On the thirteenth day of the third month, the day the mathematics results were released. Yu Shu dressed up as a man early in the morning and combed her hair neatly. When she went out, she heard the chirping of the magpies in the branches. She sat in the carriage and made a divination. It was a good omen.
In the guesthouse, Liu Tan saw Yu Shu and immediately asked, "Miss Yu, what good news do you have?"
Yu Shu chuckled and bowed her head. She cupped her hands and said, "Your Highness is teasing me. I am just happy that I can enter Taishi Library after today."
This was only one aspect. After today, she could still be a great fortune-teller and a Hidewon title. Although it wasn't as high as the great fortune-teller of two rankings, it was much better than being a merchant.
The group of people took a sedan chair to the Shuangyang Association and coincidentally met Prince Ning's entourage at the foot of Qiongyu Pavilion.
"Seventh Brother." Liu Tan led his people to greet him. There was no one present who had a higher status than Prince Ning. When they saw him, they had to bow.
"Greetings to Prince Ning."
"Dispense with the formalities. Eleventh Brother, you drank too much at the banquet last night. Did you have a headache this morning? " Liu Hao always acted like a brother in public. He walked forward and put his hand on Liu Tan's shoulder and affectionately went upstairs with him.
Yu Shu fell behind. When she walked to the corner of the second floor, she heard someone call her.
"Miss Lotus Room."
Yu Shu turned her head to look at Ji Xingxuan, who was standing a few steps down the stairs. Her eyes flickered. Yu Shu moved two steps to the side and held the railing to make way for the imperial bodyguards behind her. When there were only the two of them on the stairs, she straightened her sleeves and stood up straight. She raised her arms above her ears and bowed to Ji Xingxuan, "Greetings to Great Teacher Ji."
Ji Xingxuan narrowed her eyes slightly, lifted the hem of her dress, and walked up the stairs. She stood in front of Yu Shu and stared at her bowing with hands folded in front. She leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'll ask you again. Are you sure you don't want to give me the rest of the Liuyao lines?"
Yu Shu raised her hand and did not speak. She thought to herself that Ji Xingxuan was really patient. After so many days, she came to threaten her again.
"Alright. When today's results are released, I will report the affair between you and the Eleventh Prince to Ning Wang. You better pray for good luck. "
Ji Xingxuan sneered as her fair fingers brushed past Yu Shu's collar. Without looking at her expression, he turned around and went upstairs.
Yu Shu slowly put down her raised arm and stared at Ji Xingxuan's retreating back with a deep gaze. She flicked her collar with her fingernails and stood alone in the corridor for a while before slowly making her way upstairs.
It wasn't that she wasn't worried. It was that worrying was useless. She had shouldered so many disasters in the past. If she was afraid of trouble, she would not be Yu Shu.
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Liu Hao looked at Ji Xingxuan who was leisurely sitting down and asked, "Why did you take so long to come up?"
"I just had a few words with Miss Yu at the Ninth Prince's seat on the stairs."
Liu Hao raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What did she say? "
Ji Xingxuan shook her head, "When the Double Yang Meeting ends today, I will tell His Highness in detail."
Liu Hao rubbed his chin with interest. Looking in the direction of Liu Tan, he saw Yu Shu walking over in a long blue robe. Her features were elegant. Her mannerisms were elegant but they left more of an impression than when she was dressed in female clothing.
This unassuming young girl was able to escort the Daozi to the capital, was able to call Xue Rui brother, and was the instigator of the destruction of the Ji family.
It was hard for him not to pay attention to her.
Yu Shu did not know that Liu Hao was watching her. After asking for permission from Liu Tan, she was allowed to sit with Xin Liu and talk about the Taishi Library. On the arena by the river, there was a literary competition today. There was only one subject left in the Dayan, mathematics. It was going to end today, so the barbarians had nothing left to fight for.
What was left were the scholars for the imperial examination. However, among the two lists, the Emperor's disciples were chosen by the Palace Examination, so the princes could not overstep the rules. And the weight of the Jinshi in the previous list was less than that of the Dayan.
Therefore, the princes wanted to determine who was better in the Twin Suns Gathering. This could be considered as the final competition.
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The morning passed just like that. Yu Shu still had some expectations for today's list. Firstly, she did not want Ji Xingxuan to help Ning Wang take the top three again. Secondly, she wanted to know what rank she would get. A conservative estimate was that she would be in the top ten. If she could really make it into the top three, then it would be great.
At noon, the drums were beating on the river. The two censors in charge of supervising today's announcement stood on the arena as usual and announced the names of the princes that had been sealed yesterday.
Liu Tan listened attentively. As expected, among the three on Liu Hao's list were two of Old Teacher Han Wenguang's personal disciples. He exchanged a look with Helan Chou and knew what was going on.
The Eighth Prince Liu Du wasn't as patient as Liu Tan. He complained to Liu Hao across a few tables, "I was wondering why we couldn't invite Old Mister Han's disciple. It turns out that the Seventh Brother beat us to it."
Liu Hao laughed heartily and turned his head to look at Ji Xingxuan. Seeing her nod slightly to show that she was confident, he could not help but feel satisfied as if victory was in his hands.
Liu Hao's eyes flickered as he turned to look at Liu Tan's tranquil appearance. Then, he suddenly said in a loud and clear voice, "Ninth Brother, there is only one subject left in this year's Grand Yan Examination. How about you and Seventh Brother decide who is better here?"
Liu Tan did not expect this and frowned slightly. He had already gotten what he wanted from the Double Yang Meeting. If this continued, it did not matter to him whether he won or lost. But his Seventh Brother, Liu Hao, was different. If he won, he would have stolen the limelight. If he lost, it would mean that he was no match for his younger brother and his reputation would be swept to the ground.
However, Liu Hao openly proposed to decide the winner and loser with him, bypassing the other brothers. Without Liu Du and Liu Tan as a stepping stone, Liu Tan's victory would be worthy of celebration, but if he lost, it would mean that he had overestimated himself and all his previous efforts would be in vain.
Liu Tan quickly weighed the pros and cons and decided to say perfunctory words. At this critical juncture, he could not go head to head with Liu Hao. However, Liu Hao's next words blocked his words.
"It is said that Ninth Brother has been recuperating in the mountains for many years and his temperament has stabilized. Why is he still acting like a timid child!"
There was a sudden silence on the third floor. Liu Tan's expression changed. He stared at Liu Hao, who was smiling as he spoke. Liu Tan slowly curled his lips and stood up from his chair. He cupped his hands and said, "Seventh Brother is joking again. Since this is the case, I will not decline. You and I, brothers, will decide the winner and loser in this match."
In the imperial court, there were few who did not know the Emperor's joy and anger. He admired those who were both brave and intelligent. On the contrary, he hated those who were timid. If Liu Tan became the subject of ridicule, even if he won the Double Yang Meeting, he would still be at a disadvantage.
Liu Hao's method of winning was not honorable. However, as the elder brother, Liu Tan was still weaker than him. He could not openly criticize him, so he could only accept the humiliation.
Liu Hao had succeeded in his goal. His expression was joyful. "Haha, this is satisfying. Regardless of the outcome, after the Double Yang Meeting ends today, us brothers will go for a drink! "
The two of them made an agreement. Liu Du and Liu Tan instantly became the contrast. Liu Du was dissatisfied and cursed under his breath. However, he did not show his displeasure on his face.
Yu Shu watched as Liu Hao threw the line. Liu Tan had to take the bait. Once again, he sighed at the open and covert strife in the Double Yang Meeting.
From her standpoint, she naturally hoped to see Ning Wang fail. Therefore, she had another kind of anticipation for today's ranking.
Time passed quickly. Everyone in the Qiongyu Building was in high spirits because of the bet between Liu Hao and Liu Tan. They heard that there was a fast horse galloping towards them from the riverbank. They all left their seats and stood by the railing to wait. They could not wait to know the result.
Yu Shu and Xin Liu also leaned against the railing and looked at the situation downstairs.
Those who copied the results jumped off their horses and onto the stage. They handed the sealed results to the imperial censor. After the two censors examined it, they passed it to each other. The older one announced, "Year Zhao Qing, Year Three of the Great Yan Examination, the sixth subject, Arithmetic. There are a total of sixty-four people — sixty-fourth place …"
Sixty-four people. In the Hundred Ranking, it was not too many.
Xin Liu moved closer to Yu Shu and and whispered into her ear. "I heard grandfather say a few days ago that this year's mathematics is very difficult. The questions are very skewed. According to the rules of the past, only those who can answer sixty percent of the questions correctly will have a chance to enter the rankings. Only those who can calculate without any mistakes will have the right to enter the top three. Maybe there will be an empty spot for this ranking. "
Yu Shu propped her arm with one hand and touched her chin with her finger. She listened to the censor announce the rankings. She thought that she had answered all the questions correctly. She did not know how many people were better than her.
When the censor read the forty-ninth place, Liu Du stood up in joy. After confirming that he had gotten one place, he raised his hands in a triumphant manner.
When the thirty-ninth place was read, the first person on Liu Tan's list appeared. Liu Hao was not worried at all about this. Instead, he smiled and congratulated Liu Tan.
At this time, Liu Tan could still maintain his composure. But luck did not seem to be on his side today. The remaining two people on the list did not make it into the top ranks. They appeared at the thirty-first and twenty-second places.
Even though all three were on the rankings, Liu Tan did not have any trump cards. On Liu Hao's side, Han Wenguang's two disciples had not been read yet. It was clear that they were at the top and it was impossible for them to miss the rankings.
In contrast to Liu Hao's confident chatter and laughter, Liu Tan sat with a dark expression. Helan Chou looked worriedly at him and urged in a low voice: "Your Highness, do not be anxious. The rankings have not finished. As long as Ning Wang does not get two places in the top three, he still has a chance."
Liu Tan nodded. His attention was reinvigorated. He sat up and looked downstairs to avoid missing the rankings. But the more he listened, the more his heart sank.
"Sixth place, Yangzhou examinee Zhou Qing. Fifth place … … Third place, Taishi Library examinee Jin Zuo Feng."
With a crisp "pah", Liu Tan closed the teacup in his hand. His fingers trembled slightly and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
At the same time, there was a loud laugh from the left seat. Liu Hao sat calmly on Mount Tai for no other reason than the fact that the third place was one of Han Wenguang's disciples.
The spectators on both sides were about to congratulate him when Liu Hao raised a hand to stop them. He glanced casually at Liu Tan and stood. He walked to the railing and motioned for the imperial censor to continue reading.
"Second place, Taishi Library examinee Pan Ming." The imperial censor read out the names for a while. Taking advantage of the chatter upstairs, he turned his head and coughed.
Liu Hao's eyebrows twitched. Even though he was dissatisfied that Han Wenguang's other disciple was not the champion, he had gotten his wish of getting two places in the top three, surpassing Liu Tan. Amidst the cheers that followed, his hand on the railing, he turned his head with a smile on his face. He looked at the ashen-faced Liu Tan from afar. In an instant, he seemed overbearing. "Ninth brother, this round can be considered your older brother's victory. Are you convinced?"
Meeting Liu Hao's familiar gaze, Liu Tan felt as if he had returned to his childhood. His face was pale and he secretly clenched his fists, making cracking sounds.
He tried his best to suppress the unwillingness in his heart. He slowly stood up and forced a smile on his face. Just as he was about to reply, his sleeve was abruptly grabbed by someone. He paused and turned his head to look. He saw Yu Shu standing beside him. Her face was abnormally flushed and her eyes emitted a strange light. She stared fixedly at the imperial censor who was coughing downstairs.
"Wait, wait." Yu Shu grabbed Liu Tan. Her voice was very soft but her heart was beating rapidly. A thought reverberated in her mind: Her name has not been read yet, her name has not been read yet!
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