Yazi couldn’t help but think more. Madam Zhou must be afraid that Zhou Gongshi would forget his original wife when he became an official. Yazi felt that he had guessed the truth!

Zhulan took the two deeds home. When she got home, Zhou Shuren came back.

There was a small stack of silver bills on the table. Zhulan picked them up and counted them. “Just as I guessed, it only increased tenfold.”

Four thousand taels of silver in her hand!

Zhou Shuren didn’t have much vision for investment. In modern times, he had never invested. He had never even bought financial products. He only knew how to save money!

He really admired Zhulan’s vision and decisiveness in investment. He worked hard but didn’t make as much as Zhulan did after a few transactions.

Zhulan took the silver bills, took out the box, put the house deeds and silver bills in it, closed it again, put it back in the box, and sat back in the chair, “Yao Zheyu must have realized your intention!”

“So what if he realized it? Anyway, the remaining land has been sold. I would rather sell it at a low price than give the remaining land to Yao Zheyu. I have already made my intention clear.”

Zhulan was a little worried, “Although you tore off the mask with Yao Zheyu, will he be annoyed with you and use his connections to target you after the announcement of the results?”

Zhou Shuren sipped his tea, “So I want to be in the first class. The officials in the first class are appointed immediately.”

Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief. There were only three people in the first class, the top scholar, the second place, and the third place, who were awarded the title of Jinshi Jidi. Zhulan patted Zhou Shuren’s hand, “Second place is not bad either.”

Zhou Shuren, “Yeah.”

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the palace examination. Zhou Shuren left in a carriage before dawn. According to modern times, the palace examination would begin at six in the morning, so they all took a carriage to the palace in the dark.

In ancient times, there were no watches, so people had to leave early, fearing that they would miss the time.

The palace examination lasted one day, and the papers were handed in at dusk. In this dynasty, there was no re-examination before the palace examination, so the examination was held directly. After the papers were handed in, they were sealed and reviewed by eight people. The papers were divided into five grades, and the eight people annotated the grades respectively. Finally, ten papers with the most annotations were selected and presented to the Emperor, and finally, the Emperor selected three people from the first class.

Zhulan had been looking in the direction of the palace since Zhou Shuren left. Today was the last step. What would happen in the future hinged on today.

Zhou Shuren didn’t have much pressure before, but because of Yao Zheyu’s disruption, Zhou Shuren was under the greatest pressure today.

The Zhou family was waiting, and lunch was not even delicious.

After dusk, Boss Zhou was guarding the gate of the house. The daytime in April was still not much longer. When Zhou Shuren and Wu Ming came back, it was completely dark.

Boss Zhou waited for the carriage to stop and walked forward quickly, “Dad.”

Zhou Shuren got out of the carriage before Wu Ming. After Wu Ming got off, Zhou Shuren said, “Is dinner ready?”

Boss Zhou saw that his father was in good spirits, and he felt relieved. He smiled and said, “It’s been prepared a long time ago. The dishes made today are all the ones that Dad and Mom like.”

Boss Zhou looked at Wu Ming and paused, “There are also two dishes that Wu Ming likes.”

Wu Ming, “.”

He just came by the way, in fact, there was no need to mention it specifically.

Zhou Shuren was really hungry. Although there were snacks prepared for the palace examination, and the snacks in the palace were indeed delicious, few people dared to eat more. He liked to eat but didn’t eat more. Now his stomach was singing.

Zhou Shuren quickened his pace, and when he entered the main hall, he saw a table full of dishes, and his stomach was singing even louder.

Zhulan smiled, “Go wash your hands and eat.”

“Ok!”

In the evening, Zhou Shuren and Wu Ming ate the most. They were completely relaxed after the last exam. Zhulan and others were thinking about the results three days later and didn’t eat much.

After dinner, Yang Zhumu didn’t rush back to the house in Xicheng. He asked curiously, “Mèifu, did you see the Emperor?”

Zhou Shuren, “Yes.”

Could he say that they only saw each other briefly? No matter how brave he was, he didn’t dare to stare at the Emperor!

Yang Zhumu was excited, “How is His Majesty? Is it as the folk rumors say?”

Zhulan almost sprayed the tea in her mouth. He doesn’t know if it was because of the fear of the Emperor. There were so many folk rumors!

Zhou Shuren’s mouth twitched, “I only saw him once. The Emperor was thin and his face was blocked by his beard. I didn’t dare to look directly at his face. I didn’t see his specific appearance clearly, but judging from his outline, he should be good-looking.”

Yang Zhumu was a little disappointed. The Emperor who was decisive in killing was not the image of a military commander he had imagined. According to his mèifu, he was a weak scholar. Yang Zhumu couldn’t help but look at his mèifu a few more times. When a weak scholar was ruthless, he was really a ruthless person.

Yang Zhumu had his mèifu as a comparison and accepted the image of the Emperor. He didn’t want to ask his mèifu how he did in the exam today. He stood up and said, “I’m going back to my house in Xicheng.”

Zhou Shuren stood up, “Dàjiùzi, I’ll take you there.”

Yang Zhumu waved his hand, “You’ve been tired all day, have a good rest.”

Zhou Shuren insisted on seeing Yang Zhumu out. He always did a good job of saving face.

Zhulan waited for Zhou Shuren to come back, “I’ll get you some hot water to wash your feet, go to bed early today.” Zhou Shuren was indeed a little sleepy. He had gotten up at three in the morning and had been highly focused during the day. Now he was feeling sleepy after a full meal. Zhou Shuren held Zhulan’s hand and said, “I’ll get some water myself. You’re tired today, too.” Then he went out.

Zhulan chuckled and made the bed. She was also a little sleepy. She woke up at the same time as Zhou Shuren got up.

After Zhulan and Zhou Shuren washed up, they fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, Zhao Bo came to the door. Zhao Bo was very confident in himself. Although everyone had guessed the questions for the exam, he had prepared a lot. He felt that he could enter the first class this time, but he would not feel at ease if he did not come to Zhou’s house. Zhou Shuren understood Zhao Bo’s intention, but it was a pity that Zhao Bo’s wish would not come true. To seek balance, the top three in the first class couldn’t come from the same place. It was a good reputation for the top three to come from the same place, but if the top three came from the same place, it would be a shame.

He was confident because his answers were indeed good. On the way back yesterday, he had asked Wu Ming about it, and he felt more confident.

After listening to Zhao Bo’s answers, Zhou Shuren shook his head. Even if it wasn’t for balance, Zhao Bo still couldn’t get into the first class. Zhao Bo came with confidence and left with disappointment. His uneasiness came true.

The results were announced on the third day, and there were crowds of people under the list. Today, not only people were looking at the list, but also many people were watching the excitement.

(End of this chapter)

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