"Madam, you are very happy. Zhuo'er has won the first place in the provincial examination. Including the previous county examination and the provincial examination, Zhuo'er has won four first places in a row. Our Yan family has a successor."
Yan Guangyi ran home excitedly to share his joy with his wife.
"I see. It's just a top scholar. Master, let me see the letter. When will Zhuo'er and Cheng'er come back?"
What Chu Yuan was most concerned about was when his two sons would go to Beijing. It was normal for Zhuo'er to get the top prize in the imperial examination. What was there to be excited about?
Chu Yuan read it carefully and calculated the time. She knew that the two children had already set off and would arrive in the capital in a few days.
Chu Yuanle exclaimed with joy. Now their family was reunited again. She ordered the servants to clean the yards of her two sons and tell her if there was anything missing.
After she finished speaking, she was afraid that the servants were not taking her seriously enough, so she decided to give them a beating later, so that they would not jump on her head because of her kindness.
"Madam, your son won the first place in the provincial examination."
Yan Guangyi watched her busying around and couldn't help but remind her that his wife was too careless. Shouldn't she celebrate properly such a happy event as her son getting the first place in the exam?
In several places near the capital, the provincial examinations are held earlier, and the results of the examinations are also released earlier. Families that can afford it will celebrate when their children pass the examinations.
Yan Guangyi has been to several banquets recently. He prefers to eat at his own banquet rather than at other people's banquets.
"What are you celebrating for? Zhuo'er is celebrating now that he just won the first place, but what will he do if he wins the second or third place in the imperial examination?"
Yan Guangyi admires his wife the most. This is too bold of an idea. He was just thinking about it, but his wife said it out loud.
"It would be enough if Zhuo'er could pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. I don't dare to think about becoming the first or the top scholar."
The imperial examination is attended by elite students from all over the country and is more difficult than the provincial examination. Yan Guangyi dare not say that there is definitely no student stronger than Yan Zhuo.
Chu Yuan, as a mother, felt that her son was a perfect person. He had already won four yuan in a row, so it would not be difficult for him to win two more yuan.
Instead, he felt somewhat disgusted with Yan Guangyi's caution: "When did Master become so timid? Don't you know how talented your son is?"
"Zhuo'er is extremely intelligent, but there are certainly people in the world who are smarter than him. Madam, you should not have too high hopes for Zhuo'er, lest you be disappointed and sad later."
"I know, I know."
As soon as Yan Guangyi heard this, he knew that his wife did not listen to him and still had great faith in her eldest son, thinking that he could get six yuan.
Madam, you are so bold! You don’t even look at how many people in history have achieved the sixth place in the imperial examination. There is not even one in this dynasty.
Forget it, forget it. My wife has a mysterious confidence in her son. No matter what he says, she won’t listen. It’s better to talk about something else.
"I wonder what plans Madam has for Zhuo'er's marriage?"
The servants in the room left, and Yan Guangyi made tea smoothly and pleasantly. He poured a cup of tea for his wife himself and then made a gesture of invitation.
Chu Yuan was very pleased. She took a sip of tea and said softly, "I was just about to ask Master about this. Zhuo'er will be coming of age next year, so it's time to get his marriage started."
Yan Guangyi nodded and expressed his thoughts.
"I have always planned to arrange a marriage for Zhuo'er after he finishes high school. If it weren't for my mother's sudden... Zhuo'er was supposed to take part in the provincial examination three years ago. At that time, I thought that I would arrange a marriage for him after Zhuo'er finished the exam.
Later, it was delayed for three years. Fortunately, Zhuo'er is a boy, so it doesn't matter if he gets married later. If nothing unexpected happens, Zhuo'er will pass the exam, so the marriage should be prepared.
I don't usually have access to the women in the harem, so the matter of finding a wife for Zhuo'er still needs my wife to come. Zhuo'er is our eldest son, and he should find a wife who can support him."
His son's marriage was a big deal, so Chu Yuan didn't dare to be careless. He immediately thought of many ladies from prominent families in his mind, but he couldn't think of a suitable candidate for a while, so he sighed helplessly.
"I can't think of a good candidate right now. I'll pay more attention to it in the future and try to find a wife that Zhuo'er likes."
From what the master said, Zhuo'er's marriage depends entirely on her. This son is his, and this daughter-in-law is also the one they will live with in the future. She can't get along with her, so she has to look for a good one.
"Thank you for your hard work, Madam. I think we should decide on the candidate as soon as possible. Our Zhuo'er is handsome, but he is not as good as Cheng'er in martial arts. What if he is not selected as a son-in-law after he passes the exam?"
Yan Guangyi joked.
"Master looks down on our Zhuo'er too much. He is very clever. No matter who is chosen as a son-in-law, he will never be chosen as a son-in-law."
"Hahaha, ma'am, what you said is very true."
After laughing, Yan Guangyi's face turned serious as he told the real reason: "Last year's selection was cancelled due to the drought in the south. The princes are getting older, so I'm afraid we'll have to choose a few prince consorts in the selection next year."
The Sixth Prince, the Seventh Prince, and the Eighth Prince are all thirteen or fourteen years old now, and two years from now would be a good time for them to get engaged.
The fifth prince is now sixteen years old. The candidate for the princess consort should have been determined in last year's selection, but last year's selection was not held, so the candidate can only be selected in the selection next year.
There is also the oldest prince, who is twenty-three years old this year. The princess passed away at the beginning of the year, leaving behind three daughters. The emperor will definitely choose another princess for him in the selection next year.
In this way, the next selection will select five princes' wives, and concubines are counted separately.
"Next year, Xi'er will be of the right age to be selected for the imperial selection. If possible, I don't want our family to marry into the royal family. It would be better to arrange a marriage for Xi'er as soon as possible so that she can be exempted from the imperial selection."
As if he understood the hidden meaning in Yan Guangyi's words, and as if he sensed an invisible crisis from the future, Chu Yuan held down his pounding heart.
Unable to calm down, he pressed the handkerchief he had just crumpled onto the back of Yan Guangyi's hand and asked with trembling lips, "Master, are you afraid that Xi'er will be betrothed to the prince?"
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