Once the results of the provincial examinations were posted, the students who had seen the list could retrieve their exam papers from the examination hall. When Meng Anci came to collect his exam paper, he happened to see the top three candidates there as well.
So he Dadan stepped forward and said, "Hello... I'm Meng Anci came in fifth place."
Wu Zhiyu taken aback; he hadn't expected the fifth place winner to be a child. "How old is Meng Niandi this year?"
Eleven years old.
Upon hearing this, everyone around was stunned. Passing the provincial examination at eleven and participating in the metropolitan examination at twelve? This was simply a child prodigy.
Wu Zhiyu laughed and said, "Brother Meng is truly talented, you are..."
Meng Anci quickly explained his purpose, "Brother Wu has won the top score in the provincial examination, which I greatly admire. I wonder if I could see Brother Wu's examination paper and broaden my horizons?"
Wu Zhiyu apologized, "I'm sorry, Brother Meng... We are about to take the imperial examination, so it's best if you keep these exam papers with you..." After saying that, he bowed to Meng Anci and took his leave.
Upon hearing that Meng Anci wanted to borrow the exam papers, the others quickly averted their gaze and left.
"Here... look at mine," Zhao Zhiyuan handed the exam paper to Meng Anci, Meng Anci, "Aren't you afraid I'll steal your skills...?"
Zhao Zhiyuan curled his lips into a rare smug expression, "I'm not afraid... We grew up together, we looked at each other's test papers every day, and we went over the questions together. If I were afraid of you, wouldn't we have broken off all contact long ago?"
Meng Anci handed him her exam paper, "Here... I'm not going to take advantage of you."
Zhao Zhiyuan glanced at him leisurely and said disdainfully, "I never look at the exam papers of the people behind me..."
"Oh my god... he actually fell for it!" Meng Anci hooked her arm around Zhao Zhiyuan's neck and pulled him under her arm. "You're so smug, aren't you... If you've got the guts, we'll see in the exam."
Zhao Zhiyuan let out a hearty laugh, grabbing Meng Anci's arm and shouting, "Let go of me... you defeated opponent!"
"Oh... you're really pushing it."
As the two were playfully fighting, neither of them noticed Shiyan hiding in the corner. He ranked fifty-seventh... he failed the exam. He didn't even take the test paper and went straight home.
As soon as I entered, Madam Shi and Ruan Xingmian greeted me, "How did it go? Did you win...?"
Shiyan's eyes instantly reddened, and he forced back his tears, saying in a hoarse voice, "Fifty-seventh."
"Fifty-seventh... My good eldest son, you are so outstanding!" Madam Shi excitedly reached out to take Shiyan's hand, but Shiyan dodged away.
"Mother... Qingzhou Prefecture only accepts fifty people, and I failed the exam."
The Madam Shi glared at him, "I didn't know there would be fifty people. How old are you this year...? Fourteen years old. You ranked fifty-seventh at fourteen. You're already a genius."
Listen to your mother, as long as we're alive, we can always try again. If we don't pass this year, we'll try again in three more years.
Shiyan walked irritably toward the bedroom. Madam Shi gave Ruan Xingmian a look, and Ruan Xingmian turned and went to the kitchen... Madam Shi followed her son into the room.
She closed the door and said softly, "My son... I know you're unhappy, but becoming a scholar isn't easy. Fifty people are leaving this year, so you can be seventh in three years."
Shiyan stared at Madam Shi in astonishment, and after a long while, he said, "Mother... Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci will be taking the imperial examination next year. Who will care about me then? Let alone seventh place, it's uncertain whether I can even keep fifty-seventh."
The Madam Shi glared at him with displeasure. "You child... what does your achievement today have to do with them? It's all thanks to your hard work, studying from dawn till dusk."
Shiyan didn't want to say any more. If it weren't for Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci constantly urging him on, explaining the questions and analyzing the policy essays, he probably wouldn't have even made the list, let alone ranked fifty-seventh.
If he wanted to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, he had to follow these two men closely.
Suddenly, Shiyan had a bright idea. "Mother... if Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci examination, I want to stay by their side."
"What? Are you crazy..." Madam Shi exploded upon hearing this. Her son, whom she had raised with great difficulty, was going to leave with two classmates. She was so angry that her face turned red and her neck bulged, and all the gentleness she had shown earlier was gone.
" Shiyan... You've always followed Meng Anci since you were little, and then you followed Zhao Zhiyuan after you came to the prefectural city. When have they ever considered you a friend?"
"You're the only one who's acting like an idiot, chasing after people like that."
"Mother... I've gotten to where I am today entirely thanks to their help. If it weren't for their tutoring, I wouldn't even be able to understand the teacher's lessons. And our family's escort agency, if Meng Anci and I hadn't been classmates, would Anzhi Hall have been able to negotiate a lower price for the contract renewal?"
Bringing up the old story again, Madam Shi exploded with a roar, her voice suddenly rising, "Bullshit... The Shi Household Escort Agency are in the business of escorting goods. If we can't deliver Anzhi Hall's goods, we can deliver other people's goods."
I signed a five-year low-price contract to save your father back then, and I've already repaid that debt with money. What's wrong with escorting goods at market price now...? I'm already being lenient by not asking your father to raise the price."
Seeing that she was stubborn and impossible to reason with, Shiyan said impatiently, "Alright, alright... why don't you go shopping or watch a play?"
Seeing that Madam Shi Shiyan was giving her the cold shoulder, Madam Shi became even more displeased. She grabbed Shiyan's arm, shoved him in the face, and demanded, " Shiyan, tell your mother the truth, are you reluctant to part with your classmates, or are you reluctant to part with the young lady from the Meng Household?"
"What did you say, Mother?"
"What did I say... I'm telling you plainly, whether you pass the imperial examination or not, I will not propose marriage for you. Just give up on that idea."
"You dare marry Meng Anzhi, Non-Self dead..."
After saying that, Ruan Xingmian, who was knocking on the door. The white fungus soup spilled all over them, and Ruan Xingmian hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the Madam Shi clean.
"Auntie, are you alright...? Did you get burned?"
The Madam Shi angrily brushed her hand away, turned and went back to her own courtyard without saying a word. Ruan Xingmian glanced at the broken porcelain shards on the ground and apologized to Shiyan, "I'm sorry, cousin, I'll clean it up right away."
Shiyan sighed and stepped forward to pull her into the house. "Let the maid clean up. You didn't burn yourself, did you?"
Ruan Xingmian blushed and shook her head.
Shiyan her obedient appearance, Shiyan gently comforted her, "Your mother invited you over to help you relax, but who knew this would happen."
Ruan Xingmian whispered, "Cousin, I'm fine... I was mainly worried about you. I was afraid you'd be upset because you didn't do well on the exam. I wanted to give you something sweet to cheer you up, but I messed it up."
"What are you talking about... I know my own level, it's not surprising that I didn't pass the exam."
"Cousin, don't talk about yourself like that. You're already very outstanding, especially since you're a scholar who passed the imperial examinations. I heard that out of Shi Household spanning three generations, you're the only one who achieved that."
Shiyan her looking at him like a little rabbit, both timid and wanting to comfort him, Shiyan couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I'm fine, you go ahead with your work."
Ruan Xingmian responded softly, turned and walked out. Before leaving, she looked back at him with a worried expression, which would soften anyone's heart.
Only Shiyan remained in the room. He slumped wearily in a chair, staring blankly at the shards of broken porcelain by the door, lost in thought...