Chapter 1824: A Gift

As soon as the list was posted, the Fourth Prince saw Changzhong's name at a glance. Changzhong's name was too conspicuous. The Fourth Prince blinked and then laughed loudly, saying to the guards beside him: "Did you see it? If you saw it, hurry up and leave."

As there were too many people around, no one asked to exchange the money for silver. The guard understood what was meant and ran away excitedly.

Wu Shangheng and his men's servants also hurriedly followed.

Changzhong clenched his fists. He lived up to his father's expectations and became the top scorer in the imperial examination, but he was not calm at all!

Who says that Zhouhou Mansion can’t produce a top scholar? He is the top scholar, and a top scholar who has won six prizes in a row. He will leave his name in future generations!

After the list was posted, the person who posted it congratulated, "Congratulations, congratulations."

Chang Zhong returned the greeting, "Thank you, I will definitely come to the Marquis' Mansion for a drink some other day."

"Of course, of course."

The fourth prince said, "Okay, okay, let's do our best."

Changzhong was surrounded by people who were all his good friends. Changzhong smiled happily when they congratulated him.

After the celebration, Changzhong looked at the runner-up and third place winners. The runner-up was from a noble family in the south, and Changzhong was familiar with the third place winner.

Chang Zhong confirmed that he was not mistaken and said, "A young scholar who won the third place in the imperial examination."

The Fourth Prince did not know Yang Xiu, "Do you know her?"

Changzhong talked about the origin and praised him at the same time, "You are so knowledgeable at such a young age. I admire you."

Yang Xiu is not a bookworm and has lived up to Fourth Brother's expectations!

Changzhong must admit that his current achievements are inseparable from the training at home!

The four princes were not interested in Yang Xiu. So what if she was a young genius? As long as Yang Xiu didn't grow up, he would not be worthy of their attention.

The fourth prince has now become rich. He became a wealthy prince in a second after a bet. "Let's go. Let's celebrate today. I'll treat you."

Chang Zhong said: "You guys go ahead. I will take care of everything. My family is waiting for me."

The fourth prince said, "Okay, we won't be polite."

Changzhong smiled and asked, "When has Your Highness ever been polite?"

Wu Shangheng and his companions laughed heartily. They all became rich today. Especially Wu Shangheng, he made a net profit of several hundred thousand, which was a huge sum of money.

The list spread throughout the capital, and the betting places were in an uproar. Although many people bet on Changzhong, the dealer still made a lot of money. Who made more people bet on Changzhong to be the second?

In the palace, the emperor knew how much the banker had earned, and said to Zhou Shuren, who was laughing foolishly, "I bet too little."

Zhou Shuren, "I bet too little."

Ten thousand taels is not enough? Isn't his one thousand taels too little?

The emperor felt happy after comparing them. "Yes, you only bet a thousand taels, and I made more than 100,000 taels."

The prince was also happy, "My son has sent someone to get the silver."

The emperor and the prince looked at each other. Well, both father and son were in a good mood.

Zhou Shuren cleared his throat and said, "I'll take my leave."

He even wanted to go back and show off. Many people in the Ministry of Revenue were talking behind his back about Changzhong getting the second place in the imperial examination!

The emperor could understand Zhou Shuren's feelings, "I will not keep you here."

Zhou Shuren came out and first accepted the congratulations from Eunuch Zhang, and then accepted the congratulations from the guards along the way. The old man felt as if he had lost a few pounds and almost floated up.

After returning to the Ministry of Revenue, Qiu Yan sent someone to guard the entrance of the government office and came over immediately to say, "Congratulations, congratulations."

Zhou Shuren raised his chin slightly, with the corners of his mouth curled up, "Thank you."

Qiu Yan was envious, "Master Hou, please teach me how to educate my children. I don't ask to learn one tenth of what you have learned, but one percent is fine."

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "Teach students in accordance with their aptitude. Of course, my youngest son is gifted. He is very good at drawing inferences and understanding things at a glance. I also have no sense of accomplishment."

Zhang Jinghong and others, "!!"

Six Yuan still doesn't feel accomplished? Suddenly I don't want to congratulate the Shangshu Lord!

Zhou Shuren was extremely proud today. He could chat with anyone, talking about his son's studies and his son's intelligence. He was just like a father who was showing off his child.

Everyone in the capital who was waiting to watch the show was dispirited. How come all the good things were taken by the Zhou Marquis Mansion?

As for the claim that the emperor is partial, they don't believe it. The emperor's character is guaranteed. He can only be jealous that Zhou Shuren gave birth to a good son!

In the future, there will no longer be a Zhouhou Mansion as the home of a runner-up in the imperial examination. A number one scholar completely dispelled the rumors.

At Marquis Zhou's Mansion, Zhulan gave a definite rejection to all the guests' attempts. The Zhou family would not accept apprentices, so there was no hope of sending children to the mansion.

The Marquis' Mansion was extremely bustling today, and those who could not enter the house also sent gifts.

When sorting out the gift lists in the afternoon, Zhulan found the gift lists of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and several princes.

Li checked the gift list, "Mother, are the gifts from the Crown Prince and several princes too expensive?"

"Just keep them all if you have nothing else to do!"

Zhulan accepted the gift with a clear conscience. There were two reasons why the gift was so valuable. First, Shuren was the master of the emperor's grandson, and second, the prince had made a fortune because of Changzhong.

The gift from the Second Prince was more valuable because Shu Ren and the descendants of the Zhou family were valued by the Emperor, and he did not want to offend them even if he could not persuade them.

The third prince was very generous. Zhulan chuckled and he gave him a sum of money.

However, Zhu Lan thought about it and said, "When there is a happy event in the Second Prince's Mansion, you can return it with a gift of equivalent value."

Li picked up a pen and marked the gift list, "Yes."

Zhulan waited for Li to finish sorting out the gift list and said, "Thank you for your hard work today."

Li was already used to being the housekeeper. "It's not hard. It's part of the daughter-in-law's job."

Zhu Lan added: "After the banquet is over, you can take a rest."

Li smiled and said, "After I finish my younger brother's wedding, it's time for my daughter-in-law to be engaged to Minghui."

"Yes, after Minghui, it's Yuwen. This year has been filled with happy events."

The next day, Changzhong was paraded through the streets. Although Changzhong was not as good-looking as Mingrui, he was good at martial arts and had great courage. Wei Xinyi, who was engaged to Changzhong, also stole the spotlight.

Beyond Changzhong who was already taken, the second and third place candidates became the focus of attention. They each had their own advantages. The second place candidate came from a noble family and had a good background, while the third place candidate had no background but had ideas that could win the emperor's appreciation. Both were good candidates for sons-in-law.

Changzhong turned his head to look at Yang Xiu. As the runner-up in the imperial examination had a good background, no one would bother him. Even if he wanted to get married, he had to be polite. Yang Xiu had done everything smoothly yesterday. Changzhong was still very curious.

As the team arrived at the teahouse that Zhulan had chosen, Zhulan looked at her spirited son, her eyes instantly reddened, and she held Li's hand, "My son is so handsome."

Li thought that this was her son's life after all. The old lady had seen many parades, but this was the first time she was so excited.

When Changzhong saw his mother waving, Zhulan couldn't control her tears and flowed down. Her heart was full of pride and her eyes were a little blurry because of the tears. At this moment, it seemed as if time was disordered. Zhulan felt as if her soul was leaving her body. Fortunately, it passed quickly. When she wiped her tears, her son had already gone far away.

Zhulan motioned to Li to help her sit down. She needed to take a break. The feeling just now made her feel a little flustered.

Li noticed that her mother-in-law looked unwell and asked worriedly, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Zhulan's mood has calmed down. "I was a little dizzy from the excitement."

Li did not dare to delay and quickly asked her maid to call a doctor. Zhulan did not stop her. She did feel exhausted and needed to relax for a while.

(End of this chapter)