By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

Chapter 80: Results of the Imperial Examination Announced

The carriage back to the Marquis's residence

Mao Zheng's words reminded Wen Zongji that the story outlines he provided were all long narrative novels, and it wouldn't be surprising if they were written in millions of words.

If each volume contains 150,000 words, then there would be seven volumes.

The time span is long, and readers may not have the patience to wait.

If it could be serialized like in later generations, the problem of reader loss could be solved very well.

However, in the later era of print media, novels were serialized in newspapers.

In the Great Chu, there was no official gazette yet; the court only had the official gazette, which was not accessible to everyone.

The official gazette was drafted by the Grand Secretariat, compiled by the Office of Transmission, copied and finalized by a designated person, then printed in batches and finally sent to various government offices in the capital and the residences of princes and ministers, and then sent to local government offices through the postal system.

It can be said that official gazettes do not cost money, but this also limits the audience.

If Wen Zongji wanted to run a newspaper, the first step was to get the court's approval; otherwise, it would be illegal. Even if he gained fame, it wouldn't last long and he would easily become a target for criticism.

……

Time passed gradually as Mao Zheng prepared for the Ruijintang Top Ten Storytelling Competition.

It's time to release the results!

Wen Zongji took Chang Dong and the other man to a teahouse near the examination hall early in the morning.

This time they booked a table in advance.

Wen Zongjing and Wen Zongji went into the private room together, while Changdong and the others ran to the gate of the examination hall to wait for the results to be announced.

The waiter put down the tea and then left.

Wen Zongjing sat down, poured a cup of tea for each of them, and said, "I was in a daze throughout the entire imperial examination. I'm afraid I'm doomed again this time."

Wen Zongjing felt that all his good luck had been used up in the provincial examinations, and each provincial examination felt worse than the last.

Wen Zongji sat opposite Wen Zongjing: "The results haven't been released yet, anything is possible."

Wen Zongjing looked at him with some envy: "Judging from Third Brother's appearance, it seems like it's a sure thing."

Wen Zongji sipped his tea: "Even that top scholar in the provincial examination, Young Master Wu, probably wouldn't dare say he's got it all figured out."

Wen Zongjing sighed, "I do hope that my third brother can pass the exam, so that Father will be in a better mood and won't scold me too harshly."

"And my eldest brother," Wen Zongjing said with a pained expression, "he'll probably start nagging me again."

Wen Zongji reminded him, "My elder brother probably doesn't have time."

Wen Zongjing was taken aback: "That makes sense. My elder brother has been keeping a low profile lately, probably preparing for the final exam. With his abilities, passing the final exam is a sure thing."

"This means our family will have another cabinet seed."

The current frontrunner for the cabinet is undoubtedly Marquis Wen Chuanhong, who is in his prime and already serves as the Vice Minister of Rites. He is just one step away from joining the cabinet.

However, there are many ministers who are just a step away from the cabinet.

Wen Zongji laughed and said, "Brother will definitely be happy to hear this."

Wen Zongren was a man who had family honor ingrained in his very bones.

"The results are out!"

A loud shout from outside interrupted the brothers' conversation and disrupted the atmosphere outside.

It was like throwing a spark into a pot of oil, instantly causing flames to erupt.

Wen Zongjing lost the will to speak and turned his gaze to the window, staring at the entrance of the teahouse, waiting for his servants to appear.

Wen Zongji remained relatively calm. Having been tormented by exams many times in later generations, he had long since learned to face them with equanimity.

In any case, whether we accept it or not, the result will arrive as scheduled.

After watching for an unknown amount of time, Wen Zongjing suddenly stood up: "They're back."

Sure enough, not long after, the door to the private room was opened.

Changdong exclaimed excitedly, "You've won! Young Master, you've won!"

Wen Zongjing's personal servant lowered his head, not daring to look at Wen Zongjing.

Wen Zongjing slumped down, saying, "I knew it."

Wen Zongji comforted him, "Second brother is still young, he can take the exam again next time."

In the Great Chu, there were many scholars who had taken the imperial examinations for eight to ten years.

Wen Zongjing shook his head: "We know our own situation. I'm not the kind of person who's particularly good at studying. It's already a blessing from my ancestors that I was able to pass the provincial examination. Now that I've tried the metropolitan examination twice, I'm even more certain that I'm not cut out for this."

Wen Zongji said, "Second Brother, what you're saying is ridiculous. There are countless scholars in this world, and those who can pass the imperial examinations are already among the best. If you say you're not cut out for studying, wouldn't those who can't even pass the imperial examinations be ashamed and commit suicide?"

"Besides, Second Brother knows Father's thoughts. Even if Second Brother wanted to give up, Father wouldn't allow it."

The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion doesn't need low-ranking officials who have honed their skills at the grassroots level; what it lacks are people who can establish themselves in the imperial court and support Wen Zongren.

The Marquis's family has been passed down for four generations without producing a single spendthrift. The family is so large and prosperous that it could support Wen Zongjing's studies until he is seventy or eighty years old without any problem.

Wen Zongjing pounded his head in pain: "Sigh—"

He thought of Aunt Zhou!

Aunt Zhou only had one son, and she had always hoped that he would become a dragon among men. She would never allow him to give up halfway.

Wen Zongji patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

He could tell that Wen Zongjing had developed a phobia of the imperial examinations after failing twice and was starting to back down.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the final say on this matter.

Chang Dong said, "Young Master, you came in fifteenth place. The top scholar is the sixth son of Grand Secretary Wu, and Young Master Lu came in second."

Three hundred people were admitted through the imperial examination.

Fifteenth place is already among the top.

Wen Zongji noticed Lu Nian'an's ranking and his expression turned somewhat strange.

Lu Nian'an was ranked below Wu Fengyuan in the provincial examination, and he is again ranked below him in this metropolitan examination.

If the palace examination is still like this...

Wouldn't Lu Nian'an then become the perpetual runner-up?

However, Wen Zongji quickly lost interest in watching the spectacle.

The second place in the palace examination is the second-highest scorer!

He could directly enter the Hanlin Academy as the second-highest scorer!

If Wen Zongji didn't rank in the top three of the first class, even if he ranked first in the second class, he would still have to take the exam along with others if he wanted to become a probationary official.

To overtake others in the palace examination, one must focus on improving one's policy essays.

Because the palace examination only had one policy essay question!

……

Princess's Residence

Pei Rujing did not accompany Wen Zongji to see the list of successful candidates, not because she was indifferent, but because she had been summoned to the mansion by the Princess.

As the announcement of the results drew near, the Princess's residence had already dispatched several groups of people to gather information.

The eldest princess, unusually impatient, paced back and forth in the room.

Looking at the man who was happily eating his snacks without showing any sign of nervousness, the princess laughed in exasperation: "Don't you care about your husband at all?"

Pei Rujing swallowed the pastry in her mouth: "You're concerned."

"Then how can you still eat?"

"My husband can eat breakfast, so why can't I eat snacks?"

Pei Rujing no longer wanted Wen Zongji to pass the imperial examination and help her save face, as she had at the beginning.

Whether Wen Zongji passes the exam or not is not that important.

The eldest princess was speechless for a moment. With such a carefree and heartless daughter, there was no point in her saying anything.

"Princess, County Princess, your son-in-law has passed the imperial examination!"

Aunt Wan had been waiting at the gate of the mansion, and as soon as she received the news, she rushed over to deliver the good news.

The eldest princess breathed a heavy sigh of relief and laughed loudly, "A reward! The entire household will receive three months' worth of their monthly allowance!"

fortunately!

Wen Zongji did not disappoint her!

The servants inside the room all respectfully expressed their gratitude: "Thank you for your generous gift, Princess."

Pei Rujing suddenly stood up: "I want to go back and congratulate my husband."

It's one thing for her to be open-minded about it.

Now that she has actually won, Pei Rujing is naturally overjoyed.

The eldest princess didn't stop her: "Go ahead, go ahead."

At the same time, he looked at Granny Feng and said, "Granny Feng, some things have been dragging on for too long."

Granny Feng lowered her head.