Chapter 944: Top of the List

at's right! It's really cruel! That poor young girl is so pitiful; she wants to sell herself just to bury her father.""You said you would help, how come you're backing out at the last minute Isn't thi...The third princess held half a bowl of rice in her hand, her chopsticks poked around the dish, but she didn't take a single bite. Her eyes were fixed on the door, and she sighed repeatedly.

Shuǐyún was even more decisive. She stood at the door, keeping a close eye on any movement in the courtyard.

The maid from the Big Palace didn't want her mistress to go hungry, so she whispered, "Princess, the county lord always keeps her word. She said she would be back tonight, and she definitely won't break her promise. You should eat first; you need your strength to stay up all night waiting for the county lord."

The third princess tossed her rice bowl aside, complaining, “I know, I know. But I just can’t stop thinking about her. It's already dark, and she hasn't come back yet! Maybe something happened to her I should have never let her go back!”

Shuoyun was also anxiously waiting at the door. Besides New Year, she and Shuiling had never been away from their master for this long.

This time, the master secretly slipped out. To cover it up from others, she and Shui Ling were left behind.

They were even more anxious and furious than the Third Princess.

At this moment, a cheer suddenly rang out in the courtyard. Subsequently, Shui Ling led Jia Yin to the front of the door.

Jia Yin laughed and waved to a few people, saying, "It's like three autumns apart if we don't see each other for a day. It's been six years since we last saw each other, did you miss me"

"Sob, sob," Shuicun hugged her mistress tightly, her eyes red. "Of course I did, Miss. Next time you go out, you must bring us along."

The Third Princess also rushed forward, hugging Jiayin. She wasn't sure if she was happy or angry, stamping her feet and shouting, "You actually came back! It's dark already, don't you fear getting lost!"

Jia Yin was choked and couldn't breathe. She quickly surrendered, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I won't run away again, please let me go!"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh and pulled her into the house.

Jiayin had finished her meal at home, but seeing that the Third Princess hadn't eaten, she washed her hands and sat down at the table to keep her company, eating a few more bites.

She didn't bring any baskets, so it was inconvenient to take out fruits and vegetables, but small things were still relatively easy.

Jia Yin, using her backpack as a cover, took out two bottles of spicy beef sauce from the space. She smiled and said, "Come, try this spicy sauce I made at home. For these two bottles of sauce, my family's cow 'accidentally' died."

The third princess picked up a mouthful. The beef was chewy, the chili spicy, mixed with sesame, garlic and other ingredients, fried until oily, salty and fragrant, which immediately whetted her appetite and she gobbled down several mouthfuls of rice.

"Wow, this is so delicious!"

The maid immediately replaced her master's bowl of rice with a new one.

Since there were no outsiders present, Jia Yin invited Shui Ling and Shui Yun to sit down and eat together.

Shui Ling and Shui Yun hesitated, but the Third Princess scooped another spoonful of meat sauce and said, "We've eaten together countless times, why be so polite"

"Having said that, she called out to the maidservant,"Caiyun, you join us for a meal too. There are so many dishes here, I couldn't possibly finish them all myself."

Cai Yun was startled and quickly waved her hands, refusing absolutely.

Waterling and Watercloud sat down together and ate.

After all, they often ate with their master at Suijin Beach.

They were slaves, but more often companions and sisters to their masters.

The colorful clouds retreated to the back, occasionally helping with serving rice and soup. It's so enviable...

Let's not speak of the joy that court ladies felt in their reunion, but rather focus on the anticipation surrounding the examination papers. Once sealed, these scrolls were sent to be unrolled, becoming the object of much expectation throughout the entire new capital.

Three days felt like an eternity for both the candidates and their families.

Finally, the day had come to post the lists. The gate of the Imperial Academy was packed solid with people.

Li Lao Si was held back by a minor issue, but Li Yong returned. He brought Zheng Yi and several other servants with him, arriving early to stake their claim. As before, they were stuck outside, surrounded by a sea of people.

Li Yong rolled up his sleeves and, accompanied by his attendants, barged straight in. He knocked over countless hats and shoes, pushing through the crowd until they reached the front and secured a spot for themselves.

Soon, a clerk came out to post the list, and others rushed to each household to spread the news and earn some money.

As a result, the front gate was packed with people, and the guards were completely blocked.

Fortunately, they were also experienced and bellowed loudly.

If people don't move, the list won't be posted!

Suddenly, a large section of the Gongyuan wall was empty.

Only then did the officers swagger forward, plastering up posters with a flourish.

Li Yong immediately saw Jia Ren's name ranked second on the top list!

Zheng Yi was so excited that he went crazy. Zheng Liu and Li Yong teamed up and directly threw Zheng Yi up.

Zheng jumped onto the wall and dashed out, leaping over the crowd in a few bounds. He rushed straight to his own carriage and shouted loudly, "Young Master, you're second on the list, second!"

Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, Jia Ren, Li Ge'er, as well as Lu Zong and Jia Xu all stood together, stretching their legs and looking around.

At the sudden arrival of good news, everyone was overjoyed.

"Second place Oh, that's great! Wonderful!" Old Li clapped his son on the shoulder with delight, so moved he could barely speak. He wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.

The Li family held two hereditary titles, but they were both bestowed by the Emperor.

Although Tianwu truly found high-yield food to solve the people's food and clothing problems, some people often twisted their words and said that the Li family were flatterers who obtained their titles unjustly.

Now, the son has used his own abilities to pass the imperial examinations and achieve official status.

Let's see who dares to talk back now!

Li Laosan and Jiahuan and Li Ge'er all came over, excitedly saying congratulations to Jiarren.

Jia Ren's heart was still a little disappointed, after all, he had come for the first place.

But it has to be said, hearing about his sister's accident during the exam did still rattle him, and he didn't perform as well as he could have.

Coming in second is already pretty good.

And afterwards, he'll still have to take the Palace Examination. When he's taking the test under the Emperor's very eyes, no one will dare to cheat anymore! Who knows, maybe he can even snatch back first place!

Thinking this way, he also smiled and chatted with everyone.

Soon, Li Yong and Zheng Liu and others had finished looking at the list and squeezed out in embarrassment.

Li Yong held a shoe in his hand, his hair disheveled, but he didn't care. He blurted out, "Brother Li is ranked 58th on the second list! Master Lu is ranked 59th on the second list! Young Master Jia is ranked 21st on the third list!"

Li Ge'er leaped three feet high with joy, ecstatic.

From the moment he started taking the scholar examinations, he had made up his mind to accompany his elder brother.

I couldn't believe my luck! I actually got into the same school as my brother.

Lu Cong was also smiling all over his face. His family were all warriors, first in fighting, not good at studying.

He is now among the best, a shining star, bringing honor to his family.

Only Jia Xu's face was not good. He had to say that he got sick in the end, which delayed his exam.

Otherwise, given his level, he should at least be on the second list.

Jia Ren and Lu Zong saw this with their own eyes and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"It's enough to get on the list, and then there's still the palace exam. Take care of your body and do your best when the time comes."

"Yeah, this ranking is like a golden ticket now. It doesn't really matter where we place."

Jia Xu felt a little embarrassed. His friends were so open-minded, while he seemed narrow-minded in comparison.

He quickly perked up and said, "Alright, let's wait for the final palace examination. I'll be sure to top the list!"

"That's more like it! You were looking so down in the dumps, that wasn't you at all!" Lu Cong hammered his friend's shoulder.

I had something to do today, so the update was late. I will try my best to be on time in the future!t this time, many people came to the palace gate again, they were all the concubines of the inner court.Today is the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, and tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Whet...