CHAPTER 80

Since more than a dozen scholars rented houses in the west of the academy, Wang Luosheng has regained his former glorious status. These scholars moved to the west of the academy, firstly to save some time on the road, and secondly to be closer to Wang Luosheng. Even if they did not do so to curry favor with the promising Wang Luosheng, it was good to be able to ask him some questions.

So, all of a sudden, these dozen scholars all respected Wang Luosheng more than before. With so many people respecting Wang Luosheng, others also followed suit. People are always like this. If a few people do this, others will follow suit.

Many students also knew about the discord between Wang Luosheng and Shen Lin. Everyone supported Wang Luosheng, and a few people looked down on Shen Lin, always ridiculing him intentionally or unintentionally.

On the other hand, Zhou Yu and Wu Wei have always treated Shen Lin well and respected him very much.

Wang Luosheng felt at ease. He was still the most respected student at Songshan Academy. Nothing had changed.

The only thing that bothered Wang Luosheng was that the students who moved to the west end of the academy came to him one after another to ask questions. He was reluctant to explain at first, but now was the time for him to establish his position. If he lost the hearts of the people, he would be back in a bad situation, so Wang Luosheng grated his teeth and explained.

Su Wan’s several malatang shops are all doing booming business, but despite the booming business, Su Wan is not busy. Su Wan has selected people with good character and ability to manage each stall, so Su Wan does not have to worry too much about business matters. Su Wan has plenty of free time every day, so she goes to help several widows and orphans in the surrounding area and sends them rice, flour, clothes, and quilts to make their lives better.

As time went by, Su Wan’s good deeds became known, and many people in Qingyun County knew about Su Wan, a woman with a heart as kind as a bodhisattva and a face as beautiful as a fairy. Everyone praised Su Wan highly.

Yang Yunyan has always been the most famous woman in Qingyun County. After hearing everyone’s praise for Su Wan, Yang Yunyan could no longer sit still. She knew Su Wan, who was just a disheveled country girl before, but now she dared to compete with her.

Moreover, it was not just a part of Qingyun County that praised Su Wan. All the students in Songshan Academy knew that Shen Lin had a fiancée who was as beautiful as a fairy, kind, and capable.

The students of Songshan Academy all said that to be able to marry Su Wan, it must be because of the great merits of their ancestors. For a time, the students of Songshan Academy all hoped that their future wives would be like Su Wan.

After hearing the rumor, Yang Yunyan was so angry that she didn’t eat for the whole day. Even though she was the most famous woman in Qingyun County, no one had ever praised her like this, and no one had ever hoped for so many years that the woman he would marry in the future would be like her.

Yang Yunyan never thought that she would be overshadowed by the country girl whom she had always looked down upon.

The days passed one by one.

Wang Luosheng’s door was always crowded with people. Every day after school, students would come to ask Wang Luosheng questions. He was much more popular than Shen Lin, who only had a few friends.

The people of Qingyun County have never stopped praising Su Wan. More and more people know Su Wan’s name. Everyone knows that Su Wan is not only beautiful and has a prosperous business, but also has a kind heart to help the poor. Everyone’s attention to Su Wan completely exceeds that to Yang Yunyan.

Every family with a son hopes that his son can marry such a capable wife. Not to mention the young men who have seen Su Wan’s appearance. Su Wan is simply an unattainable dream for them.

Yang Yunyan became more and more gloomy day by day, and the one who outshined her was Su Wan, whom she once refused to even look at.

The only thing that could comfort Yang Yunyan was that the Imperial Examination was coming up soon. There was no doubt that Wang Luosheng would be admitted to the high school. As for Shen Lin, he had not studied for so many years and had only just returned to school. It would be a sweet dream for him to be able to pass the examination.

No matter what, even if everyone praises Su Wan now, after all, her background is dozens of times better than hers, and her future husband’s prospects are dozens of times better than hers.

Wang Luosheng would definitely be able to pass the special examination this time, and then he could become an official. At the very least, he would be a county magistrate. At the worst, she would be the wife of a county magistrate.

As for Su Wan’s fiancé, Shen Lin, not to mention that he would not be able to pass the exam; even if he did, he would only be a scholar, and Wang Luo had already passed the scholar exam three years ago.

Wang Luosheng had already left Shen Lin far behind.

It has always been the case that a wife is honored by her husband. Even if Su Wan is praised now, it is only a temporary glory. In the days to come, she will never be able to surpass herself.

Yang Yunyan imagined the scene of Wang Luosheng graduating from high school, becoming a high-ranking official, and riding a tall horse to marry her. The gloom she had felt these days was much less severe.

As she was thinking about it, an idea suddenly popped up in Yang Yunyan’s mind. Wang Luosheng would definitely pass the exam, but Shen Lin would definitely fail.

The Imperial exam was approaching, and there was a rumor in Qingyun County that the most famous Taoist priest in Qingzhou Prefecture passed by Qingyun County and read the fortunes of the two most famous girls in Qingyun County, Yang Yunyan and Su Wan, saying that Yang Yunyan was destined to be a lucky woman. If one married Yang Yunyan, he would be able to pass the imperial examination and have a prosperous career. However, Su Wan’s fate was not as good as Yang Yunyan’s. If one married Su Wan, he would have no hope of studying and could only do some small business to barely make ends meet.

For a while, the idea that one should marry Yang Yunyan was widely circulated, but unfortunately, Yang Yunyan was already engaged to Wang Luosheng, the most promising student at Songshan Academy.

As for Su Wan, this girl is good and capable, but she is just a small businessman and cannot compare to Yang Yunyan.

Su Wan also did not expect that before the imperial exam, the hot topic in Qingyun County was that Yang Yunyan was a lucky koi for her husband, but she herself was not.

After hearing this, Shen Lin said to Su Wan, “This must be a piece of nonsense made up by someone to make people think that you are not as good as Yang Yunyan. Don’t worry, I will study hard and pass the imperial examination to dispel this rumor. If I fail this time, I will pass the autumn imperial examination this year.”

Su Wan smiled and said, “Don’t be too stressed. After all, whether you pass or not, we can all live a good life. You’ve bought a lot of houses and land, haven’t you? I think these have a bright future. Even if you pass the exam, you won’t be able to earn so much money.”

Shen Lin smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I will definitely not let anyone with ulterior motives belittle you.”

That day, Su Wan came out to help a brother and sister whose parents had both passed away. She repaired their house, provided them with a month’s worth of food, and even let the two children work at a Malatang stall to earn some money so that they could survive.

The place where the brother and sister lived was not remote, but in the downtown area. When Su Wan came out of the house, she met Yang Yunyan and several of Yang Yunyan’s girlfriends.

The two most famous women in Qingyun County met in one place, and people passing by couldn’t help but stop to look.

“Hey, isn’t this Boss Su Wan? What are you doing here?” A girl with a red silk flower on her head spoke first.

The long-faced girl on Yang Yunyan’s left sneered, “Boss Su must be here to help the poor and needy so that she can spread her reputation far and wide.”

The plain-faced girl spoke in an unfriendly tone, and many passersby stopped to watch.

The dark-faced girl behind Yang Yunyan’s right covered her face and laughed: “This is really funny. She is just a small businessman. Why does she pretend to be a wealthy businessman and help the poor? She is just deceiving the world and stealing reputation, hahaha.”

Some passersby started to discuss, “That’s right, Su Wan doesn’t have much money. Not only is she not good for her husband, but she’s also not someone who can live a good life.”

“Before, you said that one should marry someone like Su Wan. Isn’t that nonsense?”

That’s right, you should marry someone like Yang Yunyan, who will bring good luck to her husband. But marrying Su Wan will only bring bad luck to your ancestors’ graves.

“I suggest that you should take some time to persuade your future husband to study hard. This is the right thing to do. Otherwise, it will be very hard for you to run a small business for the rest of your life.” A plump girl continued.

After saying that, she covered her mouth again: “Oh, how could I forget that Taoist priest Yunshan said that if he married you, he would have no hope of passing the imperial examination and having a career in politics? Your advice is useless. It’s not like Yunyan. Whoever she marries will definitely pass the imperial examination and become rich and powerful.”

Su Wan smiled and said, “Miss Yang is destined to be a lucky wife, so she will live a life of great wealth and honor. I am not a lucky wife, so I have to do good deeds. Let me move aside. I still have to send some rice and flour to the next family.”

The driver of the rice cart said to Su Wan, “Miss, please don’t say too much to these people. I have seen your kindness these days. In my opinion, you are such a good person; your fiancé will definitely pass the imperial examination. But Miss Yang, everyone around her is sharp-tongued and sarcastic; I guess she is the same; her future husband will definitely not be blessed with a high score.”

As the driver spoke, he took a bench from the cart and asked Su Wan to get on. Su Wan did not bother with these people and got on the cart.

The black-faced girl was not convinced: “You, Su Wan, if you have the guts, stay and have a good talk.”

The driver said rudely, “That Taoist Yunshan is just talking nonsense. Miss Su and her future husband will surely become rich and powerful, but I don’t know about Miss Yang. Go.”

After the coachman finished speaking, he drove the carriage away at a gallop.

The onlookers had different opinions. Some said Su Wan was good, some said Yang Yunyan was good, and some even blushed because of the argument.

Several of Yang Yunyan’s girlfriends who were looking for trouble with Su Wan were still chattering about how Su Wan was useless and how Yang Yunyan was a lucky koi for her husband in order to please Yang Yunyan.

Yang Yunyan benefited greatly from it.

When the girls saw Yang Yunyan’s mouth corners raised, they knew that what they said was right. It seemed that Yang Yunyan would be the wife of a high-ranking official in the future, and it would not be a loss for them to try to curry favor with her.

Wang Luosheng had naturally also heard the rumors that Yang Yunyan was a lucky koi for her husband. Ten days before the special examination, Wang Luosheng suddenly proposed to marry Yang Yunyan before the exam.

This request was a bit abrupt, but the Yang family still agreed to it.

The Wang family and the Yang family each have their own little tricks.

Others don’t know that Wang Luosheng is most aware that his academic performance has declined during this period. He is even a little unsure about this special examination.

Before this, Wang Luosheng was very confident about this and had no doubt that he would pass the exam. However, in recent days, Wang Luosheng has become a little worried.

If he failed the exam, would Yang Yunyan still be willing to marry him? Although the engagement has been made, it is not set in stone. Even in Qingyun County, there are many people who have broken off the engagement after getting engaged.

Wang Luosheng went back to discuss with his father and mother. His mother hurriedly said, “Let’s marry Yang Yunyan as soon as possible. This way, I can have someone to serve me sooner. Secondly, Yang Yunyan’s family is rich. We can buy whatever we want in the future.”

The Wang’s father thought what the Wang’s mother said made sense, so he agreed.

Master Yang of the Yang family also agreed. The Wang family felt that the engagement might not be set in stone, and the Yang family felt the same way.

There are many people who abandon their wives in order to marry into a rich and powerful family after passing the imperial examinations. What’s more, Yang Yunyan and Wang Luosheng were just engaged, so it wouldn’t be considered bad to say that he abandoned his fiancée.

Only if Yang Yunyan marries Wang Luosheng completely can it be ensured that Wang Luosheng’s wealth and glory are all related to the Yang family.

Ever since Wang Luosheng’s academic performance improved a few years ago, Master Yang has always valued Wang Luosheng, from being surprised at first to completely valuing and trusting him later.

Master Yang felt that Wang Luosheng returning to high school was like believing that the sun would rise every day. Otherwise, given Wang Luosheng’s family background, Master Yang would never want his daughter to have any contact with him.

The Wang family was happy about it, and the Yang family agreed, so the two families quickly held the wedding before the special examination.

Because they were in a hurry, the wedding was not very grand, but all the important guests were invited. All the people in Qingyun County knew that the most promising student of Songshan Academy married Yang Yunyan, the most talented girl in Qingyun County.

Occasionally, a few people would comment, “Wang Luosheng and Yang Yunyan’s wedding was too hasty. There’s no rush to get it done after they pass the exam.”

However, most people still approve of it. Some say that Wang Luosheng is trying to reassure Yang Yunyan in advance, and some even say that Yang Yunyan is a lucky woman for her husband and that she married Wang Luosheng so that he could pass the imperial examination.

Wang Luosheng and Yang Yunyan are getting married, and Shen Lin and Su Wan also received invitations, but Shen Lin did not go. It was not because Shen Lin and Wang Luosheng did not get along, but because the exams were approaching and Shen Lin really did not want to do anything else irrelevant.

After Wang Luosheng and Yang Yunyan’s wedding, people in Qingyun County believed even more that Wang Luosheng would definitely pass the imperial examination. What kind of man is Master Yang? He has been reading books all his life. He can tell at a glance who can pass the imperial examination and who cannot. The fact that he married his daughter to Wang Luosheng speaks volumes.

All of a sudden, the people in Qingshi Village began to respect the Wang family more and more. Even though the Wang family’s life was getting worse and worse, they still had a promising son.

All things are inferior except reading. Having a promising son is better than anything else.

The weather was getting warmer and the special examination was approaching. Wang Luosheng had already passed the examination and became a scholar, so he was taking the examination to become a juren, while Shen Lin was taking the examination to become a scholar.

Everyone believed that Wang Luosheng would definitely be admitted, just as they believed that Shen Lin would not be admitted.

After the Imperial Examination, Shen Lin looked relaxed and calm, but Wang Luosheng’s brows were a little gloomy. Now it is March, and the results of the Imperial Examination will be out in April. In September, it will be the autumn examination.

If Wang Luosheng can pass the examination and become a juren this time, then the next time he takes the exam, he will be able to become a jinshi.

It would be a great honor to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. Think about it: in the great Zhou Dynasty, there were not many such young Jinshi. However, everyone also had hope for Wang Luosheng, because Wang Luosheng was different from others.

After Shen Lin finished the exam, he only rested for one day before picking up his books again and going to school every day to study. After the special examination, the school was closed for a few days, and very few people came to study.

The students who knew that Shen Lin went to the academy believed that Shen Lin had no hope of passing the exam this time, so he hurriedly started studying hard again in the hope of passing the imperial examination in September.

Zhou Yu and Wu Wei also accompanied Shen Lin. Strangely enough, they both felt that they had done better in this exam than in previous ones.

After studying hard with Shen Lin every day these days, he actually felt that he had gotten some enlightenment. So, even if he failed to pass the exam this time, he still had a great chance in the autumn exam. Seeing hope, the two of them began to study hard.

Ever since Wang Luosheng left the examination room, Yang Yunyan has been asking Wang Luosheng how he performed in the exam. Wang Luosheng looked calm and thought that it was impossible to be sure about something like an exam.

Yang Yunyan felt a little disappointed. After all, everyone in Qingyun County knew that she was a lucky charm for her husband. If Wang Luosheng passed the exam, it would be her credit. If Wang Luosheng failed, then…

Yang Yunyan believed in her heart that Wang Luosheng would definitely pass the exam, but she just wanted to make herself feel more at ease, so even if Wang Luosheng gave a perfunctory answer, Yang Yunyan couldn’t help but ask a few more times.

Wang Luosheng was annoyed by the questions and got angry: “If I don’t pass the exam, will you look down on me?”

Yang Yunyan panicked. Wang Luosheng had never been angry with her before.

“Husband, what are you talking about? Whether you pass the exam or not, you are my husband, and I will share the honor and disgrace with you.” Yang Yunyan hurriedly explained.

The more times like this come, the more she must win over Wang Luosheng’s heart so that she can be an official’s wife without worries in the future.

Wang Luosheng was not moved: “Since you share my glory and disgrace, why do you always nag and ask questions like a street woman?”

Yang Yunyan hurriedly apologized to Wang Luosheng, and Wang Luosheng’s expression eased a lot.

But Yang Yunyan felt a little uncomfortable in her heart. However, she was also somewhat relieved. It is said that men are unreliable. Sure enough, just a few days after their marriage, Wang Luosheng changed. Fortunately, she married him before the exam. If she had waited until after the exam and he passed the exam, she would not know whether he would marry her or not.

Yang Yunyan felt sad and relieved at the same time. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

Wang Luosheng ignored Yang Yunyan and went to sleep on the bed without even taking off his clothes.

April 18th arrived in a flash. Early in the morning, a list of those who had passed the special examination was posted in the downtown area of Qingyun County.

For a moment, the wall with the list was surrounded by people.