Marriage of the Di Daughter

Chapter 64 Part 1: Two First Positions

“Second miss’s name is first, the best in this examination. Congratulations Old Madam!”

The smile on Ji Shuran’s face stiffened.

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Jiang You Yao opened her mouth to speak, unable to endure and blurted out: “What did you say?”

Her voice was somewhat piercing and was panic-stricken.

“Probably misheard.” Jiang Yu’e felt unbelievable from the bottom of her heart and shook her head. As if by doing this she could persuade herself and said: “You’ve certainly misheard…….”

It’s still Lu-shi who first reacted. Her smile immediately bloomed and she said: “If I didn’t hear wrongly just now, Li-er is ranked first?” She shot a glance at Ji Shuran’s frozen smile, a slight glee flashed in her heart. 

Since an earlier time, she was already rather dissatisfied with Ji Shuran. Ji Shuran relied on the Vice Imperial Censor, Ji Yan Lin’s promotion the past years and her weight had increasingly become bigger. Lu-shi was originally a proud person and couldn’t stand Ji Shuran. Moreover, in every year’s examination, Jiang You Yao’s achievements became better which in turn made the two sons from the second branch seem mediocre. Nowadays, a Jiang Li came out, covering the sky with her attack, ferociously pressing down Ji Shuran’s might. Naturally Lu-shi was glad to see it happen.

“I didn’t expect Li-er to be someone with ability.” Without hesitation, Lu-shi inserted a knife into Ji Shuran, “it’s only been a while since she attends Ming Yi Hall and seemingly hasn’t learned all these before. In my opinion, she deserves to be called elder brother’s biological daughter, both have such remarkable literary talent, innately clever ah…..” 

Everytime she spoke a sentence, the bitter resentment in Jiang You Yao’s heart increased. The anger from being surpassed by Jiang Yu’e, had now been completely shifted to Jiang Li. Jiang Yu’e is fine, but what could Jiang Li be considered as? She has just attended Ming Yi hall for a few days and couldn’t be compared with the people. Might as well say she is no better than rubbish?

At this moment, Jiang Yu’e was also squeezing the handkerchief in her hand tightly. Just now her whole heart was still delighted, but now her head felt as if it had been poured with ice cold water. A bone chilling cold that penetrated her bone marrow in the middle of summer, making her fingertips feel slight chills. Aside from this, there’s still a deep-rooted unwillingness. 

The only thing she was proud of, the only thing that put Jiang Li under her feet, now is no more! Why?!  

Old Madam Jiang merely glanced and understood, taking each person’s appearance and manner in her sight. She said indifferently: “You see the results clearly, whether the second girl is really at the top of the list?”  

“Indeed,” that young servant said: “Old madam, please see the transcribed red notice. Second miss’s calligraphy, mathematics and etiquette, each one comes first, there’s no need to doubt her being at the top of the list!”

Jiang You Yao’s body became soft and almost slid down.

    ……

In Fang Fei Garden, Jiang Li was in the middle of watching Tong’er looking after the plants and flowers.

“You are really not going?” Jiang Jing Rui was sitting on a chair, drinking tea while couldn’t help urging Jiang Li: “You still have time to run away, at most people will mock you for going back on your words. If you really wait, later when you want to escape, you won’t be able to escape anymore. Kneeling down and apologizing to Meng Hong Jin, you could be said to be ruined in this lifetime. In my opinion, anyway you are not a gentleman. Moreover, being a gentleman would also need to look at the situation. While the green hills last, there’ll be wood to burn1, why should you make things difficult for yourself?”     

Don’t be fooled by Jiang Jing Rui’s hedonistic appearance, he was meticulous when talking about this principle to soothe people that Jiang Li was almost persuaded by him. However, she merely glanced at him and said: “That is silver needle tea from Hunan, I only boiled a pot today. You are like a cow chewing on a peony2, next time don’t come here to drink tea.”

Jiang Jing Rui angrily slammed the tea cup: “Listen to you, are you really the young lady coming from our Jiang family? So thrifty, the daughters in our family  indulge in drinking and live a life of luxury. Like this you are too boring!”

Chapter 64 Part 2: Two First Positions

The gap between a small and humble family and his precious family, Jiang Li was also too lazy to have a dispute with him. Each person had their own way of living, no need to be insistent. 

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While they were conversing, Qing Feng and Ming Yue suddenly walked hastily from outside. The two people’s faces were flushed with excitement. Once she entered the door, Qing Feng immediately said: “Miss, Ming Yi Hall’s red notice has come out!”

Before Jiang Li could say anything, Jiang Jing Rui had put aside his cup of tea and said: “How is it? Is your miss placed at the bottom?” 

Jiang Li saw him like this and felt that he was lying when he said he hoped she would win.

Ming Yue glared at Jiang Jing Rui and said: “What kind of nonsense, our young lady is highly intelligent, naturally she has the making for studying…….”

Before she had finished speaking, Jiang Jing Rui already laughed: “That’s not the way to tell lies.”

Jiang Li calmly looked at him.

Ming Yue was anxious: “It wasn’t a lie, now up and down the entire residence knows already. This time our young lady is Ming Yi Hall’s top of the list, the first!” 

She heavily bit down on the word “first”.

Jiang Jing Rui said: “This servant girl, why didn’t you think when you speak. Even if you are comforting your family’s miss, you shouldn’t speak nonsense like this.”

Qing Feng said: “It’s true!”

Jiang Jing Rui still wanted to say more, but upon seeing the few servants’ red eyes, he finally realized something and slowly stopped laughing. He looked inquisitively at Jiang Li and asked: “Is it true?” 

Jiang Li was too lazy to respond to him and only asked: “How about the Imperial College? Who’s the Imperial College’s top of the list?” 

“It seems to be an unfamiliar name, the surname is Ye….. full name Ye Shijie!”

The stone in Jiang Li’s heart fell.

Jiang Jing Rui finally reacted and shouted at the top of his voice: “What’s going on? You got the first position in Ming Yi Hall’s examination, your cousin got first position in the Imperial College’s examination.” He leaned close to Jiang Li, and in a low voice he spoke mysteriously: “Be honest, did you two perhaps bribe the examiner? It’s known that your elder cousin’s house doesn’t lack silver, but is the top Imperial College nowadays easy to bribe…….”

He muttered to himself. 

Qing Feng said: “The old madam asked second miss to go to Wan Feng Hall without delay.”

“Okay.” Jiang Li stood up: “I’ll go at once.”

“I’m going too!” Jiang Jing Rui stood up following her and said: “This time you’ve acquired face for the Jiang family. Grandmother will definitely reward you handsomely.”

Jiang Li saw his excitement, perhaps those who didn’t know would think that Jiang Jing Rui was that person who won the top spot. She paused and said: “Are you certain you want to go now?” 

“Why shouldn’t I go?” Jiang Jing Rui was baffled.

Jiang Li sighed: “You are not afraid your grades would be mentioned?”

“I’m not afraid.” Jiang Jing Rui didn’t feel shame, on the contrary he seemed to be honored and said without any concern: “everyone is used to it already.”

Jiang Li was also too lazy to speak anymore. Jiang Jing Rui didn’t care, there’s no need for her to be the bad person who speaks too much. Soon, she brought Tong’er and Baixue over to Wan Feng Hall. 

When they arrived at Wan Feng Hall, without exception, the little servant girls standing outside showed polite smiles to her while seizing her up. Perhaps surprised with the matter of her getting the top position. 

Jiang Li pretended not to see all these and minding her own business, she raised her foot to walk inside. After she walked in, she discovered that Jiang Yuan Bai was unexpectedly also inside.

It wasn’t just Jiang Yuan Bai, Jiang Yuan Xing and Jiang Yuan Ping, these two brothers, were also present. Yang-shi was in the middle of talking with Lu-shi. All the people from all three branches were congregated together in the main hall.

This was rarely seen.