Zhong Xiangong

The results of the provincial examinations are usually released five days later.

Although the notices were sent to each county, that was half a month later.

Therefore, anyone who felt they still had some hope would choose to stay in Yongning Prefecture for a few more days, waiting to see the results as soon as they were released.

Xu Tuo was very generous and offered to extend the stay at the inn for another five days.

The children in my family are probably not that big.

This was primarily done for Zhong Xuan's sake, to find an auspicious explanation that was associated with literature.

Zhong Xuan readily agreed.

Since we've already accepted the Xu family's favor, we don't mind owing them a little more.

There are many others like them in the inn.

So even though many candidates had already left, Yongning Prefecture was still extremely lively.

Waiting is the most agonizing part; five days can be incredibly difficult to endure.

The day of the results announcement finally arrived.

now.

The entrance to the examination hall was crowded with people who had been waiting there for a long time. At a glance, there were more than two hundred people, and with their relatives, the number was even greater.

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

The middle-aged Confucian scholar who was supervising the exam that day came out carrying a circle of bright red paper.

The martial arts exam was relatively easy, but grading the written exam was extremely tedious.

To ensure the examination proceeded according to the appointed time, the examination hall had several elderly scholars with gray hair stay up for several nights in advance.

The list was finally finalized before the auspicious time.

The two young teachers from the examination hall applied the paste and pasted large red papers, three feet long and one foot wide, onto the notice board next to the examination hall.

Instantly.

Hundreds of candidates and their relatives crowded around the red list.

People outside kept craning their necks to look inside.

A lean young boy from the Xu family used his size to slip into the crowd. When he returned, he was so excited he was practically dancing with joy, shouting, "I won! I won!"

"Zhong Xuan from Baisha County ranked fourth in the civil service examination."

"A student receiving government stipends!"

"Uncle Zhong is a student who received a stipend; he's the only one from our Baisha County to pass the imperial examination this year."

Hearing that Zhong Xuan not only passed the county-level imperial examination but also ranked fourth, making him a well-deserved subsidized student.

The Xu family members were all happy for Zhong Xuan.

If it were someone of the same generation, they might be jealous, but Zhong Xuan is old enough to be their grandfather, so it's easier to accept.

"Congratulations, Uncle Chung."

Xu Tuo was the first to offer his congratulations.

The other young members of the Xu family echoed, "Uncle Zhong passed the imperial examination with flying colors; he's a late bloomer!"

There's a saying in Baisha County that the first person to congratulate someone on passing the imperial examination will also receive some good fortune in their studies.

Moreover, Zhong Xuanzhong is a student of the Imperial Academy, and may become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examinations) in the future. If a good impression is left now, it will be very beneficial for his future studies or life in Xiahe Village.

Congratulatory voices were heard incessantly.

A smile appeared on Zhong Xuan's face.

After decades of obsession, it was finally realized. It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited.

How can one live without feelings?

Zhong Xuan chuckled and said, "Thanks to my nephews' kind words, this old man has finally resolved one of the greatest regrets of my life."

Xu Tuo sighed inwardly.

He had heard it from his own father. When Zhong Xuan was fifteen, he became the youngest scholar in Baisha County and was very famous in the surrounding area. However, he then became ordinary and everyone thought that the child prodigy would fade into obscurity. Who would have thought that he would pass the imperial examination in his sixties?

It's simply legendary.

"Is this Mr. Zhong, who's graduating high school this year?"

The students standing nearby, hearing what the Xu family members said, curiously stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

The term "xianggong" is not used as a term of address between husband and wife.

Originally, it was an honorific title for the prime minister.

However, as time went by, it became a custom in Qing Kingdom that only those who had become scholars were qualified to be addressed as "Master".

This is almost a symbol of identity.

Immediately, a circle of people gathered around Zhong Xuan to offer their congratulations, their eyes filled with envy and admiration.

Thank you everyone.

There was no arrogance.

Zhong Xuan returned the greeting in the same formal and proper manner, without the slightest hint of arrogance.

Young people are often proud, but he is already sixty years old and has long been able to remain calm in the face of both honor and disgrace.

Many students secretly nodded in approval of Zhong Xuan's performance.

"As expected of an elder, he is indeed very prudent."

......

The dust has settled.

Zhong Xuan then joined the Xu family in carrying their trunks and leaving Yongning Prefecture together.

For a full ten days.

The group finally returned to Xiahe Village in Baisha County.

The Ma family and other villagers from Xiahe Village who participated in the imperial examination had already brought back the news, and now the Xu family had confirmed it. The Zhong family's doorstep was practically worn down by the crowds.

"Master Zhong, my family owns ten acres of land. If you are willing to let me work under your name, I can pay one tael of silver every year."

"Master Zhong, my five mu..."

......

Most of the families who came to our door were wealthy landowners in Xiahe Village.

These people all had the intention of attaching themselves to the land.

Despite several prime ministers of Qingguo reforming the tax system, the results were minimal, leaving the people with a heavy burden.

The title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) exempted them from taxes, and many wealthy families would register their names under his name.

Therefore, many scholars owned hundreds or even thousands of acres of fertile land.

The fees alone for affiliation were enough to support my preparation for the provincial examination.

Many of the visitors lately have this in mind.

of course.

There are also differences.

Take Aunt Liu from yesterday, for example.

"Master Zhong, how can you manage without a wife and children? The youngest daughter of Butcher Xu is not yet thirty, and with her wide hips, she is sure to give birth to a son. She is a perfect match..."

Zhong Xuan always drove away those who tried to arrange marriages.

It's not that I'm incapable of doing something as simple as pear blossoms overshadowing crabapple blossoms.

Continuing the bloodline is a natural human instinct.

But now that he has obtained the destiny of renewal and has the potential to cultivate immortality, since he is determined to live forever, he cannot be greedy for worldly desires and leave behind troubles and consequences for himself.

For those who are affiliated with others.

Zhong Xuan did not accept them all at once.

He had lived in Xiahe Village for decades, and he had watched many of these people grow up. As the saying goes, "you can tell what a person will be like at three years old." He decisively abandoned those with impure intentions, leaving only the honest and reliable households.

Although there are fewer bank loans to rely on, at least I can sleep soundly.

Otherwise, if one were to emulate a certain high-ranking official who owns vast tracts of fertile land, one would inevitably be implicated sooner or later.

With his current strength, he simply cannot protect her.

He received guests for three days.

Zhong Xuan then used the excuse of seclusion to study that he would never see anyone again.

In this regard.

The villagers of Xiahe Village initially had some complaints, feeling that Old Zhong had become arrogant after becoming a gentleman and no longer saw them, his poor fellow villagers. However, after Zhong Xuanzhen didn't see a single person for half a month, they gradually lost their temper and even began to get used to it.

That night.

Zhong Xuan stood in the courtyard, his legs planted firmly in a sword stance, his chest rising and falling slightly. Upon closer inspection, it was the Eagle Seven Breathing Technique, which involves one inhalation and six exhalations.

It happened to be midnight.

Zhong Xuan did not sleep, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever; in fact, his energy and spirit reached their peak at the moment of Yin and Yang's separation.

The long sword in his hand was already drawn.

The three-pound iron sword twirled in the air, creating several sword flowers.

Zhong Xuan gradually entered a state of selflessness, and the speed of his sword increased.

Until a certain moment.

An unnamed gale swept through the courtyard, swirling up layers of yellow sand with Zhong Xuan at its center.