Quick Wear: I'm Really Not a Scumbag

Chapter 473: A Farmer’s Scholar in Troubled Times (30)

Zhou Yusheng did not appear in the hall. The two people patrolling the hall were Dugu Xin and Yu Hongyuan.

Dugu Xin, who was nearly fifty years old, paced calmly in the hall. He would stop for a while from time to time, and the candidates he was staring at were all very nervous.

Not long after, he suddenly walked to Chen Xuyan's side. He circled around Chen Xuyan and made noise. Several candidates in front and behind Chen Xuyan were affected by him. Either their inkstones fell over or they wrote their words incorrectly.

The only thing it doesn't affect is Chen Xuyan.

Yu Hongyuan didn't stop him as long as he didn't go too far.

"Hmph!" Seeing that it was useless, Dugu Xin had no choice but to wave his sleeves and leave.

Chen Xuyan, who was copying the answer sheet, had a smile on his face.

The exam is over.

——Side Hall

Dugu Xin flipped through the sorted papers in a mess and finally found Chen Xuyan's test paper.

After he saw the content clearly, he did not hesitate and tore up his test paper without hesitation.

"What is Lord Dugu doing?" Yu Hongyuan appeared from behind him at some point, mercilessly snatched the test paper from his hand and put it into his sleeve.

"If the emperor knew about this, I'm afraid he would be disappointed in you."

Dugu Xin's face showed no fear after the scandal was exposed. Instead, he said confidently, "The emperor loves the concubine, so how could he be angry with me?"

"Why are you ruining my good fortune? This boy has bad intentions. Even if he enters the court and is appointed an official, he may not be able to achieve anything."

How could he tolerate his son's good fortune being ruined?

Yu Hongyuan threw the whisk behind his head and said, "You may be worrying too much. It is the Emperor who wants to review this exam paper in person, not me acting on my own."

"As for whether he can achieve anything in the future, that all depends on how the emperor wants to use him. We are not qualified to make irresponsible comments."

Dugu Xin secretly took note of this loss and left in a rage.

As soon as he left, Yu Hongyuan went to the Qianqing Palace with the test paper.

What was the Dugu family, and what was Dugu Nange? They were merely pawns of the Emperor. Once the Emperor came to power, the Dugu family would be doomed.

The Nangong family actually thought that the emperor really had feelings for Dugu Nange.

......

——Results announced

The entire capital city was in an uproar, and the people in the city all ran to the palace square to join in the fun. Many people brought their children with them just to share in the joy, hoping that their children would also have such a day.

Chen Zhao got up early in the morning, and the others couldn't help but follow him.

Released!

Wei Siqi hugged Chen Xuyan in surprise, "You are the top scorer! You are the top scorer! You are in the top three, you must be the top scorer!"

With Chen Xuyan's talent, he is not surprised at all that he has achieved his current results. The only thing he has to worry about is the Dugu family's mischief.

Jin Yonghuai hesitated for a moment and said, "He's also good-looking. Maybe he'll be chosen as the third place winner?"

"Stop talking nonsense. The top scholar still depends on his talent. If he has talent, how could he be forced to become the third scholar?" Lin Zengjie was also very happy. If Chen Xuyan really became the top scholar, he would have face to tell others about it.

He also deserves credit for escorting a top scholar?!

Chen Zhao still found it difficult to conceal his inner joy and excitement. People around him also cast envious glances at Chen Xuyan, and some young ladies from official families also set their sights on him.

Li Wentao and the other two also blocked these strange sights for him in time.

- the next day

Chen Xuyan received a summons from the emperor, and Chen Zhao drove him to the main gate of the palace early in the morning.

All the tribute candidates arrived and were quickly arranged into several rows after being inspected by the palace guards.

The voice of the eunuch general Yu Hongyuan rang out, "Call the newly-appointed Jinshi Chen Xuyan, Zhang Xueyou, and Zhao Yu into the palace!"

The continuous calls soon reached outside the hall.

As soon as they entered the Qianqing Palace, the three of them lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the emperor. Several ministers nearby locked their gazes on Chen Xuyan, the most intense of whom were Dugu Xin and Zhang Fengchun, who had inexplicably been blamed.

Several people saluted.

"Get up." Zhou Yusheng was in a good mood because he had been refining pills quite well recently, so he liked all of them now.

He added, "The essays written by the three of you are all excellent, especially the top scorer, Chen Xuyan."

The ministers around were all very surprised. The emperor actually looked at Chen Xuyan’s test paper himself?

Are you going to reuse him?

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words." Chen Xuyan bowed deeply.

How could this damn emperor have the leisure to come and see him in person?

"I have also read your essay. You are worthy of being the top scholar."

"As for the remaining two, I think Zhao Yu is very handsome, so I'll choose you as the third place." The remaining one is undoubtedly the second place.

"I hope that you will be diligent and work hard for the court and benefit the people in the future."

The three of them kowtowed in unison, "Yes."

Zhou Yusheng praised the other newly-appointed scholars in a perfunctory manner and lost his patience after a long time.

Upon seeing this, Yu Hongyuan immediately announced the decree, "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees that the newly crowned number one scholar, Chen Xuyan, be appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy; the newly crowned number two scholar, Zhang Xueyou; and the newly crowned number three scholar, Zhao Yu, be appointed as editors in the Hanlin Academy. This is my decree!"

After the roll call was over, Zhou Yusheng left quickly.

The main duties of the Hanlin Academy were to compile historical texts and draft imperial edicts. To enter the cabinet, one had to be a Hanlin Academy graduate in their early years; this was already a standard, but whether one could make it through was not certain. After all, over the years, there were cases where top scholars had remained on the Hanlin Academy bench or never received any important appointments.

Chen Xuyan quickly changed into his clothes for the horse-riding parade, and wore a big red flower on his chest, which looked very festive.

The other two seemed very familiar with each other, but neither of them wanted to talk to him. Chen Xuyan didn't feel embarrassed and got on the horse directly. The two looked at each other and followed closely.

"Why does this number one scholar look even more handsome than the third place? He's so handsome! Hurry up and throw the sachet at him!"

"This third place winner is quite handsome!"

"Look at me, look at me! Number one scholar!"

"The second place doesn't look good. Why is his eye one bigger than the other? It's unlucky, very unlucky." The woman quickly withdrew her sachet.

Chen Xuyan dodged here and there, and several stone-like sachets hit the two people beside him, making them scream.

We walked deep into the long street.

"Chen Xuyan!" Wei Siqi waved at him from upstairs, and Chen Zhao also waved with a look of relief.

Chen Xuyan waved his hand to indicate that he heard it. The woman in the window next to him thought he was greeting her and was surprised and happy.

......

"We will be able to pack up and go home soon. Parents will definitely receive the message earlier than us." Chen Zhao, who has always been steady, rarely reveals his emotions. At this moment, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

"Okay, it's going to be a long time since we're going back home to visit our relatives. We can still stay at home for a while." Chen Xuyan also missed Houyun City a little.

Wei Siqi wanted to take out a gong and drum at this moment, but unfortunately this was not Houyun City, and there were not so many people supporting him.

"Brother, there are so many people coming to the door, and they are giving us so many gifts. What should we do?" Lin Zengjie found it difficult to refuse these good things.

Li Wentao smiled and said, "Since Chen Xuyan said he accepted it, he must have his reasons. Let's just accept it and don't worry too much."

He doesn't have this kind of worry, instead he is playing with these things.

Hearing what his elder brother said, Lin Zengjie naturally didn't hesitate any longer, "I understand."

Jin Yonghuai was still busy dealing with these people at the door, his mouth almost crooked with smile.

Wei Siqi was also a little itchy, as he had never seen some of the good things before. "I'll go take a look too. You guys get busy first."

Chen Xuyan shook his head helplessly, "Just now he said that he wanted to study hard and at least pass the imperial examination to make his parents and grandmother very happy."

This person changes very quickly.

"It's not too late to go back and study. Let him have a good rest now." Chen Zhao also saw Wei Siqi's struggles and efforts during this period.

Not long after Wei Siqi went out, he rushed in with two invitations.

"Something bad has happened! Chen Xuyan!" Wei Siqi rushed into the house

Almost bumped into Chen Zhao.

"What's wrong?" Chen Zhao asked.

"Both Dugu Xin and that Master Zhang Fengchun have sent invitations. The messenger from the Dugu family said that you must go, otherwise his master will get angry." You haven't even started working yet. If you offend Dugu Xin so early, you will be finished.

You have to know that the current court is basically controlled by Dugu Xin. The emperor never attends court. The promotion of officials is naturally controlled by him, and memorials from other people may not even be sent to him.

It is said that an official had previously written a letter to sue Dugu Xin, but the letter was directly confiscated by Dugu Xin. Dugu Xin even stood in front of him with the letter and threw it at him. How arrogant was he?

In the end, it was the Duke of England who intervened and he gave up, but he soon retired and returned home.

"The Dugu family directly rejected it. When is the date of Lord Zhang's post?" Chen Xuyan did not take Dugu Xin seriously. He was just a tool for the emperor to divert attention and hatred. Only with the existence of such a treacherous person could the emperor wake up under the "admonition" of a loyal minister.

It’s just that Zhou Yusheng’s elixir of immortality is pure nonsense, and he himself is also seriously poisoned by metal poisoning.

This is also the reason why he always feels unwell and has no children.

Wei Siqi's expression was somewhat heavy. "This isn't good. You're going to be admitted to the Hanlin Academy soon. If you offend him, your future will be very difficult. I heard that many people in the Hanlin Academy are taught by him."

"Master Zhang wants you to go the day after tomorrow."

He wanted to persuade Chen Xuyan to just bear with it, after all, there was still a long way to go in the future.

Chen Xuyan smiled and said, "Just do as I say."

Chen Zhao's heart was also beating fast, but he still didn't say anything. He believed in Chen Xuyan's choice.

"Are you sure you want to push it off? It would not be good if the Dugu family publicized this matter. Others would probably think you are being hypocritical." Wei Siqi was still undecided.

"Do you think he will let me go if I step back? His son failed to successfully replace my achievements. He must hate me to the core. Even if I go, it will be like attending a Hongmen Banquet. It is better to go home as soon as possible instead of wasting time." Besides, he didn't want to be an official in the Zhou Dynasty.

Chen Xuyan was thinking about how to meet Jiang Xuan and see what he was going to do.

In short, he would definitely not continue to be loyal to the Zhou Dynasty.

Wei Siqi's heart skipped a beat. Yes, this was most likely a Hongmen Banquet. Dugu Xin definitely had no good intentions.

Who knows, maybe he will use this banquet to take Chen Xuyan's life. Wouldn't that be more trouble than gain?

"Forget it, I'll go push it now. They shouldn't have gone far." Wei Siqi ran out quickly.

......

——Dugu Family

"What? He's not coming? Didn't I ask you to post the message in my father's name?" The fat on Dugu Jinghuai's face piled up together, and he looked very fierce.

Things have been really bad for him recently. First, he had a conflict with the queen's nephew and was forced to apologize by his father. Later, he asked his elder sister to return the female official by her side but was unsuccessful.

Now even a mere number one scholar dares to go against him? What a bastard!

The servant couldn't help but shudder. "It was sent out in the name of the Prime Minister according to your instructions, but Chen Xuyan said he couldn't come. He said he wanted to leave as soon as possible to go home to visit his family."

They didn't expect that this person would be so ungrateful.

"But I didn't hear them reject the people sent by Zhang Fengchun. They only rejected ours."

Dugu Jinghuai looked at him coldly, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" This person wished he could transfer all of Dugu Jinghuai's anger to Zhang Fengchun immediately, otherwise he would definitely die today.

He had just seen Dugu Jinghuai holding up the whip.

"It's Zhang Fengchun again? First he ruined my path to the imperial examination and stopped me from becoming a juren, and now he has more face than our family?" Now everyone inside and outside the palace regarded Zhang Fengchun as the number one person who could compete with his father.

The arrogance is getting more and more arrogant.

"Get out of here. If my father comes back, remember to inform me immediately." Dugu Jinghuai wished he could rush to Zhang's house right now and whip the old man Zhang Fengchun to death to vent his anger.

It seems that his father still failed to teach these people a lesson, and his sister's methods were not cruel enough.

These days he has been helping his sister Dugu Nange to sabotage the talent show, preventing those beautiful girls from aristocratic families with good family backgrounds from participating in the talent show. Of course, he will also select a few daughters of wealthy families with ruined reputations to be his concubines.

If his father doesn't take action, then after he finishes this matter, he will have time to deal with Zhang Fengchun and those people with ulterior motives.

The servants who heard this felt as if they had been pardoned and immediately rolled out.

Dugu Jinghuai was still sitting at the table admiring the information of beauties. Although it was annoying, he still had to look for beauties for himself.

If he could become emperor someday, he would definitely summon all the beauties in the world into the palace to serve him. One should enjoy life to the fullest. He would not focus all his attention on refining elixirs like Zhou Yusheng.