Soon, the gate of Fucheng was visible in the distance.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, there were many people visiting relatives and friends. People came and went at the city gate, and cars and horses were diverted. The Gu family waited in line for a long time before entering the city.

As soon as they entered Songjiang Fucheng, the Gu family went straight to Dongcheng District. The poor were on the left and the rich were on the right. The Gu family's mansion in Songjiang was located in the most affluent and prosperous street in Dongcheng District.

Outside the side door of the Gu family's residence, Gu Kaizhen and others parked their carriages and horses here, then walked to the main gate, handed the greeting card and gift list to the concierge, and then walked in with their clothes on.

The concierge briefly read the greeting card, then turned around and trotted loudly to announce: "The second master of Huating County is here to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival!"

The red-lacquered gate is grand and grand, and the layout of the mansion is regular and orderly. When you enter the door, you can see carved beams and painted buildings, cornices and brackets. Pavilions and pavilions in the distance can be vaguely seen. Strange flowers and trees are beside the path, and a stream flows from the flowers and trees.

It winds around and merges into a pool with a rockery next to it, and the sound of gurgling water can be heard.

Along the way, Gu Yunji lamented that the prosperity of Songjiang City was not comparable to that of Huating County. Now he saw the splendor of Gu's mansion, which made the Gu family in Huating County even more shabby.

A middle-aged man in fine clothes and a slightly plump figure came out with a smile: "Hey, second brother, I haven't seen you for several years, and I don't want to move around much. Father misses you very much."

Gu Kaizhen smiled and cupped his hands: "How are you, big brother? Didn't Yu brother come to visit you with his wife and children?" After saying that, he turned to Gu Yunji and the others and said, "Quick, come and see your uncle."

The three of them came forward to meet Li, and Gu Kaili seemed to see the Gu Yunji brothers. He looked at them one by one and said affectionately: "Hey, these are my nephews. They have grown so big! All of them.

They are all talented people!"

"Uncle, I heard, Yunxiao, you passed the imperial examination! You won the exam in the first attempt, and you are only nineteen years old. It is not easy! You must work harder in the future, and become a Jinshi as soon as possible, so that you can shine on the lintel of my Gu family!"

"Look at Yunlin. He has beautiful eyebrows and a well-proportioned figure. He is such a handsome young man. He looks exactly like your father when he was young!"

"And Yun...Yunji, yes! You're so old! Your uncle even hugged you when you were a child!" Gu Kaili could hardly remember his name, and could barely remember his nephew, who had no memory of him.

I couldn't think of any decent compliments. But he didn't seem to care at all. He patted Gu Yunji on the shoulder, looking very affectionate.

The corners of Gu Yunji's eyes twitched, a standard fake smile appeared on his face, and he responded with a few perfunctory words. He felt that Gu Kaili was simply too enthusiastic, and his nephew, whom he had never met a few times, was so close to him that he said it was nothing. He had heard it earlier

This uncle, who was a fellow acquaintance, was a well-rounded man, and it was very natural for him to be greeted and sent off in the officialdom. When we saw him today, he certainly lived up to his reputation.

Several people were talking and laughing as they walked towards the main hall.

In the main hall, an old man with gray hair and good spirits was sitting upright. This was Gu Zhengde, the head of the Gu clan.

After receiving the gift from Gu Kaizhen's family, Gu Zhengde smiled and nodded, his eyes falling on Gu Yunxiao: "I heard that Xiaoer passed the Enke Township Examination this time. Where did he rank? Will he go to Beijing to take the examination this year?"

Gu Yunxiao stepped forward and said respectfully: "Returning to my grandfather, my grandson ranked thirty-seventh in the exam and is preparing to take the national examination in Beijing."

Gu Zhengde stroked his beard and smacked his hand. Thirty-seventh place was not high, but he won in one exam. He was still young and had good talent. He would have a lot to do in the future. Thinking of this, he added: "You can do it."

Article? Show it to me."

Gu Zhengde was a former official and became a grand master. He had presided over several scientific examinations and had been immersed in the officialdom all his life. He had a sharp eye and knew the level of the candidates at a glance.

Gu Yunxiao handed over the article he had prepared long ago. Gu Zhengde read it carefully from beginning to end and said bluntly: "Well, I have good knowledge, but my writing skills are still a bit immature. It will be no problem to take the provincial examination. If I can take the test... I will have a chance."

Not big."

Gu Yunxiao said: "My grandson also knows how much he weighs. He just thought that the test will be held in the capital. Under the emperor's feet, things are different after all. If he takes the test next time, he will gain knowledge. Even if he fails, he will not succeed."

nothing."

Gu Zhengde nodded: "Well, it is also good to accumulate more experience." Speaking of this, he remembered something again, "I remember that the person who presided over the interview this year was Zhao Zhixiong, the Minister of Household Affairs, who was the general judge in Guangping Mansion.

At that time, I was still his Shangguan, so we had some friendship. Well, I will write you a post later, and you can visit him after you arrive in the capital to find out the examiner's temperament and preferences, which will be very helpful for the imperial examination.

.”

Hearing this, Gu Yunxiao was overjoyed and knelt down and kowtowed: "My grandson thanks my grandfather."

Gu Zhengde was very willing to support the younger generation who were making progress. He waved his hand and said, "You are a descendant of my Gu family. It doesn't matter. Okay, it's almost time. Let's start the banquet."

Men and women were seated separately, and everyone was seated in order of age. Gu Kaizhen and his brothers sat at a table with Gu Zhengde and Gu Zhenglu, the old man from the second room, while Gu Yunji sat at a table with the juniors in the corner.

At the banquet, Gu Yunji tried to pick up some food several times, but a young man in blue across from him grabbed it with his chopsticks. He endured it several times and still refused to restrain himself. When he was about to have an attack, Gu Yunxiao tugged at his sleeve under the table.

, whispered: "This is my uncle's second son, Gu Ming'an. My aunt has always favored him and has a bit of a domineering temper. Please be patient and don't cause trouble."

Gu Yunji glanced sideways at the young man in blue, swallowed his breath and prepared to continue eating.

Gu Ming'an snorted lightly when he saw this, and pointedly said to the person next to him: "Look at this carp, it is so thin and small. It swam through a few stone cracks, and it seemed as if it had been hit. It ran to him.

Those who crossed the dragon gate showed off in front of their relatives, but little did they know that they plunged into the fishermen's nets and were born to be others' meals."

These words were clearly alluding to Gu Yunxiao. Gu Yunxiao didn't want the other party to be so disrespectful to him, and his face turned blue with anger. Gu Yunlin next to him couldn't bear it after hearing this. He put down his chopsticks, stood up and slapped him hard.

Standing at the table, he yelled: "Gu Ming'an! Who are you talking about!"

Gu Ming'an was not in a hurry, and said leisurely: "Let's talk to whoever answers."

Gu Yunxiao suppressed the fire in his heart, pulled Gu Yunlin's clothes and pushed him to sit down, and said angrily: "Cousin Ming'an, I'm afraid you may have misunderstood something. Our family came here today just to spend the Dragon Boat Festival with my grandfather and uncle.

, you don’t mean to show off. We’re all a family, there’s no need to say that, right?”

Gu Ming'an leaned back with disdain and said with disdain: "Who and your family are so shameless. We haven't interacted with each other for a few years, but when I was elected, I rushed over to seek relatives. No wonder I am a commoner and short-sighted."

"You should learn from my wise third uncle. He is also a concubine. He knows to stay in his own Fengxian County well and not to come together to seek bad luck for others. How can he be like you, licking his face and attacking others?

It's just a stick on the body. It's just for lifting people up. What's there to be happy about? I don't even urinate to look at myself."
Chapter completed!