Chapter 180: Turmoil
The imperial examination lasts for several days. During these days, Peach Blossom Workshop continues business as usual, only worrying about whether Wangshu is eating and sleeping well inside during the idle evenings.
But everyone knows that eating poorly and sleeping poorly is the norm. Those with weak constitutions can lose half their life coming out of the examination hall. Such a cramped space naturally makes it hard to sleep, the food is all dry rations, and they still have to endure the torment of the exam questions, leaving them mentally and physically exhausted.
Several days later, Su Yaoguang and others were waiting at the examination hall again for Wangshu to come out.
When the gate opened, the first one out was not Wangshu, nor delicate young masters like Zhong Chushan and Chen Buyu, but Xiao Yanci, who was carried out.
When the officer carried Xiao Yanci out, the crowd was extremely curious and stared at the person in front of them.
“I’ve long heard that some candidates with poor mental endurance get carried out of the examination hall, but I didn’t believe it was true. Who is this?”
“I know him. He’s Xiao Scholar, the scholar that the academy headmaster and teachers are focusing on cultivating.”
“It’s him? Why was he carried out?”
Xiao Yanci was not only carried out, but his face was ghastly pale like a ghost’s, his form withered and emaciated, as if his essence had been sucked dry.
Yihuan was dressed up glamorously waiting at the doorway, hoping that when Xiao Yanci came out, he would see her first, so that he would become even more infatuated with her.
But Xiao Yanci actually left the examination hall in this way. It was utterly humiliating.
“Who is Xiao Ci’s family?” the officer shouted. “Hurry and take him back.”
Yihuan reluctantly stepped forward, forcing an ugly smile, and said, “Official, what’s wrong with him?”
Xiao Yanci looked in bad shape and showed no reaction even upon seeing Yihuan, as if he had gone stupid.
“He had diarrhea inside and for several days,” the officer said. “To avoid leaving traces of going to relieve himself, he defecated right in his own exam cell. It’s disgusting.”
As soon as Yihuan got close, she smelled the intense odor. She didn’t know what it was at first, but after the officer explained, she understood the reason and immediately didn’t dare touch him anymore.
“Official, I’m just a weak woman and can’t move him. Could you trouble yourselves to help carry him back for me?” Yihuan took out a sachet from her bosom, pulled out ten copper coins, and stuffed them over.
The officer disdainfully dropped Xiao Yanci and left without looking back.
Ten copper coins? To send off a beggar?
Xiao Yanci was roughly thrown on the ground and cried out in pain. He clutched his stomach and panickedly got back up, but the more he exerted himself, the faster it flowed out from below.
Pffft…
A foul stench assaulted the nose.
Yihuan covered her nose.
Heavens, how much more shame did he have to bring?
Had she carefully selected such a man?
Su Yaoguang pulled Zhaodi and others farther away.
“Urgh…” People nearby started vomiting.
“How could this person be like this? Let’s go quickly. It’s simply an outrage to public decency.”
“Too disgusting. He relieved himself like that inside? Then the candidates near him must have been out of luck.”
The crowd looked at Xiao Yanci with eyes full of malice.
If their own family members encountered such a thing and performed poorly because of it, they really wanted to chop this person into pieces.
For an ordinary family to cultivate a scholar is like selling the pot and iron—smashing everything they have. If they don’t pass once, they have to study a few more years, which means more years of hardship.
Yihuan also wanted to get rid of him, but she really couldn’t. Leaving aside that she, a weak woman, couldn’t move him, even if she could, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Xiao Yanci was completely powerless, and now with this embarrassing spectacle, he simply wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
He looked at Yihuan and saw undisguised disgust on her face. At that moment, his heart turned cold.
If it were Su Yaoguang, she would definitely take him away immediately, personally clean him up, change him into clean clothes, and find a doctor to see him.
There would be no look of disgust in her eyes, only heartache.
Xiao Yanci looked toward Su Yaoguang not far away.
Su Yaoguang was covering her nose, her gaze fixed on the doorway.
At this time, more and more candidates were coming out from inside.
“Mom, I don’t know who next door was, but he was disgustingly diarrheic the whole time. The stench made me dizzy and my vision blurry. I’m afraid I was in danger this time.”
The speaking candidate’s mother glared over viciously.
Others also looked over with unkind eyes.
Yihuan hurriedly took out silver ingots and found two strong men in the crowd to carry Xiao Yanci away.
Those two strong men couldn’t stand the smell either, but the compensation from Yihuan was quite tempting. Just endure it for a bit and they’d earn one tael of silver. Easy money, and enduring wouldn’t kill them.
“Wangshu is out…” Su Yaoguang happily shouted.
When Xiao Yanci was being carried away, he turned back and saw Su Yaoguang running toward Wangshu. She held a water bottle in her hand and handed it to Wangshu.
Zhaodi and others surrounded Wangshu.
Wangshu was surrounded like the moon by stars, with everyone fussing over his well-being.
All of this should clearly have belonged to him.
In his previous life, he had despised such things so much, so why at this moment did he miss them so much?
In his previous life, Su Yaoguang and Zhaodi also came to see him off at the exam. He despised them for being shabby and embarrassing, told them not to speak to him, and to just quietly see him off as if they didn’t know him.
“Wangshu, I heard someone defecated inside, extremely smelly and greatly affecting performance. You weren’t affected, right?” Zhaodi asked.
Wangshu smiled and said, “Mom, didn’t you say it doesn’t matter if I pass or not?”
“I did say that, but not passing is fine. If it’s because someone else affected you and you don’t pass, then it does matter,” Zhaodi said.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I was some distance away and couldn’t smell it.”
“That’s good,” Zhaodi said. “Otherwise, I’d really want to rush up and scratch his face.”
Zhong Chushan and Chen Buyu also came out.
However, their families had only sent servants to pick them up; their parents didn’t come personally.
“Chushan, Buyu, we’ve prepared good wine and dishes at the Jiang Family Restaurant. If you have no other plans, why not come celebrate together?”
“Godmother, we’re just here to make up the numbers and won’t pass. What’s there to celebrate?” Zhong Chushan laughed.
“We’ll celebrate passing individually when you do. Now it’s celebrating that you’ve finished the exam, like stepping over a hurdle in life. Are you looking down on godmother and unwilling to eat together?”
“How could we? We really suffered inside. Godmother, we haven’t had any oily food for days. This time we really need to replenish well. Look, my face has gotten so thin!” Chen Buyu pulled at his cheek skin, extremely dramatically playing pitiful.
Zhaodi was amused into hearty laughter.
The friends Wangshu made were especially likable, without any airs. After drinking last time, they called Zhaodi godmother, and now meeting again they still called her godmother. Zhaodi was a bit embarrassed at first but later responded boldly after hearing it more, so now she had seven or eight godsons at once.
