The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

"Hahaha......"

Upon hearing Ding Baize's words, Qin Zuliang couldn't help but burst into laughter, but then he remembered that the two were friends in public, so he quickly covered his mouth!

But Wu Shi was furious at their ostrich-like behavior.

Even so, he couldn't help but confirm again, "Are you sure it's not second on the main list, but second on the supplementary list?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ding Baize and Qin Zuliang rolled their eyes at the same time, in perfect unison.

However, Ding Baize's face was chubby and his eyes were small, so he was able to hide it very well.

However, because he had always been at the bottom of the trio, he still spoke politely: "I checked the main list several times and found that my two junior brothers' names were not there, so I went to check the secondary list. I didn't expect that you two are really destined to be first and second."

Wu Shi was already feeling down, and the sudden drop from second place on the main list to second place on the supplementary list was like a rollercoaster ride for him...

But even so, his good senior brother still harbored such resentment towards him, so the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he shouted angrily:

"I think you're up to no good. If you're going to be on the lower ranks, why don't you just say so directly...?"

He was misled and lost face so badly.

He could imagine how his junior brother Qin would laugh at him behind his back.

"I didn't mean to say that, but you interrupted me all of a sudden."

Even so, what I was really thinking was: Don't I know my own level?

However, he dared not say such a thing.

At this moment, Qin Zuliang seemed to have thought of something, and looked at Ding Baize with disdain: "We all know our college entrance exam results. What about you? How did you rank?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Shi also looked over.

He thought that once he found out Ding's exam results, he would definitely make fun of him.

Then Ding Baize spoke up: "Forty-sixth place..."

Just as Wu Shi was about to burst into laughter, he heard the next words: "On the official list, forty-sixth place."

Qin Zuliang: "......"

Wu Shi: "......"

Just as the two were about to raise their voices in question, Ding Baize quickly interrupted them, and said with a fawning expression:

"I know my talent is not as good as yours, but how could I have known that the questions in this academy exam would be exactly what I am good at? Hehe, it's all just luck. If I hadn't had such good luck, I would definitely be on the second-ranked list, or even ranked forty or fifty or lower."

"Oh! Is that so?" Qin Zuliang said solemnly.

Wu Shi also looked at Ding Baize with disbelief.

In the end, after he released the news that Zhuge Yunshu had won the top honor in the academy and was even a minor triple champion, Qin Zuliang and Wu Shi finally shifted their hateful gaze away from him.

......

People are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion. After waving goodbye to everyone, Zhuge Yunshu and the others hurriedly headed towards the two-courtyard house they had rented at Hanyuefu.

There was nothing they could do; they had been told that there was another important step: announcing the good news.

Therefore, when Zhuge Yunshu and the other four arrived at the courtyard, they saw that a number of neighbors had already gathered outside their gate to watch the excitement.

In particular, the landlord who rented the courtyard to them, upon seeing them, had his eyes light up and pointed at them, shouting loudly:

"Look, here comes the scholar's daughter."

Upon hearing this, the neighbors who had been watching the commotion rushed towards them.

Then, everyone started asking around.

In the end, the official delivering the good news stopped everyone from advancing further, and then confirmed with Zhuge Yunshu and the others:

"Excuse me, which one of you is Zhuge Yunshu from Jingling Prefecture?"

Zhuge Yunshu poked his head out from behind his eldest cousin Zhuge Yunren and eldest cousin Zhuge Yunchun, and nodded with a smile.

Seeing this, the official couldn't help but laugh and quickly offered his congratulations:

"Congratulations, Miss Zhuge, on achieving first place in the provincial examination and passing the 'Minor Triple Crown'!"

Throughout the journey, Zhuge Yunchun's lips never fell into a smile, especially upon hearing the official's good news. He quickly took out a purse from his sleeve and handed it to the official, repeatedly saying, "Share in the joy, congratulations to you all!"

Upon seeing this, the messenger subtly squeezed the purse, and when he discovered it contained loose silver coins, his smile widened even further.

So, he continued with the previous step, and informed Zhuge Yun Chu, Wang Yi, Zhang Hao and Zhuge Yun Jin of the good news. In this way, he received four more purses, each containing a considerable amount of silver coins.

This was truly beyond his expectations. You see, he hadn't managed to snag a spot to deliver the good news at the inn because of his lack of talent at the government office.

Instead, they were squeezed out of their homes by those old officials and forced to live in this remote little courtyard.

But who would have thought that this family would be so generous? They could have easily given him one purse as a way of sending good news, but they gave him five, and each purse was quite heavy.

He estimated that there were at least four or five taels of silver in those five purses.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but marvel at his good fortune.

After saying a few more auspicious words, the official who brought the good news left satisfied.

As a result, Zhuge Yunshu and his four companions were surrounded by enthusiastic neighbors who asked them all sorts of questions. In particular, Zhuge Yunjin, a fourteen-year-old scholar, was highly sought after by these aunts and uncles.

In addition, with his fair and clean appearance, Zhuge Yunshu noticed that many young girls in the crowd were secretly sizing up her cousin.

Finally, Zhuge Yunchun and Zhuge Yunren couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to rescue Zhuge Yunjin, who was surrounded by the crowd.

After dealing with the neighbors, Zhuge Yunshu looked Zhuge Yunjin up and down, then stroked his chin and spoke earnestly:

"Cousin Yun Jin, I've only just realized you're quite the handsome young man. No wonder you're so popular with all the aunts and uncles... By the way, do you have a girl you secretly like? Tell us, your cousins ​​will give you some advice..."

Zhuge Yunjin: "......???"

He was shocked. How could his cousin Yun Shu, at such a young age, say such embarrassing things without blushing?

Then, he turned his gaze to the other people in the courtyard for help.

However, to his surprise, not only did these people not help him, but they also acted as if they were listening attentively with gossipy expressions.

Zhuge Yunjin was in despair, and he decided to become a man of few words.

......

This night.

Zhuge Yunshu and his group were not in a hurry to pack their bags and go home.

Instead, he sent a letter to Zhuge Laifu and Lin Siniang, who were still in Jingling Prefecture.

In the letter, she wrote down, after some embellishment, the fact that she, her cousin Yun Chu, and her cousin Yun Jin had all passed the imperial examinations and become scholars.

In particular, her story of achieving the highest honors in the imperial examinations is described in great detail.

It wasn't until she had written two pages of eloquent prose that Zhuge Yunshu remembered the important matter she was about to discuss.