Gao Wancheng smiled like a loving father.
“You child, you resisted when they took you to the red-light district before, and I was worried about you. It’s good that you’re like this. But you are a member of the Gao family. Don’t forget your place for a woman.”
The second half of the sentence carries a warning connotation.
Gao Ren's failure to help the Qin family in Xichang Prefecture still displeased Gao Wancheng.
"yes."
Gao Wancheng poured him a cup of tea.
"Of all the children, you are the most promising, Ren'er. Don't let your father down. And don't act on your own in the future."
"Yes, then, Godfather, about the Qin family..."
"We still need to protect it, after all, the Third Prince still needs the Qin family's assets."
“Our Gao family isn’t short of money either. My son is just being reluctant to leave his maternal family because of the Imperial Concubine. But with a burden like the Qin family around, how can the Third Prince possibly compete with the Crown Prince…”
The teacup made a crisp sound when it was placed on the table, and Gao Ren stopped talking.
Gao Wancheng's tone was somewhat somber.
"Alright, there's a lot going on at the Zhenfu Division, you can go ahead and get busy."
"Yes, son takes his leave."
Gao Ren respectfully withdrew from the study, and the moment the door closed, his eyes were cold and indifferent.
For the past two years, he has been investigating his origins, but he has found nothing, not even a single clue about his mother or father.
He couldn't help but suspect that his father had been murdered by Gao Wancheng, who then imprisoned his mother and forced him to recognize the thief as his father.
He only regretted that he had done so much for Gao Wancheng over the years.
*
In April, the Imperial Examination was held. The officials from the Examination Hall led a group of students into the palace to complete the examination questions given by the emperor in the main hall.
In previous imperial examinations, Gao Wancheng presided over the examinations and was also the one who set the questions.
Taking advantage of the imperial examination system, he won over the hearts of many students, and as a result, the Gao faction in the court grew stronger day by day, creating a situation where the emperor had to obtain Gao Wancheng's approval to make any decisions.
Even though the current emperor trusts Gao Wancheng, he doesn't want to see this situation. Therefore, this year's imperial examination was entrusted to the crown prince, which was also a deliberate or unintentional way to help the crown prince expand his power.
The palace examination went exceptionally smoothly. This year, it wasn't just the cabinet reviewing the papers; all officials reviewed them on the spot in the main hall.
Everyone could see that the Emperor was suppressing the cabinet led by the Gao faction.
When the current emperor ascended the throne in his early years, he did consider abolishing the cabinet, but the cabinet's power was too great, and he has not succeeded in doing so over the years.
The people in the court were not stupid, so they naturally maintained fairness and impartiality in grading the exam papers.
The names on the exam papers were all covered, but since everyone's handwriting was different, it was still easy to distinguish some of the papers.
After browsing through them, Gao Wancheng selected one of the candidates. Many people followed him, knowing that this was the person that Lord Gao had chosen.
Finally, the top three exam papers were selected and presented to the emperor.
After reviewing the list, the Emperor personally selected the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua), while the remaining second and third place rankings were determined by the officials.
Half a month later, the results were posted outside the examination hall.
Before dawn, people arrived early to reserve spots outside the examination hall, and the teahouses opposite the examination hall were also packed with people.
Fang Dashu had reserved a private room here, and he called Zhao Shi'an over.
Zhao Shi'an was disturbed from his dream and his face was very unpleasant. When he sat down, he glared at Fang Dashu.
"How can you sleep at a time like this? The whole capital is watching this place. Do you know how difficult it was for me to secure this position?"
Zhao Shi'an leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to catch up on sleep.
He dealt with matters related to Fengyu Tower last night and didn't fall asleep until very late.
"The results should be released in a while, let's have some tea first."
Fang Dashu went and ordered two pots of tea.
Their relationship had somehow become like this; they weren't exactly close, yet they were also distant, but they seemed like old acquaintances who had known each other for decades.
Sometimes Fang Dashu even wondered if he had known Zhao Shi'an in a previous life.
Zhao Shi'an closed his eyes to rest, and Fang Dashu did not disturb him.
Half an hour later, the gates of the examination hall finally opened.
The people at the examination hall first made a lot of noise with gongs and drums before posting the list, and then someone immediately started announcing the list.
"The top scholar, Zhao Shi'an, from Fangjia Village, An County, Jizhou!"
"Whoa!"
"It wasn't the Wang or Xie families from Jiangnan."
Which one is Zhao Shi'an?
"What, does someone who's the top scholar really expect you to find a husband right after the exam results are announced?"
Fang Dashu looked at Zhao Shi'an.
He finally opened his eyes, but his expression was indifferent, as if the top scholar was not him.
"Congratulations."
Zhao Shi'an nodded, then looked out the window, his eyes vacant, lost in thought.
The charts continue.
The second and third place winners came from Jiangnan, followed by the first-place winner.
Fang Dashu sipped his tea, and finally heard his name after reading eight names.
"...Ninth place in the second class of Jinshi, Fang Nianci from Fangjia Village, An County, Jizhou!"
He changed his name after all. His teacher had told him after the county exam that he would definitely achieve something in the future, so it was better to change his name.
Fang Dashu suddenly stood up, his expression excited.
Ninth place!
He said to Zhao Shi'an.
Zhao Shi'an turned his gaze back to him.
"Congratulations."
In his previous life, Fang Dashu was a top-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations. In this life, his achievements are much better than in his previous life.
"You're so boring. Aren't you happy at all?"
Zhao Shi'an twitched the corner of his mouth.
He was still happy, especially when he thought about how excited Fang Qing was when she found out he had become the top scholar.
"Alright, it's time to go back. The people from the examination hall will be looking for us soon."
His calm demeanor made Fang Dashu feel like a naive fool who had never seen the world.
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