking. Jiang Ruke finally adjusted her mindset and patiently waited for the results to be released.
Jiang Ru brought chestnut cakes for Zhao Jing, which the little girl loved. She ate them for several days in a row, and finally, the day the results were announced arrived.
The results were to be released on the first day of the ninth lunar month. The day before, many people had been inquiring about the rankings, both openly and secretly, and some even paid high prices to ask for the results. The rankings were kept very secret, with not a single detail revealed.
Pei Wu and his group lived far away and only heard a little bit of the news. In addition, the villagers were not the kind of people who liked to cause trouble, and they knew they shouldn't ask too many questions at this time.
The children, however, had already ranked Pei Wu, saying that he was definitely number one, because in their hearts, Brother Pei was naturally the best.
When the results were announced, not only Pei Wu, but even the children wanted to go, and the adults couldn't stop them.
With so many people on the day the results were announced, and fearing that the children might get separated or that something might happen to them, Pei Wu had no choice but to turn away all the children.
In fact, if Pei Wu had passed the imperial examination, he wouldn't have needed to go to see it himself. Someone would have come to deliver the good news, and the government would have sent someone to inform him as well. However, it would have been faster for him to see it himself.
The list was posted at noon at the governor's office. Early on, the area in front of the governor's office was already crowded with people. Jiang Ru and her group lived far away and arrived late, so they were left behind.
The crowd was crowded and noisy. After a long time, the soldiers pushed through the crowd and came to the railing to post the yellow notice. There were tall people in front of Jiang Ru, making it difficult for her to see clearly. She tried to stand on tiptoe, but it was no use. She was also at the back of the crowd and couldn't see it at all.
The officers and soldiers had posted the list, and the candidates crowded forward to look for their names. Some were overjoyed and wept when they saw their names on the list, while others were disappointed when they couldn't find their names and sighed, but they didn't give up and continued to search.
Jiang Ru even saw several elderly men with gray hair crying uncontrollably because they failed again.
Some people fainted from crying, others were cursing angrily, and the governor's gate was so crowded that it was impossible to move for a long time.
Her mind was in turmoil. Previously, the imperial examination was just a vague concept in her mind, but seeing the situation in this place made her realize how cruel it was.
Pei Wu was tall, and he had already found his name on the list. Seeing that Jiang Ru was having difficulty seeing it, he couldn't help but remind her, "I've already seen it."
Jiang Ru asked nervously, "Are you on the list?"
Pei Wu nodded: "Yes."
Jiang Ru breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Pei Wu seemed about to tell her, she quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't tell me yet, I'll see for myself."
Pei Wu had no choice but to continue queuing with her.
Fortunately, Pei Wu said she was on the list, which eased her mind a little. She continued to wait patiently to see what was happening. When the number of people in front of her decreased, Jiang Ru seized the opportunity and squeezed through the gaps to the front.
Before she could catch her breath, Jiang Ru immediately glanced at the yellow list. Even though she knew Pei Wu was already on it, her heart still pounded with fear.
She subconsciously looked from the back to the front, as if she were a child taking an exam and always hoped to get a good grade. She would subconsciously lower her expectations, and if the result was better than expected, she would feel much better.
With this in mind, Jiang Ru quickly scanned the rankings.
When it came to the second runner-up, Zheng Qiuhong's name was prominently listed.
Jiang Ru calmed her breathing, let out a long sigh, and looked at the first column with her answer in mind.
First place, the top scholar in the provincial examination, Pei Wu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com