Two days later was the day for announcing the results, and there was a crowd of people in front of the Imperial Examination Hall.
The prince was dressed in casual clothes and sitting in an inconspicuous carriage, accompanied by Hua Zhi and Hua Bailin.
"Eldest sister, is that my cousin?"
Hua Zhi nodded. Not only her cousin came, she also saw many familiar faces, Shen Qi, Jiang Huanran, Liu Ruyi, Chu Sheng... all of them were children of aristocratic families, but they also failed to take part in the imperial examination.
"They participated in this year's lock-hall exam." The prince also saw those people, and a smile grew on his face. Although Daqing was not a country ruled by the royal family and the aristocratic families, the relationship with the aristocratic families was not easily cleared up. Sitting in this position, he was naturally happy to see the children of the aristocratic families working hard to make progress.
Hua Zhi was quite surprised. Although this was a long way to go compared to ordinary people who had studied hard for more than a decade, there were still very few people from noble families who were willing to take this path. After all, one still needed to have some confidence to dare to go in, and one had to be mentally prepared to be embarrassed, but many people from noble families lacked both.
“It’s out.”
The gong sounded, and two runners came out carrying a big red paper and pasted it on the wall. Everyone immediately crowded forward. Soon, a servant came out, jumped a few times on the spot, and ran away with a grin. Needless to say, this must be the one whose master had passed the exam. The others were nervous, disappointed, or pretending not to care and talking loudly.
The three of them looked at the various aspects of life in this small world, all in silence.
When the second and third pictures were posted, the rest of the people started to get nervous.
Daqing selects eighty people in each examination, and twenty names are listed on each congratulatory notice. Now only the last congratulatory notice remains.
When the last gong sounded, fewer people spoke, and some even had a blank mind. This piece of good news would determine whether their years of hard work had paid off.
"I got it! Brother Yuan, you got it too! Look here, right under my name!" A loud voice broke the almost cautious atmosphere. Hua Zhi sounded familiar, and Hua Bailin shouted happily, "Eldest sister, it's Brother Yu."
Yu Xiasheng? He really got it right. Could that brother Yuan be the one who was going to marry my second sister? Hua Zhi felt a little confused. These two people were getting close before they became relatives.
But she was still happy. With this background, their future would be easier. Her younger sister was still young, and when she got married, the Hua family would be at its peak, so her husband's family could not be bad. If the gap between the sisters was too big, she would definitely feel unbalanced in the future.
"Hahaha, I won!" Jiang Huanran ran out of the crowd almost crazily, looking as if he wanted to roar to the sky.
Then several hits followed, and looking at those people beaming with joy, Hua Zhi couldn't help but chuckle, "If the master wasn't the Grand Master, I would have thought he was letting it go on purpose."
It seemed that everyone she knew had all the answers. Her cousin was fine, as he was considered a hard worker. But Jiang Huanran was a well-known playboy in the capital. How many people would be shocked by this!
"The Grand Master has let the water go."
Hua Zhi looked over in surprise. The Grand Tutor was not someone who was easy to talk to!
"In recent years, aristocratic families have become too rigid. Although there is a hierarchy of seniority, it is not reasonable for incompetent people to occupy positions while capable people are suppressed and cannot make a name for themselves. If this continues, each generation will be worse than the previous one, which will not benefit anyone."
"You have discussed this with the Grand Tutor? And the Grand Tutor agrees?"
"I know these people signed up for the locked hall exam and only want to try. They all have their own problems, but they are still enthusiastic. Taifu, take a closer look at Jiang Huanran and see if he has lost a lot of weight. I am impressed by the fact that he has been able to work hard for the past few months." The prince leaned against the car window with a faint smile on his face. "The Taifu knows the drawbacks of the aristocratic family. Plus, he may be afraid of dampening my enthusiasm, so he just let me fool around. As for the effect, I can only wait and see."
Looking at the ecstatic people outside, Hua Zhi also smiled, "Your Highness is wise."
"It's all thanks to the good teaching of Master Taifu."
So full of vigor and vitality, whether it is the prince or those students outside, they will all be the hope of Daqing. As long as the Chaoli tribe is repelled, Hua Zhi thought, as long as the foreign enemies are driven away, Daqing will usher in the best era.
Zhu Ziwen felt something and looked towards the carriage, where he met Hua Zhi's gaze. They hadn't seen each other for some time, so he was caught off guard and was stunned.
Hua Zhi leaned towards him slightly, raised her hand to lower the curtain, and said, "Let's go back to the palace."
"Brother Ziwen, what's wrong?"
Shen Qi followed his gaze and looked towards the departing carriage. That was...
"I guessed wrong." Zhu Ziwen calmly changed the subject, "No one fell behind and all of them got it right. Shouldn't we have a drink?"
"Let's go, I know a place. The wine there is good and the people are nice, haha." Jiang Huanran waved at the servants, and the servants who gathered together hurriedly led the horses over.
Shen Qi did not move. The girl must be in the carriage. Her earth-shaking words the day before had spread throughout the capital. He could not help but think how excited he would be if those words were said to him. He would probably be willing to give his life to her. With such deep affection and kindness, how could he have imagined that the girl who pretended to be timid when they first met would be so strong-willed.
"Let's go, Brother Shen, hurry up."
"Here it comes." Jumping onto the horse, Shen Qi lightly squeezed the horse's belly and chased after him, letting the emptiness in his heart grow heavier and heavier, reaching no bottom.
"The palace examination will be held in five days." After returning to the palace, the prince talked about business, "What do you think, Master?"
It was a bit rushed. According to convention, the palace examination should be held twelve days after the results of the joint examination were announced, but the current situation really did not allow for delay, so he nodded and said, "Okay, the test questions remain unchanged?"
"constant."
As soon as the notice was posted, Zhu Ziwen, who had just had a feast of wine, was awakened by a bucket of cold water poured over him by Minister Zhu. Fearing that he would be scolded by his grandfather, he desperation told Zhu about seeing his cousin and the prince riding in the same carriage.
Minister Zhu frowned slightly, "Did you see clearly?"
"Yes, I'm sure I didn't see it wrong." Zhu Ziwen also became serious, "If others saw it, I'm afraid they would gossip about it again."
"The curtains were up?"
"yes."
Minister Zhu paced back and forth for a few steps, and finally sighed, "Zhi Er has always followed rules in her actions. Since she dared to do this, she is not afraid of being criticized. You don't need to mention this matter next time you see her."
"But the two siblings are accompanying the emperor... shouldn't they stay away from him?"
"One is the Grand Tutor and the other is a companion, how can we avoid them?" The Hua family should not think about how to avoid them, but how to retreat. When Hua Yizheng comes back and the Hua family is completely revived, that will be its heyday. But after the heyday will be the decline. Hua Yizheng understands this principle, and Zhier must understand it too. Perhaps it is because of this understanding that she will seize the opportunity to do something while she can still do it.
Thinking of his daring granddaughter, Minister Zhu felt proud but also had a headache. He felt even more annoyed when he saw his drunken grandson. "You are not allowed to leave before the palace examination. I will settle your account after that."
PS: I have explained what needs to be explained, and the main plot will follow later.