si-mexico Chapter 21 Child's Head
Chapter 21 Child's Head
County government.
As soon as the female yamen runner finished posting the red notice, the surrounding people swarmed around it.
On the second floor of a teahouse not far from the yamen, five people sat facing each other through a wide-open window. One of them, a woman in a pink silk dress, smiled and said to the bright and aloof woman opposite her:
"Girl, you're so smart to decide to wait here. Otherwise, with my small frame, if I went down and squeezed with those people, I might not make it back if I'm unlucky."
Seeing Li Yun'er's exaggerated expression, Lin Shu smiled slightly, captivating the four people present who were all stunned.
"Tch, your face is really... I wish I were a man..." Li Yun'er sighed with a lewd expression.
The people around laughed.
……
Downstairs, at the list area.
Yuanbao was young and loved to join in the fun. As soon as he heard the results were announced, he ran downstairs.
Once downstairs, he tried to squeeze in like the people on the outside. But the outside was full of burly women, and he was pushed out again after only squeezing in a little. Frustrated, he took a few steps back and then bumped into something.
"Ouch ouch!"
Amidst the wails of the surrounding crowd, he successfully squeezed his way to the front of the red notice board. After calming his panting body, he bent down and approached the notice board, almost pressing his face against it, and immediately saw Lin Shu's name.
He blinked in disbelief, then opened his eyes again. He wasn't mistaken; Miss Lin was actually at the top of the list.
"Oh my, Miss Lin is number one! Hahaha, she's my young lady's sister! That's amazing!" Yuanbao said, pulling on a woman who was also looking at the list. She looked familiar, but didn't pay much attention. "See her? Lin Shu, number one! She's my young lady's sister!"
Those around him were startled by his voice and felt a wave of envy, but seeing his proud expression, they stubbornly retorted with disdain: "Tch! She's not his young lady, what's there to be so smug about?"
Ignoring what others were saying, Yuanbao dashed off in a flash, eager to return and deliver the good news to Miss Lin. He didn't notice the complicated look in the eyes of the woman he was pulling along.
The woman was Lin Dafeng. She never imagined that her eldest daughter, who had been removed from the clan, would have such an opportunity. She had topped the county examination! Even if she did poorly in the prefectural and provincial examinations, she would still be a scholar.
……
"Miss Lin, Miss Lin! Great news! You passed the exam, and you're the top scorer! Congratulations, Miss Lin!" Yuanbao ran up to the teahouse in one breath, not even having time to drink a sip of water before he began to congratulate her.
"Sister, you're amazing! You'll have to look after me from now on!" Li Yun'er said with envy.
Li Huanzhi, his eyes filled with admiration, offered his congratulations: "Congratulations, Miss Lin, on achieving the top score in the exam!"
Looking at the emotions in his eyes, and recalling the way Li's father had looked at her earlier, Lin Shu had some guesses in her mind. However, she didn't show it on her face at the moment, and nodded slightly.
Su Mu and Song Yun were even more excited: "Congratulations, my lady!"
Lin Shu smiled and nodded, giving Yuanbao a reward. Yuanbao was saying all sorts of endearing things when suddenly:
"Yuanbao, how did I do on my grades?"
Li Yun'er stared at Yuanbao with bright eyes and asked.
Yuanbao was visibly startled, then moved to stand behind Young Master Li Huanzhi before whispering, "I forgot!"
"You...whose servant are you? You've actually forgotten me, Miss?" Li Yun'er said with a hint of resentment, but she wasn't angry.
“I…I am the young master’s servant.”
Upon hearing Yuanbao's answer, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Tch! Forget it! For my brother's sake, I won't hold it against you!" Li Yun'er waved her hand.
"I'll go show Miss right now." Seeing that there were fewer people downstairs, Yuanbao dashed down again.
"Hahaha!" This time, while no one else laughed, Li Yun'er did, as if she was very happy to have teased Yuanbao.
Yuanbao returned quickly, and Li Yun'er also passed, placing tenth. Li Yun'er beamed and generously rewarded Yuanbao with ten taels of silver before turning to ask Lin Shu:
"Hey girl, let's go to the magistrate's wife's banquet tonight!"
Before Lin Shu could ask any questions, there was a knock on the door.
Yuanbao opened the door and welcomed the person in. Lin Shu then realized that this was the female constable who had been patrolling earlier. The constable greeted Lin Shu with a fist and palm salute, and then said gently:
"Chief Lin, I am here on the orders of the county magistrate's wife to invite you to tonight's banquet." Turning around, he saw that Li Yun'er was also there and invited her as well.
"Thank you for your trouble!" Lin Shu replied, and the female constable then left.
Seeing Lin Shu frowning in thought, Li Yun'er knew that she was not quite clear, so she explained it to her.
The first-place candidate in the county examination was called "Zheng An Shou" (正案首). In subsequent examinations such as the prefectural and provincial examinations, examiners, out of consideration for the county magistrate, usually wouldn't let the top-ranked candidate fail. That's why the female yamen runner was so respectful to her earlier. Those who ranked tenth or higher were called "Qian Ba" (前拔), and those who made it into the Qian Ba were required to visit the county magistrate to express their gratitude.
……
evening.
Li Yun'er and Lin Shu arrived at the county magistrate's residence. Upon entering the gate, they could see some unique scenery, pavilions and towers, which were quite elegant.
Passing through the corridor and approaching the main hall, Lin Shu glanced around and found that all the other students had arrived. She then saw a dignified woman in official robes sitting at the head of the table. She seemed to have just returned from the county government office and hadn't had time to change into civilian clothes. She looked to be in her forties, with some fine lines around her eyes, and was looking at them expressionlessly.
Lin Shu stepped forward, clasped her hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Your Excellency, I am late, please forgive me!"
Li Yun'er quickly followed suit!
Xu Qing stared at Lin Shu. She hadn't looked at her closely that day, but now she realized that Lin Shu was indeed a rare beauty. Looking at her unchanging demeanor, Xu Qing felt a surge of admiration.
"It's alright! You are all outstanding individuals from Yun County. This is not only a celebration banquet for your achievements, but also an opportunity for you to learn from and exchange ideas with each other! Please make yourselves at home. Let the banquet begin!" Xu Qing instructed the person outside the door.
After the meal, all the students benefited greatly, except for Lin Shu, who was somewhat irritable.
Since the banquet began, a flamboyantly dressed man had been constantly surrounding her, his body reeking of perfume, making her quite uncomfortable. So after the meal, she bid farewell to the magistrate and left in a hurry, with Li Yun'er naturally following closely behind. Xu Qing's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but she knew she was in the wrong after all.
After everyone left, Xu Qing went to Zhu Shifu's courtyard. Zhu Shifu quickly came out to greet her, but as soon as she approached, she was slapped to the ground: "Fool, do you know what day it is today? How dare you send your good-for-nothing nephew to cause trouble? Send your nephew away tomorrow, or don't blame me... Humph!" After saying that, she walked out of the courtyard and told the people outside that Zhu Shifu was ill and should rest in the courtyard, and not let anyone out.
Zhu Shifu cried out in the courtyard. He understood Xu Qing's meaning perfectly well. He had only just taken the position of Shifu, how could he have fallen out of favor so easily? He had not yet found the murderer who killed his sister Julie, but it was all in vain now.
Lin Shu, who left, had no idea that her actions today had resolved all her future troubles.
That's right! That Zhu Shifu was the same Zhu Ji Pastry Shop owner from Dongshan Town, the brother of Julie whom she killed...
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