Seeing them come out, Song Shixue happily waved her arms. "Brother, we are over here."
As they approached, the two did not look much better than Lan Xi; even their hair crowns were askew.
"Congratulations, Brother, on placing first in the provincial exam! Did Brother Gaoli pass? What was his rank?"
Song Gaoli grinned triumphantly and held up his pinky finger. "Dead last, but I barely made it! Hahaha!"
Song Jinzhao could not help but laugh. He really was a child of destiny; he always placed last, yet his luck was the best. Perhaps his future would be limitless.
"Tomorrow, after attending the Luming Banquet, we will set off for the capital. First, we need to go back and get the gifts to visit each of our teachers' homes to show our gratitude."
Even though they were not hosting a formal appreciation banquet, the gifts could not be omitted, lest it cause hard feelings.
Song Jinzhao had prepared the items long ago and kept them at home, just waiting for the results to be posted to avoid being rushed for time.
Song Gaoli exclaimed in surprise, "Leaving right after the Luming Banquet? So soon?"
Song Qiming nodded. "We head out early the morning after next. We are already prepared."
Song Gaoli's excitement slowly cooled as his thoughts fell into a state of anxious indecision.
Now that he had passed, should he go to the capital with Song Qiming and the others?
If he went with them, he would have to leave the day after tomorrow. If he did not, he would have to travel to the capital alone before the end of the year. The journey was long and treacherous, and the thought of it made him feel a bit panicked.
Seeing them about to board the carriage and leave, Song Gaoli gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and made up his mind. "Qiming, can I go to the capital with you?"
He could go to the capital first to see the world, rent a house, and study behind closed doors for a few months. If he performed exceptionally well, he might even pass the metropolitan exam.
The spring examination was only held once every three years. Since he had decided to take it, he could not let the opportunity go to waste.
Song Qiming glanced at Song Jinzhao and then nodded in agreement. "Of course you can. If you are not going back to the village, remember to write a letter home. This afternoon, Ah Jie will have someone deliver letters back to Songjia Village; you can bring your letter over to be sent together."
Song Gaoli nodded vigorously. "I will write it as soon as I get back. Thank you, Sister Jinzhao."
Upon returning to the Song Mansion, the servants loaded all the gifts onto the carriage. Song Qiming took Lan Xi to the Mu Mansion first to express his gratitude. Any teacher who had taught him at the Anyang Academy could not be left out. Running from the east side of the city to the west, he drank more than a dozen cups of hot tea alone.
When Song Gaoli came over in the afternoon to deliver his letter, Song Jinzhao was also writing a letter to Old Man Song. Besides the letter, there was a chest of items to be taken back.
In this provincial examination, a total of three hundred people had passed, but only the top twenty were invited to attend the Luming Banquet.
The next day, just as Song Qiming reached the entrance of the examination hall, he ran into Mu Hongyue walking over. Impressively, right beside him was Song Gaoli, who had ranked dead last.
Song Gaoli's eyes lit up when he saw Song Qiming. Upon approaching, he naturally walked over to his side. "Thank goodness you are here, otherwise I would really be a bit panicked."
Song Qiming lowered his voice and asked curiously, "Why are you here?"
Hu Fengye, who ranked twenty-third, had not been invited. Song Gaoli, at three hundredth place, should not be appearing here.
Mu Hongyue glanced at the two of them. To see the first place and the last place getting along so well was something he had never encountered before.
"What are you doing just standing here? Hurry up and go inside. Most of the people should have arrived by now."
Song Gaoli answered as they walked, his brows furrowed in slight frustration.
"I do not know what happened either. I was just packing my things when the academy head suddenly called me to attend the Luming Banquet. If I had known earlier, I could have gone to buy a new set of clothes. The outfit I am wearing was bought last year, and the color is already fading."
Everyone around them was wearing brand-new silk scholar robes, looking bright and glamorous, perfectly displaying the elegance of literati. He was the only one in a plain cotton robe, which made him feel quite embarrassed and ashamed, instinctively wanting to hide away from people.
