Chapter 203 1/3

Li Qingzhi insisted on paying the bill before bringing his family back to the Zhu residence.

Upon their return, well-wishers came in an endless stream. Some even copied the list of successful candidates from the provincial examination and gave it to Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi looked at the list and found that the second place in this provincial examination was a scholar in his thirties. He had missed the exam three years ago due to mourning obligations, making this success a testament to his accumulated efforts.

The third place was Du Yongning, whose good ranking was somewhat influenced by his surname Du.

The world is not always fair.

Peng Jingliang, who had a good relationship with Li Qingzhi and was quite famous in Hexing Prefecture, ranked sixty-fifth in this exam.

This ranking was neither good nor bad. Peng Jingliang was young and it was his first time taking the provincial examination. It was already commendable that he passed.

It’s worth noting that his teacher, Zhou Shanchang of Chongwen Academy, was only a Juren (successful candidate of the provincial exam).

Li Qingzhi did not meet all the visitors. Those who had no prior acquaintance with him and suddenly came to visit were usually not entertained unless they had a special status.

After all, there were many odd people in the world. Previously, someone who hadn’t even passed the scholar’s exam came to criticize Li Qingzhi’s writing and unsolicitedly began “guiding” him.

Although Li Qingzhi didn’t particularly like his essays written for the imperial examinations, he disliked being criticized out of nowhere, especially when the criticism was full of flaws.

Additionally, there were those who wanted to become his disciples, directly asked him for money, or wanted to offer their daughters as concubines… Truly, all kinds of people existed.

Li Qingzhi did not meet some people, but he did see those he knew.

He had a good memory and could remember and call out the names of each visitor. He also remembered what they had said before, so he could converse well with them.

This made the visitors feel very valued by Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi was also in a good mood.

Having transmigrated to this world for more than two years, he was no longer as excited to meet people as he was initially, but he still enjoyed socializing and lively scenes.

Now, with waves of people coming to chat with him, it greatly satisfied his desire to converse.

However, he did not accept any valuable gifts. For those who insisted on giving gifts, he asked them to leave a set of writing materials, saying he would treasure them.

In this world, it was common to exchange gifts in officialdom. While he might give gifts in the future, he planned not to accept any if he could avoid it.

Before dinner, Li Qingzhi saw off all the visitors: “Gentlemen, I am just staying temporarily in this house and don’t have many servants, so I fear I cannot entertain everyone properly.”

Li Qingzhi lived in a side courtyard of the Zhu residence. The visitors knew he was telling the truth, so they left without any dissatisfaction.

After everyone left, Li Qingzhi went to the dining area of the residence and saw two Eight Immortals tables full of dishes—Chang Zhan, Jin Xiaoshu, and Qian Changsheng had all come. After more than a month apart, Qian Changsheng was even darker, but only had a short stubble of a beard.

Additionally… Qian Changsheng didn’t have much facial hair, so there weren’t many strands in total.

Li Qingzhi thought it would be better if Qian Changsheng didn’t grow a beard.

“I am now the father of a Juren! I can even go to the capital!” Li Laogen was talking to Qian Changsheng and the others. When he saw Li Qingzhi enter, he immediately stood up to move a chair for him.

Li Qingzhi smiled and sat down, listening to Li Laogen continue: “Today, at the restaurant, after they learned Ah Qing was the top scorer, a crowd rushed to pay the bill. They called me Mr. Li and were very respectful…”

The beginning was true, but the rest was fabricated.

He had been hiding behind Jin Xiaoye the whole time and no one noticed him.

Chang Zhan and the others had arrived at noon and spent the afternoon preparing a sumptuous lunch for Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi was quite satisfied with the meal and chatted with Chang Zhan and the others.

Jin Xiaoye, with a few children and the young Zhang Zao, ate at another table. Watching the scene, she couldn’t help but sigh—Li Qingzhi was really talkative!

Passing the provincial examination was a joyous event for Li Qingzhi and everyone else.

As soon as the results were out, people quickly spread the list of successful candidates to various places in Jiang’an Province by boat.

This afternoon, in Chongcheng County.

A boat docked at the new wharf, and someone got off the boat: “Congratulations to Chongcheng County for Li Zixiao’s top score in the provincial examination!”

“Congratulations to Chongcheng County for Li Zixiao’s top score in the provincial examination!”

…

The announcement was repeated, and soon many people knew about it.

Zhu Qian was overjoyed when he heard the news: “I knew Mr. Li would surely top the exam!”

Mrs. Zhu added, “I’ll prepare gifts right away!”

They immediately got busy.

In the county office, Magistrate Wang was also pleased to hear the news: “Great! Excellent!”

Having a top scorer from Chongcheng County brought honor to his position as the county magistrate!

As for Jinye Embroidery Workshop…

“Mr. Li is truly amazing!”

“I knew Mr. Li would surely pass the exam!”

“I said before that Mr. Li would definitely take the top spot.”

“Our embroidery workshop will surely thrive!”

…

At Juewei Restaurant, the workers were even more excited: “That’s wonderful! Mr. Li is so smart; he will surely become a high official and seek revenge for Prince Jin!”

“Life is so good now, better than I ever imagined.”

“In the future, we will all be working for a Juren! People will look up to us!”

…

The students and teachers at Chongcheng Primary School were also celebrating.

“Mr. Li passed the exam! We are students at a school run by a Juren!”

“I had meals with Mr. Li!”

“The textbooks we use were written by Mr. Li!”

“We must study hard!”

…

People in Miaoqian Village were equally thrilled.

“Our village has a Juren! A Juren!”

“Other villages only have scholars, but we have a Juren!”

“The Li family’s ancestors must be smiling down on them!”

…

There weren’t many families with the surname Li in Miaoqian Village. In the past, these people hadn’t been kind to Li Laogen. Now that Li Qingzhi was successful, they regretted not helping out when Jin Xiaoye was struggling with her two children and Li Laogen.

However, seeing that even Li Lao Er, Li Laogen’s own brother, hadn’t benefited, they felt a bit better.

As Li Qingzhi became more accomplished, Li Lao Er’s family tried to mend their relationship with Li Laogen and Li Qingzhi.

But Li Qingzhi treated them the same as he did everyone else in the village. As for Li Laogen… he liked to brag in front of them but didn’t give them any benefits.

Now that Li Qingzhi had become a Juren, they were still left with the hard work of farming.

No one would treat them any differently just because they shared the same surname, as everyone knew Li Qingzhi wasn’t close to them.

Similarly, Uncle Jin’s family felt uncomfortable.

They hadn’t benefited either.

Jin Liushu now earned money by buying goods from Juewei Restaurant and selling them at the wharf, but the purchase price was the same for him as for others.

Even if he wasn’t Jin Xiaoye’s cousin, he could still buy the goods.