Chapter 234: Qionglin Banquet

The spring sun is warm, the imperial garden is full of flowers and lanterns are hung high.

The Qionglin Banquet, as a grand banquet bestowed by the royal family, has been the dream honor for talented men and beautiful women since ancient times.

The banquet was held in the Yuqiong Pavilion in the Imperial Garden, surrounded by blooming peonies and herbaceous peonies, and the fragrance of flowers was overwhelming. The tribute students who attended the banquet were dressed in brocade robes and jade belts, and they were in high spirits.

The Qionglin Banquet was prepared by officials from the Guanglu Temple and hosted by the Minister of Rites Zhou Xianqing.

Two hundred and eighty qualified tribute students lined up in a queue. Zhu Lan, dressed in scholar's uniform, stood at the head of the queue. He came to the incense table, washed his hands and burned incense.

Zhou Xianqing, who was dressed in red official uniform, said in a clear voice:

"bye--"

Zhu Lan inserted the incense into the censer and led more than 200 tribute students behind him to kneel three times and kowtow nine times, wishing the emperor good health and a long life.

The emperor will not attend the Qionglin Banquet, but for these tribute students, it is a good opportunity to get to know each other.

After Zhou Xianqing gave some encouraging words to the students, he ordered people to play classical music and found an excuse to leave. The atmosphere at the banquet suddenly became much more relaxed.

After the Minister of Rites left, the students became less reserved. Zhu Lan became the focus of the crowd. Everyone knew that this woman was seventeen years old and was the winner of this spring's imperial examination.

"I wish Huiyuan a promising future. I offer you a toast."

Zhu Lan turned around and saw an octogenarian coming to toast him. He quickly bowed and deliberately lowered his wine bottle.

When the people around saw this, they all showed approval in their eyes.

The young man was successful but not arrogant. He was indeed calm and composed, which was admirable.

Although Daliang allowed girls to attend school, up to now, most girls still went to school to raise their own status so as to find a better husband.

Therefore, many women, after passing the examinations to become a tongsheng or xiucai, would choose the one with the best family background from those who came to propose marriage, and from then on they would take care of their husbands and children and no longer continue their studies.

It was for this reason that very few women could appear at the Qionglin Banquet. Among the 280 tribute students, there were no more than thirty or forty women.

The women who could stand here were naturally the best of the best. Some of the young and unmarried male tribute students would inevitably have some thoughts in their minds.

Even Zhu Qingyan was surrounded by many people.

Of course, Chen Ziming, who did not even make it to the imperial examination, is not included in this list.

"May I ask how old Miss Zhu is this year? Are you married?" someone beside Zhu Qingyan asked.

As soon as the man finished speaking, he was glared at by another young tribute scholar next to him, with a look that seemed to say, "How presumptuous!"

Then, he lifted the non-existent hair on his forehead and bowed politely to Zhu Qingyan.

"Miss Zhu, I am Zhou Jun, from Qingzhou, just over thirty years old. I have a sixty-year-old mother at home, and I am still unmarried. I have thirty acres of land, a cloth shop, three cows, fifteen geese, and chickens at home..."

Zhu Qingyan looked at them awkwardly, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

As the crowd gathered, Zhu Qingyan glanced towards Zhu Lan, but saw that among the female students on the field, there were only a few young men around her.

Zhu Qingyan's eyes rolled slightly, and he had a joke in mind. He pointed at Zhu Lan, the male tribute student who was chattering about his family property, and said, "Zhu Huiyuan is the same age as me and is also unmarried. Why don't you go ask her?"

"This..." The people in front looked at each other and saw a bit of shame in each other's eyes.

Someone said timidly: "Zhu Huiyuan was able to win the title of Huiyuan by defeating all the other heroes as a woman. We cannot do that. If we go... I'm afraid people will look down on us. Wouldn't it be a disgrace to us?"

The other person licked his lips and continued to ask Zhu Qingyan tentatively: "Miss Zhu..."

Zhu Qingyan smiled politely: "I already have someone I like, please don't bother me."

After saying that, his smile disappeared in a second and he sat back in his seat sullenly.

…

There were also several male tribute students gathered around Qiao Youyou, but the atmosphere here was different from that of Zhu Qingyan.

"Miss Qiao is not only extremely talented, but I didn't expect that she can drink so much. I toast to you with this glass of wine!"

"I'll drink first as a sign of respect!"

Qiao Youyou tilted her head back and drank a glass of sake, showing the empty bottom to everyone, winning cheers.

"I heard that the Mathematics Society of Longchang Academy was founded by Miss Qiao. If you have time, could you teach us some?"

"Okay, okay! After the palace examination is over, I'll ask someone to go to Jiangzhou to get my copy of Advanced Mathematics Annotations and print a few more copies to leave as a souvenir for everyone!"

Amid the bustle, Qiao Youyou suddenly noticed out of the corner of her eye that behind a rockery in the Imperial Garden, there was a figure in a wheelchair drinking by himself.

His position was so hidden that almost no one noticed him.

"Hey, why is that person sitting so far away?" Qiao Youyou thought, and then realized that the position was the last, and the seating arrangement at the Qionglin Banquet was determined according to the ranking of the imperial examination.

Doesn't that mean...

Qiao Youyou's mind moved, and she withdrew from the lively atmosphere and walked straight towards Wenren Yuebai.

"Wenren Yuebai?" Qiao Youyou called from several steps away.

Wenren Yuebai did not drink any wine, but read a book in his hand with his eyes lowered in the light, as if he was not involved.

Hearing someone calling his name, Wenren Yuebai raised his eyes, and there seemed to be a hint of surprise in his cold eyes.

Qiao Youyou raised her eyebrows. Oh, it’s true.

She took a few steps forward, walked around Wenren Yuebai in a circle, and looked him over carefully, with a look of scrutiny and a hint of provocation in her eyes.

"So you are the famous young man whose talent is 'unparalleled in the capital.'" Qiao Youyou touched her chin with one hand and decided not to beat around the bush to see the other party's reaction.

"It is said that Master Wenren has been studying hard at home for many years. Although you are in the capital, few people know your true face. You are really thoughtful and cunning."

Qiao Youyou suddenly leaned over, got closer to Wenren Yuebai, stared into his eyes and asked, "So, Master Wenren only got a place on the Palace Ranking this time. Was it intentional?"

Wenren Yuebai did not avoid her gaze. Instead, he looked at her frankly with clarity in his eyes.

After a long time, a smile suddenly broke out on Wenren Yue's pale face, and two shallow dimples appeared on his cheeks.

He seemed to have heard something interesting and asked back:

"If the girl is like me, would she go out to have fun all day and show off in the streets?"

As he spoke, he glanced down at his legs covered with a thick blanket.

Qiao Youyou blinked, speechless for a moment, but felt unable to refute.

Is it really... such a simple reason?

"But." Qiao Youyou thought for a moment, "My legs are not convenient, and you must have servants at home. Why can't they take you out for a walk?"

There was an imperceptible tremor in Wenren Yuebai's eyes for a moment, but he quickly looked away, pretending to look into the distance.

"Why should I let others laugh at me as a disabled person?"