On the day the exam results were released, just shortly after the list was posted, some of the disappointed scholars indeed exposed that certain individuals had bribed the examiners and cheated using secret notes during the exam.
The inn where Song Wei and the others were staying wasn’t far from the government office.
Early in the morning, before anyone had left, they heard the commotion downstairs, and the occasional words like "cheating" and "bribery" made it easy to guess that the incident Wen Wan had foreseen had truly happened.
Everything was under control; the couple remained calm, sitting at the table and leisurely drinking porridge and eating buns.
Shortly after, there was a knock on the door.
Wen Wan was about to open the door, but Song Wei pressed her to sit down, stood up himself, and opened the door to see Hao Yun outside. He wasn’t surprised at all, "What’s up?"
Hao Yun’s face was slightly pale, and he spoke after catching his breath, "Brother Song, have you heard? There’s trouble with our recent prefectural exam."
Song Wei pretended not to know and asked, "What’s the matter?"
Hao Yun frowned deeply, "Today is the day to release the results, right? We were reviewing the list just fine when suddenly someone stood up and caused a scene, accusing the Vice Chief Examiner of accepting bribes and malpractice. They even produced evidence, and the Magistrate got really angry, dismissed the Vice Chief Examiner from his post, and issued an announcement that all child students taking this prefectural exam must register for a re-examination."
Song Wei looked at him, "Are you afraid you won’t pass if you retake the exam?"
"Not really." Hao Yun looked at Song Wei with full of regret, a hint of sympathy mingling in his expression, "I’m worried about you."
"Yeah! Brother Song, haven’t you seen it yet? You’re the top scorer of this prefectural exam, the top scorer, but because of this issue, you have to retake the exam. I’m... just afraid you’ll lose your composure."
After all, Song Wei has had a streak of bad luck over the previous years, and Hao Yun was truly afraid he might blame this incident on his own misfortune. If he had a moment of breakdown, it could lead to serious consequences.
Inside, Wen Wan nearly choked on her porridge, "..."
Have these two got their roles reversed?
Seeing that Song Wei didn’t respond, Hao Yun thought he was truly shocked by the bad news and asked with concern, "Brother Song, are you alright?"
"I’m fine." Song Wei shook his head and asked him, "And what about you? Aren’t you worried about the retake?"
"Oh, I’ve failed so many times, what else is there to be afraid of?" Hao Yun showed a carefree attitude, "That day, Brother Song’s words made me understand something."
"What did you understand?"
"If I don’t take the exam, so be it. If I do, I need to adopt the spirit of the pig unafraid of scalding water. No matter what others say, I bury myself in my studies. To argue with them to the point I make myself miserable, I’d be the biggest fool in the country."
Song Wei raised his eyebrows and gave him a thumbs up.
The feeling of being validated could only be described as exhilarating, and Hao Yun’s face bloomed with joy, "Here, I’ve delivered the message. Since Brother Song feels alright, I’m relieved. The re-examination is in three days, don’t get it wrong!"
"Thank you." Song Wei nodded lightly.
"Then I’ll take my leave now."
"Take care, no need to see me out."
Watching Hao Yun go downstairs, Song Wei closed the door and returned to his seat to continue breakfast.
Wen Wan looked at the man across from her, the corners of her mouth slightly curled, and her smile was full of admiration.
To be able to straighten the twisted mindset of a person with just a few words, her husband was indeed a talent.
Song Wei received the adoring gaze from his little wife and smiled, "By looking at me, can you fill your stomach?"
Of course, seeing such a handsome man, one could skip a meal and just look a bit more.
Wen Wan blushed with silent fondness.