I relied on a system to prolong my life in ancient times.

Chapter 58 Reporting the News

That day, Xiao Siyue was awakened by the sound of a gong being struck outside.

"What's going on? It's not even dawn yet, can't a person get any sleep?" Xiao Siyue frowned and got out of bed.

Once outside, the rest of the family had already come out.

"Grandpa, what happened?" Xiao Siyue asked, puzzled.

"I don't know, I'll go out and take a look." Old Master Xiao said, and started to walk out the door.

Suddenly, a loud knocking sounded at the door. The Xiao family members exchanged glances, and Old Master Xiao quickly went to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, a smiling official stood at the entrance, holding a gong in his hand.

"May I ask what business it is, sir?" Old Master Xiao asked.

"Are you Lord Xiao Qinian's father?" the person outside the door asked, looking at Old Master Xiao.

"Yes, yes." Old Master Xiao hadn't come to his senses yet.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Siyue quickly ran to the door. She roughly knew what was going on; her father must have passed the high school entrance exam, and this person was probably there to deliver the news.

"Did my dad get into high school?" Xiao Siyue raised her head and looked at the person.

"Yes, congratulations! Lord Xiao has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination and is on his way home. He specially ordered me to come and deliver the news first," the man said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Everyone was so stunned by the good news that they stood frozen in place. It took them a while to recover.

"Please come in quickly," Master Xiao said, stepping aside to invite the person inside.

As the messenger was ushered into the house, everyone stared at him with bright eyes.

"Ahem, I still don't know your name, sir," Old Master Xiao coughed, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Greetings, Master Xiao. You may call me Shi Lei. I am your subordinate," Shi Lei said politely.

"Very well, Shi Lei, I wonder where my son is now?" Master Xiao wanted to know where Xiao Qinian was; he couldn't wait to see his son. He wanted to hear it from him in person.

“Lord Xiao should arrive in about a day,” Shi Lei estimated the time.

"That's good," the others were overjoyed to hear, as they would be able to see Xiao Qinian in a day.

"Could you tell us about my son?" Old Master Xiao asked expectantly. He was eager to know about his son's great achievements. He was the top scholar in the imperial examination! Who would have thought that the Xiao family would produce a top scholar? This only happens once every three years.

“Of course,” Shi Lei replied.

Over the next few days, the Xiao family learned about the events that had happened to Xiao Qinian during this period through Shi Lei's account.

However, Shi Lei only learned about Xiao Qinian after the results of the imperial examination were released.

The capital was in an uproar, as no one expected that the top spot in the imperial examination would be taken by an unknown student.

Almost all the powerful families, officials, and even ordinary people were inquiring about who Xiao Qinian was, making the capital extremely lively.

Until finally someone discovered that Xiao Qinian was entering and leaving Grand Tutor Shen's residence, everyone assumed he was a distant relative of Grand Tutor Shen, and there was much gossip.

However, in the end, Grand Tutor Shen specially introduced Xiao Qinian's identity to everyone, which made some students even more envious and regretful.

Grand Tutor Shen had not accepted any disciples for many years. Who would have thought that someone from a remote area, someone who was unknown, would get there first?

Some students were eager to try, thinking that since Grand Tutor Shen had started accepting disciples again, they might be able to do it too. However, they were ultimately discouraged by Grand Tutor Shen's statement that Xiao Qinian was his last disciple.

Grand Tutor Shen's testimony not only made some people envious, but also extinguished the arrogance of some with ill intentions. However, it solved a great deal of trouble for Xiao Qinian.

In the subsequent imperial examination, Xiao Qinian once again stood out from the crowd and won the title of top scholar.

Shi Lei also mentioned that when Xiao Qinian was parading through the streets, he was hit by many young ladies' purses.

Xiao Siyue found this amusing; her father had suddenly become a hot commodity, attracting many suitors.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Although Xiao Qinian is already in his early thirties, he inherited the good looks of the Xiao family. In addition, he has been studying for many years and has hardly worked in the fields. He actually looks like he is only in his twenties, so it is normal for him to be mistaken for being unmarried.

With such talent and good looks, and with a tutor like Grand Tutor Shen behind him, he was naturally a popular choice for husbands among young ladies.

Thinking of this, Xiao Siyue secretly glanced at her mother and saw that Lin Qin's face suddenly darkened, but returned to normal in the blink of an eye.

However, Xiao Siyue believed in her father's character and knew he wouldn't be the kind of person who would start a relationship and then abandon the person.

After Shi Lei finished speaking, Old Master Xiao gave him a bag of silver coins and told him to rest. This was an unwritten rule.

After Shi Lei left, the Xiao family did not get up, and there was a moment of silence in the room.

Then came heartfelt joy, and Old Lady Xiao even wept with joy.

"Alright, old woman, look at your pathetic self." Old Master Xiao scolded in a low voice, but if you ignored his slightly moist eyes and somewhat excited tone, his scolding voice might have been more authoritative.

"Hmph, I'm just happy. My son became the top scholar in the imperial examination, am I not allowed to cry even once?" Old Mrs. Xiao ignored Old Mr. Xiao's words and glared at him as she spoke.

"Fine, fine, keep crying. Cry however you want." Old Master Xiao surrendered.

Old Mrs. Xiao snorted, wanting to continue crying. She opened her mouth, but couldn't cry out, and glared angrily at Old Master Xiao again.

Grandpa Xiao was somewhat helpless after being glared at. This old woman was really... He hadn't made her cry, so why was she still glaring at him? He was really having a hard time.

The others looked at the elderly couple and wanted to laugh, but dared not, their faces turning red from holding it in.

However, Xiao Siyue couldn't hold it in and started sobbing with her head down.

"The third brother will be back tomorrow. Second brother, you should go to town and tell your older brother, older sister, and younger sister that they should all come home tomorrow," Grandpa Xiao instructed.

“Father, I understand,” Xiao Qili replied.

"Then when you come back, buy more good meat and vegetables," Grandpa Xiao added.

"Old woman, you and your daughters-in-law should prepare more food. If you need anything, just tell them to buy it." Old Master Xiao thought to himself, there's still wine, but we have Xiao Siyue's homemade wine, which is much better than what you can buy in town, so we won't buy any more.

"Grandpa, we need to buy some firecrackers to celebrate," Xiao Siyue reminded him.

“Yes, yes, second son, buy some more firecrackers,” Old Master Xiao quickly instructed Xiao Qili.

"Yue'er is so thoughtful." Old Master Xiao patted Xiao Siyue's head and praised her.

Xiao Siyue smiled shyly. Her grandfather was so happy that he forgot, and she was just reminding him.

The Xiao family was busy running around under the direction of Old Master Xiao. By evening, everyone in the Xiao family except for Xiao Qinian had returned.

We're all looking forward to welcoming Xiao Qinian together tomorrow.