Chapter 761 - 762: Failing the Exam
"I’ll ask you again, did you write this?" Mr. Luo’s voice was loud and very stern, startling Yang Chuxia downstairs.
"Madam, why is Mr. Luo so angry with the young master?" The little maid Xiu’er also felt surprised and asked softly.
Yang Chuxia didn’t respond, and there was no longer any loud talking coming from upstairs.
She thought about it and said to Xiu’er beside her, "Take everyone out of the house. Without my permission, no one is allowed near the small building."
"Yes."
The people in the house were puzzled by Xiu’er’s words but dared not to object. After everyone had left the courtyard, Yang Chuxia quietly went upstairs. She heard Ye Zi’an’s slightly depressed voice coming from the study.
"Mr. Luo, of course, I wrote it, and my examination papers contained these answers."
Mr. Luo paced back and forth irritably, "If that’s the case, how could they not have your name?"
Mr. Luo was very unhappy. Seeing Ye Zi’an’s bewildered expression, he felt even more annoyed.
"Look at you! I told you to read properly, but you spent all day following your wife around. Right after the exam, you ran home. I told you to travel with me, but you couldn’t keep your wife off your lips. I told you to study at the academy, but all you did was think of your wife. You really are..."
Pointing angrily at Ye Zi’an, Mr. Luo continued, "I’ve never seen anyone as attached to their wife as you are. A real man should be devoted to making a name for himself, but not you. All I ask is for you to put in a little effort, so we don’t end up like this. You’ve utterly disgraced me!"
After being scolded by Mr. Luo, Ye Zi’an lowered his head, lost in thought.
Seeing him like this made Mr. Luo even angrier. He sat down in a chair, looking sullen and drained.
Meanwhile, Yang Chuxia outside the room had figured out what had happened, but her thoughts were on other matters.
She decided to knock on the door.
When Mr. Luo saw that it was her, he glared at her.
"Mr. Luo!"
As soon as Yang Chuxia called out, Mr. Luo snapped, "What do you want? Huh? If he didn’t mention you all the time, would he have failed to become a Recommended Man? The old saying, ’a virtuous wife brings honor to her husband,’ is true. If you just advised him properly to study harder, would he be like this? Huh? Now, I understand why Baili’s son didn’t like the two of you being together."
As Mr. Luo ranted, he seemed to gain more strength, dismissing his past reputation as a great scholar as if it were all nonsense.
Yang Chuxia knew that Mr. Luo’s disappointment in Ye Zi’an was due to his high expectations, and that was why he was acting like this. So she didn’t argue with him.
After he had finished, she poured a cup of tea for Mr. Luo and approached him with an ingratiating smile, "Mr. Luo, please calm down. I heard everything you said to my husband just now. It’s true that he wasn’t diligent enough. It’s our fault that we didn’t take your advice seriously enough, and we’ve let you down due to your hard work."
Seeing that Mr. Luo seemed to relax a little, she continued, "Mr. Luo, my husband must have recited his examination papers to you on the day of the exam. In your opinion, did he have a chance to pass?"
Mr. Luo gave her a glance and said in a low voice, "Of course, he can! I was worried that my judgment might be biased, so when he returned, I specifically asked some well-known scholars in the prefecture to go through his papers. Also, after receiving the news, I went to them again and even found one of the examination officers for another review."