Chapter 222: Announcing the Results

A few days later, they returned to the provincial city.

Last time they rented a short-term residence, but this time they directly paid to stay in an inn.

According to the date, tomorrow is the day the ranking list will be released. They didn’t need to stay in the provincial city for long, so it wasn’t necessary to rent a house. Additionally, the service in the inn was much more convenient than renting a place themselves.

"I think I just saw Xiao Ci." Zhong Chushan walked into the inn’s main hall from outside.

Su Yaoguang looked out the window: "Where?"

"He flashed by in front of me, and when I tried to confirm, he was gone again."

"The ranking list will be released tomorrow, so it’s normal for him to be here," Chen Buyu said. "But the issues in his family are really quite ugly. If I were him, I’d never return in my lifetime."

"He’s not from our place, so why go back?" Zhong Chushan said. "Actually, strictly speaking, that mother and daughter did have kindness toward him. If it weren’t for them taking him in, he might have been sold somewhere unknown. Regardless, he should at least collect the woman’s body; she disappeared without a trace, leaving the woman’s corpse dumped in a mass grave, without even a tomb."

"Since when did you become a Living Bodhisattva?" Chen Buyu scoffed at him.

Zhou Wangshu looked out the window and saw that figure pass by the alley in front and disappear.

It was indeed Xiao Ci.

Before leaving, deal with him!

"Want to go out to the night market later?" Chen Buyu asked. "I heard many scholars are heading to Tingfeng Tower today; it should be lively there. We might even run into many old friends."

"What’s Tingfeng Tower?" Su Yaoguang asked curiously.

"It’s an elegant place for composing poems and essays," Chen Buyu said. "We used to gather there quite often."

"Then you all go; I won’t join," Su Yaoguang said, feeling a headache from hearing about literary pursuits.

Rather than listening to those scholars flaunt their knowledge, she’d prefer to rest well at the inn. If she gets truly bored, she could stroll around the city on her own, doing whatever she finds comfortable.

"I’ll bring you supper later," Zhou Wangshu said. "If you sleep early, I’ll save it for you to eat tomorrow."

Zhou Wangshu, Zhong Chushan, and the others left.

Su Yaoguang rested in her room for a while, listening to the hustle and bustle outside, and stood by the window to take in the scenery.

Tomorrow is the day of the ranking release, and today many people are gathered in the county town, making it several times busier than usual.

At the alley entrance, Zhou Wangshu frowned at the beggar-like subordinate in front of him and said, "Couldn’t find Xiao Ci?"

The beggar subordinate said, "Hall Master, I’ve shown the portrait you gave me to all the brothers, and everyone says they haven’t seen him."

Zhou Wangshu took out a piece of paper from his pocket, which, when unfolded, was a portrait of Xiao Yanci.

Xiao Yanci’s looks were outstanding, and if noticed even a little, he should easily attract attention. However, the local informants here still couldn’t find him.

Xiao Yanci had disguised himself.

If he hadn’t done anything suspicious, he wouldn’t go to the extent of disguising. His sneaky behavior and careful hiding suggest a guilty conscience.

But you can dodge the first day of the month, yet not the fifteenth. Once his name appears on the list, the local Magistrate will host a banquet for all the scholars who make the list, and he will have to show up then.

The next day, Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang squeezed through the crowd.

Zhong Chushan and Chen Buyu weren’t seen on site.

Originally, they didn’t even want to come to the county town, so they weren’t overly concerned about whether their names appeared on the list. They sent the Attendant Student to keep an eye on the list.

Zhou Wangshu kept Su Yaoguang protected in his embrace, ensuring no one could touch her.

"Wang Shu..." Su Yaoguang tugged on Zhou Wangshu’s collar, prompting him to lower his head, and whispered in his ear, "Do you see those attendants over there holding ropes?"

Zhou Wangshu followed Su Yaoguang’s direction to look and indeed saw a few attendants with intense focus, eyeing the crowd while holding ropes, ready to pounce.

"Everyone is waiting for today. The scholars await the ranking list day, hoping to excel and present their families with the best report card. Those wealthy merchants in the town are also waiting, eager to bring these learned scholars into their families as sons-in-law. You better be careful later—if someone snatches you away, I won’t come to your rescue."

"Our marriage certificate is registered with the government, so even if they snatch me away, it won’t matter," Zhou Wangshu said. "Besides, if I really get taken away and you do nothing, mother would definitely hold you accountable."

"You’re not taking any losses nowadays," Su Yaoguang said, "Really getting harder to fool as you grow older. You were much more agreeable when we first met, seemingly easier to deceive then."

Amusement flickered in Zhou Wangshu’s eyes.

Back then, he was probably harder to fool, but she hadn’t realized he was continually testing both her and Zhang Zhaodi. Over time, the kindness of that mother and daughter moved him, easing his vigilance, and he truly began to integrate into that family.

"The ranking list is out." Someone shouted.

Zhou Wangshu grasped Su Yaoguang’s hand.

The two watched as the government officer pinned the list on the bulletin board.

As the ranking list gradually unfolded, people craned their necks to peek at the neat yet tiny names atop.

The list was revealed from the bottom, so Su Yaoguang wasn’t in a hurry to look; she awaited the front names to be displayed. She was confident about Zhou Wangshu’s high position.

"Look, there’s Chen Buyu’s name." Su Yaoguang pointed to the middle of the list. "He didn’t even want to check, but look at this decent rank!"

Someone tapped Zhou Wangshu’s shoulder. He turned to see another classmate who also called Zhang Zhaodi ’godmother’.

"Brother Wang Shu, your rank is bound to be high; we’ll have to wait a bit longer."

"Brother Zhang didn’t do badly either."

Both exchanged smiles.

In the crowd, an old figure watched the direction of the ranking list.

As the list revealed more names, his gaze grew increasingly ecstatic.

First... First...

It absolutely had to be his.

In his past life, he accomplished consecutive top scores; in this life, significant changes occurred.

Nonetheless, as long as he scores first in the upcoming provincial, metropolitan, and imperial examinations, he’ll remain the illustrious Champion Scholar.

"The top twenty is up soon," Zhang Xuezhi said. "Indeed, I’m eighteenth."

"Brother Chu Shan is ranked seventieth," Zhou Wangshu told Su Yaoguang. "Such a good rank—missing the opportunity to see it firsthand is bound to leave him with regrets."

"Here they come." Su Yaoguang pointed to the opposite direction. "Look, his attendants are loyal enough to run back and inform him, dragging him here."

Not only Zhong Chushan returned, but Chen Buyu rushed back upon hearing his name on the list too. Both craned their necks, gazing incredulously at the notice.

"We really made it!" Chen Buyu hugged Zhong Chushan’s shoulder. "Brother, now let’s see who dares call us worthless."