Chapter 881: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 881: Conflict (Part 2)
Though the woman’s remarriage had been criticized by many, she and her husband were deeply in love, living a smooth and happy life. They paid no mind to the gossip, which, by now, was mostly fueled by envy and jealousy.
Hearing this, Mo Yan couldn’t help but feel admiration for the courageous and resolute woman. Women should live like that, she thought.
As the crowd chattered on, the palace gates suddenly opened, and over thirty imposing guards emerged.
The guards formed two neat rows, standing along the left side of the wall to block any citizens trying to approach. Behind them, a group of eunuchs dressed in green surrounded two eunuchs in purple robes, who walked out in single file. The two purple-robed eunuchs carried a bright yellow silk banner with great reverence. The banner, measuring about ten feet long and five feet wide, was inscribed with rows of dense writing.
“Look! The rankings are out!”
As soon as the yellow silk banner was hung on the palace wall, the crowd erupted into excitement. People began standing on tiptoes and pushing forward, craning their necks to catch a glimpse.
“Who can read? Quick, tell us who the top scholar is! Heaven help us—it better be Young Master Ziyu! If not, I’ll lose my bet, and I won’t be able to face my tigress of a wife at home!”
“That’s nothing! If I lose, I’ll just kneel on the washboard for a while. But I bet all the silver I’d saved for my wedding! If Young Master Ziyu doesn’t take the top spot, I might lose my fiancée altogether!”
“Hmph, serves you right for being so greedy. Who told you to bet so much?”
“Well, I just wanted to win big so I could give my wife a better life!”
“...”
Mo Yan hadn’t expected such a large crowd to gather for the rankings. Not wanting to be jostled around, she stepped back to the edge of the crowd. Overhearing their conversations, she couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
It wasn’t just one or two people talking like this. After listening for a while, she realized that nearly half the crowd had participated in betting on the rankings, which explained why so many people were here.
Meanwhile, some literate individuals had managed to squeeze their way to the front and were staring at the names on the top-ranking list. The first-ranking list, known as the First Class, contained only three names. One of these literate onlookers, an admirer of Ziyu’s talent, fervently hoped he would take the top spot. Upon seeing Ziyu’s name following the words "First Class Zhuangyuan ," they shouted excitedly as if they had won the title themselves:
“Mo Qingze! The top scholar is Mo Qingze! It’s Young Master Ziyu!”
“What? Young Master Ziyu? Oh no, I’m ruined! I bet everything, even my parents’ funeral savings!” A burly man in the crowd let out a wail, pounding his chest in despair.
Someone nearby chuckled maliciously, “Serves you right! I told you to bet on the likely winner, but no, you had to bet against him. Now just wait and see how your dad deals with you!”
“How will he deal with me? A beating, of course! What else? Ah, this is so unlucky!”
“Haha, unlucky indeed! Meanwhile, I got lucky and bet on the right person. Even with low odds, the payout is enough to feed my family for two or three years. I’m content! Haha...”
The small list of names sparked scenes of both joy and despair, silently witnessing the laughter and tears of the people below.
Mo Yan looked at the bright yellow banner and saw her father’s name at the very top. A faint smile appeared on her face, and the worries in her heart finally dissolved.
Mo Qingze’s reputation was so prominent that most of the discussion centered around him. Hardly anyone paid attention to the second and third-ranked candidates or those listed in the Second and Third Classes.
Next would be the grand parade, where the top scholar, second-place candidate, and third-place candidate would ride through the streets on horseback—a privilege granted by the emperor to honor the First Class scholars and the main reason why people braved the scorching sun to gather here.
[End of Chapter]
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