Chapter Twenty
The imperial court acquiesced in the unspoken rule that any child born at the top of the list selected by the county magistrate would be selected as a scholar as long as he reached the average level in the county examination.
This is the face given by the county government to the officials who govern the parents. However, if you, the county magistrate, choose to be mediocre, you will also lose face.
Of course, if you switch to other inland states and counties, there will be a college exam after the county exam. The first place in the county exam is not enough. The one who tops the county exam will have the chief examiner of the college exam treat you differently.
The slaves from each family who were the first to see the list couldn't believe it. They hurried out of the crowd and reported the news to their masters.
How is this possible? If that kid took the first place, how could the Zhou family get such a supply of luck!
However, whether they believe it or not, Zhou Bai of the Zhou family has become a hot topic and has become a young rookie in Pingcang County.
In a restaurant not far away, Zhou Heyun and other members of the Zhou family who participated in the county examination gathered together. He was the host and booked the largest private room.
Even though there were more than twenty people in this private room, few could pass the exam, but Zhou Heyun was not stingy with the money.
Is there any better time than now to build your own network?
As soon as the servants to announce the good news arrive, he can take advantage of the situation to draw the relationship closer. Even if they are of the same race, no one wants to cling to someone with a more promising future.
"The only people here who have received blessings from their ancestors are Zhou Cai, Zhou Qi and others. I know them all. Zhou Qi usually has a solid academic record and should be able to pass the exam. The rest...sigh." Zhou Heyun hugged the maid and made secret calculations in his mind.
But after thinking about it, I suddenly felt a little boring. It seemed that Zhou Qi was the only one who could be his helper?
Everyone at the wine table was drinking and drinking, but except for a few hopeless people, most of them were absent-minded, and the delicious dishes were tasteless.
What if? What if a child is born?!
In this weird atmosphere, a distant sound of alarm made everyone look outside the door.
"Report, report~"
"A total of four people in the Zhou family have middle-aged children, ranking first among the villagers!"
"Which four people?" someone asked eagerly.
The messenger servant whose face was full of joy suddenly froze, and after taking a careful look at Zhou He Yunfang, he said: "A total of thirty children were selected in the county, the twenty-ninth from Master Yun High School, and the twentieth from Master Qi High School."
Hearing that Zhou Qi was taller than him, Zhou Heyun immediately felt that his plans were ruined. Even though the power of the third house was much stronger than that of Zhou Qi, his father was not him after all.
Then Zhou Heyun saw that the servant's face was wrong, and his heart sank again, and he asked in a low voice: "Quickly tell me who the other two are? It can't be Zhou Bai!"
"Looking back to the young master, Mr. Bai ranked first in high school and ranked first, and Mr. Rui also won, ranking exactly 30th."
Suddenly, the whole room fell into silence. This news was really shocking.
However, no one suspected that the servant who reported the news was mistaken, because at this time, everyone in the restaurant had also received the news, a sensation was heard in the private room, and the center of all discussions was Zhou Bai.
In recent decades, the top performers in the county examinations every year have basically come from wealthy families in the county. It's just a matter of which family gets more. Unexpectedly, Zhou Bai is a special case this year.
This also adds fuel to the momentum of the Zhou family to attack the county magnates. It seems that it is really not bragging?
Reluctance, embarrassment, resentment, all kinds of emotions came to mind, and Zhou He's children who passed the exam did not feel any joy at all.
Who is Zhou Bai? Who is Zhou Rui?
"Master Yun, the celebration you ordered..."
"What a waste of a celebration! I'm celebrating as a twenty-nine person. How will Zhou Bai laugh at me? Go back!"
Zhou Bai, a dark horse in the eyes of outsiders, had no intention of becoming the center of attention at this time. Anyway, few people in the entire county knew him.
He took Zhou Rui and Laobashi around for some relaxing time.
On a busy street that sells most snacks, Zhou Rui's mood still hasn't calmed down.
Zhou Bai, on the other hand, kept talking. Zhou Rui followed behind to pay the bill, while catching up with Zhou Bai and chanting: "I say Zhou Bai, are you not happy at all in the first place? Or is your way of celebrating is eating?"
"Well, what kind of celebration do you want to change? How about I take you for a walk in Fireworks Alley." Zhou Bai swallowed the candied fruit in his mouth, turned around and said seriously.
"Really? We haven't been crowned yet."
"Really, as long as you pay, Uncle Wu will definitely be happy if you pass the exam. Twenty taels is enough for us to stay for a few days and nights."
"Aren't you afraid? My mother said that if a man enters Fireworks Alley, he cannot come out."
"Hahaha, ask your father if he is willing to get stuck in it."
It's a pity that no matter how much he said, the old tricks of fully fulfilling the mission still stopped the two and a half young man, and he would not borrow the money.
If he watches two young men who have just given birth to a child go to Fireworks Lane, he may be kicked out of the Zhou family tomorrow.
In the end, Zhou Rui wanted to go to Fireworks Alley but did not dare to go. After all, he was just passing by, and the old-fashioned driver just stopped at the entrance of the alley for a moment.
"It's a pity that the number one child can't have sex for free. It would be great if you were the leader of the case..."
At the official road connecting the county town in Hongni Township, two rows of Zhou family martial artists led by Zhou Rui's father greeted the two, of course, mainly to pick up Zhou Bai.
"father."
"Go aside."
Zhou Rui's father was named Zhou Xiangwen, and he was in charge of the fifth house. Except for a scholar in the early days of the fifth house, his literary fortunes had been sluggish since then, and he relied entirely on business to support his direct lineage status.
Father and son are exactly the same mold, both have round faces and look rich.
But for businessmen, Zhou Xiangwen is better. At least Zhou Bai is fully adapted to the fifth uncle's affinity and smiles when he talks.
"Brother Bai, well done, I saved your parents' lives."
"I have met my fifth uncle. Unless I have won the honor, I would like you to come and pick him up in person." Zhou Bai saluted with a kind smile on his face.
Most of the direct descendants of the Zhou family hold a neutral attitude towards the dilapidation of Qifang. There are few who would add insult to injury, and there are also few who are willing to make friends.
Because of Zhou Rui, when Zhou Xiangwen came back to rest, he took good care of Zhou Baidu.
"What's the difference between first place and fame? How can the county government give you a scholar?" Zhou Xiangwen shook his head and said.
Although he was not even a boy, he knew the importance of fame, and with his extensive travels, the path to the imperial examination was clear to him.
"This is your birth certificate. It doesn't have any privileges, but it is needed to take the county examination."
Zhou Bai took the document and said with a half-smile, "That's not necessarily the case. I'm short of luck, so the prefect may have a hard time making a choice."
After all, the unspoken rules are not explicit. Zhou Xiangwen was dumbfounded and took a deep look at Zhou Bai. He didn't know how many times he had scolded the senior members of the clan.
Why don't you give such a talent a place blessed by your ancestors?
"Ahem, the clan leader asked me to pick him up, and there will definitely be compensation later. Don't worry, Brother Bai..."
Zhou Xiangwen was in a hurry to explain, but Zhou Bai was already in a trance, or rather immersed in the Book of Luck.
[Origin Point: Fourteen] (Participated in the 46th County Examination of Daxu and ranked first among the children in Zhongpingcang County, and the origin point was increased by three.)
The main world obtained the origin point for the first time, which made Zhou Bai happy. However, the bigger change in the Book of Destiny was the change of destiny.
Chapter completed!