klisemfg Chapter 227 The Imperial Examination
Chapter 227 The Imperial Examination
The late autumn and approaching winter behind them were also moved, their eyes reddening.
Looking at the two children with their innocent faces, Qiao Qingshu's heart softened for a moment.
"it is good!"
Suddenly, Mei Niang took a few steps back, knelt down, kowtowed three times, and then turned and ran away.
Qiao Qingshu tried to call her back, but she had already disappeared.
Behind her, Wanqiu finally shed tears.
"He was a man with a tragic fate. Now that he's gone, where will he go next?"
A little boy's innocent voice rang out from beneath their feet.
"My sister said she's going into the mountains to wait to die. She's digging a hole for herself, and when she dies, she'll jump in."
The child didn't know what death meant, and when he said this, his face was full of innocent innocence, completely unaware of what was happening.
The little girl, however, seemed to understand something. She wiped her eyes as she cried and said...
"My sister said we won't be able to see her anymore, and told us to behave and listen to her."
Qiao Qingshu's heart softened a little. She had helped Meiniang find doctors, and even found Mr. Ouyang, but they all shook their heads and said it was an incurable disease.
He reached out and patted the two children's heads, then handed them to Wanqiu and Lindong.
"Send it to my mother."
If she were brought back to the Xiao family, she would definitely have to sign a contract of servitude, becoming a slave for life with no chance of ever being freed.
However, if it were placed with Bai Chanzi, it would be both safe and reliable.
Bai Chanzi loves children, and these two children will definitely be well taken care of by her side.
She didn't want the two children to be sold into slavery. She would raise them as her own children, letting them stay with Bai Chanzi, hoping they would have a better future.
Qiao Family
Qiao Qingshu brought Qiu Rui back to the Qiao family again, but everything was completely different.
Last time, Qiu Rui was a maid in the Xiao family, but this time she is a free woman.
Qiu Rui was wearing a new outfit that Qiao Qingshu had bought for her. She looked completely refreshed from head to toe, and she looked as elegant as a young lady from a wealthy family.
Qiao Anlan was also taken aback and didn't dare to look any longer, but her face turned red with embarrassment.
Qiao Qingshu smiled and pulled the two of them together, saying,
"In that case, Qiu Rui will stay at the Qiao family's house. I'll go find a fortune teller to choose an auspicious date for the wedding."
Qiao Anlan nodded, and Qiu Rui nodded as well, tugging at her clothes.
He then inquired about Qiao Anlan's studies, and Lai Da, beaming with excitement, eagerly spoke first.
“Young lady, you don’t know this, but the tutor we hired the other day was full of praise for our young master. He said that the young master is a rare genius. When he heard that the young master’s talents were all self-taught, he was so surprised that he couldn’t speak for a long time. When the young master showed the tutor his writings, the tutor wanted to run away, saying that the young master’s talents far surpassed his own and that he couldn’t teach him at all.”
When Lai Da got excited, he even started gesturing wildly, he was so happy that he had never seen him so happy when his own son was praised by his teacher.
Qiao Qingshu suddenly remembered that Lai Da's son, Lai Daoyun, would also be participating in this spring examination, along with his brother-in-law Zhou Quanshu and a group of Xiao family members.
This year's imperial examination is sure to be incredibly exciting. Lai Daoyun and Zhou Quanshu were both top scholars in their previous lives, but not in this year's. If these people compete against each other, Qiao Qingshu really doesn't know who will be the final top scholar.
But no matter who it was, Qiao Qingshu was happy.
Since Madam Xing had regained the favor of the eldest son of the Xiao family, she naturally stopped causing trouble and was happy every day.
This gave them the leisure to worry about their son Xiao Chengyan's imperial examination. They hired four or five tutors to teach him every day, hoping that Xiao Chengyan would pass the exam with flying colors and bring honor to the Xiao family.
However, upon learning that Xiao Zhijie would also participate in this spring examination, he felt somewhat displeased. Xiao Zhijie had not studied much because he was determined to become a military general, but whenever his family's school held exams, he always ranked at the top, leaving Xiao Chengyan far behind.
If he hadn't been unwilling to pursue a literary career, Madam Xing would have dealt with him long ago. But now, after going around in circles, Xiao Zhijie has actually entered the civil service track again, so how could she be happy?
There are only so many spots available each year. If he were to squeeze his son out of the list, that would truly make people grit their teeth in anger.
She would always use the excuse of going to the second house to gossip, and if she saw Xiao Zhijie, she would definitely grab him and talk to him for a while and not let him leave.
The woman was narrow-minded, thinking that if Xiao Zhijie studied less, his son would have a better chance of winning.
Qiao Qingshu saw through all these little schemes. Every time she found Madam Xing pestering Xiao Zhijie, she would make an excuse to drag her away.
Xiao Zhijie always said with a smile,
"There's no need for that. It's no big deal to say a few words."
Qiao Qingshu always told him with a serious expression,
"She's sick, stay away from her!"
Although he didn't understand what Qiao Qingshu meant, Xiao Zhijie still did as she said, and would walk around Madam Xing whenever he saw her from afar.
The imperial examinations are just around the corner.
The capital has become much quieter. These days, even the sons of wealthy and noble families are not seen going out to play. They are all staying at home reading.
Even those from poor families stayed in the inn, never leaving their rooms, and had their meals delivered to their doorsteps by the waiters.
On the day of the exam.
Qiao Qingshu was combing her hair in front of the dressing table when she saw several maids gathered together, chattering about something.
Qiao Qingshu went closer to take a look and saw several pieces of silver on a small stool, with several maids chatting amongst themselves.
Late Autumn Road
"If you ask me, it must be our young master Qiao Anlan who became the top scholar in the imperial examination. Our young master is a genius!"
Lin Dong countered,
"No, no, no, I think our son-in-law is quite good. Didn't you see how wary Madam Xing is of our son-in-law?"
Summer Solstice, on the other hand, hands on hips, waving.
"Have you forgotten about the second son-in-law? The second daughter married a man of exceptional talent, and I think he's quite good too."
Cui Mei, smiling, took out a small piece of silver from her bosom and said...
“But I think Brother Lai is also very good. Brother Lai passed the imperial examination at a young age, which is like a child prodigy.”
The group argued back and forth, each refusing to concede.
Seeing Qiao Qingshu approaching, Wanqiu grabbed Qiao Qingshu's arm and said,
"The girl is here. Let's have her tell us who is the most capable and who is most likely to be the top scholar!"
Qiao Qingshu tilted her head and thought for a long time before laughing.
"To be honest, they're all great. I couldn't have guessed it."
Yes, they are all talented people, and some of them were top scholars in their previous lives. If they were to compete against each other, it would be hard to tell who would be the best.
Let's wait and see.
After the exam, Xiao Zhijie went back to his room and slept for a whole day and night, while Qiao Anlan was at ease. As usual, she got up to eat, tended to the flowers and plants, and even took the time to draw a portrait of Qiu Rui.
In short, after the exams, the capital city became lively again.
The wealthy young man went out drinking and making merry again, living a carefree life.
The Xiao family, however, became somewhat gloomy and dejected.
The illness of the eldest son of the Xiao family became more and more serious, and he had even reached the point of being bedridden.