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“All these candidates who passed are innocent, right?” he suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Luo was taken aback, and then after a moment, he murmured, “Yes, since you didn’t fail, there’s no reason to believe that any of them took an unfair spot in the examination.”

Xiao Liulang looked at those candidates and said, “If they were to retake the test, some of them would fail, right?”

Magistrate Luo sighed and nodded. It was inevitable. The pressure of having to retake an exam would affect their performance.

“And what about you, Magistrate Luo?” Xiao Liulang asked.

“I…what?” Magistrate Luo was taken aback.

Xiao Liulang said, “I’ve heard that your term is nearly up. A reexamination is a serious matter and needs to be reported to the imperial court. This would negatively affect your chances of reappointment, wouldn’t it?”

Magistrate Luo reluctantly nodded in agreement.

The dynasty had strict control over examinations. If the need to retest arose because of cheating, his official career would be over.

Without haste, Xiao Liulang asked, “How much do you think your career is worth, Magistrate Luo?”

Magistrate Luo was taken aback!

Was this young man openly blackmailing him?

Without rushing, Xiao Liulang said, “Magistrate, being an honest official, certainly has not much silver to hand. However, the person who bribed the examiners must have spent a considerable amount of silver, right? As the one who effectively suffered, shouldn’t you compensate me with that silver?”

He could buy back his own future without spending a single coin and still maintain the good reputation of an upright official.

What a profitable deal!

Magistrate Luo fell right into the pit Xiao Liulang had dug: “Yes, yes- a thousand taels. I’ll make sure to deliver it all to Candidate Xiao!”

Xiao Liulang continued, “Also, if no one had tampered with the examination papers, I would have been the Little Sanyuan. This is something Magistrate Luo does not deny, right?”

Magistrate Luo nodded like a pestle: “Absolutely! Candidate Xiao’s ability is recognized by myself and the governor!”

Xiao Liulang sighed softly, “But the Little Sanyuan comes with a cash prize. And now, I cannot claim it.”

Magistrate Luo: “…”

Why did he feel that this pit was getting bigger and bigger?

The cash prize for the Little Sanyuan is granted by the imperial court and distributed by the government office. Each level of the bureaucracy, from the prefecture to the imperial college, to the county office, awards a part – in total, a full one hundred taels.

Moreover, because no one from Pingcheng prefecture had achieved the Little Sanyuan in ten years, the prize money had since doubled.

Therefore, Xiao Liulang should have received two hundred taels.

But under the current circumstances, it would be impossible to make this transaction through official means.

In other words, Magistrate Luo would have to pay the amount out of his own pocket.

Magistrate Luo: I innocently thought that I could get out of this without spending a dime, how foolish of me!

The cheating issue ended with Magistrate Luo coughing up a substantial amount.

The prefect of the village was a distant relative of Magistrate Luo. As the affected party chose not to press charges, the prefect also chose not to report the matter to the imperial court.

Therefore, Magistrate Luo kept his official position, and the candidates were free from the pressure of a reexamination. Everyone was pleased.

As for the culprit of the cheating scandal, it was most likely another candidate who, out of jealousy of Xiao Liulang’s results, wanted to bring him down.

Magistrate Luo said he would continue to investigate secretly.

When Xiao Liulang returned to the village it was early April, and the warmth of late spring filled the air. The willow branches around the pond had sprouted new buds, hanging down over the surface of the water like a curtain of floating emerald beads.

The crops in the fields had also begun to grow, appearing a lush green as far as the eye could see.

He had come to the village around this time last year, and he could hardly believe a year had already passed.

Zhang Bo, who had just returned from the fields, turned his head and said to his wife Zhang Shi behind him, “Wife, do you think that’s Liulang?”

Zhang Shi, who had better eyesight than her husband, looked and nodded vigorously, “Well, isn’t that Liulang? Hey! The scholar has returned!”

She, too, turned around and shouted cheerfully at the villagers who were also hard at work in the fields.

Xiao Liulang’s results had already been relayed back to the village. Even though he had not succeeded in the college exam, his top rankings in the county and prefectural exams had granted him the title of lingsheng – a government-sponsored student.

He was the second person in the village to become a lingsheng since Gu Dashun.

As early as this morning, the county office had sent several dozen pounds of grain as part of his scholarship.

The white grains of rice looked even better than those Gu Dashun had received!

The villagers looked at Xiao Liulang as if they were seeing him for the first time, wanting to approach him for a chat but not daring to.

After all, things were different now — he was a scholar!

“Zhang Bo, Zhang Shi,” Xiao Liulang greeted them.

This couple was very warm-hearted. When Gu Jiao had a stomachache from drinking too much cold water, it was Zhang Shi who had lent Xiao Liulang brown sugar.

The couple were so flattered that they were at a loss for words!

Afterwards, Xiao Liulang also ran into several other villagers in succession. He greeted them all, neither overly enthusiastic nor particularly cold. He was still the same reserved person he had always been.

Finally, he arrived at the entrance of his house.

As he had not sent word of his return beforehand, his family was unaware that he would be coming home today.

From the backyard came the pattering noises of Little Monk.

Xiao Liulang stepped inside.

In the sunlight-filled backyard, Gu Jiao was washing Little Monk’s hair.

Little Monk’s once bald head now sprouted little tufts of hair. He looked very proud as he asked Gu Jiao how long his hair had grown and if it was longer than it had been a few days before.

The old lady sat in a rattan chair nearby, munching on melon seeds as she watched Little Monk bathing. Seated on a small stool next to her was Xue Ningxiang’s one-year-old son, Goudan.

Goudan was slowly gnawing on a corn cob.

The first one to notice Xiao Liulang was Little Monk.

Lifting his head and looking backwards through his legs, Little Monk spotted an upside-down Xiao Liulang.

After staring for a while, he said, “Eh? Bad Brother-in-law?”

Gu Jiao paused as she scooped up water, and then quietly turned her head.

They looked at each other in silence.

After more than a month apart, everyone at home had changed. Little Monk had grown some hair, the old lady seemed even younger, Gu Jiao seemed to have grown taller, and had a few more touches of a girl’s shy beauty.

Her birthmark was still there on her face, but it no longer looked like an ugly red spot. Instead, it seemed like a dazzling flower, adding a vibrant and attractive hue to her cold and solitary demeanor.

She was radiant like a peach flower.

And he had grown taller. He had lost some of his youthfulness, and in its place was an air of refined dignity and scholarly elegance.

They continued to stare at each other in silence.

“Liulang, you’re back?” The old lady turned around with a cheerful voice, “Did you bring back any delicious food?”

Xiao Liulang came back to his senses: “I did.”

As he talked, he walked forward. But he failed to notice the doorstep and almost stumbled.

With a calm face, Gu Jiao turned back and continued to bathe Little Monk.

But as soon as she poured a bucket of water over him, Little Monk yelled: “Oh my! It’s so cold!”

Gu Jiao was taken aback.

She… She had scooped up the wrong bucket of water.