They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 399 A Few Happy Families
"Is our little prodigy alright?"

"Yes, yes, it didn't affect our little prodigy, did it?"

"That definitely won't have any impact. Our little prodigy is so smart, isn't he? He's already exposed that Dou something."

"Yes, yes, our little prodigy is very smart!"

"."

Everyone kept spouting auspicious and lucky words, but they all stared wide-eyed at the three people.

Only after confirming with them that there was no real danger did they all breathe a sigh of relief and pat their chests.

"I told you it was nothing!"

“Thank goodness, thank goodness!”

"May God protect us, may our ancestors protect us!"

"Yes!"

Liang Mingxuan said, "Fortunately, my sister-in-law had the medicine, and fortunately, my brother found the perpetrators. If it weren't for them, I definitely wouldn't have been able to pass the imperial examination this time. Thank you, brother and sister-in-law."

The child bowed and clasped his hands in greeting to his elder brother and sister-in-law.

"Oh dear, stop!" Xu Zhichun felt warm and happy, and quickly helped him up: "We are family, don't be so formal."

Liang Minglang liked to hear this. He glanced at Xu Zhichun, raised his eyebrows and smiled, his eyes shining. "Your sister-in-law is right. We're family, we shouldn't be strangers."

"Okay." Liang Mingxuan also liked to hear this. The child smiled and pursed his lips, appearing both well-mannered and charming.

The villagers were deeply saddened.

Thinking about it carefully, isn't that exactly right?

This little prodigy is truly a scholar; he's so well-mannered. If I had one like that in my family, I'd be laughing in my sleep.

Liang, the village head, said with a smile, "Great fortune! Great fortune! Good things come to those who wait, and something good is sure to happen! Let's just wait for the good news!"

"Yes, yes, yes, there must be good news!"

"This child prodigy will definitely pass the high school entrance exam!"

Everyone cheered again.

They ate the melon to their heart's content and went home satisfied.

Although the prestigious imperial examinations for scholars were far removed from my own life, the gossip about a villain being caught and severely punished as a guest was still quite entertaining.

A few days later, the results were released, and as expected, Liang Mingxuan passed the exam, ranking third.

Although he wasn't the top scorer, the top scorer was over forty, the second-place scorer was in his early twenties, and he, the third-place scorer, was not yet twelve years old.

The news caused an uproar of astonishment, even more so than when the imperial examinations for children were held.

Although Liang Mingxuan ranked very high and was the youngest in the past twenty or thirty years when he passed the preliminary examination, taking the preliminary examination and passing the county-level examination are different!

Any scholar, unless born an incompetent fool, who truly studies diligently, will eventually pass the imperial examination and become a student.

However, some people pass the preliminary examination in their teens and remain a preliminary examination candidate until their beards turn white, never passing the county-level examination in their entire lives.

Liang Mingxuan, at such a young age, not only passed the exam immediately but also came in third place, which would shock countless people.

The teachers at the county school were beaming with joy, unable to utter more than the three words "Excellent, excellent, excellent!" Magistrate Lu was also beaming with delight.

As expected of the child he values, he is indeed promising and has a bright future.

All the classmates were envious, and even those who were jealous only felt a little jealous before giving up.

Even if you try to catch up, you can't do it. How can anyone be jealous of that?
What's the point of being jealous?
Although he only came in third place, he's young!

Of the top three, even a fool would know that his future is the brightest.

Instead of being jealous, it's better to befriend him and show goodwill; you never know when you might need his help in the future.

How foolish it was for Dou Zhongli to make such a scene! As almost everyone expected, Dou Zhongli failed the exam.

Dou Zhongli himself couldn't believe it.

He was still young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, and he never considered that because his character was so corrupt, he was not worthy of being selected as a scholar.

At least this time, I will definitely not take it.

He put in all his effort for the exam, thinking that as long as he passed, he could finally hold his head high and turn the tables, never considering that such a possibility was simply impossible.

When the results were released, Dou Zhongli looked at the list several times, but he couldn't find his name on it. He was completely dumbfounded.

Impossible, impossible, impossible
His mind was buzzing, and he seemed to hear nothing but mockery and ridicule. All the gazes coming from all directions seemed to be filled with sarcasm.

He returned to the inn in a daze, sat blankly in his room until night fell and he felt hungry, at which point he suddenly snapped back to reality.

A strong sense of hatred and resentment welled up inside me.

He is not willing!

He doesn't accept this result!

He vaguely remembered that someone had said something when he was looking at the list.

Yes, if you say he's morally corrupt, no one could possibly pick him, so how could he even have the nerve to look at the list?

What did those people say?

Those people all agreed and echoed each other.

So, he was supposed to pass, and they deliberately made him fail, is that what they mean?

Dou Zhongli was even more resentful.

He felt no shame whatsoever; on the contrary, he hated everyone and everything there even more.

The next morning, Dou Zhongli went to the yamen with a cold face. He wanted to see Magistrate Lu, to seek justice, and to take back what rightfully belonged to him.

When Magistrate Lu heard that he was requesting an audience, he was taken aback, puzzled and disgusted: "He's still here? How dare he ask to see me? Tell me, Master Shao, what does he want?"

Master Shao also felt confused and didn't understand. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Perhaps you want to give Dou Jin and Dou Quan some money to atone for their sins?"

Magistrate Lu sneered: "He shouldn't even think about it!"

It is possible to atone for one's sins with silver, but the amount of silver and the method of atonement vary from place to place.

Dou Jin and Dou Quan's actions were heinous, and Magistrate Lu had the right to refuse their ransom.

Magistrate Lu then ordered his clerk, Shao, to send the man away.

To everyone's surprise, Dou Zhongli had come for his own fame and fortune.

Since the matter involved the imperial examinations, although Master Shao found Dou Zhongli's words absurd, it was not something he could decide on his own, so he had no choice but to report it to Magistrate Lu.

Seeing the indescribable expression on the face of Master Shao who had reported the matter, Magistrate Lu also wore an indescribable expression.
After a long pause, he scoffed, "He really dares to dream!"

"Fine, it seems he won't give up unless I give him an explanation in person. Let him in."

"Yes, my lord."

Dou Zhongli angrily questioned, "I've never seen such a shameless person before. Coincidentally, the kind of person I despise most in my life is the shameless."

Naturally, he wouldn't give Dou Zhongli a friendly look.

Magistrate Lu showed no mercy to Dou Zhongli, and, angered by Dou's sharp retort, he disregarded Dou's age and berated him severely, rendering him utterly worthless.

Dou Zhongli was heartbroken and felt so ashamed and indignant that she wanted to die.

He hadn't expected it, he hadn't expected it at all.
In the end, Dou Zhongli stormed out, almost grinding his teeth to powder.

We’ll see!