Part 1 - The Double / Marriage of the Di Daughter

☆ Chapter 066 Fame

The news that Jiang Li won the first place in the Mingyi Hall school examination in the third exam soon spread throughout Yanjing City, and naturally reached Meng Hongjin's ears.

At this moment, the Chengxuan Envoy's mansion was quiet. In the room, Meng Hongjin lay on the bed, sobbing softly. Meng's mother hugged her in distressed and said, "My daughter, don't cry. This is just the first three exams. There are still three exams to go. How can you be at the end of your rope?"

"Shame on you!" Meng Youde, Meng Hongjin's father, looked very unhappy at the moment and said, "You made a bet with confidence, but now you have lost miserably. It's embarrassing for your mother and me. You are such a useless thing!"

Hearing this, Meng Hongjin was heartbroken and cried even more uncontrollably.

Seeing her daughter crying so sadly, Meng's mother was also full of resentment. She immediately said, "How can you blame Hongjin? Jiang Li just returned to Yanjing City and stayed in the nunnery for eight years. Everyone thought she was pregnant. How could she have expected that she would suddenly win the championship this time? Could you have expected it?"

Meng Youde was speechless. He really couldn't have expected such a consequence. It was for this reason that when he learned that his daughter had made a bet with Jiang Li, Meng Youde only lightly rebuked her impulsiveness and said nothing more. It was because Meng Youde was sure that Jiang Li would lose.

As a result, reality slapped him hard in the face. Thinking of the mocking eyes of his colleagues when he went to court today, Meng Youde felt very upset.

Meng's mother spoke again: "I think about this matter and it doesn't seem right. Could it be that Jiang Li used some tricks? You must know that Jiang Yuanbai has a very important position in the court. Could it be that he bribed the examiner of this test? Otherwise, how could my Li'er lose to her?"

"Yes." Meng Hongjin sobbed and said: "My sisters and I from Mingyi Hall have been studying here for five or six years, and Jiang Li has only been here for less than ten days. Could it be that she also has a school like Mingyi Hall in the nunnery, which can let her study?"

Hearing what his wife and daughter said, Meng Youde thought about it in his heart. He has secretly joined the Right Prime Minister, so he is the Right Prime Minister's man. Jiang Yuanbai and the Right Prime Minister have never gotten along. He is also an enemy of the Jiang family. It is not natural that Jiang Li is doing well in the school examination. It would be great if he could find evidence of Jiang Yuanbai and the examiner of Mingyi Hall colluding with each other. The most annoying thing for the current emperor is that someone is tampering with the literary career. If he can use this to severely attack Jiang Yuanbai, he will have made a great contribution.

A blessing in disguise, Meng Youde suddenly felt a little excited. He picked up his outer robe and put it on, saying, "I'm going out for a while." Then he left in a hurry.

Meng Hongjin watched her father leave, and she felt even more aggrieved. Her mother comforted her, saying, "What are you afraid of? There are still three lower subjects. Tomorrow we will start the examination of the three lower subjects, namely, zither, imperial concubine, and sword. Your sword and sword skills are outstanding. Even if there are teachers in the nunnery, there is definitely no one who teaches sword and sword skills. Jiang Li will definitely be defeated by you."

Meng Hongjin is one of the few women in Mingyi Hall who is very interested in sword and sword skills. She is originally passionate, but she is just tough enough for sword and sword skills. She was stunningly good at riding a horse, and her shooting accuracy is comparable to that of a good man. In Mingyi Hall, or in the entire Yanjing City, no one dares to compete with her in sword and sword skills.

If Meng Hongjin is considered excellent in the previous three subjects of book, calculation, and etiquette, she is good at music, imperial concubine, and sword. Let alone music, imperial concubine and sword skills are her forte.

Thinking of this, Meng Hongjin felt a little relieved, but even so, the shame caused by Jiang Li did not disappear. Because of Jiang Li, her previous bold words seemed to become a joke. She couldn't even compare to a fool who had just entered Mingyi Hall. She doesn't know how many people would talk about her behind her back.

When Meng Hongjin thought of other people's sneering eyes, her hatred for Jiang Li increased. She wanted to step on Jiang Li under the horse's hoof in the next inspection field...

Suddenly, an idea floated from her mind.

If Jiang Li was stepped on by the horse's hoof... On the inspection field, the sword had no eyes...

Her heart seemed to have rolled in cold water, and then poured with a layer of hot soup, cool and hot, slowly boiling.

...

On the other side, Meng Youde, who went out to find Jiang Yuanbo and the examiner's ‘collusion’, was also destined to return empty-handed.

To prove the fairness of the Mingyi Hall examination, the first three copied examination papers were specially posted by the door of the hall, and countless people watched at once.

Meng Youde was almost squeezed out, and heard many people around him talking: "If anyone says that Miss Jiang Er can't read a single word, I will smash his head with a pole. I think Miss Jiang Er's handwriting is much better than the scholar in the village school. Although I don't know a single word, I know it's beautiful!"

This person is probably an ordinary person.

There are also scholars who look gentle, and their voices are heard by Meng Youde through the crowd: "The best thing is the article, quoting classics and unique insights. Miss Jiang Er must be a person who reads a lot of books. I have studied hard for fifteen years, but I am not as good as a little girl. Shame! Shame!" Then he covered his face and sighed.

"It is said that one can tell a person's character by his handwriting. Miss Jiang's handwriting is more like a man's, with a broad mind, open and comfortable, like a heroic and good man." A man with a rough beard who looked like a soldier said in a muffled voice.

"This accounting skill is not bad. There is also a new method. This method is good. I will copy it down and use it in the shop to manage the accounts. It is much easier than the old calculation." There was also a businessman with a golden abacus around his neck with a gleam in his eyes.

In short, once the copy of Miss Jiang's test paper came out, all the rumours were shattered. It is impossible for the Mingyi Hall school examination to miss questions. Miss Jiang's test paper must have been done on the spot. Compared with the answers of the other three, Miss Jiang's test paper is obviously much better.

This first place is really well deserved.

Meng Youde walked out of the crowd in a daze. He didn't have to spend all his energy to find evidence of Jiang Yuanbo's collusion with the examiner. Jiang Li's test paper not only makes Jiang Li stand out, but also makes the Jiang family proud. The more Jiang Li is praised, the more Meng Hongjin will be inferior in comparison.

It is not uncommon for one person to rise to a higher position by stepping on another person's talent and reputation in the officialdom. Meng Hongjin also represents the Meng family. In this round of betting, at least in the first half, the Meng family lost.

Meng Youde walked towards his house with a shaky step, and the excited discussions of the people around him gradually became blurred in his ears. At this moment, Meng Youde had only one thought in his mind. This bet was no longer a joke between children. Its impact was too great, and perhaps the palace also knew about it. If Meng Hongjin could not win a round in the lower three gates, the Meng family would no longer have a chance of winning.

That would be troublesome.

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