On the sixth day of the fifth month, Mo Yan drove the carriage, delivering Mo Qingze to the palace gates on ti. When father and daughter alighted from the carriage, there were only a sparse seven or eight Tribute Scholars waiting in line for the guard to check them.
These seven or eight people had not seen Mo Qingze before, nor did they know that he was the top candidate of the Imperial Examination this session. They just felt that Mo Qingze had an exceptional presence; they looked at him a few more tis before shifting their gaze away.
Seeing this, Mo Yan chuckled and said, "Coming at this mont is just perfect. If we ca any earlier, soone might have recognized you, Father."
On the day the results were announced at the teahouse, there had been no shortage of discussions about Father. Afterwards, when the news that Father had beco the top candidate spread, it caused quite a stir in Jing City. Even so betting shops opened wagers on whether Father could snatch the title of Champion Scholar in the final stage of the examination, with very high odds.
A bitter smile appeared on Mo Qingze’s face: "If it weren’t for the fact that we live in the countryside and Hanzhang had inford the governnt office, our family would hardly have had any peace these days."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yan involuntarily thought of the events that transpired that night. Her porcelain-white face embarrassingly turned red, and her teeth chattered with anger, mainly because the person who had been sending daily apology letters had suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Noticing his daughter’s abnormal behavior, Mo Qingze asked with concern, "Yanyan, are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so red?"
Mo Yan, embarrassed to tell the reason, shook her head repeatedly, "Not at all, it might be that the sun has co up, just feeling a bit hot!"
Mo Qingze looked up at the sky with suspicion, then at his slightly uneasy daughter, and said nothing.
The weather in May was indeed gradually warming up, but the morning sun was not strong enough to make soone’s face turn red.
Feeling guilty under her father’s gaze, Mo Yan patted her own face and lifted her little chin with feigned pride, "It just shows how delicate your daughter’s skin is. It turns red as soon as the sun hits."
Mo Yan’s mouth twitched, deeply ashad of his daughter’s shaless excuse!
It didn’t take long before the seven or eight people ahead were checked, and it was Mo Qingze’s turn. Mo Yan could not follow further, so she stepped aside and watched as one guard verified her father’s identity, while another frisked him.
Whether it was a special order or out of respect for the top candidate, the guards treated Mo Qingze with much courtesy, not like the cold, stern faces they had when checking others, almost as if the others owed them a fortune in Big Money.
The four or five people who arrived even later than Mo Qingze clearly noticed the difference in the guards’ attitude before and after, and were filled with curiosity about Mo Qingze’s identity.
Soon, Mo Qingze’s check was completed. As he tucked away the docunts that proved his identity, the scholar standing behind him inadvertently glanced at the top page and clearly saw the na "Mo Qingze," exclaiming in surprise, "Mo Qingze, Young Master Ziyu!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Qingze turned around instinctively and saw a face unfamiliar, yet excited.
The others, hearing the na, simultaneously looked up and asked the person in front, "Have you seen Young Master Ziyu?"
That person quickly shook his head and pointed at the docunts in Mo Qingze’s hand, his voice excited, "I saw it, I saw the na on top, no doubt, it’s Young Master Ziyu."
Hearing this, everyone’s gaze turned fervently towards Mo Qingze.
Mo Qingze had seen such gazes countless tis and was becoming increasingly accustod to them. Thus, he politely nodded at the few people, acknowledging their greetings.
As they watched Mo Qingze turn around and head towards the palace gates, they subconsciously wanted to follow, but were stopped by the guards, "How dare you, attempting to barge into the palace gates?"
Snapping back to reality, they halted and stood obediently under the unfriendly gaze of the guards, waiting to be checked, yet their eyes couldn’t help but drift towards Mo Qingze, who had already entered the palace gates.
One of them murmured, "We’re so lucky to have t Young Master Ziyu! He is truly as gentle and graceful as the rumors claim, with not a trace of arrogance. It’s evident he is soone destined for greatness."
Another person agreed, "That’s undoubtedly true. At the previous court examination, I thought perhaps others had exaggerated, but who would have thought that Young Master Ziyu could clinch the title of the top candidate so readily, revealing his true scholarship. It’s just uncertain whether he can place in the top three in this final round of the examination."
"I haven’t witnessed Young Master Ziyu’s true scholarly abilities, but having t the four famous talents from Jiangnan, all so refined, and yet they still ranked behind Young Master Ziyu, you can tell that he is much superior! Besides, Young Master Ziyu is already well-regarded by The Emperor; the title of Champion Scholar is likely at his fingertips. Just you watch," another person analyzed objectively, clearly very confident in Mo Qingze’s ability to secure the title of Champion Scholar, without a trace of envy.
For those who were only slightly better than them, they could still see them as rivals and strive to compete; for those who were far above them, beyond reach even at full gallop, all that remained was sincere admiration and respect.
The others found this analysis very reasonable and wished the guards would hurry up so they could quickly follow Young Master Ziyu. However, they didn’t dare voice such demands, and the guards would not simply let them pass.
Therefore, when they eagerly stepped through the palace gates, hoping to catch up with Mo Qingze, his figure was nowhere to be seen.
Mo Yan, having overheard their conversation, wore a proud smile on her face. She climbed onto the carriage in high spirits and urged Da HongZao to head towards the Eastern Market’s rice shop, planning to return in one and a half hours to pick up her father and take him ho.
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