Chapter 864: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 864: The Announcement of the Civil Examination Results (2)
One of the scholars sitting nearby was not from the capital. While he had heard about the notorious cheating scandal that had stirred up the capital the previous year, he did not know the details or recognize the person involved, who was called Mo Qingze, with the courtesy name Ziyu. He had only heard that Mo Qingze was a learned man who had dazzled the court with his extensive knowledge, particularly during the Taihe Hall examination, making a name for himself. However, he had never actually seen this legendary figure in person.
Upon hearing that the person with such remarkable bearing was indeed Mo Ziyu, the scholar turned to look. He was somewhat disappointed to find that the man, who was supposed to be an exceptional and extraordinary person, appeared to be just a regular man, gently speaking with a little girl, without the mysterious air one might expect from a legendary figure. "I thought Young Master Ziyu would be some kind of transcendent figure, but he just seems like an ordinary man after all," he muttered.
The scholar who had initially admired Mo Qingze’s talents couldn’t stand this disrespect. His face darkened, and he replied coldly, "If you haven't seen Young Master Ziyu's true abilities, don't jump to conclusions! No matter how extraordinary someone is, they are still human and will love their children, unlike some people who, with just a little talent, act as if they're the greatest, only to expose their shallow understanding in the process."
His companion, not a fool, quickly understood that the comment was aimed at him. His face flushed with embarrassment, and he was about to rise and argue, but someone from the neighboring table spoke up, "What he said isn’t wrong. Why are you getting so worked up? Young Master Ziyu’s talent has even been praised by the Emperor himself. If you disagree, you can challenge him to a contest right now."
This speaker was from the capital, having recognized Mo Qingze. When he heard the conversation at the neighboring table, he couldn’t resist standing up for Mo Qingze.
Hearing this, the scholar who had been offended by the remarks hesitated. He glanced at Mo Qingze, who was sitting in the corner, and then sat back down, feeling embarrassed. He had only been upset because Mo Qingze, who was not much older than him, was being lauded to such an extent. However, if it came to challenging Mo Qingze, he realized he lacked the courage and confidence to do so.
Seeing that the situation had calmed down, the other people in the room lost interest and stopped provoking the scholar. The scholar who had initially criticized Mo Qingze moved to another table, where the conversation quickly turned to the impressive performance of Young Master Ziyu during the Taihe Hall trial.
The noise in the hall continued as usual, but the Mo family sitting in the corner didn’t realize the stir they had caused.
With about half an hour left before the results were posted, Mo Yan, feeling the restlessness of waiting, consulted her father and younger sisters. Afterward, she called over the waiter and ordered a pot of jasmine tea and a pot of green tea, along with some peanuts, melon seeds, snacks, and preserved fruits to be served on the table.
After a sip of tea and a bite of snack, Mo Yan found the taste quite good. She placed the snack plate in front of her two younger sisters, saying, "The jasmine tea has honey in it. It's quite nice. You two barely ate this morning, so have some snacks with the tea. Otherwise, you’ll be so hungry when we go out shopping that you won't even be able to walk."
Xin’er and Sheng’er smelled the fragrant jasmine tea and immediately became interested. They didn’t hesitate and started eating the snacks and sipping the tea.
However, after tasting the snack, Xin’er immediately shook her head. After swallowing a sip of the tea, she said to Mo Yan, "Sister, these snacks aren’t as good as the ones you make. This jasmine tea doesn’t have the fragrance you brew. If our family opened a teahouse here, this place would definitely go out of business."
Xin’er didn’t bother lowering her voice, and the waiter, who was not far away calling out to the customers, overheard her remark. He glanced over but didn’t say anything.
Mo Yan, seeing this, couldn’t help but glare at Xin’er. "We couldn’t even afford to eat cakes or drink tea with honey before. Why didn’t you say they didn’t taste good back then?"
(End of Chapter)
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