Chapter 534 - 200: Top Scorer in the Provincial Examination (Part 2)
Chapter 534: Chapter 200: Top Scorer in the Provincial Examination (Part 2)
Huang Chen’s excitement hadn’t faded yet when one announcement of good news after another rang through the teahouse.
It was worth noting that the crowd seemed to have faintly heard the name Tao Yanxun.
Wang Xiao had just given the announcer a tip when he heard Ding Shutian and De’an ask in unison, "Is Tao Yanxun in the teahouse too?"
"How am I supposed to know? I don’t know him. Even if we walked right past each other, I wouldn’t be able to tell if he was Tao Yanxun or not."
"He must be in the teahouse. Ninth place. Heh, and with that kind of skill, he wanted to be the top scorer in the provincial examination?"
The words had barely been spoken when they faintly heard the "CRACK" of a teacup shattering from a private room not far away.
The sound was so sharp it silenced the entire teahouse.
A man’s gloomy voice came from nearby. "My apologies, my hand slipped. Laishun, when you settle the bill later, remember to add the compensation for this."
The servant named Laishun answered fearfully and followed the man out of the private room. "Young Master, please slow down. It’s narrow here, be careful not to trip."
Wang Jun had been listening quietly at first, but upon hearing this, he couldn’t help but mutter.
"In all of Xinghuai Prefecture, you won’t find a more spacious place than my family’s teahouse. If you didn’t become the top scorer, you should look for your own faults. What does my teahouse have to do with it?"
The master and servant on their way out seemed to have heard this muttering. The young man in the lead, dressed in brocade and wearing a golden crown, pressed his lips together and shot a gloomy glance in their direction, the gloom in his eyes deepening instantly.
He didn’t make a fuss and started down the stairs. But at that very moment, another voice came from the private room. "They’re announcing eighth place now. Jing, who do you think is next? I hope it’s not you. I bet five hundred silver that you’d be the top scorer. If you lose, all my silver will have gone down the drain."
The young man was already two steps down the stairs, but he heard two sensitive words one after the other—"Jing" and "top scorer."
At first, he didn’t realize who they were talking about, but after descending another step, he understood that the remark was directed at Zhao Jing.
’Xinghuai Prefecture’s Lesser Triple-Crown Scholar, Zhao Jing?’
’Hmph!’
’What’s so great about being the top scorer in one provincial examination?’
’If he’s really so capable, let’s see him become the Metropolitan Examination Champion, then the Champion Scholar!’
’A Lesser Triple-Crown Scholar is nothing. Only if he becomes a Grand Scholar will I give him a second look.’
The man didn’t say anything more. He just clenched his jaw and spat out a single word, "Go!"
The servant behind him didn’t dare to delay and scrambled to keep up.
At the same time, he discreetly wiped the sweat from his brow, lest it drip into his eyes and block his view of the path.
The servant managed to maintain a composed expression, but inwardly, he was cursing his bitter fate.
’Young Master is incredibly proud and arrogant. When he fell short of others academically at the Imperial College, he’d come home and take his anger out on us with beatings and curses.’
’This time, to become the top scorer, he used the excuse of honoring his late grandmother to come take the exam in this godforsaken backwater of Heyuan Province.’
’And yet, his results weren’t any better.’
’Ninth place!’
’If people in the Capital City find out about this result, he’ll never hear the end of their ridicule.’
’When Young Master gets angry, we’re the ones who will suffer the consequences.’
’The hard days are still ahead!’
The master and servant quickly departed. Zhao Jing frowned at Wang Jun. "A small wager is fine for fun, but a big one can ruin you. Five hundred silver is too much. Be careful not to get addicted."
As he spoke, he looked toward Wang Xiao, who was covering his forehead with a pained expression. "I told him not to bet. He did it behind my back."
He then explained the reason. "Zhen’er’s wedding date has been set for the sixth month of next year. My younger brother saw a valuable set of jewelry at a shop and wants to buy it for Zhen’er’s dowry."
The jewelry was made of high-quality rubies and sapphires, exquisitely crafted and beautifully designed. It was the shop’s newly unveiled ’crown jewel’.
The very term ’crown jewel’ spoke of its immense value. Forget his younger brother not being able to afford it; he couldn’t afford it either, even if they pooled their money.
Although their family was wealthy—nearly all of the top teahouses in Xinghuai Prefecture belonged to them—the silver they earned was all in their mother’s hands.
The two brothers, just like their father, had to miserably collect their monthly allowance from their mother.
They didn’t know how much their father received, but for the two of them, having grown this old, their allowance had only just been raised to twenty silver a month.
If they had a large expense, they could withdraw silver from the bookkeeper with their mother’s permission, but otherwise, they could only spend their own money.
She truly lived by the saying, "Raise daughters richly, raise sons poorly."
Wang Xiao said, "This is the last time. If he dares to gamble again, I’ll report it to our parents and have them subject him to the family rules."
Wang Jun cried foul. "Are you even my real brother? I was planning to buy the jewelry and give it to Zhen’er in both our names! If you’re going to disregard our brotherly bond like this, then I will too. I’ll just say the gift is from me alone. When Zhen’er only likes me in the future, don’t you come crying!"