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“Ah, Miss Shen…” I came to tell you about this matter.
Shen Yu’an hurriedly walked away, not allowing Fei Xi to finish his words.
Nevertheless, it was still a good thing, so Shen Yu’an would find out when she came back down the mountain.
At this moment, down the mountain, behind Longxian Village, and in front of the Shen and Zhang families’ gates, there was a lively and bustling scene.
Bailiffs in official attire entered Longxian Village, playing gongs and drums.
The villagers, seeing these officials coming to their village in such a manner, gathered to watch the spectacle.
Before the onlookers could get close, one of the officials asked, “Where are the homes of Shen Dalang, Shen Erlang, Zhang Wendong, Shen Sanlang, and Shen Silang in your village?”
Seeing this grand scene and recalling the participation of the Shen family’s boys in the provincial examinations in early August, a villager, eager to help, asked, “Sir, may I ask why you’re looking for them?”
“Naturally, this is good news. It seems like your village has had a stroke of luck this time. Suddenly, five scholars emerged, and there’s even a top scorer among them.”
Wow!
Upon hearing the official’s words, the villagers following behind were so shocked that their footsteps momentarily halted, and some nearly stumbled and fell.
Five scholars all at once?!!!
The official, accompanied by drummers and trumpeters, continued leading the way to the Shen and Zhang households at the end of the village.
The people bringing the good news split into two groups, with a small contingent heading to the Zhang family, while the others went to the Shen family.
Knowing that today was the day for the exam results, the Zhang and Shen families had been anxiously awaiting them.
Surprisingly, the five who had taken the test remained the calmest.
Song Shi had prepared a cart and want head to the county early to check the posted rankings and scores.
However, the Shen brothers, in particular, kept saying that they had already given their best effort, and whether they went or not, the results wouldn’t change.
If they performed well, naturally, government officials would come to inform them.
Unable to persuade Shen Dalang and the others, Song Shi decided to wait at home.
However, as noon approached and no one came to bring good news, not to mention the others, even Sanlang was becoming increasingly anxious.
May heaven bless us, may heaven bless us!
Sanlang could only pray incessantly in his heart.
Perhaps heaven heard his prayers because in the next moment, the sound of drums and trumpets echoed from outside.
A villager stepped forward to help knock on the door and loudly exclaimed, “Auntie from the Shen family, your grandsons have passed the scholar exam, and the county officials have come to bring you the good news!”
Grandma Shen smiled broadly, showing her big teeth, and happily rushed out to open the door, with the rest of the family following suit.
When the door opened, there were over a dozen government officials and dozens of villagers outside.
Seeing the door open, the officials had pleasant expressions on their faces toward this family that had produced four scholars at once.
He smiled and began to read aloud, “In this imperial examination, Shen Dalang achieved the top spot, Shen Silang ranked seventh, Shen Erlang ranked eighth, and Shen Sanlang ranked forty-ninth.”
In the imperial examination, those who ranked within the top fifty were considered scholars. Normally, for someone like Shen Sanlang, who ranked forty-ninth, there was no need to specifically announce their results. However, because this family had not only produced the top scorer but also the other three examinees had received rankings, the officials reported all of them together.
After hearing that the Shen family had the top scorer, people couldn’t hear anything else.
For them, the specific rankings weren’t important. Even if someone ranked last, they were still considered scholars.
The Shen family had… five scholars!
Their thoughts were mirrored by Shen Sanlang.
When he heard that he had also received a ranking, Sanlang felt relieved…
Meanwhile, Shen Yu’an returned at this moment. As she approached the foot of the mountain, she saw a crowd gathered in front of her house, and she could hear the sound of drums and trumpets.
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