Chapter 538 - 201: A Fool’s Luck (3)
"That’s possible." As the realization dawned on Chen Wanqing, she felt a genuine sense of joy.
To be honest, she’d never considered it before, so she’d never noticed if there was anything unusual between Kaiyan and De’an.
Now, looking back, she could recall many things she had previously overlooked.
For instance, whenever De’an came to their residence, his expression would immediately grow awkward if he saw Kaiyan was also there.
Kaiyan was usually so dignified and proper, but on several occasions, she had snatched food right from De’an.
They had even bickered in the front courtyard once. Kaiyan stomped on De’an’s foot and ran away, and De’an stood there with his hands on his hips, yelling after her before taking off in pursuit. Yet every time he was just about to catch her, he would somehow fail...
’When she thought about it carefully, weren’t all those words and actions signs of a budding romance?’
’She had just assumed that De’an was running his mouth and provoking people, and that he deserved it when Kaiyan yelled at him or hit him.’
She had never considered that there might be another reason for it all.
Overjoyed, Chen Wanqing lowered her voice and asked, "The Lord Prefect is dropping these hints now... what do you think he means? Could he be hoping our family will send someone to propose a marriage?"
Zhao Jing held her hand as they walked. "I think that’s the general idea. But I’m not very experienced in these matters, so I can’t be certain. You should talk to Mother about it later and see what she thinks."
"See what? What’s there to see? My exam answers?"
De’an caught up to them, ruffling his hair in frustration. "I already failed. What’s so great about my exam answers? Jing, you can look them over later, but please don’t let my mother see them. If she finds out how I answered the questions, she’ll start nagging me again."
’His mother had amnesia, for crying out loud, yet somehow her scholarly knowledge was still formidable. He had no idea how that was even possible.’
’She couldn’t write a formal policy essay, but if you gave her a test question, she could immediately outline a five-step approach on how to tackle it.’
’The ease with which she did it was astounding, as if she’d taken the imperial examinations in a past life.’
Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing couldn’t be bothered with De’an. They quickened their pace and soon reached the entrance of the examination hall.
Many scholars were at the examination hall to collect their exam papers. Without exception, they all wore bitter, dejected expressions. The scene perfectly embodied the old saying: "The mountain pass is hard to cross, and who will mourn the fallen?" All they could do was huddle together for comfort, offering each other encouragement and consolation.
Among so many dejected souls, Zhao Jing’s appearance was painfully out of place.
De’an grabbed Zhao Jing just as he was about to head inside. "You and Wanqing should stay out here. Don’t go in. You passed as the top scorer in the provincial examination, you’re on top of the world. Look at us—every last one of us is dejected, our ambitions crushed. If you go in there, you’ll just be rubbing it in their faces. Just wait here, I’ll be right back."
Zhao Jing didn’t press the issue. He and Chen Wanqing found an inconspicuous spot near the examination hall and quietly waited for De’an to return.
While they were waiting, a commotion broke out at the entrance to the examination hall.
Five or six scholars emerged from inside, ganging up on a young, handsome man dressed in a sapphire-blue robe embroidered with a cloud pattern.
"Isn’t the rumor going around that your father gave the chief examiner a huge amount of Silver to make you the top scorer in the provincial examination?"
The young man in the sapphire robe frantically waved his hands. "That’s just a baseless rumor people are spreading! How could you believe it? First of all, my family’s Silver was all spent buying the autumn grain harvest; we simply don’t have that much spare money. Besides, do you think anyone appointed as chief examiner by His Majesty isn’t a pillar of the state? If my father dared to bribe one of them, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t immediately arrested and hauled off to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office."
"We’re your best friends, you can’t lie to us. Gu Lin, just tell us the truth. What really happened?"
"It’s exactly as I said! My father never met the chief examiner, let alone bribed him to help me pass. Others might not know my capabilities, but you all do, don’t you? If I actually became the top scorer in the provincial examination, wouldn’t that scream that something fishy was going on? If word got out, do you think I’d still have my life?"
"But someone saw your father with their own eyes..."
"That wasn’t my father, it was my second uncle. Look, I’ll tell you the truth. My second uncle did meet the chief examiner, but it was pouring that day. He was in a nearby town collecting grain. The downpour started out of nowhere, and on his way back to the city, he had nowhere to take shelter from the rain, so he had no choice but to stop at the post station. He just so happened to run into the examiners, who had also stopped there. My uncle did exchange a few words with the officials, but they were the ones asking the questions. They were asking about the recent price of grain and the state of this year’s harvest. These officials are so dedicated, worrying about the nation and its people, not forgetting the common folk even while traveling on assignment. What wonderful officials they are! You can slander my father and my uncle if you want, but I won’t stand for you slandering their lordships."