The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

The problem was, Xiao Liulang still passed the college exam with eleven A's and one B even though one of his exam papers was replaced with a blank one.

In other words, all those who should have passed had passed anyway, and those who should have failed had failed. The only difference was that others had been ranked one place ahead of their supposed rank, while Xiao Liulang had lost the position of top scorer.

Prefect Luo said with emotion, "That person probably didn't expect that Xiao Liulang could still pass the college exam after everything. But it's really a pity, Xiao Liulang should have had a chance to become the top scorer again this time."

Provincial Governor Zhuang solemnly said, "This matter can be big or small. If you take a long-term view, it is a small matter. If you are intending to stop your journey here, however, it is indeed a big deal."

Being a Three Lower Top Seats winner was enough for a Xiucai to enjoy fame for a while, but only for a while.

If he really wanted to make a name for himself, he must continue to take the provincial exam. After successfully passing the provincial exam and becoming a Juren, he then had to go to the capital to take the next imperial exam.

College exam wasn’t the end of everything, on the contrary, it was just the starting point of imperial examination.

Provincial Governor Zhuang said, "It's up to him to decide this matter. Ask him if he wants to retake the exam."

He wasn’t the only one to retake the exam though, rather, all the people who took part in the college exam would have to go through the eight-part essay and classics filling again.

Prefect Luo went to the inn.

When he met Xiao Liulang, he tactfully explained his purpose for coming and asked Xiao Liulang whether he would retake the exam.

Xiao Liulang didn't answer him directly, but pushed open the window and showed him the students who were exchanging results with each other in the lobby of the first floor—— the list had just been released, those who didn't pass the exam looked dejected and depressed while those who passed were smiling ear to ear with bright faces.

At this moment, no one could tell what he was going through inside.

"Are all these examinees innocent?" He asked all of a sudden.

Prefect Luo was stunned upon hearing his question, and it took him a long time to find his voice, "Yes, after all, you didn't fail to get in the list, so there is no such thing as any one of them taking up the extra spot for the provincial exam."

Xiao Liulang continued to watch those examinees and said, "If the exam is to be retaken, there’s a possibility that some of them will fail in the retake, right?"

Prefect Luo sighed and nodded. That was inevitable. If a retake were to happen, the mental state of most would surely collapse, and it would be difficult for them to take the exam normally by then.

"What about Prefect Luo?" Xiao Liulang asked.

"Me... what do you mean?" Prefect Luo was startled.

Xiao Liulang said, "I heard that Prefect Luo’s term of office is coming to end soon. A re-examination in the college exam is a major event and needs to be reported to the imperial court, but if such a big mistake is attached to your name, it would affect Prefect Luo's chances of continuing to sit as a Prefect, wouldn’t it?"

Prefect Luo nodded helplessly.

This dynasty had strict control over the entry-level imperial examination; once a retake happened due to fraud, his official position could be regarded as meeting its end.

Xiao Liulang asked slowly, "How much does Prefect Luo think his future is worth?"

Prefect Luo froze!

This, this, this boy was openly blackmailing him?

Xiao Liulang said casually, "Lord Prefect is an honest and upright official and surely has never used his position to make a lot of money. However, that person must have spent a large sum to bribe that examiner, right? What does Lord Prefect think of giving me, the victim, this money as compensation?"

In this way, he could buy back his future prospects and could keep his reputation as an honest official without spending a penny.

This deal was a good deal!

Prefect Luo plunged into the deep pit dug by Xiao Liulang, saying, "It’s what I’m supposed to do! 1000 taels of silver, I will definitely send it all to Examinee Xiao!"

Xiao Liulang added, "Also, if my exam paper hadn't been tampered with, I would have won the Three Lower Top Seats. Prefect Luo shouldn’t deny this, right?"

Prefect Luo nodded as though pounding a garlic, "Of, of course! The strength of Examinee Xiao is obvious to both this official and the Provincial Governor!"

Xiao Liulang let out a faint sigh before saying, "But winning the Three Lower Top Seats can get one a bonus reward. Now I can't get this bonus."

Prefect Luo: "..."

Why did he feel he had fallen into a very deep pit?

The bonus reward for the winner of the Three Lower Top Seats came from the allocated funds of the imperial court, which was distributed by the yamen. One ratio was issued by the prefectural yamen, another ratio by the examination compound, and another ratio by the county yamen, which added up to one hundred taels.

Because Pingcheng Prefecture hadn't had a Three Lower Top Seats winner for ten years, the bonus had already doubled.

That was to say, Xiao Liulang's bonus reward should be two hundred taels.

Only this time, Prefect Luo naturally couldn’t pull out this money from the public funds.

In other words, this silver had to be paid by the Prefect himself.

Prefect Luo: I’m so naive to think that I can spend nothing. I'm such a fool, seriously!

This fraud case ended with Prefect Luo coughing up blood from taking a sum of money from his own pocket.

Provincial Governor Zhuang was a distant relative of Prefect Luo. If the involved party didn’t intend to pursue it, then he wouldn’t report it to the court.

Prefect Luo's official post had been preserved, and the examinees didn’t have to suffer a mental collapse. Everyone was happy.

As for the culprit, he should be one of the examinees. Because he was jealous of Xiao Liulang's achievements, he wanted to pull him down.

Prefect Luo said that he would continue to secretly investigate the matter.

When Xiao Liulang returned to the village, it was the beginning of the fourth month. The village was filled with the warmth of the late spring, and the willow branches on the edge of the pond already bloomed, hanging above the water surface like a jadeite beaded curtain.

The crops in the field had also grown out; it was lush green as far as the eye could see.

It was this time last year that he arrived at the village. Who would have thought in a twinkling of an eye, it had already been a year.

Uncle Zhang, who just came back from the field, turned to Aunt Zhang behind him and said, "Wife, do you think that's Liulang?"

Aunt Zhang had better eyes than her own man. After looking, she nodded as if pounding a garlic and replied, "That should be Liulang, isn’t it? Hey! The Xiucai is back!"

She also turned her head to the other villagers who were working in the fields and shouted at them.

Xiao Liulang's achievements had long been reported back to the village. Although he didn’t get to be the top scorer in the college exam, he was still the top scorer in the county exam and prefectural exam, and thus also became a Linsheng.

He was the second Linsheng in the village since Gu Dashun.

[T/N: Quick reminder: Linsheng is the first class Xiucai, who receive government-issued rations.]

As early as this morning, people from the county yamen had come to deliver dozens catties of grain.

The glistening white rice looked even better than the one Gu Dashun received!

The villagers seemed to know Xiao Liulang for the first time, and suddenly didn't dare to talk to him.

After all, things were different now. He was now a Xiucai!

"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang." Xiao Liulang greeted them.

This family was warm-hearted and helpful. When Gu Jiao suffered from abdominal pain back then, it was Aunt Zhang who lent Xiao Liulang some brown sugar.

The two people were so overwhelmed by his greeting that they couldn’t utter a response!

After that, Xiao Liulang met several villagers one after another, and greeted them as well, neither too warm nor too cold. His attitude was no different from his usual aloof appearance.

Finally, he arrived home.

The family didn't know he was coming back today because he didn't deliver the message in advance.

Little Jing Kong's voice could be heard from the backyard.

Xiao Liulang stepped in.

In the sunny backyard, Gu Jiao was washing Little Jing Kong's hair.

Little Jing Kong's round little bald head had already grown some hair spikes. He was proudly asking Gu Jiao how long his hair was already, and whether it was longer than a few days ago.

The elderly woman sat on the rattan chair at the side, watching the beautiful little monk take a bath while eating melon seeds.

On the small stool beside her sat Xue Ningxiang's one-year-old son, Guodan.

Guodan was slowly nibbling on the corncob.

The first person who discovered Xiao Liulang was Little Jing Kong.

Little Jing Kong had his head lowered, and while looking under his crotch, he saw the upside down reflection of Xiao Liulang!

It took him a long time to recognize him, "Yi? Bad brother-in-law?"

Gu Jiao, who was scooping some water, turned her head quietly.

She looked at him, and he was looking at her in the same way.

Xiao Liulang hadn’t seen them for more than a month, and every family member had changed. Little Jing Kong had now grown hair spikes, the elderly woman looked livelier and younger than before, and Gu Jiao… she seemed to have grown taller, looking pretty and full of youth.

Her birthmark was still on her face as before, but it didn’t look like a red ugly blemish at all, instead it was like an enchanting flower, blooming with a bright and moving color in her cool and lonely temperament.

It looked beautiful like peaches and plums.

Xiao Liulang had also grown taller and his face had shed a bit of youthfulness. Now, there was more of a noble and scholar aura around him.

The two people just stared at each other without saying a word.

"Liulang is back?" The elderly woman turned her head briskly and said, "Did you bring back anything delicious?"

Xiao Liulang: "Yes."

As he spoke, he walked up to her, but failed to look at the threshold carefully, as a result, he stumbled and nearly fell.

Gu Jiao turned around calmly and continued to give Little Jing Kong a bath.

Only, as soon as she poured down the water, she heard Little Jing Kong shout, "Oh! It's so cold!"

Gu Jiao went ‘囧’.

Er, she scooped up the wrong water.