Second Song clapped his hands in anger toward her, revealing his empty palms.
"Father only promised to subsidize us for three years. Now that the time is up, where are we supposed to get the other half of the tuition?"
Second Aunt Song's throat tightened, and she unconsciously lowered her voice.
"Father and Mother are not short of money now. Let alone half the tuition, they could easily afford to pay the whole amount."
"Jinzhao is so wealthy; just a little slipping through her fingers would be enough for us."
Second Song closed his eyes in exhaustion. "Who doesn't know the Third Branch has money? But it only matters if Jinzhao is willing to give it."
"She sends gifts during the holidays, but not a single penny of silver. I'm afraid Father will lose his temper if I ask him for it."
Second Aunt Song walked over to Second Song and hugged his arm. "Jinzhao is now a noble County Princess. Could she really let her cousin go without an education? What would people say if word got out?"
"As long as you explain the pros and cons to Father, and considering Yaozu is his own grandson, this will definitely work out."
"Do you want our only son to be a peasant toiling in the fields? Let alone the Third Branch, your older brother will definitely look down on you in the future, and how will the villagers laugh at you? We cannot give up on his studies."
Second Song plopped down on the heated brick bed, scratching his hair into a messy bird's nest.
On the other side, after the initial joy, Old Man Song began to worry.
"The village chief said the metropolitan examination is around this time. I wonder how Qiming did? The capital is so far away, and we haven't received any news at all."
In a good mood, Oldest Song blurted out, "Father, don't worry. Qiming is so smart, he will definitely pass and become a Jinshi."
Old Man Song continued asking, "Taking the prefectural examination requires going to Anyang Prefecture. When do you plan to take Yongnian there?"
Oldest Song replied, "Many children from the private school are going. We'll set off in mid-March. Yongnian said he can go with Scholar Zheng and the others; it's safer with more people."
Speaking of going to Anyang Prefecture, Oldest Song hesitated for a few seconds before asking Old Man Song.
"Father, when I take Yongnian to Anyang Prefecture, should we stay at an inn or at Jinzhao's place? Don't they have a residence in Anyang Prefecture?"
Old Man Song didn't hesitate. He turned to go into the room and brought out a slip of paper, handing it to Oldest Song.
"This is the address of the Third Branch's residence in Anyang Prefecture. Jinzhao mentioned it when that steward came last time."
"If Yongnian and Yaozu go to the prefectural capital for their exams, they can just stay in the residence. Although they aren't home, there are still servants in the estate, so food and lodging will be convenient."
Oldest Song took the slip of paper. He couldn't read the words on it, but his mind was already at ease.
He smiled and praised, "I didn't expect Jinzhao to have given instructions so early. This child is truly reliable in everything she does."
Old Man Song grinned, his eyes full of gratification.
"Jinzhao has always had great foresight; otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted on sending Qiming to the private school to study."
"But you must know, those servants were bought by Jinzhao to work, and they are very busy. After moving in, don't be too picky about everything; making do is good enough."
Oldest Song replied, "Rest assured, Father. Your son knows what to do."
Old Man Song nodded. "It's good that you know the boundaries."
Listening to the villagers' flattery toward the First Branch, Second Song, who had endured it for a few days, finally couldn't overcome the hurdle in his heart.
He found Old Man Song and pondered aloud, "Father, Yaozu didn't pass this time, but he is still young and will have opportunities in the future. I want him to continue studying."
Old Man Song, who was leaning on a lounge chair basking in the sun, opened his eyes and turned to look at him.
"If he wants to study, then let him study. Am I going to stop you from sending your son to school?"
Second Song licked his dry lips, a look of longing in his eyes. "Then what about the tuition?"
Old Man Song took a deep breath and sighed. "Just like before, I will subsidize half of the tuition."
Second Song stared at Old Man Song in a daze, not expecting him to agree so readily this time.
After he left, Old Lady Song walked out of the house. "You just agreed like that?"
Old Man Song shifted his bottom back and straightened his upper body.
"Yongnian has already passed the county exam. Whether he passes the prefectural exam or not, he will continue studying. The expenses will only grow larger in the future, so we have to subsidize them somewhat."
"Yaozu is two years younger than Yongnian, so letting him study for another two years is fine. We have to treat everyone fairly."
Old Lady Song shook her head in disagreement.
"I don't think this child is cut out for studying. He's playful and a bit lazy, just like his parents. What if he keeps failing the exams? We can't just throw shining silver away without even hearing a splash."
Old Man Song said, "Let's observe for another two years. If it really doesn't work out, at least he'll be literate and can do something else later."
Seeing Old Man Song's persistence, Old Lady Song could only agree.
Fortunately, they had enough money now; they could afford six taels of silver for two years.
As time passed day by day, the day for the release of the metropolitan examination results drew closer.
On this day, the entrance to the examination hall was a sea of people, a vast expanse of heads as far as the eye could see.
The candidates who arrived early waited from dark until dawn. The cold wind made their noses run, but their eyes remained fixed on the examination hall gates, waiting for them to open.
In a carriage outside the crowd, the four members of the Song family were also waiting.
After the hour of Mao, the crowd suddenly became restless.
Song Qiming lifted the carriage curtain and stood on the frame to look ahead. He saw the gates of the examination hall slowly opening, and countless people were desperately pushing forward.
He jumped off the carriage and shouted toward the cabin, "Sister, they are releasing the results."
Song Shixue jumped down from the carriage first. Seeing that there were too many people, Song Jinzhao decided not to bring Anhao along to squeeze through the crowd.
"You two go look, Lanxi, you follow them."
The three nodded and swiftly rushed into the crowd, pushing their way forward.
After the main gates opened wide, over a dozen yamen runners rushed out from inside to push the crowd back until a large empty space was cleared in front of the entrance.
Several officials from the Ministry of Rites walked out of the examination hall. Their calm gazes swept over the thousands of scholars present, and then, with a faint smile, they walked to the high wall at the entrance of the examination hall.
Long strips of yellow paper were unrolled inch by inch from left to right. Everyone's eyes moved along with them, like scanners, not missing a single name.
The rankings on the metropolitan examination board were arranged from right to left. The higher the rank, the further to the right it was, meaning those with lower ranks on the board would actually see their names first.
Song Gaoli, his face red from the cold, stood in the front row of the crowd. His eyes stared blankly at the second-to-last column on the list, his whole body turning into a statue.
The noisy sounds around him completely vanished at this moment. His mind buzzed, leaving only a blank void.
After a long time, his lips parted slightly, and his voice was quieter than a mosquito's hum.
"I passed?"
As soon as the words fell, wild ecstasy followed. His eyes were instantly wet with tears. He threw his hands in the air, jumping up and down on the spot, and screamed excitedly at the top of his lungs, "Ah, I passed, I passed, I passed!"
Standing on the carriage in the distance, Song Jinzhao spotted him at a glance.
Seeing Song Gaoli so happy he looked like a madman, almost shouting himself hoarse, Song Jinzhao couldn't help but smile, her eyes curving into crescents.
Hearing the shouts, Song Anhao tugged at Song Jinzhao's hand and looked up at her.
"Eldest Sister, that's Brother Gaoli's voice."
Song Jinzhao lowered her eyes, her lips curling into a smile as she nodded. "Yes, he passed."
