Women Wearing Men: The Growth Path of the Bastards of the Aristocratic Family

Chapter 182
After they left the Xu Mansion, they went straight back to the Imperial Examination Hall.

As soon as he stepped into the gate of the guild hall, he saw Bai Xingjia with a pale face, his body was shaking, and he didn't seem to be able to stand firmly.

Gu Yunji stepped forward to help him, and asked, "How are you? Are you feeling better? You just fainted yesterday, and you are still weak. You should stay in your room and have a good rest."

Bai Xingjia smiled weakly: "Young Master Lao Gu is concerned, I am much better. I was in a hurry yesterday, and I haven't informed my family about the exam, so I went out early this morning to send a letter. It's just that I'm very tired. , walked step by step for a long time before coming back."

Gu Yunji said: "Then what are your plans next? Will you return to Songjiang Mansion after recovering from your illness?"

Bai Xingjia shook his head: "I don't plan to go back to Songjiang Mansion. I want to stay in the capital and wait for the next exam in three years."

"Aren't you going back to Songjiang Mansion?" Gu Yunji looked him up unexpectedly, "You are still sick, you are not familiar with people in the capital, and no one is taking care of you. Are you sure you can do it?"

"Empty my whole family to go to Beijing to rush for the exam, and ended up with such a result, how can I have the face to go back to see my family?" Bai Xingjia smiled wryly, and said in a self-deprecating tone, "Besides, my illness is caused by acclimatization. If I come back after staying at home for three years, I'm afraid I'll get sick again, so it's better to stay in the capital and slowly adapt to the climate here."

Cheng Yan's eyes showed worry: "But the cost of the capital is high, how can you survive these three years?"

Bai Xingjia smiled slightly: "I haven't used up all the money I brought for this trip, and my family will send money from time to time. If it's not enough, I can still copy books and sell calligraphy and paintings. There is always a way."

Although Bai Xingjia's tone was relaxed, Gu Yunji and Cheng Yan felt heavy when they heard it, and they didn't know what to say.

After a while, it was Bai Xingjia who took the initiative to break the silence: "What about you? When will you take part in the palace examination? After the palace examination, you should be appointed as an official?"

"Hmm." Gu Yunji nodded, his voice was muffled, "The palace examination is at the beginning of April, and there are more than ten days left."

Bai Xingjia smiled and said: "Then you have to prepare well, if you come back with the No.

Gu Yunji's heart became more and more sour when he heard the words, and he wanted to say something, but he was afraid that if he said anything in his own capacity, he would give the other party a feeling of showing off, so he hesitated for a long time, and finally only said "Take care" when Bai Xingjia left.

After saying goodbye to Bai Xingjia, Gu Yunji and Cheng Yan looked at each other, sighed silently, and then went back to their rooms.

After confirming that Gu Yunji had returned to the room, a black-clothed scholar in the guild hall withdrew his stretched neck, raised his chin in the direction he left, and said to his companions: "Did you see, the one just now is the exam for this session?" My Huiyuan, Gu Yunji."

"He's Gu Yunji?" The companion's eyes widened suddenly, with surprise on his eyes, "We won the Huiyuan, and they didn't even set off firecrackers and throw red envelopes to celebrate, so I didn't even know that he lived in the same club with us, really low key."

A white-clothed scholar next to him came over: "He is the nephew of Gu Yuanhui, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, and he is a person who is on the cusp of the storm. Naturally, he acts in a low-key manner on weekdays, which is normal."

The scholar in black seemed to have remembered something, and his expression was meaningful: "Gu Yuanhui is the chief examiner of this exam, right? As his nephew, Gu Yunji was able to pass the Huiyuan exam at a young age, could it be..."

Although he didn't say the rest, the meaning couldn't be more obvious, and the few scholars present understood it in an instant.

"Shh! Be careful." The white-clothed scholar carefully looked around and scolded him in a low voice, "The imperial examination has a lot to do with selecting a scholar. Of those who passed the exam, which one didn't have real talents? What's more, Gu Yunji avoided the candidates, and the exam was a separate paper, and the chief examiner and graders were assigned separately. Do you think it's so easy to manipulate?"

"Furthermore, His Majesty has read the admission list of Gongshi. Even His Majesty thinks it's all right. How dare you raise objections? Arrogantly discussing admission qualifications and questioning the fairness of the imperial examinations. Do you still want to lose your head?"

The scholar in black shrank his neck from his fright, and subconsciously swallowed his saliva: "I just said it casually. After all, there were no examples of avoiding candidates being admitted in previous years, but in order to avoid suspicion, most people's rankings are different. It’s been overwhelmed, and there has never been someone like him who directly passed the Huiyuan exam..."

"You don't know that, do you?" A middle-aged man at the next table approached, with a mysterious expression on his face, "There's a lot going on in this!"

Realizing that their conversation was overheard, several people immediately looked at the middle-aged man defensively, but after all, they couldn't resist the curiosity in their hearts, and couldn't help asking: "What is it about?"

The middle-aged Juzi smiled complacently, and said in a low voice: "Gu Yunji, the Huiyuan, was hand-picked by His Majesty's imperial pen!"

"Handpicked by Yubi?" Several people were shocked, their faces full of disbelief, "Really?"

"Of course it's true!" The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows, and said in a firm tone, "It is said that Gu Yunji's original ranking was much lower than this, it seems to be seventeen or eighteen... Anyway, it's not Huiyuan. Your Majesty read it The initial admission list, the first sentence asked, what do you think it is?"

"What is it? Tell me quickly!"

The middle-aged Juzi had a talent for storytelling, and he still kept entertaining people while talking, until he made a few people anxious to scratch their ears and cheeks, then he showed a satisfied expression, and continued: "The first thing your Majesty asked was—— —'Why is Gu Yunji's ranking so low?'"

The middle-aged Juzi learned to imagine Emperor Jingfeng's accent, and acted well: "'I have read Gu Yunji's paper, and the answer is very good, not to mention the top ten, even the top ten, no matter what It shouldn't be such a low ranking!'"

"Then His Majesty said: 'Although Gu Yunji is Gu Yuanhui's nephew, suspicion should be properly avoided, but the imperial examination is to select talents for the imperial court, and it would be unfair to suppress them blindly. The same should be done for selecting talents without avoiding relatives.'"

The middle-aged man even performed gestures and spoke vividly. Several people listened intently and watched his movements without blinking.

"Your Majesty's words are penetrating and logical. The Minister of Rites who drew up the list was ashamed and speechless. He knelt down and begged His Majesty on the spot."

The middle-aged Juzi had a righteous expression on his face, and his tone became more and more upbeat: "However, Your Majesty is generous and benevolent. At that time, he did not pursue the crime of the Minister of Rites. Instead, he turned his head and called for a pen and ink, and with a wave of his hand, he personally named Gu Yunji as No. 1. !"

(End of this chapter)