Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 756 Reaching the Ground! Passing the Imperial Examination! [Thank you! Bowing again! 32k words owed]

The exact moment of midnight (after midnight).
The moon has set, and only a few stars twinkle in the night sky.

A bright yellow candle was lit on the table inside the room.

The candlelight cast long shadows through the folds of the lowered bed curtains.

"He passed the provincial examination and became a tribute student, eligible to participate in the palace examination!"

"Our dynasty has a tradition that no scholar will fail the palace examination! Once he passes this stage, he has already become a Jinshi! He will definitely be engaged in marriage afterward, and I wonder which noble family's daughter he will choose."

From inside the bed curtains, a young woman's voice could be heard.

Outside the bed curtains, the maid sat on an embroidered stool and said softly, "Miss, marrying a noble lady is a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words. How could we let Young Master Xu choose for himself!"

"That's true! But... with such a talented man who excels in both literature and martial arts, countless families in the capital would fight tooth and nail to get him!"

After speaking, seeing that no one spoke outside the bed curtains, Rong Feiyan whispered, "Asleep?"

"No, miss."

"Then why aren't you saying anything?"

"Miss, if I may be so bold as to say something you won't like to hear, what will you do if Young Master Xu doesn't accept our marriage proposal?"

"."

This time, there was no movement from inside the bed curtains.

"Miss?" the maid muttered to herself, "...Are you asleep?"

Seeing that there was still no reply, the maid prepared to stand up.

The moment he lifted his bottom off the embroidered stool, the girl inside the bed curtains said, "No!"

"Oh!" The maid sat back down on the embroidered stool.

"I was just thinking, if the Xu family doesn't agree to our marriage proposal, then I'll become a nun in a Taoist temple!"

"Then this servant will accompany you, young lady."

"I heard that life in the Taoist temple is very austere. They don't eat meat year after year, and oil is also very rare."

After a moment of silence, the maid outside the tent said, "Then this servant will accompany you, young lady!"

"Why is this?"

“Miss has been pampered since childhood. If she doesn’t have me, she won’t even be able to dress properly! Her life will be incredibly difficult then, and I can’t bear to see that happen.”

"Haha, just kidding! At most, I'd be a nun on our family's estate in the outskirts of Beijing!"

"Ah!? Really? That's great!"

"Okay! Remember to wake me up tomorrow morning, I want to sincerely offer incense!"

"Yes, girl!"

The maid rose gently and blew out the candle on the table.

In the darkness, the sound of even breathing soon filled the tent.

On the banks of the moat surrounding the palace.

The Chai family's Qiusheng Garden.

Candles were lit in the bedroom.

Chai Zhengzheng held a flower in her hand as she lay on the soft couch.

"middle!"

"No!"

"middle!"

"."

With each word spoken, Chai Zhengzheng, with her eyes closed, would toss down a flower petal.

Standing to the side, Yunmu listened to his daughter's chatter and glanced at the flowers in Chai Zhengzheng's hand. Then, he quietly reached out and plucked another petal at the same time as his daughter.

"No!"

"Win! Wow, it's a win again!" Chai Zhengzheng exclaimed in surprise.

"Yunmu, get another one!"

"Ah? Miss, you want more? You've already picked eight flowers, and that Fifth Young Master Xu got them all!" Yunmu said helplessly.

"Give me one more, then I'll go to sleep!" Chai Zhengzheng said, reaching out her hand.

"Yes, girl!"

"You're not allowed to count the petals. Close your eyes, pick them all out, and give them to me!"

"Yes, girl!"

As he spoke, Yunmu closed his eyes, picked out a flower, and handed it to Chai Zhengzheng.

After accepting the flowers, Chai Zhengzheng glanced at Yunmu, then closed her eyes again and began to pluck the petals.

What distressed Yunmu was that this time, his daughter silently recited the words in her heart, but she couldn't hear Chai Zhengzheng's voice, so she naturally didn't know what Chai Zhengzheng was saying.

Looking at the flower in his daughter's hand, with only one petal left, Yunmu nervously watched his daughter's mouth.

The petals were torn off.

"No."

As he spoke, Chai Zhengzheng touched around the flower branch and then slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing this, Yunmu was about to offer some words of comfort when he heard Chai Zhengzheng frown and say, "Hiss! No way, no way, how could Cousin Qi Heng fail!"

Yunmu: "."

Jiying Lane, Sheng Family, Shou'an Hall.

After drinking the calming medicine, the old lady slowly opened her eyes.

"cough."

The old lady coughed lightly.

A moment later, a maid came to the bedside: "Grandma, you're awake?"

"Hmm! Cuiwei, what time is it?"

Cuiwei poured a glass of cool water on the table, lifted the bed curtains, and handed it to the old lady: "Reporting to the old lady, it hasn't been long since the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."
After taking two sips of cool boiled water, the old lady sighed contentedly, "Oh!"

"Grandma, why don't you sleep a little longer?" Cuiwei asked softly.

The old lady closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment: "Never mind, I don't feel sleepy anymore!"

As she spoke, the old lady let out a long sigh and pulled the blanket off her body.

"You got up quite early today. You should take a nap at noon," Cuiwei said softly.

The old lady smiled and waved her hand: "Noon? The results of the imperial examination are released today. I doubt I'll be able to sleep at noon."

“The old lady is right.” Cuiwei glanced at the old lady and continued to help her get up.

Seeing Cuiwei's expression, the old lady frowned slightly and asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

“I knew I couldn’t hide it from the old lady,” Cuiwei said.

"Talk about it."

"Yes, Madam. Last night when I was on night duty, I heard Sixth Miss tossing and turning for most of the night! She has only been asleep for a quarter of an hour now."

As the two were talking, Cui's mother came over with a basin of warm water.

"I suppose she's just worried about her brothers' exam results." The old lady reached out and slipped her hand into the sleeve of her dress.

With a damp towel, Mrs. Cui smiled and said, "Grandma, at this hour, the list of successful applicants has probably already been posted!"

Seeing Cuiwei's surprised look, Cui's mother glanced at the old lady and smiled, "Back then, the old lady also longed for the imperial examination results."

Upon hearing this, the old lady smiled and frowned, saying, "Go away, that was so many years ago, it's amazing you still remember."

"Besides, what I'm thinking about isn't the provincial examination list, it's the palace examination list." "You're right, Madam!" Cui Mama said with a smile.

After dressing and washing up, Cui Mama looked at Minglan and asked, "Grandma, what about the sixth young lady?"

"Let her sleep a little longer! Even if the list is posted, the Imperial Guards won't allow us to look at it with torches and lanterns, because we can't see it clearly!"

The sun peeked out, and the sky brightened.

In the Sheng family's residence, at the Wei Rui Xuan, in the Jing Tang Hall.

Wang Ruofu, dressed in a jade-green ruqun embroidered with silver thread, carefully selected thirteen incense sticks.

After selecting the incense sticks, Wang Ruofu respectfully lit them on the candle.

Once he had made sure all thirteen incense sticks were lit, Wang Ruofu gently shook the incense sticks to extinguish the flames.

Taking a step back, Wang Ruofu knelt on the prayer mat and prayed sincerely for a long time, calling out "Changbai" or "son-in-law" in his prayers.

Then Wang Ruofu carefully inserted the incense sticks into the incense burner.

After inserting the futon, Wang Ruofu knelt on the prayer mat again and offered another round of sincere prayers.

After taking a long, reluctant look at the incense burner and incense sticks, Wang Ruofu walked towards the dining table and ate breakfast under the care of Liu Mama.

Meanwhile, on Quyuan Street, at the residence of the Marquis of Yongyi.

Looking at Zai Zhang, who was sitting at the table with no appetite, Madam Sun said, "Zhang'er, eat something! Look at your Jing'er, and then look at you!"

"Yes, mother!"

Madam Sun continued, "Your sister-in-law, Hualan, and I all prayed before the gods for you and Jing'er! Hua'er burned the incense herself! It's quite beautiful!"

Xie Hualan nodded repeatedly.

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "Then I'll take advantage of Mother's and my two sisters-in-law's auspicious words!"

Xu Xingdai and the other children kept glancing back and forth at Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang.

Zai Zhang forced himself to eat breakfast, and then, with a worried expression and a forced smile, he left the Marquis's residence with his family and headed towards the Ministry of Rites' examination hall.

After finishing breakfast, Wang Ruofu, with a hint of anticipation, walked towards the quiet hall with Liu's mother.

Wang Ruofu stopped at the entrance of the Jingtang Hall, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside.

Looking closely at the incense sticks in the incense burner, which were almost finished burning, Wang Ruofu's face instantly lit up with a look of surprise.

After glancing at the clothes, Liu's mother quickly took them and helped Wang Ruofu put them on.

Wang Ruofu walked happily towards the outer room, putting on her clothes as she went, saying, "This incense burner burned beautifully this morning! It's shaped like a lotus flower! It's truly an extremely auspicious omen! I think Bai'er and her husband will definitely pass the imperial examination this time!"

With a smile, Liu's mother helped Wang Ruofu straighten his clothes and chimed in, "What Madam says is true, Brother Bai and his son-in-law will definitely pass the imperial examination!"

Reaching the doorway, Wang Ruofu frowned as he looked towards Rulan's bedroom, saying, "Why isn't Ru'er up yet! We've finally made it to the results announcement, how can Ru'er still be so lazy!"

After tidying up the clothes, Liu Mama flicked her handkerchief and took two steps toward Rulan's bedroom, instructing, "Xique, hurry and urge Fifth Miss!"

Wang Ruofu, on the other hand, walked excitedly towards the outside of Weiruixuan Courtyard, saying as he went, "Success or failure hinges on this! Bai'er and the young master must make me proud!"

As she spoke, Wang Ruofu had already walked around the small artificial hill in the courtyard and reached the gate with a half-foot-high threshold: "It would be best if Bai'er and her son-in-law passed the imperial examination with flying colors, and that brat Changfeng failed miserably! Then we'll see what happens to Lin Qin."

The words were not finished.

"what--!!!!"

Wang Ruofu cried out in surprise, tripping over the threshold and falling to the ground outside the courtyard gate.

"Madam!"

The maids inside and outside the house rushed over to help Wang Ruofu, who was lying on the ground.

Rulan was in her bedroom.

Still half-asleep, Rulan stared blankly in the direction of the courtyard gate and asked Magpie, "Magpie, what's all that noise outside?"

In the Linxi Pavilion on the other side,

Lin Qinshuang, dressed in simple new clothes, was walking out to get on the bus to check the results.

On the way, after hearing Zhou Xueniang's report that Wang Ruofu of Weirui Pavilion had fallen flat on his face, Lin Qinshuang covered her mouth and laughed:
"That shrew Wang Ruofu deserved to fall! I hope Changbai will suffer the same fate as his mother in the imperial examinations! My son Changfeng, on the other hand, will pass with flying colors!!!"

"Young lady, you're right! That must be it!"

Ministry of Rites Examination Hall

By this time, the area was already bustling with traffic and crowds.

You should know that there are five or six thousand candidates participating in the imperial examination, and many of them will come here today to see the results.

There were also many residents of Bianjing (Kaifeng) watching the spectacle; there were just too many people.

Some distance from the tall screen wall displaying the results of the imperial examinations, Xu Zaijing dismounted and walked with Zaizhang toward Changbai, Changfeng, and Gu Tingye.

Upon approaching, after exchanging greetings, Xu Zaijing looked around and said with a smile, "Changbai, where is Auntie?"

Zai Zhang: "Yes! Where is my mother-in-law?"

Changbai sighed helplessly: "My mother tripped over the threshold when she went out this morning, fell to the ground and twisted her ankle."

"Hiss! This!" Zai Zhang frowned and asked with concern, "Is Mother-in-law alright?"

"I can't come," Changbai said, shaking his head.

"Clap clap clap!" Xu Zaijing, who was standing to the side, clapped his hands with a smile.

Changbai and Zaizhang frowned and looked at him upon seeing this. Changfeng and Gu Tingye also looked surprised and taken aback.

Gu Tingye: "Fifth Brother, you're making fun of your elders. That's inappropriate."

Xu Zaijing shook his head and smiled, "Changbai means 'reaching the ground' and 'passing the imperial examination,' Auntie, this is truly a good omen for you!"

Everyone was taken aback, but Changbai then laughed and said, "I'm just taking Wulang's good wishes for granted."

Gu Tingye scratched his head: "No, Wulang, how come you're so good at talking?"

The others nearby also burst into laughter.

Xu Zaijing waved his hand smugly: "Just something I picked up easily."

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing looked to the side and saw Rulan and Pinlan pulling Minglan as they ran towards him.

As they passed by Xu Zaijing and his entourage, the three Lans gave a perfunctory curtsy, greeted them, and then led their servants and maids toward the tall screen wall.

"Wow, quite a few people from the Sheng family have come!" Xu Zaijing said with a smile.

Gu Tingye nodded with a smile: "It seems you're worried that your brothers might be snatched up by someone else after the imperial examination."

"Hahaha!" Changfeng laughed triumphantly.

Xu Zaijing glanced at Sun Shi and the others who were waiting near his carriage, then waved to Qingyun and Alan before saying to his classmates, "Let's go, let's go take a look."

at the same time,

Along the moat of the palace,

"Shut up!"

"Xilulu!"

At the gate of the Chai family's residence, two servants, panting heavily, reined in their horses, dismounted, and quickly ran inside.

Yunmu, who was standing at the door eagerly waiting, hurriedly asked, "How is it?"

"Top scholar! Top scholar!" the servant, Bihu, said breathlessly.

"Who is it?" Yunmu asked anxiously.

"Yes, yes, it's the fifth young master of the Xu family!" said the servant peeling shrimp beside him in a hurry.

"Where is Young Master Qi?"

"Didn't see it!"

"You two can divide it yourselves." With that, Yunmu slapped a purse containing silver into the gecko's hand, then turned and jogged towards the inner courtyard.

(End of this chapter)