After the last session of the county examination, results will be released three days later.
I took the test for more than ten days in a row, no matter whether the questions were difficult or not, the physical hardship was inevitable.
Zhuang Keqing did not take Shen Ling out for a walk immediately, but let him have a good rest in the inn. He went to the vegetable market early and bought fresh vegetables and hens, planning to stew a medicinal meal to supplement him.
"Miss Zhuang, are you here to cook for your husband again?"
Mrs. Lin, who was in charge of the stove in the kitchen, greeted her with a smile.
Throughout the inn, there were many candidates coming to take the exam, but there were not many who could calmly wash their hands and make soup for their husband.
Moreover, after finishing the exam, I went to the restaurant to relax and unwind, so there was no one to borrow the kitchen.
"Good morning, Mrs. Lin."
Zhuang Keqing smiled sweetly, but her hand movements were unambiguous. She put the freshly killed and stripped chicken she bought at the market on the chopping board, chopped off the head and feet with two clicks, put it into the clay pot, and then continued I knew I had thrown a bag of something in, so I filled up the water to stew it.
"Ms. Lin, could you please take a look at the firewood? I'll come back after a while."
"Hey, okay."
Mrs. Lin specializes in managing the stove in the kitchen. She can handle several stoves with ease. Moreover, the earthenware pot for stewing chicken is squatting on the clay stove. It is filled with firewood. In fact, she does not need to take care of it at all. This soup is ready.
But Zhuang Keqing still said hello, appearing polite and friendly.
She came out of the inn kitchen and planned to go back to her room. Passing by the lobby downstairs, she couldn't help but overhear some scholars talking.
"The results will be announced in a minute, and I'm very worried!"
"Why is Brother Liu so humble? With Brother Liu's talent and knowledge, he will definitely be on the list."
"It's ridiculous to praise me, but I think I'm not as knowledgeable as Brother Wang Shiyi."
This is mutual flattery.
"I thought this post was definitely ranked first out of ten, but unexpectedly it was only second. Brother Ning, too, and Mo Yi didn't get first either. It's really weird."
"Hey, Brother Li, please don't lie. This world is so big. How can I know that there are no crouching tigers, hidden dragons near you and me? You should still be humble."
"Brother Ning is just too cautious. I've made inquiries and found out that none of the number one seats are from colleges near us."
Li Shoucheng simply couldn't figure it out. Nanzi County was only a palm-sized place. In addition to the county school, there were three academies. Most of the people taking the exam knew each other and their respective academic levels were quite high. Why did a few unknown people suddenly appear? Just took the first place in the first four games?
He spoke so loudly that other students around him looked at him. Ning Guangyi, who was on the side, was worried that he would talk too much and hurriedly pulled him to a corner and told him not to talk about this again.
"That's all. Anyway, the list will be released later. I want to see who is responsible for this case."
He sent his servant there early, and as long as the list was posted there, he would be able to win the letter without spending a single stick of incense.
Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, Li Shoucheng's servant ran out in a hurry, shouting "The young master has been hit! The young master has been hit!"
Although the other scholars in the inn were also worried about whether they had passed the exam, they couldn't help but feel disdainful when they saw the servant's flamboyant behavior.
It's just a county exam, is it worth shouting about in such a high-profile manner?!
Li Shoucheng knew that he was bound to win this time, so he did not show any excitement or joy on his face at this time. He only hurriedly pulled the servant who rushed into the inn and asked: "Who is the leader of the case? "
"The head of the case?"
The servant was stunned.
The young master didn't let you see the crime summary?
Moreover, there were so many servants reporting the news at that time. He was only looking for the name of the young master among them, so how could he look at the name of the head of the case?
When Li Shoucheng saw that his servant looked stupid, he knew that he had not read it, and he couldn't help but feel angry.
Unexpectedly, at this time, another messenger came from outside, shouting: "The head of the county trial case, Shen Ling of Songling Town!" while rushing to the inn.
This cheerful energy seemed much happier than the scholars inside who were looking at each other.
He stepped in to announce the good news, grabbed a waiter and asked: "Songling Town, Mr. Shen Ling, can you stay at your hotel?"
This guy was a good man. Why should he ask for the news at this time? He turned around hurriedly and ran upstairs.
A case has occurred in their inn!
At this time, Shen Ling was still reading. He was silent and focused, as if he didn't hear the sound from downstairs.
It was Zhuang Keqing who stepped forward and opened the door before the waiter knocked on the door.
"My dear lady, you are so happy! Your Excellency has won the first prize in this county examination!"
The clerk stood at the door and told the news before the messenger came, while the anxious errand boy scratched his head behind him.
"Thank you both for your hard work."
Zhuang Keqing smiled and took out his purse, took out two broken pieces of silver, and divided them one between each person. "Please accept some of your thoughts."
The person who came to pass the news thought that he was very lucky today and reported the head of the case. However, he did not expect that the woman who was the head of the case was so young and so generous. She quickly held the money in both hands and kept bowing.
The scholars downstairs were also in a commotion.
The head of the county trial case actually lives in this inn?
So the first few times before must have been made by this person?
However, Shen Ling of Songling Town has no great reputation.
Moreover, it seems that I have not seen this person in the past few days. Could it be that I have never gone downstairs to socialize with them?
All the scholars had doubts in their minds. They wanted to go up and have a chat with Shen Ling, but they were also worried that they would lose face if they were kept behind closed doors.
Li Shoucheng went upstairs without saying a word, and knocked on Shen Ling's door with Ning Guangyi's pull.
It was Zhuang Keqing who opened the door.
She smiled brightly, her eyebrows were curved, and she looked friendly, and asked: "Who are you looking for, sir?"
Li Shoucheng thought it must be Shen Ling who opened the door, but he thought it was a girl.
Still alive and beautiful.
He was stunned for a moment, then quickly came back to his senses.
"My surname is Li and my name is Shoucheng. I am a student of Huaiqing Academy. This is my classmate Ning Guangyi. The two of us are here this time to look at the head of a case."
This is said politely, but it always has a somewhat aggressive meaning.
Zhuang Keqing's face did not change, and he just smiled slightly.
"My husband is not feeling well today and it is not convenient for us to see guests. Please come back, please."
Li Shoucheng hit a soft nail.
He wanted to say more, but was stopped by Ning Guangyi who was beside him, and after whispering, he reluctantly said that he would come to visit in the future.
The two of them returned home defeated, and the scholars downstairs couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, I didn't go up and be embarrassed just now.
Not to mention how depressed Li Shoucheng was, Shen Ling upstairs was still reading silently as before. It wasn't until Zhuang Keqing went downstairs to bring the simmered medicinal chicken soup that he got up and went to the table to eat with his wife.
"Aling, let's go out for a walk tomorrow. I heard that there are many bookstores in the county. You can choose some books there and take them back."
Zhuang Keqing served Shen Ling a bowl of soup, put chicken into the dipping saucer, and urged him to eat quickly.
Early the next morning, Zhuang Keqing went to the kitchen again and made two bowls of noodles using the leftover chicken soup from last night.
Now everyone in the inn knows that she is the wife who is the head of this county examination. They are very polite when talking and doing things in front of her, and she even brings some attentiveness.
After finishing breakfast, the two of them went out early, just in time to avoid the scholars who came downstairs to eat.
The bookstore was not far from the street outside the examination hall. Shen Ling went in to read, while Zhuang Keqing strolled nearby.
At noon, the two met up, had a meal outside, bought some gifts, and then returned to the inn to pack their luggage and prepare to leave tomorrow.
The innkeeper still wants to persuade him to stay. Why did the head of the case leave in such a hurry?
If he is willing to stay here for a while, he will definitely attract other scholars to come, and the reputation of his inn will rise.
However, Zhuang Keqing allowed him to say whatever he liked, but he didn't want to stay any longer. He said that he only had his mother and younger brother at home, so he should go back and take care of him as soon as possible to fulfill his filial piety.
In this era, the two words of loyalty and filial piety are most valued. People have moved their mothers out, and the shopkeeper can't persuade her anymore. He only said that the upper room is reserved for them, and they can come and live directly when the government examination comes, without having to greet them in advance.
Zhuang Keqing did not refuse this time. After thanking the shopkeeper, he also paid a deposit of one or two silver to reassure him.
The shopkeeper doesn't care about this mere one tael of silver. If he only accepted the money, he will definitely stay with them next time. If this young master gets another crime, then their inn will become famous!
So when Zhuang Keqing and Shen Ling left on the second day, the innkeeper and the waiter were standing at the door to see them off warmly, and their reluctance to leave seemed somewhat genuine.
