Thinking of the heroic woman who saved him from dire straits, Bai Qingqing’s face bloomed with a sweet smile.
But soon, he seemed to recall something else.
His fingers, clasped across his arms, dug deeply into the tender flesh of his inner forearms.
But, but he was no longer clean…
He was unworthy of his heroic woman…
Heh.
Since he was unworthy, then he would make sure that all those scoundrels who had designs on that heroic woman were also unworthy!
For the past six months, he had gained some authority in the estate. A month ago, he had sent people to Fengcheng to investigate, and he believed he would soon have news of the target.
…
Three days later.
The day of the posting of the results.
Nian Jiaojiao and her family waited quietly for the results in the house.
*Duang—*
Congratulations to candidate Nian Jiaojiao for achieving second place in the Jinshi examination!
Congratulations to candidate Nian Jiaojiao for achieving second place in the Jinshi examination!
…
The messenger stopped after repeating the announcement seven times at the main gate of Nian Jiaojiao’s courtyard.
Everyone inside the courtyard fell silent.
They weren't surprised that Nian Jiaojiao had successfully passed the Jinshi examination, but rather at her achieving second place.
This wasn't to say they felt second place was bad.
However, ever since Nian Jiaojiao had participated in the imperial examinations, she had consistently placed first. The sudden attainment of second place caught everyone off guard.
Seeing the reactions of the men, Nian Jiaojiao chuckled.
“What, did you really think your wife was the best in the world? Da Yue is full of hidden talents, and it’s normal for your wife not to win this time.”
Actually, Nian Jiaojiao’s spirits were quite good; she didn't have much emotional fluctuation over not getting the first place.
However, she intended to go all out in the final palace examination because Senior Sister Lei had hinted that there was another opportunity after achieving the top rank.
With this thought, Nian Jiaojiao had already walked to the door.
The messenger, who handed Nian Jiaojiao her Jinshi identification plaque, kept scrutinizing her.
So this was Nian Jiaojiao. Truly talented and beautiful!
It was just a pity about her luck…
This messenger had been following an examiner closely, and thus, she knew exactly how the results had come about.
It was this morning that the results of the other papers had come out, but the examiners had suddenly split into two factions, arguing over the first and second place candidates.
Finally, an examiner suggested directly verifying who had the better effect on the demons to end the dispute.
Two examiners at the Demon Taming realm brought forth two demons, then invited cultivators of the poetry path to use the demon-subduing poems from the two papers.
Ultimately, the poem from the female scholar who clinched the top spot was the fastest to eliminate the outer-world demon.
But the injustice for this Nian Jiaojiao lay in this:
Although her poem’s individual attacks were not as strong as the other poem, it was because her poem had a “group attack” effect.
This held greater significance for resisting the complete invasion of demons in the future!
The messenger, thinking of the poem’s vast attack range that day, looked at Nian Jiaojiao with deep respect.
It was just a pity that they had previously agreed to determine the Jie Yuan based on the speed of demon elimination. Therefore, this Nian Jinshi could only be ranked second.
At this moment, Nian Jiaojiao, who had just received her identification plaque, was unaware of the intricacies. She took out a hundred taels of silver notes from her怀 and intended to give them to the two messengers as a tip.
Unexpectedly, the two messengers refused to accept it, quickly "fleeing" the place and leaving Nian Jiaojiao standing alone, utterly bewildered.
Wasn't giving tips the usual practice?
Moreover, the amount varied depending on the examination.
Her hundred taels, while not a lot, was definitely not a little.
Could it be that she had actually encountered two messengers who despised money like dirt?
Nian Jiaojiao shook her head and turned back into the courtyard.
At this moment, her five husbands offered their congratulations.
Yuchuan: “Wife, you’ve worked hard.”
Xuan Yi: “Congratulations on passing the Jinshi exam.”
Nan Qing: “Congratulations.”
Xing Yun: “I’m a Jinshi’s husband now!”
Tong Ziyao: “I’ll go send a letter to Fu’er so she can know this good news sooner.”
Nian Jiaojiao smiled.
“Regardless, we should celebrate as we ought to. Our family hasn’t gone out for a trip together in a long time. Since the weather is still fine, why don’t we all go out for a stroll?”
“Yay!”
Xing Yun was so happy he almost jumped.
However, at this moment, Nan Qing raised an eyebrow and said,
“It’s just that every time we go out together, something interesting always happens.”
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere immediately quieted down.
Nian Jiaojiao’s lips twitched. “Nan Qing, don’t speak nonsense.”
Nan Qing shrugged, nonchalantly saying,
“It’s good if something happens; it’s just boring otherwise. Just don’t let there be an extra husband.”
Before Nian Jiaojiao could speak, Tong Ziyao interjected,
“As long as fewer people deliberately stir up trouble.”
Wasn’t he the one who had accidentally become an extra husband before?
Feeling implied, Tong Ziyao naturally refused to back down.
Nan Qing sneered.
“Heh, that’s still better than someone who likes to claim things for themselves.”
“Alright, alright, can we stop? Do we still want to go out?”
Nian Jiaojiao rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Ever since Tong Ziyao married into the family, he hadn’t argued with Nan Qing. What was happening today?
Seeing Nian Jiaojiao trying to mediate, the two men stopped their bickering. However, as they left, one walked at the very front, and the other at the very back, neither paying attention to the other.
Nian Jiaojiao found the situation rather amusing and frustrating.
She felt like a kindergarten teacher, leading a group of children who liked to throw tantrums…
Having been in the royal city for so long, Nian Jiaojiao and her family had naturally purchased a dedicated carriage. However, the horses used to pull the carriage were being fed at the horse keeper’s house, and their decision to go out was impromptu.
Therefore, they could only go to the horse keeper’s house themselves to get the carriage.
Fortunately, the horse keeper’s house was not far; they reached it soon after turning a corner.
“Aunty Yan! Aunty Yan!”
Nian Jiaojiao called out twice.
*Creak—*
Soon, the somewhat dilapidated wooden door opened.
However, the person who came to open the door was not Aunty Yan, but Aunty Yan’s son.
Aunty Yan’s son was about fifteen years old, with a somewhat babyish roundness to his face, giving him a somewhat naive appearance.
Upon seeing Nian Jiaojiao, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise,
“Scholar Nian, why have you come?”
Xing Yun, standing behind her, couldn’t help but immediately jump forward, extending his arms protectively to shield Nian Jiaojiao and saying,
“What scholar? My wife is already a Jinshi!”
As he said this, Xing Yun instinctively raised his head, filled with pride.
Yan Hualin froze.
So this was her… husband…
He looked so delicate and petite…
He lowered his head a little, feeling a sense of disappointment.
Nian Jiaojiao, not sensing the young man’s feelings, directly asked,
“Young Master Yan, I’m looking for your mother. We are going out this time.”
Yan Hualin then seemed to snap back to reality and moved aside, allowing Nian Jiaojiao to enter.
After Nian Jiaojiao and Xing Yun entered, he then noticed the other men following behind them.
And each one was more stunning than the last…
Except for…