Soon the day of the results announcement arrived, and the streets were teeming with people, all eager to see the results of the autumn imperial examinations.
Yanran was practicing tai chi with Little Tangyuan and Doudou in the yard and didn't join in the fun.
Anyway, she only knew Cui Xiaoqiu, who had dropped out of the exam, so it had nothing to do with her.
Little Tangyuan was incredibly strong. With one punch, the sandbag hanging on the tree shook violently, making the whole tree sway like an old man trembling in the wind and rain.
Doudou is the other extreme. What should be a powerful and vigorous fist technique is turned into Tai Chi and Five Animal Frolics by her.
That's good, that's good too, just moving around is good enough.
The extreme contrast surprisingly creates harmony.
Yanran loves her younger sisters, but she regrets that her mother didn't give her one, so she can only pour all her affection into her other sisters.
"It's a winner! It's a winner!" Loud gongs and drums rang out from outside.
They've come to bring good news.
Yanran said, "This must be Cui Run."
Cui Run was hardworking and talented, and being several years older than Cui Xiaoqiu, he attended many classes taught by famous teachers alongside Cui Xiaoqiu.
Therefore, it's only natural that he passed; it would be strange if he hadn't.
Although she wanted to congratulate her, Yanran still felt a little uneasy when she thought of Mingzhu.
Forget it, I won't go join the fun. At worst, I'll just congratulate Cui Run in person when I see him.
"He passed! He passed! He's the top scholar!"
He actually became the top scholar in the imperial examination?
Yanran thought of Cui Run's mother, Lady Gao, and wondered how smug she would be upon hearing this news. She couldn't help but purse her lips.
Now that's good, her son has finally flown out of the chicken coop. She thinks he's a phoenix, one of a kind in heaven and earth, and even a princess wouldn't be good enough for him.
Ah, wait a minute!
Cui Xiaoqiu didn't win anything, and he must be feeling terrible after hearing that.
Yanran immediately said to the two little ones, "You two play here by yourselves. Little Tangyuan, take good care of Doudou. I'm going out for a bit."
There were maids and servants in the courtyard, so she left without hesitation.
Little Tangyuan speaks in a childish voice, but she's a super-strong little girl.
"Sister Doudou, push harder!"
Doudou: "Okay."
In broad daylight, Yanran scaled the wall to the Cui Family, slipped past everyone, and headed towards Cui Xiaoqiu's study.
--Because the results were announced today, the Imperial Academy was also closed for the day, and Cui Xiaoqiu must be studying in his study at this time.
Cui Xiaoqiu was indeed in the outer courtyard, but not in the study; she was in the courtyard in front of the study... practicing horse stance!
Yanran was stunned.
"Cui Xiaoqiu, you..."
Cui Xiaoqiu straightened up as if nothing had happened, took the handkerchief handed to her by the servant, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said, "My body is too weak. You told me before to move around more, and I wholeheartedly agree."
Yanran: Poor Little Qiuqiu.
She was clearly devastated by her failure in the imperial examination, so she couldn't blame her mother. She could only console herself by saying that her health wasn't good enough.
But how can you blame him?
If you have a mother who can't think straight, she might give you a laxative this time, and you can tough it out because you're strong, but she might not be able to handle it. Next time, she might just give you arsenic!
You have to proceed step by step, take your time, there's no rush.
Yanran looked at him, who was drenched in sweat, and strongly suspected that he had overdone it.
"Hmm." Cui Xiaoqiu nodded with a smile, "Why did you come here?"
"I... I heard good news outside..." Yanran mumbled, "Come here, I want to see you."
Cui Xiaoqiu immediately understood her meaning, feeling pleased with herself, and chuckled, "There can't be two Cuis in one stroke. This is a great occasion for your household, we should have a big toast."
"I hope you really think that way. You think that since you're younger than him, you'll definitely be more successful than him in the future."
"In terms of age, he can never be younger than me in his lifetime, so doesn't that mean I won?" Cui Xiaoqiu laughed.
She could still joke about herself, which meant she was really alright, Yanran silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Honestly, she really admired Cui Xiaoqiu.
Because she projected herself onto the character, she knew how to shoot an arrow with perfect accuracy, but when she saw others competing in archery on horseback, she wasn't allowed to participate. How frustrating must that feel?
Moreover, the saying "those who excel in their studies will become officials" meant that the imperial examinations were closely linked to one's future. It's truly remarkable that Cui Xiaoqiu was able to recover from this incident so quickly.
Cui Xiaoqiu instructed his servant to go out and inform Cui Run, and also instructed him not to neglect the messenger bringing the good news, and so on...
The servant obeyed and left.
"And then?" Yanran asked. "I haven't heard you mention anything about what happened next. Was it a deliberate scheme against you, or an unintentional mistake?"
She asked about incense.
Cui Xiaoqiu said calmly, "It was an unintentional mistake."
In the capital, there was a famous old brand of spices called "Bai Incense Shop" that often supplied spices to high-ranking officials and nobles. They also sold incense chips and other incense products.
These kinds of shops are passed down from father to son, and from son to grandson. However, as the family grows larger, conflicts of interest inevitably arise.
The current head of Xiangfang is Bai Jinxi, the Bai Family -year-old girl who was killed by bandits two years ago.
Bai Jinxi manages the entire incense shop and has many subordinates. He thinks he has created a new incense, and being ambitious, he boasts to Madam Cui without Bai Jinxi's permission that this incense is invigorating and will help him in the examination room.
Why seek out Madam Cui?
Because Madam Cui is foolish and rich.
As expected, Madam Cui was overjoyed and used the incense to trick her own son.
After the incident, Madam Cui was heartbroken and filled with remorse. She ordered her men to smash up the incense shop and arrest its staff.
Because Bai Jinxi was a girl, they didn't arrest her.
Bai Jinxi, having nowhere else to turn, came to Cui Xiaoqiu for help.
"So how did you handle it?" Yanran asked, tilting her head.
If it was truly an unintentional mistake, although the consequences are severe, imprisoning the entire family seems a bit excessive...
Cui Xiaoqiu said calmly, "The incense shop was fined a sum of money, and the person who delivered the incense to my mother was exiled three thousand miles away. The others were not harmed."
When others asked him if he had taken a liking to Bai Jinxi, he gave a cold laugh and remained silent.
Some people have only lust in their minds, yet they possess compassion.
Most importantly, everything he did had to be appropriate for Yanran.
However, Yanran clearly didn't think of him as so despicable. She clapped her hands and said, "That suits me perfectly. It not only punished them but also showed consideration for Miss Bai... how difficult it is for her to support such a large business all by herself."
She always showed a deeper tolerance towards women.
After all, it's never easy for a woman to stand on her own two feet in this world.
Cui Xiaoqiu nodded. "It was just my fate, I can't blame anyone else."
Yanran: "Cui Xiaoqiu, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in."
Cui Xiaoqiu was both amused and exasperated. "It's all in the past."
"Let me take you horseback riding!" Yanran said excitedly. "My brother gave me two fine horses last time, so I can give you one. I'll take you riding!"
Today, the manor will surely be filled with a lively celebration for Cui Run. Although he is only a distant relative relying on the manor, who wouldn't want to add to such a joyous occasion?
Yanran didn't want Cui Xiaoqiu to be bleeding inside while having to congratulate others.
She wanted to take him out for some fun to help him release the pent-up frustration in his heart.