After the names were announced in the Golden Hall, the emperor personally selected the top three winners. According to custom, the emperor gave them the honor of riding a tall horse and parading them through the streets.
After the number one scholar Fang Xiu led all the Jinshi to pay their respects to the emperor, he put on a black gauze hat with a golden flower, the red robe he had been awarded, mounted a tall horse with a big red flower hanging on its chest, and left the palace.
The top three scholars in the imperial examination all had the honor of riding horses. The second and third place scholars were extremely envious as they could only walk. However, even so, today was still a good day to bring honor to the family.
Wan Jinlan and Wan Jinyu didn't wait long at the window of Wangjiang Tower before they saw a huge crowd of people walking towards them from the other end of the street.
Fortunately, the roads in Kyoto are wide, otherwise they would not be able to accommodate the people who come along to watch the fun.
Wan Jinlan noticed Wan Zhijing with his sharp eyes.
Today, her brother, formally dressed in a red robe, sat atop a tall horse, holding the imperial edict in his hand. His face was serious yet slightly smiling. He was already handsome, and the red robe made him look like a truly outstanding young man. Standing among the group of Jinshi, her brother was the most eye-catching.
Wan Jinlan suddenly felt that his brother seemed like a different person today.
From far away, drums and music played in unison, creating an extraordinary grand occasion. Pedestrians made way and joined the parade to watch the excitement. The successful candidates in the imperial examinations were all in high spirits, beaming with joy and smiling.
There were some bold ones, and some even threw handkerchiefs and flowers at the Jinshi.
Wan Zhijing looked up and saw his sister by the window. He raised his lips and smiled, which caused a burst of excitement among the young ladies on the street. Some even threw peanuts at him.
The crowd on the street moved with the scholars, and when the scholars disappeared from the street, the street became empty.
Wan Jinlan was about to look away from the window when he saw a familiar person. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Wu Ye, the son of the Lady of Kangping County.
At this time, Wu Ye was wearing a gray single-piece garment that hung loosely on his body. He was holding a pot of wine in his hand and pouring it into his mouth. Perhaps he was too drunk, he staggered and fell to the ground, and did not get up for a long time.
When Wan Jinlan first met him, he was still a melancholy man facing the wind. When they met again in Huayan Temple, he had become an energetic scholar. But when they met again this time, he did not expect it to be like this.
"Why? Did he fail the exam?"
Wan Jinyu shook her head and sighed, "I don't know if I'd call him pitiful or lucky. Because of his father's involvement, all his previous imperial examination results were invalidated. He can no longer take the imperial examinations or become an official. He should have been beheaded like the other Wu family members, but it was only because of the intercession of the Prince of Linjiang that the Emperor showed some mercy and spared him."
Wan Jinlan sighed inwardly. Looking at the bright side, Wu Ye had at least saved his life. But he should have had a brighter future...
Just as the two were about to look away, a thin figure came out of Wangjiang Tower with a light cough, slowly walked to Wu Ye who had fallen to the ground, bent down and helped Wu Ye up.
"Mr. Wu, the ground is cold and it's easy to get sick. I'll have someone escort you back home."
Wu Ye didn't even open his eyes, and said with a painful expression: "For someone like me, what does it matter whether I'm sick or not? Living is more painful than dying."
Xiao Nian sighed deeply, "Only someone like me who has been ill for a long time can appreciate the benefits of good health. I envy Master Wu."
Noticing the gazes from upstairs, Xiao Nianshen calmly looked up and nodded politely to Wan Jinlan and Wan Jinyu, then slowly helped Wu Ye into the carriage.
Wu Ye opened his eyes and saw that it was Xiao Nian Shen, whom he had met once before. He struggled to stand up and bowed in thanks, "Thank you, Master Xiao."
Wu Ye's face was dejected, and his tone was difficult. "Why bother supporting a useless person like me, Master Xiao? Just let me talk nonsense on the street, that's fine too. At least I don't have to go back home and let my mother see me, an unfilial son, and cry every day."
Xiao Nianshen's face was pale, and his tone was gentle and tolerant: "Time is long, but the busy make it short; the world is broad, but the mean make it narrow. Brother Wu, why don't you broaden your horizons and take a long-term view, and the current difficulties will no longer be a problem."
Wu Ye was smart and a few ideas flashed through his mind, but he couldn't grasp them for a moment. However, his expression became much clearer.
Xiao Nian Shen added, "I've read quite a few travelogues, and I really like a sentence in one of them. I'll tell it to Master Wu today."
"There are three thousand great ways, all leading to heaven."
Wan Zhijing was chosen as the third place winner, and the Duke of Zhenguo was congratulated by his colleagues all day. After returning home from duty, his face was beaming. Even seeing Xiao Minghuan at the mansion didn't dampen his spirits.
Xiao Minghuan came with gifts today to congratulate Wan Zhijing.
It was almost lunchtime when he arrived, and he had a meal at the mansion, but he dragged himself on, using the excuse of asking Wan Zhijing for advice, and stayed there until almost dinnertime.
Ever since the incident at Huayan Temple, Wan Zhijing had had a problem with Xiao Minghuan. He didn't interact with him much on weekdays, which was considered to have made his attitude clear. But today, after returning home, he was pestered and couldn't get away.
When Wan Zhijing heard the servant report that a classmate was looking for him, he bowed, apologized and left.
Wan Zhijing breathed a sigh of relief when he escaped, while Wan Qiuyu, who had been asking her maid to keep an eye on Xiao Minghuan, also breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was alone.
The palace was filled with joy today, and Wan Qiuyu was able to relax for a day. When he heard that Prince Duan had entered the palace, he had been looking for an opportunity to get close to him.
Finally, the time she had been waiting for came.
At the corner at the end of the corridor, Wan Qiuyu boldly stopped Xiao Minghuan.
Xiao Minghuan has always been very gentle in the mansion, and he is always kind even to the servants in the mansion.
He was like this not only to people in the government office, but also to everyone outside. As a result, he gained a reputation as an upright gentleman in the capital.
At this moment, he looked puzzled and asked in a kind tone, "Miss, what can I do for you?"
He knew that the mansion had found the concubine's daughter who had been lost in childhood, and the news from the mansion was that she had been adopted by a farming family.
At this moment, Xiao Minghuan looked Wan Qiuyu up and down, and his interest grew. He believed that no man could resist beauty.
Wan Qiuyu had been trained by the nanny at the mansion. Every day, when she got dressed, she would wrap her chest with white silk. Although the wrapping was not too tight, it was not comfortable. The dresses she wore were also not waist-revealing. At first glance, she also looked like a dignified lady from a noble family.
Wan Qiuyu knew that since she had returned to the mansion and had the identity of a lady, if she didn't want to be despised in the future, she had to forget her past self, at least before she got married.
Her aunt had revealed that the mansion was planning to find a place for her to marry off that was a little distance away from Kyoto and was already looking for a candidate.
Her aunt said that with the status of the mansion, the family they find will not treat her unfairly, and she will definitely be the legal wife after she gets married.
But she is not happy!
She was destined to become a superior person in her new life, so how could she marry someone from another place in such a hurry?
She was also anxious, otherwise she wouldn't be so bold as to come and block the way.
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