"Hahahaha......"
The observing students pointed at Yao Jinsheng and Sun Tianxiu, roaring with laughter until their stomachs ached.
Oh my, these two clowns, how could they be so funny?
Yao Jinsheng scrambled to his feet, rubbing his backside, and roared, "What are you laughing at? All of you shut up......"
As soon as he said this, Yao Jinsheng's two guards pushed through the crowd, blocking their young master from behind.
As the son of the richest man in the capital, he naturally had guards when he went out, but that was only within the prefectural county area.
The last time he went to Old Yun's house for the New Year, Yao Jinsheng had already sent the two guards away......
The students knew that Yao Jinsheng had powerful backing and dared not provoke him. After a few more sneers, they shook their heads and ambled away.
As the crowd dispersed, Sun Tianxiu also saw the names of the top three on the list.
Yun Jinhe was ranked second. If this were the imperial examination, second place would be the *Tanhualang* (third place scholar in the imperial examinations).
"Ha, haha, I knew it, Jinhe would definitely pass. Jinsheng, I wasn't wrong, that kid is really promising!~" Sun Tianxiu was so excited he stammered, a snotty trickle running down his nose, which he didn't even bother to wipe. He rushed out towards Yun Jinhe's residence.
Seeing this, Yao Jinsheng quickly shouted, "Hey, hey, hey, you idiot, wait for me! Such great news, I should be the one to tell Jinhe......"
Thus, the two classmates left the academy, chatting and laughing, to break the good news to Yun Jinhe.
The student who ranked first was named Yang Jingrui, the noble son of the current Prime Minister Yang.
The reason he came to study at Bocai Academy was to prove himself through his own efforts, to show other students that not all children of high officials entered the Imperial College through the back door......
However, Yang Jingrui's reputation at the academy was mixed. Some said he was just going through the motions; even if he didn't pass the *Juren* exam or the imperial examination, he would inherit Prime Minister Yang's legacy and become an official in the court in the future.
Others said that he had received a good family education since childhood, and his learning environment was vastly different from that of ordinary children. If he couldn't achieve good results even with such advantages, he would truly be the biggest fool among fools......
Putting Yang Jingrui aside for the moment, when Yao Jinsheng and Sun Tianxiu rushed into the small courtyard, they saw Jin Yunhe swinging an axe to chop firewood.
There was a large pile of chopped firewood by the wall, steam was rising from the kitchen, and a curtain of dumplings was placed on the chopping board. The water was already boiling, and Yun Jinhe planned to cook some dumplings later.
Even without Miss Murong, he could take care of himself, it was just a bit more troublesome......
"Oh, Jinhe, why are you still chopping wood? Come here quickly, I have good news for you!~" Yao Jinsheng said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Sun Tianxiu glared at him, "Why should you speak first? I came in first!"
Yao Jinsheng's face stiffened, and he rolled his eyes, "Because, because you fell, you see, my butt is all swollen from the fall!" "You're blaming me for this?" Sun Tianxiu's mouth twitched violently, "Who told you to be restless on top? You deserved it!~"
Yun Jinhe: "......"
Actually, even if the two of them didn't say it, Yun Jinhe could guess what it was about.
He wasn't a sentimental or overly emotional person. He was simply worried about tuition fees because he hadn't expected the restaurant to be so popular after it opened......
"Did you get into the top three?" Yun Jinhe asked calmly.
When Yao Jinsheng heard this, he chuckled and made a scissor gesture, "Second place! Jinhe, why are you so awesome? I saw your score was almost surpassing Yang Jingrui. If it weren't for his strong background, Lord Feng would have definitely made you first place......"
The current Prime Minister was the head of the civil officials. The Minister of Rites worked under Prime Minister Yang, so naturally, he wouldn't give Young Master Yang a low score.
If it were the imperial examination, the results would be fairer because the papers would be anonymized, and the Emperor himself would review them, without regard for status or background, only focusing on the quality of the writing and clarity of the ideas......
"Yes, Jinhe, your background is similar to mine; we're both from the countryside. Why is the gap so big?" Sun Tianxiu rubbed his hands, "Now, whenever I see those messy exam papers, my mind goes blank. For the next exam, I'll be extremely grateful if I can just get into the top one hundred!~"
Yun Jinhe smiled slightly, "As long as you put your mind to it, your grades will improve. You two haven't eaten yet, have you? I've made radish dumplings, let's eat together......"
After speaking, Yun Jinhe put down the axe, patted the dust off his clothes, and walked towards the kitchen.
Seeing this, Yao Jinsheng quickly nudged Sun Tianxiu, "Hey, hey, go and confess to Jinhe quickly!~"
Sun Tianxiu: "???"
Confess what?
"Oh, it's about us secretly writing to his family!~" Yao Jinsheng said anxiously, worriedly, "If this isn't clarified soon, and Jinhe finds out later, he'll definitely resent us both!~"
Sun Tianxiu: "......"
Why should I be the one to say it? You came up with the idea, you wrote the first half of the letter, but I'm the one who has to bear the blame.
"I'm not going!~" Sun Tianxiu turned his face away.
Seeing this, Yao Jinsheng smiled sinisterly, "What if I offer you an irresistible condition?~"
"What condition?" Sun Tianxiu asked curiously.
Yao Jinsheng leaned close to his ear and mumbled something.
The more Sun Tianxiu listened, the happier he became, almost overjoyed. He nodded heavily, "Alright, I'll say it, but you can't go back on your word!~"
"Uh-huh!" Yao Jinsheng shrugged.
In fact, Yao Jinsheng had promised Sun Tianxiu that after Jinhe went to study at the Imperial College, it would be boring with just the two of them, so he planned to get Sun Tianxiu into the Imperial College as well......
As long as his father was there, everything could be settled.
At noon, the two classmates stayed to eat dumplings with Jinhe. When the matter of secretly writing the letter was revealed, Jinhe didn't react too strongly, only asking the two of them not to do such things behind his back in the future......
Meanwhile, in a mountain hollow in the remote northwest.
The biting cold wind swept across the mountain range like blades, swirling at the end of the hollow before rushing back in the opposite direction.
Four people were walking in the snow. They had wooden boards tied to their shoes and held wooden staffs. Every step forward was difficult......
These people were Shangguan Fang'er, Murong Qing, Yun Sanman, and Yun Siman, who were out treasure hunting.
"I say, Miss Murong, who would hide treasure in such a godforsaken place? Take another look at the map, are we lost?" Yun Siman shouted.
In this kind of place, carriages and horse-drawn sleds could not pass. The group had left their luggage and vehicles at an inn at the foot of the mountain and were walking up the mountain to search for treasure......
Murong Qing rubbed her eyes and looked ahead, "It's not wrong, let's keep looking!~"
The general direction was correct. Whether they could find the treasure depended on their luck......