Chapter 77 Case No. 1 [VIP]
Government office, inside the examination room.
No matter how much wealth your family has earned, or who your father is, once you enter the examination room you have to sit in your room and answer the questions honestly.
After Zhao Xiaofu cleared the dishes and poured the boiling water on the small stove into the water bag, he opened his paper and finished writing the last article.
There are special guards guarding each room. These guards will watch the examinees' every move from morning to night, including going to the toilet to get water. If they find anyone committing fraud, they will drag them out on the spot.
The exam lasted for two consecutive days, and countless people were dragged out of the exam room.
After nightfall, the temperature dropped sharply.
Zhao Xiaofu took out knee pads from his bag and tied them around his legs. Even though he was facing the cold wind, he felt much warmer.
After moving the candlestick to the side, he calmed himself down again and went through the questions on the test paper carefully before he started writing.
When the gongs and drums sounded and the papers were collected, all the candidates breathed a sigh of relief. Some lined up to get a number to go to the toilet, while others took down their answer sheets and put them together, curling up in their rooms and falling asleep.
As soon as the sun rises, it is the last day of the Tongsheng examination.
The closer it got to the end, the quieter the examination room became, until the sound of gongs and drums sounded again. Regardless of whether the candidates had finished writing or not, the examination for the Tongsheng degree was over.
Zhao Xiaofu packed his bags and prepared to leave.
A well-dressed candidate passed by his room and could not help but pinch his nose and yelled loudly: "Why does it smell so poor?"
Zhao Xiaofu didn't care, he just picked up his bag and walked out.
But the candidate didn't want him to leave so easily, so he grabbed Zhao Xiaofu's bag and threw it to the ground.
"Why did you throw your bag at me?" Zhao Xiaofu turned around and asked.
The two candidates who were traveling with the man in brocade robes also came over and surrounded Zhao Xiaofu. "Why did you throw it away? You don't know what it is. Look at your poor appearance. You are not worthy of taking the imperial examination with our Mr. Fang. You should go home and farm."
Fang Qiankun was very pleased with the flattery from his colleagues, and he felt even more superior. "Next time I see you entering the examination room, I won't throw your bag away, I'll throw you out. Got it?"
Facing the threats from the three, Zhao Xiaofu calmly retorted, "Mr. Fang, are you sure you'll be able to enter the examination hall next time?"
Fang Qiankun was really angry at the light mockery. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to hit Zhao Xiaofu in the face, "Beat him up!"
"What are you doing? How dare you cause trouble in the examination room?" Liu Chuang held the sword at his waist with one hand and pointed at Fang Qiankun with the other, standing between the crowd.
When Fang Qiankun and his group saw that there were officers protecting Zhao Xiaofu, they glared at him fiercely and then left with their men.
After everyone left, Zhao Xiaofu picked up his bag, dusted off the dust, and bowed to Liu Chuang to express his gratitude.
Liu Chuang escorted him out of the examination room, but he didn't expect that the man surnamed Fang hadn't left yet.
"Mr. Fang, we'll meet at Zhiwei Tower." Another candidate greeted Fang Qiankun and got on his carriage first.
Seeing that the poor boy was being protected by the guards, Fang Qiankun couldn't find any fault with him, so he just waved his hand and got on the carriage and said to his friend, "My father has already reserved the seat. You guys go first. I need to go back and change my clothes."
After saying that, he rolled his eyes at Zhao Xiaofu again.
Zhao Xiaofu didn't care about the mocking looks from others. He just wanted to go home as soon as possible, and he was worried about his mother at home.
After spending three days in jail, the moment I stepped out of the government office, I felt the sky was high and the sea was vast.
A lot of carriages and people had already gathered outside the government office, and as soon as the candidates came out, their families came to greet them.
After Zhao Xiaofu said goodbye to Liu Chuang and squeezed through the crowd, he heard someone calling him on the street.
"Brother Xiaofu, we are here, Brother Xiaofu!" Huang Dongsheng asked his cousin to watch the mule, while he himself ran quickly towards Zhao Xiaofu.
"Dongsheng, why are you here?" Zhao Xiaofu looked at the newcomer with some surprise. He thought he had misheard just now.
Huang Dongsheng reached out and took his bag and put it on his shoulder, then led Zhao Xiaofu to the mule cart. "Of course we are here to take you home. You must have worked hard on the exam, Brother Xiaofu."
Zhao Xiaofu sat in the mule cart and looked at the person in front of him. It would be a lie to say that he was not moved.
Along the way, Huang Dongsheng was curious about what was happening in the examination room, and Zhao Xiaofu answered his questions in detail.
By listening to what he said and seeing that Zhao Xiaofu was in good spirits, Huang Dongsheng could guess that Xiaofu would definitely pass the examination.
After Zhao Xiaofu returned to the village, he caused an even greater uproar.
But there are always people who come to pour cold water on it.
For example, Village Chief Xue was mixed in the crowd at this time and making mocking noises. Those who didn't know much would actually think that Zhao Xiaofu had passed the examination and became a student today.
"Son, when will the results be announced?" Mrs. Xu held her son's hand with red eyes. After three days of separation, she felt that her son had lost a lot of weight.
The villagers were stuck in the thatched
When Zhao Xiaofu mentioned the date, everyone kept it in mind, believing that their own children would also have to go through the same experience in the future.
After the crowd dispersed, Zhao Xiaofu washed up at home, talked with his mother, and then went to the Shen family to meet Yang Jizong.
I have to admit that it is very beneficial.
If I were my former self,
Yang Jizong was copying books in the house when he heard Zhao Xiaofu greeting the elders in the main room. He then held the brush in his hand and waited quietly.
Hearing the footsteps of someone coming, he gestured for him to take a seat without even looking up.
Zhao Xiaofu did not sit down, but solemnly performed the apprenticeship ceremony to Yang Jizong according to the rules.
"Sir, please accept my student's greetings."
"Get up. Since you have chosen me as your teacher, I will give you another gift to congratulate you in advance on your passing the examination." Yang Jizong put pen to paper and handed over the seal he had prepared long ago.
Zhao Xiaofu stood up and took it with both hands. When he saw the words engraved on the seal clearly, he was stunned.
"Since you have chosen me as your master, I will choose your name. Is that okay?" Yang Jizong raised his eyes.
Zhao Xiaofu took the seal into his arms and bowed: "Thank you, Mr. Suxing, for the calligraphy."
On the day of the announcement of the results, Chen Yao and Yang Jizong brought the top three students in the school into the city to see the list.
There were guards maintaining order in front of the list. Chen Yao was protected by Yang Jizong and stood forward. When she looked up, she happened to meet Liu Chuang's gaze.
Liu Chuang glanced up and down at the man next to Chen Yao and asked, "Why don't I remember that you also participated in the scientific examination?"
The two men were competing secretly.
Before Chen Yao could greet Liu Chuang enthusiastically, she heard Luo Dunzi, who was held by Xu An from Shanghe Village, and Shitou, who was protected by Zhao Xiaofu, both shouted out at the same time.
"First place, I saw it, Brother Xiaofu is first place!"
This joyful voice instantly made the crowd looking at the list turn their heads. They also wanted to know who the first place winner, Zhao Xiaofu from Xiahe Village, was.
Zhao Xiaofu didn't want to attract too much attention, so he covered Luo Dunzi's little mouth and told everyone to leave quickly. He also asked Liu Chuang to come to Zhiweilou to celebrate together after finishing his work.
The results were announced today, and the city is busier than usual, especially the restaurants. There are no seats available without reservations in advance.
As soon as Chen Yao led everyone to Zhiweilou, the shopkeeper Ren immediately walked out from behind the counter with a smile on his face.
"Madam Shen, you are here. Please come to the private room on the second floor." Manager Ren personally led everyone upstairs. He sent his servants out early in the morning to find out who was the top scorer in the county examination.
This is just a coincidence. Madam Chen had given her name when she came to book a private room a few days ago. Otherwise, Madam Chen would be considered a benefactor of Zhiwei Tower.
Yang Jizong arranged for the children to sit down, but they had no room to sit still, so after getting permission from the teacher, they squeezed by the window and looked down at the bustling scene on the long street.
Chen Yao was invited by Manager Ren to talk outside the door alone.
Manager Ren wants to spend a large sum of money to buy a piece of calligraphy from Zhao Xiaofu and hang it in Zhiwei Tower.
This is good news. After Chen Yao went in and conveyed this, Zhao Xiaofu agreed without saying a word and also invited Manager Ren to sit down and have a drink together.
After Liu Chuang finished his mission, he not only came himself, but also brought two students with him to introduce to Zhao Xiaofu.
The adults were chatting and laughing at the dinner table, while Luo Dunzi, Shitou and Xu An were listening attentively while eating.
After three rounds of drinks, I heard someone making a fuss downstairs.
The waiter came up and reported to the shopkeeper Ren that the young master of the Fang family was drunk and insisted on seeing the top scorer in the examination. They couldn't stop him and were slapped several times for no reason.
When Manager Ren saw the red marks on his servant's face, he immediately became angry. Even a big dog has to look after its master. He is now a well-known figure in Qingfeng Town.
"Zhao Tongsheng, just sit down and drink. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of this matter."
"Boss, since he wants to see me, I will go out and see him. We can't let him cause trouble here and spoil everyone's fun." After Zhao Xiaofu stood up, the other two students who had become his good friends also stood up.
"Su Xing, we'll go down with you."
Chen Yao was about to go out and take a look, but was stopped by Yang Jizong. "Dunzi, Shitou, Xu An, you guys take a look outside. Come in and tell us if you see anything."
The three students excitedly left their seats and headed out to the corridor.
Yang Jizong picked up some food for Chen Yao and signaled her to continue eating.
It was incredibly lively outside. Liu Chuang couldn't sit still anymore after seeing how close Chen Yao and Yang Jizong were to each other. He finished his bowl of wine and went out to lean against the railing to watch the show.
Fang Qiankun was the last one to pass the examination. While drinking with others, someone joked with him that he should meet with the top candidate and ask him to take him with him next time he entered the examination hall. Maybe he would be able to pass the examination and become a scholar in one go, and they could take care of each other when they served as officials in the same court.
Fang Qiankun thought that he came from a good family and his family had money, so he thought this was a good idea and asked his servants to go out and find out where the first case was.
Hence the current farce.
"I heard that Mr. Fang wants to see me?" Zhao Xiaofu and the other two stood on the steps, smiling at Fang Qiankun who was drunk and struggling with someone.
"Mr. Fang, it's him!" The people who came with him looked at Zhao Xiaofu in surprise.
Fang Qiankun also felt that the voice sounded familiar. He looked in the direction of his friend's finger and saw the person he wanted to see.
"Are you Zhao Xiaofu from Xiahe Village?" How is that possible? He didn't believe it.
"Yes." Zhao Xiaofu broke his belief with just one word.
"Impossible! How could a poor guy like you get first place in the exam?" Fang Qiankun pushed away the people around him and staggered forward.
Zhao Xiaofu stood tall and straight, looking down at Fang Qiankun who was sitting below him as he spoke word by word, "The Emperor's new decree states that the imperial examinations are based on talent and learning, not family background. Young Master Fang didn't get first place this time, so you should work harder in the next provincial examination. If you really don't pass, you still have a huge fortune to inherit."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter.
Fang Qiankun was unwilling to be humiliated by him, so he immediately rushed forward. However, he didn't know who in the crowd tripped him, but before his fist could reach Zhao Xiaofu, he had already fallen on the stairs.
When he raised his head, he found that half of his front teeth were broken and blood was gushing out.
Manager Ren took a step back in fear, fearing he might be possessed by a ghost. He looked up and shouted to Liu Chuang from upstairs, "Officer Liu, you saw this. This has nothing to do with our restaurant. It was Young Master Fang who got drunk and fell."
Liu Chuang folded his arms and said calmly, "Don't worry, boss. With so many eyes watching today, how could Mr. Fang falsely accuse you?"
"Young Master!" Seeing that their young master had suffered a loss, the servants of the Fang family immediately rushed over and carried him back to the mansion for treatment.
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