It seems that several days have passed since the day when the test results will be released, and there is no news from the capital yet. Although everyone in the Gu family has not said it explicitly, they all have speculations in their hearts. Fortunately, they are mentally prepared and will not be too disappointed. They just wait silently.

Gu Yunxiao returns.

After the county examination every year, the county magistrate would meet and encourage the top three as usual. On this day, Gu Yunji, neatly dressed, came to the county office early with Cheng Yan, the second, and Wei Xi, the third, to wait for Chen Rong's arrival.

After a while, a master with a mustache shouted outside the door: "The county magistrate is here!"

County Magistrate Chen Rong, wearing a brand new official uniform, with an official smile on his face, walked in the door with steady steps.

When the three of them saw this, they quickly stood up and saluted: "Students Gu Yunji, Cheng Yan, and Wei Xi have met the county magistrate."

Chen Rong kindly helped the three of them up and said, "They are all very young. The younger generation is to be feared. The younger generation is to be feared! We must work harder in the future to win the exam as soon as possible and bring glory to our Huating County!" If there are many Jinshi in the county,

It shows that the literary style here is flourishing, which is naturally also the county magistrate's political achievement.

Seeing Gu Yunji, the smile on Chen Rong's face became even brighter: "I read your paper, and the writing is as colorful as a flower, and it can be said that your writing is profound. In March this year, your eldest brother Gu Yunxiao won the exam, and now you have won the exam.

The person at the head of the case is a talented man, and he is worthy of being a descendant of the Gu family in Songjiang."

Then, he turned to Cheng Yan: "Cheng Yan, right? Master Yu from the county school has recommended you to me several times, saying that although you are from a humble background, you are extremely talented. If you hadn't started late, you would have been a scholar long ago. Look, you are a scholar."

Come on, he was indeed right."

Perhaps he had never enjoyed the honor of being received by his parents. Before Chen Rong could speak, Wei Xi, who was ranked third, was so excited that his face flushed with excitement. He knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Student Wei Xi, I admire the county magistrate already."

"Jiu, it's a great honor to see you honor me today! These are some poems written by students. Please correct me!" As he said that, he took out a few pieces of paper from his sleeves and handed them over.

Chen Rong was about to help him up, but when he saw this, his smile fell. He took the paper and threw it aside without looking at it. He said with a cold face: "My dynasty has always emphasized articles and neglected poetry. Don't you focus on the imperial examination?"

, actually delving into these clichés! How did the previous dynasty fall? It was because the deposed emperor spent all his time reciting poems and writing lyrics and neglecting state affairs!"

Seeing that Wei Xi was trembling with fright, his tone became a little gentler: "You are young, and it is understandable that you might go astray because your mind is not clear for a while. I will not pursue the case today, but you still have to keep your mind on the right path.

Just focus on the imperial examination."

"I heard that Luxi Academy will start recruiting students recently. You can submit your essays to try. If you are admitted, it will be your good fortune to study at Luxi Academy."

Luxi Academy is one of the most famous academies in the country. It is famous for sending out imperial examination talents. In each imperial examination, the entire academy can pass more than ten Jinshi and seventy or eighty candidates. Once you enter Luxi Academy to study, it is equivalent to one

With only one foot in the officialdom, it is the dream institution of countless students.

It’s a pity that Luxi Academy’s student resources are monopolized by aristocratic families. Every time they recruit students, they are selected from the children of officials. Without a letter of recommendation from an elder in the family, it is difficult for ordinary people to get in. Although the academy occasionally recruits students from the public, the number of seats is too large.

Few, unless you are particularly talented, this path will be difficult to follow.

Chen Rong didn't expect that the three people's articles would really be noticed by Luxi Academy. He just remembered it by chance and mentioned a few sentences casually.

After finishing his words of encouragement, everyone dispersed. As soon as Gu Yunji walked out of the county government office, he saw Xu Dong who looked anxious.

"Third Young Master! Please go back and take a look. The eldest young master is sick, very sick! He was carried back!"

"What? How could this happen?" Gu Yunji was taken aback and ran home quickly without having time to ask any more questions.

As soon as he entered Gu Yunxiao's yard, Gu Yunji smelled a strong smell of medicine. He frowned. When he entered the room, he saw Gu Yunxiao lying on the bed. His face was pale, his cheeks were sunken, and his lips had no color at all.

I have been ill for several days.

He walked over, held Gu Yunxiao's hand, and felt that he had lost a lot of weight, and asked: "Eldest brother was fine when he left, why is he so sick now? He didn't send any news to his family?"

Gu Kaizhen stood aside with his head lowered and pressed between his brows. He said nothing and couldn't see his expression clearly. Gu Yunxiao's servant's eyes were red from crying and he said out of breath: "Young Master, Young Master, he is

I caught wind and cold before the exam and had a bad cough. After the exam, I became even more seriously ill. I couldn’t even eat, so I just relied on one breath to hold on until the results were announced.”

"But, the eldest young master failed the exam. He collapsed all of a sudden. In just a few days, he was so thin that he was reduced to a handful of bones. We are not allowed to tell the master and his wife. There is no other way for the younger one, so we can only help the older one at the same time.

The young master rushed home while treating his illness, but after so long, the eldest young master's illness has not improved."

"What did the doctor say?"

Gu Kaizhen raised his head, feeling as sluggish as ten years older. He said in a hoarse voice: "The doctor said that the wind and cold were just the cause. Xiao'er was under too much pressure and suffered from depression. He put all his energy and energy into the examination.

When he saw that he had failed the exam, the spirit of support he had lost."

The more Gu Kaizhen talked, the more uncomfortable he became, and his voice became lower and lower later: "It's all my fault. I pushed him too hard. I always asked him to compare with his cousin, which put too much pressure on him.

…”

Hearing the noise, Gu Yunxiao slowly opened his eyes and saw Gu Yunji coming back. He tried his best to put on a smile and said weakly: "Third brother, you are back. How was your county examination?"

Seeing him like this, Gu Yunji felt uncomfortable, and said dullly: "I passed the exam, the case is over."

Gu Yunxiao's eyes lit up, he propped up half of his body and sat up, and he had the strength to speak: "Really? That's great. Big brother knows that you can do it."

After a while, the medicine was boiled, and Gu Yunxiao drank the medicine under the service of the servant. He sent everyone away on the pretext of taking a rest, but left Gu Yunji behind.

As the doctor said, Gu Yunxiao's illness was mainly in his heart. When he heard that Gu Yunji had taken the exam, he was in a happy mood and looked much better. When talking about failing in the examination, he looked lonely: "I'm useless, not like my cousin."

Gu Mingxuan, he passed the Jinshi exam in one try, how much face did he earn for his parents."

Gu Yunji comforted him and said, "Brother, you have done a great job. Your parents are very proud of you. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Gu Yunxiao closed his eyes and said to himself: "Last time I won the election, you see how happy my father and mother were. I have rarely seen them so happy. Therefore, my father also took us to Fucheng. You know, in previous years, my father felt that

I am worthless and have no face to see my grandfather."

"Actually, I know how much I weigh, and I don't have much confidence in this test. But I want them to be happy all the time, and I want my father to have more face in front of my grandfather to make up for his regrets. But... I let them down.

.”

Gu Yunji knew that his eldest brother always seemed to be gentle, but he kept everything in his heart and did not tell anyone. His parents' expectations, his grandfather's neglect, Gu Ming'an's contempt... one after another, they weighed heavily on him.

It left him breathless, and finally crushed him.

Gu Yunji held his hand tightly, not knowing what to say for a while. After a while, he said: "Brother, I understand. Don't worry, from now on, I will bear the burden of this family with you."

Yeah, I won’t make you so tired anymore.”

These words spoke to Gu Yunxiao's heart. He opened his eyes and looked into his brother's bright and determined eyes. A certain string in his heart relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and his whole body felt lighter than ever before.

"Okay, the third brother has now passed the criminal prosecution exam and is more promising than the eldest brother back then. I believe you."
Chapter completed!