RPAGF Chapter 616 First Class, Jinshi (进士)! How could that be? It's all fake.
Chapter 616 First Class, Jinshi (进士)! How could that be? It's all fake.
"The results...the results are out!" Haitang's voice trembled with excitement. "Our young master Lu has passed the imperial examination! He's a first-class scholar, a Jinshi!"
"What?" Gu Qingchen sat up abruptly from the soft couch, his eyes wide open.
Chu Ruohan's smile was impossible to hide; it came from the bottom of her heart and made the room even brighter.
"Good, good! This child has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel!"
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the third house.
Madam Gu was leisurely listening to a tune when a servant rushed in, his face ashen.
"Madam...something terrible has happened!"
Madam Gu, her refined mood interrupted, frowned in displeasure: "What's all the fuss about! Is the sky falling down?"
"The...the list is out..." The servant gasped for breath, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "Young Master Lu...he...he passed! And he's in the top tier..."
With a "crack," the celadon teacup in Madam Gu's hand fell to the ground and shattered.
She suddenly stood up, grabbed the servant by the collar, her eyes bloodshot.
"What did you say? Say it again!?"
"Young Master Lu...has passed the high school entrance exam...the news is everywhere..."
"Impossible!" Madam Gu's voice turned shrill and piercing, almost a scream. "This is absolutely impossible! He was clearly arrested!"
"Gu Xiaowu saw it with his own eyes! Caught red-handed, he'll never be hired again! How could he possibly be on the list!"
She acted as if she had gone mad, shoving the servant aside, staggering back two steps, and knocking over the chair behind her.
Her mind went blank, with only the servant's terrified voice echoing in her ears.
"I got it... I got it..."
How can it be?
She stared intently at the servant who had brought the news, as if she wanted to devour him alive.
"Say it again, who won?"
"It's Young Master Lu, Young Master Gu Lu!" The servant was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, his head hitting the ground repeatedly.
"The news is spreading like wildfire! Bright red announcements have even been delivered to the Duke's mansion! The third-place winner in the first-class examination, the third-ranked scholar!"
The third-ranked scholar!
"Mother-in-law, be careful!" Madam Yang quickly caught her.
Madam Gu shoved her hand away. "Where's Gu Xiaowu? Go and find that servant Gu Xiaowu! I want to ask him! Didn't he see that little bastard being taken away with his own eyes? Where is he?!"
Outside the courtyard, a hearty laugh came from afar, interrupting the frenzy inside.
"What's all this noise about? I could hear it from far away."
Master Gu walked in with a beaming smile. He had specially changed into a brand-new Hangzhou silk robe today, and his eyes and brows were full of joy.
He didn't even glance at the servants kneeling on the ground, and walked straight to Madam Gu, his smile impossible to hide.
"Madam, what a joyous occasion! Have you heard? Our Lu Ge'er has passed the imperial examination! And he's the third-ranked scholar in the top three! Haha, my grandson is the third-ranked scholar!"
He rubbed his hands excitedly, his eyes filled with pride and anticipation: "That's great! With his talent and ranking, entering the Hanlin Academy is a sure thing!"
"His future is bright. Our third branch of the family has finally produced a truly outstanding person!"
Looking at her husband's ecstatic face, Madam Gu found it incredibly irritating.
"A pillar of strength?" Madam Gu glared at her husband, her eyes red. "You're dreaming! He's a sinner! A sinner who cheated!"
The smile on Master Gu's face froze. He frowned and looked at his wife with displeasure.
"What nonsense are you spouting! What are you doing acting crazy on such a joyous day?"
"Am I crazy?" Madam Gu laughed shrilly, her nails almost digging into Madam Yang's arm.
"I'm not crazy! You're the one who's crazy! You were fooled by that little bastard! He didn't even go into the exam room! He got caught! He got caught for cheating!"
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, making Master Gu's ears ring.
Looking at his wife's frantic expression, and recalling her inexplicably good mood these days, a terrible thought began to surface in his mind.
"What...what did you do?" Master Gu's voice turned cold, the joy gone, leaving only icy indifference.
"What am I doing? I'm protecting our third branch of the family! Protecting our son!"
Madam Gu roared, "How can a grandson born out of wedlock be allowed to surpass the legitimate son..."
Master Gu's face turned ashen. He knew perfectly well which was more important: a grandson who was still a child and a grandson who had become a top scholar.
"Foolish woman!" He flung his sleeve, trembling with rage. "How dare you tamper with the imperial examinations! Do you know what kind of crime this is? It's a crime that will implicate your entire family!"
"Implicate?" Madam Gu seemed to have grasped at the last straw. She stepped forward and grabbed her husband's sleeve tightly.
"No way! Nobody knows! Gu Xiaowu did everything perfectly, he saw the person being taken away with his own eyes! This news must be wrong! It's fake news released by the Duke's Mansion, they're trying to deceive us!"
Before she could finish speaking, a commotion arose at the courtyard gate.
Immediately afterwards, the steward led in several officials with music and festivities, carrying a huge red silk banner announcing the good news, their faces beaming with smiles.
"Congratulations, Third Master! Your esteemed grandson, Gu Lu, has achieved the highest honor in the imperial examinations, ranking third among the top scholars!"
The cheerful greetings, each word like a heavy hammer blow, struck Madam Gu's heart.
She watched helplessly as the glaring red celebratory notice was unfurled, the two large characters "Gu Lu" written in a flamboyant, almost mocking, style.
Master Gu was stunned on the spot, but then he reacted and his face immediately broke into an even brighter smile than before.
He cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations! Congratulations! Someone, bring the reward!"
"No...this is impossible..."
Madam Gu muttered to herself, her eyes unfocused. She suddenly shoved Yang aside and rushed to the middle of the courtyard like a madwoman, pointing at the officials announcing the good news and screaming, "You're all liars! You're all liars! Gu Lu cheated! He's been arrested! How could he possibly be the third-ranked scholar!"
The messengers exchanged bewildered glances, their smiles freezing on their faces.
Has this old lady Gu gone mad?
Master Gu's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He roared, "Guards! Quickly help Madam back inside! She's making a fool of herself here!"
Several strong old women rushed forward and tried to pull Madam Gu back.
"Let me go!" Madam Gu struggled violently. "Gu Xiaowu! Where is Gu Xiaowu! Let him come! Let him come and confront us!"
Just then, Gu Xiaowu, being supported by two servants, was dragged in.
As soon as he entered the courtyard and saw this scene, his legs went weak and he knelt down with a thud.
"Madam! Master!"
Madam Gu seemed to have seen a savior. She shook off the crowd, rushed to Gu An, and grabbed his collar.
"Tell them right now! Tell the master right now! What did you see that day? Did you see that little bastard being taken away with your own eyes?"
Gu An was shaken until he was dizzy. He glanced at the furious Third Master Gu and the bright red congratulatory notice, and was so frightened that he almost jumped out of his skin. He could only stammer, "I...I...I saw with my own eyes...I saw that Young Master Lu's examination basket...was found to contain...people...people were taken away by the soldiers!"
The moment those words were spoken, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
The messengers looked at him strangely, while Master Gu's gaze turned completely cold, as if he were looking at a dead man.
How could someone caught cheating by the officers and soldiers appear on the list of successful candidates and become the highly anticipated third-place scholar?
There is only one possibility.
Master Gu's gaze slowly shifted to his wife's face, a chill running from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.