Chapter 180: 118 Release List (First Update)_2
“Marquis Gu, I’m afraid I reprieve I enforced on your behalf didn’t happen. You arrived one step too late. The Guozijian’s student spot is already occupied by another party. You may want to keep your stuff,” he said respectfully, not ready to let the Marquis lift the curtain himself.
The Marquis Gu was already too exhausted to speak…
With a pause, Gu Jiao, looking at Marquis Gu who she had beaten into a pulp, asked, “Did you have a hand in meddling with the student spot?”
On his last breath, Marquis Gu replied, “Eh…eh eh eh eh eh?”
Have… have I meddled with something?
Gu Jiao: Right, I beat the wrong person.
Gu Jiao dusted off her hands and got off the carriage, maintaining an utterly serious face.
Marquis Gu was initially planning to play dirty, not to prevent Xiao Liulang from going to Guozijian, but instead to make sure he goes there. That’s because only if Xiao Liulang goes there, would Gu Jiao have a chance to follow him to the Capital City.
He had Huang Zhong issue an order to the county magistrate overnight and also offered a hefty bribe, to have him reserve the student spot for himself.
When he was just mocking Xiao Liulang for not having a spot, he himself was confident of having the spot secured. Even though it was supposed to be Xia Liulang’s spot, having that youngster beg him a couple of times wouldn’t hurt right?
What he didn’t expect was that, soon after Huang Zhong left, an order from another high-ranking official also came, and that official held even more power than the Duke of Ding’an.
The county magistrate had no choice but to betray the Duke of Ding’an.
Of course, he didn’t mention it to his face, merely claiming that the Duke arrived too late.
Marquis Gu looked up at the sky in distress, wondering why he was beaten today?
On the way back, Gu Jiao didn’t ask Xiao Liulang why the Marquis from the Capital City had set his sights on him? Or whether his refusal to go to the Capital City was due to that Marquis?
If he wanted to tell her, there was no need for her to ask.
If he didn’t want to tell, then asking would be pointless.
After Gu Jiao sent Xiao Liulang to the Tianxiang Academy and barely had her foot out of the door, Xiao Liulang was called by someone.
Xiao Liulang turned around indifferently and said, “It’s you again?”
A middle-aged man greeted Xiao Liulang with a smile and bowed his hand in salute, “It has been a long time, young master. Do you still remember Liu?”
Xiao Liulang kept his face icy: “Did you people meddle with the student spot?”
The middle-aged man chuckled, “Young Master refuses to come back to our mansion obediently, so we had to resort to tricks. Why let the meat pie fall into the hands of others when it can benefit your friend Master Feng? Of course, if the young master agrees to come back with me, I can immediately revert the student spot.”
Xiao Liulang couldn’t be bothered with him and turned around to leave.
The middle-aged man said meaningfully, “Young Master, do you truly not want to study at Guozijian? It is a place all scholars dream of. Moreover, the document for registration has to be submitted to the court by tomorrow. You only have one night to think about it. Once the document leaves the post station, not even the Marquis can bring back that document.”
Xiao Liulang paused, “I told you, I am not connected with the Xiao family, nor do I know you. I will not go back to the Xiao family with you, give up this idea.”
The middle-aged man sighed, “Why bother, young master. Why walk a shaky wooden bridge when there is a broad highway? This isn’t wise.”
Xiao Liulang said, “I can go back, but you have to include mine and Feng Lin’s names together!”
“Young Master, you are joking. This student spot was earned by me through painstaking efforts. If admission to Guozijian were so easy, countless candidates wouldn’t be squeezing their brains out to get in.”
Xiao Liulang glanced back at him, “Isn’t there still the provincial examination? If you are so mighty, why don’t you directly change my score to first place. Once I become the successful candidate of the provincial examination, I wouldn’t even need the local recommendation to enter Guozijian.”
The successful candidate of the provincial examination of various regions is directly admitted to Guozijian; this has always been the rule in the Zhan Country.
The middle-aged man laughed, “We have no hand in the provincial examination. There is only this one slot. I advise the young master not to waste this opportunity lightly. Let me remind the young master one last time, after tomorrow morning, there will be no opportunity for a turnaround.”
“So that means, you guys can’t meddle with the provincial examination.” Xiao Liulang hooked the corner of his mouth in disdain and walked away.
Liu, the manager, was a bit confused. He touched his chin and took a deep breath. Did he miss something?
In September, the results of the provincial examination came out. The Yamen quickly sent the brand-new “B-list” to various regions.
The county magistrate rose before dawn, not to wait in the Yamen, but to go directly to the post station. As soon as he got the B-list, his hands began to tremble.
He opened it eagerly, revealing the most prominent name on the far right of the document— Successful Candidate. Xiao Liulang!