Chapter 124: Announcement of the Results

“The Second House is going to fail.”

After breakfast, Chen Shizhen lamented to his daughter Chen Jin, “Chen Guizhong violated the ancestral teachings and clan rules, killed clan members, and was taken to the ancestral hall to be beaten with a stick. He has been beaten to a pulp. His brothers are indifferent to him and took the opportunity to fight for the family property. If nothing unexpected happens, their family will be expelled from Boji Lane soon.”

Chen Jin said: “Aju came to me this morning with swollen eyes and she said she didn’t know what to do. Dad, is there any chance of turning this around?”

Chen Shizhen said slowly: “Evils sent by heaven can be avoided, but evils brought by oneself cannot be escaped. Although Aju is innocent, there is nothing we can do. Jin’er, you don’t need to think too much. This matter has been turned over and is in the past.”

Chen Jin nodded slightly: “I understand…”

After a pause, he suddenly said, “Father, why don’t you take a concubine?”

Chen Shizhen was startled: “Why are you saying this?”

Chen Jin said seriously: “I just suddenly felt a little lonely.”

Chen Shizhen coughed dryly: “But Dad is already old.”

“Where? I’ve seen you recently and you look radiant and energetic.”

“is it?”

Chen Shizhen was smiling happily.

Indeed, ever since he took the Wuqi Jingyang Pills, he has been eating well, sleeping soundly, and his waist is no longer sore.

The mental outlook is very different every morning, with a kind of “dead tree coming back to life” energy.

He had carefully asked Chen Jin about how to take the pills. He said that the pills should be ground into powder, then made into small packets, and then soaked in warm water and drunk in batches.

In this way, you won’t overeat and you can also eat sparingly.

Chen Jin said that all the herbal materials in the alchemy room had been used up and it was no longer possible to refine new Five Qi Jing Yang Pills.

Given the current situation of Chen Shizhen’s family, where would he get so much financial resources and energy to explore new medicinal materials?

It can be said that the pills on hand are out-of-print items and must be cherished.

At some point, Chen Shizhen did have the idea of begging Chen Jin to give him the recipe, but he soon realized:

This is a new kind of greed, which is wishful thinking.

Many times, unnecessary greed can lead to serious consequences, not only poverty but also death.

He quickly gathered his thoughts.

Also, the thoughts hidden in my daughter’s eyes shouldn’t exist.

Not to mention that people with the same surname cannot marry, but a man like Chen Jin is like the clouds in the sky, mysterious and unpredictable. It is impossible for an ordinary woman to keep him.

Unrequited love will only turn into an obsession that is difficult to resolve and will harm your daughter.

However, Chen Jin is a smart girl. She knows how to keep her distance and does not need Chen Shizhen to remind her specifically.

Chen Shicheng’s family fell into decline. According to the clan rules of Changletang, a new member of the Chen clan would take its place and become the new second branch, thus maintaining the number of twelve branches.

But that’s another story.

……

This time, Chen Jin killed the ghost lady who was the guardian of the Ghost Spirit Cult and exposed Chen Guizhong’s evil deeds. However, the impression of him among the Chens in Changle Hall did not improve. Instead, it became even worse.

On the one hand, they were afraid of Chen Jin’s ruthless methods;

On the other hand, some people think that he is very scheming and must have some ulterior motive.

Lastly, such a decisive person is really prone to causing trouble. He just made a deadly feud with the Changsheng Temple, and now he is fighting with the Ghost Spirit Cult…

Sooner or later it will be a disaster.

Therefore, the calls for expelling Chen Jin from Boji Lane became louder.

As for the proposal to let them return to their ancestral home, it was met with widespread criticism, with the vast majority of people disagreeing.

Many clan elders even said loudly that even if Chen Jin passed the imperial examination, it would be impossible for him to return to his ancestral home.

The public outcry was overwhelming, so Chen Shizhi simply refused. Chen Shizhen had no choice but to stop talking about the matter, and did not mention it in front of Chen Jin, just treating it as a dead baby.

While waiting for the results to be announced, it seemed to others that Chen Jin seldom went out. However, few people knew that when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, he would use his “Invisibility Technique” to move in and out freely, and visited most of Bojiji Lane.

In the dark or in the moonlight, Chen Jin was like a ghost.

With continuous practice, the technique becomes more and more skillful and handy.

Gradually, he came out during the day except at night, walking in the streets with a swagger, while passers-by ignored him and were completely unaware of Chen Jin’s existence.

“When you are in a busy city, you have a pure heart. You can’t hear their voices or see their shapes. It’s like being in a deserted place…”

Although he has entered such a mysterious realm, Chen Jin did not become complacent.

After all, most of the people we are facing now are ordinary people. Their five senses are not that good to begin with. It is not worth being proud and complacent to be able to deceive the world in front of them.

Chen Jin once tried to approach the Changle Hall Ancestral Hall, but when he came to the nearby area, the invisibility spell was strongly affected and impacted, and it was difficult to maintain it.

If they force their way in, it would be a head-on conflict.

There is no need for that at the moment.

Act invisibly and use conveniently.

Chen Jin began to investigate the matter of “Chen Guiyang”. According to the information provided by Hu Sange, he visited each person one by one to verify and use the method of elimination.

In the end, no household matched.

He was not disappointed with the result.

Unconsciously, I have come to regard it as a test to sharpen my determination, just like finding a needle in a pile of straw, which brings its own pleasure.

At the end of August, the day of announcing the results arrived.

For the candidates taking part in this year’s provincial examination, this is the most anticipated and most uneasy day.

Zhang Tong did not sleep all night. He got up early the next morning and drove to the examination hall to see the list of the candidates in a horse-drawn carriage driven by his servant Awu.

The results of the provincial examination will be posted on the long wall beside the examination hall door by a special person as soon as possible.

Then, notices will also be posted at the four major city gates of prefectures and counties, as well as government offices in prefectural cities and county towns.

If it was the golden list of the imperial examination, it would be even more amazing. In such a huge dynasty, across the nine provinces, there would be lists posted high.

This is the embodiment of “becoming famous overnight and known all over the world”.

In contrast, the coverage and influence of each state’s Guibang are mainly within the state’s jurisdiction.

Even so, it is enough to bring honor to the family.

In fact, by the time the results were announced, all the test results were finalized and could not be changed. If you passed the test, no matter if you stayed in an inn or other place, as long as you were registered, a fast horse would announce the good news, and you didn’t need to check the list yourself.

It’s just that people are eager and fame is tempting. It’s more difficult to keep calm at this time. People just want to be the first to see their names appear on the list.

The ecstasy and sense of accomplishment are simply incomparable.

For this reason, Zhang Tong went there early and could also help Chen Jin at the same time.

Chen Jin remained unmoved, as usual.

Chen Shizhen and others were not surprised by this. After all, compared with what Chen Jin had done, taking the provincial examination did not seem to be a big deal.

Time passed quickly and it was almost noon, but Zhang Tong had not returned yet.

Gotta get it!
But a fast horse came galloping to Boji Lane.

This is a special message from someone who came to announce the good news, which means someone has passed the high school entrance examination.

Perhaps because Chen Jin lived in his own house, or perhaps because of his obsession, Chen Shizhen was very concerned about the announcement of the results. He not only sent his servant Awu to take Zhang Tong to see the list, but also sent his old housekeeper Chen Bo to watch and inquire outside.

Soon Uncle Chen came running back and reported, “Master, it was Young Master Guiyuan from the sixth branch who passed the imperial examination and was ranked the 38th. He was awarded the title of Yellow Grade.”

“Oh, it’s Gui Yuan. He seems to have taken the exam three times and finally passed. Not bad. Uncle Chen, go check on him again…”

(End of this chapter)