The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

"Of course it's good, but do I have to decide when this wine shop will open?"

The woman smiled and nodded, then took out an exquisite wooden box from her bosom and said, "This is what my young master asked me to bring to your brother. He said he would give it to you when he couldn't wait to return to the academy."

Guo Xin took the wooden box, opened it and saw that it was a wolf-hair brush. He said hurriedly, "This brush is really valuable. Thank you so much!"

"Why thank you? My little master likes playing with your brother, which is worth it."

After seeing the woman off, Guo Xin handed the brush in his hand to Guo Xi.

"Wolf-hair brush!! This is my favorite brush. Hu Zongrui uses it often. He would lend it to me when he saw that I liked it. I didn't expect that he would actually give it to me." Guo Xi looked at the brush in his hand as if it were a treasure.

After a pause, he responded and said, "You're not sending me here because you have an exam to take, are you?"

"Examination?" Guo Ruo looked puzzled. He had heard from his parents before that his uncle was forced to return to the village because he failed the examinations every time.

Guo Xi nodded and said, "Before, Hu Zongrui often asked me to help him cheat during the exam, but I didn't dare to do that, so I could only refuse him. Some time ago, he pestered me to help him review his lessons and mark the key points, so I helped him for a while."

Guo Xin looked at the wolf-hair brush, then looked at Guo Xi, and said, "If it's to thank you for your test some time ago, then accept it. If it's for something else, you can decide for yourself."

"Xin'er, we don't care?" Guo Ruo pulled Guo Xin to the corner and asked, "What if Xi'er helps cheat for that gift? This will ruin your future!"

Guo Xin patted Guo Ruo on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, sis. Xi'er can handle it."

……

At the Su Mansion, Magistrate Su and his family were having dinner inside, and the atmosphere was filled with joy.

"How are your studies going in the academy?" Su Zhizhou picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into Su Zeyuan's bowl.

Su Zeyuan smiled and said, "Although my child's homework is not the best, it is not bad either."

"I heard that after the winter solstice, there will be a test, which will determine whether you can be taught by Fang Tairu himself. I wonder if you are confident?"

Su Zeyuan's smile paused for a moment, and he thought of Guo Xi. Except for the first few tests where he performed very badly, he always ranked first in the subsequent tests.

However, this time, there were only two places in Class D that Fang Tairu would personally teach. If he could not rank first in the final exam, he would not be selected after comprehensive evaluation of all aspects.

"I am somewhat confident, but to be on the safe side, I must do my best to review my lessons during the few days at home and try to be selected by Fang Tairu." Su Zeyuan said firmly.

Su Zhizhou nodded and praised: "You have hired a teacher to teach you at home since you were young, so your grades should be good. And if Fang Tairu hadn't returned home, I would not have planned to send you to a private school in that remote place."

Madam Su chimed in, "Sir, if we hadn't gone to that remote place, how could our Yuan'er have been wronged? He is smart, polite, well-behaved and sensible, what's wrong with that!"

"Alright, let's not talk about that incident anymore. It was Yuan'er who made the mistake first. If you hadn't been so pampering to Yuan'er, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. It's true that a loving mother spoils her child."

"I..." Mrs. Su spoke in sign language.

……

"Mom, you often tell me that the road to becoming an official is not just about doing things in an upright manner. If you want to serve the people, you can use various means as long as the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Does what you said still count now?" Su Zeyuan said.

"Of course it does count, but why are you asking this?"

"I think the principle is the same. If I use it for my own purpose in this exam, I will be closer to becoming a high-ranking official. Moreover, it will be easier for me to become a high-ranking official than others, and I will be able to do more for the people. Therefore, the disadvantages at this time are worth it."

Madam Su looked at Su Zeyuan in front of her, her heart filled with pride. Her child's logic was so flexible, and he indeed had some of her Wang blood.

Then he said, "You are worthy of being my mother's Yuan'er. This principle is certainly feasible. I just don't know what you are going to do. If you are discovered, can you bear the consequences?"

"Fang Peilin from our class also occupies a place. He is the grandson of Fang Tairu, so he cannot compete with him.

So I can only defeat Guo Xi. If I add chin bean powder to Guo Xi's food, he will naturally have no time to take the exam, and I can become Fang Tairu's student. "

Mrs. Hu nodded. She was not a person who handled things properly. When she was a girl in the palace, outsiders thought that she was brought up in pampered conditions, so she developed such an arrogant and indiscriminate character.

In fact, it is not like that at all. The palace is not simple. No matter how much my father loves me and my mother, there is a limit.

She was originally an innocent and kind child, but she had seen too many schemes succeed in the mansion, and she, her mother, and her brothers and sisters had been killed.

No matter how innocent a character is, he or she will be worn down to become arrogant and do whatever it takes to achieve his or her goals. From that time on, she made up her mind to raise her child into such a person. Now it seems that Yuan'er has been raised well.

……

The day of the examination finally arrived. Su Zeyuan bribed Yan Yuping, the son of the Yong'an County magistrate. Yan Yuping was the one who flattered him the most, so it would be best to let him do the job.

Yan Yuping brought porridge from the cafeteria to Guo Xi in the morning and said, "Brother Guo Xi, the test will start soon."

"I know that I can't be accepted as a student by Fang Tairu, so I don't ask for very good grades, I just want to have acceptable grades. I looked at the seating map and you are in front of me. I wonder if you can be kind enough to help me during the exam."

Guo Xi frowned and looked at him and said, "You know this method is against discipline and cannot be done. I will not help you."

Yan Yuping looked angry and said, "If you are willing to help me, I can give you five taels of silver, which should be enough for you to eat for a long time."

"No help."

Upon hearing this, Yan Yuping pretended to be disappointed and said, "If that's the case, I can't force you, but this food shouldn't be wasted. I queued for a long time to buy it from the cafeteria."

Guo Xi looked at Yan Yuping with a strange expression. Wasn't he the closest to Su Zeyuan in the past? Why did he ask him not to waste food today just to bribe him? However, he didn't think much about it and nodded in agreement.

After reviewing the books for a long time, he saw that it was almost time to go to the school. He saw that Yan Yuping had not left yet, so he asked in surprise: "You haven't left yet?"

Yan Yuping smiled awkwardly and said, "I spent money to buy this porridge. It would be a pity if you don't eat it."

Seeing this, Guo Xi had to take a few quick mouthfuls of porridge and finish it. Then he and Yan Yuping hurried to the school.

After Professor Fang handed out the papers, he repeatedly emphasized the examination disciplines. If any violation was discovered, the examination results would be cancelled.

After Guo Xi got the paper, he read it carefully and started to answer. Unexpectedly, not long after he started writing, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, as if a mountain was rolling over him, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Professor Fang noticed that Guo Xi was acting strangely and asked, "What's wrong?"