After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

"Congratulations to Grandpa Jiang!" Tan Hao stepped forward and bowed.

"So that means all five of us have passed the provincial examination!"

Jiang Wenqing revealed the key point.

"Five blessings arrive at the door, a very auspicious sign!"

Zhao Hongxuan now feels that buying that courtyard outside the examination hall was extremely worthwhile; he'll probably resell it later for double the price!

This is a courtyard where five scholars who passed the provincial examination at the same time lived. With its scholarly atmosphere and such a prime location, how could the price not skyrocket?!

"Hahahaha, yes, yes, hey? Where's that servant boy?"

Although Landlord Jiang was also happy, everyone present, except for Jiang Mingfei, knew their ranking, regardless of whether they had received the good news or not.

Landlord Jiang was just about to turn around and ask Zhao's servant whether his grandson was first or second place...

Yes, that's how confident they are; they don't even consider a third possibility!

Just then, the servant took the fresh tea brought by the waiter and carried it in. Landlord Jiang quickly beckoned him over, saying, "Don't bother with that yet!"

“Yes, yes, yes! Fei, hurry up and tell Grandpa Jiang what Mingfei’s ranking you saw. Grandpa Jiang is getting impatient!” Zhao Hongxuan said understandingly.

"Oh, Young Master Jiang is at the top of the list! He's only one person away from Young Master Tan."

Upon hearing this, Landlord Jiang's face lit up with a smile: Sure enough! His grandson, a top scholar! No doubt about it! Haha, his ancestors were blessed with good fortune!

Jiang Wenqing was also quite surprised! He even forgot to chew the peach blossom pastry in his mouth: My God, could his son be the reincarnation of the God of Literature? One in a thousand!

No, he's only six years old! Is this really his son? How could he have such a smart and capable son? He started to doubt himself, to question the meaning of life...

Of course, it's impossible to really suspect that the baby was switched at birth—after all, the son does look quite like him when he was a child.

Hehe, hehehe~ With the father ranking high, the son is directly at the top of the list, his life is secure for the rest of his life!

(Jiang Wenqing is grinning foolishly...)

Tan and Zhao both congratulated the three members of the Jiang family. Jiang Wenqing then realized what was happening and was overjoyed, his happiness growing with each passing moment.

Tan Hao sighed inwardly. Jiang Mingfei was indeed impressive and had to be admired. It was quite a story that the Jiang family had three scholars who had passed the imperial examination in the same year.

Landlord Jiang patted Jiang Xiaoqi on the shoulder with delight, his eyes filled with pride and joy.

He certainly noticed his son's strange expression, who knows what he was thinking about now, enjoying the pleasure of sponging off his father and son. It was truly unbearable to watch!

I'm in a good mood today, so I won't take out the feather duster to spoil the fun. I'll remember that!

The number of people on the first floor of the teahouse gradually decreased, leaving only a few who were still unwilling to give up, wondering what if they were among the top 100, top 50, or even top 20?

It's not time to announce good news to myself yet, let's wait, let's wait a little longer!

Finally, the auspicious gong sounded again—

Congratulations! Liu Qingping, a gentleman from Qingmu Town, Linchuan County, Linchuan Prefecture, has achieved the seventy-eighth place in the imperial examination!

"Liu Qingping! He's from our county!"

"Brother Liu! It's you! Your ranking is extremely high! Congratulations, Brother Liu!"

"Congratulations to you too!" Although he knew that the person in front of him couldn't possibly rank higher than him, he still wouldn't hesitate to say a nice word.

However, since everyone's status has changed, there won't be much interaction between them. As long as they maintain a superficial relationship, there's no need to continue developing a close friendship.

After all, he would have to focus his main energy on preparing for the annual examinations, the provincial examinations, and the county examinations, and he wouldn't have much in common with these young scholars.

They still had to take the academy entrance exams, and their interactions with me were merely for the purpose of receiving guidance and instruction.

I'm not their teacher, so why should I waste my time on these trivial matters that don't benefit me at all?

Liu Qingping smiled and accepted everyone's congratulations, but his gaze fell on the stairs leading to the second floor. He knew that some VIPs had booked an entire floor of private rooms there.

Unlike these people, who huddle together, sitting or standing, they have no manners of scholars at all.

Having money or power is good, and having both is even better.

Liu Qingping narrowed his eyes. Three people above had already received good news, which meant that they were three scholars whose rankings were not as high as his, but these people had some financial resources and backgrounds, and were worth befriending.

His ranking was much higher than theirs, so those people would probably be very willing to befriend him, since he was very likely to pass the imperial examination and qualify for the provincial examination in the future!

Who would refuse to befriend someone who has a high chance of becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examinations?!

He walked straight to the stairs, but was stopped by the waiter. The waiter knew that this man had just passed the imperial examination and dared not say anything harsh.

He bowed slightly and said, "Honored guest, please stop here. This entire floor has been reserved and is not open to individual guests today!"

Liu Qingping paused, glaring at the waiter blocking his way with some hostility.

"Oh? Do you know who I am?"

"Master Liu, I know that, but since the guest has given instructions, our teahouse can only comply."

The waiter wasn't flustered. You're a scholar, but there are three other scholars upstairs. They're all genuine scholars. What does it matter if they're ranked high or low? Who's more noble than whom?

Besides, the three upstairs! Three to one in terms of quantity, the upstairs team wins!

Most importantly, it involves people, family, money, and expenses! Hundreds of taels of silver, real gold and silver! Is that something you can just do whenever you want?!

Liu Qingping snorted coldly, "I'm going upstairs today, what can you do about it?" With that, he tried to force his way upstairs.

The waiter quickly stretched out his arms to block him, saying, "Master Liu, you mustn't! It's difficult for someone as small as you to serve!"

The scuffle between the two attracted the attention of those around them, and a crowd gathered to watch the spectacle.

"what happened?"

"I heard that this Mr. Liu wanted to go upstairs, but the waiter stopped him."

"Has someone booked the entire upstairs room? This guy surnamed Liu just passed the imperial examination and he's already acting so domineering?"

"That's a bit inconsiderate. A scholar isn't an official; do you expect him to give up his private room on the second floor?"

……

Hearing the comments from the crowd, Liu Qingping's face turned bright red; he felt he was losing face.

What the hell is all this nonsense?! Is that even their goal?! These idiots!

The chatter downstairs was deafening when a clear, childlike voice came from the second floor, "Let him come up!"