Seeing that the shopkeeper was too anxious to speak, the waiter quickly came to his rescue, "Shopkeeper, since Young Master Chen has said so, please wait a little longer."
After saying that, he looked at Chen Zhancai with a smile on his face, "Please rest upstairs, Mr. Chen. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."
"You've got a knack for getting things done, kid. You'll get your share of benefits in the future." Chen Zhancai said, then looked up and went back to his room.
The shopkeeper frowned as he watched Chen Zhancai's retreating figure, and gave instructions to the waiter beside him.
"From now on, you don't need to do anything else, just keep a close eye on this kid."
The waiter was taken aback, not understanding for a moment. "Manager, what do you mean?"
"Just do what I tell you to do, don't ask these useless questions."
The shopkeeper was initially fooled by Chen Zhancai and believed his words.
But paper can't hide fire, and cotton can't conceal a needle.
What's fake is fake, and it can never become real.
Over time, clues began to emerge from certain details.
Although this person outwardly appears gentle and refined, with impeccable manners...
But when drunk, they become unrestrained and rude, acting as if they know everything, when in reality they're complete idiots.
He doesn't look like a rich young master at all; he looks more like a freeloader.
However, these are all just his guesses. After all, not all rich people are cultured. It's understandable that they might spew nonsense just because they have a bit of money.
As the saying goes, "better safe than sorry," there are some things one has to be wary of, and one must be extra careful to prevent accidents.
The waiter stood there for a long time before he understood what the shopkeeper meant: he was afraid that Chen Zhancai would run away!
He nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, shopkeeper, I'll go and guard his door right now. I'll go wherever he goes and make sure he doesn't get away."
He was about to leave when he seemed to remember something. "Manager, should we still prepare the best banquet for him in advance every day?"
The shopkeeper frowned and thought for a while. As long as everything went perfectly, he would still make the money he was supposed to earn. So he nodded.
"Keep things the way they were before; do not neglect your guests."
"Alright, I understand." The waiter turned and hurried off.
Days passed, and during the waiting period for the results, Chen Zhancai continued his carefree life of being waited on hand and foot, indulging in lavish meals.
Occasionally, she would go out for a stroll, always hoping for a romantic encounter, but each time she would go with high hopes only to return disappointed.
Chen Zhancai appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was filled with anxiety.
He would also worry when the night was quiet.
What if I fail the imperial examination and end up penniless, with a huge debt for food and lodging? How will I get home?
But Chen Zhancai firmly believed that with his talent, passing the imperial examination should be a piece of cake.
With this thought, all doubts and worries vanished instantly.
That day, he indulged in another feast, and after a few drinks, he tilted his head to the side and fell fast asleep on the table.
In a daze, he heard the sound of gongs and drums.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of government officials rushed in, knelt down, and kowtowed, saying, "Congratulations, Young Master Chen, on passing the imperial examination with flying colors and becoming the top scholar!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhancai frowned, somewhat puzzled. "Wait a minute, you've got it wrong. The first place in the autumn imperial examination I took was 'Jiejia,' not 'Zhuangyuan.'"
"There is no mistake. It is because Young Master Chen's literary talent is outstanding. His articles are so amazing that they move heaven and earth and make ghosts and gods weep. The chief examiner was greatly shocked after reading the paper. He felt that Young Master Chen's talent was extraordinary and that he was a genius that could be seen once in a hundred years. So he submitted it to the emperor for review. The emperor was very kind and made an exception and promoted Young Master Chen to the top scholar."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhancai was overjoyed and unable to express his feelings.
What was once an unknown little chicken has now soared to great heights and transformed into a phoenix. It's truly a blessing from heaven, and a stroke of good fortune from their ancestors' graves...
While he was still in a daze, the dozen or so officials came up and pinned a big red flower on his head without saying a word.
He was surrounded by people as he left the room.
The shopkeeper, like a dog with its tail between its legs, hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed, "Congratulations, Young Master Chen, on becoming the top scholar! Don't forget me in the future!"
Chen Zhancai ignored him completely and swaggered out of the inn.
The waiter hurriedly fawned, crawling on his knees to a tall, handsome white horse, his face beaming with smiles, "Scholar, please mount your horse."
Chen Zhancai didn't even glance at him, and went straight onto his horse.
Immediately following was a great commotion of gongs and drums, and the sound of firecrackers.
He paraded smugly through the bustling streets.
The streets were already packed with onlookers, waving colorful flags and cheering loudly, "Top scholar! Top scholar!"
Chen Zhancai was extremely pleased with himself and waved to the people on both sides of the street with a beaming smile.
The scene was truly magnificent.
Subsequently, he arrived at the palace surrounded by civil and military officials.
The emperor personally summoned him, carefully reviewed his writings, and praised them highly.
'Chen Aiqing's article is profound in its ideas and unique in its style; it can be called a masterpiece.'
Having said this, the emperor was overjoyed, grasped Chen Zhancai's hand tightly, and solemnly announced to the civil and military officials,
"Today, I hereby bestow upon my most beloved little princess the hand in marriage to Minister Chen. I hope that you will diligently assist the court and not disappoint my high expectations."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhancai was both surprised and delighted. He immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, saying, "Your Majesty's kindness is boundless; this humble subject will certainly serve the court with his life to repay your grace!"
As soon as he stood up, he saw that the princess was incredibly beautiful, like a lotus emerging from the water, or a fairy descended from heaven.
He was so happy his smile almost reached his ears, and he followed the princess into a room, completely entranced.
Overjoyed, he embraced the princess's slender waist and gently helped her remove her light gauze palace dress, revealing her fair and beautiful body.
Her skin was like solidified jade, white with a rosy tint, making one want to lick it.
Just as he squinted and stuck out his tongue like a dog, suddenly there was a rapid knocking on the door, followed by the waiter's voice.
"Young Master Chen, Young Master Chen, are you awake?"
Chen Zhancai was startled awake and realized it was all a dream. He was furious. This good-for-nothing waiter had told him so many times not to knock on the door unless it was necessary. He was just causing trouble. He was so close to consummating his relationship with the princess. Would it have killed him to arrive a little later?
He angrily dressed and got out of bed, opened the door, and scolded irritably, "You ill-mannered brat, shouting and yelling so early in the morning, disturbing my sweet dreams! Don't you know I love to sleep in?"
The waiter smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, Young Master Chen, the sun is already high in the sky, it's no longer early morning."
"Alright, alright, stop explaining. Is something wrong? If not, I'm going to go back to taking a nap!"
"Young Master Chen, please don't sleep! You've been sleeping for hours since yesterday. If you keep sleeping, you'll be working non-stop!" the waiter joked with a smile. Then he added, "I was standing outside the door just now, and I heard that the imperial examination results were released today. You should go and take a look!"
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