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    On the 15th of the second month, the third exam came to an end. The examinees spent a stirring and difficult night at the examinationpound. On the 16th, they were released from the examination halls one by one after another round of strict body search.


    There were many people outside the examinationpound.


    Gu Jiao came early and grabbed a good position.


    The gate of the examinationpound opened, and one after another, examinees came out of the examinationpound.


    Except during the county exam, Gu Jiao missed picking up Xiao Ling for the rest of the prefectural exam, college exam and provincial exam because they were held in other ces.


    This was the first time that Gu Jiao waited for him toe out of the examinationpound in a sea of people, just like her family members waiting outside the examination venue after her college entrance exam in her previous life.


    Fortunately, she didn''t wait too long before she saw Xiao Linge out with his baggage.


    She could see him at a nce in the crowd.


    It wasn’t because he was on a crutch, but rather because of his bearing and appearance, which was truly one in a million.


    Gu Jiao bent the corner of her lips upward, and her eyes were unconsciously suffused with a smile.


    Xiao Ling also caught sight of her at a nce and walked towards her through the crowd. Her eyes seemed to contain fragmentary starlights, even brighter than the stars of the Milky Way.


    "How did it go? Did you do fine?" Gu Jiao grabbed the baggage in his hand. The baggage was not heavy, so she put it directly into her back basket.


    Xiao Ling nodded, "En, it went well."


    The weather was extremely cold during the first two exams, but it became fine in the third exam.


    "Why are you here?" Xiao Ling looked at the little dumpling beside Gu Jiao.


    Little Jing Kong crossed his arms over his chest, raised his chin and snorted, "Do you think I want toe here? It’s not easy to have a day off from school. If it weren''t for JiaoJiao, I wouldn''t havee!"


    This little rascal. Xiao Ling rubbed his little head, and the little hair spikes began to prick his hand.


    The trio turned around and went to the other end of the alley, where Liu Quan had been waiting early.


    A family of three got into the carriage.


    Little Jing Kong sat opposite Xiao Ling, his arms still crossed over his chest as he looked at him with a solemn face.


    Xiao Ling, who was bewildered by his behavior, asked, "What''s wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"


    Little Jing Kong said seriously, "I just want to make sure how you did in the exam, whether you did well or not."


    While waiting outside for Xiao Ling earlier, he had observed that most examinees were disheartened, despondent, and apathetic; none of them looked cheerful.


    He was observing which category his bad brother-inw belonged to.


    Xiao Ling gave Little Jing Kong an odd look.


    Gu Jiao leaned over and whispered in his ear, "He’s now a man with friends. He said that if you don''t do well in the exam, it will be difficult for him to lift his head in front of his ssmates."


    Xiao Ling:“…”


    Gu Jiao said nonchntly, “The exam is now over; the result doesn''t matter!"


    Xiao Ling breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing he had a considerate wife.


    Hold on, wife?


    Why would he have such a thought!


    Before he could get over his shock, Little Jing Kong threw another heavy blow on him, "JiaoJiao bet on you to win the first ce in the metropolitan exam, she bet one thousand taels of silver!"


    Xiao Ling’s body shook all over, "...!!!”


    Gu Jiao looked up at the sky. Out of sight, out of sight, she wasn’t here.


    The medical hall was still at the stage of investment. Due to the mass production of medicine, they also made a small pharmaceutical factory. Xiao Ling was very curious about where that one thousand taels came from.


    Gu Jiao: It’s all from squeezing Gu Chengfeng.


    Xiao Ling held his forehead. The exam this time only took nine days, unlike the previous entry-level exam and provincial exam where he had been gone for months. But howe he felt that his family had overturned heaven and earth in this short time?


    "So did you do well in the exam or not?" Little Jing Kong asked seriously.


    Xiao Ling took a deep breath, "I did."


    He really did well in the exam. Fortunately, he did. Otherwise, the one thousand taels of silver would have been wasted.


    But then again, the imperial examination was not like arithmetic and astronomy which had standard answers; right was right and wrong was wrong. It was rather very arbitrary, so one couldn’t say for sure whether they could get the first ce or not.


    Fortunately, it was only one thousand taels. If— he was just saying, if he didn’t be the top scorer, he could also just look for more students like Lin Chengye to tutor, and after a year or so of hard work, he could almost fill up the coffers again.


    As it turned out, he was relieved too soon.


    Little Jing Kong nodded gravely, "That should be the case. The neighbors also bet on you to win the first ce."


    Xiao Ling was dazed again, "How much did they bet?"


    The littlendlord tycoon Jing Kong calmly answered, "Not much, it just adds up to seven or eight thousand taels."


    Just— seven— or eight— thousand— taels—


    Xiao Ling sped his chest: "…"


    After returning to Bishui Alley, Old Chief called Xiao Ling over.


    Old Chief already knew the exam questions. Although the imperial court forbade leaking the exam questions, as long as the examination began, the questions would be passed outside in various ways within an hour, so examinees were not allowed to enter the examinationpound after the exam started.


    In the first session, Old Chief wasn’t worried whatsoever. Xiao Ling could easily recite the Four Books and Five ssics backwards, so the questions from it couldn''t stump him at all. In addition, examinees had to write a five-character eight-rhyme poem and Confucian ssics argumentation.


    Xiao Ling told Old Chief his five-character eight-rhyme poem and Confucian ssics argumentation.


    Old Chief nodded his head.


    There was no problem.


    Old Chief then asked Xiao Ling about the eight-part essay and political exam.


    In fact, Old Chief was somewhat opposed to the eight-part essay as it paid too much attention to form and limited the performance of the examinees. But he didn’t have the final say on this, nor the Emperor had. The rules handed down from their ancestors were not so easy to abolish.


    Xiao Ling''s eight-part essay was also excellent.


    It was the political exam which made Old Chief pinched out a cold sweat.


    Establishing an heir had always been a sensitive topic. Today’s Emperor was neither a Di son nor the eldest son. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t qualified to inherit the throne.


    He hid quite deeply, at least at that time, it didn’t seem he could fit the position.


    Of course, the range of skills and wisdom shown by him after he ascended to the throne were amazing. Even a senior figure of two dynasties such as Old Chief dared not say that His Majesty wasn’t worthy of this dragon throne.


    Compared with the former Emperor, his means were more ruthless.


    At least the former Emperor didn''t fight Empress Dowager Zhuang, but simply sent Empress Dowager Zhuang to temporary imperial residence.


    In the State of Zhao, a batch of exam questions for the metropolitan exam every year was drawn up by the Hanlin Academy and sent to the Imperial Study for His Majesty''s perusal. His Majesty would select one set of proper exam questions and five sets of spare questions.


    Qualifications for establishing an heir. Old Chief bet that the Hanlin Academy wouldn’t send over such a topic, so His Majesty must have added it himself.


    "His Majesty is really unpredictable." Old Chief''s heart gave rise to the same thoughts as An Junwang''s. Was His Majesty dissatisfied with the Crown Prince or with the eldest prince who coveted the Crown Prince’s position? Or perhaps he was sending a warning to those princes who were neither qualified in status or age, but think they could join forces with others, copying His Majesty’s method to ascend to the throne? <h4>Raz P.''s Thoughts</h4>


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