Chapter 1821 Gradually

The next morning, Chang Zhong had just woken up and hadn't had breakfast yet when the servant came in and said, "Sir, the Fourth Prince is here."

Chang Zhong glanced at the time and asked, "The Fourth Prince has left the palace at this hour?"

The servant reminded quietly, "The Fourth Prince can live in the Crown Prince's Mansion."

Changzhong, "."

That’s right, the Crown Prince is the Fourth Prince’s biological brother!

The fourth prince came into the room and breakfast was just served on the table. He saw Changzhong chewing his dumplings slowly and asked, "Can you still eat breakfast?"

"Has Your Highness had breakfast?"

The Fourth Prince did not eat. He was worried about whether Changzhong had won the first place in the imperial examination. Seeing that Changzhong was not in a hurry, he curled his lips and sat down to eat with them.

Because of the arrival of the Fourth Prince, the eldest maid quickly went to the kitchen to get more breakfast. After a while, steamed dumplings and other foods appeared on Changzhong's table.

Changzhong ate little for breakfast and put down his chopsticks quickly. He saw that the Fourth Prince kept eating and by the time he finished eating, most of the plate was empty.

Chang Zhong was speechless, "Your Highness didn't eat last night?"

The fourth prince said, "I don't eat much."

Changzhong couldn't help but ask, "Didn't the prince tell Your Highness the results of the list?"

The fourth prince shook his head and said, "Only my father and my eldest brother know the list. My eldest brother won't tell me."

Do you think he hasn't asked secretly? He didn't dare to test his father, but he was not polite to his brother. Every time his brother smiled and said nothing, he felt uneasy.

In fact, Changzhong didn't want to go to the list. Wouldn't it be nice to stay at home? Anyway, there was an official who could tell him the good news, so why would he go to a crowded place?

It's a pity that the Fourth Prince wanted to go and even argued that seeing it with his own eyes would be a different feeling.

The line that went to see the results was huge. They left late, so the place was already packed with people when they arrived.

The carriage couldn't squeeze in because there was a huge crowd of people ahead, including the examinees, their servants, and common people who wanted to join in the fun. There was no way to squeeze in without reserving a spot in advance.

Changzhong stood beside the carriage and spread his hands, "I said I won't come to defend the list!"

The fourth prince said quietly, "Who asked you to come late?"

Changzhong is a bachelor, "Shall we go back?"

The fourth prince jumped on the carriage to see if there were any acquaintances there. Don't say that his eyes were sharp. He spotted acquaintances in the teahouse's private room at a glance, "Come on, I'll take you to find some space."

Then he went to the teahouse and met the Third Prince. There were only the Third Prince and Lord Du in the box, so it was very spacious.

Fortunately, Minghui and Mingrui came with us today, and there were no female relatives from the Zhou family, so there was no need to avoid them.

The third prince silently watched the fourth prince making the decision and could not help rubbing his forehead. He would rather please the crown prince than the fourth prince, who was too troublesome.

Master Du opened his mouth several times but finally fell silent. The Third Prince had no ambition and ended up submitting to the Crown Prince. The Fourth Prince, who was born of the legitimate wife, could not afford to offend him.

Changzhong greeted the Third Prince and said, "Hello, Third Prince."

The Third Prince smiled and said, "We are all familiar with each other, so there is no need to be shy."

There was indeed no need to be polite, and several people sat down one after another.

The fourth prince smiled and said, "Third brother, I know you bet on Changzhong. You came to guard the list today. You wouldn't bet on the third and the first place like me, right?"

The Third Prince saw that Zhou Changzhong did not look surprised, and thought that the Fourth Prince had a very good relationship with this man, so he generously admitted, "Yes, it's a pity that I don't have much private property."

Buying books is his biggest expense. He has bought too many books recently and his wallet has become shrunken. His mother was not favored to begin with, and was disliked by his father in his early years. His mother does not have much money either. Although he has never been deducted, he is still a poor prince and cannot compare to the sons of noble families in terms of money.

Master Du became even more entangled. In order to please the Third Prince, he also took money to pledge Zhou Changzhong.

Mingrui and Minghui just quietly drank tea as the background, but they also secretly bet on their uncle!

It was quiet outside when the list was posted. After the list was posted, there was no need to wait for the servant to come back to report. The gamblers shouted in surprise, and Changzhong smiled, thinking that he was the champion.

The fourth prince stood up excitedly and walked to the window. He listened carefully to confirm that someone was calling Changzhong the champion. "Haha, I knew you could do it. You really made me proud."

He was one step closer to becoming rich overnight and was only waiting for the results of the palace examination.

The Third Prince loosened his grip on the cup, feeling very happy. He raised the cup and said, "Congratulations."

Chang Zhong replied, "Congratulations."

Master Du also opened his mouth to congratulate. His heart was pounding. The Third Prince had staked 3,500 taels, and his family had paid 2,000 taels. When the sum was settled, his congratulations were extremely sincere.

The fourth prince was delighted and said, "It's a pity that I bet too little, but even so, I still made money, haha."

Changzhong, "."

Why are you so happy about his success? Obviously you are happy about getting rich!

The news that Changzhong had won the first place in the imperial examination spread like wildfire. When the official who brought the good news arrived at the marquis's mansion, the door of the mansion had already been opened. The official who brought the good news was given a thick red envelope, and firecrackers were set off and money was scattered. All the wealthy and powerful families here had received permission from their masters to come and ask for money.

Mrs. Li and Boss Zhou received the guests who came to congratulate them. Zhulan chanted the Buddha's name and waved her hand, saying that her monthly salary would be tripled this month.

In the imperial palace, Zhou Shuren knew the result as soon as he left the court. He had already received a wave of envious looks.

Zhuo Guyu entered the palace today. Zhuo Guyu was the most complicated. None of the young men who took the exam at the Yong'an Duke's Mansion passed. Accidents happened one after another before the New Year. With great difficulty, his two younger brothers insisted on taking the exam but dropped out of the examination room halfway through. The grandfather aged several years in an instant, but he still had to insist on planning revenge.

After the emperor finished discussing state affairs, he actually wanted to show off Zhou Changzhong's paper, but in order to maintain the mystery of the palace examination results, the emperor held back.

When the list came out, he looked at the top ten papers. In terms of handwriting, Changzhong was the best. Then there was the opinion. Some people had unique opinions, but unfortunately they were too radical and too sharp. The reform that the emperor wanted was to lay a solid foundation step by step, rather than a sudden and one-size-fits-all approach that would intensify conflicts and leave behind the root of trouble that would destabilize the country.

Changzhong's views were in line with his own thoughts. He made a thorough analysis of the contradictions among the different classes, and his insights were sharp and he also had methods to alleviate them.

This is something that some students from poor families cannot access. Many of their opinions come from their own perspectives, and no matter how well the wealthy and powerful families try to hide their feelings, they still have resentment in their hearts. And when they want to express their own ideas, they become even more aggressive.

Zhou Shuren was puzzled as to what the emperor wanted to say but he held back and let them leave. He couldn't help but wonder in his heart!

After leaving the Zheng Palace, Lord Gong had already congratulated him, "Congratulations, Lord Zhou."

Zhou Shuren came back to his senses and smiled, "Congratulations, congratulations."

Lord Gong, "If you get one more dollar, it will be the big three dollars, and if you add the small three dollars, it will be incredible."

Zhou Shuren was so happy that he said modestly, "No one can predict the result of the palace examination."

Lord Gong smiled. He felt that he had a good chance of winning the first prize. The difference between the north and the south could be seen in the first prize, and the national competition for the third prize had already proved Zhou Changzhong's strength. He suddenly regretted not placing a bet, but unfortunately he could no longer place a bet now.

The ministers of Works and Justice also congratulated him, but the ministers of Rites and Personnel were a step slower.

The officials were depressed. Why didn't the descendants of Zhou Houfu accept students?

(End of this chapter)