Chapter 422 Preparations before the Provincial Examination
"You worry too much. How could I be angry with you? We are cousins. The provincial examination is coming up soon. I am not as smart as you, so I can only work harder. I didn't expect that my reading every day would cause you to misunderstand."
The sinister Gu Jingzhe would never show that he disliked Gu Ruinian in front of Old Man Gu.
Even though he was really annoyed with this cousin.
What this cousin said just now was setting a trap for him in both obvious and covert ways.
How could he be fooled?
Isn't it just taking one person with me? Mother had already said that since Gu Ruinian was always up to no good, it would be safer for me to bring him with me.
Gu Ruinian pretended to be embarrassed and said, "I'm glad that Brother Jingzhe is not angry with me. Grandpa always said that one stroke of the pen cannot write two grains. We are all his grandchildren, and we should help him bring honor to the family."
Gu Jingzhe also pretended to be sincere and said, "When it comes to bringing honor to our family, I have to rely on you more. My cousin is smarter than me. I studied hard since I was young and only passed the examination for a student, but you passed the examination for a student after studying for half a year. This time you will definitely pass the provincial examination and pass the examination for a scholar easily, but I am not sure. Master Su said that a lot of my knowledge is not solid."
Gu Jingzhe said with a tone of annoyance.
Gu Ruinian said calmly: "Brother, you are so hardworking, God will definitely not treat you unfairly, both of us brothers will pass the imperial examination this time."
But I looked down on it in my heart.
He wished that Gu Jingzhe could pass the imperial examination together with him, as long as he didn't steal his limelight.
He also hoped to get married and become a prime minister in the future, and Gu Jingzhe would be his right-hand man.
Old Master Gu felt very pleased to see the deep brotherly love between Gu Jingzhe and Gu Ruinian.
"You two are not only my most promising grandsons, but also the most promising descendants of our Gu family. My ancestors have favored me and let both of us grandsons be good at studying. As the saying goes, brothers fight together and fathers and sons fight together. This time, you should go to the capital together and strive to pass the examination together."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Gu Jingzhe and Gu Ruinian looked respectful.
"Jingzhe, you are the elder brother. Now that we are in a place where he is not familiar with the environment, you have to take care of him." Grandpa Gu made a new request to Gu Jingzhe.
"Yes, grandpa." Gu Jingzhe agreed with his mouth but sneered in his heart.
Gu Ruinian is not a three-year-old kid who needs his care.
I’m afraid that once he gets to the capital, Gu Ruinian will let himself go.
He had heard that Gu Ruinian often cheated Old Man Gu of his money in the village to go to town to eat and drink.
"Jingzhe, where will you live when you arrive in the city?" Old Mrs. Gu suddenly asked.
"My second brother bought a yard and I live with him." Gu Jingzhe said.
It is said that this yard was bought by Gu Dashu, but in fact, Gu Dashu bought it under the instruction of Tong Huaqiong, so it naturally became under the name of Tong Huaqiong.
Old Mrs. Gu, Old Mr. Gu and Mrs. Jia felt very uncomfortable when they heard that the eldest wife had a house in the capital.
Old Mrs. Gu said, "Then let Ruinian live there with you."
Gu Jingzhe caught a hint of unhappiness on Gu Ruinian's face and said, "It depends on Ruinian's opinion."
Old Lady Gu was unhappy and said, "I think your mother is just stingy. What's wrong with your cousin taking the exam with you and living in your house in the capital? Even when your father was alive, she would not have refused."
Gu Jingzhe didn't say anything, so Gu Ruinian said, "Grandma, you misunderstood. I don't want to live in Brother Dashu's house. If I go, I'm afraid Brother Dashu will be busy taking care of me. I'm used to reading alone, and if I'm not used to being taken care of by others, it will hinder my performance."
Gu Ruinian doesn't want to live with Gu Jingzhe.
He had heard that the brothels of this era were very unique. He had no time to go there before because he was being watched by Jia Shi all day in the south. Now that he was in the capital, how could he not go to a brothel to broaden his horizons.
It is said that prostitutes are willing to give generously when they meet talented men. If he recites a few lines of Li Bai and Su Shi's poems, he will not be afraid of not being able to charm the top girl.
If that girl could introduce him to someone powerful and influential like Li Shishi in Water Margin, wouldn't he have to skip the imperial examination?
He prepared a lot for this possible meeting.
Besides, he not only wants to sweep through the brothels, but also find opportunities to get in touch with the daughters of wealthy families.
Given this cousin's conservative personality, if I live with him, he will definitely stop me.
Old Madam Gu snorted and said, "Don't be afraid, Ruinian. Grandma will take care of it for you."
Jia knew her youngest son very well and knew that when Gu Ruinian said he didn't want to live with Gu Jingzhe, he really didn't want to live with Gu Jingzhe.
Yes, her son is so smart, it would be bad if Gu Jingzhe stole his knowledge.
Of course, she wanted Gu Ruinian to live in the house in Dafangfu City, which would save the family a lot of money, but no one could afford to let her son be affected and his performance be hampered.
After comprehensive consideration, he would rather grit his teeth and save the money to let Gu Ruinian stay in a hotel.
Jia said to Old Lady Gu, "Mother, let's listen to Ruinian and let him stay in a hotel. He is used to reading by himself."
Mr. Gu took a puff of his pipe and frowned.
It takes at least seven days to get to the provincial capital, and Gu Ruinian spends a lot of money on hotel accommodation, food, drink, and toileting.
Seeing that Mr. Gu was not happy, Gu Youtian said, "The Ruinian exam is important."
Ever since Gu Ruinian instigated him to fail in his investment, he has been cold towards his son.
The reason why he stood on his son's side this time was that he thought Gu Ruinian was his hope for a comeback. If his younger son passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, the clan would lend him money for business because of his status as a scholar.
Moreover, he also hoped that Gu Ruinian would find a good marriage for him after he became a scholar.
Therefore, my son must not make any mistakes in this exam.
Mr. Gu said slowly: "Okay, let Ruinian stay in the hotel."
Since his son agreed to let his grandson stay in a hotel, Mr. Gu gritted his teeth and agreed.
Gu Ruinian breathed a sigh of relief.
The old man finally agreed.
Gu Ruinian was moved and assured Grandpa Gu: "Grandpa, I promise you that just to show my filial piety to you, I will definitely pass the exam this time."
He originally wanted to take the first place in the case, but considering that Gu Jingzhe was next to him, he decided not to scare this cheap cousin.
Mr. Gu said with a moved look on his face: "I believe in my grandson."
Gu Jingzhe watched all this coldly.
Okay, he wanted to see how capable this cousin is when he arrives in the capital.
"Let's set off at 11:00 AM tomorrow morning."
Gu Jingzhe told Gu Ruinian the departure time and then walked out of the old house.
After returning home, Gu Jingzhe told Tong Huaqiong that Grandpa Gu asked Gu Ruinian to go to the provincial capital with him.
Tong Huaqiong was not surprised at all, as she had already guessed what the old house was planning.
Tong Huaqiong had already mentioned this to Gu Jingzhe, and was afraid that Grandpa Gu would let Gu Ruinian and Gu Jingzhe go together.
She didn't care.
She was afraid that her modern fellow villager Gu Ruinian was up to something bad and was going to frame Gu Jingzhe for cheating or something, so she taught Gu Jingzhe to pay attention to this cousin, and at the same time asked Su Chengmin to keep an eye on Gu Ruinian.
But what surprised her was that Gu Ruinian actually took the initiative to suggest not staying at Gu Dashu's place.
If a person who loves to take advantage of others suddenly stops doing so one day, it can only be said that he has other plans.
Therefore, Tong Huaqiong asked Su Chengmin and Nie Xiaofeng to keep an eye on Gu Ruinian. It didn't matter what weird things he did, but Gu Jingzhe must not be implicated.
She also expected Gu Jingzhe to protect her in the future.