Chapter 398

Then there was the scene after the imperial examination ended.

The young man and woman nimbly climbed onto the carriage, not forgetting to greet the remaining three people, "Get on quickly, let's go home."

Fang Heng was agile, and in the blink of an eye he appeared at the shaft.

Wen Zhiyun followed closely behind, seeming a little weak and needing his brothers to lend a hand.

When it came to Xu Mo, although he didn't know what tricks his younger siblings were up to, his natural trust made him not think too much. He laughed and got on the carriage.

It was dusk, and the sky was overcast.

Jiang Wu drove the carriage, listening to the young masters talking inside, and strangely felt that the years were peaceful and nothing more.

"The Jiuzhen Store should be closed. Let's go straight home to find Auntie," Jiang Sheng said, leaning on his cheek. "I wonder if Auntie can come up with new pastries after a day's work."

"It's fine if she doesn't come up with new ones. Just improving the old ones will do," Zheng Ruqian agreed.

That made sense. As soon as Jiang Sheng returned home, he went straight to the kitchen, and sure enough he saw Zhang Xianglian and Master Kong, the newlywed couple, stoking the fire.

"Oh, Uncle is here too," she greeted them sweetly. "It's really embarrassing to have Uncle cook for us every day."

Master Kong snorted arrogantly, "Wherever Xianglian is, I am. She can't rest easy about you all, so I can only come to help."

From their wedding until now, the couple had only stayed at the Kong residence for the first three days. The rest of the time they were either busy at the Jiuzhen Store or back at the second courtyard cooking.

If they didn't still need to go back to the Kong residence to rest, Master Kong would even have the illusion that he didn't marry Zhang Xianglian and bring her home, but rather Zhang Xianglian married him away.

The deed to the small courtyard was in Zhang Xianglian's hands anyway, so it was only right and proper for them to go back to her home. Master Kong could only follow along obediently, helping out when asked and doing chores when needed.

Occasionally when he encountered Jiang Sheng coquetting with his auntie, he also had to step up unhesitatingly.

"What, you want to make pastries?" Master Kong asked in a loud voice. "Is business bad at the Jiuzhen Store?" "No, it's not that," Jiang Sheng answered crisply. "I want to make some high-end pastries to sell to the wealthy households in Fengjing. But time is tight, and it's a bit difficult for Auntie."

"With Big Brother passing the imperial exam, we can spread his fame and the pastries will sell themselves even if we don't try," she said with a slight nod.

Zhang Xianglian also watched the storefront for a long time. She was no longer the timid, apprehensive little housewife from before.

The difficulties in business were reputation and popularity. The former could still be earned through diligent hard work, while the latter required the right time, place, people and harmony.

With Xu Mo advancing step-by-step through the exams all the way to the palace exam, whether or not he placed first, he was someone who could catch the eye of Fengjing. If he was lucky enough to place first, he would be a living signboard.

Even disregarding all that, just seeing Jiang Sheng's eager appearance, Zhang Xianglian couldn't bear to refuse. She firmly nodded her head in agreement, "Alright."

That night, the couple got busy right away.

They didn't rest until late into the night.

The next day, they came back before daylight again, pondering, researching, mixing, testing, rejecting, only making the pastries they were most satisfied with.

When the children woke up, they all came over to try, drink tea, critique, and make suggestions.

The whole courtyard was immersed in busyness, with no time to pay attention to the outside world's winds and rains.

And because of this, they missed the sensational gossip in Fengjing, as well as the debate over which family placed first in the exam.

What happened at the palace exam was no secret. The news spread quickly, and the influential families were not the only ones privy to it.

Even the underground money houses set up betting on whether Xu Mo or Fang Yuan would place first.

Or if both would be ranked at the same time.

Here there was an important prerequisite: Fang Yuan and Xu Mo were involved in the shocking exam fraud case that rocked the Great Yu Dynasty last year. From the Fengting prefecture to the Jinluan Hall, no one could discern the truth or pick out the cheater.

To find the facts, the imperial court ordered a re-examination, and as a result both were on the list.

Xu Mo's passing as Top Scholar proved himself, leading many to conclude that it was the Fang family who had committed fraud in the exams, recklessly bullying the children of common families.

Unexpectedly, Fang Yuan also passed as a tribute student. Although it was a middling ranking, the exams were rigorous with no evidence found, and making the list proved he had ability. Even deities descending to earth might not necessarily pass as Top Scholar every time.

As such, the palace exam became the most critical decision.

There was no doubt about Xu Mo's excellence. His strategy of punishing then rewarding with sweet dates, even the Three Dukes and Three Lords would have to praise as ingenious. His splashing ink and wielding brush at the palace exam were even transcribed and collected in the Wenchang Pavilion, known as the beautiful work of the Green Bamboo Gentleman. Although Fang Yuan's thinking provoked dissatisfaction among many elite families, it resonated with the imperial court's heart, arousing support among the commoners. Adding his golden words at the Jinluan Hall last year, it seemed he also had victory firmly in hand.

So in addition to betting on each of them placing first, the money houses also offered an option for "both placing at the same time".

But the common folk of Fengjing were no fools.

Last year when neither had yet been involved in the fraud case that shocked the Jinluan Hall, if they both placed first this year, wouldn't that be slapping the imperial court's face - hedging over which one cheated?

If someone could cheat in the exams, where in the realm was justice still found?

The people's hearts would shatter, and the country would soon collapse.

Even if both were equally excellent, the court could only pick one for first place, forcing the other to bitterly settle for second.

So everyone looked forward to the decision - would they choose Xu Mo or Fang Yuan?

Choosing Fang Yuan meant giving up an outstanding young talent, going against the imperial court's original intention of promoting new blood.

Choosing Xu Mo meant offending the Fang family and abandoning the tax laws on the wealthy that intrigued the imperial court.

Carefully weighing it, exceptional new talents like Xu Mo were common, with a Top Scholar emerging every three years, greatly diminishing his brilliance.

By contrast, the Fang family scion had the backing of an elite clan. His bold proposal to tax the wealthy, even offering to submit personally first, appeared much more useful however you looked at it.

As long as the imperial court was not stupid, the choice seemed clear without a need to deliberate.

Thus, the Fang Yuan option was far more popular than Xu Mo at the underground money houses.

"I heard eight out of ten people who put money in the houses chose the Fang family son," the attendant beside the black-clothed youth whispered. "Two out of ten chose Xu Gongzi. The Crown Prince also bet three thousand taels of silver on the Fang family son placing first."

The black-clothed youth nodded, taking out five thousand silver notes from his robe. "Remember to place my bet."

Even though it was his entire fortune.

"Your Highness!" The attendant clearly knew the inside story. He cried out, "You must not! The Empress only left you this much money. What will you do if you lose it all?"

"Lose it all?" The black-clothed youth chuckled lowly. "Don't worry, I won't lose."

He took out the low-quality rouge from his sleeve, imitating his sister's style to apply it on his cheeks. Finally he withdrew his sleeves, "Father is still hesitating over which one to choose in the Taihe Hall. As his son, I should share some of his worries."

The palace walls towered high, the road stretched long.

He held the red thread in his palm, walking ahead calmly and confidently.

When the eunuch reported that the Crown Prince had also gone to the Taihe Hall, his expression remained unchanged, with only the corner of his mouth hooked in a smile of assured victory.