Seeing Chu Yao and Chu Xu heading upstairs to return to their private room, Wu Shuang stubbornly twisted her body, slid off Chu Yao's arms, and pouted, saying, "I want to buy a painting!"
As she spoke, she ran down the stairs, her short legs weaving between the tables in the hall until she reached Lin Ruqing's table.
Lin Ruqing kept all the calligraphy and paintings he sold at his stall in a book box, which was now placed behind him.
Wushuang stopped beside the book box and began to search through it.
Lin Ruqing sat with her back to her, and therefore did not notice. [Download txt ebook: http://wW/]
Wushuang was short and stood at a clever angle. With Lin Ruqing blocking her view, the young man who was facing her sideways did not notice that there was a little girl not far from him.
Wushuang picked up a scroll, opened it, glanced at it, rolled it up again, and stuffed it back into her book box. She repeated this over and over, her hands never stopping. On the surface, she seemed like a rude little troublemaker who rummaged through other people's things, but secretly she was listening carefully to the conversation between the two.
"...You don't need to worry about the roll call. Since the other party is determined to win, they will definitely make arrangements beforehand to ensure that they won't expose you on the spot," the young man said. "Just relax and treat it as if you are taking the exam yourself. Besides, didn't we agree before that the reward is a total of five hundred taels? You will pay one hundred as a deposit once you agree, another one hundred after entering the exam hall, and if you are accepted, the three hundred taels will be delivered immediately on the day the results are announced."
“Five people taking the exam together are jointly guaranteeing each other’s success, and there’s even a government-subsidized student in charge. How can everyone accept such a despicable thing?” Lin Ruqing shook his head vigorously and said, “I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
“You’re well-read, haven’t you heard that money makes the world go round? You helped with this matter, so you’ve already made friends with him. If you pass the imperial examination and become an official, his entire family will take care of you. Such a valuable connection is naturally needed by other candidates and those receiving government stipends. A little favoritism, effortless, can bring great benefits in the future, so why not?” The young man spouted a lot of fallacies. “Besides, he’s not without talent; otherwise, how could he have passed the first two exams? Now it’s the final and most crucial hurdle, and he’s asking for your help to put his mind at ease. It’s also because Brother Lin is known for his talent and is appreciated by others.”
The imperial examination system in Qi State was divided into four stages: the preliminary examination, the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination.
The preliminary examination for children was also an entrance examination, which was divided into three stages: county examination, prefectural examination, and provincial examination.
The provincial examination was held every three years, while the preliminary examination for children was only held in years when there was no provincial examination. The county examination was held first in February of that year, and those who passed could participate in the prefectural examination the following month. Those who passed the prefectural examination would then go to the examination hall in April to participate in the provincial examination. Only those who passed the provincial examination were considered to have truly entered the imperial examination system and become scholars, commonly known as xiucai (秀才).
To ensure fairness and impartiality during examinations and to guarantee that those entering the examination hall are not imposters or substitutes, the traditional practice is for five candidates to jointly vouch for each other, with one additional student acting as guarantor, and to issue a guarantee certificate.
If one of the candidates violates the regulations, all five will be held jointly liable, and the person who guarantor for the candidate will be dismissed from office and punished.
They spoke in hushed tones, but Wushuang, standing close by, could hear them clearly and soon understood what was going on.
The young man acted as a middleman. A wealthy man, who had passed the previous two examinations, planned to hire someone as his double for the final imperial examination, promising to handle everything perfectly. The young man approached Lin Ruqing. However, Lin Ruqing, perhaps fearing exposure and the potential consequences, hesitated and had not yet agreed.
Wushuang didn't want to listen to their entanglement any longer.
Whether Lin Ruqing should impersonate someone else to take the exam or not, we'll find out on the day of the exam.
She didn't want to waste time, nor did she have the patience to delve into Lin Ruqing's emotional journey. Ultimately, as long as he didn't make a mistake, she wouldn't fabricate a false accusation against him. But if he became blinded by greed and went astray, then she wouldn't blame her for not letting him off the hook.
Since they had a grudge in their past lives, Wushuang did not, like Tang Biqiu did to He Shi, set a ladder for Lin Ruqing and lure him onto the path of evil. She simply watched from the sidelines and let him decide how to act. This was already magnanimous enough.
Having figured out her next plan, Wushuang selected a piece of calligraphy and painting and said, "I want to buy this!"
Lin Ruqing and Lin Ruqing were whispering to each other about things that couldn't be discussed in public when they were suddenly startled by a noise coming from very close behind them.
They all turned around and saw a richly dressed little girl waving a scroll, jumping and skipping, muttering that she wanted to buy it.
Looking at the book box beside her, it had been thoroughly searched and was in disarray, indicating that she had been there for quite some time and had overheard much of their conversation.
With suspicions that his actions might be exposed, and the girl being noisy and jumping around, the boy was annoyed. He pulled a long face and shoved Wushuang, warning her in a harsh voice, "Get lost, don't interfere with what I'm doing."
Wushuang was pushed so hard that she landed on her bottom, knocking over her book box and causing the scroll to fall from her hands. She was stunned for a moment, then kicked her short legs and burst into tears.
Chu Yao had already started going down the stairs while Wu Shuang was examining the scrolls, but he was still a step too late, causing her to suffer. He quickly rushed up to pick up Wu Shuang and comfort her.
Chu Ye rushed up to the boy, grabbed him by the collar, and scolded, "What kind of hero bullies little girls? If you're so capable, fight me. Only if you win will you prove your skill."
Although they usually act very modestly, members of the royal family are naturally extraordinary in bearing, and coupled with their agile physique due to their martial arts training since childhood.
The young man immediately realized the other person was someone of great importance, and couldn't help but regret his momentary lapse in judgment, having offended someone. In an instant, his expression changed, and he bowed his head, repeatedly apologizing.
Wushuang put on a very difficult act of crying, her little face turning red, but she didn't shed many tears. Not wanting to give herself away, she rubbed her little face against Chu Yao's shoulder to cover it up.
"I want my painting." She choked up, still repeating, "Chu Yao, I want my painting."
Chu Xu kindly went to help pick up the paintings, but the book box had been overturned and the scrolls were scattered all over the floor. They looked almost identical, so he couldn't tell them apart. He scratched his head and asked Wushuang, "Which one do you want to buy? What does it depict?"
“Heaven rewards diligence.” Wushuang answered, sobbing. “Father said that God likes diligent people, and that you will reap what you sow. I heard that this brother is the youngest scholar in Hangzhou. I want to buy his painting and give it to my cousin to wish him success in the imperial examination.”
Although Lin Ruqing had not yet done anything wrong, he was still feeling guilty. Upon hearing that the other party recognized him and that someone in his family was going to take the imperial examination, he immediately wanted to leave. He hurriedly helped search for the items and then said, "I'll just give them to you as an apology on behalf of my friend for his rudeness earlier."
"No way!" Wushuang refused resolutely, shouting loudly, "Father said that buying things without spending money is robbery, which is the act of bandits. Our family are law-abiding citizens, we will not be bandits!"
Since Wushuang started crying, the other guests in the hall had been glancing over. Now, hearing her speak in such a funny and engaging way, they couldn't help but laugh.
Lin Ruqing hadn't expected such a difficult little girl, so she had no choice but to give in to her. She accepted two taels of silver from Chu Yao, then stuffed all the other books and paintings back into her book box before hurriedly leaving with the boy.
Wu Shuang was completely satisfied. Her little face was still covered in tears, but she was all smiles. She swung her short legs, which were hanging down from Chu Yao's arm, and said, "Chu Yao, let's go upstairs and deliver the painting to Third Cousin. Then he will be the youngest scholar in Hangzhou! Let's go, let's go!"
Yang Tianxing was only ten years old. It was already a miracle that he passed the county and prefectural examinations. This last hurdle was not so easy to pass. Many people in their seventies or eighties still did their studies as children, participating in the minor examinations year after year, and never achieving official rank until their death.
Chu Yao chuckled as he wiped away Wu Shuang's tears and coaxed her, "Okay, let's go upstairs."
After saying that, he leaned in and kissed her rosy, adorable little face.
Wushuang, who was excitedly shaking and cheering, suddenly quieted down, pursed her lips, lowered her head, and her little face turned even redder.
What are you doing in public like this?!
So embarrassing!
"Mmm—" She buried her face shyly in Chu Yao's shoulder.
I'm so ashamed I can't face anyone!
Chu Yao reached out and poked Wu Shuang's soft waist, teasing her with a smile, "Why are you shy? It's not like we've never kissed before."
Wushuang felt ticklish and couldn't help but giggle, but in her heart she was wailing. To be harassed in broad daylight and not even allowed to be shy was truly unreasonable!