Just as Wei Tu had expected.
Upon learning that he had borrowed the Huang family’s carriage when he returned to the Li residence, a subtle change occurred in Li Yaozu’s heart.
His tone when speaking to Wei Tu also shifted toward equality, rather than constantly calling Wei Tu "loyal and sincere," or saying he had been "dutiful" back when he worked at the Li residence...
"The Huang family?"
"If our Li family hadn't bought him back then, would he even be alive today? And what about that second aunt of his? Where was she at that time?"
Inside the Li residence study, Li Xingye and Li Yaozu were conversing, their words filled with dissatisfaction.
A house servant, who had been sitting at the same table as him for some time—and whom Li Yaozu and his wife had frequently lectured, telling him to maintain a good relationship with Wei Tu because he would be of great use in the future, and so on.
Although he obeyed his parents and treated Wei Tu as an equal on the surface, showing him courtesy, he felt increasingly dissatisfied inside.
It was clearly the Li family that had bestowed everything upon Wei Tu, yet Wei Tu still put on the airs of an equal; it was truly not "dutiful."
Furthermore, he was a dignified top-ten finisher in the county examination, with hopes of earning a title in the current imperial examination... Did he really have to consider the thoughts of a house servant before doing anything?
He had been able to endure it for the past few days.
But today, Li Yaozu was clearly even more "polite" toward Wei Tu.
"Cringing and bowing" to a former house servant.
This point.
Li Xingye found it unbearable.
He believed this was Wei Tu humiliating his parents.
"Good heavens, ancestor of mine. Keep your voice down, don't let the servants hear you." Hearing these words from Li Xingye, Li Yaozu was startled. He hurried to the door, looked around, and seeing no servants, immediately shut the doors and windows tight.
"What of it?"
Li Xingye didn't care, sitting down in the straight-backed chair near the desk.
However, when he spoke, he did follow Li Yaozu’s advice and lowered his voice a little.
"Just endure it for a few more days; before long, Father will send him away." Li Yaozu coaxed Li Xingye.
"Fine."
Li Xingye raised an eyebrow, not arguing further with Li Yaozu.
"By the way, Father, have the maid bring me some more pastries; I'm hungry."
At this moment, Li Xingye spoke up again.
"Hungry?"
"Didn't you just finish dinner?"
Hearing this, Li Yaozu immediately cursed Li Xingye as a spendthrift in his heart, feeling the sting of the cost.
An extra meal every night—how much money would that waste?
"How could I touch food a second time that he has touched?" Li Xingye said contemptuously, holding a book of Confucian sages.
……
The next day.
At the square in front of the main City God Temple, the second stage of the military examination began.
This time, the subjects were mounted archery, foot archery, and the comparative trial.
Once these three subjects were completed, it meant the outer field examinations were over, leaving only the final stage of the military examination: the inner field military strategy.
"Grade A-High..."
"Grade A-Mid..."
Soon, the results for Wei Tu’s mounted and foot archery were released.
In both tests, Wei Tu achieved an A-grade, placing him at the forefront of all the martial artists.
"He actually has a good horse for riding?"
Outside the arena, the gentry were astonished. They had not expected that Wei Tu, who came from a humble background, would ride a dapple-gray horse in the mounted archery test instead of the inferior horses provided by the county.
"What exactly is this Wei Tu’s background? Was he deliberately feigning weakness in the previous tests?"
The crowd’s expressions darkened.
But soon, they dismissed this thought.
Deliberately feigning a humble background in the military examination served no real purpose; on the contrary, it might lead the examiners to look down on him and give him a poor grade.
"When the crowd dispersed the night before last, I saw Brother Huang and his concubine meeting with this Wei Tu. Could it be that Wei Tu has a history with Brother Huang?"
A gentleman asked curiously.
The Huang family was the wealthiest in Qingmu County, and their every move was watched by their peers. Although the scene of Master Huang acknowledging Wei Tu as a relative the day before yesterday had not been seen by others, the fact that Wei Tu had gone to the Huang residence had become known to some of the gentry.
"Hmm..." Master Huang hesitated for a moment before saying, "He is the nephew of my concubine, and thus my nephew as well..."
"So, this Wei Tu is from the Huang family?" the gentleman beside him immediately pressed.
If Wei Tu came from the Huang family, then their guesses regarding the first day’s martial skills test might have been wrong.
In this county military examination, Wei Tu was highly likely to become the county champion.
Even if he failed to become the champion, with his outer field results, placing in the top few was more than enough.
At this moment, of Wei Tu’s three outer field tests, except for the "sword dance" subject in the martial skills test where his score was slightly lower, achieving only a "B-High," all other results were A-grades.
And for this county military examination, only the final "comparative trial" and the inner field examination—military strategy—remained!
The "comparative trial" was a duel between martial artists. Given the martial prowess Wei Tu had displayed, it would not be difficult for him to earn an A-grade.
That left only the final military strategy to distinguish the rankings of the county military examination.
However, the Zheng Kingdom’s military examination was "martial arts first, strategy second."
In other words, the military strategy score had a very limited impact on the candidates' rankings.
As long as Wei Tu didn't write nonsense during the military strategy exam, his scores would be enough to place him in the top five, top three, or even make him the champion of this county military examination.
And the military strategy exam...
They, the wealthy gentry, could buy the questions from the county magistrate.
If Wei Tu came from the Huang family...
Then Wei Tu would certainly pass the military strategy exam, and there was an eighty percent chance he would take the champion’s spot.
Hearing the gentleman’s questioning, Master Huang shook his head.
He would have liked for Wei Tu to be a member of the Huang family, but unfortunately, Wei Tu had a good master. The benefits he offered—in Wei Tu’s eyes—were as light as a feather and not enough to move him.
"That’s good." Upon hearing this, the gentry felt a sense of relief.
Just like the top scholar in the civil service examination, the champion of the military examination could be directly recommended to the provincial examination.
Entering the provincial examination significantly increased the chances of obtaining a title.
"Although Wei Tu is not a member of the Huang family, his status is... he is a disciple of the Sanyuan Township military graduate, Shan..."
At this moment, Master Huang added this sentence.
Even if these gentry hadn't asked, he would have made Wei Tu’s identity public today and told these people.
He did this not because he wanted to use Wei Tu’s status to elevate his own.
What he feared was Wei Tu’s future.
A current military examination disciple was not enough to have a major impact on him yet.
What Master Huang worried about was that these gentry, for the sake of the rankings, would bribe the county officials with money to cause Wei Tu’s results in the county military examination to "drop."
He who should have been the champion,
Could, because of this, end up in second, third, or fourth place.
All of this was possible.
As a member of the gentry himself, Master Huang knew all too well the filth of these military examinations.
"What?"
"A disciple of a military graduate?"
Hearing this, the gentry’s expressions changed slightly, and they felt moved by Master Huang’s advance notice.
Generally speaking, when evaluating a candidate’s performance, the county magistrate would also rank them based on their background.
If they hadn't known about this connection of Wei Tu’s and had gone to bribe the magistrate or the chief examiner, they would likely have ended up with nothing and offended this dark horse of the military examination.
"Since that’s the case..."
"The county champion’s spot is more than eighty percent likely to be Wei Tu’s; you and I don't need to waste our silver for nothing..."
The gentry exchanged whispers in secret.
……
Meanwhile.
On the high platform.
County Magistrate Chen, who was dozing off, received a letter delivered by a servant from his home.
Hearing it was a letter from his wife, Magistrate Chen frowned slightly and opened it.
The content of the letter was very simple, merely stating that today Master Huang had moved a cluster of coral ornaments to their home, and Lady Huang had gifted her a gold-inlaid pearl hairpin.
At the end of the letter, Lady Chen mentioned that Wei Tu was Lady Huang’s nephew and a disciple of the Sanyuan Township military graduate, Shan.
(End of chapter)