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Sharing happiness is better than keeping it to yourself, so she couldn't resist going to the old lady's place and telling her about it. She also told Zhao Yuanxun about it when she met Zhao Yuanxun, and the whole family was extremely happy and proud.
Kang Shilin was also very concerned about his apprentice's performance in the county examination. He had sent someone to check the list long ago, and upon hearing that his apprentice had come in first place, he was overjoyed. "Haha, it's true that I, Old Kang, have a discerning eye, having taken on such an apprentice."
If Madam Cui heard this, she would definitely roll her eyes at the old man.
If it weren't for her quick thinking, Kang Shilin might have taken Zhao Ruxi as his apprentice, but not so soon; she might have been snatched away by someone else.
However, Madam Cui couldn't care less about such things at the moment. She had sent people to guard the notice area early in the morning. As soon as the notice was posted, her servants went to Beining to report the good news. Madam Cui was overjoyed when she heard the news and immediately took a carriage to Grand Princess Shangde to tell her the good news in person.
"Thankfully, this child wasn't snatched away by Consort Jin; it's truly a source of pride for me," said Grand Princess Shangde.
"It not only brings honor to us, but also sets a good example for the other students in the academy," said Madam Cui. "With her own abilities, Zhiwei is now a renowned scholar; who would dare to underestimate her? Master Heyou's decision to become the examiner may very well be due to his appreciation of Zhiwei's paintings."
"This shows that women can also achieve great things and earn respect through their own abilities, rather than being subservient to men, like wives relying on their husbands or mothers relying on their sons."
Grand Princess Shangde nodded and instructed her maid, "Go to my study and bring me that calligraphy copybook by Master Mingcang."
Madam Cui looked at her in surprise.
Grand Princess Shangde laughed and said, "You guessed it? I've seen that child practice calligraphy every day, and her handwriting is quite decent. Perhaps in a while, Master Heyou will be chasing after Zhiwei, wanting to take her as his disciple. Now, taking this opportunity, I'll give her a copy of Master Mingcang's calligraphy as a reward."
Madam Cui, recalling the irreconcilable differences between Qin Zhe and Kang Shilin, shook her head and said, "Impossible. If Zhiwei hadn't been taken as a disciple by Mister Kumu, it might have been possible. Now that Zhiwei is Mister Kumu's disciple, Master Heyou has such a good disciple Ruotong, even if he admires Zhiwei's calligraphy, it's impossible for him to take her as a disciple again."
Grand Princess Shangde said, "That's why I want to give her a calligraphy copybook. It doesn't matter if she can't become a disciple, as long as she can write well. In a few years, perhaps Master Heyou will regret this impulsive act."
Madam Cui laughed.
After laughing, she asked, "Should we wait until after the exam to send the calligraphy practice book over?"
"That's fine, so as not to disturb her," said Grand Princess Shangde.
Zhao Ruxi had no time to pay attention to the outside world's commotion; she took the second exam the day after the results were released.
The first exam tested rote memorization, while the second exam started testing comprehension, with more questions on explanation.
Zhao Ruxi quickly finished writing and handed in her paper ahead of schedule.
The first round has already eliminated some candidates; only those who make it into the top 100 are eligible to take the exam. Of the remaining four female candidates, three from the Capital Women's Academy have been reduced to two, and the candidate from a family with a long tradition of scholarship and poetry has disappeared.
In other words, there are only three people taking the exam in their exam room right now.
The way the two candidates looked at Zhao Ruxi had changed from scrutiny, curiosity, and a hint of hostility to admiration and respect when the results were announced.
People are naturally inclined to admire the strong. When Zhao Ruxi came in first place in the annual exam, they were unconvinced, suspicious, and resentful; but when Zhao Ruxi managed to surpass all the men on the list through her own abilities, they were left with nothing but admiration.
Seeing Zhao Ruxi hand in her paper early, and watching her graceful departure, while looking at their own blank pages filled with questions they didn't know how to answer or didn't have time to fill, they could only sigh.
The results were announced the next day, and the same clever servant was sent out again. He arrived at the yamen early and squatted there waiting for the results to be posted.
Half an hour later he returned and reported, "The young lady came in second."
Because of their first-place finish, Lady Zhu and others had high expectations for the second round, hoping that Zhao Ruxi would remain in first place.
If she can get first place in both the first and second rounds, then she'll definitely be the top scholar in the county.
Hearing that Zhao Ruxi came in second place, the three of them couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Recalling her daughter's words from the other day, the old lady sighed, "These people talk about fair competition, but they deliberately try to suppress our Miss Xi. There is no true fairness in this world."
Lady Zhu said, "Didn't they say they were dissatisfied last time and demand to see the exam papers? I hope someone will ask to see the exam papers this time too. I wonder what everyone's expression will be if the first place on the posted exam papers is not as good as our Miss Xi's?"
"Hmph, they definitely won't dare to post it this time," the old lady sneered.
Zhao Ruxi was just coming in from outside when she heard their conversation and couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you so sure I did better than the first-place student, and that I only came in second because I was suppressed, or that the other person actually did better than me?" she asked with a smile.
"That's also possible," Zhao Yuanxun had been silent until now, quickly said.
Like the old lady and Lady Zhu, he believed that Zhao Ruxi was the best. The reason she only got second place was because she was deliberately suppressed.
But he couldn't let his daughter think that way.
What if Zhao Ruxi thinks she has no hope and just takes the third exam casually?
"No matter what, you have to do your best in the third exam and get the best score. There's a difference between them intentionally suppressing you and you genuinely being less skilled. There are plenty of discerning people in this world," he encouraged his daughter.
Lady Zhu also realized what was going on and said, "Your father is right. If you are not as good as them, they will look down on you and think that women are ultimately inferior to men. But if you are better than them, and they used underhanded means to get first place, they will probably feel guilty for the rest of their lives."
Zhao Ruxi nodded. "Father, Mother, don't worry. Your daughter is proud; how could she easily bow to reality? I will definitely do my best."
The third exam required candidates to choose two passages from the Four Books and Five Classics and write two essays of about 300 words each; they also had to write a poem and solve two very basic arithmetic problems.
The grading of these types of questions is very subjective.
The same article can be loved by some and scorned by others. Just like with food, it's impossible to please everyone.
When Zhao Ruxi returned from the examination hall, she had no hope for her ranking. It wasn't that she had done poorly, but rather that she felt the Prefect of the Capital would definitely try to lower her ranking.
Sure enough, when the results were released, she only came in seventh place.
Because of Zhao Ruxi's analysis, Lady Zhu and the others were prepared. Upon hearing the ranking, the three elders became even more indignant. They didn't think Zhao Ruxi was inferior to others; they only felt that their own child had been bullied.