First Lady of the Crown Prince

  Chapter 196 Trial (two more in one)

  It snowed in the night, and when I got up in the morning, a layer of ice formed on the ground and it was slippery.

  Gu Jiao had prepared well and spread the sand that had been tunned a few days ago on the ground of the corridor and yard.

  She opened the courtyard door and wanted to pave the hutong. She saw that the hutong was all paved, with sand and coal ash, and straw mats.

  Gu Jiao was wondering what was going on. A neighborhood not far away opened the courtyard gate, poked a head out of it, and smiled at Gu Jiao: "Rokulang is going to take the exam, right?"

   "Aunt Lu." Gu Jiao said hello. This is one of the old lady's card friends. He has been to the house several times.

  Gu Jiao understands that the road is paved by the neighbours, and the materials used in each household are different, so the paved is colorful.

  She always thought that their home was isolated, but the old lady didn't know when they had already let their home into this alley.

  Gu Jiao thanked her.

After   , several neighbourhoods opened their doors, and they all said auspicious words like congratulations to Xiao Liulang High School.

  Gu Jiao thanked each other.

  Her gratitude is from the heart, they are not Xiao Liulang's family, and they are not obliged to do this for Xiao Liulang.

   Their kindness is not duty, but affection.

  Of course, there is also the credit of my aunt.

  It's not that my aunt is doing well with them, telling them that Liu Lang in the family is going to take a scientific examination, they are afraid that they don't even know that there is such a character in the alley.

  Each households also hung lanterns under the corridors to illuminate the alleys, usually only for the New Year.

  Gu Jiao bends the corners of her lips.

  She likes Beijing.

Xiao Liulang also got up, and the two simply used breakfast.

  Because they knew they would get up early to go out today, they let Xiaojingkong sleep in the old lady’s room last night.

  The carriage was waiting in the alley early, but it was not the carriage of the old sacrificial wine, it belonged to the Xuanping Hou Mansion.

   Liu Guanshi bowed to Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao, and said with a smile: "Little Master, Young Lady, get in the car."

  Not far away, Liu Quan stood wrongly beside another carriage. He arrived a step late and was snatched by this grandson!

  Same last name as Liu, but they have no relatives.

  Xuanping Hou’s iron hoof and wheels are anti-skid treatment in accordance with the war specifications. The ice and snow can be charged and trapped. This kind of road condition is naturally not a problem.

Xiao Liulang did not refuse.

  He first let the carriage go to Lin Chengye’s house to pick up Lin Chengye and Feng Lin, and then all the way to Gongyuan.

  I don’t know how many carriages and horses slipped on the road, and the carriage of Xuanping Hou’s mansion rode on the ground like dust, and arrived at the destination without any influence.

  They were the first batch to arrive, and the rest of the candidates were probably delayed by the road conditions.

  Gu Jiao lowered the curtain and said, "Fortunately, it's only admission today."

  Xiao Liulang nodded.

  Gu Jiao checked before going out, and then took out his baggage for a second time.

  Xiao Liulang wants to spend three days and two nights in it. No silver charcoal or hand stove is allowed. Gu Jiao has to think about clothes and food.

  Gu Jiao prepared a jar of dried chili for all three of them. If it was really cold, she would chew some dried chili. After all, the room was so small that she couldn't get up and run around.

  It is not necessary to prevent mosquitoes in winter, but to prevent the wind and cold. Gu Jiao also filled the three of them with cold medicine, which would not doze off after taking them.

  There is also frostbite cream.

  The seat numbers for the test are not allocated according to the results, but are drawn on the spot.

   Seeing that the time was almost up, the three of them went down to draw a lottery.

  The Gongyuan in the capital is much larger than the local ones. There are four examination rooms in the east, west, south and north, and the three of them won three of them. This is no luck.

  Xiao Liulang is in the No. 5 examination booth of the East Examination Hall.

  The size of the test shed is the same as that of the place, but the walls are made cleaner. There are still two wooden boards in the test shed, one as a table and the other as a bench. When sleeping, the two wooden boards form a bed.

  Bedding is provided by Gongyuan.

  After all, it's very cold, and it's not good for candidates to be frozen out.

  The test is presided over by the Ministry of Etiquette and invigilated by the Hanlin Academy.

  As early as yesterday, the scoring officers of the Hanlin Academy had already entered the inner hall of the Gongyuan. Like the township examination, the inner curtain officers could not leave the inner hall until all the examination papers were reviewed.

  It didn’t take long for the three of Xiao Liulang to enter the Gongyuan, and other candidates appeared one after another. Du Ruohan was not slow, he was the twentieth.

  Gu Jiao also gave him a small medicine packet.

  Du Ruohan thanked him politely, but he didn’t take it seriously. What's the joke, how could he get sick with such a good health?

After giving the medicine packet to Du Ruohan, Gu Jiao had no need to stay any longer.

   "Let's go." Gu Jiao said.

   Guan Shi asked from the outer car seat, "Where is the young lady going?"

  "Medical Hall." Gu Jiao said.

  More than half a month has passed, Gu Chenglin’s kid hasn’t been discharged yet, and Gu Jiao intends to send him away!

   Guanshi Liu’s attitude towards Gu Jiao has changed drastically. Gu Jiao didn’t ask why he did this, but it’s not difficult to guess from Xiao Liulang’s attitude that he, the "illegitimate son", had already met Xuanpinghou.

  And Xuan Pinghou’s attitude towards him is not too light, otherwise Guan Shi would not change his face so quickly.

  No longer on the road at this time, the carriage drove slowly down the street.

  Gu Jiao curiously admired the scenery along the way.

  She has never been to this area, it's so fresh.

  She was looking energetically, Liu Guanshi suddenly smiled and said, "Madam, how did you and Master meet?"

  Gu Jiao said: "You Xuanping Marquis is so powerful, won't you check it yourself?"

  Of course I checked it. Didn’t this ask you to check it?

   Guan Shi has already figured out the reason for his misbehavior. This illegitimate son Xiao Liulang actually looks a lot like the dead little Hou.

  The age is basically the same, that is, Xiao Hou Ye’s birthday is in the twelfth lunar month, and Xiao Liulang’s birthday is in the first lunar month.

  In fact, the interval should have been longer, but Master Xiaohou was born a month prematurely.

  He said to Lord Hou: "It's all your flesh and blood, brothers, don’t you look strange! Is it possible that the dead little Lord Hou can come back to life?"

  His own Master Hou obviously also understands this truth, but he still has to inquire.

Guan Shi Liu smiled and said, "Madam, when you saw the young master, did the young master have a mole under his right eye?"

   "No." Gu Jiao said.

   Guan Shi said: "You don't need to answer so quickly, you think about it."

  Gu Jiao said: "I see him a hundred or eighty times a day, do I still think about whether he has a mole on his face?"

   Liu Guanshi was speechless.

   Manager Liu said in his heart that he not only underestimated the little young master, but also underestimated the young lady. There is not the slightest sourness of a poor child, and it is not easy to handle, and it is not easy to fool.

  Is it really a family, don’t enter a family.

  The carriage was driving on the streets of the southeast district. Because of the test, several main streets were closed, and only test-takers were allowed to pass. The road they took when they came can no longer return the same way.

  They changed streets.

  The shops on this street are very novel, giving a feeling of red and green.

   "What is that?" Gu Jiao asked, pointing to the attic on the left.

   Guan Shi said: "Madam Shao said Cuixianglou? That is a brothel."

  Is this an ancient brothel?

  I haven't seen it for so long. Gu Jiao opened the curtains a bit and looked at the brothel in front of him curiously.

   Guanshi Liu looked back and saw her unconcealed excitement, frowning slightly.

  The girl’s family, shouldn’t you avoid the brothel? Why do you still like it? Without blinking your eyes?

   "What building is that?" Gu Jiao pointed to another store in a two-storey building and asked.

   Guan Shi said, "Is it Yunle Hall? It's a theater building."

   "Listen to the show?" Gu Jiao asked.

   Guan Liu paused, and explained: "Men listen to the show."

  Gu Jiao: "Oh."

The   Guozijian area is a key school district of Zhaoguo, and this kind of drunken place is not allowed. Not to mention brothels and theaters. Gu Jiao has never seen a gambling house or a martial arts hall.

   "Is that a gambling shop?" Gu Jiao asked, pointing to a shop with big gambling words hanging in front of it.

   Guan Shi: "Yes, Mrs. Shao."

   "What about that?"

  "It is also a gambling house."

   "Why didn't you write the word gambling?"

  "It is a gambling house with a relatively high status."

"what about this?"

"auction."

  Gu Jiao asked several places again, whether it was a brothel or a martial arts hall or a gambling house. Her eyes were bright, as if there were green lights.

   Guan Shi: ……Madam, are you really good like this? Looking back, Lord Hou asked, but I really didn't bring it badly.

  After crossing this street, the shop floor became much more serious. Gu Jiao was in a state of lack, yawned and lowered the curtain.

  He carefully selected one of the most noble streets in the capital for Gu Jiao and planned to come to a tour guide to introduce Guanshi Liu: "..."

When    reached the end of this street, a burst of shouts and arguing attracted Gu Jiao’s attention. Gu Jiao opened the curtains a gap and looked at the shop on the side of the street: "Where is this place?"

  "This is Qingfeng Tower." Guanshi Liu said.

   Gu Jiao poked her head out: "It seems very lively, what are they doing?"

   Guan Shi reluctantly closed his eyes: "I will try to bet."

  Young lady, can you not always be attracted by these inconsistent things?

  "What kind of bet will you try?" Gu Jiao asked.

  "Place." Liu Guanshi said.

There are many gambling games in Beijing, but the most sensational one is Chunwei, which is held every three years. The big gambling shops in Beijing will start betting by big guys. There are many things to block. The more popular ones are Huiyuan and No. Exploring flowers, second place, top ten in the hall test, top ten in the hall test, etc.

  The higher the ranking, the more expensive the minimum bet.

  For example, for the first ten in the test, the minimum ten cents is one bet, and the first ten in the palace examination, the minimum becomes one hundred cents and one bet.

  It’s not that the more expensive you pay, the more you pay. It mainly depends on the number of bets. If all of them are the next person, then the odds of this person are extremely low.

  The hottest character this year is King An Jun. From Huiyuan to No. 1 Shui'er, he is all bought.

  In contrast, the competition between the second place and the search for flowers is fierce. Chen's son, Luo's son, Zhao's son...Gu Jiao even saw Du Ruohan's name on the betting list.

  Gu Jiao swept down from start to finish, not to mention the first ten in the hall test, she didn't even see Xiao Liulang's name in the ten before the test.

what's the situation?

   Is she not even worthy of the top ten?

  "Madam Young..." Guan Shi followed Gu Jiao with a worried expression.

Although all major gambling shops in the capital have set up gambling bureaus, Qingfeng Tower is particularly different. It is actually an elegant place where you can drink tea, wine, and enjoy food, and you can even hear the storytelling and singing songs. Here are the top places in Beijing. Famous celebrities.

   Although my wife is a daughter of the Hou Mansion, she has grown up in the countryside since she was a child. I’m afraid...

  To put it plainly, Guan Shi was worried that Gu Jiao would not be able to get on the stage. He was not afraid to lose the face of Xuanping Hou Mansion. Anyway, Master Hou was shameless, but her embarrassment caused the ridicule of others, and it was her own discomfort.

  Gu Jiao went out in a hurry and didn't have any money. She turned to look at Guan Shi Liu: "Have you brought any money?"

   Guan Liu was taken aback.

  Gu Jiao stretched out her hand and made a gesture of paying for him.

   Guan Shi didn’t bring too much, just a few pieces of silver, plus the driver’s altogether only a dozen taels.

  Gu Jiao walked into Qingfeng Tower.

   Xiaoer stepped forward and asked politely: "Girl, are you here to bet or have tea?"

   "I bet." Gu Jiao said.

  To be honest, Gu Jiao’s clothes are not luxurious, but at this time of the year, many civilians come to place bets, and there are still a lot of them.

  Compared to those people, Gu Jiao has an extra red spot on her face.

  Xiaoer was very knowledgeable and did not lose his mind. He enthusiastically led Gu Jiao to the betting table and asked her: "Who do you want to play?"

  All participants in the test are Juren who have merits and fame. It is not an exaggeration to call one Juren Master.

  Gu Jiao said: "The person I want to drop is not on your list."

   "Which bet are you going to place?" Xiao Er said with a smile.

  Gu Jiao said: "Hui Yuan and No. 1 Scholar."

"Oh, isn't it over here? Look!" Xiao Er pointed to the list hanging in the middle of the lobby. Under Huiyuan and No. 1, the name of King An was written in turn, and of course several other candidates were also written. The name, it was obvious that those candidates were for King An Jun. Very few people didn't say it, and they were all childcare.

  Gu Jiao: "There is no candidate I want to bet on."

  Little two: "Then...who does the girl want to bet on?"

  Gu Jiao: "Guo Zi Jian Xiao Liulang."

  Xiaoer means that he has never heard of it.

  Xiao Liulang still has a certain reputation in the Imperial College. After all, there are not many new students who go straight to the school. This year there are only two, one is King An and the other is Xiao Liulang. In addition, Xiao Liulang ranked first almost time after time in subsequent examinations, and he also clashed with Zheng Siye and became black and red.

  It’s just that those things happened inside the Imperial College. Who knew him after he was out of the Imperial College?

  I don’t know how many famous aristocrats and aristocratic families in Beijing. There are many talented people who are famous outside. They may not be as good as the Anjun king, but they are definitely not comparable to a poor boy from the countryside.

   "I just want to place his bet. I will go to another house without me." Gu Jiao said, she turned around and left.

  This is a business that makes a profit without losing money. It is not on the list, which means that the person is bad!

   Xiao Er won’t miss this sale, he hurriedly stopped Gu Jiao, and said with a smile: "Girl, don’t go, I’ll write your name down for you! How much do you want to place? The minimum bet for the top ten is..."

  "Huiyuan, champion." Gu Jiao said.

   Xiao Er was stunned: "You, who are you under?"

   "Hmm." Gu Jiao nodded seriously.

   Xiao Er glanced at her like a fool: "Go, go!"

  I really don’t know where the little idiot came from, this kind of remarks would be tricky.

  Small second said: "You will bet one or two silvers and one bet, and the champion is fifty-two silvers and one bet. How much do you want to bet?"

  Gu Jiao said: "All down."

  Gu Jiao made five bets for Huiyuan, one for No. 1 pick, exactly twelve, all under the name of Xiao Liulang.

  At this point, Xiao Liulang's name finally appeared on the betting list.

  Guanshi Liu shook his head.

  Twelve taels of silver, his twelve taels, just tossed away in vain.

  I really don’t know where the young lady is confident. She thinks that the young master can beat many talents in Beijing to become the first, even if she bets on the top ten.

  Huiyuan? Top pick?

  Dare to think!

   Guan Shi followed up and asked Gu Jiao in a low voice, "Madam Young, can we go now?"

  Gu Jiao paused, then suddenly looked at the list on the opposite side that was blocked by a translucent curtain and said, "What is the list then?"

   "That..." Guan Shi frowned.

   Xiaoer cleverly stepped forward, smiling all over his face: "That's the hairpin list! You can also bet!"

   "What is the hairpin list?" Gu Jiao asked.

Xiao Erdao: "The hairpin list is the list of girls, and it is the last to be announced. Candidates who have passed the test in high school will participate in the palace exam hosted by your majesty personally in April. Those who have excellent results in the palace exam. Will be appointed by your majesty as a top scholar, that is, we call the champion man, the second best man, and the Tanhua Lang. These three will be walking around the street, their flowers can be given away, and now the big guys are betting, after all Who can get a jinshi's flower."

  "Can I only get one flower?" Gu Jiao asked, blinking.

  The corner of Xiao Er's mouth twitched, what does it mean to get only one flower? Do you know how rare one is?

  This flower was bestowed by His Majesty, and it is of extraordinary significance. General champions, second-place winners, and searchers are not willing to give it away!

   So the girls robbed them, and they were really robbed, but that was too embarrassing to the court, so the court banned the grabbing of flowers.

  There are only two ways to get a Jinshi hairpin: one is to send it willingly, and the other is to challenge the other party. The other party can challenge or refuse. If the other party loses, they must send the hairpin.

Xiao Er sighed: "Girl, do you think, how many talented people can be admitted to the First Grade Jinshi? Who can challenge them? Let alone challenge their martial arts, they can not be good at what they are not good at. Challenger! So, unless they are willing to send it, or she is a very smart woman like the princess."

  Speaking of the princess, Xiao Er couldn't help but say a few more words: "Don't tell me girl, someone really has two hairpins."

  Gu Jiao said indifferently: "That prince?"

   Xiaoer admired, "Yes, it's her! She challenged two first-class scholars one after another, but won both! Your Majesty said that she had cast the wrong daughter, otherwise what would happen to the boys?"

  Gu Jiao has no feelings for the princess, she is only curious about who is on the hairpin list.

   Xiaoer led her to see.

Many famous ladies’ names were written on the   Yanhua list. Of course, they were not their real names. For example, the daughter of Luo Guogong Mansion was written as Miss Luo San.

  The highest voices on the list are Miss Gu and Miss Zhuang Er.

  You don’t need to guess to know that they are Gu Jinyu and Zhuang Yuexi.

  Zhuang Yuexi is the younger sister of King An, and King An will definitely be the champion in high school. It is very likely that he will give hairpins to his younger sister.

  As for why it was not given to Zhuang Mengdie, Zhuang Yuexi is a talented woman, and Zhuang Mengdie is a straw bag. Of course everyone is more inclined to the former.

  Rao is so, Zhuang Mengdie is still on the list of hairpin flowers, and it is written by Miss Zhuang Wu, she bought herself, she is just trying to save face.

  Under Gu Jinyu and Zhuang Yuexi, there are Miss Luo San, Miss Thursday, Taoist Miaoyin...

  Uh...Why is Taoist even on the list?

  Gu Jiao saw a few familiar surnames on the list, which seemed to be the daughters of women’s school.

  "Girl, do you want to bet on the hairpins? Follow the big guy, you can't go wrong." Xiaoer refers to Gu Jinyu and Zhuang Yuexi, both of whom are likely to get hairpins.

  Gu Jiao is not interested in this.

   Just as she was about to turn around and leave, a woman’s joking voice came from the corridor on the second floor: "Come on, I want to place a bet!"

   is Zhuang Mengdie.

  Gu Jiao raised her eyes and looked around.

  From her point of view, Zhuang Mengdie can be seen walking from a side room holding Zhuang Yuexi’s arm, both of them are wearing veils, and she cannot be seen from their perspective.

  The shopkeeper went upstairs in person, and shook his hands at the two of them: "Excuse me, two Miss Zhuang, whose bets are you going to place?"

  Zhuang Mengdie said with a smile: "Miss Gu's bet!"

  The shopkeeper said warmly: "How much do you want to order, the younger one will write it for you!"

  Zhuang Mengdie laughed mockingly: "Wait, what I want to play...not Miss Gu, who is already on the list."

   "Huh?" The shopkeeper was startled.

Zhuang Mengdie looked at the opposite wing room: "It's Miss Gu from the Ding'an Houfu! You don't know yet, this Miss Gu on the list is not a daughter of the Houfu at all, just a peasant girl in the countryside! The real Miss Gu is another person! You Qingfeng Tower has such a big board, and you didn't even understand the truth of the person! I am really ashamed for you Qingfeng Tower!"

  There is Qingfenglou on her mouth. Who can't tell that she is mocking Gu Jinyu insinuatingly?

  Gu Jinyu also came to the betting scene today. She just wanted to see how popular she is. Who would have expected the crazy dog ​​Zhuang Mengdie!

  There are so many people in Qingfeng Tower. Once the news is released, the whole capital will know soon!

  Gu Jinyu's face rose green.

  Zhuang Mengdie was in a good mood, leaving a copper plate and leaving.

  That’s right, one bet on the Zanhua ranking.

  Zhuang Mengdie only placed one bet.

After half a quarter of an hour, Gu Jiao's name appeared alone at the bottom of the hairpin list.

  (End of this chapter)