Chapter 50 World Three (I)

There was a bustling scene on the official road in Lin'an City.

A young servant, leading the way, wielding a gong and drum hammer, strode proudly at the head of the procession. Behind him, three sturdy blue horses, each brimming with beauty and grace, sat atop each other. The eaves of the pavilions thronged with people, while the young ladies, lurking behind window lattices, watched the handsome young men who had won the imperial examinations, their cheeks flushed with shame.

This dynasty has a tradition of selecting a son-in-law from the list, and the top three candidates in this year's imperial examination are all young and handsome, which has made many elders with unmarried female relatives at home tempted.

A brave young woman quietly tugged at the elder's sleeve, pointed at the person in the front, and asked shyly, "Who is that?"

Xiao Yujing sat atop a turquoise horse, wearing a black gauze hat with wings and a crimson flower in his hair. Like the other two behind him, he wore a faint smile, but his amber eyes showed no sign of joy or excitement, appearing remarkably calm. Xiao Yujing wore a crimson official uniform, a red sash adorned with silk flowers that passed through his slim waist and broad shoulders, tying into a knot at his back.

Riding on a golden saddle and jade stirrups, Xiao Yujing, as the top scorer in the imperial examination who had won three first prizes in a row, was the focus of many people's attention. He was not overly happy, nor was he worried about being chosen as the son-in-law of an official family. His calm appearance did not make him look like a unicorn who grew up in a humble family. Instead, his demeanor made people think that he was a talented young man born in a powerful family.

In the imperial examination, the most handsome person is the third place winner, which seems to have become an established rule.

But the emperor wrote with a single stroke of his pen, and named Xiao Yujing the number one scholar based on his outstanding literary talent.

The three of them rode their horses in a parade, and countless handkerchiefs and sachets soaked in fragrance were thrown at Xiao and Jing's horses, causing the joy on the faces of the other two to fade a little.

Xiao Yujing's skin was extremely white, like the finest white jade ice, and when illuminated by the sunlight, it emitted a faint golden glow.

The eyebrows, eyes, lips, and teeth were all exquisitely crafted, like a flawless pearl. Therefore, after the comment "brilliant literary talent", the official did not forget to add a sentence.

"Mr. Xiao's looks are comparable to Pan An and Wei Jie."

Although people admire talented people, they can't help but pay more attention to those with good looks. Xiao and Jing have both of these qualities, which makes people want to snatch them away as good sons-in-law.

Therefore, it was not only the brave young lady who valued Xiao Yujing, but also others.

After their elders inquired a little, they sighed and told their female relatives to give up the idea and look for someone else.

"Mr. Xiao is already married, so this is not possible."

The young lady's eyes flushed red as she clutched her handkerchief tightly: "How could it be, Mr. Xiao is so young..."

To dissuade her from thinking about it, the elders threw out another sentence: "You have a wife at home, and yet... you have a mistress."

The heartbroken young lady refused to believe it and took the trouble to clarify for Xiao Yujing: "Could it be that someone was jealous and deliberately fabricated these romantic stories to slander Mr. Xiao?"

She turned around and looked into the distance, and saw Xiao Yujing looking up at her. The curve of his mouth widened a little and he nodded slightly.

The young lady was confused, but when she saw the elder beside her returning the greeting, she realized that the smile was not directed at her.

"This matter was not fabricated by others, but was said by Mr. Xiao himself."

The young lady finally stopped thinking and looked at Xiao Yujing riding away on his horse. She felt extremely lonely: How could such a gentleman like the clear wind and bright moon be married...

Xiao Yujing was completely unaware of the conversation on the pavilion.

But I'm afraid that even if he heard it with his own ears, he would remain calm and admit it indifferently.

Everything is true, he is married and has a mistress.

The river water is clear, the willow branches are swaying, and not far away, there is a high wall.

Across the courtyards, there was a woman sitting upright. She had a dignified face and calm eyes, but her palms were red and swollen from being pinched by her nails.

She is the wife of the newly crowned number one scholar, Wang. Today is the day when the top three candidates in the imperial examination are parading on horseback, and it is also a glorious day for her.

There were no telling how many people outside the courtyard envied her for being Xiao Yujing's wife.

Wang asked the servants to prepare a meal, all of which were Xiao Yujing's favorites. She thought -

Getting one's name on the imperial examination is a day that many scholars have longed for. Even if Xiao Yujing is not satisfied with her as a wife, he has to come back to the mansion for dinner.

But the servant that Wang had sent out to inquire had just said, "The young master... went to Madam Luo's place."

Wang's forced dignity could no longer be maintained.

On such a formal day, Xiao Yujing went to Madam Luo's place. He actually disliked her so much.

The servant saw the hint of anger in Wang's eyes and said carefully, "My husband is keeping Madam Luo away because he remembers her kindness in the past.

I heard that the young master has not touched Madam Luo yet, and I think he is worried about her dignity."

When Wang heard this, she did not feel happy at all. She knew in her heart that the servant was saying this to please her.

As for Xiao Yujing's decision not to touch Madam Luo, it was naturally because he didn't want to let her down. He wanted to welcome Madam Luo into his house with proper reason and then perform the ceremony of husband and wife.

Wang smiled bitterly. If it weren't for Xiao Yujing's mother, who secretly arranged the marriage while he was busy with the imperial examination, by the time Xiao Yujing found out, the six rituals had already been completed and Wang had entered the Xiao family. Xiao Yujing had no choice but to divorce her and there was no possibility of giving up this marriage. How could she have safely occupied the position of the legal wife?

Thinking of Madam Luo who was kept outside the mansion, Wang felt nervous: If she was left alone like this, she would probably have to give up her status as the legal wife early.

Thinking of Madam Luo's arrogance and her wanton behavior in front of her, Wang secretly hated her: she would never let Madam Luo get what she wanted!

Wang pinched the soft flesh in her palm until she was no longer immersed in anger and regained her composure.

Her heart became more determined, and she asked, "Liu Fang has been in Yangzhou for so long, has there been any news?"

"The news just arrived today. They said that after careful selection, they finally chose someone who is obedient and suits my wife's taste."

Wang naturally didn't believe it. Without someone coming to take a closer look, no matter how much Liu Fang said, it would be useless.

Yangzhou City.

Everyone says Yangzhou is beautiful, and the girls in the boudoirs spend the whole night in a trance.

The water is gurgling and the waves are sparkling. In Yangzhou City, there is a light boat every three steps and a small bridge every five steps.

Liu Fang opened the curtain and looked around. There were green tiles and white walls, with a few clusters of wild flowers growing lushly in the corners.

The boatman stretched out his long pole and stopped at an elegant house.

"arrive!"

Liu Fang got off the boat and saw that the wooden door of the house was very dark in color and seemed to be quite old.

He looked up and around, and saw that there were flowers planted all around the courtyard. A branch of apricot blossom stretched out from the courtyard and spread beyond the white wall. Liu Fang could touch the delicate apricot blossom with just a slight stretch of his hand.

He wondered in his heart: In such an elegant and rustic house, could there really be the Yangzhou skinny horse he was looking for?

There was a gentle knock on the door, and a little maid opened it. She tilted her head and asked him, "Are you Mr. Liu?"

It was the first time Liu Fang heard someone call him that, and he nodded uncertainly.

Seeing this, the little maid opened the wooden door and welcomed him in.

Liu Fang walked into the room. Behind the large ivory screen with a landscape pattern, a slender figure was hidden, and a soft voice was heard.

Liu Fang usually heard that the soft Wu dialect was the most bewitching, but now he realized that this was true.

Her voice was like that of a yellow oriole, sweet and delicate. It wasn't a deliberate attempt at fragility; it was a natural sound, like the trembling snow on a tree branch, the clear water of a mountain stream, light and soft, making one's heart tremble. It blended seamlessly with her delicate figure, without a trace of affectation.

She seemed to be talking to someone close to her at this moment, and her soft voice was mixed with a hint of coquettishness.

Perhaps because she heard Liu Fang's footsteps, the sweet voice stopped instantly. Seeing this, Liu Fang felt inexplicably regretful.

A woman came out from behind the screen. She was about thirty or forty years old, with a delicately groomed face. When she saw Liu Fang coming in, the woman reached out and pulled out the graceful figure behind the screen.

Just now, Liu Fang was still wondering what kind of face could match such a voice. Now that he saw the true appearance, he felt that it should be so.

Her eyebrows are indigo-colored, her eyes are as bright and charming as autumn water, she has a beautiful nose and white teeth, and her figure is delicate and pitiful.

The beauty and the wonderful voice complement each other.

The woman lifted her snow-white hand and said to Liu Fang, "Master Liu, this is the precious fan. Are you satisfied?"

Liu Fang's eyes were stunned until the little maid's chuckle brought him back to his senses.

Before coming here, Liu Fang was planning to pick a few more to save the cold woman's face.

Now that he saw the precious fan, he no longer hesitated. He took off the purse from his belt and handed it to the woman.

"Five hundred taels of gold, all in silver notes, can be exchanged at any bank."

The woman said, "Of course I trust Mr. Liu. You look like a well-behaved man and wouldn't do anything like shortchanging me."

She opened her purse and took out the silver bills. She was used to seeing all kinds of silver bills and had her own way of distinguishing the real from the fake. After she confirmed that they were genuine and counted them, the smile on her face became more genuine.

"Master Liu, would you like to stay in Yangzhou for a while? There are teahouses and inns around the house. I can take you there..."

Thinking of Wang's anxiety, Liu Fang was tempted, but he flatly refused the woman: "There is an urgent matter at home, I need to go back as soon as possible, I will take the young lady away today."

When the woman saw Liu Fang's clothes and appearance, she guessed that he was not choosing the Yangzhou skinny horse for herself, but for his master.

From Liu Fang's willingness to give money and the sewing and fabrics on his body, the woman vaguely guessed that he was not a nobleman from Yangzhou City. Although she had doubts in her heart, she was not unfamiliar with the ways of the world, so she did not ask any more questions.

In addition to the five hundred taels of gold, Liu Fang still had money for the round trip. He originally wanted to charter an ordinary boat and save the money for buying wine.

But Baoshan stood beside him with a delicate figure, and asked softly which boat they wanted to take.

Liu Fang was momentarily possessed and pointed to the largest and most comfortable one.

He secretly regretted that with such spending, he couldn't save any money.

Bao Shan thanked him softly, her voice tinged with joy, "Thank you for your expense, Mr. Liu."

It can be seen that Baoshan likes this boat very much.

After hearing the pleasant news, Liu Fang no longer had the thought of retreating and paid for the boat charter without hesitation.

Just before boarding the boat, the woman came to the shore with her maid to give him a precious fan.

She is a bit more noble than the ordinary matchmaker who trains skinny horses in Yangzhou, but in the final analysis, she is also a person of the lowest class.

The precious fan was sold to her by her family. The woman couldn't remember why, but it was probably because the casino owed debts or the family encountered a disaster.

He had only given her six strings of copper coins at the beginning, but now he was giving her five hundred taels of gold.

Baoshan has always been well-behaved and pitiful, and she is loved by everyone. Although the woman regards her as a tool to exchange for money, over the years, she inevitably develops some true feelings for her.