Chapter 61 School Examination

Ten days was neither fast nor slow. But it was a big event for the people in Yanjing City. Firstly, it was the Imperial College exam, a time for young talents to show their talents. Secondly, it was also the Mingyi Hall exam, where the young ladies from official families showed off their talents.

This happens every year, but this year, there is a bigger gimmick. It is the bet between the second daughter of the Prime Minister, Miss Jiang, and the legitimate daughter of Chengxuanlang. Whoever loses will have to kneel down and apologize in public. Yanjing City has not encountered such a thing for many years. It is a big deal to watch the excitement, so everyone from the officials to the common people are waiting to watch the excitement.

Among the crowd of people watching the excitement, most of them were on Meng Hongjin's side. The reason was simple: anyone with brains and eyes would not choose Jiang Li. Miss Meng's past performance in Mingyi Hall was considered excellent, but Miss Jiang Er was like a child who had just started school. What could she use to compete with others?

There were also people who didn't follow the crowd and insisted on supporting Miss Jiang. When everyone asked why, that person stroked his chin and showed a lewd smile: "If Miss Jiang won first, Miss Meng would have to take off her outer clothes and kneel down to apologize at the gate of the Imperial College. Miss Meng is also a daughter of a wealthy family. It would be a great pleasure to see her take off her outer clothes. In comparison, it is of course more cost-effective for Miss Jiang to win. I choose Miss Jiang!"

This reason was so obscene that everyone spat at him and ignored him.

When Meng Hongjin's carriage passed by the street, she could still hear those people talking about her. She was extremely angry and hated Jiang Li even more.

Jiang Li's three bets, especially the last one, were talked about with great relish, but they didn't expect that it would be a shame for a young girl like her to be able to take off her clothes. The master of the Meng family was furious and reprimanded her. Meng Hongjin had never suffered such a big loss before. Before the school exam even started, she was already at a disadvantage.

"I will definitely destroy her reputation this time!" she vowed.

On the other side, the Jiang family’s carriage was also on the way to Mingyi Hall.

This time, Jiang Youyao waited for Jiang Li for the first time in her life. Although she and Jiang Li did not ride in the same carriage, the two carriages moved one after the other and finally left the mansion together.

Jiang Yuanbai probably thought that out of sight, out of mind, he didn't even send her off. Instead, Madam Jiang asked a maid to talk to Jiang Li, telling her to just do her best and not to take it too seriously, which surprised Jiang Li.

Jiang Jingyou and Jiang Jingrui also wanted to take the Imperial College entrance examination, and they left early. Jiang Jingyou and Jiang Li were not very familiar with each other, and Jiang Li guessed from Jiang Jingrui's appearance that he was just going to take the Imperial College entrance examination as a formality and get the lowest ranking.

Jiang Li sat in the carriage, wondering what rank Ye Shijie would get in this exam. If Ye Shijie performed well, he could be promoted to an official position after the Imperial College exam, without having to wait until the next spring exam. Although being the top scholar was a great honor, taking the Imperial College exam was a more stable path. After all, many top scholars in the past did not have a smooth career path after becoming officials.

Apart from Shen Yurong, he has reached his current position not necessarily without the support of Princess Yongning behind him.

Thinking of Shen Yurong, Jiang Li's eyes dimmed slightly.

Tong'er thought Jiang Li was worried about today's school exam, so she took out a piece of honey jujube flower crumbs from a cake box and handed it to Jiang Li, comforting her: "Miss, don't worry. The old lady also said that you don't have to take this school exam to heart. Besides, the master will arrange everything. Remember, you are the daughter of the Jiang family, the daughter of the Prime Minister, and no one dares to do anything to you."

This means that even if Jiang Li lost, she could still cheat and not have to fulfill the bet.

Jiang Li took the broken jujube flowers, smiled and touched Tong'er's head. Tong'er was still too naive. Not to mention whether this would work, the Chengxuan Lang, Meng Hongjin's father, Lord Meng seemed to have a close relationship with the Right Prime Minister Li's family. If you have a relationship with the Right Prime Minister, you are the enemy of the Jiang family. How could the Meng family miss such an opportunity? If Jiang Li loses, Jiang Yuanbai can naturally suppress it with power, but the Meng family will definitely make a fuss later and embarrass Jiang Yuanbai in the court. For the Meng family and the Jiang family, this is not just a bet between the two young ladies. The deep meaning and reputation behind it are far more serious than this bet.

"I know." Jiang Li took a bite of the crushed jujube flowers. The sweet taste made her smile even sweeter. "I'll do my best."

When they arrived at the entrance of Mingyi Hall, many people had already come to the inspection room. When they saw Jiang Li coming, they looked her up and down, and burst into laughter from time to time. It was obvious that they were laughing at her.

The six arts, calligraphy, etiquette, and mathematics, were all written on test paper in the examination room, and the results were announced five days later. After that, archery, charioteering, and music were all performed in public in the examination room of Mingyi Hall, and the results were announced on the spot.

Therefore, the school examinations of Mingyi Hall are considered to be very fair and impartial, and do not allow for any partiality.

Meng Hongjin saw Jiang Li, smiled and walked forward, pretending to breathe a sigh of relief, saying: "Miss Jiang Er came so late, I thought she didn't dare to come."

"How could that be?" Jiang Li smiled, "I take the bet with Miss Meng to heart."

"That's good." Meng Hongjin laughed fiercely, "I hope Miss Jiang II wins well and lives up to everyone's expectations."

Meng Hongjin emphasized the words "live up to everyone's expectations" very strongly. Everyone knows that the "popular choice" must not be Jiang Li.

Jiang Li smiled and nodded, as if she didn't take Meng Hongjin's words to heart. Jiang Youyao also stepped forward with Jiang Yu'e. Jiang Youyao looked at Jiang Li worriedly and said, "Second sister, you haven't practiced at home these few days. Today... don't force yourself."

Since they had never practiced at home, people around them laughed at them, so Jiang Li had no chance of winning. Some people even couldn't wait to see how badly Jiang Li lost.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "Third sister has been practicing every day, and I hope that today's test will be worthy of Third sister's hard work these days and give her something in return."

"Thank you for your kind words, second sister." Jiang Youyao couldn't help but smile sweetly, feeling proud. Ji Shuran had spent a lot of energy and effort to train her for this school exam. In order to use Jiang Li's vulgarity to highlight her talent in front of everyone, Jiang Youyao felt yearning for stepping on Jiang Li to pave the way for herself.

Jiang Yu'e looked at Jiang Li, her eyes unable to hide her arrogance. Although her status was not as high as Jiang Li's and she was not Jiang Yuanbo's daughter, in terms of talent and intelligence, Jiang Li was far inferior to her. This time, Jiang Li was definitely going to lose face.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the time was almost up, so everyone entered the examination room and sat upright on their chairs, waiting for the supervisor to arrive.

It's a battle of success or failure.

(End of this chapter)