Han Dezhi, Han Dazhong's grandson, pulled Su Chen over.
She stomped her foot and glared at Su Chen, "Why are you so slow? Let me speak!"
Grandma, that fairy was talking to a man.
The little guy put his hands on his hips and imitated them, saying, "That Li Lanzhen is a terrible old woman. It's all her fault for sending those people into the Valley of Forgetfulness, so we can't get any benefits!"
After saying that, he looked up at Li Lanzhen and continued.
"Grandma, they also said that if they see you next time, they'll break your legs."
Zheng Sanwang stomped his foot and clenched his fist in anger.
"Aunt Lanzhen, we were all about to rush over and beat them up, but Su Chen stopped us."
Su Chen glanced at Li Lanzhen and then lowered his head.
Li Lanzhen pulled him over, hugged him, and patted his back.
“Su Chen did the right thing. You guys are all reckless, only Su Chen is calm and resourceful.”
If he hadn't stopped you, would you kids have gotten away with it if you had run off like that?
We're here today to see how your exam results will be released tomorrow.
After passing the preliminary examination, one must take the county-level examination to become a scholar, and after that, one must take the provincial-level examination to become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.
"Think about it, if they broke your arms and legs, or smeared your faces, do you know what the consequences would be?"
Han Yinan lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, and mumbled something.
"Grandma, we were wrong. People with physical defects are not allowed to participate in scientific expeditions." After saying that, she burst into tears again.
Li Lanzhen knew he was scared, so she glared at him and said.
"Why are you crying? Now you know how scary it is. From now on, you should think things through before you act."
Do not act rashly based on momentary courage, as this will not only bring disaster upon yourself but may even harm your family members.
Do you all understand?
The children probably already understood, and they all nodded obediently as they stood and listened to Li Lanzhen's reprimand.
Han Mingxiang and Shui Sheng pushed open the door and saw this scene.
After he learned the whole story, he dragged the guys into the inner room and taught them a lesson.
Li Lanzhen didn't care about them; she just wanted to teach them a lesson.
Li Lanzhen sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, and then she thought of the scene that the children had witnessed.
It was definitely that fairy and her gambler brother arguing over money.
Hmph! You want to break my legs? Next time I see you, I'll talk to you if things are going well, but if not, I'll break your legs first.
This incident did not dampen their enthusiasm for checking the rankings the next day.
After eating steamed buns and drinking porridge early in the morning, the waiter took them to the street.
There was an examination hall in Youzhou City.
However, no scientific research activities were conducted here during the six years that followed.
This examination hall in Youzhou Prefecture was responsible for the imperial examinations of the three neighboring prefectures centered on Youzhou Prefecture.
Therefore, the examination hall was built to be extremely large.
However, after a few years of natural disasters and man-made calamities, the outer walls of the examination hall have become mottled.
When Han Mingxiang returned home after passing the exam, he said that the environment there wasn't very good, and it looked quite desolate.
Because it was an additional special examination, the results of the preliminary examination for children and the results of the county-level examination for scholars were released at the same time.
Therefore, Youzhou City is very lively today.
Before Li Lanzhen and her group even entered the examination hall, the road was already completely blocked by a huge crowd.
Li Lan was thinking that she probably wouldn't be able to get close enough to see it.
If that's the case, then we can only return to the Sifang Restaurant and wait for the officials to deliver the good news.
Unexpectedly, Shui Sheng led them to a teahouse opposite the Imperial Examination Hall. After entering the teahouse, they went up to the second floor and pushed open the door to a room.
"Auntie, let's watch from here."
Li Lanzhen looked up and saw Shui Sheng smiling.
"Shuisheng, is this the room you booked yesterday?"
Han Mingxiang smiled and took Li Lanzhen's hand, helping her to sit on a chair by the window.
“Mother, Shuisheng came and reserved this room the day before yesterday.”
There were no seats available here the day before yesterday, and he spent a lot of money to reserve the room from its original owner.
Li Lanzhen glanced at Shuisheng with admiration.
"Excellent, you did a great job. When we get back to Peach Blossom Spring, your aunt will give you a reward!"
Shui Sheng laughed heartily, "Okay, I'll wait for Auntie's reward."
Li Lanzhen became even more certain that she should keep Shuisheng by Han Mingxiang's side.
Knowing that they would book a room here shows that Shuisheng is considerate of them. But to spend more money to solve the problem of not having a room requires courage and boldness!
Based on what he did, this kid is brave and resourceful, and he is calm and composed in his actions and words. He is definitely the best candidate to be a chief steward!
There was also tea, snacks, and fruit on the table in the room.
The children were initially chattering away as they ate, drank, and talked.
Upon hearing the three gong sounds, "dang, dang, dang," he immediately dropped what he was holding and peered out the window at the walls on either side of the examination hall where the results were posted.
Han Mingxiang said to the children.
"You're all restless. Prick up your ears and listen carefully to your name. See what rank you got."
Don't shout out your name when you hear it, and don't be discouraged if you don't hear it; we'll talk about it afterward.
The child nodded obediently, stood quietly by the window, and stared intently at the notice board opposite.
The results of the preliminary examinations for candidates for the imperial examinations were announced first, and the yamen runners announcing the results would start by reading the names of the first-ranked candidates.
So Han Mingxiang told the children to listen carefully first.
"In the second year of the Jinyuan era, he ranked first in the special imperial examination for children..."
We didn't hear the names of these children until we reached seventh place.
Li Lanzhen's heart also clenched.
"Eighth place, Su Chen, from Lishu Village, Youzhou Prefecture."
Ninth place: Han Yinan, from Lishu Village, Youzhou Prefecture.
...
12th place: Zheng Sanwang, from Lishu Village, Youzhou Prefecture.
50th place…
When the 50th name was called, Han Dazhong's grandson, Han Zhidao, burst into tears.
He knew he had failed the imperial examination for the first degree this time.
He worked so hard; he so wanted to pass the imperial examination and go home to show his grandfather, to make his grandfather happy.
But his name wasn't there, and he cried sadly and disappointedly.
Li Lanzhen quickly picked him up and sat him on her lap, hugging his body and patting his back gently.
They didn't stop him from crying. "Cry, cry, child. This is the first setback in your life."
It all depends on how you overcome and conquer it. Only by conquering one setback after another can you live a fulfilling life!
Li Lanzhen looked up and glanced at Gou Dan.
She spoke, but called out his full name, "Han Qingfeng, it's alright. So what if you didn't pass the first exam? Grandma believes you are all good children and you will definitely pass the next one."
The next exam isn't until next spring, is it? It'll be here in the blink of an eye.
So when you return to school, you must study hard. Having gone through this once, you'll know where you're lacking, so just study even harder.
Gou Dan'er's eyes were filled with tears, but he didn't shed any. He kept nodding, knowing that Grandma Lanzhen was trying to comfort him.
I didn't work hard enough; I was just a little short of passing the exam.
Han Mingxiang patted his shoulder and pulled him to lean against her chest.
"Han Qingfeng, I believe in you. You will definitely pass the exam next February. When you get back, make the most of your time to study and practice calligraphy."
Dog Egg raised his hand to wipe away his tears, nodded vigorously, and gave a muffled "hmm".
"Bang, bang, bang"
Three more gongs sounded, signaling the results of the children's examination for the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination).
Han Zhidao, who was in Li Lanzhen's arms, immediately wiped away his tears and jumped down, leaning against the window and listening intently.
Li Lanzhen glanced sadly at the two children, then stood up and moved closer to the window.
She also longed to hear the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, especially since her youngest son's name was on it.
"Tenth place, Han Mingxiang, from Lishu Village, Youzhou Prefecture."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room cheered and laughed.
Several children rushed into Han Mingxiang's arms, crying and cheering for him!
Li Lanzhen saw that Han Zhidao, who was grinning widely, still had tears still clinging to his eyelashes.
Soon, screams of surprise, shouts of joy, and even desperate cries of despair and pounding of the chest could be heard from downstairs and across the street...
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