Chapter 426 Shou Ye Takes the Imperial Exams

Chapter 426 Shou Ye Takes the Imperial Exams

The next day, Lu Hanyi invited her mother, Madam Liu, to go to the temple to pray and seek blessings.

Upon their return, Madam Liu reminded her.

"Shou Ye’s Imperial Exams are in three days. Lay off him for now!"

"How am I bothering him?" Lu Hanyi immediately became unhappy. "I’m his mother. How could I possibly bother him? Everything I do is for his own good. What do you all know? You keep harping on about me bothering him, but where were you when I needed help before? Now you’re here criticizing my parenting. Who do you think you are..."

Madam Liu shot her daughter a resentful look and stayed quiet.

Her daughter had grown harder to deal with over the years.

If she weren’t her own daughter, others wouldn’t want to associate with her.

Sometimes, when you strip away the parent-child relationship, dealing with her feels worse than dealing with strangers!

In the end, how people get along comes down to their character and temperament. Lu Hanyi had grown more eccentric, stubborn, and overbearing. Even her own mother avoided talking to her.

Sometimes, when Madam Liu was alone, she couldn’t help but compare. Lu Lingyun was sharp and tough to handle, but if such an outstanding child were her own daughter, how wonderful that would be.

She’d be a far cry from her own foolish, stubborn daughter!

Madam Liu went pale and stayed quiet, not daring to confront her daughter. After Lu Hanyi ranted and raved, she felt much better. She turned to her mother, eyes gleaming, "Shou Ye better make me proud. When he earns me a noble title, I’ll show Lu Lingyun up!"

Madam Liu let out a deep sigh, "You’re always comparing yourself to Lu Lingyun, hoping someone will earn you a noble title. If only you’d married into the Marquis’s Mansion instead of foolishly stealing her failed engagement!"

"What do you know!" Lu Hanyi glared at her. "Her life isn’t better than mine!"

Madam Liu: "..."

If her life isn’t better than yours, why do you keep thinking about her?

Madam Liu kept this thought to herself but gave her delusional daughter a complicated look.

Lu Lingyun, as the lady of the house in the Marquis’s Mansion, is surrounded by attendants wherever she goes, eats delicacies, wears fine silk, and has filial children. In what way is her life not better than yours?

Is it that she doesn’t eat or dress as well as you, or that she isn’t served as well?

"Her good life is just like that," Lu Hanyi said, her eyes shining brighter. "As long as my Shou Ye passes the examination and becomes a high-ranking official, she will definitely not be able to compare to me! I have my own son, what does she have! She will envy me for the rest of her life!"

Madam Liu: "..."

Forget it, she’ll just stay quiet.

After returning from the temple, Lu Hanyi went to see her son first. Her son still kept his door tightly shut and ignored her. Only at the appointed time did he go to Lu Kuan's house.

Lu Hanyi knew he had eaten at Lu Kuan's place, so she wasn’t as anxious.

She sent someone to tell Tong Nanyuan to prepare good meals for her son and not to serve him rotten vegetables.

When Tong Nanyuan heard the message, she was so angry that she pulled Lu Kuan into the house and cursed Lu Hanyi for being such a freak.

However, no matter how annoying Lu Hanyi was, they were still kind to Li Shouye and didn’t let their feelings about his mother affect him.

Two days flew by.

Li Shouye was heading to the Examination Hall for the Imperial Exam the next day.

When Li Shouye returned this evening, Lu Hanyi stopped him, "Shouye, Shouye!"

Li Shouye kept a stern face, not wanting to engage with her.

At this moment, a pair of knee pads, clumsily stitched with patches of fabric, was handed to him.

"Your mom’s been staying up late these past few days to make you knee pads. The Examination Hall’s cold, so protect your knees and don’t catch a chill," Lu Hanyi said.

For some reason, Li Shouye’s eyes welled up.

"You have a mom, so of course, she’s the one who should make these for you. No reason to wear something made by someone else."

Lu Hanyi shoved the knee pads she’d been sewing since tossing Tong Nanyuan’s into Li Shouye’s hand.

"Mom," Li Shouye looked down into his mother's eyes.

His mom was a bit odd, but she truly gave him her best.

Guilt welled up inside him.

"I messed up before."

Upon hearing this, Lu Hanyi reached out and touched his head, "Mom knows, you were just led astray by bad influences. You’re still my boy."

Li Shouye: "......"

"Mom doesn’t blame you. After all, you're the only one in this world who shares my heart and blood. You’re my only hope in this world."

Li Shouye nodded heavily, "I’ll ace the exam tomorrow and won’t let you down."

Lu Hanyi gave a warm, satisfied smile.

The next day.

The big day of the Spring Exam.

The area outside the Examination Hall was packed with people again.

Li Shouye was seen off by a crowd.

Except for Lu Kuan, who was attending court, Tong Nanyuan, Lu Lingyun, Madam Liu, and others all came. Even Cheng Suying and Cheng Bingan came together. When Lu Hanyi saw Lu Lingyun with her children, her chin practically hit the ceiling.

Tong Nanyuan rallied the group to cheer Li Shouye on, while Lu Hanyi looked at Cheng Binghao and said, "Oh, hasn’t Young Master Cheng even passed the provincial exam yet?"

Cheng Bingan, hearing her question directed at him, looked at her modestly and politely, "Yes, Aunt, I’ll have to retake it this year."

"You’d better step it up then. Our Shouye is going to take the top scholar this year, and you haven’t even passed the provincial exam yet. The gap’s way too big."

Everyone: "......"

The whole group cringed, with Li Shouye the most embarrassed.

What was there to compare between him and Cheng Bingan?

He was taking the Imperial Exam because it was the only path he had in life, while Cheng Bingan was already the heir of the Ningyang Marquis and would inherit the title upon adulthood. His taking the Imperial Exam was just for fun.

He didn’t even need a career in the bureaucracy!

Seeing the awkward expression on Li Shouye's face, Lu Lingyun spoke up, "Shouye is indeed intelligent, a rare prodigy."

Cheng Bingan then followed Lu Lingyun's words, "I’m not as naturally gifted as my cousin. Cousin, you must do well in the exam so we can all bask in your success!"

Upon hearing their words, Li Shouye glanced gratefully at Lu Lingyun and Cheng Bingan, "I will do my best."

Beside them, Lu Hanyi, upon hearing this, was bursting with pride. She straightened her back, ready to mock a few more words, but was pulled by the arm by Mrs. Liu.

"Enough, Shouye still has to take the exam! You should say less!"

Interrupted, Lu Hanyi reluctantly snorted, but her attention was now also on her proud son, turning to him to instruct, "Shouye, you must do well in the exam, to make your mother proud..."