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Guo Neng was alright, but the servant boy was in so much pain he couldn’t speak.

He propped the servant boy up and asked gloomily, "What happened?"

The coachman hurriedly apologized with trembling fear, "Young Master, I’m sorry.

There were some people who looked like scholars and weren’t watching where they were going.

They walked into the middle of the road and were nearly hit by the horses.

Please don’t be angry, I’ll drive them away immediately. "

The Young Master disliked bumps, therefore he had chosen him to drive because he drove the smoothest in the Guo family. Ordinarily, unless the Young Master ordered otherwise, he would prefer to go slower just to ensure a steady ride.

Just now, one of the scholars suddenly became very agitated and darted into the middle of the road, causing him to abruptly stop the carriage.

The coachman, trembling like he was talking back inside the carriage, turned around with a changed expression and loudly cursed the scholars for obstructing the path like stray dogs.

The scholars initially intended to apologize, but upon hearing this, they immediately retaliated, unwilling to show weakness. They were already in a bad mood, and being insulted only made them respond with equal harshness.

Guo Neng frowned slightly, lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside, and indeed saw several people dressed as scholars, wearing Confucian robes, appearing to be learned men.

A flash of impatience crossed his eyes as he shouted to stop the coachman, lifted the entire curtain, and addressed the scholars with utmost politeness, "Gentlemen, I apologize. My servant lacks manners and has offended you. I offer my apologies on his behalf."

The Guo family needed to keep a low profile nowadays; he didn’t want to stir up trouble, especially not with these idle scholars, especially those with scholarly honors.

These scholars loved causing trouble. He vaguely remembered a major incident caused by the scholars of the Taiyuan Prefecture not long ago, a matter that became known everywhere. Now, being in the Imperial City, it was best to endure when possible.

The scholars sized him up, and one of them very rudely said, "A dog’s master should manage his dog well, preventing it from barking wildly."

Another scholar tugged at the sleeve of the first and stepped forward, bowing slightly, "Please don’t take offense, my schoolmate is in a poor mood today and spoke without restraint. We also feel upset and forgot to watch our path, blocking your way. Please accept our apologies."

The first scholar flung his sleeves, turned his face away, and scoffed, "They insulted us first, and yet we should apologize..."

A flash of fierceness crossed Guo Neng’s eyes, but he ignored the comment, maintaining a gentle smile as he said, "No harm done; it was my servant’s recklessness."

Having reached an agreement, both parties politely bid each other farewell. The scholars stepped aside, and the carriage started moving again.

Guo Neng let the curtain fall, his smile completely gone, leaving only a gloomy expression on his face.

If it had been anywhere else, how could he have tolerated such humiliation from these scholars? It was truly frustrating!

The gloom on his face frightened the servant boy, who had just recovered somewhat, into silence, tucked away in a corner not daring to make a sound.

The conversation of the scholars outside the carriage window was still audible.

Guilt surged within Guo Neng, his eyes fiercely glaring as if he could kill.

He lightly lifted the carriage curtain with one finger, peeking through a small gap, his eyes narrowed like a venomous snake locking onto the scholar who had called him a dog’s master.

Unaware he was being watched by a venomous snake, that scholar was venting his frustration to the person next to him.

The scholar said, "...Several Shichen Chinese Time have passed, and there’s still no movement.

I fear... alas, this exam topic nominates ’fairness’, yet it feels anything but fair.

Tian Cuozi and those people are now rampant, as if no one knows they help cause trouble in Taiyuan.

They aim to provoke me; truly, a petty man attains his goal! "

The scholar grew more agitated as he talked, feeling so uncomfortable that he kicked furiously at the ground.

The initially gentle scholar advised, "Brother Zheng, do not be hasty. Lian Mu, having ranked as Jieyuan and also debated with Minister Qin, must truly possess real ability. There’s still time before the submission, and it’s hard to tell the outcome until the end. In my view, he seems quite confident."

Another scholar also chimed in, "I agree with Brother Wu. Who can remain so composed and detached in the examination hall? Perhaps Lian Mu is deep in thought about how to answer the paper."

The carriage drifted further and further away from the few men, until they were no longer visible.

Lian Mu? That name sounds very familiar. Where have I heard it before?

Guo Neng let down the curtain, his previously gloomy expression had dissipated, prompting deep thoughts, yet he couldn’t recall where he had heard it.

The servant boy, thinking his master was contemplating what the scholars had said, cautiously tried to please him, "Young master, about what those nerdy scholars mentioned—the re-examination of the Jieyuan from Taiyuan Prefecture taking place today, outside the Imperial Academy at Shanxue Square. Look how the streets are getting crowded, especially since we’re on this road named ’Outside Imperial Academy Main Street.

’ If we keep going straight instead of turning east, and after a few intersections, take another turn, we should pass by the Shanxue Square outside the Imperial Academy, where the crowd will be even larger. "

Guo Neng looked at the servant boy, squinting his eyes, his gaze shifting uncertainly.

He was currently burdened with several matters, making him as tense as a frightened bird unable to sleep at night.

Firstly, he needed to clean up loose ends in the south; he expected a second round of news soon.

Secondly, that was concerning the remnants in the palace. His communication with his cousin had completely ceased, leaving him clueless about the situation inside the palace and whether those remnants had made their move.

Thirdly, it was about the Lian Family, who had vanished without a trace into the sea, untraceably, causing him immense frustration.

All these three matters were like barrels of gunpowder, unpredictable as to when they might explode.

Therefore, when Xue Ping disregarded him, he had arranged his backup plans in advance, not wanting to badly fall out with his beloved uncle unless absolutely necessary.

The servant boy, feeling the intensity of Guo Neng’s stare, began to tremble, fearing he had spoken out of turn.

Guo Neng felt agitated and withdrew his gaze, closing his eyes again.

After a while, he suddenly opened them, "The candidate taking the re-examination, is he called Lian Mu?"

The servant boy nodded vigorously, "Yes, young master, I heard his name is that."

He remembered now; no wonder it sounded so familiar. Wasn’t the eldest son of the Lian family called Lian Musu?!

The two names were only one character different, which seemed too much of a coincidence.

But how could this be possible?

Not to mention the challenging path of the imperial examinations, the candidate for the re-examination had ranked as the Jieyuan of Taiyuan. Having been banished for so many years and neglecting his studies for so long, how could the eldest son of the Lian family possibly have scored that rank?

Moreover, the matter of the re-examination was public knowledge, blatantly obvious. It was as if he was completely disregarded by them.

Guo Neng felt doubtful and uneasy, deeming it impossible, yet he couldn’t ease his mind, fearing the oversight in plain sight.

He lifted the side curtain to look out, just as the servant boy had said, the street was indeed much busier, with many discussing the candidate.

He didn’t care anymore, stuck his head out to listen to a few comments, hearing praises of the candidate’s appearance and sympathies for him; commoners, wealthy young masters and ladies, and people dressed as scholars were all present.

After so many years, he could no longer remember what the eldest son of the Lian family looked like.