Chapter 162 — The Metropolitan Examination
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 4 of 4
The people around him were called in for questioning every few days.
Ji Yong reckoned he had nothing he feared others might learn, and gave it no thought. After giving away all the books in the Shuntian prefectural school residence to Dou Yong and Dou Huaide, he had meant to make a trip to Daxing, but reflected that the court examination was only days away; if he placed well in it, he would be able to direct the Ji family stewards to act on his behalf, whereas rushing about now like a headless fly was both tiring and fruitless in gathering news. Better to wait for the court examination results to be posted. So he moved back to Yuqiao Alley, dug out ten years' worth of the official gazette, and sought instruction from his uncle and father, studying the sovereign's inclinations and pondering every circumstance the court examination might present. When the metropolitan examination results came out at the end of the second month, Ji Yong had placed fourth.
The Ji family could no longer conceal their joy—nor had they any need to.
At Ji Yong's age, even a poor showing in the court examination would still earn him the title of tanhua.
Yet Ji Yong's expression was as ordinary as ever; he did as he always did, while muttering inwardly: Could Dou Yan truly have guessed it right? That I can only be summoned to the palace for the reading of the roll…
Han-shi watched in burning anxiety. In private she said to her husband: "Even this cannot give Fourth Miss Dou some account of herself?" This earned her a glare from Ji Qi, who could not refrain from rebuking his wife: "What nonsense are you talking?"
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o(n_n)o~
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