"I really dare not anymore, Cai Qing sister, I promise not to mention Lord Lu in front of you again."
Chu Qing said deliberately, afraid Cai Qing would catch her, and then hurried out.
"Madam, look at her now, she's all spoiled by you, Madam. She always teases me. Madam, why don't you discipline her?"
She had been pestered by Chu Qing for the past few days and couldn't do anything about her. Now she could only hope that Madam could discipline Chu Qing and stop her from teasing her like this.
Feng Jin covered her mouth and chuckled, then simply threw her hands up and said, "That's your business. You can figure it out yourselves."
"Madam, you're not going to pay attention to this!" Cai Qing shouted anxiously.
"That's right, I'm not paying attention. You have to figure out your own problems and don't expect others to understand."
Feng Jin dropped the words and got up to leave, leaving Cai Qing pouting alone.
As soon as Feng Jin stepped out, she ran into Ling Muzhu rushing out. She called out to him, "Muzhu, where are you rushing to in such a hurry?"
"Greetings, sister-in-law. Today is the day the list is posted, and I'm rushing to see if I'm lucky enough to pass."
"Don't worry, you'll definitely pass. I'll go with you."
She had nothing to do at home, so she might as well go with Ling Muzhu to see the spectacle of the list posting and go out for some relaxation.
"That would be great. With sister-in-law accompanying me, I'm sure to pass this time."
Sister-in-law was publicly known to be lucky. With her accompanying him to see the list, he was bound to pass.
Feng Jin couldn't help but chuckle at Ling Muzhu's slightly naive appearance. "Passing is your own ability, how can it be my credit? Don't put so much pressure on yourself. If you don't pass this time, we'll try again next time."
"I was really worried before, but after hearing sister-in-law's words, I feel much better. I've already taken the exam, and I can accept the result no matter what it is."
"That's right. Let's hurry. If we delay any longer, it will be difficult to get to the front."
Today was the day the list was posted, and it would surely be crowded. If they lingered any longer, it would be difficult to squeeze in. Even now,
the carriage could not move forward from two streets away, so they had to get off and walk.
"Sister-in-law, there are so many people today, and there are even officials and wealthy merchants..."
"Those officials are here to find promising students, and those wealthy merchants want to curry favor with the powerful. In short, after we finish looking at the list, even if you pass, don't make a fuss, otherwise it will be difficult to get away."
"Sister-in-law, you're exaggerating. This is the capital under broad daylight. They can't possibly abduct us by force, can they?"
In previous imperial examinations, their Ling family had never sought out promising students here, but they had seen other officials abduct people here. Therefore, Ling Muzhu was unaware of the dangers.
Feng Jin shook her head helplessly. "You are still too young and inexperienced. You'll know how dangerous it is when you witness it yourself."
"The list is posted!"
"The list is posted!"
"The list is posted!"
...
Several deep voices rang out, and Feng Jin and Ling Muzhu's gazes quickly followed.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up, or we won't be able to get through!"
The crowd surged forward, and Feng Jin quickly grabbed the stunned Ling Muzhu and rushed forward.
After the list was posted, Feng Jin busy looked up, eagerly searching for Ling Muzhu's name.
"Sister-in-law, I don't see it..."
"Don't worry, let's look carefully again." Feng Jin comforted him, but her eyes were still searching. Indeed, she did not see Ling Muzhu's name.
"Let's look ahead. These are the lower rankings. Perhaps your name is further up."
She was not sure herself, but she tried her best to comfort Ling Muzhu, hoping for a surprise.
Feng Jin pulled Ling Muzhu's hand and continued to squeeze forward, looking bit by bit. She did not find Ling Muzhu's name. Just as they were about to give up, she suddenly spotted Ling Muzhu's name.
She excitedly patted Ling Muzhu's arm, her voice trembling slightly. "Muzhu... Look... Look, it's your name, second... It's second!"
"Sister-in-law... I see it... I see it..."
Ling Muzhu was also stunned. For a moment, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He took a deep breath, rubbed his eyes again, and confirmed that his name was written there.
"Muzhu... Muzhu... Muzhu..."
Feng Jin called Ling Muzhu's name several times before Ling Muzhu responded slightly, looking at Feng Jin with dazed eyes, his voice hesitant. "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
"I called you several times and you didn't respond. Are you too happy to think straight?"
Ling Muzhu awkwardly touched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "Sister-in-law, to be honest, I still feel uncertain. Is this real? I feel like I'm dreaming. I actually ranked second. Sister-in-law, please pinch me hard. I need to know if this is a dream or reality."
To fulfill Ling Muzhu's wish, Feng Jin pinched his arm hard.
"Ouch... It hurts..." The sharp pain in his arm spread to his limbs, and Ling Muzhu cried out in pain, finally confirming that this was real and not a dream.
"It's true... I've actually ranked second. Sister-in-law, I ranked second..."
Feng Jin quickly covered Ling Muzhu's mouth, glanced around timidly, and seeing that everyone was in a chaotic state and no one had noticed them, she whispered, "Muzhu, keep your voice down. If they notice us, we won't be able to get away. Let's leave quickly after looking at the list."
Ling Muzhu nodded slowly, suppressed his excitement, and quickly left with Feng Jin.
It took nearly half an hour to finally squeeze out of the crowd. They had just witnessed a scholar who had passed being pulled by two people at the same time, tearing his sleeve. It was truly terrifying.
Many people had approached him to ask if he had passed. If his sister-in-law hadn't reacted quickly and helped him to cover it up, he would have had a hard time escaping.
"Sister-in-law, they are too scary. They are clearly snatching people in broad daylight."