The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 431 No one cares
"Congratulations, Brother Jingzhe."

Gu Ruinian offered his sincere congratulations to Gu Jingzhe.

Originally, Gu Jingzhe was very dissatisfied with Gu Ruinian's mischief in the prefectural city, but when he saw Gu Ruinian's disappointed eyes and forced smile, he couldn't help but soften.

Failing the exam is bad enough.

He couldn't kick them when they were down, since they were all from the Gu family, lest he give Magistrate Liu and the others a reason to laugh at them.

Gu Jingzhe patted Gu Ruinian on the shoulder and said, "Your aptitude is not bad. There was an unexpected problem in this exam. Keep up the good work next year."

Gu Ruinian nodded obediently and said in a low voice, "I am very apprehensive about what you said, brother. I underestimated the provincial examination. I will definitely study hard like you in the future and strive to pass the exam next year."

Gu Jingzhe nodded. It would be good if failing the exam this time would make Gu Ruinian realize his mistake.

Tong Huaqiong coldly watched Gu Ruinian's overtures to Gu Jingzhe, wondering what kind of wicked scheme he might be plotting.

Gu Ruinian felt Tong Huaqiong's scrutinizing gaze, raised his head and quickly glanced at Tong Huaqiong before quickly lowering his head again.

His heart was filled with resentment and malice.

The old lady's whole family was watching him make a fool of himself, so let them be smug for now; he'll get his revenge sooner or later.

Grandpa Gu looked at his two loving grandsons with tears in his eyes and a face full of satisfaction.

"Ruinian, let's go to your aunt's house for dinner," Grandpa Gu said to Gu Ruinian.

Gu Ruinian shook his head and said, "I won't go."

Would going there just give them something to laugh at?

Grandpa Gu sighed and said, "Then you should go back first. Don't be sad, and get some rest."

Gu Ruinian nodded.

Grandpa Gu followed Magistrate Liu and Tong Huaqiong to the main courtyard.

Gu Honglian followed behind, but after taking a couple of steps she realized that Old Madam Gu hadn't caught up, so she turned around and called out to her.

Grandma Gu said firmly, "I'm not going."

Gu Honglian asked, puzzled, "Why aren't you going? Mother, I heard that my sister-in-law's family is preparing a very lavish feast. We might as well eat it."

Grandma Gu gritted her teeth and said, "Your sister-in-law is deliberately slapping Ruinian in the face. She knows Ruinian failed the exam, so she's deliberately making such a big fuss to embarrass him."

According to Old Mrs. Gu, Tong Huaqiong should not have held a banquet to celebrate.

This is not rubbing salt into the wounds of the second wife.

Grandma Gu returned to the old house with her last breath.

Gu Ruinian and Jia Shi quietly followed them toward the old house. Gu Ruinian was worried that they would be met with ill-intentioned looks as they walked through the village.

He was overthinking.

Everyone in the village went to Tong Huaqiong's house to join in the fun, and he became someone no one paid attention to.

He didn't know whether he should be happy or cry.

Following her previous appointment as the Lady of Abundant Harvest, Tong Huaqiong's home was once again bustling with excitement.

Whether in this era or in the modern world she lived in, passing the imperial examination is a joyous occasion worthy of celebration.

Gu Jingzhe suddenly became the focus of the entire Qinghe Bay.

He was pulled to sit down beside Magistrate Liu for a friendly chat, with Master Su and Tong Huaqiong accompanying him.

In the valley of peach blossoms, Liu Yue'e, Tong Zhaodi, and others, including the Hong and Zhao families who came to help, were busy entertaining the guests.

Gu Baishuang rushed over upon hearing the news, and in her excitement, she brought Gu Jingzhe half a carload of gifts.

Boss Qian naturally came as well. Not only did he show up, but he also had his staff prepare two tables of fine food. Other prominent figures in town, such as Master Huang, also came.

Even Tong Pandi's ex-husband's family regretted divorcing Tong Pandi after learning that Gu Jingzhe had won first place in the case.

Under the village chief's direction, the feast was quickly prepared.

Someone set off a string of firecrackers, which added to the festive and lively atmosphere of the banquet.

Magistrate Liu was invited to the seat of honor, with Tong Huaqiong and Master Su on either side of him.

Grandpa Gu was placed next to Master Su, which made him very dissatisfied.

Grandpa Gu felt that even if he wasn't as prestigious as Master Su, shouldn't he, as the grandfather of the top scholar, sit next to Magistrate Liu? His daughter-in-law, a woman, was sitting too close to Magistrate Liu, which was too conspicuous. At this time, his second son should take the lead.

If Gu Ruinian had passed the imperial examination at the county level, there would have been no need for Tong Huaqiong.

Thinking of Gu Ruinian, Old Master Gu felt very uneasy.

The two grandsons, one enjoying boundless glory and receiving praise from everyone, the other failing the exam and facing ridicule from everyone.

Old Master Gu wanted Tong Huaqiong to leave the table so he could sit in that seat or let the head of the Gu family sit in Tong Huaqiong's seat, but Magistrate Liu clearly valued his eldest daughter-in-law highly, and he was afraid of offending Magistrate Liu.

In the end, he didn't dare to speak.

“Jingzhe has achieved the highest score in the imperial examination this time. It would be a waste for him to study in our town. Why don’t we send him to Wanliu Academy?” Magistrate Liu said to Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Master Su.

She felt that Master Su had contributed a lot to Gu Jingzhe's success in passing the imperial examination, and that if Gu Jingzhe went directly to Wanliu Academy, it might hurt Master Su's feelings.

However, judging from Gu Jingzhe's subsequent development, going to Wanliu Academy was the best choice for him.

Before Tong Huaqiong could reply, Master Su said, "Of course we should go to Wanliu Academy."

His expression was natural, and he even seemed to be happy.

Tong Huaqiong said, "My son Jingzhe was able to pass the imperial examination with top honors, thanks to the teachings of Master Su."

Magistrate Liu smiled and looked at Master Su, saying, "Our Pingchuan County has produced three scholars this year, and two of them are students taught by Master Su, with one of them even ranking first. With your talent, Master Su, if you were to become a teacher at Wanliu Academy, I'm sure Wanliu Academy would welcome you very much."

Magistrate Liu had a very good impression of Master Su and wanted to recommend him to teach at Wanliu Academy.

After all, the students of Wanliu Academy will become pillars of the nation in the future. It would be a great success to have taught a Master Su who would become a prime minister. Based on his friendship with Master Su, his students would naturally become his network of allies in his career.

Master Su bowed slightly and declined, saying, "My learning is only enough to be a village teacher."

Upon hearing Master Su say this, Gu Jingzhe said, "Then I will follow you and not go to Wanliu Academy."

In front of Magistrate Liu and Tong Huaqiong, Master Su threw chopsticks at Gu Jingzhe's forehead and angrily said, "You're useless. I can no longer teach you. You must go to Wanliu Academy. Only there can you have a bright future."

Gu Jingzhe felt a mix of grievance and gratitude. Su Fuzi's statement that he couldn't teach him was simply an understatement.

Tong Huaqiong was not at all surprised that Master Su was unwilling to teach at Wanliu Academy.

Besides his reluctance to leave Yanguan Town because of Tong Pandi, Tong Huaqiong felt that he must have other deeper reasons.

Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Jingzhe, "Just listen to your husband."

This means that Gu Jingzhe agreed to go to Wanliu Academy.

Gu Jingzhe choked up a little. A year ago, he almost committed an irreparable sin in order to go to Wanliu Academy. If it weren't for his mother pulling him back to the right path, he probably wouldn't have learned any principles even if he had gone to Wanliu Academy.

He promised his mother that he would go to Wanliu Academy on his own, and now he has finally lived up to his promise.

If it weren't for so many people around, Gu Jingzhe would have wanted to kneel down and thank Tong Huaqiong.

Magistrate Liu watched Gu Jingzhe from the side, growing more and more fond of him. He couldn't wait to mention the marriage between Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao to Tong Huaqiong.