While she was thinking, Xia Hua and He Jin also brought in silver, two large boxes in total. She had arranged for the money shop to prepare this beforehand, but there were just too many copper coins, so the preparation time was a bit long.
"Huahua, do you really need to prepare so much?" Although there are quite a few people coming to share the good news, is it really necessary to prepare so much?
Xia Hua waved her hand, "Are you stupid? We have nineteen candidates here. Although not all of them will pass the exam, even half of them is still a lot. There are a lot of people outside the exam hall today. I guess today is the day the results will be released."
I have instructed five servants to carefully examine the list before returning to report.
An Shuyi nodded. "The results are out! It must be very exciting. Should I go and take a look?"
"Don't even think about going out. There are so many people outside, it's so crowded, it's impossible to move." Without even asking, she knew what this silly woman was thinking.
"Huahua, you really know me inside and out, you know exactly what I'm thinking!" Before she could finish speaking, she saw Wen Liu and the others enter. It seemed they knew today was the day the results were announced, so they came to wait.
"Mother, your son greets you," Wen Liu said as he came over.
"Greetings to the aunties!" The others followed suit.
An Shuyi said with a smile, "Don't be so polite, we're not strangers, find a place to sit down." Such politeness makes me feel a little embarrassed.
"Yes, Mother!"
"Yes, Auntie." Only then did everyone find chairs and sit down.
Looking at them, An Shuyi felt secretly pleased. They usually seemed very composed, but she didn't expect them to be so nervous now. But that made sense, since this was a major event in her life, it was only natural to be nervous.
As they waited anxiously, a lively sound came from outside. Hearing the sound, An Shuyi hurriedly stood up from her chair and looked at the servants who entered.
"Madam, the young master and the others have passed," a servant ran in and said.
“Those young masters, explain yourselves clearly,” Xia Hua said, seeing that he was being unclear.
"They all passed. Young Master Lin Wenliu is the top scholar, and the other young masters also passed, and all of them are ranked very high. There are 180 people on the list this time," the servant said.
An Shuyi looked at Wen Liu and the others and said, "You guys are amazing. Nineteen of you have passed the imperial examination and are just waiting for the palace examination. What surprised her the most was Wen Liu. He was the top scholar in the provincial examination. As long as there are no surprises in the palace examination, the title of the top scholar will be his for the taking."
Soon, the people bringing good news came outside. Xia Hua asked He Jin to move the boxes out. The area outside was already full of people, all of whom had come to bring good news. However, they probably didn't expect there to be so many tribute scholars here.
Xia Hua didn't hesitate. As soon as someone offered their congratulations, she would give them a coin, even if it was just a child. Because of the lively atmosphere, people living nearby also came out to offer their congratulations. However, they didn't know who lived in this house. They would just wait until they got back and have their servants inquire about it.
After the congratulatory people left, everyone went back, and the two boxes were empty. An Shuyi also believed that so many copper coins were really needed.
Because the imperial examination was in three days, the two mansions kept their gates tightly closed, refusing all visitors. This action puzzled many people, because on the day the results were announced, many people would have been waiting there to choose a son-in-law for their families, but this time, the top scholar did not show his face.
When they found out where the scholar lived, they wanted to send him a visiting card, but they were turned away. So the servants had to go back.
That day was the day of the palace examination. In the morning, Wenming and the others were sent to take Wenliu and the others to the palace examination by carriage. The palace examination only took one day, unlike the academy examination and the metropolitan examination, which took three days.
After they left, An Shuyi and the others didn't go out. Instead, they stayed at home and didn't even feel like going out to watch a play or have fun. It wasn't until it got dark that they heard the sounds coming from outside.
An Shuyi hurriedly instructed Tao to set out the meal. She didn't know if they had eaten well that day, but they certainly hadn't. After washing their hands, they hurriedly ate, not even having time to talk.
After finishing their meal, An Shuyi asked, "How was it? Did anyone not perform well?"
She was really afraid that these children had never seen the Emperor before and would be so frightened that they wouldn't dare to write. Moreover, the Emperor would be watching from the side, so the pressure must be immense.
Several people shook their heads. Wen Liu said, "Mother, don't worry, we performed quite well. As for whether we will pass, we don't know. Besides, because we are from the same village, and nineteen of us passed the imperial examinations at once, we have made an impression on the emperor."
"Me, along with Brother Wenfan, Brother Wenzhu, and Cousin Huaixu, were all questioned by the Emperor, but we answered as usual and didn't embarrass you." Actually, the Emperor wasn't that great; he wasn't as scary as his mother.
He was absolutely right. With his mother's temper, when she was in a good mood, she loved her son dearly; when she was in a bad mood, she could kill a pig with a single punch. Of course, the same goes for people. When they were on holiday from the academy, he went out with his mother a few times, not to mention the animals.
Once, they encountered bandits. Seeing how beautiful my mother was, they tried to humiliate her, but my mother kicked them in the groin and then punched them to death. They all saw it clearly. From then on, everyone obeyed my mother's every word and dared not cause any more trouble.
Of course, from then on, they never went out to play with their mother again. They stayed quietly in the village reading books and working in the workshop.
An Shuyi nodded, "As long as you perform well, the results will be released in three days. Just wait for you to pass the exam. It would be best if you all became Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)." That way, she could place them in various places.
After she said this, no one else spoke, because they didn't know either.
Three days passed quickly, and it was time to release the results. An Shuyi got up early in the morning. She couldn't possibly miss such an exciting event; she had regretted missing it last time.
When she and Xia Hua arrived at the hall, everyone else was already waiting there. However, Wen Liu and the others weren't invited; instead, they stayed home. Only she, Xia Hua, and Yan Ce went. Yan Zhen didn't want to go.
When they arrived at the place where the results were posted, it was so crowded that they couldn't squeeze in. Helpless, they had to turn back. When they arrived, officials came to announce the good news, and Wenming and the others were giving out congratulatory money.
Once inside, Wenming quickly said, "Auntie, Wenliu became the top scholar in the imperial examination, and Wenfan became the third-ranked scholar. You don't know how surprised that official looked just now."
An Shuyi was also very happy. The top scholar was really good, and there was also a third-place scholar. It was a pity that the second-place scholar was unknown. Although Wenzhu and Huaixu did not make it into the first class, they did make it into the second and third classes.
"Wenming, go to the biggest restaurant in the capital and book a few tables to entertain those who come to offer their congratulations," Xia Hua said.
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