Chapter 40: I Admit Defeat

Even so, Su Jinshi still had to buy the hangover pills

“I’ve prepared some hangover pills for you,” Su Jinshi communicated to Shen Shilang via the communication box. “They won’t completely sober you up, only about seventy percent. Take them after you’ve finished drinking. You know your own alcohol tolerance, so don’t drink too much. Otherwise, even with the pills, it might not help.”

Shen Shilang hadn’t expected Su Jinshi to have even this prepared, nor did he know where Su Jinshi had gotten them from. “Alright, I’ll be careful,” he replied.

As the scholars gradually arrived, even before the banquet officially started, many approached Shen Shilang for conversation. Although Wei Jianming and his group came from the most prestigious families present, these scholars understood the situation clearly.

Wei Zhaoxian was known for his integrity and never formed cliques or favored anyone based on flattery. As for Governor Cheng, his future position remained uncertain. The current scholars were too insignificant to associate with such figures. They would rather wait until passing the imperial examinations and securing a future before considering who to befriend.

Therefore, few genuinely tried to ingratiate themselves with Wei Jianming and his companions.

Wei Jianming’s group hadn’t achieved notable rankings, and their future prospects depended entirely on their family backgrounds. On the other hand, Shen Shilang was likely to compete alongside them in future examinations, so it made sense to form alliances with him now.

Thus, no one really tried to win over Wei Jianming and his group, merely exchanging pleasantries at most. In no time, Shen Shilang found himself surrounded by fellow scholars.

Halfway through the banquet, after the necessary displays of elegance had passed, the atmosphere turned slightly tipsy. People began moving around with wine pots and cups, proposing toasts to one another. Naturally, Shen Shilang became a popular target for these toasts, with scholars continuously approaching him to drink.

Watching from the side, Su Jinshi grew increasingly worried but couldn’t voice her concerns.

“Don’t worry, I secretly asked a maidservant to dilute my wine with water earlier,” Shen Shilang whispered to Su Jinshi, aware of her concern. “It doesn’t taste great, but at least it keeps me from getting too drunk.”

“And even if someone is suspicious, the wine cup still carries the scent of alcohol,” Shen Shilang added softly.

“You scholars are always so crafty,” Su Jinshi teased.

Shen Shilang: “……”

Wasn’t he just following her advice to drink less, ensuring the hangover pills would be effective? Why was he still being criticized?

As time passed, Su Jinshi’s communication box device reached its limit, leaving her unable to converse with Shen Shilang. She could only watch him drink cup after cup. However, Shen Shilang still seemed fine, showing no obvious signs of intoxication. It appeared the water-diluted wine had done its job.

Unexpectedly, Wei Jianming and his three companions approached with wine pots and cups in hand. The other scholars dispersed, revealing the four of them.

Wei Jianming wore a fake smile as he addressed Shen Shilang, “Congratulations on winning the title of top scholar. What a glorious day for you.”

Shen Shilang’s lips curved slightly as he replied, “There’s always been a huge gap between us, and it will only grow bigger in the future. In this lifetime, you will never surpass me. Even if you got lucky this time and passed the exam, your ranking would still be far inferior to mine.”

Wei Jianming found the beginning familiar, and as he listened on, he realized these were the exact words he had said to Shen Shilang on the street outside Huizhen restaurant after the provincial exams.

Now, Shen Shilang threw those words back at him verbatim, and they fit perfectly. Wei Jianming’s face turned red. The more arrogant he had been when he first uttered those words, the more humiliating it was to hear them now.

These words, when applied to him, were entirely accurate. Shen Shilang had achieved the top rank, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he was certain to pass the imperial examination. Given Wei Jianming’s current provincial exam ranking, it wasn’t even guaranteed that he would pass the metropolitan examination.

Moreover, his father would certainly not use his influence to help him in officialdom; he would have to rely on his own abilities. In this light, wasn’t the gap between him and Shen Shilang indeed growing larger?

Previously, he thought Shen Shilang wouldn’t pass, and even if he did, he would surely rank lower than him. But now, those words had rebounded back to him.

Wei Jianming was so angry that he couldn’t maintain his fake smile. His lips trembled slightly from being pressed too tightly in rage. Then, his tightly pressed lips relaxed a little as he let out a cold sneer.

The growing gap between Shen Shilang and him was based on the premise that Shen Shilang would successfully participate in and pass the metropolitan examination. But after tonight’s banquet, Shen Shilang’s hand would be crippled, forever barring him from the imperial examinations.

The gap would indeed grow larger, but it would be Shen Shilang falling further and further behind him. Viewed this way, the words he had said to Shen Shilang on the street that day hadn’t really backfired on him after all.

A glint of madness and impatience flashed in Wei Jianming’s sinister gaze. He could hardly wait for the banquet to end so they could cripple Shen Shilang.

Thinking of the joy to come, Wei Jianming suppressed his temper and managed to swallow this bitter pill. Through gritted teeth, he said, “You’re right. I lost this time. Your rank surpasses mine; I admit defeat.”

Wei Jianming stared at the wine cup in Shen Shilang’s hand, which had already been refilled with watered-down wine. “I noticed you’ve already drunk quite a bit. I didn’t expect your alcohol tolerance to be so good.”

Wei Jianming didn’t really know about Shen Shilang’s alcohol tolerance, but he instinctively doubted him. When Shen Shilang didn’t respond, Wei Jianming raised his cup and said, “Congratulations to you.”

Shen Shilang calmly raised his cup and drank with Wei Jianming. Just as Shen Shilang was about to refill his cup, Lian Shigang suddenly exclaimed “Eh!” and pressed his hand over Shen Shilang’s cup.

Liang Shigang and his friends were frequent drinkers and could immediately tell that something was off about Shen Shilang’s wine. ” Young Master Shen, we’re here to toast you. It’s only right that you drink our wine,” Liang Shigang said, and without waiting for a response, he poured wine from his own pot into Shen Shilang’s cup.

Liang Shigang smiled and raised his cup. “Master Shen, I drink to you.” After Liang Shigang finished his drink first, he raised an eyebrow at Shen Shilang. “Young Master Shen, drink up.”

Shen Shilang’s lips curved slightly as he drained the cup.

In truth, the wine served at today’s banquet wasn’t particularly strong; it was quite mild. Governor Cheng likely feared that if the scholars got too drunk, it would lead to embarrassment and be disadvantageous for everyone involved.

So while the wine was of good quality, it was smooth to drink and not easily intoxicating. It was similar to what Shen Shilang and Wei Jianming usually drank. Shen Shilang could handle this type of wine to some extent.

Moreover, he had been drinking watered-down wine all along, which was essentially like drinking water. However, even the mildest wine can be problematic if consumed in large quantities.

Wei Jianming and his four companions seemed determined to employ a round-robin strategy^[1]A simple way to think of round robin is that it is about “taking turns.”. After Liang Shigang finished, Ke Hongbin took over, followed by Cheng Jianfeng, and then Zhang Tianran.

“This wine is boring to drink,” Ke Hongbin commented. “It hardly tastes like alcohol at all.” As he spoke, he pulled out a wine pot from his robes. “This is some good wine I brought. It’s fragrant, strong, and packs a punch. What do you say, Young Master Shen? Want to try some?”

Despite his questioning tone, Ke Hongbin’s actions showed no intention of waiting for an answer. He had already opened the lid and was about to pour for Shen Shilang.