After the death of the previous emperor, the Empress Dowager became arrogant

Two years later.

It was mid-August at this time, half a month had passed since the provincial examination, and it was the day when the government announced the results.

The madam of Cangxianglou looked at Yuan Qing, who was lying on the second floor watching the excitement, and advised: "The students are all waiting for the list, why aren't you anxious, young master?"

Ever since his master left, his room has become this gentleman's exclusive guest residence.

Whenever he has free time, he will come to the building for a walk, have a cup of tea, listen to a few songs, and then stay in the room for most of the day.

In the eyes of outsiders, this gentleman is a man who hangs out in brothels every day. If he can pass the imperial examination, it must be because he burned incense in his previous life, and prayed to the Buddha, with smoke coming out of his ancestral graves.

The situation is urgent, but this gentleman has never shown any sign of being anxious.

"The results have already been determined. Whether it's good or bad, there's no point in getting anxious." Yuan Qing put his arms on the fence, bent one arm to support his chin, and looked at the dancer on the stage from afar. "Life is short, we must enjoy it while we can."

Then he added, "Someone taught me this before he left."

The madam knew without hesitation who this someone was referring to.

The owner was not in a hurry, so she did not ask any more questions. As soon as she turned around, she heard Yuan Qing say, "Sister Hua, I may be able to borrow your incense storage building today."

Hua Niang's breathing paused for a moment, and she walked back to Yuan Qing and suddenly pulled him over. "What did you say?"

Hua Niang has been in Pingjin Mansion for more than ten years. This Zangxiang Tower is all her hard work. When she suddenly heard these words, she thought that someone was going to use her tower to do evil.

"I'll borrow your building for a while." Yuan Qing leaned back down again, "It might have a little impact..."

Oh, it turns out it’s just…

The sound of gongs and drums outside gradually approached. It was Wang, the housekeeper of the Shang Mansion, who found the place first. He ran up to the second floor and shouted, "It's a hit...it's a hit..."

"Speak slowly, don't be in a hurry." Yuan Qing tilted his head and smiled.

"You won! You won first place! You are the top scorer!"

The dancing and music in the Zangxiang Tower stopped instantly, and everyone looked in the direction of Butler Wang.

Then I followed his gaze and saw a dark-faced scholar in plain clothes. He didn't look like anything special.

Afraid that he had misheard in the chaos, a young man waved his jade fan and asked, "Please tell me more clearly, who is the first?"

The young master was also familiar with Hua Niang, so she approached the fence, waved her handkerchief, and perfumed powder flew down, "The first place is this gentleman!"

The young man raised his head and looked, only to see a person vaguely standing between a tuft of gauze curtains.

Hua Niang pulled Yuan Qing over and said excitedly, "That's him!"

It was the first time in a hundred years that a top scholar appeared in a brothel. She couldn't let go of such a good opportunity.

Yuan Qing: "..."

How did she end up with such an inexplicable fate with brothels?

If she hadn't agreed to help Lu Zhao with his publicity, she would never want to become famous in this way.

The officers and soldiers who brought the good news should have gone directly to the Shang Mansion, but Shang Ming ordered that the news must be delivered directly to Gong Bin himself, and it would be best if everyone knew about it.

There was no such rule in previous years. How could there be people running around spreading good news?

If you want to chase her, then go ahead. It’s just a matter of running a few more miles. Getting the first place in the provincial examination and having contact with future officials is a rare opportunity.

But when they arrived at the place, they realized the problem.

Let me ask you: Is there any student hanging out in a brothel on the day the results are announced?

In this case, do they bring the person out in a low-key manner to spread the word, or do they directly announce it loudly on the spot?

"Boss, this..." a young officer asked in a low voice.

They were dressed in official uniforms, rushing here with drums and gongs beating, so it would be useless to hide at this time.

But he is the top scholar after all, so we still have to help maintain his reputation.

Hua Niang had come down to greet them with a smile, "What are you doing here, gentlemen?"

Meng Qiu ignored Hua Niang's face that was smiling like a peony, and asked seriously, "Is Gong Bin here?"

"Yes, yes." Hua Niang held the handkerchief and gestured to others to invite Gong Bin to come down.

Seeing someone coming out, Meng Qiu straightened his official robe and stepped forward to ask, "Do you want to..."

Yuan Qing knew what he meant. It was indeed inappropriate to be in front of the Zangxiang Tower, so he followed him and walked a little further away. The people who had been watching earlier also moved with him.

"Congratulations on winning the first place. This is what the prefect prepared for you..." Meng Qiu was about to show Shang Ming's sincerity to Yuan Qing, but he found that there was no one behind him except the onlookers.

"Where's the gift box!" he shouted.

"Here!" The officer who was pushed out of the crowd stood on tiptoe, waved his hands, and squeezed into the crowd, "Everyone, stop pushing, make way for us!"

"Stop pushing and send the things back to the Shang Mansion." Yuan Qing suddenly spoke.

Meng Qiu: "???"

The prefect asked the brothers to carry the things out, but the Jieyuan asked them to carry the things back? ? ?

It's not that troublesome.

"This..." Meng Qiu was a little embarrassed.

"Brother Bin asked you to send me off, so just send me off. No need to ask why."

Shang Zhe specially changed into new clothes today. He rushed over after just looking at the list. "Brother, there's nothing much to say. I can only offer congratulations."

I just don't know how much sincerity is mixed in this joy.

Although Yuan Qing lived in the Shang Mansion, his contact with Shang Ming became less and less, and naturally his contact with Shang Zhe was even less.

Ever since he exposed Shang Rou in public last time, he seemed to have disappeared from her life. Even when they met in the academy on weekdays, Shang Zhe deliberately avoided her and never met her face to face.

There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Now that he is being so intimate with her in public, he must have bad intentions.

"What are you thinking about, Bin?" Shang Zhe asked again when he saw that she didn't answer.

"Nothing, I just thought of something very interesting and got distracted." Yuan Qing bowed, "Thank you, Brother Shang."

"congratulations!"

Passing the imperial examination was not only a great joy for Yuan Qing personally, but also a great joy for the entire Pingjin Prefecture. After the officers and soldiers announced the good news, the people were ordered to congratulate her.

"Thank you all!" Yuan Qing responded with sincere gratitude.

"Master Jieyuan, will you return to Pingjin Mansion in the future?" Someone couldn't help but ask.

The person next to him hurriedly pulled him behind him and said with a careful smile: "This guy is drunk and confused, and he speaks without thinking. You are a magnanimous person, so don't bother with him."

Yuan Qing smiled and shook his head.

In fact, this issue has always been a concern of people. Pingjin Prefecture has produced many talents in previous years, but few of them have returned to contribute to their hometown.

Anyone who passed the imperial examination would try his best to climb into the capital.

No matter how difficult the capital city is, it is also a place where nobles gather. If you win, you will be extremely powerful. If you lose, your entire family will go to jail.

Although the man's mouth was blocked in time, Yuan Qing didn't know how to answer for a moment when she saw everyone looking at her eagerly.