Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1119: College Examination

Elder Tong Er listened and nodded, saying, "Alright, let’s give Gu Jin’an a temporary respite and discuss further after the college examination."

He then looked at Young Master Tong San and praised, "My son is indeed clever, coming up with such a plan. You are inherently suited for officialdom. With that mind of yours, if you enter the bureaucracy, you will surely beat Yan Xiaowu, that ignorant scholar, into submission."

What ability does Yan Xiaowu have? He merely knows how to read, but what use is reading? Being an official and being a good reader are two different things. An official without some tricks and schemes will just get himself killed.

Young Master Tong San laughed, "Father, this is only the beginning. I have another brilliant plan yet to be used. If executed, Yan Xiaowu and Gu Jin’an won’t recover for a lifetime!"

Elder Tong Er’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly asked Young Master Tong San, "What other good ideas do you have, San’er? Tell me quickly!"

Young Master Tong San smiled slightly and leaned over to Elder Tong Er’s ear, whispering something.

After hearing it, Elder Tong Er burst into laughter, "Brilliant, truly brilliant. If this plan succeeds, not only will Yan Xiaowu and Gu Jin’an be ruined, but even the Yan family will become a laughingstock throughout Great Chu!"

However, Elder Tong Er reminded Young Master Tong San, "San’er, you must also be cautious during this time. Restrain yourself and don’t let others catch any traces."

Young Master Tong San frowned but said nothing, promising, "Father, rest assured. I know the stakes and won’t let anyone catch a handle on me."

He seemed disinterested in hearing Elder Tong Er preach and, after speaking, said, "Father, with the college examination nearing, I will return to study first."

With that, he rose and left.

Young Master Tong San was quite diligent and intelligent; otherwise, he couldn’t have become the top of the county. However, he did not immediately delve into studies upon returning to his courtyard but instead asked the servant, "Has the person arrived?"

The servant, Da’an, replied, "Yes, they are waiting for you in the inner room."

Young Master Tong San was very pleased and smiled, "Well done."

He then asked, "Were you discovered?"

Da’an replied, "No, master, this isn’t the first or second time I’ve done this. Besides, the person was brought from Jiangnan and is disguised as a girl. No one in Linhe Prefecture knows."

Only then did Young Master Tong San feel relieved and threw a silver note to Da’an, "This is your reward. Make sure the traces are cleaned up. If anything goes wrong, you know the consequences."

Da’an said, "Thank you, Third Young Master, for your reward. Rest assured, the traces have long been cleaned up; even the ship captain suspects nothing."

Young Master Tong San nodded with satisfaction and urged, "Why are you still standing here? Hurry and leave. Are you waiting to dampen my spirits?"

"Yes, yes, I will leave immediately." Da’an hurriedly left.

Young Master Tong San rushed into the room and, upon seeing the beauty lying in the inner room, sighed, "Indeed, the renowned Immortal Lord of Jiangnan; such a captivating appearance."

That’s right; although the person in the room was dressed in women’s clothing, they were an Immortal Lord.

The Immortal Lord got up, gracefully bowed to Young Master Tong San, and said, "My humble self, Feiyi, greets the master."

"Feiyi, what a charming name," Young Master Tong San hurriedly supported Feiyi’s waist, praising, "This waist is just to my liking."

Feiyi heard this and shyly smiled, which Young Master Tong San couldn’t resist. He immediately pulled Feiyi to handle matters, and they did not stop until dawn.

The servant, Da Lu, who was guarding the door outside, frowned deeply. The Third Young Master was courting disaster. After surpassing the Fifth Young Master of the Yan family and becoming the top of the county, many eyes were on him. He should cultivate himself but instead boldly asked Da’an to find an Immortal Lord!

This was an Immortal Lord, not a Flower Fairy. While many noble family children keep Immortal Lords, scholars value their reputations the most. As a candidate, if word got out that he was fooling around with an Immortal Lord like this, he would be denounced to the point of losing his official position!

By then, as one of the Third Young Master’s personal servants, Da Lu would also be beaten to death with a stick.

Da Lu was terribly worried and truly wished he could redeem himself and leave immediately. However, this was impossible for a servant who knew so many of his master’s secrets. If he tried to redeem himself, he would be assassinated.

...

While Young Master Tong San was fooling around with the Immortal Lord, Gu Jin’an and his companions were burning the midnight oil in their studies, and Yan Xiaowu was even studying frantically, hoping to achieve good results in the college examination to restore the Yan family’s reputation.

Eight days later, on the evening of June 8th, Gu Jin’an and his companions went to bed early. After sleeping for five hours, they woke at dawn, preparing all their things, and, feeling refreshed, boarded the mule cart to head to the Ritual Room in Linhe Prefecture.

By the time they arrived, the main street where the Ritual Room was located was already crowded. Everywhere were servants holding lanterns and torches, securing places for their masters, making it impossible for their mule cart to proceed. They had to stop at the street entrance and walk on foot.

Fortunately, they arrived early and found a spot that was neither too high nor too low, giving them plenty of time to prepare.

Scholar Shang, Scholar Qu, and Elder Xu repeatedly reminded them, "Have you brought everything? Before entering the Dragon Gate, remember to untie your hair and check if anything has been slipped into your hair, clothes, or shoes. If any contraband is found during inspection by the government officer, your exam qualification will be canceled."

It was hard enough to make it to the college examination. With the prospect of becoming a Scholar and entering the scholarly family class on the horizon, no mistakes could be afforded.

Gu Jin’an and his companions checked repeatedly, yet Elder Xu still did not feel at ease. He called the household servants to surround them, preventing other candidates from approaching and slipping contraband to harm them.

Gu Jin’an felt both amused and distressed but accepted Elder Xu’s good intentions without complaint and subtly reminded Xu Zhao Ming and the others, "Brothers, remember what I told you last night. If you come across it, be cautious, but do not stand out too much."

Gu Jin’an spoke vaguely, so no one else understood except Xu Zhao Ming and the others, who knew he referred to loyalty, serving the Emperor, and not forming factions for personal gain.

County Magistrate Zheng had also reminded them of this since due to the incident with the Eldest Imperial Prince, the Emperor was now very concerned about loyalty to the sovereign. The chief examiner sent from the Capital might have brought exam questions set by the Emperor Chu himself, so questions regarding loyalty to the sovereign were highly likely.

And indeed, they guessed correctly, as one of the essays in the college examination was related to loyalty to the sovereign.

The Emperor Chu set this exam question specifically to eliminate those scholars who were not loyal to him, the Emperor, or intended to gain Dragon’s Contribution at its root.

Any scholar with such thoughts or unwilling to be a loyal minister could not hope to pass this exam subject!

Clang, clang, clang!

At exactly the hour of Chen, the government officer began to beat the gong and shouted, "The auspicious hour has arrived, the Dragon Gate is open, candidates line up for inspection to enter the Dragon Gate!!"

He shouted several times, and when his throat could bear no more, another government officer took over, fearing the candidates at the back might not hear.

Elder Xu was exceptionally nervous, holding Xu Zhao Ming’s hand, saying, "Brother Ming, remember to check if anything has been slipped on you... Take the exam calmly, and don’t push yourself. Your grandfather won’t blame you."

These words were incredibly supportive to Xu Zhao Ming, bringing tears to his eyes. He choked up and said, "Grandfather, rest assured. I will do my best not to disgrace you."