As soon as the list was posted, the Fourth Prince saw Changzhong's name at a glance. Changzhong's name was too conspicuous. The Fourth Prince blinked and then laughed loudly, saying to the guards around him: "Did you see it? If you see it, hurry up and leave."
As there were too many people around, no one asked to exchange the money. The guard understood what he meant and ran away excitedly.
Wu Shangheng and his companions' servants also hurriedly followed.
Changzhong clenched his fists. He did not disappoint his father's expectations. He became the top scorer and he was not calm at all!
Who says that Zhouhou Mansion can’t produce a top scholar? He is the top scholar, and a top scholar who has won six prizes in a row. He will leave his name in future generations!
After the list was posted, the person who posted it congratulated, "Congratulations, congratulations."
Chang Zhong returned the greeting, "Thank you, I will definitely come to the Marquis' Mansion for a drink some other day."
"sure."
The fourth prince said: "Good, good, do your best."
Changzhong was surrounded by people who were all his good friends. Changzhong smiled happily when he saw the congratulations.
After the celebration, Changzhong looked at the runner-up and third place winners. The runner-up was from a noble family in the south, and Changzhong was familiar with the third place winner.
Chang Zhong confirmed that he was not mistaken and said, "A young scholar who has won the third place in the imperial examination."
The fourth prince didn't know Yang Xiu, "Do you know her?"
Changzhong talked about the origins and praised, "You have so much knowledge at such a young age. I admire you."
Yang Xiu is not a bookworm and she has lived up to her fourth brother's expectations!
Changzhong must admit that his current achievements are inseparable from the cultivation of his family!
The four princes were not interested in Yang Xiu. So what if she was a young genius? Yang Xiu would not be in their eyes until she grew up.
The fourth prince has now become rich. A bet has made him a wealthy prince in seconds. "Let's go. We have to celebrate today. I'll treat you."
Chang Zhong said: "You guys go ahead, I will take care of all the debts, my family is waiting for me."
The fourth prince said, "Okay, we won't be polite."
Changzhong smiled, "When has Your Highness ever been polite?"
Wu Shangheng and his companions laughed heartily. They all made a fortune today, especially Wu Shangheng, who made a net profit of more than 100,000 yuan. 100,000 taels of silver was a huge sum of money.
The list spread throughout the capital, and there was an uproar at the betting place. Although many people bet on Changzhong, the dealer still made a lot of money, because more people bet on Changzhong to be the second place!
In the palace, the emperor knew how much the banker had earned, and said to Zhou Shuren, who was laughing foolishly, "I bet too little."
Zhou Shuren, "... ... I bet too little."
Ten thousand taels is not enough? His one thousand taels is too much!
The emperor felt happy after comparing the two. "Yes, you only bet a thousand taels, but I made more than 100,000 taels."
The prince was also cheerful, "My son has sent someone to get the silver."
The emperor and the prince looked at each other. Well, both father and son were in a good mood.
Zhou Shuren cleared his throat and said, "I'll take my leave?"
He also wanted to go back and show off, and many people in the Ministry of Revenue were talking behind his back about Changzhong getting the second place in the imperial examination!
The emperor could understand Zhou Shuren's feelings, "I will not keep you here."
Zhou Shuren came out and first accepted the congratulations from Eunuch Zhang, and then accepted the congratulations from the guards along the way. The old man felt like he had lost a few pounds and almost floated up.
After returning to the Ministry of Revenue, Qiu Yan sent someone to guard the gate of the government office and came over immediately, "Congratulations, congratulations."
Zhou Shuren raised his chin slightly, with the corners of his mouth curled up, "Thank you."
Qiu Yan was envious. "My Lord, please give me some advice on how to educate my children. I don't ask for even one tenth of their knowledge, but one percent is fine."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "Teach students in accordance with their aptitude. Of course, my youngest son is very gifted. He can draw inferences from one example and understand everything at once. I also have no sense of accomplishment."
Zhang Jinghong and others, "!!"
Six Yuan still doesn't feel accomplished? Suddenly I don't want to congratulate the Shangshu!
Zhou Shuren was very proud today. He could chat with anyone about his son's studies and his intelligence. He was like a father showing off his child.
Everyone in the capital who was waiting to watch the show was dispirited. How come all the good things were taken by the Zhou Marquis Mansion
As for the claim that the emperor is partial, they don't believe it. The emperor's character is guaranteed. They can only be jealous that Zhou Shuren gave birth to a good son!
In the future, there will no longer be a Zhouhou Mansion being the home of the second place in the imperial examination. A number one scholar completely broke the rumor.
At the Mansion of Marquis Zhou, Zhulan gave a definite rejection to all the guests' inquiries. The Zhou family would not accept apprentices, so there was no hope of sending children to the Mansion.
The Marquis' Mansion was extremely lively today, and those who couldn't get in also sent gifts.
When sorting out the gift lists in the afternoon, Zhulan discovered the gift lists for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and several princes.
Li checked the gift list, "Mother, are the gifts from the Crown Prince and the other princes too expensive?"
"Just keep them all if you're fine!"
Zhulan accepted it with a clear conscience. There were two reasons why the gift from the prince was so valuable. First, Shuren was the teacher of the emperor's grandson, and second, the prince made a fortune because of Changzhong.
The gift from the second prince was more valuable because Shu Ren and the descendants of the Zhou family were valued by the emperor, and he did not want to offend them even if he could not win them over.
The third prince was very generous. Zhulan chuckled and gave him some silver.
However, Zhulan thought about it and said, "When there is a happy event in the Second Prince's Mansion, you can return the gifts with equivalent value."
Li picked up a pen and marked the gift list, "Yes."
Zhulan waited for Li to finish sorting out the gift list and said, "Thank you for your hard work today."
Mrs. Li is used to being a housekeeper. "It's not hard. It's part of the daughter-in-law's job."
Zhulan added: "After the banquet is over, you can take a rest."
Li smiled and said, "After I finish my younger brother's wedding, it's time for my daughter-in-law to be engaged to Minghui."
"Yes, after Minghui, it's Yuwen. There are so many happy events at the beginning of this year."
The next day, Changzhong was paraded through the streets. Although Changzhong was not as good-looking as Mingrui, he was better at martial arts and had great heroic spirit. Wei Xinyi, who was engaged to Changzhong, also stole the spotlight.
Passing over the married Changzhong, the second and third place winners became the focus of attention. They each had their own advantages. The second place winner came from a noble family and had a good background, while the third place winner had no background but had ideas that could be appreciated by the emperor. Both of them were good candidates for sons-in-law.
Changzhong turned his head to look at Yang Xiu. Since the runner-up had a background, no one would make things difficult for him, so he had to be polite if he wanted to get married. Yang Xiu had been smooth sailing yesterday, so Changzhong was still very curious.
As the team arrived at the teahouse that Zhulan had booked, Zhulan looked at her spirited son, her eyes instantly reddened, and she held Li's hand, "My son is so handsome."
Li thought that this was her eldest son's lifeblood. The old lady had seen parades many times, but this was the first time she was so excited.
When Changzhong saw his mother waving, Zhulan couldn't control her tears and her heart was full of pride. Her eyes were a little blurry due to the tears. At that moment, it seemed as if time was disordered. Zhulan felt as if her soul was leaving her body. Fortunately, the feeling passed quickly. When she wiped her tears, her son had already walked far away.
Zhulan motioned to Li to help her sit down. She needed to relax. The feeling just now made her feel a little flustered.
Li noticed that her mother-in-law looked unwell and asked worriedly, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"
Zhulan's mood has calmed down. "I was a little dizzy due to excitement."
Li did not dare to delay and hurriedly asked the maid to call a doctor. Zhulan did not stop her. She did feel weak and needed to rest.