The Xu Family is a prominent household in Tianfu County, naturally attracting many flatterers. Liu Sheng from the Liu Family Cloth Store in the county is the most adept at flattering Xu Zhao Ming. Upon hearing Xu Zhao Ming's words, he immediately said, "There's no need to guess, the one who can top the county exam is naturally Brother Xu. Who in Tianfu County doesn't know that Brother Xu could recite the Thousand Character Classic at five, went to Jinling for schooling at ten, entered Jinling Honghu Academy at thirteen, and became the most promising young man of our Tianfu County."
After flattering Xu Zhao Ming, he looked at Gu Jin'an and sneered, "Only those beggars from out of town wouldn't know of Brother Xu's reputation."
This remark was meant to insinuate that Gu Jin'an and the others were beggars fleeing famine.
