"Good news! Good news!"
"The eldest young master has taken first place!!"
The servant who had gone to check the results came running excitedly into the estate, his arrival like a stone disturbing the calm surface of a pond.
"Are you certain you saw correctly?!" Lord Lu stood up urgently and asked.
"This lowly one... checked three times and even asked the other candidates nearby!! It’s absolutely true!" The servant, still catching his breath, replied with unwavering certainty.
"Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent! Reward him!" Lord Lu stroked his beard and laughed heartily.
Lu Yuanzhao finally set down the book he hadn’t turned a page of in half a day. No matter how composed he usually was, the spark of joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He had done it! He hadn’t failed his father’s expectations!!
Lady Lu patted her son’s hand with a smile, her pride nearly overflowing.
"Congratulations, Eldest Brother!!"
"Eldest Brother is amazing!! Mother!! I want to go see the results posted!!"
Lu Yuanyi and Lu Chao gazed at their older brother with admiration. They shared the same father, yet somehow his mind worked on another level—skipping grades at such a young age and taking first place in the exams! A true prodigy!!
"Neither of you are going!! The streets are packed with people. If you get kidnapped again, how will your mother go on living?" Lady Lu refused Lu Yuanyi without even looking up.
Lu Yuanyi pouted unhappily but didn’t dare argue.
Lu Chao, on the other hand, simply had no interest in crowds. He was short—what if someone farted right in his face while he was squeezed in the middle of the throng? No thanks.
"My lady, shall we set off the firecrackers now?" The steward, holding the prepared strings of firecrackers, eagerly came to ask for instructions.
"Not yet. Wait until the official messengers arrive with the formal announcement, then light them." Lady Lu steadied herself, thinking of the red envelopes for the messengers and the gifts for sharing the good news. Still uneasy, she went to check on the preparations herself.
"Yuanzhao, tonight, rewrite your exam answers neatly. I’ll have them sent to your uncle for review. Once you pass the prefectural exam, you’ll officially be a qualified scholar. But don’t let pride blind you. Though you’ve mastered the classics, you still lack real-world experience. It’d be wiser to wait a few more years before attempting the next level."
"Understood!"
Lu Yuanzhao agreed without hesitation. The old him might have thought his father was worrying too much, but after his trip to the capital, he realized he had been nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
Lord Lu smoothed the robes on his eldest son’s shoulders, his face full of paternal warmth as he instructed him on the proper etiquette for receiving guests.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuanyi and Lu Chao stood at a distance, eyeing the red firecrackers longingly.
No choice—the servants wouldn’t let them anywhere near.
Half an incense stick’s time later, the official messengers arrived with gongs and drums.
Only then did Lady Lu’s heart finally settle.
Pop-pop-pop! Crackle-crackle!
Before long, the Lu Family estate was packed with visitors.
"The Lu Family truly lives up to its reputation as a scholarly household!! An eleven-year-old scholar is truly remarkable!!"
"And first place, no less!!"
"I heard he studied at the family’s own school—the tutors there must be exceptional!"
"Lord Lu is blessed with such a brilliant son!"
The flood of compliments from all sides had Lord Lu beaming, though he waved them off modestly. "My son has merely read a few more books than others. Such praise is unwarranted."
"Lord Lu, you must drink a few extra cups tonight!!"
"Hahaha! Of course, of course!"
"I’ve got some fine wine—ahem—a rare vintage called ‘Spring Breeze for Ten Miles.’ You must honor us with your presence, Lord Lu, and share your wisdom on raising such an outstanding son!"
Hearing the name of the wine, Lu Chao’s lips twitched. What a coincidence—his business was about to reach his own doorstep.
To justify the wine’s steep price, he had given it this poetic name.
A liquor so bold, yet bearing such a tender title.
Little did Lu Chao know, sentimental scholars had already begun composing verses about it, driving the price even higher.
As he looked at the steadily rising numbers in the ledger, he pinched his palm to suppress the greed rising in his chest.
Amitabha—this was practically like picking up money off the ground!
