Chapter 1603 Open-minded

Qingxue was a little surprised at Mr. Gu's straightforwardness. She stood aside and waited for him to drink the soup. Then she took the bowl and went to her aunt's table to take the bowl of soup.

After drinking the soup, Gu Sheng felt a warm current in his body. His body, which had just been cold, warmed up and his complexion became a little better. He was grateful to Zhou Houfu. If he hadn't had Master Zhou's help with his illness, he would still be lying at home.

He had been looking forward to the painting building competition for a long time and almost missed it. Thinking of this, Gu Sheng felt a chill in his heart.

Zhu Lan was watching from upstairs. She was very surprised. "This Mr. Gu really trusts our Marquis' Mansion."

Tao, "Yes, this is something for import."

Qingxue, "She drank the soup without hesitation."

Zhulan felt better, as this showed that Gu Sheng appreciated the favor of Marquis Zhou's Mansion and that Master Gu would repay the favor in the future.

The Fourth Prince was in the private room. He knew Qingxue. "Why is the old lady delivering soup to Gu Sheng?"

Changzhong explained his relationship with Gu Sheng. He deliberately omitted Yuwen but mentioned Zhuoguyu. Finally, he said, "My mother took it seriously after hearing what I said. She just happened to be stewing soup for her brother-in-law and sent him a bowl."

After hearing this, the Fourth Prince looked at Zhuo Guyu and asked, "Why did the Duke's Mansion bring a doctor with him?"

Zhuo Guyu was very concerned about Gu Sheng and knew who helped him. Now, when he heard the Fourth Prince's question, he was not in vain. "I was debating with Master Gu, so I naturally cared about him. I knew that Master Gu was seriously ill and wanted to help him, but I didn't expect to be too late."

The Fourth Prince nodded, but he had a lot of thoughts in his mind. Gu Sheng was obviously being targeted. He had a bad impression of Zhuo Guyu and had preconceived notions. He did not like the Yong'an Mansion.

Zhuo Guyu clenched his palms. Although he was close to the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince was still indifferent to him. He took a deep breath and was not in a hurry.

Yu Wen called the maid over. The maid's eyes widened when she heard what happened. When she saw the county lord blink, she turned around and left quickly.

Zoya didn't hear clearly, "Does the county lord have something to do?"

Yuwen disliked Zoya, and even if she tried to hide it well, she couldn't hide her superior attitude. "My sister didn't ask, so who are you to ask me?"

Zoya said dryly, "I thought we were friends."

Yu Wen pointed at herself and said, "How could I not know? Actually, I have only met you once. According to what you said, all the ladies in the capital are my friends."

Zoya has been flattered recently when she goes out. This is the first time someone doesn't give her face, and it's her future sister-in-law. She thinks her sister-in-law should give in to her. Her eyes turn red, "You are bullying others."

Yuwen, "To be honest, it's bullying, and I've bullied too many people."

Zoya, "......"

Yudie cleared her throat, "Yuwen, Miss Zhuo is still young."

Yuwen was even more surprised, "If I'm small, I have to be given way to others. Come to think of it, am I not the youngest in the box besides Yujiao?"

Zhuo Guyu took a deep breath and stood up, "The results are coming out, and we brothers and sisters should go back. Thank you for the refreshments, Fourth Prince."

The fourth prince, "Yes."

Zhuo Guyu nodded to everyone, then left with Zoya.

Yu Wen raised her eyebrows. He was indeed a good brother, but it was a pity that they were too goal-oriented.

The fourth prince smiled and said, "Cousin, I am also young. Can you give me a painting from the auction later?"

Yuwen, "......Okay"

She knew that her cousin was not called that for nothing and was waiting for her here, so she was also a golden child in the eyes of the Fourth Prince!

At the sound of a drum, the shopkeeper took out the list and said, "The results of this round have been announced. I will read them out from the end to the beginning. The fifty finalists will receive the prize of the painting building regardless of their ranking."

As he spoke, the rewards were brought up, including pens, ink, paper, and inkstones. The most valuable ones were pigments, as these were the things that the painting building had the most.

The tense moment arrived. Gu Sheng heard that he was ranked 45th. Although he was disappointed, he accepted it well. This time, many people who were preparing for the exam gathered in Beijing, and many of them had learned to paint since elementary school. He was lucky to be shortlisted as a latecomer.

Upstairs, Zhulan kept staring at Gu Sheng's micro-expressions. Gu Sheng quickly accepted his disappointment calmly. Zhulan had to praise his character. Gu Sheng has an open mind and will have a bright future sooner or later.

Tao was puzzled, "Will you pay too much attention to this Mr. Gu?"

Zhulan asked, "Is there?"

"Yes, you rarely look at your eldest son-in-law, but you always look at Mr. Gu. Are you planning to marry a son-in-law from a poor family?"

Zhu Lan's eyes widened. "Mr. Gu is already eighteen years old, and Yu Wen is not even married yet. I have no intention of marrying her."

Tao was relieved. "I'm not saying that sons-in-law from poor families are bad. There are many sons-in-law from poor families in Beijing, but few of them live well."

Zhulan had also heard that there were even more chaos. It was not easy for a poor family to become a Jinshi. Some people would pretend all their lives for the sake of their future, while some people were ungrateful. What's more, the gap between the two families also caused a lot of trouble.

Tao cited another example, "In a case that was just tried not long ago, the husband's family relied on the power of the Yue family to secretly abduct a commoner's daughter and try to seduce a wealthy businessman. The capital was discussing this for a long time."

Zhulan had naturally heard about it as well. During the trial, the son-in-law from a poor family even wanted to kill someone to silence him.

Soon the ranking came to Jiang Sheng, who lived up to everyone's expectations and won first place. Some masters even commented that Jiang Sheng had reached the master's level and so on.

Anyway, Jiang Sheng got first place, so it's free to say good things about him. Otherwise, if he didn't get a good ranking, Jiang Sheng would become a joke today. The more you praise Jiang Sheng in the past, the more you will belittle him in the future.

Naturally, some people were dissatisfied, "Who knows if it is because of Zhou Hou? Who doesn't know that Jiang Juren's father-in-law is Zhou Hou?"

Jiang Sheng's expression remained unchanged as he picked up his painting. "You can say it, but you are not allowed to slander my father-in-law. The painting is here. Everyone who comes here today understands painting. Jiang is not afraid of criticism."

Jiang Sheng was frank and open-minded, and the thoughts that had just arisen in everyone's mind were extinguished again. He had real abilities and was not afraid of being seen.

There were still some who came forward unwillingly, but Jiang Sheng had no intention of holding them back. There were also the second and third paintings standing next to them. After they looked at the paintings and walked off the stage with shame on their faces, no one dared to go on stage anymore.

Finally, the first place was well deserved. Jiang Sheng carefully rolled up the painting. The dignitaries who came to watch the excitement today were anxious. They were still waiting for the auction!

The shopkeeper was also dumbfounded, "Mr. Jiang, you don't want to sell this painting?"

Jiang Sheng, "I promised my father-in-law that I would give this painting to him."

Tao was jealous after hearing this. "You are so lucky. Your son is so successful and your son-in-law is so filial. After today, your son-in-law will be famous. His paintings will be even more popular today. One of his paintings may be worth a thousand taels."

Zhulan was very happy when she heard this. She was a layman and felt that "that's why it's important to have a skill."

Tao said sourly, "All the children of aristocratic families learn painting since childhood. It depends on one's talent."

The subsequent auction was very lively. Zhulan did not participate. She would not buy a painting today. The buying price now is at least 20% higher than usual. Gu Sheng's painting was also sold for fifty taels.

After the transaction, the customers of the painting house left one after another. Jiang Sheng left later. The owner of the painting house asked Jiang Sheng to paint a spring picture. As the painting house would become famous today, Jiang Sheng readily agreed.

Zhulan was supported by Xuemei. She could still feel Xuemei's excitement. As the group walked out of the painting building, Zhulan looked to the side and stopped.

Changzhong accompanied his niece in a speechless manner, and when his mother came out, he said, "Let's go back home."

Yu Wen waved to Master Gu, "You're welcome."

Light Pen