After three consecutive exams, opening and closing the gate of Gongyuan three times, entering and exiting, for eight full days, this autumn finally came to an end in a solemn atmosphere.
For the principal and deputy examiners, as well as some officials in the state who need assistance, there is still tedious finishing work to be done.
But for the candidates, it is already a complete relief.
Xia Jingyun walked out with a depressed look on his face, not too excited.
The intensity of this exam was not too unbearable for him, but the environment was really too difficult.
There was not much room for movement in the cramped little cubicle.
Two wooden boards, one used as a chair and the other as a table during the day, and put together to form a bed at night.
Eating, drinking, and having sex were all done in the cubicle. For Xia Jingyun, it was like returning to the labor camp.
"Three days of hard work will turn you into a ghost, and two words of fame will make you a fool! I'm not going to deceive you if you are sincere!"
"Brother Gao Yang's two sentences are extremely spicy and go straight to the heart. He is indeed very talented!"
Xu Dapeng happened to be walking nearby. Hearing this sigh, he immediately flattered him.
Xia Jingyun looked at him, "Brother Boyi, how did you do in the exam?"
Xu Dapeng chuckled, "I'm just hanging around, so I can't compare to Brother Gao Yang's talent. Brother Gao Yang will definitely go to high school this time."
Xia Jingyun smiled and said, "I'll lend you some good words."
Then Xia Jingyun saw Xie Yanzhi waiting aside.
"Sir!" Xie Yanzhi took the initiative to take the big box from Xia Jingyun's hand and said gently: "Sir, you must be tired. Yanzhi hired a carriage. Let's go back home first."
On the one hand, lovers become married, while on the other hand, single dogs witness it with their own eyes.
Xu Dapeng felt that his life was suddenly a little barren and needed to add some color, so he wisely said: "Brother Gao Yang, let's meet again tomorrow."
"Okay, then you can help me invite my classmates and choose a good place. I will treat you and make up for the previous meeting gift."
Xu Dapeng's eyes immediately lit up, "But are you looking for a unique place in this city? I can understand it in Zhoucheng!"
Xia Jingyun smiled and said, "You just have to look at the arrangements and let me know when the time comes."
Sitting on the carriage, Xia Jingyun experienced a rare traffic jam in this era, and his whole body leaned softly against Xie Yanzhi's body.
Xie Yanzhi silently helped him relax, and then smiled. Except for a certain time, the young master always looked so limp on her body.
"Is the young master going to Beijing after high school?"
"Don't worry, hey, how can you be sure that I can pass high school?"
"Young Master is extremely talented and will definitely go to high school!"
"Hey, if you flatter me like this every day, I will lose myself."
"Huh? Then I won't be like this anymore!"
"It's okay, just show off in another way."
"Huh? Okay, then Master, teach me."
"Ahem, it's easy to talk about."
"Sir, what is the unique place that the young master just mentioned?"
"This! It's the kind of place where I can use my personal strengths."
"Oh, I get it."
"What do you know? Don't understand!"
"whee."
The car finally moved slowly and returned to Su Mansion.
In the following days, Xia Jingyun's life was both dull and crazy.
Ordinary means that compared to before, crazy means that it is rare to regain a bit of the feeling of the student days. For the second time, I truly feel that I am still a young man under twenty.
The first time was when I woke up the next day after spending a night repairing pipes and still felt the urge to do morning exercises.
Soon, the day for the results came.
The fragrance of osmanthus is flowing, and the osmanthus list comes out.
The eyes of almost everyone in the city were focused on the list that was about to be posted.
The onlookers gathered together in small groups, naturally talking about the list that was about to be released.
"I don't know who can win the Jieyuan this time and glorify our ancestors in one fell swoop!"
"Hey, needless to say, that must be our new number one son in Sishui Prefecture, Xia Jingyun!"
Everyone turned to look at the person who suddenly came over to speak. The person continued: "It's not obvious. Wen Kui of the Wenhui was taken over in Jiang'an County, and he was also a close disciple of Su Daru. This time, I won't take Jieyuan. He’s so embarrassed!”
"That seems to be the case. Mr. Xia is the adoptive brother of Concubine De. Now Mr. Zhou Mu is also getting closer to him. He has such a great reputation. Wouldn't it be a bit embarrassing if he didn't get Jie Yuan?"
"Yes, Mr. Xia must be Jieyuan! No one can change what I said!"
The strange man patted his chest with a determined look on his face.
Several students also gathered together, waiting nervously and apprehensively.
“I don’t know if we can win!”
"Please, please let me win, even if I am the last one on the B list."
"Hey, just wait. Who do you think will be Jieyuan?"
"It's hard to say. This exam is indeed extremely strict. If the grading is fair, then it really comes down to talent. The state studies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and there are talents in each county. It just depends on the performance on the spot."
"I think Zeng Jimin has a good chance. It is said that he has a very solid foundation and a good study of classics. He may have a chance."
"No, after all, he comes from a somewhat inferior background. I'm afraid he won't be able to do well in the current affairs policy test in the third round."
A head suddenly popped into the discussion circle and said, "What's there to guess? It must be Xia Jingyun!"
? ? ?
Everyone looked at the stranger, "Who are you?"
"We met by chance, we all came to see the list, let's chat."
A student bowed his hand politely and patiently explained: "Brother, I don't understand. Mr. Xia is indeed amazing in poetry, but this time he not only has poems, but also classics, meanings, and policies. People know that Xia Gongzi's previous government examination results were not outstanding. His theory of classics and meanings can only be said to be quite satisfactory, and he has not gone through systematic study. He is not familiar with the regulations of various official documents of the imperial court. He is just preparing for these days. It may not be a problem to lift, but it is almost impossible to win the solution.”
The man frowned, "I don't care if you say so much. Mr. Xia must be Jieyuan. If he is not Jieyuan, there will be shady things!"
"You are simply unreasonable!"
"Why does Xia Jingyun have a reputation?"
"Yes, only he is qualified, not any of you!"
Everyone was completely speechless and turned around to ignore him.
The so-called one pink and ten black people also made everyone a little dissatisfied with Xia Jingyun, and this was exactly the result that some people wanted.
In the private room of the restaurant nearby, he smiled as he watched the people he sent out to trick or flatter Xia Jingyun.
They have no grudge against Xia Jingyun. The first reason for doing this is jealousy. They are jealous that Xia Jingyun has a popularity that none of them have;
Secondly, I can't stand it. I can't bear to see that this poor man who was supposed to be fawning around them like a dog, waiting for them to reward them casually and be overjoyed, has now become someone they all need to look up to.
Finally, I wanted to push Xia Jingyun out to take the blame, so that no one would pay attention to their failure.
To put it in perspective, if they were roasted on the fire like this and had no chance of getting Jieyuan, they would be more miserable than death after the results were released.
"I really want to see what Mr. Xia's face looks like later!"
"Isn't he right there? Just stare!"
Everyone followed his gaze and saw that Xia Jingyun, his beautiful maid, Xu Dapeng and others were arriving at the place where the results were released.
"Sir, why do you feel like everyone is talking about you? Is there someone there?"
Xia Jingyun interrupted her, "It's okay, don't worry about it."
Of course he could see through this superficial flattery at a glance, but he didn't care, or even who was instigating it behind the scenes.
Because everything ultimately comes down to grades. As long as he gets good grades, he can talk about anything. If he doesn't get good grades, he doesn't have the time to care about his face.
In fact, if he really wanted to find out, he might have been able to find out last night, but he didn't think it was necessary.
There is no big difference between knowing the result early and knowing it late.
Soon, the time for releasing the list came, and the person responsible for posting the list did not keep everyone waiting, and directly took the stamped list and posted it outside the state government office.
Everyone was looking for their names on it.
There are many happy people, and Xu Dapeng is one of them.
Unhappy people think, there are happy people everywhere in the world, why can't they count me as one?
There are no top six names in the posted list.
Being among the top six this time, they have their own unique glory, because they are truly on the list.
A man who looked like an official came out, holding a tray with pen and ink on it.
He picked it up, dipped it in it a few times, and wrote down the name of the sixth placer in the Sishui Prefecture Provincial Examination.
As he started writing, someone on the side was reading loudly, spreading the message to the invisible people.
A man was instantly ecstatic, "I won, I won! Ya Kui! I am Ya Kui!"
He grabbed the shoulder of the person next to him and was very happy. The person who had been searching for a long time and couldn't find his name was full of disappointment. At this moment, his smile was uglier than crying, "Congratulations, congratulations!"
The official continued writing until the second time.
Among them, Zeng Jimin won the first place in the Chinese Economics and took third place, which is considered very outstanding.
In the restaurant, the noble gentlemen were not surprised that he failed the exam, and were now interested in Xia Jingyun's results.
"How's it going? Is his name on the list?"
"Go back to the young masters and look at it a few times. It's true that it's not there."
"Hahaha! Let's see what he does!"
"Now there is only one Jieyuan that has not been nominated. He can't really win one, right?"
While talking, a call came from below.
"Sishui Prefecture Provincial Examination, Xia Tao Jingyun, high school Jieyuan!"
! ! !
A group of noble gentlemen were stunned for an instant, looking at each other. Amidst the sudden noise below, the private room became increasingly silent.
(End of chapter)
