The priest smiled slightly on his wrinkled face: "It's still early, the winter solstice has not arrived yet."
"Then please ask the priest to examine us!" Han Yuqing smiled slightly, showing the style of a lady from a noble family in a low-key manner.
The priest said: "Miss Han is extremely talented, and everyone in Pingning Town knows it. There is no need to take the test."
"How can that be possible?" Han Yuqing said, "Rules cannot be abolished."
The priest handed the book he had just read to Xia Qianqian to Han Yuqing. The Han family had a successful Jinshi degree, and Han Yuqing had been able to read and write since childhood, so he could read it out easily.
"Miss Han also passed." said the priest.
Han Yuqing was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked with a smile: "I wonder how many girls have passed the test?"
"There are Miss Han and Miss Xia." The name of priest is particularly interesting. They are both unmarried women, but the difference in status is obvious.
Xia Qianqian was not convinced, but she had no choice, as she was just a country girl. She looked at Han Yuqing, and Han Yuqing was also looking at her.
"It turns out that Miss Xia is not only heroic, but also talented." Han Yuqing smiled faintly.
Xia Qianqian smiled and said, "I dare not. I can only do my best."
"In that case, I will also donate money." Han Yuqing instructed the maid beside her, "Rui'er."
"Yes." Rui'er handed over a heavy purse.
The priest was flattered and thanked repeatedly while holding the purse: "Thank you, Miss Han."
"Pingning Town is the root of the Han family. This is as it should be. Priest, you don't have to be polite. May I ask what the next test is?" Han Yuqing asked.
Xia Qianqian also wanted to know what she would be tested on next, because she couldn't compete with Han Yuqing in terms of donations. But she was naturally competitive and wanted to compete with Han Yuqing.
After all, she had already paid ten taels of silver, and if she failed to win, she would lose everything. If she won, she could get five taels back, reducing her losses.
"This..." The priest didn't know what to say for a moment. In previous years, there was no literary examination. This year, she heard that Miss Han was going to participate, so she made such a move. Now, two people have passed the examination.
Li Cui thought that even if Xia Qianqian could read, she couldn't be as talented as Miss Han, so she gloated and said, "Since it's a choice between the two, why not continue the competition? We're all girls, so let's compete in singing and dancing!"
Xia Qianqian was in a bad state. She couldn't dance.
Han Yuqing readily agreed: "It depends on the priest's orders."
"Then let's compete in singing and dancing!" the priest agreed.
Xia Qianqian felt bitter and made an excuse, "Priest, I suddenly have a stomachache. How about we do it tomorrow?"
After all, Xia Qianqian had donated money before, so the priest didn't want to make things too difficult for her and agreed.
Xia Qianqian breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Miss Han, which room are you staying in?"
"I don't live here." Han Yuqing looked at Xia Qianqian curiously. The girls in the village all behaved very humbly when they saw her, but Xia Qianqian was the only one who was bolder than she could imagine.
"Miss Han lives in the Gu Mansion." The priest interrupted.
Xia Qianqian's heart skipped a beat: "Gu Mansion?"
"The Gu family is my aunt's family." Han Yuqing explained.
Xia Qianqian felt completely disappointed. The ancestor didn't know her identity yet, so he must be helping his cousin.
"Miss Xia, take a rest. I'll come back tomorrow."
Han Yuqing left, and the priest left too. Xia Qianqian lowered her head in frustration, thinking about countermeasures. She was okay at singing, but she was really bad at dancing. Gu Yanjing said that her limbs were stiff and she danced like a toad.
"What? Are you scared?" Li Cui asked sarcastically while standing on the stairs.
(End of this chapter)