In the backyard of Leshan Residence, Ji Chaocè, who was preparing medicine, coldly refused, "I'm not going."
"A hundred-year-old wild ginseng!" Chongguang had to resort to bribery. He had already found the physician who had treated Tan Min back then, a doctor from Jimintang in Nanxuan Prefecture.
Tan Min had a congenital weakness. She started taking medicine before she could even drink milk. However, if she had been well cared for, even if she wouldn't live to a ripe old age, she could have at least reached her late forties or early fifties, instead of passing away in the prime of her youth, leaving Tutor Zhao to mourn his granddaughter.
According to Doctor Tao, Tan Min's death was ultimately caused by a cold. She had a persistent high fever. Moreover, she was prone to overthinking when ill. She would spit out more than half of a bowl of medicine and couldn't eat anything. It was not just for a frail young girl, but even a robust man would not have been able to withstand it.
After his only granddaughter passed away, Tutor Zhao no longer wished to stay in Nanxuan Prefecture, the place of sorrow. He buried his granddaughter next to the Zhao family's ancestral graves on a small hill and remained in Shangsi County himself.
Chongguang thought at this moment, regardless of whether Tan Min truly died of illness or was poisoned by Madam Qin, both of them bore undeniable responsibility for Wan Yunhao, her childhood sweetheart, abandoning her and marrying someone else, leading to Tan Min's death.
"Tutor Zhao was Fatty Girl's tutor, and his granddaughter is not an outsider. Can you just stand by and do nothing?" Chongguang argued, leveraging their connections. "Show some respect."
Pushing aside the intrusive Chongguang, Ji Chaocè weighed an ounce of Angelica dahurica from the medicine cabinet. "I'm not going!"
Although he was a physician, he rarely saw patients, let alone conducted autopsies. That was the job of the yamen coroner. If Ji Chaocè's martial arts were not inferior to Chongguang's, he would have probably beaten the man out the door long ago.
Gritting his teeth, Chongguang had to make a significant concession. "Two hundred-year-old wild ginseng! Ji Chaocè, be content with this. Don't worry about Fatty Girl reporting you to Seventh Master."
"Scram!" Ji Chaocè, with his aloof demeanor, tossed out a single word, completely unmoved. Reporting him? She wasn't a three-year-old child.
Possessing martial arts skills but being bullied by Fatty Girl and the man named Ji, Chongguang angrily slammed the table, threatening fiercely, "If you don't agree, from today onwards, I will follow you wherever you go. We'll eat together, sleep together. When you bathe or use the latrine, I will be right there."
His hand, which was cutting medicine, trembled. Ji Chaocè's mouth twitched violently. If Chongguang claimed second place in shamelessness, absolutely no one would dare claim first!
"How about it?" Chongguang leaned next to Ji Chaocè like a close brother, smiling smugly. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures were needed. Did he think he didn't know that the man named Ji was particular about cleanliness? Even in the cold weather, he bathed daily and wouldn't go to bed without being clean.
Once, during a mission, Chongguang hadn't slept for three days and three nights. Exhausted and on the verge of collapse, Chongguang collapsed onto Ji Chaocè's bed, ready to fall asleep. He was almost struck down by him.
In the end, Ji Chaocè didn't disturb Chongguang's sleep. But after he woke up, the mattress he slept on, the quilt, and even the pillow were all thrown out by Ji Chaocè. What was even more outrageous was that he even had the curtains taken down and discarded by the maid.
"Not good!" Ji Chaocè looked at the smug Chongguang with icy eyes, pointed at the medicinal herbs being processed on the table, and smiled with a chilling and dangerous aura, "Then, do you believe I can add a few herbs to make you a eunuch from now on!"
He inexplicably felt a pain in his crotch, and Chongguang instinctively covered his legs. He had seen ruthless people before, but never anyone this ruthless!
...
"Zhan Feiyu is the top scholar!" In front of the list, seeing the name ranked first, even though he was mentally prepared, it still made people incredibly jealous.
"The little prodigy praised by Magistrate Chen. What's strange about her becoming the county's top scholar?" The person who replied looked no older than twenty. Thinking that Zhan Feiyu had only been studying for two years, his voice carried a hint of sourness. "This is a disciple of Scholar Gu. It's not strange for her to achieve the county top scholar, or even the triple crown in the prefectural and provincial examinations."
Generally speaking, the county top scholar was implicitly deemed to pass the prefectural examination, and the first place in the prefectural examination would firmly pass the imperial examination to become a Xiucai. This was a recognized rule of the examination system, unless there were major changes.
"Zhan Feiyu was able to write such a brilliant policy question. What's strange about her becoming the top scholar?" someone spoke a fair word.
Looking at the group of scholars filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, someone else scoffed dismissively, "My cousin studies at the county school. Zhan Feiyu has now caught up with their study progress. Her opening statements in her essays are particularly outstanding, and many tutors at the county school have praised her!"
Students studying at the county school already possessed the Xiucai title and were only waiting to participate in the provincial examination to become Juren. Zhan Feiyu was already able to attend classes with a group of Xiucai, which was enough to prove that her county top scholar status was earned through genuine talent and not, as some speculated, through the favor of Scholar Gu or Magistrate Chen.
The crowd gathered around the list now felt a bit ashamed. In the end, it was just jealousy, and they were unwilling to admit that they were inferior to a young girl who had been studying for two years.
"The county examination is held twice every three years. If you don't pass this year, try again next time." Someone said with a smile to smooth things over. There were twenty-eight people on the list who passed the county examination, and dissatisfaction couldn't change that.
A young man who had taken the examination five times and still hadn't passed twisted his face in jealousy and sarcastically mocked, "In the end, she's just relying on her photographic memory. If we also had photographic memory, we might have achieved fame long ago!"
No matter how diligent and hardworking Zhan Feiyu was in her studies, she had only been studying for two years. Why should she be ahead of them? Wasn't it just the heavens favoring her, allowing her to have a photographic memory?
As soon as these words were spoken, the noisy scene suddenly fell silent. A group of scholars looked at the indignant young man as if he were an idiot. No wonder he hadn't passed after five attempts. With that kind of brain, he probably wouldn't pass even if he tried five more times!
His face flushed red under their strange gazes, the young man stubbornly and righteously shouted, "Did I say something wrong?"
"Alright, no one can envy this kind of talent. Besides, if Zhan Feiyu can still dominate the prefectural examination, it will be the glory of our Shangsi County."
"Speaking of talent, Brother Lan, your poetic talent makes me envious."
"Haha, you flatter me, brother. The imperial examinations focus on essays, and poetry is just a minor path. I should be learning calligraphy from you. My handwriting almost got me beaten to death by the tutor."
"When it comes to calligraphy, it's Liu brother. Let's go ask for guidance together in the future."
Below the list, although there were still some sour remarks, more people wanted to befriend Zhan Feiyu. Being jealous of Zhan Feiyu's photographic memory was utter foolishness!
If you're truly jealous of this, you might as well slit your throat and be reborn, perhaps you'll be a little prodigy in the next life.
And among the scholars of similar age, or those with younger relatives, they even thought about whether they could arrange a marriage with Zhan Feiyu, and then have a prodigy son, so why worry about not bringing honor to their ancestors and benefiting future generations!
...
Even though she knew she would become the county's top scholar, when she actually saw the list, Zhan Feiyu, with the curtains of the carriage lowered, still smiled with her eyes curved.
"Is this all the ambition you have?" Chongguang mocked unceremoniously. He thought Fatty Girl truly didn't care.
"A poor student wouldn't understand the joy of ranking first," Zhan Feiyu replied, not afraid that Chongguang wouldn't understand the meaning of "poor student."
Seeing Zhan Feiyu's good mood and her magnanimous demeanor of not bothering with him, Chongguang's teeth itched with annoyance. "You're so eloquent, you're perfect for persuading Ji Chaocè to conduct the autopsy! Or should we not inform Tutor Zhao and just go secretly?"
"No!" Zhan Feiyu refused without even thinking. Even in modern times, exhuming bodies for examination was frowned upon by many, let alone in the Daqing Dynasty, which emphasized proper burial.
Secretly digging up graves to examine remains was disrespect to the deceased and contempt and insult to Tutor Zhao.
Chongguang was just speaking casually. Leaning against the carriage wall, he said lazily, "According to our investigation of Madam Qin, she might have poisoned Tan Min. But Doctor Tao said Tan Min was sickly since childhood, and she might have died of melancholy. So, an autopsy would be useless."
"Madam Qin is ambitious. Since she chose Wan Yunhao, she must ensure that this marriage has no unexpected issues. Therefore, Tan Min must die!" Zhan Feiyu believed that given Madam Qin's controlling nature, she would definitely act to ensure everything was foolproof.
What if she was sickly since childhood? She wouldn't necessarily die. If Tan Min, in a fit of anger, exposed her private affair with Wan Yunhao, and they were childhood sweethearts, there would definitely be some letters or tokens of affection exchanged.
Given the Qin family's upbringing, Wan Yunhao had not yet obtained the Juren title at that time; he was just a Xiucai. To avoid suspicion, the Qin family would not allow their daughter to be involved with Wan Yunhao.
"I'll go home first and see Tutor Zhao at the county school tomorrow." Zhan Feiyu had initially planned to wait until after the county examination results were released. She believed that given Tutor Zhao's character, he would definitely agree to open the coffin for examination and seek justice for his granddaughter.
...
The yamen officials who came to announce the good news arrived quickly. The village elder, clan elders, and village chiefs, who had been waiting at the village entrance, all smiled broadly upon hearing the sound of gongs and drums.
"Old elder, there's no need for formalities. We are here to announce good news today..." The leading clerk politely helped the old village elder, who was about to bow. He glanced at the villagers gathered around and loudly announced Zhan Feiyu's success as the county's top scholar.
"Quick, light the firecrackers!" The village chief hurriedly shouted.
Zhuzi immediately lit the firecrackers on the bamboo pole. Amidst the crackling sounds, the villagers were all beaming with joy, happier than during the New Year.
Everyone escorted the officials into Madam Li's courtyard. The village chief quickly slipped the congratulatory silver to the officials. "May you all share in the joy, sirs."
It was one tael of silver! The leading clerk was surprised for a moment, then smiled and accepted the silver. This was congratulatory silver, and he would let his two sons at home share in the good fortune.
"We still have official duties. When Zhan Little Scholar achieves the Xiucai title in the future, we will come to offer congratulations again. Farewell." The clerk spoke a few auspicious words before leaving.
"Old village elder, it's windy outside. Please sit inside." Madam Li was also happy. She had been frightened by Feng Er's death and dared not go to see the list.
"Haha, everyone come in and sit. Xiao Yu will probably be back soon too." The old village elder, with a ruddy face, didn't need anyone to help him. He beckoned the other clan elders to enter the house.
From the rooms to the courtyard, villagers were talking and laughing loudly. Everyone knew that Zhan Feiyu was intelligent and talented in her studies, but only now did they have the most direct feeling: the county top scholar! Out of more than three hundred candidates, Xiao Yu ranked first.
And those yamen servants, they were as polite as could be today, without any airs.
Zhan Wencheng, standing at the entrance of the main hall, smiled and added, "Old village elder, Xiao Yu's title as a Tong Sheng is now secured."
"Didn't they say she has to go to Nanxuan Prefecture for the prefectural examination in April, and only after passing will she become a Tong Sheng?" Someone in the crowd grumbled unpleasantly. It was precisely because their village had produced a Zhan Feiyu that the illiterate villagers now spoke eloquently about the imperial examinations, earning a great reputation in the surrounding villages, and even making it easier to arrange marriages for the younger generation in their families.
Now, inquire about it. Which village girl doesn't want to marry into Jinlin Village? And the girls in the village would rather lower their standards and marry within the village than marry out.
"Hao Lao Er, your child doesn't even go to school, and you know about the prefectural examination?" Shanwazi's mother retorted unceremoniously.
"That's because Hao Lao Er is unwilling to spend money and is just waiting for the village to build the private school," Auntie, who was sewing shoe soles, laughed loudly, causing the women around her to laugh along.
Zhan Feiyu's good studies had brought about a significant impact on the village. Especially her childhood friends like Shanwazi and Er Niu, they were now educated by their parents with sticks. Want to be lazy? Hmph, then see if the stick hurts more or your backside hurts.
Dare to sleep early? Bah, every household is earning at least twenty taels of silver more than in previous years. There's no need to save on candle money. Ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones are abundant. Don't expect to go to bed until the moon is high in the sky.
Crying? Throwing a tantrum and acting shamelessly? In the past, the older generation in the village educating children most loved to say, "Filial piety comes from under the stick." Now, it's "scholars come from under the stick!"
It was also because of the strict supervision that the young children like Shanwazi were progressing at a visible rate.
Zhan Wencheng's eyes flickered as he glanced into the courtyard. Only that fool Hao Lao Er dared to say such things. There were several hundred people in the village, and naturally, there were those who were at odds with the Zhan clan. There were often arguments in the past, but now, even if they were unhappy, they could only suppress it!
"Wencheng, you don't need to pay attention to Hao Lao Er. What did you mean by what you just said?" The old village elder asked eagerly. This was a Tong Sheng, after all, which was considered a form of official title.
"Old village elder," Zhan Wencheng raised his voice slightly so that everyone inside and outside the house could hear, "I went to Taifu Wine House to deliver vegetables today, and Master Xie congratulated Xiao Yu. That's when I learned that county top scholars can generally pass the prefectural examination. Later, when I was looking at the list, I asked the scholars nearby, and everyone said the same thing."
If it were in the past, no matter how polite Zhan Wencheng was, some arrogant scholars would not have paid attention to him.
But knowing that he was a relative of Zhan Feiyu and was looking at the list for the village and clan, the scholars who were asked immediately became polite. They truly answered everything they knew and told everything they knew.
"Is that true?" The old village elder was overjoyed, his smile causing his wrinkles to overlap. "If she passes the prefectural examination, she will be a Tong Sheng!"
"Given Xiao Yu's talent, I think the Xiucai title is also a sure thing!" The village chief, usually steady, also dared to boast at this moment.
For a time, even the villagers who had some old grudges with the Zhan clan dared not whisper. At most, they complained in their hearts that the old man was so unfair, allowing the Zhan clan to produce a Zhan Feiyu.
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