lcionline Chapter 376 The Fragrance of Apricot Blossoms and the Announcement of Examination Results
Chapter 376 The Fragrance of Apricot Blossoms and the Announcement of Examination Results
Chapter 376 The fragrance of apricot blossoms fills the air; the results of the imperial examinations are announced.
The air is filled with the fragrance of apricot blossoms, and petals fall in profusion.
Beneath the small bridge and flowing water, petals drifted with the current, scattered and white, floating downstream.
The boatman poles past, pausing briefly, but cannot stop the flowing water from carrying away the fallen petals.
"Brother Zhang, you're up so early!"
"Brother Li, you're not late either."
"Hahaha, I'm just eager to see the rankings! Come on, let's go together!"
The scholars gathered in twos and threes, heading in the same direction.
Outside the examination hall, officers had already cordoned off an area in front of the examination hall, preventing people from getting close.
Even before the results were released, the area outside the circle was already packed with people.
Although Jiang Xiaoqi is now in the "tall and strong" category, she still doesn't want to rub against people or chatter.
Besides, my family is not short of money. Even if the private rooms in teahouses in the capital are expensive, we can still book two private rooms.
There were just too many people; even with the old and young crammed together, it was impossible to fit them all in.
The second and third floors of Xiangmanlou are all private rooms, and the prices are the same.
Jiang Xiaoqi had booked two rooms before the imperial examination, which can be described as having foresight.
Although the price is still several times higher than usual, the advantage is that there is a place to sit and rest.
In fact, one could simply wait at home, but how many scholars would be willing to miss such a grand occasion as the release of the results?
Not to mention those who took the imperial examination for the first time, even the few members of the Jiang family who took it for the second or third time were still unwilling to wait at home for news from their servants.
It's as if the chances of being listed increase if the person comes in person.
However, since the person came in person, it's true that they received the news faster.
Jiang Xiaoqi led the Jiang family members into the private room, and the waiter, being very perceptive, promptly served tea and snacks, a truly seamless transition.
Jiang Xiaoqi was very skeptical. There might be a self-heating water dispenser in the teahouse kitchen, which would provide water on demand, but that seemed unlikely.
However, the teahouse kitchen has a large kettle that is always boiling, so hot water is always available.
Through the window, one could clearly see the bustling crowd outside the examination hall, mostly servants, guards, and young men.
Only a few successful candidates checked the results themselves, as most of those who were self-respecting and had plenty of money went to teahouses.
The private rooms aren't cheap, but the main hall is quite affordable. Tea is inexpensive, there's no room fee, and no minimum spending requirement. It's spacious, bright, and very popular.
Whether in the private rooms upstairs or the lobby downstairs, everyone was drinking tea and chatting, but their eyes kept glancing at the list.
Even though everyone knew exactly when the results would be released, they all arrived earlier than anyone else.
Half an hour passed, and a pot of tea was almost empty, but the results still hadn't been released.
"Uncle, have some tea."
"I'm not drinking anymore, I've already had enough."
"Let's have some snacks then. The results probably won't be out for a while."
No sooner had Jiang Lin finished speaking than a gong sounded, announcing the release of the results!
As everyone put down their teacups and teacups, the crowd instantly became noisy again.
The teahouse became quiet, and the waiters slowed down their movements as they added tea and water.
"Old Wang, calm down. If you lean any further out, you'll fall."
"Ahem, Brother Jiang, how many people did your family send to check the list?"
Jiang Xiaoqi held up three fingers.
"Only three people! That's not enough! Send more people! There are more than a dozen candidates in our group, how can three people possibly remember them all!"
"What's the panic? I said thirty, twelve servants and eighteen guards, all of them are literate, so you can rest assured!"
"Wow, that's impressive! As expected of Brother Jiang, who's rich and powerful, what a generous gesture!"
"But why are all your servants and guards literate? Are literate servants paid more?"
"Is this the time to be concerned about these things? Old Wang, are you in a hurry or not?!"
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore, I'll wait for news first~"
As the gong fell silent and several lists were posted, the crowd stirred once more.
Just a short while later, two completely different "accompaniments" came from downstairs: laughter and wailing.
Everyone in the Jiang family craned their necks, barely daring to breathe, all hoping they would be the ones laughing.
The servant who first saw the Jiang family's name excitedly ran upstairs and shouted, "You've won! Young master, you've won!"
"Speak clearly, which young master are you!"
Besides Jiang Xiaoqi, the only other people present who could be considered young masters were Jiang Lin, Jiang Yan, and Jiang Hao.
At this moment, everyone's eyes turned to the four of them. Although Jiang Xiaoqi knew that the chances of failing the exam were slim, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
What if I'm unlucky and run into an examiner who dislikes my writing style? It doesn't seem impossible.
"Yes, Chiang, Chiang, Chiang..."
"Hey, what Jiang? Speak clearly! Why are you stuttering at a time like this!"
"Yes, it's Young Master Jiang Lin!"
"It's not a stutter, it's just that I got a stitch while climbing the stairs," the servant said, feeling wronged.
Jiang Lin felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. His face was full of joy, and he was almost unable to stop his tears, which were on the verge of bursting.
However, they didn't forget to reward the still panting servant with money, which was in red envelopes; the Jiang family had prepared plenty of it for today.
I just wanted to send them all out, distribute them, and give them away today, leaving none behind!
The person most closely related to Jiang Lin by blood is Jiang Changgeng. Jiang Changgeng and Jiang Lin's grandfather, Jiang Changming, are cousins, so Jiang Lin calls Jiang Changgeng his great-uncle.
At this moment, Jiang Changgeng was also in tears, as if he himself were the one who had been listed.
"Good boy, good boy, you're promising! A twenty-year-old scholar who has passed the imperial examinations, that's no easy feat!"
"Uncle, I'm just throwing out an idea to get the ball rolling; everyone else's ranking will definitely be higher than mine!"
Suddenly, someone in the crowd burst into tears, their voice shrill and piercing: "Ten years of hard study, why am I not on the list!"
He was a middle-aged man in his thirties, and it was probably not his first time taking the imperial examination. The more times one fails, the greater the mental pressure becomes.
One after another, several servants or guards returned to report the good news. There were so many people ahead of the list that they couldn't see them all.
They can only report whichever one they see; it's not necessarily based on ranking.
The constables had already started announcing good news from the 300th person, but the Jiang family had not yet received any such announcements.
Not only them, but the private rooms on the second and third floors of the teahouse all seemed a bit deserted.
Jiang Xiaoqi couldn't help but recall the time when they took the provincial examination, when none of them managed to get a private room and they had to wait on a makeshift rooftop set up in the provincial government teahouse.
Everyone drank a lot of tea back then. The younger ones learned their lesson this time, while the elders drank a lot of tea.
"Thump thump thump," came another series of footsteps.
"He won! He won! Master Jiang Wenhai won!"
Oh dear, there are two now!