Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
It was only when she went to the exam venue that Hua Rou suddenly felt that the world was really small.
As it was only the first day of the imperial civil service examination, the others could not enter the examination hall. Only the candidates who were dismissed from the examination hall were allowed to be present at the entrance of the examination venue as a public display.
After the public display, the dismissed candidates were placed under custody and would be dealt with after all the examinations were completed.
This was to prevent any possible test questions from being leaked and prevent anyone from sending information into the examination hall in this way.
Hua Rou had just rushed to the entrance of the exam venue when she saw Ah Yu.
She immediately felt awkward.
However, Ah Yu greeted her first. âSister-in-law Hua Rou, are there candidates taking the exam in your family too?â
Hua Rou was about to vaguely deal with it when she saw her cousin, who was sitting aggrievedly in public, call out to her loudly, âSister Rou, look here! Iâm here! Iâm innocent! Hurry up and call Uncle to help me!â
Ah Yu looked at that person and then at Hua Rou. âSister-in-law Hua Rou, is that person calling you?â
âHurhur, no.â Hua Rou made a prompt decision and cut ties with her cousin on the spot. She even pretended to be watching a show. âI donât even know who he is. Heâs probably calling someone else. Iâm just passing by. What happened here?â
Hua Routâs maidservant:ââ¦â Miss, when you lie, donât blink your eyes desperately. It might be more credible.
Ah Yu was not the kind of person who liked to expose peopleâs shortcomings. She roughly knew that the person was likely calling out to Hua Rou, so she said, âIâm actually not too sure either. I just heard that someone cheated in the exam and was dragged out to be displayed to the public, so 1 wanted to come and watch the show.â
She couldnât possibly say that the elf had reminded her that someone tried to harm her Big Brother Ah You, right?
That would be the real trouble.
âThen weâre thinking the same thing. I heard that those who cheat have to be dismembered. The corpses will be torn and sent to five different places for the vicious dogs and wolves to eat. Not only that, their wives have to be sent to others, and the children have to be sent to bitter cold placesââ
Hua Rou said seriously and did not deliberately lower her voice. Everyone present heard her, including her cousin, who was still shouting previously.
Ah Yu was stunned. Why had she never heard of such a cruel rule?
Hua Rou continued, âBy the way, I heard that if they tell the truth, the court might be able to show leniency.â
The cousin heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Hua Rou change the topic.
âItâs only a sentence of dismemberment. The corpse can still be picked up and buried.â
The cousin:â!!â
To him, what was the difference?!
âAhem, who is spouting nonsense here?â The inspector in charge of conducting the public display couldnât bear to hear any more and quickly interrupted Hua Ruoâs words. âOur Great Chang upholds benevolence and filial piety in governance. How could we have such extreme punishments? Moreover, this matter has not yet been officially judged, so please refrain from spreading rumors here!â
Hua Rou agreed readily. âSir, youâre right. 1 only heard about it from rumors. If thereâs nothing else, Iâll leave first. I wonât disturb you anymore.â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As she spoke, Hua Rou pulled Ah Yu again. âAh Yu, why donât you come with me? The main gate of the imperial examination venue is only open for about two hours during the public display. It will be closed again until the exams are finished. Instead of waiting here, letâs go to some interesting places.â
Ah Yu was not in the mood to play now. However, because of Hua Ronâs enthusiasm, she could only follow her.
After the two of them passed through the exam venue, they arrived at a small courtyard not long after. The courtyard was quite empty, with some wooden horses and similar objects placed inside. However, they didnât look like toys but more like torture devices.
This was because there was still a lot of dried blood on them.
âOh, this is pig blood. This is a place for the nobles in the palace to slaughter pigs. Itâs used every day and can be considered my familyâs livelihood. In the past, there were a few old subordinates who followed Father and were used to killing people on the battlefield. When they came back, they always felt their hands itch. My father took on such a livelihood and let those uncles work here. Their butchering techniques were very agile. With a slash, the blood would shoot wherever they wantedââ
âUrgh!â
When Hua Rou heard the sound of vomiting, she thought that it was because she had frightened Ah Yu. She hurriedly apologized, âIâm really sorry. Iâm used to telling others and forgot that youâre still a littleââ
When she turned around, she saw that the person vomiting was not All Yu, but her personal maidservant.
On the other hand, Ah Yuâs expression did not change. She was handing a handkerchief to the servant girl.
âBig Sister Hua Rou, I think itâs quite interesting too, but Big Sister Tang Yuan usually doesnât come into contact with these things and is a little afraid. Next time, when thereâs only the two of us, tell me in detail!â All Yuâs eyes widened, clearly very interested.
Hua Rou was delighted. This girl⦠she really liked her!
In that case, there was no need to save her cousin. She was on Ah Yuâs side now, so she naturally had to side with the other partyâs fiance.
âActually, that person just now is my cousin. He shouldnât be someone who would cheat. He even implicated your fiance. I really feel bad. But donât worry, our Hua Family is very strict. In the past few years, my cousin has been living with us. This time, he did something wrong, so we definitely have to give you an explanation. Look, why donât 1 make the decision first and compensate you with this business first?â
Ah Yu was dumbfounded.. âHuh?â