CMWKSD -Chapter 76 Passing the Exam

On the day the results were posted, Ji Wanqiao, Ji Zhouye, and Ji Weizhou sneaked off to the city, trying to avoid Jiu Yue.

Although they were quite confident about the exam, until their names were officially on the list, no one could be sure if they had really passed.

So the three of them disguised themselves before going to see the results—but they never considered that, while Jiu Yue might act unpredictably, she wasn’t blind.

What use was their disguise? Jiu Yue could just check the list herself!

When the three ran straight into her, all of them unconsciously shook their legs. How could Jiu Yue be like a ghost, refusing to disappear?

Jiu Yue looked at Ji Weizhou, who had been dressed up like a little girl, with a half-smile, half-smirk.

Ji Zhouye and Ji Wanqiao had disguised themselves too—one as an old man, the other as a big man with a mole on his face.

If Jiu Yue wasn’t mistaken, the “mole” on Ji Zhouye’s face was one of the pills from her pharmacy. She wasn’t afraid it might be poison and had stuck it on his face!

Ji Zhouye tugged at the hair she had deliberately attached to the mole. The moment he saw Jiu Yue, his hand unconsciously tightened—and the mole fell off in a spectacular fashion.

Jiu Yue couldn’t help but laugh in anger.

She stepped in front of the three and said, “So? If you didn’t pass, what were you planning to do? Run away from home?”

The three quickly shook their heads like little rattles. Running away meant death—they had taken the antidote and didn’t want to die.

So all their efforts at disguising themselves were pointless. Whether they passed or failed, there was no escaping.

“Look at the results!”

The three timidly squeezed into the crowd. What kind of people were these? Back in Ji Village, they had walked around like they owned the place.

But all their arrogance vanished the moment Jiu Yue kicked Ji Weizhou over—he even somersaulted—and disappeared in front of everyone.

Now they didn’t dare act up; just staying alive was good enough.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The officials beating gongs and drums appeared from the rear, and the crowd immediately cleared a path for them, then slowly pressed forward again.

Jiu Yue moved with agility and quickly positioned herself right under the bulletin with the posted results.

As the red cloth was lifted, her eyes immediately went to the top spot.

Ji Zhouye and the others, however, were more self-aware—they started looking from the bottom of the list.

Ji Wanqiao quickly spotted his name. Although he was last, he had made it onto the list!

“I passed! I passed!”

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiu Yue straightened and looked over. She saw the three of them timidly huddled at the end of the list and let out a light snort. Pathetic!

Still, she slowly walked over.

Ji Zhouye and Ji Weizhou hadn’t found their names yet. Seeing Jiu Yue approach, their bodies began to shake.

Ji Weizhou scanned the list quickly—still nothing.

Finally, Ji Zhouye spotted his name at the seventh-to-last position. Overcome with joy, he couldn’t help but cry, hugging Ji Wanqiao tightly. “I passed! I passed!”

After a while, Jiu Yue reached the three of them.

She carefully looked at the list again: one at the very bottom, one seventh from last, and Ji Weizhou, the youngest, had failed.

Without hesitation, she slapped the back of their heads. “Go home! You passed near the bottom and still have the nerve to embarrass yourselves in public.”

Their cheers instantly choked in their throats. The crowd went momentarily silent at Jiu Yue’s words.

Ji Wanqiao and Ji Zhouye swallowed hard, fearing Jiu Yue might actually hit them.

But if she died, they’d be without the antidote and would surely die.

Ignoring any concern for propriety, Ji Weizhou grabbed Jiu Yue’s sleeve and pulled her out of the crowd.

The onlookers, still glaring angrily, hadn’t yet reacted when Jiu Yue was already pulled far ahead.

Only Ji Wanqiao and Ji Zhouye remained trembling under the bulletin, whispering to the crowd: “Let’s not misunderstand—she didn’t mean anything by it.”

Those who passed the exam were fewer than those who didn’t, and hundreds of people had come to see the results.

Ji Zhouye and Ji Wanqiao silently crouched, covering their faces, lamenting, “Please don’t slap us.”

Oh, the sister-in-law really pits people against each other!

Fortunately, though the crowd was irritated by Jiu Yue’s words, most still maintained the dignity of scholars and didn’t lay a hand on Ji Wanqiao or Ji Zhouye.

Thus, the two managed to escape unharmed.

Jiu Yue was pulled into an alley by Ji Weizhou.

Trying to calm his breath, he wondered how she could speak so boldly in front of so many people.

If the scholar’s exam were that easy, then anyone literate could pass. How could his sister-in-law dare to utter such harsh words in front of so many scholars?

Many of the onlookers were elderly men who had taken the exam for decades without success. His third and fourth brothers, first-time candidates, had passed.

Though their rankings were low, they had passed and earned the scholar’s title—a step into officialdom. Others hadn’t even touched the gates of office.

Straightening up and staring at him, Jiu Yue made Ji Weizhou’s mind go “ding.”

Heavens!

He hadn’t passed!

Ji Weizhou, who could be both resilient and submissive, quickly showed sincerity as Jiu Yue’s expression darkened. “Sister-in-law, I’ll try harder next time. I’ll pass for sure.”

Jiu Yue snorted. Next time? Life is only a few decades—there’s no endless next time.

But she didn’t bother lecturing him further. She had never expected Ji Weizhou, at just fourteen, to pass. Still, threats had to be made: “You better remember what you said. If you don’t pass in three years, you know what will happen.”

Ji Weizhou’s lips pressed into a straight line, not daring to tell her that the scholar’s exam could be retaken every two to three years.

Let’s just pretend he didn’t know. Once the older brothers pass this year, the sister-in-law would no longer keep a watchful eye on the small, pitiful, chubby one.

For Jiu Yue, the news meant little. Back at Dark Moon Pavilion, whenever there were rankings or competitions, she had always been far ahead.

Everyone below her, she thought, were just trash.

But in ancient times, for a family to produce four scholars in a row was remarkable.

A poor farming family producing four successful examinees quickly made the Ji family the talk of all of Qingshui County.

Although Ji Yiqing and Ji Chaomian were already famous among scholars, the Ji family’s reputation now extended far beyond literati circles.

Jiu Yue sneered. What role models? Without her, could they have passed? Don’t even think about it.

Congratulatory visitors arrived in endless streams, including wealthy families in the county personally coming to pay respects.

Rumors even spread that the Ji family’s house had good feng shui, which explained how they could produce four scholars.

When a wealthy merchant tried to trade his three-section mansion in the county for the Ji family’s old, small house, Hu Chunhua was left dumbfounded.

She knew the truth but dared not speak, fearing divine retribution if the house was taken.