He put his hands behind his back and stared at the words under his hand.
Until a noisy sound came from outside the silent door, a noise noisier than ever before.
He put down his pen and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his aura was different.
If one does not have a firm will, he will be like a boat without a rudder or a horse without a bridle, drifting and running away, with no destination in the end.
What is meant to come will come.
Yi Ning sat beside Old Lady Luo, learning to make a purse as instructed. She looked at Old Lady Luo, then at Xue Zhi. Then she looked across at Lin Hairu, who hadn't yet recovered from her shock. Why didn't these three people seem right?
She finally put down the half-finished purse in her hand and said, "Mother, you should be happy that my third brother passed the imperial examination."
Lin Hairu had been in a daze and disbelief since she heard the news. She finally stood up after hearing it. She paced back and forth, then stopped in front of Yi Ning. "I... I'm going to be the mother of a successful candidate?"
She then asked, "Yining, right? He's still the top scholar!"
When Yi Ning first heard the news, she was surprised. She had hoped her third brother would do as well as he could on the exam, but she hadn't expected him to win first place in the imperial examination. But thinking about Luo Shenyuan's future status, she calmed down. It was just a first place in the imperial examination, so she shouldn't be too surprised.
But except her, everyone in the room who heard it was frightened.
Even Mrs. Luo was in a trance for a moment, and asked the messenger again: "It really is the top scholar, are you sure?"
"Madam, how could I be wrong about something so important? I even double-checked it several times," the messenger said with a smile. "Congratulations, madam! Both of your grandsons have passed the imperial examinations, and the third son even won first place! Our prefect has heard about it and said he'd come to visit."
The list was first posted at the governor's office, and the prefect was the first to know about it, so he immediately sent someone to deliver a letter to Mrs. Luo.
Mrs. Luo was worried and asked her maid to reward the person who brought the news with a bag of silver.
However, Mrs. Luo quickly calmed down and immediately asked someone to invite Luo Chengzhang, Luo Shenyuan and others over.
Lin Hairu was still a little embarrassed: "Do you think I should give him something? Or say something?"
Yi Ning shook her head and said, "It's okay. You should talk less. Let grandma do the talking."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Luo glanced at Lin Hairu and said, "Yining is absolutely right. You should be more reserved for now. Besides, after today, there will definitely be many ladies from prominent families who want to make friends with you, so you must behave respectfully. You are now the mother of a top scholar. Things are different now, understand?"
Lin Hairu nodded and said that she would definitely talk less.
The first to arrive was Chen, a beaming woman as she entered. She shook Mrs. Luo's hand and spoke, her face even more gracious and warm to Lin Hairu, offering a flurry of congratulations. When she sat down, Yining noticed her palms were soaked with sweat, her handkerchief wet, and her gaze fixed on the door.
Then the maid announced, "The third young master is here," and Luo Shenyuan walked in.
For the first time, Chen's eyes truly fell on Luo Shenyuan. He saluted Old Lady Luo with dignity, then saluted Lin Hairu and then her.
Mrs. Luo looked at him with a smile, asked him to stand up, and said, "Do you know?"
Luo Shenyuan said politely: "Grandson already knows."
Perhaps it was because Luo Shenyuan had passed the imperial examination, but Chen always felt he looked taller than before. Standing before Old Lady Luo, his stern face held an indescribable dignity, impossible to ignore.
Chen felt that her eyes must have been pecked by an eagle.
Why hadn't she seen before that Luo Shenyuan was a swindler? Jieyuan...was that something you could achieve by sheer luck? This bastard never showed off, was he just waiting for this moment?
Seeing his calm and indifferent gaze, Chen felt a chill in her heart. Then, seeing the seemingly calm faces of Old Lady Luo, Xuezhi, and even the seven-year-old Luo Yining, she didn't seem particularly shocked.
Did they already know this a long time ago?
Luo Huaiyuan came with Luo Yiyu and Luo Yixiu, and the three of them also learned the news.
Originally, his success in the imperial examination should have been a cause for great joy. However, upon hearing that his third brother, whom he had always looked down upon, had actually passed the imperial examination, Luo Huaiyuan was stunned by disbelief. Then his joy faded. He confirmed it again and again before coming to his grandmother's place.
As soon as he walked in, he looked at Luo Shenyuan.
He had originally thought Luo Shenyuan was slightly shorter than him, but today he discovered that he was actually one centimeter taller than him. He smiled at him warmly and said, "Brother, you're here too."
If it were any other day, he would definitely think that this was Luo Shenyuan's humble and respectful smile.
But today, no matter how he looked at it, he felt that there was something indescribable in that smile. What was that meaning?
As the eldest son, he was praised by his teachers and respected by everyone in the Luo family. He had the best food, clothing, and daily necessities. But he had none of these. Even in this autumn examination, everyone believed that Luo Shenyuan was just there to serve as his sparring partner.
But now he was the first in the provincial examination. Although I was on the list, my ranking was far behind his.
Luo Huaiyuan suppressed all the thoughts in his mind, smiled meaningfully and said, "I never realized how amazing Third Brother is on weekdays. Congratulations to Third Brother this time."
Luo Shenyuan was no longer modest, but just smiled faintly: "I also congratulate my elder brother on passing the imperial examination."
At this moment, the maid outside came in with a message, smiling broadly, announcing that the messenger of good news had arrived, with the second and third messengers expected soon. "...The Gao and Yang families, who live at the entrance of the alley. Also, the Baoding prefect, the co-prefect Liu, the magistrate, the assistant prefect, Xu from the textile factory, and others have come to offer their congratulations. They all want to see the Third Young Master, and the master has ordered him to go and greet them!"
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