Chapter 200: This Year's Top Scholar, Su Jing of Xiangzhou
Two guards placed a jar of ice in the middle of the hall, which emitted cold steam and instantly cooled the room.
To be honest, even the Ningyuan Earl's Mansion couldn't produce so much ice at once for summer heat relief. Xiangzhou has little snowfall, so the ice storage capacity is also small, and saltpeter is even rarer. Isn't he just showing off his wealth?
Su Wan saw through it but didn't say anything. He just drank tea to hide his smile.
Don’t mention it, after this guy came, she didn’t feel embarrassed anymore.
One after another, the guards brought a few plates of exquisite snacks and placed them next to Ning Zhiqian.
"Wanwan, don't you love iced cheese the most? I asked someone to buy it for you. Come and try it."
Jiang Yu's strong aura was about to overflow the screen.
Su Wan had never seen anyone so good at making his presence felt.
But she cooperated and took the cheese and started drinking it.
He only prepared it for her, but not for Ning Zhiqian.
The proud young uncle couldn't stand it anymore. It was the first time he was suppressed like this.
"Sixth Miss, is this your brother? I heard that you have several older brothers. I wonder which son of your family this is?"
When he said he was Su Wan's brother, Jiang Yu's smile faded and he looked at Su Wan, wanting to know how she would answer.
"He's not my brother."
It only explained that he was not the older brother, and didn't explain much more. You can imagine the rest yourself.
"If he's not your brother, why does this brother look like an elder in your family?"
elder?
Is he serious? Su Wan almost couldn't help laughing.
"Are you the young master of the Ningyuan Earl's Mansion?" Jiang Yu finally spoke.
"It is me, may I know your identity?"
When talking about his family, Ning Zhiqian had a very proud expression and held his head high.
It seems to be saying, I am a first-class noble in Xiangzhou City, who are you?
Jiang Yu's identity is revealed, I'm not afraid to scare you to death, but he is relatively low-key in this regard.
"I'm just a merchant with a modest fortune, so I'm a good match for the Su family. Young Master, despite your noble status, is so kind to visit an ordinary merchant. I heard the Ningyuan Earl's wife is interested in marrying into the Shunyi Earl's family in Suzhou. The Shunyi Earl's daughter is renowned for her talent in Suzhou, making her a perfect match for you. I wonder if I could have the honor of drinking a glass of wine at your wedding someday?"
Even if Jiang Yu didn't bring up his identity as the prince of the Duke's Mansion, he would still be able to choke you to the point of being speechless.
You are about to become a married man, so stop dreaming of harming decent women.
Does your mother know that you are so devoted to her?
Su Wan also accidentally heard a big piece of news. She didn't expect that the young master already had a suitable marriage?
"This is great news, young master. I'm sure the young lady of the Shunyi Earl's Mansion must be well-educated, beautiful and intelligent, and a perfect match for you. Su Wan is here too, congratulating you in advance."
Seeing Su Wan like this, Ning Zhiqian panicked and stood up to explain:
"Wanwan, that's not the case. She and I haven't even started dating yet."
"Young Master, there is a difference between you and me, so please don't call me by my maiden name. It's inappropriate."
Su Wan quickly distanced herself from him. Really, you are already married, and you still come here to show off like a peacock. She won't dare to go out and show her face in public anymore.
Ning Zhiqian sat back in his original seat dejectedly, holding his hands tightly.
He looked at Jiang Yu who was smiling, and that smile seemed ironic to him.
Today, he was actually insulted by a merchant. He would definitely find someone to investigate his background when he got home.
Ning Zhiqian didn't stay in the Su Mansion for long. He came with joy, but left with an angry look on his face.
After he left, Su Wan couldn't help but complain to Jiang Yu:
"Why are you angry with him? What if he gets angry and causes trouble for us? My Yuyan Hall hasn't even opened yet."
She knew he was not afraid, but she was just saying that, after all, she didn't know about this now.
"Don't be afraid, I'll take care of everything. Who's afraid of who is still unknown!"
Jiang Yu just couldn't stand his self-serving attitude.
…
Su Jing was still very nervous on the day of the palace examination. He had made it all the way to the finals, and now there were only twenty-nine competitors left.
The palace examination was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and was still a written examination.
Su Jing was the first in this year's imperial examination. When the emperor appeared in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he asked the eunuchs around him to point out to him who was the first in this year's imperial examination.
Seeing that Su Jing was a handsome man with elegant demeanor and good looks, the emperor nodded secretly to express his satisfaction.
After performing the ceremony of three kowtows and nine bows, the thirty candidates took their seats in turn, waiting for the emperor to announce the questions for the palace examination.
To be honest, at that moment, everyone was nervous, afraid of choosing the wrong question, including Su Jing.
Most people made two preparations, policy essays and poetry, but Su Jing made three.
When the question came out, all the candidates present were shocked and looked dejected, because this year the emperor did not play by the rules and actually gave a policy essay question on flood control.
They are only proficient in the great ways of saints, the ways of being a human being, poetry and songs. When have they ever delved into these things?
No one knew where to start. Some people who lived around the Xuan River basin had only heard of some of the things that the Du Shuijian had done in the past, and could answer a few questions by following their own advice.
Only Su Jing was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
Thinking back to last year, Su Wan specially ran to the academy to remind him of this matter. Now thinking about it, was it a coincidence or was it foreseen?
She is truly the lucky star of the Su family, and even more so Su Jing's benefactor.
He and Su Wan had discussed the topic of flood control. What she said, plus the ancient books he had read everywhere and the few strategies he had developed, were enough.
Su Jing wrote a long essay and submitted two full answer sheets, but he was still not sure whether he could be approved by the emperor, nor did he dare to think whether there were any candidates in this group who knew more about flood control than him.
But he was confident that with this answer sheet, passing the imperial examination would be no problem.
On the first day of July, the emperor summoned Su Jing into the palace, and Su Jing knew that it was done.
Only the top ten Jinshi candidates had the opportunity to see the emperor. However, he met the emperor alone and stayed in there for a full hour before coming out.
When he came out, he was already holding a red official robe with a black gauze hat on top.
Following behind him was a group of eunuchs, holding rewards from the emperor.
At the same time, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on him, and no one knew whether Su Jing was the top scorer in this year's exam.
But this can be concluded from the fact that he met the emperor alone and received many rewards.
Generally, those who passed the exam would receive fixed rewards according to their ranking, but Su Jing received so many rewards just by meeting the emperor. This was an unprecedented honor, which showed how much the emperor valued him.
The next day, the emperor issued an imperial decree, designating Su Jing from Xiangzhou as the top scorer in this exam.
His report on flood control was also posted under the imperial edict for the public to read.
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