Wei Li hurriedly retorted, his words sounding somewhat like an attempt to cover up his mistake: "What's the use of being able to hold a baby? I'm asking you if you can fold a blanket."
General Song picked up the blanket that had fallen to the ground. Instead of being angry, he smiled and rolled the blanket into a short strip, then skillfully showed it to Wei Li in the manner of holding a baby.
"Back when Ah-Xuan was born, it was the first time for both her mother and me to become parents. Her mother was very cautious and didn't know how to hold a baby at all. But I was clever and learned from others beforehand, so I was much better than her mother. I can still remember the look of surprise on Ah-Xuan's mother's face when she saw me holding the baby."
"My lord is about to become a father, so he can learn in advance and play with the baby when the time comes."
Wei Li stubbornly refused to admit his mistake. Even though he had been seen through, he still tried to save face. He leaned against the bed with an air of superiority and said in an unfriendly tone, "What's the use of being able to hold a child? I don't need it. There's an old saying that you should hold your grandchildren, not your sons. Besides, Zhao Xiheng is enough to take care of the child. Why should I care about anything else?"
General Song spoke with a lot of emotion and nostalgia, then ignored Wei Li's words and continued, "This is how you hold a child: first, gently lift his head, then put your hands behind his back, and finally carefully pick him up and hold him close to your chest. A child's bones are fragile, and you can easily hurt him if you're not careful."
As Wei Li listened to his detailed explanation, he felt that the general seemed very experienced. He subconsciously craned his neck to look, his eyes wide open. General Song leaned closer and showed him the details one by one.
"Does my lord understand? If not, I will demonstrate it again."
General Song asked again, and Wei Li instantly snapped back to reality. He quickly turned his head away, kicked the ground with his toes, and lazily leaned back, cursing, "I already said I don't hold children. Even if General Song demonstrates it a thousand or ten thousand times, I won't watch. I need to rest now. You can leave!"
"Then I'll take my leave. Please rest well, my lord." General Song, being very considerate, did not shake out the blanket but carefully placed it on the bedside table. He then closed the door for Wei Li, indicating that he should make himself at home.
General Song's every action seemed to be saying silently: My lord, don't be shy. There's nothing shameful about practicing holding a child.
Wei Li glared angrily at General Song's retreating figure, wishing he could tear him to pieces. Damn it, even if he saw through it, why did he have to say it? He has no sense of propriety!
Enraged, he grabbed the pillow beside him and threw it against the door. The pillow fell softly to the ground without making a sound, offering no relief whatsoever.
He wanted to throw something else, and grabbed the blanket that General Song had placed by the bedside. Just as he was about to throw it, he suddenly stopped, subconsciously pulled it back, and placed it on his lap.
Wei Li stared at the rolled-up blanket and couldn't help but blush. He looked at it for a long time, as if he could see a child inside the white wool blanket.
He coughed awkwardly, ran to bolt the door, and made sure the yard was quiet and no one was around.
Zhao Xiheng showed him that book, something like "What was it again?"
"Three...three people walking together..." and there must be a teacher among them, that's the idea.
Wei Li slapped his forehead and remembered.
He felt that reading shouldn't be in vain, and he could actually put his knowledge into practice...
Anyway, it's not shameful to have another skill, and when he learns it, Zhao Xiheng won't, so he can show off in front of Zhao Xiheng.
Wei Li tried to pick up the blanket, just like General Song had done, but he felt that he was being a bit silly.
The Qionglin Banquet was also held at the waterside pavilion. Although Zhao Xiheng felt that the Qionglin Banquet she was hosting was not a proper Qionglin Banquet, but rather one held in a small place like Pingzhou, she still tried her best to make it look presentable, so that people would not look down on her.
She was pregnant and shouldn't stay up late. If the banquet started at the normal time, it would be midnight by the time it ended, which she couldn't stay up any longer. So, people started arriving one after another while it was still light in the afternoon.
The champion of this year's competition was a slender young man with fair skin, big eyes, and a very delicate appearance. He had a somewhat androgynous look. Sitting in the first seat, he showed no discomfort or trepidation in the face of everyone's scrutiny. On the contrary, he was in high spirits and full of energy.
Secondly, there was a tall young man with an ordinary face, but he was well-read and had an air of elegance that could not be ignored.
Zhao Xiheng swept the items one by one, and judging from their demeanor and bearing alone, they were all quite good.
Judging from their clothing, some came from wealthy families and others from poor families, each making up about half.
Those from humble backgrounds are mostly neither humble nor arrogant, and those from wealthy backgrounds are not haughty.
The twenty people would be working together from now on, so it was inevitable that they would toast and exchange pleasantries. By the time the banquet was halfway over, everyone was half-drunk and had become much more familiar with each other. The atmosphere was no longer as dull and reserved as it had been at the beginning, and there was more laughter and joy.
When Zhao Xiheng invited them to the banquet, she specifically instructed them not to be too formal.
Some of them, emboldened, pieced the scrolls together, gathered them into a pile, and used chopsticks to tap the water-filled containers, producing a clear buzzing sound as a musical instrument. They then sang along, mostly poems from the Book of Songs or the Chu Ci.
Although it was a banquet filled with the stench of wine and meat, it unexpectedly had a touch of elegance and refinement. Their songs were light and cheerful, and one could faintly hear the ambition to realize their aspirations, as well as the exhilarating joy of passing the imperial examination.
Seeing that Zhao Xiheng was sitting at the head of the table and nodding to them, more people gathered in a similar manner, creating a lively scene.
Xiao Tao leaned close to Zhao Xiheng and laughed, "They used to be scholars, but now they look like they've entered a marketplace."
Song Xuan asked, "Should we make them stop?"
Zhao Xiheng replied with a smile, "Don't worry about them, it's fine as it is."
She looked down and saw that even a shy person like Shen Du'an had become unusually lively.
“They will all be working together in the future.” Zhao Xiheng shook her head with a bright smile. “It’s not quite accurate to say they will work together. They will be helping Wei Li conquer the world. Pingzhou is just a small group. If it grows bigger and bigger in the future, they may become the first batch of civil officials. When they achieve success and look back, they will surely have many feelings.”
"They're all happy now, but who knows who will still be there in the future, who won't, and who will break ties with whom?" Zhao Xiheng sighed, feeling that her pregnancy had made her more sentimental.
After hearing what Zhao Xiheng said, Song Xuan couldn't help but look down again at the people in Qingchang whose eyes were shining. A flood of emotions welled up in her heart, both hot and burning.
Pingzhou, this small place where she grew up, is very different from before.
It was more than just a small prefecture; it was beginning to take shape as the framework of an imperial court.
Just as she was sighing, a guard leaped up from the side and whispered something to Xiao Tao. Xiao Tao's expression hardened, and she whispered it to Zhao Xiheng.
"Then bring the person up." Zhao Xiheng's expression turned displeased after hearing this. "It's a good opportunity to explain everything openly and honestly in front of everyone. If there are any grievances, let's not wrong anyone."
The guard bowed his head in agreement and hurriedly ran out. A short while later, a middle-aged man almost knelt down in the main hall.
He was dressed in a blue robe and a turban, like a scholar, with a mustache on his chin and lips.
"I have something to report!" he shouted in a shrill voice, almost a roar.
The lively scene fell silent in an instant, becoming so quiet you could hear a pin drop, as all the candidates turned their gaze to the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground.
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man became even more agitated, trembling all over and his face flushed red.
Zhao Xiheng raised her hand, signaling him to continue.
The scholar in blue robes was filled with righteous indignation. He cupped his hands and said, "I am Li Jingxian, who ranked twenty-first in this imperial examination. According to the rules of this examination, I should have returned to my hometown and taken up a minor post in the local prefecture."
He took a breath and continued, "But I should have been twentieth, because in this imperial examination, someone deceived the examiners all the way and entered the ranks of the top twenty. I thought about it over and over and felt wronged, so I came here to expose this."
"Did someone cheat?"
The twenty candidates looked at each other and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Li Jingxian faintly heard people discussing this matter, and everyone's tone was full of disdain and contempt. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and became smug, "This person who deceived his superiors and subordinates is none other than Sun Zhaoxun, the first place winner this time!"
Gasps of astonishment filled the air as everyone gasped in disbelief. How could it possibly be Sun Zhaoxun?
Sun Zhaoxun has always been at the top of the list in the village! If he were cheating, how could he have managed to do it so flawlessly without being caught?
Zhao Xiheng turned her gaze to Sun Zhaoxun, who was currently at the top of the list. She saw that his handsome face was flushed, his teeth were clenched, his eyes were wide, his hands were clenched into fists and rested on his knees, and his whole body was tense to the extreme.
“Li Jingxian, you must provide evidence when you speak. How did you know that Brother Sun cheated? What evidence do you have?” But these candidates had all passed through many rounds of selection and were not easily swayed by a few words. Someone stepped forward and asked the first question.
The difference between 20th and 21st place is huge, meaning whether you can stay and take up a post before the lord or be sent back to the prefecture and assigned a job by the prefect or county magistrate. These are worlds apart treatments.
If he is sent back to the prefecture, it is unknown when he will be promoted.
Therefore, it's hard to say that Li Jingxian fabricated this lie in order to squeeze out someone else and stay in Buxian to take up his post.
"When did I say he cheated! I didn't say he cheated!" Li Jingxian's face twisted into a ferocious grimace. "I said he deceived his superiors and forged his identity!"
"I was supposed to leave today, but when I checked out at noon, I was surprised to learn that our top scorer this time, Sun Zhaoxun, is actually a woman!"
His words caused an uproar, far more exciting than any cheating.
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