A few days later.
The results of the Kingdom of Jing's Autumn Examination were posted.
Li Tianjian's family went to the provincial capital excitedly, carrying dozens of taels of silver and having bought red cloth.
They planned to splurge and celebrate grandly after their grandson passed the provincial exam.
As a result, when they returned, every one of them hung their heads.
Thirteen-year-old Li Chang'an, who had a handso and delicate appearance, comforted his father Li Fengyu.
"Dad, it's fine. There were too many people this year, so it's completely normal not to pass. I'll go take the exam again next year, and I will definitely pass!"
These words were indeed not wrong. Adding the previous dynasty and the current dynasty, there were too many Scholars accumulated over the years.
The third-rank high official of the Hanlin Academy who presided over the Autumn Examination said, "A county gathers over a thousand child students, and selects a dozen or so to beco Governnt Students; a province gathers tens of thousands of Governnt Students, and selects a hundred or so to beco Provincial Graduates."
Among the Scholars who ca to participate in the Autumn Examination, there were even those in their forties and fifties.
Their hair was about to turn white, yet they still persisted in the imperial examinations.
Although Li Chang'an was smart, how large was a prefecture? He was far from the only smart one.
With so many people taking the exam every year and failing every year, he had only gone for one year, so failing to pass was perfectly normal.
Li Tianjian's wife nagged, "It must be because we didn't bribe the chief examiner with silver. I wonder how much they gave to be able to pass."
Li Chang'an shook his head and said, "The chief examiner is a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, a third-rank high official. The current Emperor governs the country with honesty. If we really bribed with silver, I'm afraid our whole family wouldn't be able to keep our heads."
"Grandma, please rest assured. I wasn't fully prepared this year. After studying hard for a few more years, I will definitely pass!"
Li Tianjian chid in, "It's fine, it's fine. Isn't it just failing for one year? Take the exam again next year!"
Li Chang'an's mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say sothing, but he didn't.
The Autumn Examination was held once every three years; he couldn't take it next year.
Just as they were talking, the sound of beating gongs and drums ca from behind.
The family turned to look and saw many yan runners and villagers joyfully carrying a plaque heading this way.
Walking at the very front was precisely the County Magistrate Tang Shijun.
Beside him was Chu Xun, holding hands with Tang Shijun and walking shoulder to shoulder.
Such a special honor left Li Tianjian's family dumbfounded.
When the procession arrived in front of them, Li Chang'an reacted and hurriedly pulled them to kneel down, "This commoner pays respects to Lord Tang!"
Although he was a purchased Imperial College Student, skipping the hurdle of Scholar and able to directly enter the Provincial Examination to test for Provincial Graduate.
But he wasn't a real Scholar himself, so when seeing an official, he still needed to kneel and bow.
The family knelt on the ground in a flurry, but couldn't help looking up.
Seeing them, Tang Shijun vaguely recognized them as people from Pinecone Village, so he smiled and said, "Rise, no need for excessive formalities. This official ca today to congratulate Secondary Guest Chu, and you all should also share in the joy and congratulations."
"Pinecone Village has produced a talent like Secondary Guest Chu, your blessing is not shallow."
These words left Li Tianjian and the others not knowing how to respond, especially Li Tianjian's wife, whose heart was almost smoking with jealousy.
She originally thought that with her grandson participating in the Provincial Examination, he could beco a Provincial Graduate, and then the family would be glorious.
Who could have thought that her grandson didn't pass, but instead welcod Chu Xun advancing to Secondary Guest.
Back then, her father-in-law, the old village chief who died in the water dispute, was only an Ordinary Guest.
Watching Tang Shijun's enthusiastic manner towards Chu Xun, Li Tianjian's wife gritted her teeth until they creaked.
Li Chang'an glanced at Chu Xun, who was talking and laughing cheerfully with the County Magistrate. Although he tried his best to endure it on his face, he was actually disdainful in his heart.
Since childhood, he had been deeply influenced by his family, single-mindedly wanting to suppress everyone and snatch back the glory lost by his grandfather's generation.
In his eyes, no matter how smart Chu Xun was, he was just an uneducated farr.
He just had good luck for a while, and seed to have inexhaustible strength, relying on the imperial court's land reclamation decree to luckily make his fortune.
Perhaps sowhere in the unseen world, that Songliu Water God also liked this kind of person, protecting him to be smooth sailing all the way.
However, these were all external forces, how could they be counted as his own true ability.
In the future, when he passed the provincial exam, and then overca all obstacles to beco a tropolitan Graduate, he would also beco a high official and noble.
A person of the countryside, not to ntion a re Secondary Guest, even if he was the premier Great Guest within a hundred miles, so what? He was still just a farr.
Nothing more than that!
Li Chang'an clenched his fingers tightly, shouting in his heart, "Study! Study!"
Chu Xun reclaid thirty acres of wasteland at the age of nineteen, winning the title of Honored Guest.
And he, Li Chang'an, would beco an official lord at the age of sixteen!
Three years from today, he would beco the most glorious person in Pinecone Village!
The County Magistrate personally coming to the door to congratulate was a rare major event in the surrounding dozens of miles.
Li Shoutian, leading the old and young of the village, had already been waiting for a long ti.
When he saw Chu Xun, he smiled happier than anyone else.
Although this honor wasn't his own family's, it belonged to his village, and he was the Village Chief!
Li Shoutian turned his head and said to his wife Xue Huilan beside him, "I told you this child Ah Xun would have great prospects. Zhang Shigen was also a shrewd person, secretly stuffing his daughter over back then, so his death wasn't in vain."
Xue Huilan rolled her eyes and said, "How are you speaking!"
Li Shoutian knew his words were indeed sowhat inappropriate, gave a dry laugh, and added, "Speaking of which, when we see Chu Xun in the future, I'm afraid we'll have to call him Master Chu."
These words were of course a joke; what the village valued most was seniority.
Even if Chu Xun advanced to Secondary Guest, he still had to respect his elders in front of Li Shoutian. From ancient tis to the present, this had always been the rule.
Towards Chu Xun, Li Shoutian was like looking at his own child.
The more successful the child was, naturally the happier he was.
Xue Huilan, however, quietly wiped away tears from the side. Li Guangmao, whose big red bulbous nose was becoming more obvious, hurriedly pulled her, "Mother, what are you doing?"
Xue Huilan choked with sobs, "Ah Xun had it so hard, and now he finally has prospects. If your Aunt Qiao were still here, how wonderful it would be."
The Aunt Qiao she spoke of was the mother of Chu Xun's original body.
She originally married over from a neighboring county and didn't have a formal na.
When she was young, a high fever damaged her brain, so at seventeen or eighteen, she still had a temperant similar to a six or seven-year-old child.
Also because she was a girl, her parents abandoned her in the wilderness early on. Fortunately, she was saved by a woodcutting couple and was able to grow up.
Despite this, she was unexpectedly skilled at needlework, earning the na Qiao Niang.
It was a pity that the Chu couple perhaps had many disasters in their destiny. Amidst the chaos of war, they encountered horse bandits entering the village to rob.
Qiao Niang didn't understand fear and wanted to snatch back the two taels of silver she had worked so hard to earn from the horse bandits, and was slashed on the neck with a single strike.
Her husband Chu Shunsheng didn't resist, but the horse bandits were murderous by nature and actually hacked him to death with a single strike as well.
Leaving behind Chu Xun, a two-year-old baby, all alone and helpless.
Xue Huilan had a very good relationship with Qiao Niang, and they often did needlework together to earn so copper coins.
That year when the couple was buried, she cried for a long ti.
Up to now, watching the Chu family's little boy grow into an adult and even achieve great prospects, her heart was naturally filled with myriad emotions.
The whole village stood outside Chu Xun's courtyard watching.
They all said the County Magistrate was only a seventh-rank official, not even counting as big as a soybean if placed in the capital.
But in this rural area, if ordinary commoners wanted to see the County Magistrate, there was a high probability it was to receive a beating with boards, or to have soone else beaten.
Shitou and Qi Ermao, leading a group of children, stood on tiptoe or climbed trees, and were scolded by the elders.
Looking at Tang Shijun in his official robes, Qi Ermao clicked his tongue, "Is this our County Magistrate? He seems even younger than Brother Xun, so imposing."
Shitou curled his lip, "You haven't seen a military official, wearing a helt and armor, with a steel sword at his waist, that's what you call majestic!"
Qi Ermao turned to look at him, "You've seen a military official?"
"Aren't there so on New Year pictures?" Shitou chuckled and said, "Say, if we also beco military officials in the future, could we be drawn on New Year pictures?"
Qi Ermao was startled, lowered his head to think for a mont, and then replied, "We can't beco one anyway."
"That's not necessarily true."
Zhang Anxiu had also changed into a clean indigo cotton outfit, with an earth-yellow cloth skirt on her lower body. It wasn't considered high-class, but it won in being simple and decent.
Seeing Tang Shijun, Zhang Anxiu hurriedly prepared to kneel and bow.
But she was supported by Tang Shijun reaching out his hand, "Today I co to your house as a guest, there is no need for such excessive formalities. Is Village Chief Li present?"
Li Shoutian, his face red with happiness, hurriedly ran over, "What are Your Excellency's orders?"
"These past few years, the white hair on your head has been increasing day by day, you have worked very hard." Tang Shijun smiled, "Let's go in together, otherwise it wouldn't look good missing you, the Village Chief."
Li Shoutian puffed out his chest. What could give a greater sense of accomplishnt than getting the County Magistrate's recognition?
Being the Village Chief for so many years wasn't in vain.
[End of Chapter]
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